O, I could divide myself and go to buffets, for moving such a dish of skim-milk with so honorable an action! Hang him! let him tell the King: we are prepar'd. I will set forward to-night.

 

Enter his Lady.

 

How now, Kate? I must leave you within these two hours.

LADY.

O my good lord, why are you thus alone?

For what offense have I this fortnight been

A banish'd woman from my Harry's bed?

Tell me, sweet lord, what is't that takes from thee

Thy stomach, pleasure, and thy golden sleep?

Why dost thou bend thine eyes upon the earth,

And start so often when thou sit'st alone?

Why hast thou lost the fresh blood in thy cheeks,

And given my treasures and my rights of thee

To thick-ey'd musing and curst melancholy?

In thy faint slumbers I by thee have watch'd,

And heard thee murmur tales of iron wars,

Speak terms of manage to thy bounding steed,

Cry »Courage! to the field!« And thou hast talk'd

Of sallies and retires, of trenches, tents,

Of palisadoes, frontiers, parapets,

Of basilisks, of cannon, culverin,

Of prisoners' ransom, and of soldiers slain,

And all the currents of a heady fight;

Thy spirit within thee hath been so at war,

And thus hath so bestirr'd thee in thy sleep,

That beads of sweat have stood upon thy brow,

Like bubbles in a late-disturbed stream,

And in thy face strange motions have appear'd,

Such as we see when men restrain their breath

On some great sudden hest. O, what portents are these?

Some heavy business hath my lord in hand,

And I must know it, else he loves me not.

HOT.

What ho!

 

[Enter Servant.]

 

Is Gilliams with the packet gone?

SERV.

He is, my lord, an hour ago.

HOT.

Hath Butler brought those horses from the sheriff?

SERV.

One horse, my lord, he brought even now.

HOT.

What horse? Roan? a crop-ear, is it not?

SERV.

It is, my lord.

HOT.

That roan shall be my throne.

Well, I will back him straight. O Esperance!

Bid Butler lead him forth into the park.

 

[Exit Servant.]

 

LADY.

But hear you, my lord.

HOT.

What say'st thou, my lady?

LADY.

What is it carries you away?

HOT.

Why, my horse, my love, my horse.

LADY.

Out, you mad-headed ape!

A weasel hath not such a deal of spleen

As you are toss'd with. In faith,

I'll know your business, Harry, that I will.

I fear my brother Mortimer doth stir

About his title, and hath sent for you

To line his enterprise, but if you go –

HOT.

So far afoot, I shall be weary, love.

LADY.

Come, come, you paraquito, answer me

Directly unto this question that I ask.

In faith, I'll break thy little finger, Harry,

And if thou wilt not tell me all things true.

HOT.

Away,

Away, you trifler! Love, I love thee not,

I care not for thee, Kate. This is no world

To play with mammets and to tilt with lips.

We must have bloody noses and crack'd crowns,

And pass them current too. God's me, my horse!

What say'st thou, Kate? What wouldst thou have with me?

LADY.

Do you not love me? do you not indeed?

Well, do not then, for since you love me not,

I will not love myself. Do you not love me?

Nay, tell me if you speak in jest or no.

HOT.

Come, wilt thou see me ride?

And when I am a' horseback, I will swear

I love thee infinitely. But hark you, Kate,

I must not have you henceforth question me

Whither I go, nor reason whereabout.

Whither I must, I must, and to conclude,

This evening must I leave you, gentle Kate.

I know you wise, but yet no farther wise

Than Harry Percy's wife; constant you are,

But yet a woman, and for secrecy,

No lady closer, for I well believe

Thou wilt not utter what thou dost not know,

And so far will I trust thee, gentle Kate.

LADY.

How! so far?

HOT.

Not an inch further. But hark you, Kate,

Whither I go, thither shall you go too;

To-day will I set forth, to-morrow you.

Will this content you, Kate?

LADY.

It must of force.

 

Exeunt.

 

 

[Scene IV]

Enter Prince and Poins.

 

PRINCE. Ned, prithee come out of that fat room, and lend me thy hand to laugh a little.

POINS. Where hast been, Hal?

PRINCE. With three or four loggerheads amongst three or four score hogsheads. I have sounded the very base-string of humility. Sirrah, I am sworn brother to a leash of drawers, and can call them all by their christen names, as Tom, Dick, and Francis. They take it already upon their salvation, that though I be but Prince of Wales, yet I am the king of courtesy, and tell me flatly I am no proud Jack like Falstaff, but a Corinthian, a lad of mettle, a good boy (by the Lord, so they call me!), and when I am King of England I shall command all the good lads in Eastcheap. They call drinking deep, dyeing scarlet, and when you breathe in your watering, they cry »hem!« and bid you play it off. To conclude, I am so good a proficient in one quarter of an hour, that I can drink with any tinker in his own language during my life. I tell thee, Ned, thou hast lost much honor that thou wert not with me in this action. But, sweet Ned – to sweeten which name of Ned, I give thee this pennyworth of sugar, clapp'd even now into my hand by an under- skinker, one that never spake other English in his life than »Eight shillings and sixpence,« and »You are welcome,« with this shrill addition, »Anon, anon, sir! Score a pint of bastard in the Half- moon,« or so. But, Ned, to drive away the time till Falstaff come, I prithee do thou stand in some by- room, while I question my puny drawer to what end he gave me the sugar, and do thou never leave calling ›Francis,‹ that his tale to me may be nothing but ›Anon.‹ Step aside, and I'll show thee a [president].

 

[Exit Poins.]

 

POINS [Within.] Francis!

PRINCE. Thou art perfect.

[POINS] [Within.] Francis!

 

Enter Drawer [Francis].

 

FRAN. Anon, anon, sir. Look down into the Pomgarnet, Ralph.

PRINCE. Come hither, Francis.

FRAN. My lord?

PRINCE. How long hast thou to serve, Francis?

FRAN. Forsooth, five years, and as much as to –

POINS [Within.] Francis!

FRAN. Anon, anon, sir.

PRINCE.