Weft. You speak, lord Mowbray, now you know | That no conditions of our peace can stand.

not what :

The earl of Hereford was reputed then

In England the most valiant gentleman:

Haft. Fear younot that : if we can make our pesse Upon fuch large terms, and so abfolute,

As our conditions fhall infift upon,

Who knows, on whom fortune would then have Our peace shall stand as firm as rocky mountains.

fmil'd?

But, if your father had been victor there,
He ne'er had borne it out of Coventry :
For all the country, in a general voice,

Cry'd hate upon him; and all their prayers, and love,
Were fet on Hereford, whom they doted on,
And blefs'd, and grac'd indeed, more than the king.
But this is mere digreffion from my purpose.-
Here come I from our princely general,

To know your griefs; to tell you from his grace,
That he will give you audience: and wherein
It fhall appear, that your demands are just,
You shall enjoy them; every thing fet off,
That might fo much as think you enemies.
Mowb. But he hath forc'd us to compel this offer;
And it proceeds from policy, not love.

Mowb. Ay, but our valuation fhall be fuch,
That every flight and falíe-derived cause,
Yea, every idle, nice, and wanton reason,
Shall, to the king, taste of this action :
That, were our loyal faiths martyrs in love,
We fhall be winnow'd with fo rough a wind,
That even our corn fhall feem as light as chaff,
And good from bad find no partition.

York. No, no, my lord; Note this, the king
is weary

Of dainty and fuch picking 5 grievances :
For he hath found,-to end one doubt by death,
Revives two greater in the heirs of life,
And therefore will he wipe his tables clean";
And keep no tell-tale to his memory,
That may repeat and hiftory his lofs

Weft. Mowbray, you over-ween, to take it fo; To new remembrance: For full well he knows,

This offer comes from mercy, not from fear :
For, lo! within a ken, our army lies;
Upon mine honour, all too confident
To give admittance to a thought of fear.
Our battle is more full of names than yours,
Our men more perfect in the use of arms,
Our armour all as ftrong, our cause the best;
Then reafon wills, our hearts should be as good:--
Say you not then, our offer is compell'd.

He cannot fo precifely weed this land,
As his mifdoubts prefent occafion :
His foes are fo enrooted with his friends,
That, plucking to unfix an enemy,
He doth unfaften fo, and thake a friend :
So that this land, like an offenfive wife,
That hath enrag'd him on to offer strokes;
As he is ftriking, holds his infant up,
And hangs refolv'd correction in the arm

Mowb. Well, by my will, we fhall admit no That was uprear'd to execution.

parley.

Haft. Befides, the king hath wafted all his rods

Weft. That argues but the shame of your offence: On late offenders, that he now doth lack

A rotten cafe abides no handling.

Haft. Hath the prince John a full commiffion,

In very ample virtue of his father,
To hear, and abfolutely to determine

Of what conditions we shall ftand upon ?

Weft. That is intended in the general's name:
I mufe, you make fo flight a question.
York. Then take, my lord of Westmoreland,
this schedule;

For this contains our general grievances :-
Each feveral article herein redrefs'd;
All members of our caufe, both here and hence,
That are infinew'd to this action,

Acquitted by a true fubftantial form2;
And prefent execution of our wills
To us, and to our purposes, confin'd 3;
We come within our awful banks 4 again,
And knit our powers to the arm of peace.
Weft. This will I fhew the general. Pleafe
you, lords,

In fight of both our battles we may meet;
And either end in peace, which heaven fo frame !
Or to the place of difference call the fwords
Which muft decide it.

1 Meaning, included in the office of a general. 2 That is, by a pardon of due form and legal validity. 3 For confined, Mr. Steevens proposes to read confirm'd. 4 Awful banks are the proper limits of reverence. Perhaps we inight read lauful. 3 i. e. piddling, infignificant grievances. Alluding to a table-book of fate, ivory, &c.

Good

And let our army be difcharg'd too.-- [Exit Weft.
And, good my lord, so please you, let our trains

Mowb. If not, we ready are to try our fortunes March by us; that we may perute the men

We thould have cop'd withal.

Fork. Go, good lord Haftings,

And, ere they be ditmiis'd, let them march by.
[Exit Haftings.

Lan. I truft, lords, we fhall lie to-night toge
ther.

Lan. You are too fhallow, Haftings, much too Now, coufin, wherefore stands our army still ? fhallow, Weft. The leaders, having charge from you to ftand,

Weft. Pleaseth your grace, to answer them dî- Will not go off until they hear you speak.

Weft. Good tidings, my lord Haftings; for the

which

I do arreft thee, traitor, of high treafon :-And you, lord archbishop,—and you, lord bray,

Of capital treafon I attach you both.

