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Henry IV, Part 1 - Act 2, scene 1
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Henry IV, Part 1 - Act 2, scene 1Act 2, scene 1
⌜Scene 1⌝
Synopsis:
Gadshill, the “setter” for Falstaff and his fellow thieves, seeks information at an inn about the travelers whom they plan to rob.
Enter a Carrier with a lantern in his hand.FIRST CARRIER 0645 Heigh-ho! An it be not four by the day,
0646 I’ll be hanged. Charles’s Wain is over the new
0647 chimney, and yet our horse not packed.—What,
0648 ostler!
OSTLER, ⌜within⌝ 0649 5Anon, anon.
FIRST CARRIER 0650 I prithee, Tom, beat Cut’s saddle. Put a
0651 few flocks in the point. Poor jade is wrung in the
0652 withers out of all cess.
Enter another Carrier, ⌜with a lantern.⌝
SECOND CARRIER 0653 Peas and beans are as dank here as a
0654 10 dog, and that is the next way to give poor jades the
0655 bots. This house is turned upside down since Robin
0656 ostler died.
FIRST CARRIER 0657 Poor fellow never joyed since the price
0658 of oats rose. It was the death of him.
SECOND CARRIER 0659 15I think this be the most villainous
0660 house in all London road for fleas. I am stung like a
0661 tench.
FIRST CARRIER 0662 Like a tench? By the Mass, there is
0663 ne’er a king christen could be better bit than I have
0664 20 been since the first cock.
SECOND CARRIER 0665 Why, they will allow us ne’er a jordan,
p.
53
0666
and then we leak in your chimney, and your0667 chamber-lye breeds fleas like a loach.
FIRST CARRIER 0668 What, ostler, come away and be
0669 25 hanged. Come away.
SECOND CARRIER 0670 I have a gammon of bacon and two
0671 races of ginger to be delivered as far as Charing
0672 Cross.
FIRST CARRIER 0673 God’s body, the turkeys in my pannier
0674 30 are quite starved.—What, ostler! A plague on thee!
0675 Hast thou never an eye in thy head? Canst not hear?
0676 An ’twere not as good deed as drink to break the
0677 pate on thee, I am a very villain. Come, and be
0678 hanged. Hast no faith in thee?
Enter Gadshill.
GADSHILL 0679 35Good morrow, carriers. What’s o’clock?
⌜FIRST⌝ CARRIER 0680 I think it be two o’clock.
GADSHILL 0681 I prithee, lend me thy lantern to see my
0682 gelding in the stable.
FIRST CARRIER 0683 Nay, by God, soft. I know a trick worth
0684 40 two of that, i’ faith.
GADSHILL, ⌜to Second Carrier⌝ 0685 I pray thee, lend me
0686 thine.
SECOND CARRIER 0687 Ay, when, canst tell? “Lend me thy
0688 lantern,” quoth he. Marry, I’ll see thee hanged
0689 45 first.
GADSHILL 0690 Sirrah carrier, what time do you mean to
0691 come to London?
SECOND CARRIER 0692 Time enough to go to bed with a
0693 candle, I warrant thee. Come, neighbor Mugs,
0694 50 we’ll call up the gentlemen. They will along with
0695 company, for they have great charge.
⌜Carriers⌝ exit.
GADSHILL 0696 What ho, chamberlain!
Enter Chamberlain.
p.
55
CHAMBERLAIN
0697
At hand, quoth pickpurse.GADSHILL 0698 That’s even as fair as “at hand, quoth the
0699 55 Chamberlain,” for thou variest no more from
0700 picking of purses than giving direction doth from
0701 laboring: thou layest the plot how.
CHAMBERLAIN 0702 Good morrow, Master Gadshill. It holds
0703 current that I told you yesternight: there’s a franklin
0704 60 in the Wild of Kent hath brought three hundred
0705 marks with him in gold. I heard him tell it to one of
0706 his company last night at supper—a kind of auditor,
0707 one that hath abundance of charge too, God knows
0708 what. They are up already and call for eggs and
0709 65 butter. They will away presently.
GADSHILL 0710 Sirrah, if they meet not with Saint Nicholas’
0711 clerks, I’ll give thee this neck.
CHAMBERLAIN 0712 No, I’ll none of it. I pray thee, keep that
0713 for the hangman, for I know thou worshipest Saint
0714 70 Nicholas as truly as a man of falsehood may.
GADSHILL 0715 What talkest thou to me of the hangman? If
0716 I hang, I’ll make a fat pair of gallows, for if I hang,
0717 old Sir John hangs with me, and thou knowest he is
0718 no starveling. Tut, there are other Troyans that
0719 75 thou dream’st not of, the which for sport sake are
0720 content to do the profession some grace, that
0721 would, if matters should be looked into, for their
0722 own credit sake make all whole. I am joined with no
0723 foot-land-rakers, no long-staff sixpenny strikers,
0724 80 none of these mad mustachio purple-hued malt-worms,
0725 but with nobility and tranquillity, burgomasters
0726 and great oneyers, such as can hold in, such
0727 as will strike sooner than speak, and speak sooner
0728 than drink, and drink sooner than pray, and yet,
0729 85 zounds, I lie, for they pray continually to their saint
0730 the commonwealth, or rather not pray to her but
0731 prey on her, for they ride up and down on her and
0732 make her their boots.
p.
57
CHAMBERLAIN
0733
What, the commonwealth their boots?0734 90 Will she hold out water in foul way?
GADSHILL 0735 She will, she will. Justice hath liquored her.
0736 We steal as in a castle, cocksure. We have the
0737 receipt of fern seed; we walk invisible.
CHAMBERLAIN 0738 Nay, by my faith, I think you are more
0739 95 beholding to the night than to fern seed for your
0740 walking invisible.
GADSHILL 0741 Give me thy hand. Thou shalt have a share in
0742 our purchase, as I am a true man.
CHAMBERLAIN 0743 Nay, rather let me have it as you are a
0744 100 false thief.
GADSHILL 0745 Go to. Homo is a common name to all men.
0746 Bid the ostler bring my gelding out of the stable.
0747 Farewell, you muddy knave.
⌜They exit.⌝