5 10 15 "I made a garland for her head, And bracelets too, and fragrant zone; She looked at me as she did love, And made sweet moan. "She took me to her elfin grot, And there she wept, and sighed full sore, With kisses four. "And there she lullèd me asleep, And there I dreamed — Ah! woe betide! On the cold hill's side. "I saw pale kings and princes too, Pale warriors, -death-pale were they all; "I saw there starved lips in the gloam, On the cold hill's side. "And this is why I sojourn here, Alone and palely loitering, Though the sedge is withered from the lake, Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested. ins. Welcome, Jack, where hast thou been? staff. A plague of all cowards, I say, and a vence too! marry, and amen! - Give me a cup of sack, - Ere I lead this life long, I'll sew nether stocks and them and foot them too. A plague of all cowards! 5 ve me a cup of sack, rogue. Is there no virtue t? Prince. Why, you round man, what's the matter? Falstaff. Are you not a coward? answer me to that, - and Poins there? Poins. Zounds, ye fat paunch, and ye call me coward, 5 I'll stab thee. Falstaff. I call thee coward! I'll see thee hanged ere I call thee coward; but I would give a thousand pound I could run as fast as thou canst. You are straight enough in the shoulders, you care not who sees your back; 10 call you that backing of your friends? A plague upon such backing! give me them that will face me. Give me a cup of sack; I am a rogue, if I drunk to-day. 15 20 Prince. O villain thy lips are scarce wiped since thou drunk'st last. Falstaff. All's one for that. [He drinks.] A plague of all cowards, still say I. Prince. What's the matter? Falstaff. What's the matter! there be four of us here have ta'en a thousand pound this day morning. 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 25 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! I never dealt better since I was a man; all would not do. A plague of all 30 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? Falstaff. Sixteen at least, my lord. Peto. No, no, they were not bound. Gadshill. As we were sharing, some six or seven fresh men set upon us Falstaff. And unbound the rest, and then came in the other. Prince. What, fought ye with them all? Falstaff. All! I know not what ye 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. 5 10 Prince. Pray God you have not murdered some of 15 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, call me horse-thou knowest my old ward; 20 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. Aye, aye, he said four. Falstaff. These four came all afront and mainly thrust at me. I made no more ado but took all their seven points in my target, thus. Prince. Seven? why, there were but four even now. Poins. Aye, four, in buckram suits. 25 30 30 |