P. Henry. Elfe he had been damn'd for cozening the devil.

Poins. But, my lads, my lads, to-morrow morning, by four o'clock, early at Gads-hill; there are pilgrims going to Canterbury with rich offerings, and traders riding to London with fat purfes. I have visors for you all; you have horfes for yourselves: Gads-hill lies to-night in Rochester, I have bespoke supper tomorrow night in Eaft-cheap; we may do it, as fecure as fleep if you will go, I will ftuff your purfes full of crowns; if you will not, tarry at home and be hang'd. Fal. Hear ye, Yedward; if I tarry at home, and go not, I'll hang you for going.

:

Poins. You will, chops?

Fal. Hal, wilt thou make one?

P. Henry, Who, I rob? I a thief? not I, by my faith. Fal. There is neither honefty, manhood, nor good fellowship in thee, nor thou cam'ft not of the blood royal, if thou dar'ft not cry, fland, for ten fhillings. P. Henry. Well then, once in my days I'll be a mad-cap.

Fal. Why, that's well faid.

P. Henry. Well, come what will, I'll tarry at home. Fal. By the lord, I'll be a traitor then, when thou art King.

P. Henry. I care not.

Poins. Sir John, I pr'ythee, leave the Prince and me alone; I will lay him down fuch reafons for this adventure, that he fhall go.

Fal. Well, may'ft thou have the spirit of perfuafion, and he the ears of profiting, that what thou fpeak'it may move, and what he hears may be believ'd; that the true Prince may (for recreation-fake,) prove a falfe thief; for the poor abufes of the time want countenance. Farewel, you fhall find me in Eaft-cheap.

P. Henry. Farewel, thou latter fpring! Farewel, allhallown fummer! [Exit Fal. Poins. Now, my good fweet honey lord, ride with

.

us

us to-morrow. I have a jeft to execute that I cannot manage alone. Falstaff, Bardolph, Peto, and Gads-hill, fhall rob thofe men that we have already way-laid; yourself and I will not be there; and when they have the booty, if you and I do not rob them, cut this head from my fhoulders.

P. Henry. But how shall we part with them in fetting forth?

Poins. Why, we will fet forth before or after them; and appoint them a place of meeting, wherein it is at our pleasure to fail; and then will they adventure upon the exploit themfelves, which they fhall have no fooner atchiev'd, but we'll fet upon them.

P. Henry. Ay; but, 'tis like, they will know us by our horfes, by our habits, and by every other appointment, to be ourselves.

Poins. Tut, our horfes they fhall not fee, I'll tie them in the wood; our vizors we will change after we leave them; and, firrah, I have cafes of buckram for the nonce, to immask our noted outward garments.

P. Henry. But, I doubt, they will be too hard for us. Poins. Well, for two of them, I know them to be as true-bred cowards as ever turn'd Back; and for the third, if he fight longer than he fees reafon, I'll forfwear arms. The virtue of this jeft will be, the incomprehenfible lies that this fame fat rogue will tell us when we meet at fupper; how thirty at leaft he fought with, what wards, what blows, what extremities he endured; and, in the reproof of this, lies the jeft.

P. Henry. Well, I'll go with thee; provide us all things neceffary, and meet me to-morrow night in Eaft cheap, there I'll fup. Farewel.

Poins. Farewel, my lord.

[Exit Poins.

P. Henry. I know you all, and will a while uphold The unyok'd humour of your idleness;

Yet herein will I imitate the Sun,

Who doth permit the bafe contagious clouds

To

To fmother up his beauty from the world;
That when he please again to be himself,
Being wanted, he may be more wondred at,
By breaking through the foul and ugly mifts.
Of vapours, that did seem to ftrangle him.
If all the year were playing holidays,
To sport would be as tedious as to work;
But when they feldom come, they wifht-for come,
And nothing pleafeth but rare Accidents.
So, when this loofe behaviour I throw off,
And pay the debt I never promised;
By how much better than my word I am,
By fo much fhall I falfify men's fears;
And, like bright metal on a fullen ground,
My Reformation, glittering o'er my fault,
Shall fhew more goodly, and attract more eyes,
Than That which hath no foil to fet it off.
I'll fo offend, to inake offence a skill;
Redeeming time, when men think leaft I will. [Exit.

