gentlewoman to close with us? Is she of the wicked? Is thine hostess here of the wicked?

Poins. Answer, thou dead elm, answer.

[A loud knocking without.

Fal. Who knocks so loud at door? look to the door there, Hostess.

Enter GoWER.

P. Hen. Gower, how now? what news?
Gew. The king your father is at Westminster :
And there are twenty weak and wearied posts,
Come from the north: and, as I came along,
I met, and overtook, a dozen captains,
Bare-headed, sweating, knocking at the taverns,
And asking every one for sir John Falstaff.

P. Hen. By heaven, Poins, I feel me much to blame,

So idly to profane the precious time;

When tempest of commotion, like the south
Borne with black vapour, doth begin to melt,

And drop upon our bare unarmed heads.

Give me my sword, and cloak :-Falstaff, good night. Exeunt the Prince, PoiNs, and GowER. Fal. Now comes in the sweetest morsel of the night, and we must hence, and leave it unpick'd.

[More knocking at the door without. More knocking at the door?-How now? what's

the matter?

Enter BARDOLPH.

Bard. You must away to court, sir, presently; a dozen captains stay at door for you.

[Exit BARDOLPH. Fal. Farewell, hostess ;-farewell, Doll.-You see, my good wenches, how men of merit are sought after: the undeserver may sleep, when the man of action is call'd on. Farewell, good wenches :-If I be not sent away post, I will see you again ere I go.

Dol. I cannot speak :-If my heart be not ready to burst,-Well, sweet Jack, have a care of thyself.

Fal. Farewell, farewell.

[Exit FALSTAFF.

Bard. [within.] Mistress Tear-sheet,

Host. What's the matter?

Bard, Bid mistress Tear-sheet come to my master. Host. O run, Doll, run; run, good Doll.

END OF ACT II.

[Exeunt.

ACT III.

SCENE I.

Justice Shallow's Seat in Glostershire.

Enter SHALLOW meeting SILENCE.

Shal. COME

on, your hand, sir, give stirrer, by the rood. Silence ?

come on, come on; give me me your hand, sir: an early And how doth my good cousin

Sil. Good morrow, good cousin Shallow.

Shal. And how doth my cousin, your bedfellow? and your fairest daughter, and mine, my goddaughter Ellen?

Sil. Alas, a black ouzel, cousin Shallow.

Shal. By yea and nay, sir, I dare say, my cousin William is become a good scholar: he is at Oxford still, is he not ?

Sil. Indeed, sir; to my cost.

Shal. He must then to the inns of court shortly: I was once of Clement's Inn; where, I think, they will talk of mad Shallow yet.

Sil. You were call'd-lusty Shallow, then, cousin. Shal. By the mass, I was call'd any thing; and I would have done any thing, indeed, and roundly too. There was I, and little John Doit of Staffordshire, and Black George Bare, and Francis Pickbone, and Will Squele a Cotswold man,—you had not four such swinge-bucklers in all the inns of court again: and, I may say to you, we knew where the bona-robas were; and had the best of them all at commandment. Then was Jack Falstaff, now sir John, a boy; and page to Thomas Mowbray, duke of Norfolk.

Sil. This sir John, cousin, that comes hither anon about soldiers?

Shal. The same sir John, the very same. I saw him break Skogan's head at the court gate, when he was a crack, not thus high: and the very same day I did fight with one Sampson Stockfish, a fruiterer, behind Gray's Inn. O, the mad days that I have spent! and to see how many of my old acquaintance are dead! Sil. We shall all follow, cousin.

Shal. Certain, 't is certain; very sure, very sure: death, as the Psalmist saith, is certain to all; all shall die. How a good yoke of bullocks at Stamford fair? Sil. Truely, cousin, I was not there.

Shal. Death is certain.-Is old Double of your town living yet?

Sil. Dead, sir.

Shal. Dead!-See, see !-he drew a good bow ;~ And dead!-he shot a fine shoot:-John of Gaunt lov'd him well, and betted much money on his head. Dead!-he would have clapp'd i' the clout at twelve score; and carry'd you a fore-hand shaft a fourteen, and fourteen and a half, that it would have done a man's heart good to see.-How a score of ewes now? Sil. Thereafter as they be a score of good ewes may be worth ten pounds.

Shal. And is old Double dead!

Sil. Here come two of sir John Falstaff's men, as I think.

Enter DAVY, BARDOLPH, and Page.

Bard. Good morrow, honest gentlemen: I beseech you, which is justice Shallow ?

Shal. I am Robert Shallow, sir; a poor esquire of this county, and one of the king's justices of the peace: what is your good pleasure with me?

Bard. My captain, sir, commends him to you; my captain, sir John Falstaff: a tall gentleman, and a most gallant leader.

Shal. He greets me well, sir; I knew him a good back-sword man: how doth the good knight? may I ask, how my lady his wife doth ?

Bard. Sir, pardon; a soldier is better accommodated, than with a wife.

Shal. It is well said, i' faith, sir; and it is well said indeed too. Better accommodated !-it is good; yea, indeed, is it: good phrases are surely, and ever were, very commendable. Accommodated! - it comes of accommodo: very good; a good phrase.

Bard. Pardon, sir; I have heard the word. Phrase, call you it? By this day, I know not the phrase: but I will maintain the word with my sword, to be a soldier-like word, and a word of exceeding good command. Accommodated,—that is, when a man is, as they say, accommodated: or, when a man is,-being, -whereby, he may be thought to be accommodated; which is an excellent thing.

Shal. It is very just :-Look, here comes good sir John.

Enter FALSTAFF,

Give me your good hand, give me your worship's good hand by my troth, you look well, and bear your years very well: welcome, good sir John.

Fal. I am glad to see you well, good master Robert Shallow ;-master Sure-card, as I think.

Shal. No, sir John; it is my cousin Silence, in commission with me.

Fal. Good master Silence, it well befits you should be of the peace.

Sil. Your good worship is welcome.

Fal. Fie! this is hot weather.--Gentlemen, have you provided me here half a dozen sufficient men? Shal. Marry, have we, sir. Will you sit?

Fal. Let me see them, I beseech you. [They sit.

Shal. Where's the roll? where's the roll? where's Let me see, let me see, let me sèc. So, Yea, marry, sir :-Ralph Mouldy !-let

the roll?
so, so, so
them appear as I call;

let them do so, let them do so.

Where is Mouldy?

Exit DAVY.

Let me see;—

Enter MOULDY, SHADOW, WART, FEEBLE, and BULL-CALF.

Moul. Here, an't please you.

Shal. What think you, sir John? a good-limb'd fellow young, strong, and of good friends.

Fal. Is thy name Mouldy?

Moul. Yea, an 't please you.

Fal. 'T is the more time thou wert us'd.

Shal. Ha, ha, ha! most excellent, i'faith! things that are mouldy, lack use: very singular good!Well said, sir John; very well said.

Fal. Prick him.

Moul. My old dame will be undone now, for one to do her husbandry, and her drudgery: you need not to have prick'd me; there are other men fitter to go out than I.

Shal. Peace, fellow, peace; stand aside; know you where you are?-For the other, sir John :-let me see ;-Simon Shadow !

Fal. Ay marry, let me have him to sit under: he's like to be a cold soldier.

Shal. Where's Shadow?

Shad. Here, sir.

Ful. Shadow, whose son art thou?

Shad. My mother's son, sir.