Great Britain -- History -- Henry IV, 1399-1413 -- Drama; Henry IV, King of England, 1367-1413 -- Drama; Historical drama
PRINCE.
Where is it, Jack, where is it?
FALSTAFF.
Where is it? Taken from us it is: a hundred upon poor four of us.
PRINCE.
What, a hundred, man?
FALSTAFF.
I am a rogue if I were not at half-sword with a dozen of them two hours
together. I have ’scaped by miracle. I am eight times thrust through
the doublet, four through the hose, my buckler cut through and through,
my sword hacked like a handsaw. _Ecce signum!_ I never dealt better
since I was a man: all would not do. A plague of all cowards! Let them
speak. If they speak more or less than truth, they are villains, and
the sons of darkness.
PRINCE.
Speak, sirs, how was it?
GADSHILL.
We four set upon some dozen.
FALSTAFF.
Sixteen at least, my lord.
GADSHILL.
And bound them.
PETO.
No, no, they were not bound.
FALSTAFF.
You rogue, they were bound, every man of them, or I am a Jew else, an
Ebrew Jew.
GADSHILL.
As we were sharing, some six or seven fresh men set upon us.
FALSTAFF.
And unbound the rest, and then come in the other.
PRINCE.
What, fought you with them all?
FALSTAFF.
All? I know not what you call all, but if I fought not with fifty of
them I am a bunch of radish. If there were not two or three and fifty
upon poor old Jack, then am I no two-legged creature.
PRINCE.
Pray God you have not murdered some of them.
FALSTAFF.
Nay, that’s past praying for. I have peppered two of them. Two I am
sure I have paid, two rogues in buckram suits. I tell thee what, Hal,
if I tell thee a lie, spit in my face, call me horse. Thou knowest my
old ward. Here I lay, and thus I bore my point. Four rogues in buckram
let drive at me.
PRINCE.
What, four? Thou saidst but two even now.
FALSTAFF.
Four, Hal, I told thee four.
POINS.
Ay, ay, he said four.
FALSTAFF.
These four came all afront, and mainly 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.
FALSTAFF.
In buckram?
POINS.
Ay, four, in buckram suits.
FALSTAFF.
Seven, by these hilts, or I am a villain else.
PRINCE.
[_aside to Poins._] Prithee let him alone, we shall have more anon.
FALSTAFF.
Dost thou hear me, Hal?
PRINCE.
Ay, and mark thee too, Jack.
FALSTAFF.
Do so, for it is worth the listening to. These nine in buckram that I
told thee of—
PRINCE.
So, two more already.
FALSTAFF.
Their points being broken—
POINS.
Down fell their hose.
FALSTAFF.
Began to give me ground; but I followed me close, came in foot and
hand, and with a thought seven of the eleven I paid.
PRINCE.
O monstrous! Eleven buckram men grown out of two!
FALSTAFF.
But as the devil would have it, three misbegotten knaves in Kendal
green came at my back and let drive at me, for it was so dark, Hal,
that thou couldst not see thy hand.
PRINCE.
These lies are like the father that begets them, gross as a mountain,
open, palpable. Why, thou clay-brained guts, thou knotty-pated fool,
thou whoreson, obscene greasy tallow-catch—
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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