Make lefs thy body, (hence!) and more thy grace;
Leave gormandizing. Know, the grave doth gape
For thee, thrice wider than for other men.
Reply not to me with a fool-born jest.
Prefume not that I am the thing I was:
For Heav'n doth know, fo fhall the world perceive,
That I have turn'd away my former self,
So will I those that kept me company.
When thou dost hear I am as I have been,
Approach me, and thou shalt be as thou waft,
The tutor and the feeder of my riots :
Till then I banish thee on pain of death,
As I have done the rest of my misleaders,
Not to come near our person by ten miles.
For competence of life, I will allow you,
That lack of means inforce you not to evil :
And as we hear you do reform yourselves,
We will, according to your ftrengths and qualities,
Give you advancement. Be't your charge, my Lord,
To fee perform'd the tenor of our word.

Set on.

S CE N. E

[Ex. King, &c.

IX.

Fal. Mafter Shallow, I owe you a thousand pound.
Shal. Ay, marry, Sir John, which I befeech

let me have home with me.

you to

Fal That can hardly be, Mr. Shallow. Do not you grieve at this; I fhall be fent for in private to him: look you, he must seem thus to the world. Fear not your advancement, I will be the man yet that fhall make you great.

Shal. I cannot perceive how, unless you give me your doublet, and stuff me out with straw. I befeech you, good Sir John, let me have five hundred of my thou

fand.

Fal. Sir, I will be as good as my word. This that you heard, was but a colour

Shal. A colour, I fear, that you will die in, Sir John. Fal. Fear no colours: go with me to dinner. Come, Lieutenant Fiftol; come, Bardolph. I fhall be fent for foon at night.

1

Enter

Enter Chief Juftice and Prince John.

Ch. Juft. Go, carry Sir John Falstaff to the Fleet. Take all his company along with him,

Fal. My Lord, my Lord

Gh. Juft. I cannot now speak, I will hear you foon. Take them away.

Pift. Si fortuna me tormenta, il sperare me contenta.

Manent Lancaster and Chief Justice.

[Exeunt.

Lan. I like this fair proceeding of the King's. He hath intent his wonted followers

Shall all be very well provided for;

But they are banish'd till their converfations

Appear more wife and modeft to the world,
Ch. Juft. And fo they are.

Lan. The King hath call'd his parliament, my Lord.
Ch. Juft. He hath.

Lan. I will lay odds, that ere this year expire, We bear our civil fwords and native fire

As far as France. I heard a bird so fing,

Whofe mufic, to my thinking, pleas d the King.
Come, will you hence.

EPILOGU E.

Spoken by a DANCER.

[Exeunt.

Fr, my fear, then, my court fy; laft, my speech.

My fear is your difpleafure; my court'fy, my duty; and my fpeech, to beg your pardons. If you look for a good fpeech now, you undo me; for what I have to fay is of mine own making, and what, indeed, I should jay. will, I doubt, prove mine own marring. But to the purpofe, and fo to the venture. Be it known to you, (as it is very well), I was lately here in the end of a displeafing play, to pray your patience for it, and to promife you a better. I did mean, indeed, to pay you with this; which if, like an ill venture, it come unluckily home, I break ; and you, my gentle creditors, lofe. Here I promifed you I would be, and here I commit my body to your mercies:

bate

bate me fome, and I will pay you fome, and, as most debtors do, promife you infinitely.

If my tongue cannot intreat you to acquit me, will you command me to use my legs? and yet that were but light payment, to dance out of your debt: but a good conscience will make any poffible fatisfaction, and fo will I. All the gentlewomen here have forgiven me; if the gentlemen will not, then the gentlemen do not agree with the gentlewomen, which was never feen before in fuch an affembly.

One word more, I beseech you. If you be not too much cloy'd with fat meat, our humble author will continue the story with Sir John in it, and make you merry with fair Catharine of France; where, for any thing I know, Falstaff fhall die of a fweat, unless already he be kill'd with your hard opinions: for Oldcastle* died a martyr, and this is not the man. My tongue is weary: when my legs are too, I will bid you good night, and so kneel down before you; but, indeed, to pray for the Queen.

*This alludes to the first play, in which Sir John Oldcaffle was put for Falstaff, Mr. Pope.

The

The SCENE, at the beginning of the play, lies in England; but afterwards, wholly in France.

PROLOGU E.

For a mufe of fire, that would afcend The brightest heaven of invention! "A kingdom for a stage, princes to act,

This play was writ (as appears from a paffage in the chorus to the fifth act) at the time of the Earl of Effex's commanding the forces in Ireland in the reign of Q. Elifabeth, and not till after Henry VI. had been played; as may be feen by the conclufion of this play. Mr. Pope.

"And

"And monarchs to behold the fwelling fcene! "Then Should the warlike Harry, like himself, Aume the port of Mars; and, at his heels,

દરે

(Leafh'd in, like hounds), should famine, fword, and "Grouch for employment. Pardon, gentles all, [fire]}] The flat unraifed fpirit, that hath dar'd,

On this unworthy Scaffold, to bring forth
So great an object. Can this cock-pit hold
The vafty field of France? or may we cram,
Within this wooden O, "the very cafkes
"That did affright the air, at Agincourt?
O, pardon; fince a crooked figure may
Atteft in little place a million;
And let us, cyphers to this great accompt.
On your imaginary forces work.

Suppofe within the girdle of thefe walls
Are now confin'd two mighty monarchies;
"Whofe high up-reared, and abutting fronts

Perilous, the narrow ocean parts afunder.
Piece out our imperfections with your thoughts:
Into a thousand parts divide one man,
And make imaginary puissance:

Think, when we talk of horses, that you fee them
Printing their proud hoofs i' th' receiving earth.
For 'tis your thoughts that now muft deck our Kings,
Carry them here, and there; jumping o'er times;
Turning th' accomplishment of many years
Into an hour-glafs: for the which fupply,
Admit me Chorus to this hiftory;

Who, prologue-like, your humble patience pray,
Gently to hear, kindly to judge, our play.

A C T I.

SCENE

I.

An antechamber in the English court, at Kenilworth:

Enter the Archbishop of Canterbury, and Bishop of Ely. Y Lord, I'll tell you; that felf bill is urge'd,

Cant.

M Which, in the eleventh year o' th la

Μ King's reign,

Was like, and had indeed against us pafs'd,
But that the feambling and unquiet time