Enter Sir John ⟨Falstaff,⟩ Shallow, Silence, Davy,
Bardolph, ⌜and⌝ Page.SHALLOW Nay, you shall see my orchard, where, in an arbor, we will eat a last year’s pippin of mine own graffing, with a dish of caraways, and so forth.— Come, cousin Silence.—And then to bed.FALSTAFF 5Fore God, you have here ⟨a⟩ goodly dwelling, and ⟨a⟩ rich.SHALLOW Barren, barren, barren, beggars all, beggars all, Sir John. Marry, good air.—Spread, Davy, spread, Davy. Well said, Davy.FALSTAFF 10This Davy serves you for good uses. He is your servingman and your husband.SHALLOW A good varlet, a good varlet, a very good varlet, Sir John. By the Mass, I have drunk too much sack at supper. A good varlet. Now sit down,15 now sit down.—Come, cousin.SILENCE Ah, sirrah, quoth he, we shall⌜Sings.⌝ Do nothing but eat and make good cheer,
And praise God for the merry year,
When flesh is cheap and females dear,
20 And lusty lads roam here and there
So merrily,
And ever among so merrily.FALSTAFF There’s a merry heart!—Good Master Silence, I’ll give you a health for that anon.
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ACT 5. SC. 3
SHALLOW 25Give Master Bardolph some wine, Davy.DAVY, ⌜to the guests⌝ Sweet sir, sit. I’ll be with you anon. Most sweet sir, sit. Master page, good master page, sit. Proface. What you want in meat, we’ll have in drink, but you must bear. The heart’s all.⌜He exits.⌝SHALLOW 30Be merry, Master Bardolph.—And, my little soldier there, be merry.SILENCE ⌜sings⌝ Be merry, be merry, my wife has all,
For women are shrews, both short and tall.
’Tis merry in hall when beards wags all,
35 And welcome merry Shrovetide.
Be merry, be merry.FALSTAFF I did not think Master Silence had been a man of this mettle.SILENCE Who, I? I have been merry twice and once ere40 now.Enter Davy.DAVY, ⌜to the guests⌝ There’s a dish of leather-coats for you.SHALLOW Davy!DAVY Your Worship, I’ll be with you straight.—A cup45 of wine, sir.SILENCE ⌜sings⌝ A cup of wine that’s brisk and fine,
And drink unto thee, leman mine,
And a merry heart lives long-a.FALSTAFF Well said, Master Silence.SILENCE 50And we shall be merry; now comes in the sweet o’ th’ night.FALSTAFF Health and long life to you, Master Silence.SILENCE ⌜sings⌝ Fill the cup, and let it come,
I’ll pledge you a mile to th’ bottom.
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Henry IV, Part 2
ACT 5. SC. 3
SHALLOW 55Honest Bardolph, welcome. If thou want’st anything and wilt not call, beshrew thy heart.— Welcome, my little tiny thief, and welcome indeed too. I’ll drink to Master Bardolph, and to all the cabileros about London.DAVY 60I hope to see London once ere I die.BARDOLPH An I might see you there, Davy!SHALLOW By the Mass, you’ll crack a quart together, ha, will you not, Master Bardolph?BARDOLPH Yea, sir, in a pottle-pot.SHALLOW 65By God’s liggens, I thank thee. The knave will stick by thee, I can assure thee that. He will not out, he. ’Tis true bred!BARDOLPH And I’ll stick by him, sir.SHALLOW Why, there spoke a king. Lack nothing, be70 merry. (One knocks at door.) Look who’s at door there, ho. Who knocks?⌜Davy exits.⌝FALSTAFF Why, now you have done me right.SILENCE ⌜sings⌝ Do me right,
And dub me knight,
75 Samingo. Is ’t not so?FALSTAFF ’Tis so.SILENCE Is ’t so? Why then, say an old man can do somewhat.⌜Enter Davy.⌝DAVY 80An ’t please your Worship, there’s one Pistol come from the court with news.FALSTAFF From the court? Let him come in.Enter Pistol. How now, Pistol?PISTOL Sir John, God save you.
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Henry IV, Part 2
ACT 5. SC. 3
FALSTAFF 85What wind blew you hither, Pistol?PISTOL Not the ill wind which blows no man to good. Sweet knight, thou art now one of the greatest men in this realm.SILENCE By ’r Lady, I think he be, but Goodman Puff of90 Barson.PISTOL Puff? Puff ⟨in⟩ thy teeth, most recreant coward base!— Sir John, I am thy Pistol and thy friend, And helter-skelter have I rode to thee,95 And tidings do I bring, and lucky joys, And golden times, and happy news of price.FALSTAFF I pray thee now, deliver them like a man of this world.PISTOL A foutre for the world and worldlings base!100 I speak of Africa and golden joys.FALSTAFF O base Assyrian knight, what is thy news? Let King Cophetua know the truth thereof.SILENCE ⌜sings⌝ And Robin Hood, Scarlet, and John.PISTOL Shall dunghill curs confront the Helicons,105 And shall good news be baffled? Then, Pistol, lay thy head in Furies’ lap.SHALLOW Honest gentleman, I know not your breeding.PISTOL Why then, lament therefor.SHALLOW 110Give me pardon, sir. If, sir, you come with news from the court, I take it there’s but two ways, either to utter them, or ⟨to⟩ conceal them. I am, sir, under the King in some authority.PISTOL Under which king, besonian? Speak or die.
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ACT 5. SC. 3
SHALLOW 115 Under King Harry.PISTOL Harry the Fourth, or Fifth?SHALLOW Harry the Fourth.PISTOL A foutre for thine office!— Sir John, thy tender lambkin now is king.120 Harry the Fifth’s the man. I speak the truth. When Pistol lies, do this and fig me, like The bragging Spaniard.⌜Pistol makes a fig.⌝FALSTAFF What, is the old king dead?PISTOL As nail in door. The things I speak are just.FALSTAFF 125Away, Bardolph.—Saddle my horse.— Master Robert Shallow, choose what office thou wilt in the land, ’tis thine.—Pistol, I will double-charge thee with dignities.BARDOLPH O joyful day! I would not take a ⟨knight-hood⟩130 for my fortune.PISTOL What, I do bring good news!FALSTAFF Carry Master Silence to bed.—Master Shallow, my Lord Shallow, be what thou wilt. I am Fortune’s steward. Get on thy boots. We’ll ride all135 night.—O sweet Pistol!—Away, Bardolph!—Come, Pistol, utter more to me, and withal devise something to do thyself good.—Boot, boot, Master Shallow. I know the young king is sick for me. Let us take any man’s horses. The laws of England are at140 my commandment. Blessed are they that have been my friends, and woe to my Lord Chief Justice!PISTOL Let vultures vile seize on his lungs also! “Where is the life that late I led?” say they. Why, here it is. Welcome these pleasant days.⟨They exit.⟩