thieves of the day's booty. Let us be Diana's foresters, gentlemen of the fhade, minions of the Moon; and let men fay, we be men of good government, being governed as the Sea is, by our noble and chalte iniftrefs the Moon, under whofe countenance we- -teal:

P. Henry. Thou fay'ft well, and it holds well too for the fortune of us, that are the Moon's men, doth ebb and flow like the Sea; being govern'd as the Sea. is, by the Moon. As for proof, now: a purfe of gold moft refolutely fnatch'd on Monday night, and, moft diffolutely fpent on Tuesday morning; (3) got: with fwearing, lay by; and ipent with crying, bring in: now in as low an ebb as the foot of the ladder; and by and by in as high a flow as the ridge of the gallows.

Fal. By the lord, thou fay'ft true, lad: and is not mine Hoftefs of the tavern a moft fweet wench?

P. Henry (4) As the honey of Hybla, my old lad of

the

To me. How could they be called Thieves of the Day's Beauty > They robbed by Moonfhine; they could not fteal the fair Day-light. I have ventured to fubftitute, Booty: and this I take to be the meaning. Let us not be called Thieves, the Purloiners of that Booty, which, to the Proprietors, was the Purchase of honeft Labour and Industry by Day. THEOBALD.

(3) got with fearing, lay by;] i. e. fwearing at the passengers. they robbed, lay by your arms; or rather, lay by was a phrafe that then fignified ftand fill, addreffed to thofe who were preparing to rush forward. But the Oxford Editor kindly accommodates thefe old thieves with a n new cant phrafe, taken from Bagfbot-Heath or Finchly Common, of LUG-OUT. WARBURTON.. (4) As the Honey of Hybla, my Old of the Caille Mr Rowe took notice of a Tradition, that this Part of Falstaff was written originally under the name of Oldcastle. An ingenious Correfpondent hints to me, that the Paffage above quoted from. our Author proves, what Mr. Rowe tells us was a tradition. Old Lad of the Caftle feems to have a Reference to Oldcastle. Befides, if this had not been the Fact, why, in the Epilogue to the Second. Part of Henry IV. where our Author promifes tocontinue his Story with Sir Jobmin it, fhould he fay, Where, for any thing I know, Falstaff fball die of a Sweat, unless already he be killed with your hard Opinions for Oldcastle dyd a Martyr, and this is not the Man. This looks like declining a Point, that, had been made an Objection to him. I'll give a farther Matter in

Proot

the caftle; (5) and is not a buff jerkin a moft fweet robe

of durance.

Fal. How now, how now, mad wag? what, in thy quips and thy quiddities? what a plague have I to do with a buff-jerkin?

Proof, which feems almost to fix the Charge. I have read an old Play called, The famous Victories of Henry the Vth, containing the Honourable Battle of Agincourt- The action of this Piece commences about the 14th Year of K. Henry IVth's Reign, and ends with Henry the Vth marrying Princefs Catharine of France. The fcene opens with Prince Henry's Robberies. Sir John Oldcastle is one of his Gang, and called fockie: and Ned and Gads-bill are two other Comrades.- From this old imperfect Sketch, I have a Sufpicion, Shakespeare might form his two Parts of Henry the IVth, and his Hiftory of Henry V and confequently, 'tis not improbable, that he might continue the mention of Sir John Oldcastle, till fome Defcendants of that Family moved Queen Elizabeth to command him to change the Name.

THEOBALD.

(5) my old lad of the caftle;] This alludes to the name Shakespeare firth gave to this buffoon character, which was Sir John Oldcfle: and when he changed the name, he forgot to ftrike out this expreffion that alluded to it. The reafon of the change was this; one Sir John Oldcastle having fuffered in the time of Henry V. for the opinions of Wickliffe, it gave offence; and therefore the Poet altered it to Falstaff, and endeavours to remove the feandal, in the Epilogue to the fecond part of Henry IV. Fuller takes Motice of this matter in his Church Hiftory, Stage Poets bate themfetos been very bold with, and others very merry at, the memory of Sir John Oldcastle, whom they have fancied a boon companion, a jovial royfter, and a coward to boot. The best is, Sir John Falstaff hath relieved the memory of Sir John Oldcastle, and of late is fubftituted buffoon in his place. Book 4. p. 168. But, to be candid, I believe there was no malice in the matter. Shakespeare wanted a droll name to his character, and never confi dered whom it belonged to: we have a like inftance in the Merry Wives of Windfor, where he calls his French Quack, Caius, a name at that time very refpectable, as belonging to an eminent and learned physician, one of the founders of Caius Jone College in Cambridge. WARBURTON.

(5) And is not a buff-jerkin a most sweet robe of durance?] To waderftand the propriety of the Prince's anfwer, it must be remarked that the fheriff's officers were formerly clad in buff. So, that when Falstaff afks whether bis hoftess is not a sweet wench, the Prince afks in return, whether it will not be a fweet thing to go to prison by running in debt to this feet wench.

P. Henry

P. Henry. Why, what a pox have I to do with my Hoftefs of the tavern?

Fal. Well, thou haft called her to a reckoning many. a time and oft.

P. Henry. Did I ever call thee to pay thy part?

Fal. No, I'll give thee thy due, thou haft paid all there.

P. Henry. Yea and elsewhere, fo far as my coin would ftretch; and where it would not, I have us'd. my credit.

Fal. Yea, and fo us'd it, that were it not here apparent, that thou art heir apparent But, I pr'ythee, fweet was a fhall there be Gallows ftanding in England, when thou art King? and refolution thus fobb'd as it is, with the rufty curb of old father antick, the law? Do not thou, when thou art a King, hang a thief.

