610And take thou this (O thoughts of men accurs'd)
"Past, and to Come, seemes best; things Present, worst.
612Mow. Shall we go draw our numbers, and
set on?
613Hast. We are Times
subie
cts, and Time bids, be gon.
614 Actus Secundus. Scoena Prima.
615Enter Hostesse, with two Officers, Fang, and Snare. 616Hostesse. Mr.
Fang, haue you entred the A
ction?
618Hostesse. Wher's your Yeoman? Is it a lu
sty yeoman?
620Fang. Sirrah, where's
Snare?
621Hostesse. I, I, good
M. Snare..
623Fang. Snare, we mu
st Arre
st Sir
Iohn Falstaffe.
624Host. I good
M. Snare, I haue enter'd him, and all.
625Sn. It may chance co
st some of vs our liues: he wil
stab
626Hostesse. Alas the day: take heed of him: he
stabd me
627in mine owne hou
se, and that mo
st bea
stly: he cares not
628what mi
scheefe he doth, if his weapon be out. Hee will
629foyne like any diuell, he will
spare neither man, woman,
631Fang. If I can clo
se with him, I care not for his thru
st.
632Hostesse. No, nor I neither: Ile be at your elbow.
633Fang. If I but
fist him once: if he come but within my
635Host. I am vndone with his going: I warrant he is an
636in
finitiue thing vpon my
score. Good
M. Fang hold him
637sure: good
M. Snare let him not
scape, he comes continu
- 638antly to Py-Corner (
sauing your manhoods) to buy a
sad
- 639dle, and hee is indited to dinner to the Lubbars head in
640Lombard
street, to
M. Smoothes the Silkman. I pra' ye,
since
641my Exion is enter'd, and my Ca
se
so openly known to the
642world, let him be brought in to his an
swer: A 100. Marke
643is a long one, for a poore lone woman to beare: & I haue
644borne, and borne, and borne, and haue bin fub'd o
ff, and
645fub'd-o
ff, from this day to that day, that it is a
shame to
646be thought on. There is no hone
sty in
such dealing, vnles
647a woman
should be made an A
sse and a Bea
st, to beare e
- 648uery Knaues wrong.
Enter Falstaffe and Bardolfe. 649Yonder he comes, and that arrant Malme
sey-No
se
Bar- 650dolfe with him. Do your O
ffices, do your o
ffices:
M. Fang,
651&
M. Snare, do me, do me, do me your O
ffices.
652Fal. How now? who
se Mare's dead? what's the matter?
653Fang. Sir
Iohn, I arre
st you, at the
suit of Mi
st.
Quickly.
654Falst. Away Varlets, draw
Bardolfe: Cut me o
ff the
655Villaines head: throw the Queane in the Channel.
656Host. Throw me in the channell? Ile throw thee there.
657Wilt thou? wilt thou? thou ba
stardly rogue. Murder, mur
- 658der, O thou Hony-
suckle villaine, wilt thou kill Gods of
- 659ficers, and the Kings? O thou hony-
seed Rogue, thou art
660a hony
seed, a Man-queller, and a woman-queller.
661Falst. Keep them o
ff,
Bardolfe.
Fang. A re
scu, a re
scu.
662Host. Good people bring a re
scu. Thou wilt not? thou
663wilt not? Do, do thou Rogue: Do thou Hemp
seed.
664Page. Away you Scullion, you Rampallian, you Fu
stil
- 665lirian: Ile tucke your Cata
strophe.
Enter. Ch. Iustice. 666Iust. What's the matter? Keepe the Peace here, hoa.
667Host. Good my Lord be good to mee. I be
seech you
669Ch. Iust. How now
sir
Iohn? What are you brauling here?
670Doth this become your place, your time, and bu
sine
sse?
671You
should haue bene well on your way to Yorke.
672Stand from him Fellow; wherefore hang'
st vpon him?
673Host. Oh my mo
st wor
shipfull Lord, and't plea
se your
674Grace, I am a poore widdow of Ea
stcheap, and he is arre
- 675sted at my
suit.
