move and what he hears may be believed, that the true prince may, for recreation sake, prove a false thief; for the poor abuses of the time want countenance. Fareshall find me in Eastcheap.

well: you

PRINCE. Farewell, thou latter spring? farewell, Allhallown summer! [Exit Falstaff.

POINS. Now, my good sweet honey lord, ride with us to-morrow: I have a jest to execute that I cannot manage alone. Falstaff, Bardolph, Peto and Gadshill shall rob those men that we have already waylaid; yourself and I will not be there; and when they have the booty, if you and I do not rob them, cut this head off from my shoulders.

PRINCE. How shall we part with them in setting forth? POINS. Why, we will set forth before or after them, and appoint them a place of meeting, wherein it is at

152 thou] Pope's emendation of the original reading the.

All-hallown summer] Summer-like weather which occasionally distinguishes the season of All-hallows day, November 1. Falstaff's gaiety of heart brightens the winter of his days. The autumnal summer is also called "Saint Martin's summer." Cf. 2 Hen. IV, II, ii, 98, where Falstaff is called "the martlemas," i. e., Martinmas, or St. Martin's summer.

156 Bardolph, Peto] All the early editions read Haruey, Rossill, names without relevance to the play. Theobald, who substituted for them Bardolph, Peto, suggested that "Harvey" and "Rossill" were names of actors who took those parts. Nothing seems known elsewhere of actors so named. In II, iv, 167, 169, and 173, Ross., i. e., Rossill, is set down in the Quartos as the speaker's name; these lines in the Folio are assigned to Gadshill. It is possible that Rossill, an insignificant "super," played more parts than one in the original production.

151

160

our pleasure to fail, and then will they adventure upon the exploit themselves; which they shall have no sooner achieved, but we 'll set upon them.

PRINCE. Yea, but 't is like that they will know us by our horses, by our habits, and by every other appointment, to be ourselves.

POINS. Tut! our horses they shall not see; I'll tie them in the wood; our vizards we will change after we leave them and, sirrah, I have cases of buckram for the nonce, to immask our noted outward garments.

PRINCE. Yea, 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 turned back; and for the third, if he fight longer than he sees reason, I'll forswear arms. The virtue of this jest will be, the incomprehensible lies that this same fat rogue will tell us when we meet at supper: how thirty, at least, he fought with; what wards, what blows, what extremities he endured; and in the reproof of this lies the jest.

PRINCE. Well, I'll go with thee: provide us all things necessary and meet me to-morrow night in Eastcheap; there I'll sup. Farewell.

POINS. Farewell, my lord.

PRINCE. I know you all, and will a while uphold The unyoked humour of your idleness:

169-170 appointment] equipment.

173 cases] overcoats.

182 wards] guards.

183 reproof] refutation. Cf. III, ii, 23, infra.

189 unyoked] untamed, undisciplined, licentious.

[Exit.

170

183

Yet herein will I imitate the sun,
Who doth permit the base contagious clouds
To smother up his beauty from the world,
That, when he please again to be himself,
Being wanted, he may be more wonder'd at,
By breaking through the foul and ugly mists
Of vapours that did seem to strangle him.
If all the year were playing holidays,

190

To sport would be as tedious as to work;

But when they seldom come they wish'd for come,

And nothing pleaseth but rare accidents.

200

So, when this loose behavior I throw off
And pay the debt I never promised,
By how much better than my word I am,
By so much shall I falsify men's hopes;
And like bright metal on a sullen ground,
My reformation, glittering o'er my fault,
Shall show more goodly and attract more eyes
Than that which hath no foil to set it off.
I'll so offend, to make offence a skill;
Redeeming time when men think least I will.

[Exit.

191-195 Who doth permit . . . ugly mists] Cf. Sonnet xxxiii, 1-2, 5-6: "Full many a glorious morning have I seen Flatter the mountain-tops with sovereign eye, Anon permit the basest clouds to ride With

ugly rack on his celestial face."

197-199 If all the year . . . wish'd for come] Cf. Sonnet lii, 5-7: “Therefore are feasts so solemn and so rare, Since, seldom coming, in the long year set, Like stones of worth they thinly placed are."

209 to make offence a skill] so as to derive advantage from obnoxious

conduct.

209

SCENE III — LONDON

THE PALACE

Enter the KING, NORTHUMBERLAND, WORCESTER, HOTSPUR, SIR
WALTER BLUNT, with others

KING. My blood hath been too cold and temperate,
Unapt to stir 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 smooth as oil, soft as young down,
And therefore lost that title of respect

Which the proud soul ne'er pays but to the proud.

WOR. Our house, my sovereign liege, little deserves

The scourge of greatness to be used on it;

And that same greatness to which our own hands
Have holp to make so portly.

NORTH. My lord, —

KING. Worcester, get thee gone; for I do see Danger and disobedience in thine eye :

O, sir, your presence is too bold and peremptory,

3 found me; for] This is the original reading. Found me is equivalent to "found me out," i. e., discovered my easy-going tendency. Keightley unnecessarily proposed to read found me so, and to make Accordingly begin a new sentence.

5-6 I will . . . my condition] Henceforth I will rather be the veritable king (that I am), mighty and to be feared, than follow my natural bent or temper of mind.

10

And majesty might never yet endure
The moody frontier of a servant brow.

You have good leave to leave us: when we need
Your use and counsel, we shall send for you.

You were about to speak.

Yea, my good lord.

[Exit Wor.

[To North.

NORTH.
Those prisoners in your highness' name demanded,
Which Harry Percy here at Holmedon took,
Were, as he says, not with such strength denied
As is deliver'd to your majesty :
Either envy, therefore, or misprision
Is guilty of this fault and not my son.
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,
Breathless and faint, leaning upon my sword,
Came there a certain lord, neat, and trimly dress'd,
Fresh as a bridegroom; and his chin new reap'd
Show'd like a stubble-land at harvest-home;
He was perfumed like a milliner;

And 'twixt his finger and his thumb he held

19 frontier] front or forehead. The word here has much the same meaning as "brow," which figures tautologically at the end of the line.

20 good leave] our full assent.

25 with such strength denied] with such vehemence refused.

27 envy... misprision] malice. . . misunderstanding.

34 chin new reap'd] freshly trimmed, cropped close in accord with the fashionable vogue.

36 milliner] dealer in fancy articles of attire; a trade invariably carried on by men in Shakespeare's day.

20

30