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Hot. And I fay, the earth was not of my mind, Into three limits, very equally :
If you fuppofe, as fearing you it thook.

Glend. The heavens were all on fire, the earth
did tremble.
[on fire,

England, from Trent and Severn hitherto,
By fouth and eaft, is to my part affign'd:
All weftward, Wales beyond the Severn fhore
And all the fertile land within that bound,
35 To Owen Glendower :-and, dear coz, to you
The remnant northward, lying off from Trent.
And our indentures tripartite are drawn:
Which being fealed interchangeably,

(A bufinefs that this night may execute)
ftriv-40To-morrow, coufin Percy, you, and I,

That chides the banks of England, Scotland, Wales,--55
Which calls me pupil, or hath read to me?
And bring him out, that is but woman's fon,

That is, entrance, beginning. An induction, however, was anciently fomething introductory to a 2 The creffet-lights were lights fixed on a moveable frame or cross like a turnítile, and were carried on poles, in proceffions. 3 Beldame is ufed here fimply in the sense of ancient mother. 4 Perhaps we should read crankling.

A huge half-moon, a monstrous cantle out.
I'll have the current in this place damm'd up;
And here the smug and filver Trent shall run,
In a new channel, fair and evenly:

[doth.

It shall not wind with fuch a deep indent,
To rob me of fo rich a bottom here.
Glend. Not wind? it fhall, it must; you fee it
Mert. Yea, but mark, how he bears his course,

and runs me up

[here,

With like advantage on the other fide;
Gelding the oppofed continent as much,
As on the other tide it takes from you.
War. Yea, but a little charge will trench him
And on this north fide win this cape of land;
And then he runs ftraight and even.

Hot. I'll have it fo; a little charge will do it.
Glend. I will not have it alter'd.

Hot. Will not you?

Glend. No, nor you shall not.

Hot. Who fhall fay me nay??
Glend. Why, that will I.

Hot. Let me not understand you then,
Speak it in Welsh.

Glend. I can fpeak English, lord, as well as you; For I was train'd up in the English court 2: Where, being but young, I framed to the harp Many an English ditty, lovely well,

And gave the tongue 3 a helpful ornament;

A virtue that was never feen in you.

5

As puts me from my faith. I tell you what,➡
He held me last night at the least nine hours,
In reckoning up the feveral devil's names,
That were his lacqueys: I cry'd, hum,—and well,
-go to,-

But mark'd him not a word. O, he's as tedious
As a tired horfe, a railing wife;

Worfe than a fmoaky house :-I had rather live
With cheese and garlick, in a windmill, far;
10 Than feed on cates, and have him talk to me,
In any fummer-house in Christendom.

Mort. In faith, he is a very worthy gentleman;
Exceeding well read, and profited

In ftrange concealments7; valiant as a lion,
15 And wondrous affable; and as bountiful
As mines of India. Shall I tell you, coufin?
He holds your temper in a high respect,
And curbs himself even of his natural scope,
When you do cross his humour; 'faith, he does:
2cl warrant you, that man is not alive,
Might fo have tempted him, as you have done,
Without the tafte of danger and reproof;
But do not use it oft, let me intreat you.

Wor. In faith, my lord, you are too wilful-blame; 25 And, fince your coming hither, have done enough To put him quite befide his patience.

You muft needs learn, lord, to amend this fault; Though fometimes it fhew greatness, courage,blood, (And that's the dearest grace it renders you,)

Het. Marry, and I'm glad on't with all my heart; 30 Yet oftentimes it doth present harsh rage,

I had rather be a kitten and cry-mew,

Than one of these fame metre ballad-mongers:

I had rather hear a brazen candleft.ck 4 turn'd,
Or a dry wheel grate on the axle-tree;
And that would nothing fet my teeth on edge,
Nothing fo much as mincing poetry;
'Tis like the forc'd gait of a fhuffling nag.

Glend. Come, you shall have Trent turn'd.
Hut. I do not care: I'll give thrice fo much land
To any well-deserving friend;

But, in the way of bargain, mark ye me,
I'll cavil on the ninth part of a hair.

Defect of manners, want of government,
Pride, haughtiness, opinion, and difdain:
The leaft of which, haunting a nobleman,
Lofeth men's hearts; and leaves behind a stain
35 Upon the beauty of all parts befides,
Beguiling them of commendation.

140

Hot. Well, I am school'd; Good manners be
your speed!