SCENE IV.

Changes to an Apartment in the Palace.

Enter King Henry, Northumberland, Worcester, Hotfpur, Sir Walter Blunt, and others.

K. Henry. MY blood hath been too cold and tem

perate,

Unapt to fir at these indignities;

And you have found me; for accordingly
You tread upon my patience: but be sure,
I will from henceforth rather be myself,
Mighty, and to be fear'd, than my Condition;
Which hath been fmooth as oil, foft, as young down,
And therefore loft that title of Respect,

Which the proud foul ne'er pays, but to the proud.
Wor. Our Houfe, my fovereign Liege, little deferves
The fcourge of greatnefs to be used on it;

And

And that fame Greatnefs too, which our own hands Have help'd to make fo portly.

North. My good lord,

K. Henry. Worcester, get thee gone; for I do fee Danger and disobedience in thine eye.

O Sir, your prefence is too bold and peremptory; And Majefty might never yet endure

*The moody frontlet of a fervant brow.

You have good leave to leave us. When we need
Your ufe and counfel, we fhall fend for you.

You were about to speak.

North. Yes, my good lord.

[Exit Worcefter.

[To Northumberland.

Those prisoners in your Highness' name demanded,
Which Harry Percy here at Holmedon took;

Were, as he says, not with such strength deny'd
As was deliver'd to your Majesty.

Or Envy therefore, or Mifprifion,

Is guilty of this fault, and not my fon.

Hot. My Liege, I did deny no prisoners;
But I remember, when the fight was done,
When I was dry with rage, and extreme toil,
Breathlefs, and faint, leaning upon my fword;
Came there a certain lord, neat, trimly drefs'd;
Fresh as a bridegroom, and his chin, new-reap'd,
Shew'd like a ftubble land at harvest-home.
He was perfumed like a milliner;

And 'twixt his finger and his thumb, he held
A pouncet-box, which ever and anon

He gave his nose: [and took't away again;
Who, therewith angry, when it next came there,
Took it in fnuff.]—And still he smil'd and talk'd;
And as the foldiers bare dead bodies by,
He call'd them untaught knaves, unmannerly,
To bring a flovenly, unhandsome coarse
Betwixt the wind, and his Nobility.

With many holiday and lady terms

The moody frontier-[We should read frontlet, i. e. Forehead.

He

He queftion'd me: amongst the reft, demanded
My prifoners, in your Majefty's behalf.

1, then all fmarting with my wounds; being gal'd To be fo pefter'd with a popinjay,

Out of my Grief, and my impatience,
Answer'd, neglectingly, I know not what;

He fhould, or fhould not; for he made me mad,
To fee him fhine fo brifk, and fmell fo fweet,
And talk fo like a waiting-gentlewoman,

Of guns, and drums, and wounds; (God fave the mark!)

And telling me, the fovereign't thing on earth
Was Parmacity, for an inward bruise;
And that it was great pity, fo it was,
This villainous falt petre fhould be digg'd
Out of the bowels of the harmless earth,
Which many a good, tall fellow had destroy'd
So cowardly: And but for these vile guns,
He would himself have been a foldier.
This bald, unjointed chat of his, my lord,
I answer'd indirectly, as I faid;

And I befeech you, * let not his report
Come currant for an accufation,

Betwixt my love and your high Majesty.

Blunt. The circumftance confider'd, good my lord, Whatever Harry Percy then had said,

To fuch a perfon, and, in fuch a place,
At fuch a time, with all the rest retold,.
May reasonably die; and never rife
To do him wrong, or any way impeach.
What then he said, fee, he unfays it now.

K. Henry. Why, yet he doth deny his prisoners, But with provifo and exception,

That we at our own charge fhall ransom straight
His brother-in-law, the foolish Mortimer;
Who, on my foul, hath wilfully betray'd
The lives of thofe, that he did lead to fight

let not this report] We should read, his.

Againft