Act II, Scene 2

London. Another street

Enter PRINCE HENRY and POINS

• Henry V. Before God, I am exceeding weary. 945

• Edward Poins. Is't come to that? I had thought weariness durst not
  attach'd one of so high blood.

• Henry V. Faith, it does me; though it discolours the complexion
  my greatness to acknowledge it. Doth it not show vilely in me 950
  desire small beer?

• Edward Poins. Why, a prince should not be so loosely studied as to
  remember so weak a composition. 955

• Henry V. Belike then my appetite was not-princely got; for, by
  troth, I do now remember the poor creature, small beer. But
  indeed these humble considerations make me out of love with
  greatness. What a disgrace is it to me to remember thy name,
  to know thy face to-morrow, or to take note how many pair of 960
  stockings thou hast—viz., these, and those that were thy
  peach-colour'd ones—or to bear the inventory of thy shirts-
  one for superfluity, and another for use! But that the
  tennis-court-keeper knows better than I; for it is a low ebb
  linen with thee when thou keepest not racket there; as thou 965
  not done a great while, because the rest of thy low countries
  have made a shift to eat up thy holland. And God knows
  those that bawl out of the ruins of thy linen shall inherit
  kingdom; but the midwives say the children are not in the
  whereupon the world increases, and kindreds are mightily 970
  strengthened.

• Edward Poins. How ill it follows, after you have laboured so hard, you
  should talk so idly! Tell me, how many good young princes
  do so, their fathers being so sick as yours at this time is?

• Henry V. Shall I tell thee one thing, Poins?

• Edward Poins. Yes, faith; and let it be an excellent good thing.

• Henry V. It shall serve among wits of no higher breeding than

• Edward Poins. Go to; I stand the push of your one thing that you will 990
  tell.

• Henry V. Marry, I tell thee it is not meet that I should be sad,
  my father is sick; albeit I could tell to thee—as to one it
  pleases me, for fault of a better, to call my friend—I could
  sad and sad indeed too. 995

• Edward Poins. Very hardly upon such a subject.

• Henry V. By this hand, thou thinkest me as far in the devil's
  as thou and Falstaff for obduracy and persistency: let the 1000
  try the man. But I tell thee my heart bleeds inwardly that my
  father is so sick; and keeping such vile company as thou art
  in reason taken from me all ostentation of sorrow.

• Edward Poins. The reason?

• Henry V. What wouldst thou think of me if I should weep?

• Edward Poins. I would think thee a most princely hypocrite.

• Henry V. It would be every man's thought; and thou art a blessed 1010
  fellow to think as every man thinks. Never a man's thought in
  world keeps the road-way better than thine. Every man would
  me an hypocrite indeed. And what accites your most worshipful
  thought to think so?

• Edward Poins. Why, because you have been so lewd and so much engraffed
  Falstaff.

• Henry V. And to thee. 1020

• Edward Poins. By this light, I am well spoke on; I can hear it with
  own ears. The worst that they can say of me is that I am a
  brother and that I am a proper fellow of my hands; and those
  things, I confess, I cannot help. By the mass, here comes
  Bardolph. 1025

Enter BARDOLPH and PAGE

• Henry V. And the boy that I gave Falstaff. 'A had him from me 1030
  Christian; and look if the fat villain have not transform'd
  ape.

• Bardolph. God save your Grace!

• Henry V. And yours, most noble Bardolph! 1035

• Edward Poins. Come, you virtuous ass, you bashful fool, must you be
  blushing? Wherefore blush you now? What a maidenly
  are you become! Is't such a matter to get a pottle-pot's
  maidenhead?

• Page. 'A calls me e'en now, my lord, through a red lattice, and
  could discern no part of his face from the window. At last I
  spied his eyes; and methought he had made two holes in the
  alewife's new petticoat, and so peep'd through.

• Henry V. Has not the boy profited?

• Bardolph. Away, you whoreson upright rabbit, away!

• Page. Away, you rascally Althaea's dream, away!

• Henry V. Instruct us, boy; what dream, boy?

