whither a dozen captains are waiting to escort him. Leaving his page, therefore, to settle with the musicians, Falstaff bids the women a pompous farewell, and goes off with Bardolph, while the hostess comments upon his excellencies, and Doll noisily sobs out her grief..

ACT III. The third act opens in the palace at Westminster, where the King, in his bedgown, bids a page summon the Earls of Surrey and Warwick, who are to read the letters he sends them ere they appear. The page having gone, Henry IV.,-who is troubled by insomnia,-soliloquises on sleep, and on the cares which keep a monarch awake, while the meanest of his subjects can indulge in peaceful slumber. His invocation to sleep is one of the finest passages in this play, and ends with the oft-quoted comment, ‘uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.' The entrance of the lords he has summoned, at one o'clock in the morning, reminds him there is business on hand; so, after answering their greetings, and ascertaining they have perused the letters he sent, he informs them they now know danger is lurking near at hand.

Although the lords agree with the King, they insist the trouble is not serious, and that Northumberland's ardour will soon be cooled. Henry, who would fain read 'the book of fate,'-although he realises that knowledge of the future is wisely denied us,―marvels that the men who helped place him on the throne eight years ago, should now prove his foes, although he vividly remembers Richard termed Northumberland his 'ladder,' and predicted the time of retribution would come. Instead of a

prophecy this seems mere logical deduction to Warwick, who declares the force of the foe has been greatly overestimated. He adds the royal army will surely prove victorious, for tidings have come of Glendower's death, and insists that, having been ill for the past fortnight, the King should rest instead of aggravating his disease by worry and fatigue. Promising to heed this sage advice, Henry IV. takes leave of the lords, reiterating that as soon as these 'inward wars' are over he means to hasten to the Holy Land.

In the next scene we are transferred to the house of Justice Shallow, a Gloucestershire magistrate, who welcomes his adherents and kinsmen with the consequential repetition of every idle phrase. He also inquires minutely about the health of absent relatives, and fatuously recalls his student days, when he was termed 'lusty Shallow' and when he and his comrades played such merry pranks. In those days, Falstaff was a mere page,-the same Falstaff, whom he now expects with his company of soldiers. After a little more conversation, Bardolph appears, and when Shallow has pompously introduced himself, delivers to him Falstaff's greetings. He is still exchanging puns with the facetious host, when Falstaff himself enters, asking whether the Justice has secured him a dozen recruits? Fussily calling the roll, Shallow summons the recruits one after another for Falstaff's inspection, while puns are made on the names, appearance and answers of the candidates, among whom Falstaff means presently to select four. Then, he joyfully follows Justice Shallow in to take a drink, indulg

ing in pleasing reminiscences of their youthful escapades.

Unable to linger long, Falstaff soon after departs and the Justice goes off to his dinner. Meantime, the recruits bribe Bardolph to let them off, so when Falstaff comes to make his final selection, his man whispers that certain of the men have paid to be excused. Thus, to Justice Shallow's intense surprise, Falstaff selects the least promising specimens, excusing his choice under plea that the thinner and slighter the man, the less surface he offers to bullets, and hence the more likely he is to escape wounds! This method of choosing soldiers displeases Shallow, who vaguely recollects that other recruiters tested the strength and efficiency of the candidates; but Falstaff bids Bardolph lead the men away and provides them with uniforms, vowing, when all have left the stage, that on his return he will stop here again, to wring more money out of Justice Shallow, who is born to be a dupe.

ACT IV. The fourth act opens in Yorkshire forest, where the Archbishop, Mowbray, Hastings and others are halting with their troops. After discovering their location, the Archbishop suggests a reconnoitering party be sent out to ascertain the strength and position of their foes. Then he reports that letters from Northumberland state he cannot levy the required troops, so that instead of joining them he has gone to Scotland to pray for their success! This defection proves a great disappointment to Mowbray; but before he can adequately express it, a messenger reports that an army lies scarcely a mile away.