r old Jack Falstaff, banish not him thy Harry's com- Prince. I do, I will. [A knocking heard. 480 [Exeunt Hostess, Francis, and Bardolph. Re-enter BARDOLPH, running. Bard. O, my lord, my lord! the sheriff with a most monstrous watch is at the door. Fal. Out, ye rogue! Play out the play: I have much to say in the behalf of that Falstaff. Re-enter the Hostess. Host. O Jesu, my lord, my lord!— Prince. Heigh, heigh! the devil rides upon a fiddlestick: what's the matter? 485 Host. The sheriff and all the watch are at the door: they are come to search the house. Shall I let them in? Fal. Dost thou hear, Hal? never call a true piece of gold 490 a counterfeit thou art essentially made, without seeming so. 480. A knocking . . Bardolph.] Falstaff, line 476); omitted Qq, Ff. Qq, Ff. 481. most] most most F. enter .] Theobald; Enter 486. Prince.] Qq 1-3; Falst. the rest; Poyn. Dering MS. 491. made] Qq, Ff 1, 2; mad Ff 3, 4, and many editors. Capell substantially (after valiant Jack 481. Re-enter...] Capell; Enter. 483. ye] Q I; you the rest. Qq, Ff. 481, 482. sheriff door] See Tarlton's Jests (ed. Hall, p. 26) for an account of a sheriff's visit to a tavern. 486. Heigh... fiddlestick] A proverbial expression signifying that there is some great commotion afoot, and that the cause must be something extraordinary, e.g. the devil riding upon a fiddlestick. Cf. Beaumont and Fletcher, The Humorous Lieutenant, IV. iii: "For this is such a jig, for certain, Gentleman, The Fiend rides on a Fiddle-stick," and, by the same authors, Wit at Several Weapons, 1. i: "Niece. He? hang him! Sir, I know you do but mock. This is the man, you would say. Oldcraft. The devil rides, I think!" Also Heywood, The Witches of Lancashire, III. i. 490-492. never call... seeming so] A difficult passage which has never been satisfactorily explained. Falstaff may 485. Re485. Jesu] omitted Ff. mean: "Do not deliver me to the sheriff as a thief; I am a true man (a true piece of gold) though I may appear a false thief (a counterfeit); thou too art made of the same essence or nature (of true metal) without seeming so." The Prince, however, may be the true piece of gold: "You will prove to be true in your friendship (a true piece of gold), you will not play me false, for you are by nature true gold though you seem a counterfeit." Cf. Massinger, The Parliament of Love, 111. ii: "I proved true gold, And current in my friendship." Malone, reading mad (Ff 3, 4), explains: "We must now look to ourselves; never call that which is real danger, fictitious or imaginary. If you do, you are a madman." Wright supposes that Falstaff charges the Prince with being mad for taking him, a piece of true gold, for a counterfeit or false coin. Prince. And thou a natural coward, without instinct. L if not, let him enter: if I become not a cart as well as 495 another man, a plague on my bringing up! I hope I shall as soon be strangled with a halter as another. Prince. Go, hide thee behind the arras: the rest walk up above. Now, my masters, for a true face and good conscience. Fal. Both which I have had: but their date is out, and therefore I'll hide me. Prince. Call in the sheriff. 500 [Exeunt all except the Prince and Peto. Enter Sheriff and the Carrier. Now, master sheriff, what is your will with me? Sher. First, pardon me, my lord. A hue and cry Hath follow'd certain men unto this house. Prince. What men? Sher. One of them is well known, my gracious lord, Car As fat as butter. 505 503. Exeunt Peto] Malone; Exit. Ff (after line 502); omitted Qq. 505-509. First, butter.] as in Pope; prose Qq, Ff. The word "natural" in the Prince's reply seems to require "naturally" as the meaning of "essentially". "Essentially" is opposed to "fainedly" in Overbury, Characters, An excellent Actor: "All men haue beene of his occupation: and indeed, what hee doth fainedly, that do others essentially." 