indeed, able to corrupt a faint. Thou haft done much harm unto me, Hal, God forgive thee for it! Before I knew thee, Hal, I knew nothing; and now am I, If a man fhould fpeak truth, little better than one of the wicked. I must give over this life, and I will give it over; by the lord, an I do not, I am a villain. I'll be damn'd for never a King's fon in chriftendom. P. Henry. Where fhall we take a purfe to morrow, Jack? Fal. Where thou wilt, lad, I'll make one; an I do not, call me villain and baffle me. P. Henry. I fee a good amendment of life in thee, from praying to purfe-taking. 2 Fal. Why, Hal, 'tis my vocation, Hal. 'Tis no speech a text is very indecently and abufively applied, to which Falstaff anfwers, thou hast damnable iteration, or, a wicked trick of repeating and applying holy texts. This I think is the meaning. 2 In former editions: Fal. Why, Hal, 'tis my Vocation, Hal. 'Tis no Sin for a Man to labour in his vocation. Enter Poins. Poins. Now fall we know, if Gads-hill have fet a match.] Mr. Pope has given us one fignal Obfervation in his Preface to our Author's Works. Throughout his Plays, fays he, had all the Speeches been printed without the very Names of the Perfons, I believe one might have applied them with Certainty to every Speaker. But how fallible the moft fufficient Critick may be, the Paffage in Controverly is a main inítance. As fignal a Blunder has elcaped 1 4 fin all the Editors here, as any thro' the whole Set of Plays. Will any one perfuade me Shakespeare could be guilty of fuch an Inconfiftency, as to make Poins at his first entrance want News of Gads bill, and immediately after to be able to give a full Account of him? -No; Falfaff, feeing Poins at hand, turns the Stream of his Difcourfe from the Prince, and fays: Now fhall we know whether Gads bill has fet a Match for Us; and then immediately falls into Railing and Invectives against Poins. How admirably is this in Character for Falfaff! And Poins, who knew well his abufive manner, feems in part to overhear him and fo icon as he has return'd the Prince's Salutation, cries, by way of Anfwer, What fays Monfieur Remorte? What Jays Sir John Sack and Sugar. THEOBALD. Mr. Theobald has faftened on an obferva fin for a man to labour in his vocation. Pains! Now fhall we know, if Gads-hill have fet a match. O, if men were to be fav'd by merit, what hole in hell were hot enough for him! SCENE III, Enter Poins. This is the moft omnipotent Villain, that ever cry'd, Stand, to a true Man. P. Henry. Good morrow, Ned. ? Poins. Good morrow, fweet Hal. What fays Monfieur Remorfe? what fays Sir John Sack and Sugar Jack! how agree the devil and thou about thy foul, that thou foldeft him on Good-Friday laft, for a cup of Madera, and a cold capon's leg? P. Henry. Sir John ftands to his word; the devil fhall have his bargain, for he was never yet a breaker of proverbs; He will give the devil his due. Poins. Then thou art damn'd for keeping thy word with the devil. P. Henry. Elfe he had been damn'd for cozening the devil. Poins. But, my lads, my lads, to-morrow morning, by four o'clock, early at Gads-hill; there are pilgrims going to Canterbury with rich offerings, and traders riding to London with fat purfes. I have vifors for you all; you have horfes for yourfelves: Gadfbill lies to night in Rochefter, I have befpoke fupper to-morrow night in Eaft cheap; we may do it, as fecure as fleep: if you will go, I will ftuff your purfes obfervation made by Pope, hyper bolical enough, but not contradicted by the erroneous reading in this place, the fpeech not being fo characteristick as to be infallibly applied to the speaker. Theobald's triumph over the other Editors might have been abated by a confeflion, that the first edition gave him at least a glimpse of the emendation. full full of crowns; if you will not, tarry at home, and be hang'd. Fal. Hear ye, Yedward; if I tarry at home, and go not, I'll hang you for going. Poins. You will, chops? Fal. Hal, wilt thou make one? P. Henry. Who, I rob? I a thief? not I, by my faith. Fal. There is neither honefty, manhood, nor good fellowship in thee, nor thou cam'ft not of the blood royal, if thou dar'ft not cry, stand, for ten fhillings 3. P. Henry, Well then, once in my days I'll be a madcap. Fal. Why, that's well faid. P. Henry. Well, come what will, I'll tarry at home. Fal. By the lord, I'll be a traitor then when thou art King. P. Henry. I care not. Poins. Sir John, I pr'ythee, leave the Prince and me alone; I will lay him down fuch reafons for this adventure, that he fhall go. Fal. Well, may'ft thou have the spirit of perfuafion, and he the ears of profiting, that what thou speak'ft may move, and what he hears may be believ'd; that the true Prince may (for recreation-fake) prove a falfe thief; for the poor abufes of the time want countenance. Farewel, you fhall find me in Eaft-cheap. P. Henry. Farewel, thou latter fpring! Farewel, all-hallown fummer! [Exit Falstaff. Poins. Now, my good fweet hony lord, ride with us to-morrow. I have a jeft to execute, that I cannot manage alone. Falstaff, Bardolph, Peto, and Gadf 4 3 The prefent reading may perhaps be right, but I think it neceffary to remark, that all the old Editions read, if thou dareft not ftand for ten fillings. bill, bill, fhall rob those men that we have already waylaid; yourself and I will not be there; and when they have the booty, if you and I do not rob them, cut this head from off my fhoulders. P. Henry. But how shall we part with them in fetting forth? Poins. Why, we will fet forth before or after them; and appoint them a place of meeting, wherein it is at our pleasure to fail; and then will they adventure upon the exploit themfelves, which they fhall have no fooner atchiev'd, but we'll fet upon them. P. Henry. Ay, but, 'tis like, they will know us by our horses, by our habits, and by every other appointment, to be ourselves. Poins. Tut, our horfes they fhall not fee, I'll tye them in the wood; our vifors we will change after we leave them; and, firrah, I have cafes of buckram for the nonce, to immafk our noted outward garments. us. P. Henry. But, I doubt, they will be too hard for Poins. Well, for two of them, I know them to be as true-bred cowards as ever turn'd Back; and for the ird, if he fights longer than he fees reafon, I'll forfear arms. The virtue of this jeft will be, the incom that we have already way-laid.] Thus We have two Perfons named, as Characters in this Play, that never were among the Dramatis Perfona. But let us fee who they were, that committed this Robbery. In the fecond Act, we come to a Scene of the High-way. Fallaff, wanting his Horie, calls out on Hal, Poins, Bardelph, and Feto. Prefently, Gads hill joins 'em, with Intelligence of Travellers being at hand; upon which the Prince fays, You four fall front 'em in the narrow Lane, Ned Poins and I will walk lower. So that the Four to be concerned are Falfiaff, Bardolph, Peto, and Gadsbill. Accordingly, the Robbery is committed: and the Prince and Poins afterwards rob thefe Four. In the Boar's-Head Tavern, the Prince rallies Peto and Bardolph for their running away; who confefs the Charge. Is it not plain, that Bardolph and Peto were two of the four Robbers? And who then can doubt, but Harvey and Rofil were the Names of the Actors. THEOBALD. prehenfible prehenfible lies that this fame fat rogue will tell us when we meet at fupper; how thirty at least he fought with, what wards, what blows, what extremities he endured; and, in the reproof of this, lies the jest. P. Henry. Well, I'll go with thee; provide us all things neceffary; and meet me to-morrow night in Eaft-cheap, there I'll fup. Farewel. Poins. Farewel, my lord. [Exit Poins. Who doth permit the bafe contagious clouds |