Home
This site uses cookies
log out

Henry IV, Pt. 1: Act I, Scene 2

Sign in with Google to add your annotations.

Henry IV, Pt. 1
Act I, Scene 2

London . An apartment of the Prince’s .

Sir John Falstaff

Sir John Falstaff

Eduard von Grützner, 1921

  1. Enter Prince of Wales and Sir John Falstaff .

Falstaff

1
  1. Now , Hal , what time of day is it , lad ?

Prince Henry

2 - 11
  1. Thou art so fat - witted with drinking of old sack , and
  2. unbuttoning thee after supper , and sleeping upon benches
  3. after noon , that thou hast forgotten to demand that truly
  4. which thou wouldest truly know . What a devil hast thou to do
  5. with the time of the day ? Unless hours were cups of sack ,
  6. and minutes capons , and clocks the tongues of bawds , and
  7. dials the signs of leaping - houses , and the blessed sun
  8. himself a fair hot wench in flame - color’d taffeta ; I see no
  9. reason why thou shouldst be so superfluous to demand the
  10. time of the day .

Falstaff

12 - 16
  1. Indeed you come near me now , Hal , for we that take purses go
  2. by the moon and the seven stars , and not by Phoebus , he ,
  3. “ that wand’ring knight so fair .” And I prithee , sweet wag ,
  4. when thou art a king , as , God save thy Grace — Majesty I
  5. should say , for grace thou wilt have none —

Prince Henry

17
  1. What , none ?

Falstaff

18 - 19
  1. No , by my troth , not so much as will serve to be prologue to
  2. an egg and butter .

Prince Henry

20
  1. Well , how then ? Come , roundly , roundly .

Falstaff

21 - 27
  1. Marry , then , sweet wag , when thou art king , let not us that
  2. are squires of the night’s body be call’d thieves of the
  3. day’s beauty . Let us be Diana’s foresters , gentlemen of the
  4. shade , minions of the moon , and let men say we be men of
  5. good government , being govern’d , as the sea is , by our noble
  6. and chaste mistress the moon , under whose countenance we
  7. steal .

Prince Henry

28 - 35
  1. Thou sayest well , and it holds well too , for the fortune of
  2. us that are the moon’s men doth ebb and flow like the sea ,
  3. being govern’d , as the sea is , by the moon . As , for proof ,
  4. now : a purse of gold most resolutely snatch’d on Monday
  5. night and most dissolutely spent on Tuesday morning ; got
  6. with swearing “ Lay by ,” and spent with crying “ Bring in ”;
  7. now in as low an ebb as the foot of the ladder , and by and
  8. by in as high a flow as the ridge of the gallows .

Falstaff

36 - 37
  1. By the Lord , thou say’st true , lad . And is not my hostess of
  2. the tavern a most sweet wench ?

Prince Henry

38 - 39
  1. As the honey of Hybla , my old lad of the castle . And is not
  2. a buff jerkin a most sweet robe of durance ?

Falstaff

40 - 41
  1. How now , how now , mad wag ? What , in thy quips and thy
  2. quiddities ? What a plague have I to do with a buff jerkin ?

Prince Henry

42
  1. Why , what a pox have I to do with my hostess of the tavern ?

Falstaff

43 - 44
  1. Well , thou hast call’d her to a reckoning many a time and
  2. oft .

Prince Henry

45
  1. Did I ever call for thee to pay thy part ?

Falstaff

46
  1. No , I’ll give thee thy due , thou hast paid all there .

Prince Henry

47 - 48
  1. Yea , and elsewhere , so far as my coin would stretch , and
  2. where it would not , I have us’d my credit .

Falstaff

49 - 54
  1. Yea , and so us’d it that , were it not here apparent that
  2. thou art heir apparent — But I prithee , sweet wag , shall there
  3. be gallows standing in England when thou art king ? And
  4. resolution thus fubb’d as it is with the rusty curb of old
  5. father antic the law ? Do not thou , when thou art king , hang
  6. a thief .

Prince Henry

55
  1. No , thou shalt .

Falstaff

56
  1. Shall I ? O rare ! By the Lord , I’ll be a brave judge .

Prince Henry

57 - 58
  1. Thou judgest false already . I mean thou shalt have the
  2. hanging of the thieves , and so become a rare hangman .

Falstaff

59 - 60
  1. Well , Hal , well , and in some sort it jumps with my humor as
  2. well as waiting in the court , I can tell you .

