Offend you and obey you as I did.

So shall I live to speak my father’s words:

‘Happy am I that have a man so bold

That dares do justice on my proper son,

And not less happy having such a son

That would deliver up his greatness so

Into the hands of justice.’ You did commit me,

For which I do commit into your hand

Th‘unstainèd sword that you have used to bear,

With this remembrance: that you use the same

With the like bold, just, and impartial spirit

As you have done ’gainst me. There is my hand.

You shall be as a father to my youth;

My voice shall sound as you do prompt mine ear,

And I will stoop and humble my intents

To your well-practised wise directions.—

And princes all, believe me, I beseech you,

My father is gone wild into his grave,

For in his tomb lie my affections;

And with his spirits sadly I survive

To mock the expectation of the world,

To frustrate prophecies, and to raze out

Rotten opinion, who hath writ me down

After my seeming. The tide of blood in me

Hath proudly flowed in vanity till now.

Now doth it turn, and ebb back to the sea,

Where it shall mingle with the state of floods,

And flow henceforth in formal majesty.

Now call we 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-governed nation;

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

As things acquainted and familiar to us;

(To Lord Chief Justice)

In which you, father, shall have foremost hand.

(To all) Our coronation done, we will accite,

As I before remembered, 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

5.3 ⌈A table and chairs set forth.⌉ Enter Sir John Falstaff, Shallow, Silence, Davy ⌈With vessels for the table⌉, Bardolph, and the Page

SHALLOW (to Sir John) Nay, you shall see my orchard, where, in an arbour, we will eat a last year’s pippin of mine own grafting, with a dish of caraways, and so forth—come, cousin Silence—and then to bed.

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

SHALLOW Barren, barren, barren; beggars all, beggars all,

Sir John. Marry, good air.—Spread, Davy; spread, Davy.

⌈Davy begins to spread the table⌉

Well said, Davy.

SIR JOHN 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. (To Silence) Come, cousin.

SILENCE Ah, sirrah, quoth-a, we shall

(sings)

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.

SIR JOHN There’s a merry heart, good Master Silence! I’ll give you a health for that anon.

SHALLOW Good Master Bardotph!—Some wine, Davy.

DAVY ⌈to Sir john⌉ Sweet sir, sit. ⌈To Bardolph⌉ I’ll be with you anon. ⌈To Sir John⌉ Most sweet sir, sit. Master page, good master page, sit.

⌈All but Davy sit. Davy pours wine⌉

Proface! What you want in meat, we’ll have in drink; but you must bear; the heart’s all.

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

SILENCE (sings)

Be merry, be merry, my wife has all,

For women are shrews, both short and tall,

’Tis merry in hall when beards wags all,

And welcome merry shrovetide.

Be merry, be merry.

JOHN 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.

Enter Davy ⌈With a dish of apples⌉

DAVY There’s a dish of leather-coats for you.

SHALLOW Davy!

DAVY Your worship! I’ll be with you straight. ⌈To Sir John⌉ A cup of wine, sir?

SILENCE ⌈sings⌉

A cup of wine

That’s brisk and fine,

And drink unto thee, leman mine,

And a merry heart lives long-a.

SIR JOHN Well said, Master Silence.

SILENCE And we shall be merry; now comes in the sweet o’th’ night.

SIR JOHN Health and long life to you, Master Silence! He drinks

SILENCE 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! (To the Page) Welcome, my little tiny thief, and welcome indeed, too!-I’ll drink to Master Bardolph, and to all the cavalieros about London.

He drinks

DAVY I hope to see London once ere I die.

BARDOLPH An I might see you there, Davy!

SHALLOW By the mass, you’ll 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; ’tis true-bred.

BARDOLPH And I’ll stick by him, sir.

SHALLOW Why, there spoke a king! Lack nothing, be merry!

One knocks at the door within

Look who’s at door there, ho! Who knocks?

⌈Exit Davy⌉

⌈Silence drinks⌉

SIR JOHN ⌈to Silence⌉ Why, now you have done me right!

SILENCE ⌈sings⌉ Do me right,

And dub me knight—

Samingo.

Is’t not so?

SIR JOHN ’Tis so.

SILENCE Is’t so?—Why then, say an old man can do somewhat.

⌈Enter Davy⌉

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

SIR JOHN From the court? Let him come in.

Enter Pistol

How now, Pistol?

PISTOL Sir John, God save you.