Outline
Characters
Dreamweaver
[Flourish. Enter Chorus.]
The Chorus
Now all the youth of England are on fire,
And silken dalliance in the wardrobe lies.
Now thrive the armourers, and honour’s thought
Reigns solely in the breast of every man.
They sell the pasture now to buy the horse,
Following the mirror of all Christian kings,
With winged heels, as English Mercuries.
For now sits Expectation in the air,
And hides a sword from hilts unto the point
With crowns imperial, crowns, and coronets,
Promis’d to Harry and his followers.
The French, advis’d by good intelligence
Of this most dreadful preparation,
Shake in their fear, and with pale policy
Seek to divert the English purposes.
O England! model to thy inward greatness,
Like little body with a mighty heart,
What mightst thou do, that honour would thee do,
Were all thy children kind and natural!
But see thy fault! France hath in thee found out
A nest of hollow bosoms, which he fills
With treacherous crowns; and three corrupted men,
One, Richard Earl of Cambridge, and the second,
Henry Lord Scroop of Masham, and the third,
Sir Thomas Grey, knight of Northumberland,
Have, for the gilt of France,—O guilt indeed!—
Confirm’d conspiracy with fearful France;
And by their hands this grace of kings must die,
If hell and treason hold their promises,
Ere he take ship for France, and in Southampton.
Linger your patience on, and we’ll digest
The abuse of distance, force a play.
The sum is paid; the traitors are agreed;
The King is set from London; and the scene
Is now transported, gentles, to Southampton.
There is the playhouse now, there must you sit;
And thence to France shall we convey you safe,
And bring you back, charming the narrow seas
To give you gentle pass; for, if we may,
We’ll not offend one stomach with our play.
But, till the King come forth, and not till then,
Unto Southampton do we shift our scene.
[Exit.]
[Enter Corporal Nym and Lieutenant Bardolph.]
Bardolph
Well met, Corporal Nym.
Nym
Good morrow, Lieutenant Bardolph.
Bardolph
What, are Ancient Pistol and you friends yet?
Nym
For my part, I care not. I say little; but when time shall serve, there
shall be smiles; but that shall be as it may. I dare not fight, but I
will wink and hold out mine iron. It is a simple one, but what though?
It will toast cheese, and it will endure cold as another man’s sword
will; and there’s an end.
Bardolph
I will bestow a breakfast to make you friends; and we’ll be all three
sworn brothers to France. Let it be so, good Corporal Nym.
Nym
Faith, I will live so long as I may, that’s the certain of it; and when
I cannot live any longer, I will do as I may. That is my rest, that is
the rendezvous of it.
Bardolph
It is certain, corporal, that he is married to Nell Quickly; and
certainly she did you wrong, for you were troth-plight to her.
Nym
I cannot tell. Things must be as they may. Men may sleep, and they may
have their throats about them at that time; and some say knives have
edges. It must be as it may. Though patience be a tired mare, yet she
will plod. There must be conclusions. Well, I cannot tell.
[Enter Pistol and Hostess.]
Bardolph
Here comes Ancient Pistol and his wife. Good Corporal, be patient here.
How now, mine host Pistol!
Pistol
Base tike, call’st thou me host?
Now, by this hand, I swear I scorn the term;
Nor shall my Nell keep lodgers.
Mistress Quickly
No, by my troth, not long; for we cannot lodge and board a dozen or
fourteen gentlewomen that live honestly by the prick of their needles,
but it will be thought we keep a bawdy house straight. [_Nym and Pistol
draw._] O well a day, Lady, if he be not drawn now! We shall see wilful
adultery and murder committed.
Bardolph
Good Lieutenant! good corporal! offer nothing here.
Nym
Pish!
Pistol
Pish for thee, Iceland dog! thou prick-ear’d cur of Iceland!
Mistress Quickly
Good Corporal Nym, show thy valour, and put up your sword.
Nym
Will you shog off? I would have you _solus_.
Pistol
_Solus_, egregious dog! O viper vile!
The _solus_ in thy most mervailous face;
The _solus_ in thy teeth, and in thy throat,
And in thy hateful lungs, yea, in thy maw, perdy,
And, which is worse, within thy nasty mouth!
I do retort the _solus_ in thy bowels;
For I can take, and Pistol’s cock is up,
And flashing fire will follow.
Nym
I am not Barbason; you cannot conjure me. I have an humour to knock you
indifferently well. If you grow foul with me, Pistol, I will scour you
with my rapier, as I may, in fair terms. If you would walk off, I would
prick your guts a little, in good terms, as I may; and that’s the
humour of it.
Pistol
O braggart vile and damned furious wight!
The grave doth gape, and doting death is near,
Therefore exhale.
Bardolph
Hear me, hear me what I say. He that strikes the first stroke I’ll run
him up to the hilts, as I am a soldier.
[Draws.]
Pistol
An oath of mickle might; and fury shall abate.
Give me thy fist, thy fore-foot to me give.
Thy spirits are most tall.
Nym
I will cut thy throat, one time or other, in fair terms: that is the
humour of it.
Pistol
“Couple a gorge!”
That is the word. I thee defy again.
O hound of Crete, think’st thou my spouse to get?
No! to the spital go,
And from the powdering tub of infamy
Fetch forth the lazar kite of Cressid’s kind,
Doll Tearsheet she by name, and her espouse.
I have, and I will hold, the quondam Quickly
For the only she; and _pauca_, there’s enough.
Go to.
[Enter the Boy.]
Boy
Mine host Pistol, you must come to my master, and you, hostess. He is
very sick, and would to bed. Good Bardolph, put thy face between his
sheets, and do the office of a warming-pan. Faith, he’s very ill.
Bardolph
Away, you rogue!
Mistress Quickly
By my troth, he’ll yield the crow a pudding one of these days.
The King has kill’d his heart.
Good husband, come home presently.
[Exeunt Hostess and Boy.]
Bardolph
Come, shall I make you two friends? We must to France together; why the
devil should we keep knives to cut one another’s throats?
Pistol
Let floods o’erswell, and fiends for food howl on!
Nym
You’ll pay me the eight shillings I won of you at betting?
Pistol
Base is the slave that pays.
Nym
That now I will have: that’s the humour of it.
Pistol
As manhood shall compound. Push home.
[They draw.]
Bardolph
By this sword, he that makes the first thrust, I’ll kill him; by this
sword, I will.
Pistol
Sword is an oath, and oaths must have their course.
Bardolph
Corporal Nym, and thou wilt be friends, be friends; an thou wilt not,
why, then, be enemies with me too. Prithee, put up.
Nym
I shall have my eight shillings I won from you at betting?
Pistol
A noble shalt thou have, and present pay;
And liquor likewise will I give to thee,
And friendship shall combine, and brotherhood.
I’ll live by Nym, and Nym shall live by me.
Is not this just? For I shall sutler be
Unto the camp, and profits will accrue.
Give me thy hand.
Nym
I shall have my noble?
Pistol
In cash most justly paid.
Nym
Well, then, that’s the humour of’t.
[Enter Hostess.]
Mistress Quickly
As ever you come of women, come in quickly to Sir John.
Ah, poor heart! he is so shak’d of a burning quotidian tertian,
that it is most lamentable to behold. Sweet men, come to him.
Nym
The King hath run bad humours on the knight; that’s the even of it.
Pistol
Nym, thou hast spoke the right.
His heart is fracted and corroborate.
Nym
The King is a good king; but it must be as it may; he passes some
humours and careers.
Pistol
Let us condole the knight; for, lambkins, we will live.
[Exeunt.]