792692Prince Before God, I am exceeding weary.

793693Poynes Ist come to that? I had thought wearines durst not

794694haue attacht one of so hie bloud.

795695Prince Faith it does me, though it discolors the complexi-

796696on of my greatnes to acknowledge it: doth it not shew vildly

797697in me, to desire small beere?

798698Poynes Why a Prince should not be so loosely studied, as

799699to remember so weake a composition.

800700Prince Belike then my appetite was not princely gote, for

801701by my troth, I do now remember the poor creature smal beere.

802702But indeed these humble considerations make me out of loue

803703with my greatnesse. What a disgrace is it to mee to remember

804704thy name? or to know thy face to morow? or to take note how

805705many paire of silke stockings thou hast with these, and those

806706that were thy peach colourd once, or to beare the inuentorie of

807707thy shirts, as one for superfluitie, and another for vse. But that

809708the Tennis court keeper knows better than I, for it is a low eb

810709of linnen with thee when thou keepest not racket there, as thou

811710hast not done a great while, because the rest of the low Coun-

812711tries haue eate vp thy holland: and God knows whether those

812.1712that bal out the ruines of thy linnen shal inherite his kingdom:

812.2713but the Midwiues say, the children are not in the fault where-

812.3714vpon the world increases, and kinreds are mightily strengthe-

812.4715ned.

814716Poynes How ill it followes, after you haue labored so hard,

815717you should talke so ydlely! tell me how many good yong prin-

816718ces woulde doe so, their fathers being so sicke, as yours at this

816.1719time is.

818720Prince Shall I tel thee one thing Poynes?

819721Poynes Yes faith, and let it be an excellent good thing.

820722Prince It shall serue among wittes of no higher breeding

821723then thine.

822724Poynes Go to, I stand the push of your one thing that you

823725will tell.

824726Prince Mary I tell thee it is not meete that I should bee sad

825727now my father is sicke, albeit I could tell to thee, as to one it

826728pleases me for fault of a better to call my friend, I could be sad,

827729and sad indeede too.

828730Poynes Very hardly, vpon such a subiect.

829731Prince By this hand, thou thinkest me as farre in the diuels

830732booke, as thou and Falstaffe, for obduracie and persistancie,

831733let the end trie the man, but I tel thee, my heart bleeds inward-

832734ly that my father is so sick, and keeping such vile company as

833735thou arte, hath in reason taken from me all ostentation of sor-

834736rowe.

835737Poynes The reason.

836738Prince What wouldst thou thinke of me if I should weep?

837739Poynes I woulde thincke thee a most princely hypocrite.

838740Prince It would bee euery mans thought, and thou arte

839741a blessed felow, to thinke as euery man thinkes, neuer a mans

840742thought in the world, keepes the rode way better then thine,

841743euerie man would thinke me an hypocrite indeede, and what

842744accites your most worshipfull thought to thinke so?

844745Poynes Why because you haue been so lewd and so much

845746engraffed to Falstaffe. Prince And to thee.

847747Poyne By this light I am well spoke on, I can heare it with

848748mine owne eares, the worst that they can say of me is that I am

849749a second brother, and that I am a proper fellow of my hands,

850750and those two things I confesse I cannot helpe: by the masse

851751here comes Bardolfe.

852753Prince And the boy that I gaue Falstaffe, a had him from

853754me Christian, and looke if the fat villaine haue not transformd

854755him Ape.

856756Bard. God saue your grace.

857757Prince And yours most noble Bardolfe.

858758Poynes Come you vertuous asse, you bashfull foole, must

859759you be blushing, wherefore blush you now? what a maidenly

860760man at armes are you become? ist such a matter to get a pottle-

861761pots maidenhead?

862762Boy A calls me enow my Lord, through a red lattice, and I

863763could discerne no part of his face from the window, at last I

864764spied his eies, and me thought he had made two holes in the ale

865765wiues peticote and so peept through.

867766Prince Has not the boy profited?

868767Bard. Away you horson vpright rabble, away.

869768Boy Away you rascally Altheas dreame, away.

870769Prince Instruct vs boy, what dreame boy?

871770Boy Mary my lord, Althear dreampt she was deliuered of

872771a firebrand, and therefore I call him her dreame.

873772Prince A crownes worth of good interpretation there tis boy.

875773Poines O that this blossome could be kept from cankers!

876774well, there is sixpence to preserue thee.

877775Bard. And you do not make him hangd among you, the gal-

878776lowes shall haue wrong.

879777Prince And how doth thy master Bardolfe?

880778Bard. Well my Lord, he heard of your graces comming to

881779towne, theres a letter for you.

882780Poynes Deliuerd with good respect, and how doth the mar-

883781tlemasse your master?

884782Bard. In bodily health sir.

885783Poynes Mary the immortall part needes a phisitian, but that

886784moues not him, though that be sicke, it dies not.

888785Prince I do allow this Wen to be as familiar with me, as my

889786dogge, and he holds his place, for looke you how he writes.

euery man must know that

892788as oft as he has occasion to name himselfe: euen like those that

893789are kin to the King for they neuer pricke their finger, but they

894790saye, theres some of the Kings bloud spilt: how comes that

895791(saies he) that takes vppon him not to conceiue the answer is as

896792ready as a borowed cap: I am the Kings poore cosin, sir.

898793Prince Nay they will be kin to vs, or they will fetch it from

899794Iaphet, but the letter,

902796Poynes Why this is a certificate.

903797Prince Peace.

905799Poynes He sure meanes breuity in breath, short winded,

914808Poynes My Lord, Ile steep this letter in sacke and make him

D eate

915809eate it.

916810Prince Thats to make him eate twenty of his words, but do

917811you vse me, thus Ned? must I marrie your sister?

918812Poynes God send the wench no worse fortune, but I neuer

919813said so.

920814Prince Wel, thus we play the fooles with the time, and the

921815spirits of the wise sit in the clowdes and mocke vs, is your ma-

922816ster here in London?

923817Bard. Yea my Lord.

924818Prince Where sups he? doth the old boare feede in the old

925819Franke?

926820Bard. At the old place, my lord, in Eastcheape.

927821Prince What companie?

928822Boy Ephesians, my lord, of the old church.

929823Prince Sup any women with him?

930824Boy None my lord, but old mistris Quickly, and mistris Dol

931825Tere-sheet.

932826Prince What Pagan may that be?

933827Boy A proper gentlewoman sir, and a kinswoman of my

934828masters.

935829Prince Euen such kinne as the parish Heicfors are to the

936830towne bull, shall we steale vpon them Ned at supper?

938831Poynes I am your shadow my Lord, ile follow you.

939832Prince Sirra, you boy and Bardolfe, no worde to your ma-

833ster that I am yet come to towne; theres for your silence.

942834Bar. I haue no tongue sir.

835Boy And for mine sir, I will gouerne it.

943836Prince Fare you well: go, this Doll Tere-sheete should be

945837some rode.

946838Poyns I warrant you, as common as the way between S. Al-

947839bons and London.

948840Prince How might we see Falstaffe bestow himself to night

949841in his true colours, and not our selues be seene?

950842Poynes Put on two letherne ierkins and aprons, and waite

951843vpon him at his table as drawers.

952844Prince From a god to a bul, a heauy descension, it was Ioues

953845case, from a pince to a prentise, a low transformation, that shal

954846be mine, for in enery thing the purpose must weigh with the

955847folly, follow me Ned. exeunt.