P. Henry. No: thou fhalt.

Fal. Shall I? O rare! By the Lord, I'll be a brave judge.

P. Henry. Thou judgeft falfe already: I mean, thou fhalt have the hanging of the thieves, and fo become a rare hangman.

Fal. Well, Hal, well; and in fome fort it jumps with my humour, as well as waiting in the Court, I can fell you.

P. Henry. (6) For obtaining of fuits?

Fal. Yea, for obtaining of fuits; whereof the hanginan hath no lean wardrobe. 'Sblood, I am as melancholy as a (7) gib-car or a lugg'd bear. P. Henry. Or an old lion, or a lover's lute. Fal. Yea or the drone of a Lincolnshire bagpipe. P. Henry. What fay'ft thou to a Hare, or the (8) melancholy of Moor-ditch?

Fal. Thou haft the most unfavoury funilies; and

(6) For obtaining of fuits P] Suit, fpoken of one that attends at ourt, means parition: wifed with refpect to the hangman, means the cloaths of the offender.

(1) A Gib-cat means, I know not why, an old cat.

(8, The melancholy of Moorditch. I do not understand, unless is may allude to the croaking of frogs.

art

art indeed, (9) the most comparative, rascalliest, sweet young Prince-But, Hal, I pr'ythee trouble me no more with vanity; I would to God, thou and I knew where a commodity of good names were to be bought an old lord of the Council rated me the other day in the street about you, Sir; but I mark'd him not, and yet he talk'd very wifely, and in the street too.

:

P. Henry. Thou didft well; for wifdom cries out. in the streets, and no man regards it."

Fal. (1) O, thou haft damnable iteration, and art, indeed, able to corrupt a faint. Thou haft done much harm unto me, Hal, God forgive thee for it! Before I knew thee, Hal, I knew nothing; and now am I, If a man fhould fpeak truth, little better than one of the wicked. I muft give over this life, and I will give it over; by the lord, an' I do not, I am a villain. I'll be damn'd for never a King's fon in chriftendom.

P. Henry. Where fhall we take a purfe to morrow, Jack?

Fal. Where thou wilt, lad, I'll make one; an' I do not, call me villain and baffle me.

P. Henry. I fee a good amendment of life in thee, from praying to purfe-taking.

Fal. (2) Why, Hal, 'tis my vocation, Hal. "Tis no

fin

(9) The most comparative,] Sir T. Hanmer, and Dr. Warbarton after him, read, incomparative, I fuppofe for incomparable, or peerless, but comparative here means quick at comparisons, or fruitful in families, and is properly introduced.

(1) 0, thou haft, &c.] For iteration Sir T. Hanmer and Dr. Warburton read attraction, of which the meaning is certainly more apparent but an Editor is not always to change what he does not understand. In the laft fpeech a text is very indecently and abufively applied, to which Falfaff anfwers, thou haft damnable iteration, or, a wicked trick of repeating and applying holy texts. This I think is the meaning.

(2) In former editions done

Fal. Why Hall, 'tis my vocation, Hal 'Tis no Sin for a Man to labour in his vocation.

Enter Poins.

Boins. New ball we know, if Gads-hill have fet a watch.]

Mr.

t

fin for a man to labour in his vocation. Poins!
Now shall we know, if Gads-hill have fet a match. O,
if men were to be fav'd by merit, what hole in hell
were hot enough for him!

SCENE III.

Enter Poins.

This is the moft omnipotent Villain, that ever cry'd,
Stand, to a true Man.

P. Henry. Good morrow, Ned.

Poins. Good morrow, fweet Hal. What fays Monfieur remorfe? what fays Sir John Sack and Sugar? Jack! how agree the devil and thou about thy foul, that thou foldeft him on Good-Friday laft, for a cup of Madera, and a cold capon's leg?

P. Henry. Sir John ftands to his word; the devil fhall have his bargain, for he was never yet a breaker of proverbs; He will give the devil bis due.

Mr. Pope has given us
us one f
fignal Obfervation in his Preface to
our Author's Works. Throughout his Plays, fays he, bad all the
Speeches been printed without the very Names of the Perfone, I
believe one might have applied them with Certainty to every Spea-
ker. But how fallible the most fufficient Critick may be,
the Paffage in controverfy is a main inftance. As fignal a Blunder
has escaped all the Editors here, as any thro' the whole Set of
Plays. Will any one perfuade me Shakespeare could be guilty
of fuch an inconfiftency, as to make Poins at his first entrance
want News of Gads-hill, and immediately after to be able to
give a full Account of him?No; Falstaff, feeing Poins at
hand, turns the Stream of his Difcourfe from the prince, and fays:
Now fhall we know whether Gads-hill has fet a Match for Us;
and then immediately falls into railing and invectives against
Poins. How admirably is this in Character for Falfiaff! And
Poins, who knew well his abufive manner, feems in part
to over-hear him and fo foon as he has return'd the Prince's
Salutation, cries, by way of Anfwer, What fays Monfieur Re-
morfe? What fays Sir John Sack and Sugar.
THEOBALD.

Mr Theobald has faftened on an obfervation made by Pope, hyperbolical enough, but not contradicted by the erroneous reading in this place, the fpeech not being fo characteristick as to be infal libly applied to the speaker. Theobald's triumph over the other Editors might have been abated by a confeffion, that the first elition gave him at leaft a glimpse of the emendation.