Fal. I would be forry, my lord, but it should be thus: I never knew yet, but rebuke and check was the reward of valour. Do you think me a Mow-fwallow, an arrow, or a bullet? Have I, in my poor and old motion, the expedition of thought? I have fpeeded hither with the very extremeft inch of poffibility; I have founder'd nine-score and odd pofts: and here, travel-tainted as I am, have, in my pure and immaculate valour, taken Sir John Colevile of the dale, a moft furious knight, and valorous enemy: But what of that? he saw me, and yielded; that I may juftly fay with the hooknos'd fellow of Rome 4,-I came, faw, and over

Mowb. Is this proceeding just and honourable?
Weft. Is your affembly so ?

York. Will you thus break your faith?

Lan. I pawn'd thee none :

I promis'd you redress of these fame grievances,
Whereof you did complain; which, by mine ho-

I

nour,

I will perform with a most chriftian care.
But, for you, rebels,-look to taste the due
Meet for rebellion, and fuch acts as yours.
Moft fhallowly did you these arms commence,
Fondly brought here, and foolishly fent hence.-
Strike up our drums, purfue the scatter'd stray;
Heaven, and not we, hath fafely fought to-day.
Some guard these traitors to the block of death;
Treafon's true bed, and yielder up of breath.

came.

Lan. It was more of his courtefy than your de ferving.

Fal. I know not; here he is, and here I yield him: and I beseech your grace, let it be book'd with the rest of this day's deeds; or, by the Lord, I will have it in a particular ballad elfe, with mine own picture on the top of it, Colevile kiffing my foot: To the which courfe if I be enforced, if you [Exeunt. Alarum. Excurfions.do not all thew like gilt two-pences to me; and SCENE

III.

Another part of the Foreft.

Enter Falstaff, and Colevile, meeting. Fal. What's your name, fir? of what condition are you; and of what place, I pray?

Cole. I am a knight, fir; and my name is-Colevile of the dale.

Fal. Well then, Colevile is your name; a knight is your degree; and your place, the dale: Colevile shall still be your name; a traitor your degree; and the dungeon your place,-a place deep enough; fo fhall you ftill be Colevile of the dale 2.

Cole. Are you not Sir John Falstaff? Fal. As good a man as he, fir, whoe'er I am. Do ye yield, fir? or fhall I fweat for you? If I do fweat, they are drops of thy lovers, and they weep for thy death: therefore roule up fear and trembling, and do obfervance to my mercy.

Cole. I think you are Sir John Falstaff; and, in that thought, yield me.

Fal. I have a whole fchool of tongues in this belly of mine; and not a tongue of them all speaks any other word but my name. An I had but a belly of any indifferency, I were fimply the moft active fellow in Europe: My womb, my womb, my womb undoes me.--Here comes our general. Enter Prince John of Lancaster, and Westmoreland. Lan. The heat is paft, follow no farther now; Call in the powers, good cousin Weftmoreland. [Exit Weft. Now, Falstaff, where have you been all this while? When every thing is ended, then you come :---Thefe tardy tricks of your's will, on my life, One time or other break fome gallows' back.

I, in the clear fky of fame, o'erthine you as much
as the full moon doth the cinders of the element,
which thew like pins' heads to her; believe not
the word of the noble: Therefore let me have
right, and let defert mount.

Lan. Thine's too heavy to mount.
Fal. Let it thine then.

Lan. Thine's too thick to fhine.

Fal. Let it do fomething, my good lord, that may do me good, and call it what you will. Lan. Is thy name Colevile ?

Cole. It is, my lord.

Lan. A famous rebel art thou, Colevile.
Fal. And a famous true fubject took him.
Cole. I am, my lord, but as my betters are,
That led me hither: had they been rul'd by me,
You fhould have won them dearer than you have.

Fal. I know not how they fold themfelves: but thou, like a kind fellow, gav'it thyself away; and I thank thee for thee.

Re-enter Westmoreland.

Lan. Have you left purfuit?

Weft. Retreat is made, and execution stay'd.
Lan. Send Colevile, with his confederates,
To York, to prefent execution.-
Blunt, lead him hence; and see you guard him fure.
[Exeunt fome with Colevile.
And now dispatch we toward the court, my lords;
I hear, the king my father is fore fick :
Our news fhall go before us to his majesty,—
Which, coufin, you shall bear,—to comfort him;
And we with fober fpeed will follow you.

Fal. My lord, I befeech you, give me leave to go through Glofterfhire; and, when you come to court, ftand my good lords 'pray in your good report.

1 i. e. foolifaly. 2 The fenfe of dale is included in deep; a dale is a deep place; a dungeon is a deep place he that is in a dungeon may be therefore faid to be in a dule. 3 That is, the eagerness of revenge. 4 Cefar. 51. c. ftand my good friend in your favourable report of me.

Lan.

Lan. Fare you well, Falstaff; I, in my condi

tion',

Shall better speak of you than you deferve. [Exit.

SCENE IV.
The Palace at Westminster.

cessful end

ter, &c.

We will our youth lead on to higher fields,
And draw no fwords but what are fanctify'd.
Our navy is addrefs'd 5, our power collected,
Our substitutes in absence well invefted,
And every thing lies level to our with:
Only, we want a little personal strength;
And pause us, 'till these rebels, now afoot,
Come underneath the yoke of government.[ majesty
War. Both which, we doubt not but your
Shall foon enjoy.