Here come our wives, and let us take our leave.
Re-enter Glendower, with the Ladies.
Mort. This is the deadly fpight that angers me,
My wife can speak no English, I no Welsh.
Glend. My daughter weeps; she will not part
with you,

45 She'll be a foldier too, fhe'll to the wars.
Mart. Good father, tell her,-fhe, and my aunt
Percy,

A cantle is a corner, or piece of any thing. 2 Mr. Steevens fays, that the real name of Owen Glendower was Vaughan, and that he was originally a barrister of the Middle Temple. 3 i. e. the English language. 4 The word is written-canfick in the quartos 1598, 1599, and 1608; and so it might have been pronounced. 5 He means the writer of the articles. 6 This alludes to an old prophecy, which is faid to have induced Owen Glendower to take arms against king Henry. The mould-cuarp is the mic, fo called because it renders the furface of the earth unlevel by the hillocks which it raifes.

7 i. e. fkilled in wonderful fecrets.

Lady. What's that?
Hot. Peace! fhe fings.

5

[Here the Lady fings a Weleb fong,

Come, Kate, I'll have your song too.
Lady. Not mine, in good footh.

Hot. Not yours, in good footh! 'Heart, you fwear like a comfit-maker's wife! Not you, in good footh; and, As true as I live; and, As God hall mend me; and, As fure as day: and givest 10 fuch farcenet furety for thy oaths, as if thou never walk'dft further than Finsbury ".

Swear me, Kate, like a lady, as thou art,

A good mouth-filling oath! and leave in footh,
And fuch protefts of pepper ginger-bread 7,
15 To velvet gaurds, and funday-citizens.
Come, fing.

Het. Come, Kate, thou art perfect in lying] down: Come, quick, quick; that I may lay my 30 head in thy lap.

Lady. Go, ye giddy goofe.

[The mufic plays. Hot. Now I perceive, the devil understands And 'tis no marvel, he's fo humourous. [Welth; By'r-lady, he's a good musician.

Lady. Then thould you be nothing but mufical;
for you are altogether govern'd by humours. Lie
ftill, ye thief, and hear the lady fing in Welth.
Hot. I had rather hear Lady, my brach, howl
in Irish.

Lady. Would't have thy head broken?
Hot. No.

Lady. Then be still.

Hot. Neither; 'tis a woman's fault 5.
Lady. Now God help thee!

Hot. To the Welsh lady's bed.

SCENE

[Exeunt.

II.

The prefence-chamber in Windfor.

Enter King Henry, Prince of Wales, Lords and

others.

K. Henry. Lords, give us leave; the Prince of
Wales and I

35 Must have some private conference: But be near
At hand, for we shall presently have need of you.-
[Exeunt Lords.

I know not whether God will have it so,
For fome difpleasing service 13 I have done,
40 That, in his fecret doom, out of my blood
He'll breed revengement and a scourge for me:
But thou doft, in thy paffages of life 14,
Make me believe, that thou art only mark'd
For the hot vengeance and the rod of heaven,
45 To punish my mif-treadings. Tell me elfe,
Could such inordinate, and low defires,

5 A

It was long the custom in this country, to ftrew the floors with rushes, as we now cover them with carpets. 2 The expreffion is beautiful; intimating, that the god of fleep fhould not only fit on his eye-lids, but that he fhould fit crown'd, that is, pleased and delighted. 3 i. e. our papers of conditions, our articles. Every compofition, whether play, ballad, or history, was anciently called a book. And for an, which often fignifies in our author if or tho', is frequently ufed by old writers. proverbial expreffion; meaning, that it is the ufual fault of women never to do what they are bid or defired to do. 6 Open walks and fields near Chifwell-street London Wall, by Moorgate; and at that time, the common refort of the citizens. 7 i. e. proteftations as common as the letters which children learn from an alphabet of ginger-bread. What we now call fpice, was then denominated pepper, gingerbread. 8i. e. to fuch as have their cloaths adorned with shreds of velvet, which appears then to have been a city fashion. 9 The next way—is the nearest way. 10 Tailors feem to have been as re

markable for finging as weavers, of whose musical turn Shakspeare has before made mention in this play. 1 The honourable Daines Barrington obferves, that "a gold-finch still continues to be called a proud tailor, in fome parts of England," which renders this paffage intelligible, that otherwife feems to have no meaning whatfoever. Perhaps this bird is called proud tailor, because his plumage is varied like a fuit of cloaths made out of remnants of different colours, such as a tailer might be fuppofed to wear. The fenfe then will be this:-The next thing to finging onefelf, is to teach birds to fing, the gold-finch and the Robin. See note 3 above. 13 Service for action, simply. 14 i. c. in the paffages Such

of thy life.