• Page. Marry, my lord, Althaea dreamt she was delivered of a 1050
  firebrand; and therefore I call him her dream.

• Henry V. A crown's worth of good interpretation. There 'tis,

[Giving a crown]

• Edward Poins. O that this blossom could be kept from cankers! 1055
  Well, there is sixpence to preserve thee.

• Bardolph. An you do not make him be hang'd among you, the
  shall have wrong.

• Henry V. And how doth thy master, Bardolph? 1060

• Bardolph. Well, my lord. He heard of your Grace's coming to
  There's a letter for you.

• Edward Poins. Deliver'd with good respect. And how doth the martlemas,
  your master? 1065

• Bardolph. In bodily health, sir.

• Edward Poins. Marry, the immortal part needs a physician; but that
  not him. Though that be sick, it dies not.

• Henry V. I do allow this well to be as familiar with me as my 1070
  and he holds his place, for look you how he writes.

• Edward Poins. [Reads] 'John Falstaff, knight'—Every man must know
  as oft as he has occasion to name himself, even like those
  are kin to the King; for they never prick their finger but 1075
  say 'There's some of the King's blood spilt.' 'How comes
  says he that takes upon him not to conceive. The answer is as
  ready as a borrower's cap: 'I am the King's poor cousin,

• Henry V. Nay, they will be kin to us, or they will fetch it from
  Japhet. But the letter: [Reads] 'Sir John Falstaff, knight, 1085
  the son of the King nearest his father, Harry Prince of
  greeting.'

• Edward Poins. Why, this is a certificate. 1090

• Henry V. Peace! [Reads] 'I will imitate the honourable Romans
  brevity.'-

• Edward Poins. He sure means brevity in breath, short-winded.

• Henry V. [Reads] 'I commend me to thee, I commend thee, and I 1095
  leave thee. Be not too familiar with Poins; for he misuses
  favours so much that he swears thou art to marry his sister
  Repent at idle times as thou mayst, and so farewell.
  Thine, by yea and no—which is as much as to say as
  thou usest him—JACK FALSTAFF with my familiars, 1100
  JOHN with my brothers and sisters, and SIR JOHN with
  all Europe.'

• Edward Poins. My lord, I'll steep this letter in sack and make him eat 1105

• Henry V. That's to make him eat twenty of his words. But do you
  me thus, Ned? Must I marry your sister?

• Edward Poins. God send the wench no worse fortune! But I never said 1110

• Henry V. Well, thus we play the fools with the time, and the
  of the wise sit in the clouds and mock us. Is your master
  London?

• Bardolph. Yea, my lord.

• Henry V. Where sups he? Doth the old boar feed in the old frank?

• Bardolph. At the old place, my lord, in Eastcheap.

• Henry V. What company? 1120

• Page. Ephesians, my lord, of the old church.

• Henry V. Sup any women with him?

• Page. None, my lord, but old Mistress Quickly and Mistress Doll
  Tearsheet.

• Henry V. What pagan may that be? 1125

• Page. A proper gentlewoman, sir, and a kinswoman of my

• Henry V. Even such kin as the parish heifers are to the town
  Shall we steal upon them, Ned, at supper?

• Edward Poins. I am your shadow, my lord; I'll follow you.

• Henry V. Sirrah, you boy, and Bardolph, no word to your master
  I am yet come to town. There's for your silence.

• Bardolph. I have no tongue, sir. 1135

• Page. And for mine, sir, I will govern it.

• Henry V. Fare you well; go. Exeunt BARDOLPH and PAGE
  This Doll Tearsheet should be some road.

• Edward Poins. I warrant you, as common as the way between Saint Albans
  London. 1140

• Henry V. How might we see Falstaff bestow himself to-night in
  true colours, and not ourselves be seen?

• Edward Poins. Put on two leathern jerkins and aprons, and wait upon 1145
  his table as drawers.

• Henry V. From a god to a bull? A heavy descension! It was Jove's
  case. From a prince to a prentice? A low transformation! That
  shall be mine; for in everything the purpose must weigh with 1150
  folly. Follow me, Ned.

Exeunt