Prince Henry

61
  1. For obtaining of suits ?

Falstaff

62 - 64
  1. Yea , for obtaining of suits , whereof the hangman hath no
  2. lean wardrobe . ’Sblood , I am as melancholy as a gib cat or a
  3. lugg’d bear .

Prince Henry

65
  1. Or an old lion , or a lover’s lute .
Sir John Falstaff

Sir John Falstaff

John Hassall, circa 1900

Falstaff

66
  1. Yea , or the drone of a Lincolnshire bagpipe .

Prince Henry

67
  1. What sayest thou to a hare , or the melancholy of Moor - ditch ?

Falstaff

68 - 75
  1. Thou hast the most unsavory similes and art indeed the most
  2. comparative , rascalliest , sweet young prince . But , Hal , I
  3. prithee trouble me no more with vanity ; I would to God thou
  4. and I knew where a commodity of good names were to be
  5. bought . An old lord of the Council rated me the other day in
  6. the street about you , sir , but I mark’d him not , and yet he
  7. talk’d very wisely , but I regarded him not , and yet he
  8. talk’d wisely , and in the street too .

Prince Henry

76 - 77
  1. Thou didst well , for wisdom cries out in the streets , and no
  2. man regards it .

Falstaff

78 - 85
  1. O , thou hast damnable iteration , and art indeed able to
  2. corrupt a saint . Thou hast done much harm upon me , Hal , God
  3. forgive thee for it ! Before I knew thee , Hal , I knew
  4. nothing , and now am I , if a man should speak truly , little
  5. better than one of the wicked . I must give over this life ,
  6. and I will give it over . By the Lord , and I do not , I am a
  7. villain , I’ll be damn’d for never a king’s son in
  8. Christendom .

Prince Henry

86
  1. Where shall we take a purse tomorrow , Jack ?

Falstaff

87 - 88
  1. ’Zounds , where thou wilt , lad , I’ll make one , an’ I do not ,
  2. call me villain and baffle me .

Prince Henry

89 - 90
  1. I see a good amendment of life in thee , from praying to
  2. purse - taking .

Falstaff

91 - 96
  1. Why , Hal , ’tis my vocation , Hal , ’tis no sin for a man to
  2. labor in his vocation .
  3. Enter Poins .
  4. Poins ! Now shall we know if Gadshill have set a match . O , if
  5. men were to be sav’d by merit , what hole in hell were hot
  6. enough for him ? This is the most omnipotent villain that
  7. ever cried “ Stand !” to a true man .

Prince Henry

97
  1. Good morrow , Ned .

Poins

98 - 101
  1. Good morrow , sweet Hal . What says Monsieur Remorse ? What
  2. says Sir John Sack and Sugar ? Jack , how agrees the devil and
  3. thee about thy soul that thou soldest him on Good Friday
  4. last , for a cup of Madeira and a cold capon’s leg ?

Prince Henry

102 - 104
  1. Sir John stands to his word , the devil shall have his
  2. bargain , for he was never yet a breaker of proverbs . He will
  3. give the devil his due .

Poins

105
  1. Then art thou damn’d for keeping thy word with the devil .

Prince Henry

106
  1. Else he had been damn’d for cozening the devil .

Poins

107 - 115
  1. But , my lads , my lads , tomorrow morning by four a’ clock
  2. early , at Gadshill , there are pilgrims going to Canterbury
  3. with rich offerings , and traders riding to London with fat
  4. purses . I have vizards for you all ; you have horses for
  5. yourselves . Gadshill lies tonight in Rochester . I have
  6. bespoke supper tomorrow night in Eastcheap . We may do it as
  7. secure as sleep . If you will go , I will stuff your purses
  8. full of crowns ; if you will not , tarry at home and be
  9. hang’d .

Falstaff

116 - 117
  1. Hear ye , Yedward , if I tarry at home and go not , I’ll hang
  2. you for going .

Poins

118
  1. You will , chops ?

Falstaff

119
  1. Hal , wilt thou make one ?

Prince Henry

120
  1. Who , I rob ? I a thief ? Not I , by my faith .

Falstaff

121 - 123
  1. There’s neither honesty , manhood , nor good fellowship in
  2. thee , nor thou cam’st not of the blood royal , if thou darest
  3. not stand for ten shillings .