494. I deny your major] I deny your major premise, with a quibble on major, a mayor (to whom the sheriff is next in rank). Sherwood: "The maior proposition of a Syllogisme" and "a Maior, or mayor of a citie or towne"; and Minshew: "a Major, or Mayor.' "I deny your major "and "I deny your minor" were recognised formulæ in scholastic disputation. Milton, Colasterion (Bohn, ii. 440); "First, I deny your major," and King James, A Counterblaste to Tobacco, 1604 (Arber, p. 103): "And next, I deny the Minor of this argument." amusing parodies of syllogistic reasoning see Dekker, If this be not a good Play (Pearson, iii. 283); and Randolph's Hey for Honesty, 11. v. For 495. if I become not a cart] if I am not a credit to the cart which will carry us to execution at Tyburn. See Sir Thomas More (ed. Dyce, p. 33): "Messenger. Is execution yet performde? Sheriff. Not yet; the cartes stand readie at the stayres [of Newgate], And they shall presently away to Tibourne "; and Brome, The Queens Exchange, IV. i: as one bound in a Cart, Driving to execution." 498. behind the arras] To protect the arras from damp, it was fixed on a frame of wood standing at some distance from the wall (Malone); there was therefore ample space behind the hangings to afford concealment even to a man of Falstaff's figure. See Beaumont and Fletcher, The Woman-Hater, III. iv: "Farewell, my fellow-courtiers all, with whom I have of yore made many a scrambling meal In corners, behind arrases, or stairs"; and Elvira (Hazlitt's Dodsley, xv. 30): "let them Retire behind that hanging; there's a place Where usually we throw neglected things." 501. their... out] Like a lease of which the time had expired, and which was no longer valid (Wright). 509. As fat as butter] So Lyly; Prince. The man, I do assure you, is not here; For I myself at this time have employ'd him. Have in this robbery lost three hundred marks. Sher. Good night, my noble lord. 510 515 520 [Exeunt Sheriff and Carrier. Prince. This oily rascal is known as well as Paul's. Go, call him forth. 525 Peto. Falstaff!-Fast asleep beside the arras, and snorting like a horse. Prince. Hark, how hard he fetches breath. Search his pockets. [He searcheth his pockets, and findeth certain papers.] What hast thou found? 530 Peto. Nothing but papers, my lord. Prince. Let's see what they be read them. 523. it be] it is Qq 7, 8. 524. Paul's] Pauls F 4; Poules 532.] see what they be :] see what 533. Peto] 518. three hundred] Ff; 300. Qq (3000. Q 8). 523. Exeunt. . .] Hanmer; Exit. Qq, Ff. the rest. 529. pockets] pocket Qq 1-3. they be, Q 1; see what be they: Qq 4-6; see, what be they? Ff. omitted Qq. [reads] Capell. Alexander and Campaspe, 1. ii: "fatte as butter"; and Burton, Anatomy of Melancholy, Part II. Sec. 2, Mem. 5: Alpine Mice. . as fat as butter.' 518. marks] See note on II. i. 55 ante. 526. Peto] Johnson would substitute Poins for Peto here (and throughout the rest of the scene), on the ground that Peto had done nothing "that his place should be honourable,' or that he should be trusted with the plot against Falstaff." Poins, he adds, unlike Peto, "had no need to conceal himself from the travellers. Why had not Peto gone upstairs with the rest?” 535. Sack . . .] Malone shows from a passage in Florio's First Fruites, that sack was sold at sixpence a quart in 1578; the price had apparently risen to 8d. when this play was written. Prince. O monstrous! but one half-pennyworth of bread to this intolerable deal of sack! What there is else, 540 keep close; we'll read it at more advantage: there let him sleep till day. I'll to the court in the morning. We must all to the wars, and thy place shall be honourable. I'll procure this fat rogue a charge of foot; and I know his death will be a march of 545 twelve-score. The money shall be paid back again with advantage. Be with me betimes in the morning; and so, good morrow, Peto. Peto. Good morrow, good my lord. 536. Anchovies] Capell; anchaues Qq 1-4; Anchoues the rest. omitted Qq. 545. march] match Qq 4-7, Ff 1, 2. of Devonshire's copy). 