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 from my shoulders. P. Hen. But 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 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. P. Hen. Ay, but, 'tis 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 visors we will change, after we leave them; and, sirrah, I have cases of buckram for the nonce,1 to immask our noted outward garments. P. Hen. 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 1 Occasion. 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 reproof1 of this, lies the jest. P. Hen. 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. [Exit Poins. P. Hen. I know you all, and will awhile uphold Who doth permit the base contagious clouds 1 Confutation. 2 Exceed men's expectations. My reformation, glittering o'er my fault, Shall show more goodly, and attract more eyes, SCENE III. The same. Another room in the palace. [Exit. Enter KING HENRY, NORTHUMBERLAND, WORCESTER, HOTSPUR, SIR WALTER BLUNT, and others. K. Hen. My blood hath been too cold and temperate, Unapt to stir at these indignities, And you have found me; for, accordingly, 1 Which the proud soul ne'er pays, but to the proud. Wor. Our house, my sovereign liege, little de serves The scourge of greatness to be used on it; And that same greatness too which our own hands Have holp to make so portly. North. My lord, Disposition. K. Hen. Worcester, get thee gone, for I do see Danger and disobedience in thine eye. O, sir, your presence is too bold and peremptory, The moody frontier 1 of a servant brow. You have good leave to leave us; when we need You were about to speak. North. [Exit Worcester. [to Northumberland. Yea, my good lord. Those prisoners, in your highness' name demanded, Either envy, therefore, or misprision Is guilty of this fault, and not my son. Hot. My liege, I did deny no prisoners. And, 'twixt his finger and his thumb, he held He gave his nose, and took 't away again;- 1 Forehead. 2 A small box for perfumes. Took it in snuff: 1-and still he smiled, and talk'd; He call'd them-untaught knaves, unmannerly, With many holyday and lady terms He question'd me; among the rest, demanded I then, all smarting, with my wounds being cold, Out of my grief 3 and my impatience, Answer'd neglectingly, I know not what; He should, or he should not;-for he made me mad, Of guns, and drums, and wounds, (God save the mark!) And telling me, the sovereign'st thing on earth And that it was great pity, so it was, 1 Snuff is equivocally used for anger, and a powder taken up the nose. 2 Parrot. 3 Pain. |