Act 5, Scene 3: Gloucestershire. SHALLOW'S orchard

SCENE III. Gloucestershire. SHALLOW'S orchard.

    Enter FALSTAFF, SHALLOW, SILENCE, DAVY, BARDOLPH, and the Page

SHALLOW

    Nay, you shall see my orchard, where, in an arbour,
    we will eat a last year's pippin of my own graffing,
    with a dish of caraways, and so forth: come,
    cousin Silence: and then to bed.

FALSTAFF

    '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; well said, Davy.

FALSTAFF

    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: come, cousin.

SILENCE

    Ah, sirrah! quoth-a, we shall
    Do nothing but eat, and make good cheer,

    Singing
    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.

FALSTAFF

    There's a merry heart! Good Master Silence, I'll
    give you a health for that anon.

SHALLOW

    Give Master Bardolph some wine, Davy.

DAVY

    Sweet sir, sit; I'll be with you anon. most sweet
    sir, sit. Master page, good master page, sit.
    Proface! What you want in meat, we'll have in drink:
    but you must bear; the heart's all.

    Exit

SHALLOW

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

SILENCE

    Be merry, be merry, my wife has all;

    Singing
    For women are shrews, both short and tall:
    'Tis merry in hall when beards wag all,
    And welcome merry Shrove-tide.
    Be merry, be merry.

FALSTAFF

    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.

    Re-enter DAVY

DAVY

    There's a dish of leather-coats for you.

    To BARDOLPH

SHALLOW

    Davy!

DAVY

    Your worship! I'll be with you straight.

    To BARDOLPH
    A cup of wine, sir?

SILENCE

    A cup of wine that's brisk and fine,

    Singing
    And drink unto the leman mine;
    And a merry heart lives long-a.

FALSTAFF

    Well said, Master Silence.

SILENCE

    An we shall be merry, now comes in the sweet o' the night.

FALSTAFF

    Health and long life to you, Master Silence.

SILENCE

    Fill the cup, and let it come;

    Singing
    I'll pledge you a mile to the bottom.

SHALLOW

    Honest Bardolph, welcome: if thou wantest any
    thing, and wilt not call, beshrew thy heart.
    Welcome, my little tiny thief.

    To the Page
    And welcome indeed too. I'll drink to Master
    Bardolph, and to all the cavaleros about London.

DAVY

    I hove 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; he is true bred.

BARDOLPH

    And I'll stick by him, sir.

SHALLOW

    Why, there spoke a king. Lack nothing: be merry.

    Knocking within
    Look who's at door there, ho! who knocks?

    Exit DAVY

FALSTAFF

    Why, now you have done me right.

    To SILENCE, seeing him take off a bumper

SILENCE

    [Singing]
    Do me right,
    And dub me knight: Samingo.
    Is't not so?

FALSTAFF

    'Tis so.

SILENCE

    Is't so? Why then, say an old man can do somewhat.

    Re-enter DAVY

DAVY

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

FALSTAFF

    From the court! let him come in.

    Enter PISTOL
    How now, Pistol!

PISTOL

    Sir John, God save you!

FALSTAFF

    What wind blew you hither, Pistol?

PISTOL

    Not the ill wind which blows no man to good. Sweet
    knight, thou art now one of the greatest men in this realm.

SILENCE

    By'r lady, I think a' be, but goodman Puff of Barson.

PISTOL

    Puff!
    Puff in thy teeth, most recreant coward base!
    Sir John, I am thy Pistol and thy friend,
    And helter-skelter have I rode to thee,
    And tidings do I bring and lucky joys
    And golden times and happy news of price.

FALSTAFF

    I pray thee now, deliver them like a man of this world.

PISTOL

    A foutre for the world and worldlings base!
    I speak of Africa and golden joys.

FALSTAFF

    O base Assyrian knight, what is thy news?
    Let King Cophetua know the truth thereof.

SILENCE

    And Robin Hood, Scarlet, and John.

    Singing

PISTOL

    Shall dunghill curs confront the Helicons?
    And shall good news be baffled?
    Then, Pistol, lay thy head in Furies' lap.

SILENCE

    Honest gentleman, I know not your breeding.

PISTOL

    Why then, lament therefore.

SHALLOW

    Give me pardon, sir: if, sir, you come with news
    from the court, I take it there's but two ways,
    either to utter them, or to conceal them. I am,
    sir, under the king, in some authority.

PISTOL

    Under which king, Besonian? speak, or die.

SHALLOW

    Under King Harry.

PISTOL

    Harry the Fourth? or Fifth?

SHALLOW

    Harry the Fourth.

PISTOL

    A foutre for thine office!
    Sir John, thy tender lambkin now is king;
    Harry the Fifth's the man. I speak the truth:
    When Pistol lies, do this; and fig me, like
    The bragging Spaniard.

FALSTAFF

    What, is the old king dead?

PISTOL

    As nail in door: the things I speak are just.

FALSTAFF

    Away, Bardolph! saddle my horse. Master Robert
    Shallow, choose what office thou wilt in the land,
    'tis thine. Pistol, I will double-charge thee with dignities.

BARDOLPH

    O joyful day!
    I would not take a knighthood for my fortune.

PISTOL

    What! I do bring good news.

FALSTAFF

    Carry Master Silence to bed. Master Shallow, my
    Lord Shallow,--be what thou wilt; I am fortune's
    steward--get on thy boots: we'll ride all night.
    O sweet Pistol! Away, Bardolph!

    Exit BARDOLPH
    Come, Pistol, utter more to me; and withal devise
    something to do thyself good. Boot, boot, Master
    Shallow: I know the young king is sick for me. Let
    us take any man's horses; the laws of England are at
    my commandment. Blessed are they that have been my
    friends; and woe to my lord chief-justice!

PISTOL

    Let vultures vile seize on his lungs also!
    'Where is the life that late I led?' say they:
    Why, here it is; welcome these pleasant days!

    Exeunt

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