Nrм. Thefe be good humours!-your honour wins bad humours.1 [Exeunt NYM, PISTOL, and BARDOLPH, followed by FLUELLEN. 2 Bor. As young as I am, I have obferved thefe three fwashers. I am boy to them all three but all they three, though they would serve me, could not be man to me; for, indeed, three fuch anticks do not amount to a man. For Bardolph, he is white-livered, and red-faced; by the means whereof, · 'a faces it out, but fights not. For Pistol,--he hath a killing tongue, and a quiet fword; by the means whereof 'a breaks words, and keeps whole weapons. For Nym, he hath heard, that men of few words are the best men; 3 and therefore he fcorns to fay his prayers, left 'a fhould be thought a coward: but his few bad words are match'd with as few good deeds; for 'a never broke any man's head but his and that was against a poft, when he was drunk. They will fteal any thing, and call it,purchase. Bardolph ftole a lute-cafe; bore it twelve leagues, and fold it for three halfpence. Nym, and Bardolph, are fworn brothers in filching; and in Calais they stole a fire-fhovel; I knew, by wins bad humours.] In a former fcene Nym fays, "the king hath run bad humours on the knight." We should therefore perhaps read runs here alfo. But there is little certainty in any conjecture concerning the dialect of Nym or Piftol. MALONE. 2 the three. but all they three,] We fhould read, I think,—all MALONE. They three, is a vulgarifm, to this day in conftant use. 3 STEEVENS. beft men ;] That is, braveft; fo in the next lines, good deeds are brave actions. JOHNSON. that piece of fervice, the men would carry coals.4 They would have me as familiar with men's pockets, as their gloves or their handkerchiefs: which makes much against my manhood, if I fhould take from another's pocket, to put into mine; for it is plain pocketing up of wrongs. I muft leave them, and feek fome better fervice: their villainy goes against my weak ftomach, and therefore I muft caft it up. [Exit Boy, Re-enter FLUELLEN, GOWER following. Gow. Captain Fluellen, you must come presently to the mines; the duke of Glofter would speak with you. FLU. To the mines! tell you the duke, it is not fo good to come to the mines: For, look you, the mines is not according to the difciplines of the war; the concavities of it is not fufficient; for, look you, th' athverfary (you may difcufs unto the duke, look you,) is dight himself four yards under the countermines: 5 by Chefhu, I think, 'a will plow up all, if there is not better directions. the men would carry coals.] It appears that, in Shak fpeare's age, to carry coals, was, I know not why, to endure affronts. So, in Romeo and Juliet, one ferving-man afks another whether he will carry coals. JOHNSON. Şee note on Romeo and Juliet, A& I. fc. i. Cant phrafes are the ephemerons of literature. In the quartos, 1600 and 1608, the paffage ftand thus: "I knew by that they meant to carry coales.' STEEVENS. is dight himself four yards under the countermines:] Fluellen means, that the enemy had digged himself countermines four yards under the mines. will plow up all,] JoHNSON. Gow. The duke of Glofter, to whom the order of the fiege is given, is altogether directed by an Irishman; a very valiant gentleman, i̇’faith. FLU. It is captain Macmorris, is it not? FLU. By Chefhu, he is an afs, as in the 'orld: I will verify as much in his peard: he has no more directions in the true difciplines of the wars, look you, of the Roman difciplines, than is a puppy-dog. Enter MACMORRIS and JAMY, at a distance. Gow. Here 'a comes; and the Scots captain, captain Jamy, with him. FLU. Captain Jamy is a marvellous falorous gentleman, that is certain; and of great expedition, and knowledge, in the ancient wars, upon my particular knowledge of his directions: by Chefhu, he will maintain his argument as well as any military man in the 'orld, in the difciplines of the priftine wars of the Romans. JAMY. I fay, gud-day, captain Fluellen. FLU. God-den to your worship, goot captain Jamy. Gow. How, now, captain Macmorris? have you quit the mines? have the pioneers given o'er? MAC. By Chrish la, tifh ill done: the work ifh give over, the trumpet found the retreat. By my hand, I fwear, and by my father's foul, the work ifh ill done; it ifh give over: I would have blowed up the town, fo Chrifh fave me, la, in an hour. O, tifh ill done, tifh ill done; by my hand, tifh ill done! FLU. Captain Macmorris, I pefeech you now, will you voutsafe me, look you, a few difputations with you, as partly touching or concerning the difciplines of the war, the Roman wars, in the way of argument, look you, and friendly communication; partly, to fatisfy my opinion, and partly, for the fatisfaction, look you, of my mind, as touching the direction of the military difcipline; that is the point. 7 JAMY. It fall be very gud, gud feith, gud captains bath and I fall quit you with gud leve, as I may pick occafion; that fall I, marry. MAC. It is no time to difcourfe, fo Chrifh fave me, the day is hot, and the weather, and the wars, and the king, and the dukes; it is no time to difcourfe. The town is befeeched, and the trumpet calls us to the breach; and we talk, and, by Chrish, do nothing; 'tis fhame for us all: fo God fa' me, 'tis fhame to ftand ftill; it is fhame, by my hand: and there is throats to be cut, and works to be done; and there ifh nothing done, fo Chrifh fa' me, la. JAMY. By the mess, ere theife eyes of mine take themselves to flumber, aile do gude fervice, or aile ligge i'the grund for it; ay, or go to death; and aile pay it as valoroufly as I may, that fal I furely do, that is the breff and the long: Mary, I wad full fain heard fome queftion 'tween you 'tway. FLU. Captain Macmorris, I think, look you, under your correction, there is not many of your nation 7 "I fall quit you-] That is, I fhall, with your per miffion, requite you, that is, answer you, or interpofe with arguments, as I fhall find opportunity. JOHNSON. my MAC. Of my nation? What ifh my nation? ifh a villain, and a bastard, and a knave, and a rascal? What ifh my nation? Who talks of my nation? FLU. Look you, if you take the matter otherwise than is meant, captain Macmorris, peradventure, I fhall think you do not ufe me with that affability as in difcretion you ought to ufe me, look you; being as goot a man as yourself, both in the difciplines of wars, and in the derivation of my birth, and in other particularities. MAC. I do not know you fo good a man as myfelf: fo Chrifh fave me, I will cut off your head. Gow. Gentlemen both, you will mistake each other. JAMY. Au! that's a foul fault. [A Parley founded. Gow. The town founds a parley. FLU. Captain Macmorris, when there is more better opportunity to be required, look you, I will be fo bold as to tell you, I know the difciplines of war; and there is an end.8 [Exeunt. there is an end.] It were to be wished, that the poor merriment of this dialogue had not been purchased with so much profanenefs. JOHNSON. |