1 Mean attempts are unworthy undertakings. Lead does not in this place barely fignify wanten, but licentious. 2. e. officious parafites. 3 i. e. True to him that had then poffeffion of the crown. 4 This is an allufion to the story of Prometheus's theft, who ftole fire from thence; and as with this he made a man, fo with that Bolingbroke made a king. 5 Reb is heady, thoughtless: bavin is brushwood, which, fired, burns fiercely, but is foon out. 6 The metaphor feems to be taken from mingling ccarfe wool with fine, and carding them together, whereby the value of the latter is diminished. The king means, that Richard mingled and carded together his royal state with carping fools, &c. To card is used by other writers for, to mix. 7 i. e. jesting, prating, &c. The quarto 1598, reads cap'ring focls. 8 i. e. made his prefence injurious to his reputation. 9 Meaning, of every boy whose vanity incited him to try his wit against the king's. Comparative, means equal, or rival in any thing. enfeff is a law term, Agnifying to invest with poffeffions.

P.Henry. Do not think fo, you shall not find it fo: 15 Our hands are full of bufinefs: let's away; And heaven forgive them, that fo much have

fway'd

Your majesty's good thoughts away from me!

I will redeem all this on Percy's head,

And, in the clofing of fome glorious day,

Be bold to tell you, that I am your fon:
When I will wear a garment all of blood,
And stain my favours 3 in a bloody mask,
Which, wafh'd away, fhall fcour my fhame with it.
And that shall be the day, whene'er it lights,
That this fame child cf honour and renown,
This gallant Hotspur, this all-praised knight,.
And your unthought-of Harry, chance to meet:
For every honour fitting on his helm,

'Would they were multitudes; and on my head
My fhames redoubled! for the time will come,
That I fhall make this northern youth exchange
His glorious deeds for my indignities.
Percy is but my factor, good my lord,
To engrofs up glorious deeds on my behalf:
And I will call him to fo ftri&t account,
That he fhall render every glory up,
Yea, even the flighteft worship of his time,
Or I will tear the reckoning from his heart.
This, in the name of God, I promise here:
The which if he be pleas'd I fhall perform,
I do befeech your majesty, may falve
The long-grown wounds of my intemperance:
If not, the end of life cancels all bands;
And I will die a hundred thousand deaths,
Ere break the fmalleft parcel of this vow.

K. Henry. A hundred thoufand rebels die in
this:-

Thou shalt have charge, and fovereign truft herein.
Enter Blunt.

How now, good Blunt? thy looks are full of
speed.

Blunt. So is the business that I come to fpeak of.
Lord Mortimer of Scotland hath fent word,-
That Douglas, and the English rebels met,

20

Advantage feeds him fat, while men delay.

The Boar's-bead Tavern in Eaft-cheap.

Enter Falstaff, and Bardolph.

[Exeunt.

Fal. Bardolph, am I not fallen away vilely fince this laft action? do I not bate? do I not dwindle? Why, my fkin hangs about me like an 25 old lady's loofe gown; I am wither'd like an old apple-John. Well, I'll repent, and that fuddenly, while I am in fome liking; I fhall be out of heart fhortly, and then I fhall have no ftrength to repent. An I have not forgotten what the infide of 30 a church is made of, I am a pepper-corn, a brewer's horfe; the infide of a church:-Company, villainous company, hath been the spoil of me. Bard. Sir John, you are fo fretful, you cannot live long.

35

Fal. Why, there is it :-come fing me a bawdy fong; make me merry. I was as virtuously given, as a gentleman need to be; virtuous enough: fwore little; dic'd, not above feven times a week; went to a bawdy-house, not above once in a quar40ter-of an hour; paid money that I borrow'd, three or four times; liv'd well, and in good compafs: and now I live out of all order, out of all compafs.

Burd. Why, you are fo fat, Sir John, that you 45 muft needs be out of all compafs; out of all reafonable compafs, Sir John.

50

Fal. Do thou amend thy face, and I'll amend my life: thou art our admiral, thou bearcft the lanthorn in the poop,-but 'tis in the nofe of thee; thou art the knight of the burning lamp.

Bard. Why, Sir John, my face does you no harm. Fal. No, I'll be worn; I make as good ufe of it as many a man doth of a death's head, or a memento mori: I never fee thy face, but I think upon 55hell-fire, and Dives that lived in purple; for

1 i. e. make head. 2 Dearest here means moft fatal, moft mifchievous, and fhould be fpelled dereft. 3 Favours mean fome decoration ufually worn by knights in their helmets, as a prefent from a mistress, or a trophy from an enemy. + Mr. Steevens conjectures, that a brezver's berfe does not, perhaps, mean a dray-borse, but the cross-beam on which beer-barrels are carried into cellars, &c. and that the allufion may be to the taper form of this machine; while Mr. Tyrwhitt thinks, that "Falstaff does not mean to point out any fimilitude to his own condition, but, on the contrary, fome ftriking diffimilitude. He fays here, I am a pepper-corn, a brewer's borse; just as in act II. sc. iv. he afferts the truth of feveral parts of his narrative, on pain of being confidered as a rogue-a few-an Ebrew Jew--a bunch of rad dijb-a berfe."

there