K. Henry. Humphrey, my son of Glofter,
Where is the prince your brother? [Windfor.
Glo. I think, he's gone to hunt, my lord, at
K. Henry. And how accompanied ?
Glo. I do not know, my lord.

K. Henry. Is not his brother, Thomas of Cla

Fal. I would, you had but the wit; 'twere Enter King Henry, Warwick, Clarence, and Giofbetter than your dukedom.-Good faith, this fame young fober-blooded boy doth not love me; nor a K. Henry. Now, lords, if heaven doth give fucman cannot make him laugh ;—but that's no marvel, he drinks no wine. There's never any of To this debate that bleedeth at our doors, thefe demure boys come to any proof: for thin drink doth fo over-cool their blood, and making many fish-meals, that they fall into a kind of male green-fickness; and then, when they marry, they get wenches: they are generally fools and cowards;-which fome of us should be too, but for inflammation. A good fherris-fack hath a twofold operation in it. It afcends me into the brain; dries me there all the foolish, and dull, and crudy vapours which environ it makes it apprehenfive 2, quick, forgetive 3, full of nimble, fiery, and delectable shapes; which deliver'd o'er to the voice, (the tongue) which is the birth, becomes excellent ivit. The fecond property of your excellent sherris is, the warming of the blood; which, before cold and fettled, left the liver white and pale, which is the badge of pufillanimity and cowardice: but the therris warms it, and makes it courfe from the inwards to the parts extreme. It illumineth the face; which, as a beacon, gives warning to all the reft of this little kingdom, man, to arm and [ther? then the vital commoners, and inland petty fpi- How chance, thou art not with the prince thy brorits, mufter me all to their captain, the heart; He loves thee, and thou doft neglect him, Thomas; who, great, and puff'd up with this retinue, doth Thou haft a better place in his affection, any deed of courage; and this valour comes of Than all thy brothers: cherifh it, my boy; herris: So that kill in the weapon is nothing, And noble offices thou may'ft effect without fack; for that fets it a-work and learn-Of mediation, after I am dead, ing, a mere hoard of gold kept by a devil; till fack commences it, and fets it in act and ufe. Hereof comes it, that prince Harry is valiant: for the cold blood he did naturally inherit of his father, he hath, like lean, fteril, and bare land, manured, hufbanded, and tilled, with excellent endeavour of drinking good, and good store of fertile fherris; that he is become very hot, and valiant. If I had a thousand sons, the first human principle I would teach them, should be,-to forfwear thin potations,

and to addict themselves to fack.

Enter Bardolph.

How now, Bardolph ?

rence, with him?

Glo. No, my good lord; he is in prefence here.
Cla. What would my lord and father?

K. Henry. Nothing but well to thee, Thomas
of Clarence.

Between his greatness and thy other brethren :---
Therefore, omit him not; blunt not his love;
Nor lofe the good advantage of his grace,
By feeming cold, or careless of his will.
For he is gracious, if he be obferv'd;
He hath a tear for pity, and a hand
Open as day for melting charity:
Yet notwithftanding, being incens'd, he's flint;
As humorous as winter, and as fudden
As flaws congealed in the fpring of day.
His temper, therefore, muit be well obferv'd :----
Chide him for faults, and do it reverently,
When you perceive his blood inclin'd to mirth
But, being moody, give him line and fcope;
'Till that his parfions, like a whale on ground,
Confound themielves with working. Learn this
Thomas,

Bard. The army is difcharged all, and gone.
Fal. Let them go. I'll through Glocetterfhire;
and there will I visit master Robert Shallow, ef-
quire: I have him already tempering between | And thou fhait prove a shelter to thy friends
my finger and my thumb, and shortly will I feal A hoop of gold to bind thy brothers in ;
with him. Come away.

[Exeunt. That the united velfel of their blood,

6 i. c.

1i. e. in my good nature (or, condition may perhaps here, as in The Tempest, mean, in my place as commanding officer) I shall speak better of you than you merit. 21. e. quick to understand. 3 i. c. inventive, imaginative. A very pleafant allution to the old ufe of fealing with foft wax. 5 i. e. our navy is ready, prepared. changeable as the weather of a winter's day. 7 Alluding to the opinion of fome philofophers, that the vapours being congealed in the air by cold (which is molt intenfe towards the morning), and being afterwards rarified and let loofe by the warmth of the fun, occafion those fudden and impetuous gufts of wind which are called flaws.

Kk

Mingled

:

Like a strange tongue : wherein to gain the lan-Had found fome months afleep, and leap'd them over.

5 i. e. make me afraid.

2 i. e. his paffions. 3 His is ufed for its, very frequently in the old plays. 4 i. e. the wall. That is, equivocal births; productions not brought forth according to the stated laws of generation. 7 This is hiftorically It happened on the 12th of October, 1411. Dall fignifics melancholy, gentle, foothing. It is Rill the cultom in France to place the crown on the king's pillow when he is dying.