thrust at me. I made me no more ado, but took all their seven points in my target, thus.

Prince. Seven? why, there were but four even

now.

Fal. In buckram.

Poins. Ay, four, in buckram suits.

Fal. Seven, by these hilts, or I am a villain else. Prince. Pr'ythee, let him alone: we shall have

more anon.

Fal. Dost thou hear me, Hal?

Prince. Ay, and mark thee too, Jack.

Fal. Do so,

for it is worth the listening to. These

nine in buckram, that I told thee of,

Prince. So, two more already.

Fal. their points being broken,

Poins. Down fell their hose.15

Fal. began to give me ground; but I followed me close, came in, foot in hand, and, with a thought, seven of the eleven I paid.

Prince. O monstrous! eleven buckram men grown out of two!

Fal. But, as the devil would have it, three misbegotten knaves, in Kendal green,16 came at my back, and let drive at me; for it was so dark, Hal, that thou could'st not see thy hand.1

15 The jest lies in a quibble upon points, Falstaff using the word for the sharp end of a weapon, Poins for the tagged lace with which garments were then fastened. See Twelfth Night, Act i. sc. 5, note 2; and The Taming of the Shrew, Act i. sc. 2, note 8. H.

16 Kendal green was the livery of Robin Hood and his men. The colour took its name from Kendal, in Westmoreland, formerly celebrated for its cloth manufacture. Green still continues the colour of woodmen and gamekeepers.

17 We cannot persuade ourselves that Falstaff thinks of deceiving any body by this string of "incomprehensible lies." He tells them, surely, not expecting or intending them to be believed, but partly for the pleasure he takes in the excited play of his

Prince. These lies are like the father that begets them; gross as a mountain, open, palpable. Why, thou clay-brain'd guts, thou knotty-pated fool, thou whoreson, obscene, greasy tallow-keech,'

18

Fal. What! art thou mad? art thou mad? is not the truth the truth?

Prince. Why, how could'st thou know these men in Kendal green, when it was so dark thou could'st not see thy hand? come, tell us your reason: what say'st thou to this?

Poins. Come, your reason, Jack, your reason.

Fal. What, upon compulsion? No; were I at the strappado,19 or all the racks in the world, I would not tell you on compulsion. Give you a reason on compulsion! if reasons were as plenty

faculties, partly for the surprise he causes by his still more incomprehensible feats of dodging; that is, they are studied self-exposures to invite an attack; that he may provoke his hearers to come down upon him, and then witch them with his facility and felicity in extricating himself. Thus his course here is all of a piece with his usual practice of surrounding himself with difficulties, the better to exercise and evince his incomparable fertility and alertness of thought; as knowing that the more he entangles himself in his talk, the richer will be the effect when by a word he slips off the entanglement. We shrewdly suspect that he knew the truth all the while, but determined to fall in with and humour the joke, on purpose to make sport for himself and the prince; and at the same time to retort their deception by pretending to be ignorant of their doings and designs. At all events, we must needs think it were a huge impeachment of his sense, to suppose that in telling such gross and palpable lies he has any thought of being believed.

H.

18 A keech is a round lump of fat, rolled up by the butcher in order to be carried to the chandler, and in its form resembles the rotundity of a fat man's belly.

19 The strappado was a dreadful punishment inflicted on soldiers and criminals, by drawing them up on high with their arms tied backward. Randle Holme says that they were suddenly let fall half way with a jerk, which not only broke the arms but shook all the joints out of joint. He adds, " which punishment it is better to be hanged than for a man to undergo."

as blackberries, I would give no man a reason upon compulsion, I.

Prince. I'll be no longer guilty of this sin: this sanguine coward, this bed-presser, this horse-backbreaker, this huge hill of flesh;

Fal. Away, you starveling, you elf-skin,20 you dried neats-tongue, bull's pizzle, you stock-fish,―0, for breath to utter what is like thee! - you tailor's yard, you sheath, you bow-case, you vile standing tuck;

Prince. Well, breathe awhile, and then to't again; and when thou hast tir'd thyself in base comparisons, hear me speak but this.

Poins. Mark, Jack.