536. Anchovies . . .] Anchovies were eaten to provoke thirst. Burton, Anatomy of Melancholy (1. 2, 2, 5,), and Wilkins, Miseries of Enforced Marriage (Hazlitt's Dodsley, ix. 523): "He feeds now upon sack and anchovies." "Twelvepence anchoves" is an item in a tavern reckoning for four seacaptains in Heywood's Fair Maid of the West, II. i. 538. ob.] an obolus, a half-penny. Catholicon Anglicum: "an Halpeny; As, obulus." From an entry in the Particular Book of Trinity College, it appears that in 1609 each Fellow of the College was allowed "in bread every meale an ob." (Mahaffy, An Epoch in Irish History, P. 153). 540. intolerable] immense, mighty. Marlowe, Dr. Faustus, viii: "the most intolerable book for conjuring"; and Jonson, Every Man in his Humour, II. ii: "an intolerable sort of lies." 541. close] secret. Jonson, The New Inn, 11. ii: "no discovery Of what you see... But keep all close." 541. at more advantage] at a more [Exeunt. 539. Prince.] 547. me] the Q 1 (Duke convenient season. The expression occurs, not quite in the same sense, in Nashe, The Unfortunate Traveller (McKerrow, ii. 321): "I thought it convenient . . to stay till I had got him at more advantage." Cf. Hamlet, II. ii. 81: "at our more consider'd time we'll read." ... 544, 545. a charge of foot] a command of a company of foot, as in III. iii. 187 post. 545, 546. his death. . . twelve-score] a march of twelve-score yards will be the death of him. Twelve-score, twelvescore paces or yards, the length of a range in archery. Dekker and Webster, West-ward Hoe, II. i (Pearson, ii. 303): "Ile get me 12. score off, and give Ayme"; and The Puritan, 1. iv: "I would ne'er be seen within twelve score of a prison." 547. with advantage] with interest. So in Heywood, If you know not me, Part II. (Pearson, i. 329): "If I doe speed. you shall have your own, with the advantage"; and Merchant of Venice, 1. iii. 71. ACT III SCENE I.-Bangor. The Archdeacon's House. Enter HOTSPUR, WORCESTER, MORTIMER, and GLENDOWER. Hot. Lord Mortimer, and cousin Glendower, And uncle Worcester: a plague upon it! Glend. No, here it is. Sit, cousin Percy; sit, good cousin Hotspur, For by that name as oft as Lancaster Doth speak of you, his cheek looks pale, and with Hot. And you in hell, as oft as he hears Owen Glen dower spoke of. Glend. I cannot blame him: at my nativity The front of heaven was full of fiery shapes, 5 ΙΟ Mortimer .] Lord Mortimer, hope] cut away by the mounter 3-6. Lord... map.] arranged 6-10. No. heaven.] ending is: Hotspurre: you, 9. cheek looks] Cheekes ... Bangor ... House.] Capell (substantially). Owen Glendower. Qq, Ff. 2. And... in Duke of Devonshire's copy of Q 1. as in Ff; two lines ending down ? map. Qq. Pope's arrangement; as prose in Qq; five lines sigh, Heauen. Ff. 8. oft] often Qq 6-8. looke Ff. II, 12. And of prose Qq, Ff; two lines ending hears of. Pope. II. oft] often Pope. 2. induction] beginning, preliminaries, as in Richard III. 1. i. 32; and Tourneur, The Atheist's Tragedy, 11. iv: "nothing from the induction [of a plot] to the accomplishment seemed sure." An induction was a prologue or introductory matter preceding the opening of a play, hence, in metaphor, preliminary steps, preliminaries. Cf. The Puritan, 11. i:"Wid. Is this all your business with me? Pye. No, lady, 'tis but the induction to it," and Massinger, A Very Woman, v. iv. 5. Worcester] A trisyllable, as in I. |