Online Book Reader

Home Category

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare - Israel Gollancz William Shakespeare [518]

By Root 20878 0
our high court of parliament;

And let us choose such limbs of noble counsel,

That the great body of our state may go

In equal rank with the best govern'd nation;

That war, or peace, or both at once, may be

As things acquainted and familiar to us;

In which you, father, shall have foremost hand.

Our coronation done, we will accite,

As I before rememb'red, all our state;

And- God consigning to my good intents-

No prince nor peer shall have just cause to say,

God shorten Harry's happy life one day. Exeunt

SCENE III. Gloucestershire. SHALLOW'S orchard

Enter FALSTAFF, SHALLOW, SILENCE, BARDOLPH, the PAGE, and DAVY

SHALLOW.

Nay, you shall see my orchard, where, in an arbour, we

will eat a last year's pippin of mine own graffing, with a dish

of caraways, and so forth. Come, cousin Silence. And then to bed.

FALSTAFF.

Fore God, you have here a goodly dwelling and rich.

SHALLOW.

Barren, barren, barren; beggars all, beggars all, Sir John

-marry, good air. Spread, Davy, spread, Davy; well said,

Davy.

FALSTAFF.

This Davy serves you for good uses; he is your

serving-man and your husband.

SHALLOW.

A good varlet, a good varlet, a very good varlet, Sir

John. By the mass, I have drunk too much sack at supper. A good

varlet. Now sit down, now sit down; come, cousin.

SILENCE.

Ah, sirrah! quoth-a- we shall [Singing]

Do nothing but eat and make good cheer,

And praise God for the merry year;

When flesh is cheap and females dear,

And lusty lads roam here and there,

So merrily,

And ever among so merrily.

FALSTAFF.

There's a merry heart! Good Master Silence, I'll give you

a health for that anon.

SHALLOW.

Give Master Bardolph some wine, Davy.

DAVY.

Sweet sir, sit; I'll be with you anon; most sweet sir, sit.

Master Page, good Master Page, sit. Proface! What you want in

meat, we'll have in drink. But you must bear; the heart's all.

Exit

SHALLOW. Be merry, Master Bardolph; and, my little soldier there,

be merry.

SILENCE.

[Singing]

Be merry, be merry, my wife has all;

For women are shrews, both short and tall;

'Tis merry in hall when beards wag an;

And welcome merry Shrove-tide.

Be merry, be merry.

FALSTAFF.

I did not think Master Silence had been a man of this mettle.

SILENCE.

Who, I? I have been merry twice and once ere now.

Re-enter DAVY

DAVY.

[To BARDOLPH] There's a dish of leather-coats for you.

SHALLOW.

Davy!

DAVY.

Your worship! I'll be with you straight. [To BARDOLPH]

A cup of wine, sir?

SILENCE.

[Singing]

A cup of wine that's brisk and fine,

And drink unto the leman mine;

And a merry heart lives long-a.

FALSTAFF.

Well said, Master Silence.

SILENCE.

An we shall be merry, now comes in the sweet o' th' night.

FALSTAFF.

Health and long life to you, Master Silence!

SILENCE.

[Singing]

Fill the cup, and let it come,

I'll pledge you a mile to th' bottom.

SHALLOW.

Honest Bardolph, welcome; if thou want'st anything and

wilt not call, beshrew thy heart. Welcome, my little tiny thief

and welcome indeed too. I'll drink to Master Bardolph, and to all

the cabileros about London.

DAVY.

I hope to see London once ere I die.

BARDOLPH.

An I might see you there, Davy!

SHALLOW.

By the mass, you'R crack a quart together- ha! will you

not, Master Bardolph?

BARDOLPH.

Yea, sir, in a pottle-pot.

SHALLOW.

By God's liggens, I thank thee. The knave will stick by

thee, I can assure thee that. 'A will not out, 'a; 'tis true bred.

BARDOLPH.

And I'll stick by him, sir.

SHALLOW.

Why, there spoke a king. Lack nothing; be merry.

[One knocks at door] Look who's at door there, ho! Who knocks?

Exit DAVY

FALSTAFF.

[To SILENCE, who has drunk a bumper] Why, now you have done me right.

SILENCE.

[Singing]

Do me right,

And dub me knight.

Samingo.

Is't not so?

FALSTAFF.

'Tis so.

SILENCE.

Is't so? Why then, say an old man can do somewhat.

Re-enter DAVY

DAVY.

An't please your worship, there's one Pistol come from the court with news.

FALSTAFF.

From the court? Let him come in.

Enter PISTOL

How

Return Main Page Previous Page Next Page

®Online Book Reader