Prince. We two saw you four set on four: you bound them, and were masters of their wealth. Mark now, how plain a tale shall put you down. Then did we two set on you four, and, with a word, outfac'd you from your prize, and have it; yea, and can show it you here in the house. And, Falstaff, you carried your guts away as nimbly, with as quick dexterity, and roared for mercy, and still ran and roar'd, as ever I heard bull-calf. What a

slave art thou, to hack thy sword as thou hast done, and then say it was in fight! What trick, what device, what starting-hole, canst thou now find out, to hide thee from this open and apparent shame ?

Poins. Come, let's hear, Jack: what trick hast thou now?

Fal. By the Lord, I knew ye as well as He that made ye. Why, hear ye, my masters: Was it for

20 It has been proposed to read eel-skin, with great plausibility. Shakespeare had historical authority for the leanness of the prince. Stowe, speaking of him, says, He exceeded the mean stature of men, his neck long, body slender and lean, and his bones small."

me to kill the heir apparent? Should I turn upon the true prince? Why, thou knowest I am as valiant as Hercules; but beware instinct: the lion will not touch the true prince. Instinct is a great matter; I was a coward on instinct. I shall think the better of myself and thee, during my life; I, for a valiant lion, and thou for a true prince.21 But, by the Lord,

Hostess, clap

lads, I am glad you have the money. to the doors: watch to-night, pray to-morrow. Gallants, lads, boys, hearts of gold, all the titles of good fellowship come to you! What! shall we be merry? shall we have a play extempore ?

Prince. Content; - and the argument shall be thy running away.

Fal. Ah! no more of that, Hal, an thou lovest me.

Enter Hostess.

Host. O Jesu! My lord the prince,

Prince. How now, my lady the hostess! what say'st thou to me?

Host. Marry, my lord, there is a nobleman of the court at door would speak with you: he says he comes from your father.

Prince. Give him as much as will make him a royal man,22 and send him back again to my mother.

21 The logic of this passage even beats the wit, fine as is the latter. The prince, as we have seen, was not the true prince, according to the settled rule of succession. The logic is, that none but a man composed and framed of royalty could inspire a lion with such fear; and on the other hand no beast but the lion is brave and gentle enough to feel this instinctive respect for royalty. So that Falstaff's running from him proves him to be what he is not, and is alike honourable to them both.

H.

22 The hostess has just called the messenger a nobleman. The prince refers to this, and at the same time plays upon the words royal man. Royal and noble were names of coin, the one being 10s., the other 6s. 8d. If, then, the messenger were already a

Fal. What manner of man is he?

Host. An old man.

Fal. What doth gravity out of his bed at midnight? — Shall I give him his answer?

Prince. Pr'ythee, do, Jack.

Fal. 'Faith, and I'll send him packing.

[Exit.

Prince. Now, sirs; by'r lady, you fought fair;so did you, Peto; so did you, Bardolph: you are lions too, you ran away upon instinct, you will not touch the true prince, no; - fie!

Bard. 'Faith, I ran when I saw others run.

Prince. 'Faith, tell me now in earnest : How came Falstaff's sword so hack'd?

Peto. Why, he hack'd it with his dagger, and said he would swear truth out of England, but he would make you believe it was done in fight; and persuaded us to do the like.

Bard. Yea, and to tickle our noses with speargrass, to make them bleed; and then to beslubber our garments with it, and to swear it was the blood of true men. I did that I did not this seven year before; I blush'd to hear his monstrous devices.

Prince. O villain! thou stolest a cup of sack eighteen years ago, and wert taken with the manner,23 and ever since thou hast blush'd extempore. Thou hadst fire 24 and sword on thy side, and yet thou ran'st away: what instinct hadst thou for it?

Bard. My lord, do you see these meteors? do you behold these exhalations?

noble man, give him 3s. 4d. and it would make him a royal man. [ Hearne relates how "Mr. John Blower, in a sermon before her / majesty, first said, 'My royal queen,' and a little after, My noble queen.' Upon which says the queen, -6 What, am I ten groats worse than I was?'"

H.

23 That is, taken in the act. See Love's Labour's Lost, Act i. sc. 1, note 17.

24 The fire in Bardolph's face.