736698Po. Come shelter, shelter, I haue remoude Falstalffes horse,

737699and he frets like a gumd Veluet.

738700Pr. Stand close:

740701Fal. Poynes, Poynes, and be hangd Poynes.

741702Pr. Peace yee fat-kidneyd rascall, what a brawling dost

742703thou keepe?

743704Fal. Wheres Poynes Hall?

744705Pr. He is walkt vp to the top of the hill, Ile go seeke him.

746706Fal. I am accurst to rob in that theeues companie, the rascall

747707hath remooued my horse, and tied him I knowe not where, if I

748708trauell but foure foote by the squire further a foote, I shall breake

749709my winde. Well, I doubt not but to die a faire death for all

750710this, if I scape hanging for killing that rogue. I haue forsworne

751711his companie hourly any time this xxii. yeares, and yet I am be-

752712witcht with the rogues companie. If the rascall haue not gi-

754713uen me medicines to make mee loue him, ile be hangd. It could

755714not be else, I haue drunke medicines. Poynes, Hall, a plague

756715vpon you both. Bardol, Peto, ile starue ere ile robbe a foote

757716further, and twere not as good a deed as drinke to turne true-

758717man, and to leaue these rogues, I am the veriest varlet that euer

759718chewed with a tooth: Eight yeards of vneuen ground is three-

760719score and ten myles a foote with mee, and the stonie hearted

761720villiaines knowe it well enough, a plague vpon it when theeues

762721cannot be true one to another.

764723Whew, a plague vpon you all, giue mee my horse you rogues,

765724giue me my horse and be hangd:

766725Pr. Peace yee fatte guts, lie downe, lay thine eare [close to]

767726the grounde, and list if thou canst heare the treade of trauay-

768lers.

769727Falst. Haue you any leauers to lift me vp againe being down,

770728zbloud ile not beare my owne flesh so farre a foote againe for

771729all the coyne in thy fathers Exchequer: What a plague meane

772730ye to colt me thus?

773731Pr. Thou liest, thou art not colted, thou art vncolted.

774732Falst. I preethe good prince, Hall, helpe me to my horse, good

775733kings sonne.

776734Pr. Out ye rogue, shall I be your Ostler?

777735Falst. Hang thy selfe in thine owne heire apparant garters,

778736if I be tane, ile peach for this: and I haue not Ballads made on

779737you all, and sung to filthie tunes, let a cuppe of sacke bee my

780738poyson, when a ieast is so forward, and a foote too I hate it.

783740Gad. Stand. Fal. So I do against my will.

785741Po. O tis our setter, I knowe his voice. Bardoll, what newes.

787742Bar. Case ye, case yee on with your vizardes, theres mony

788743of the kings comming downe the hill, tis going to the Kinges

789744Exchequer.

790745Fal. You lie, ye rogue, [tis] going to the kings tauerne.

791746Gad. Theres enough to make vs all.

792747Fal. To be hangd.

793748Pr. Sirs, you foure shall front them in the narrowe lane: Ned

794749Poynes, and I will walke lower, if they scape from your encoun-

795750ter, then they light on vs.

796751Peto. How many be there of them?

797752Gad. Some eight or ten.

798753Fal. Zounds will they not rob vs?

799754Pr. What, a coward sir Iohn paunch.

800755Fast. In deed I am not Iohn of Gaunt your grandfather, but

801756yet no coward, Hall.

802757Pr. Well, we leaue that to the proofe.

803758Po. Sirrha Iacke, thy horse standes behinde the hedge, when

804759thou needst him, there thou shalt find him: farewel & stand fast.

806760Fast. Now can not I strike him if I should be hangd.

807761[Pr]. Ned, where are our disguises?

808762Po. Here, hard by, stand close.

809763Falst. Now my maisters, happieman be his dole, say I, euerie

810764man to his businesse. Enter the trauailers.

812765Trauel. Come neighbour, the boy shal lead our horses down

813766the hill, weele walke a foote a while and ease our legs.

815767Theeues. Stand. Trauel. Iesus blesse vs.

817768Falst. Strike, downe with them, cut the villaines throates, a

818769horesone Caterpillers, bacon-fed knaues, they hate vs youth,

819770downe with them, fleece them.

820771Tra. O we are vndone, both we and ours for euer.

821772Fal. Hang ye gorbellied knaues, are yee vndone, no ye fatte

822773chuffes I woulde your store were here: on bacons on, what yee

823774knaues yong men must liue, you are grand iurers, are ye, weele

824775iure ye faith.

827778Pr. The theeues haue bounde the true men, nowe coulde

828779thou and I rob the theeues, and go merrily to London, it woulde

829780be argument for a weeke, laughter for a month, and a good ieast

830781for euer.

831782Po. Stand close, I heare them comming.

833784Fal. Come my maisters, let vs share and then to horse before

834785day, and the prince and Poynes bee not two arrant cowardes

835786theres no equitie stirring, theres no more valour in that Poynes,

836787then in a wilde ducke.

837789Pr. Your money.

838790Po. Villaines. Falstalffe after a blow or two runs away

841792Prin. Got with much ease. Now merrily to horse: the theeues

842793are al scattered, and possest with feare so strongly, that they dare

843794not meete each other, each takes his fellowe for an officer, away

844795good Ned, Falstalffe sweates to death, and lards the leane earth

845796as he walkes along, wert not for laughing I should pittie him.

847797Po. How the fat rogue roard.