Great Britain -- History -- Henry IV, 1399-1413 -- Drama; Henry IV, King of England, 1367-1413 -- Drama; Historical drama
FALSTAFF. Come, sir, which men shall I have?
SHALLOW. Four of which you please.
BARDOLPH. Sir, a word with you. I have three pound to free
Mouldy
and Bullcalf.
FALSTAFF. Go to; well.
SHALLOW. Come, Sir John, which four will you have?
FALSTAFF. Do you choose for me.
SHALLOW. Marry, then--Mouldy, Bullcalf, Feeble, and Shadow.
FALSTAFF. Mouldy and Bullcalf: for you, Mouldy, stay at home
till
you are past service; and for your part, Bullcalf, grow you
come
unto it. I will none of you.
SHALLOW. Sir John, Sir John, do not yourself wrong. They are
your
likeliest men, and I would have you serv'd with the best.
FALSTAFF. Will you tell me, Master Shallow, how to choose a
man?
Care I for the limb, the thews, the stature, bulk, and big
assemblance of a man! Give me the spirit, Master Shallow.
Here's
Wart; you see what a ragged appearance it is. 'A shall charge
you
and discharge you with the motion of a pewterer's hammer,
come
off and on swifter than he that gibbets on the brewer's
bucket.
And this same half-fac'd fellow, Shadow--give me this man. He
presents no mark to the enemy; the foeman may with as great
aim
level at the edge of a penknife. And, for a retreat--how
swiftly
will this Feeble, the woman's tailor, run off! O, give me the
spare men, and spare me the great ones. Put me a caliver into
Wart's hand, Bardolph.
BARDOLPH. Hold, Wart. Traverse--thus, thus, thus.
FALSTAFF. Come, manage me your caliver. So--very well. Go to;
very
good; exceeding good. O, give me always a little, lean, old,
chopt, bald shot. Well said, i' faith, Wart; th'art a good
scab.
Hold, there's a tester for thee.
SHALLOW. He is not his craft's master, he doth not do it right.
I
remember at Mile-end Green, when I lay at Clement's Inn--I
was
then Sir Dagonet in Arthur's show--there was a little quiver
fellow, and 'a would manage you his piece thus; and 'a would
about and about, and come you in and come you in. 'Rah, tah,
tah!' would 'a say; 'Bounce!' would 'a say; and away again
would
'a go, and again would 'a come. I shall ne'er see such a
fellow.
FALSTAFF. These fellows will do well. Master Shallow, God keep
you!
Master Silence, I will not use many words with you: Fare you
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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