Prince Henry

124
  1. Well then , once in my days I’ll be a madcap .

Falstaff

125
  1. Why , that’s well said .

Prince Henry

126
  1. Well , come what will , I’ll tarry at home .

Falstaff

127
  1. By the Lord , I’ll be a traitor then , when thou art king .

Prince Henry

128
  1. I care not .

Poins

129 - 131
  1. Sir John , I prithee leave the Prince and me alone , I will
  2. lay him down such reasons for this adventure that he shall
  3. go .

What a devil hast thou to do with the time of the day?

John Masey Wright, Robert Smirke, Thomas Stothard, circa 1800

Falstaff

132 - 137
  1. Well , God give thee the spirit of persuasion and him the
  2. ears of profiting , that what thou speakest may move and what
  3. he hears may be believ’d , that the true prince may ( for
  4. recreation sake ) prove a false thief , for the poor abuses of
  5. the time want countenance . Farewell , you shall find me in
  6. Eastcheap .

Prince Henry

138
  1. Farewell , the latter spring ! Farewell , All - hallown summer !
  1. Exit Falstaff .

Poins

139 - 144
  1. Now , my good sweet honey lord , ride with us tomorrow . I have
  2. a jest to execute that I cannot manage alone . Falstaff ,
  3. Bardolph , Peto , and Gadshill shall rob those men that we
  4. have already waylaid ; yourself and I will not be there ; and
  5. when they have the booty , if you and I do not rob them , cut
  6. this head off from my shoulders .

Prince Henry

145
  1. How shall we part with them in setting forth ?

Poins

146 - 150
  1. Why , we will set forth before or after them and appoint them
  2. a place of meeting , wherein it is at our pleasure to fail ;
  3. and then will they adventure upon the exploit themselves ,
  4. which they shall have no sooner achiev’d but we’ll set upon
  5. them .

Prince Henry

151 - 152
  1. Yea , but ’tis like that they will know us by our horses , by
  2. our habits , and by every other appointment to be ourselves .

Poins

153 - 156
  1. Tut , our horses they shall not see — I’ll tie them in the
  2. wood ; our vizards we will change after we leave them ; and ,
  3. sirrah , I have cases of buckram for the nonce , to immask our
  4. noted outward garments .

Prince Henry

157
  1. Yea , but I doubt they will be too hard for us .

Poins

158 - 165
  1. Well , for two of them , I know them to be as true - bred
  2. cowards as ever turn’d back ; and for the third , if he fight
  3. longer than he sees reason , I’ll forswear arms . The virtue
  4. of this jest will be the incomprehensible lies that this
  5. same fat rogue will tell us when we meet at supper , how
  6. thirty at least he fought with , what wards , what blows , what
  7. extremities he endur’d , and in the reproof of this lives the
  8. jest .

Prince Henry

166 - 168
  1. Well , I’ll go with thee . Provide us all things necessary ,
  2. and meet me tomorrow night in Eastcheap , there I’ll sup .
  3. Farewell .

Poins

169
  1. Farewell , my lord .
  1. Exit Poins .

Prince Henry

170 - 192
  1. I know you all , and will a while uphold
  2. The unyok’d humor of your idleness ,
  3. Yet herein will I imitate the sun ,
  4. Who doth permit the base contagious clouds
  5. To smother up his beauty from the world ,
  6. That when he please again to be himself ,
  7. Being wanted , he may be more wond’red at
  8. By breaking through the foul and ugly mists
  9. Of vapors that did seem to strangle him .
  10. If all the year were playing holidays ,
  11. To sport would be as tedious as to work ;
  12. But when they seldom come , they wish’d for come ,
  13. And nothing pleaseth but rare accidents .
  14. So when this loose behavior I throw off
  15. And pay the debt I never promised ,
  16. By how much better than my word I am ,
  17. By so much shall I falsify men’s hopes ,
  18. And like bright metal on a sullen ground ,
  19. My reformation , glitt’ring o’er my fault ,
  20. Shall show more goodly and attract more eyes
  21. Than that which hath no foil to set it off .
  22. I’ll so offend , to make offense a skill ,
  23. Redeeming time when men think least I will .
  1. Exit .
Sir John Falstaff

Sir John Falstaff

circa 1825

© 2021 Unotate.com • contact • privacy policy • Creative Commons text from PlayShakespeare.com • All illustrations are public domain or Creative Commons