Ch. Iust. For what
summe?
676Host. It is more then for
some (my Lord) it is for all: all
677I haue, he hath eaten me out of hou
se and home; hee hath
678put all my
sub
stance into that fat belly of his: but I will
679haue
some of it out againe, or I will ride thee o'Nights,
681Falst. I thinke I am as like to ride the Mare, if I haue
682any vantage of ground, to get vp.
683Ch. Iust. How comes this, Sir
Iohn? Fy, what a man of
684good temper would endure this tempe
st of exclamation?
685Are you not a
sham'd to inforce a poore Widdowe to
so
686rough a cour
se, to come by her owne?
687Falst. What is the gro
sse
summe that I owe thee?
688Host. Marry (if thou wer't an hone
st man) thy
selfe, &
689the mony too. Thou did
st sweare to mee vpon a parcell
690gilt Goblet,
sitting in my Dolphin-chamber at the round
691table, by a
sea-cole
fire, on Wedne
sday in Whit
son week,
692when the Prince broke thy head for lik'ning him to a
sin
- 693ging man of Wind
sor; Thou did
st sweare to me then (as I
694was wa
shing thy wound) to marry me, and make mee my
695Lady thy wife. Can
st yu deny it? Did not goodwife
Keech 696the Butchers wife come in then, and cal me go
ssip
Quick- 697ly? comming in to borrow a me
sse of Vinegar: telling vs,
698she had a good di
sh of Prawnes: whereby
yu did
st de
sire to
699eat
some: whereby I told thee they were ill for a greene
700wound? And did
st not thou (when
she was gone downe
701staires) de
sire me to be no more familiar with
such poore
702people,
saying, that ere long they
should call me Madam?
703And did'
st yu not ki
sse me, and bid mee fetch thee 30.s? I
704put thee now to thy Book-oath, deny it if thou can
st?
705Fal. My Lord, this is a poore mad
soule: and
she
sayes
706vp & downe the town, that her elde
st son is like you. She
707hath bin in good ca
se, & the truth is, pouerty hath di
stra
- 708cted her: but for the
se fooli
sh O
fficers, I be
seech you, I
709may haue redre
sse again
st them.
710Iust. Sir
Iohn,
sir
Iohn, I am well acquainted with your
711maner of wrenching the true cau
se, the fal
se way. It is not
712a con
fident brow, nor the throng of wordes, that come
713with
such (more then impudent)
sawcines from you, can
714thru
st me from a leuell con
sideration, I know you ha' pra
- 715ctis'd vpon the ea
sie-yeelding
spirit of this woman.
716Host. Yes in troth my Lord.
717Iust. Prethee peace: pay her the debt you owe her, and
718vnpay the villany you haue done her: the one you may do
719with
sterling mony, & the other with currant repentance.
720Fal. My Lord, I will not vndergo this
sneape without
721reply. You call honorable Boldnes, impudent Sawcine
sse:
722If a man wil curt'
sie, and
say nothing, he is vertuous: No,
723my Lord (your humble duty remēmbred) I will not be your
724sutor. I
say to you, I de
sire deliu'rance from the
se O
fficers
725being vpon ha
sty employment in the Kings A
ffaires.
726Iust. You
speake, as hauing power to do wrong: But
727an
swer in the e
ffe
ct of your Reputation, and
satis
fie the
729Falst. Come hither Ho
ste
sse.
Enter M. Gower 730Ch. Iust. Now Ma
ster
Gower; What newes?
731Gow. The King (my Lord) and
Henrie Prince of Wales
732Are neere at hand: The re
st the Paper telles.
733Falst. As I am a Gentleman.
734Host. Nay, you
said
so before.
735Fal. As I am a Gentleman. Come, no more words of it
736Host. By this Heauenly ground I tread on, I mu
st be
737faine to pawne both my Plate, and the Tapi
stry of my dy
- g3 Falst.