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For, bear ourselves as even as we can,
The king will always think him in our debt;
And think we think ourselves unsatisfied,
Till he hath found a time to pay us home.
And sec already, how he doth begin

To make us strangers to his looks of love.

Hot. He does, he does; we'll be reveng'd on him.

Wor. Cousin, farewell: :- - No further go in this,
Than I by letters shall direct your course.
When time is ripe, (which will be suddenly,)
I'll steal to Glendower and lord Mortimer;
Where you and Douglas, and our powers at once,
(As I will fashion it,) shall happily meet,

To bear our fortunes in our own strong arms,
Which now we hold at much uncertainty.

North. Farewell, good brother: we shall thrive,
I trust.

Hot. Uncle, adieu :—O, let the hours be short, Till fields, and blows, and groans applaud our sport! [Exeunt.

ACT THE SECOND.

SCENE I.

Rochester. An Inn Yard.

Enter a Carrier, with a Lantern in his hand.

1 Car. Heigh ho! An't be not four by the day, I'll be hanged: Charles' wain is over the new chimney, and yet our horse not packed. What, ostler !

Ost. [Within.] Anon, anon.

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1 Car. I pr'ythee, Tom, beat Cut's saddle, put a few flocks in the point; the poor jade is wrung in the withers out of all cess.'

Enter another Carrier.

2 Car. Pease and beans are as dank here as a dog, and that is the next way to give poor jades the bots this house is turned upside down, since Robin ostler died.

1 Car. Poor fellow! never joyed since the price of oats rose; it was the death of him.

2 Car. I think this be the most villainous house in all London road for fleas : I am stung like a tench."

1 Car. Like a tench? by the mass, there is ne'er a king in Christendom could be better bit than I have been since the first cock.

2 Car. What, ostler! come away and be hanged, come away. I have a gammon of bacon, and two razes of ginger, to be delivered as far as Charing

cross.

1 Car. The turkies in my pannier are quite starved.- What, ostler! - A plague on thee! hast thou never an eye in thy head? canst not hear? An 'twere not as good a deed as drink, to break the pate of thee, I am a very villain. - Come, and be hanged:-Hast no faith in thee?

Enter GADSHILL.

Gads. Good morrow, carriers. What's o'clock? 1 Car. I think it be two o'clock.

Gads. I pr'ythee, lend me thy lantern, to see my gelding in the stable.

1 Car. Nay, soft, I pray ye; I know a trick worth two of that.

4 Name of his horse. 5 Measure. 6 Spotted like a tench.

Gads. I pr'ythee lend me thine.

2 Car. Ay, when? canst tell?- Lend me thy lantern, quoth a?—marry, I'll see thee hanged first.

Gads. Sirrah carrier, what time do you mean to come to London?

2 Car. Time enough to go to bed with a candle, I warrant thee.- Come, neighbour Mugs, we'll call up the gentlemen; they will along with company, for they have great charge. [Exeunt Carriers. Gads. What, ho! chamberlain !

Cham. [Within.] At hand, quoth pick-purse. Gads. That's even as fair as - at hand, quoth the chamberlain: for thou variest no more from picking of purses, than giving direction doth from labouring; thou lay'st the plot how.

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Enter Chamberlain.

Cham. Good morrow, master Gadshill. It holds current, that I told you yesternight: There's a franklin in the wild of Kent, hath brought three hundred marks with him in gold: I heard him tell it to one of his company, last night at supper; a kind of auditor; one that hath abundance of charge too, heaven knows what. They are up already, and call for eggs and butter: They will away presently.

Gads. Sirrah, if they meet not with saint Nicholas' clerks, I'll give thee this neck.

Cham. No, I'll none of it: I pr'ythee keep that for the hangman; for, I know, thou worship'st saint Nicholas as truly as a man of falsehood may.

Gads. What talkest thou to me of the hangman? if I hang, I'll make a fat pair of gallows: for, if I hang, old sir John hangs with me; and, thou

7 A proverb, from the pick-purse being always ready. 8 Freeholder. Cant term for highwaymen.

knowest, he's no starveling. Tut: there are other Trojans that thou dreamest not of, the which, for sport sake, are content to do the profession some grace; that would, if matters should be looked into, for their own credit sake, make all whole. I am joined with no foot land-rakers', no long-staff, sixpenny strikers; none of these mad, mustachio, purple-hued malt-worms: but with nobility, and tranquillity; burgo-masters, and great oneyers '; such as can hold in; such as will strike sooner than speak, and speak sooner than drink, and drink sooner than pray: And yet I lie; for they pray continually to their saint, the common-wealth; or, rather, not pray to her, but prey on her; for they ride up and down on her, and make her their boots.3

Cham. What, the commonwealth their boots ? will she hold out water in wet weather?

Gads. She will, she will; justice hath liquored her. We steal as in a castle, cock-sure; we have the receipt of fernseed, we walk invisible.

Cham. Nay, by my faith! I think you are more beholden to the night than to fern-seed, for your walking invisible.

Gads. Give me thy hand: thou shalt have a share in our purchase, as I am a true man.

Cham. Nay, rather let me have it as you are a false thief.

Gads. Go to; Homo is a common name to all men. Bid the ostler bring my gelding out of the stable. Farewell, you muddy knave. [Exeunt.

1 Footpads.

3 Booty.

2 Publick accountants.
4 Oiled, smoothed her over.

SCENE II.

The Road by Gadshill.

Enter Prince HENRY and POINS; BARDOLPH and PETO, at some distance.

Poins. Come, shelter, shelter; I have removed Falstaff's horse, and he frets like a gummed velvet. P. Hen. Stand close.

Enter FALSTAFF.

Fal. Poins! Poins! and be hanged! Poins! P. Hen. Peace, ye fat-kidney'd rascal; what a brawling dost thou keep!

I'll

Fal. Where's Poins, Hal?

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P. Hen. He is walked up to the top of the hill; go seek him. [Pretends to seek POINS. Fal. I am accursed to rob in that thief's company: the rascal hath removed my horse, and tied him I know not where. If I travel but four foot by the squire further afoot, I shall break my wind. Well, I doubt not but to die a fair death for all this, if I 'scape hanging for killing that rogue. I have forsworn his company hourly any time these two-andtwenty years, and yet I am bewitched with the rogue's company. If the rascal have not given me medicines to make me love him, I'll be hanged; it could not be else; I have drunk medicines.—Poins! Hal!!—a plague upon you both!-Bardolph! Peto!-I'll starve ere I'll rob a foot further. twere not as good a deed as drink, to turn true man, and leave these rogues, I am the veriest varlet

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