SCENE IV.
Enter Travellers.
Trav.
Come, neighbour; the boy shall lead our
horses down the hill: we'll walk a foot a while, and
ease our legs.
Thieves.
Stand,—
Trav.
Jesu bless us!
Fal.
Strike; down with them, cut the villains'
throats; ah! whorson caterpillars; bacon-fed knaves;
they hate us youth; down with them, fleece them.
Trav.
O, we are undone, both we and ours for ever.
Fal.
Hang ye, gorbellied knaves, are you undone?
no, ye fat chuffs, I would your store were here. On,
bacons, on! what, ye knaves? young men must live;
you are grand jurors, are ye? we'll jure ye, i'faith.
[Here they rob and bind them: Exeunt.
Enter Prince Henry and Poins.
P. Henry.
The thieves have bound the true men.
Now could thou and I rob the thieves and go merrily
to London, it would be argument for a week, laughter
for a month, and a good jest for ever.
Poins.
Stand close, I hear them coming.
Enter Thieves again at the other part of the stage.
Fal.
Come, my masters, let us share, and then to
horse before day; an the Prince and Poins be not two
arrant Cowards, there's no equity stirring. There's no
more valour in that Poins, than in a wild Duck.
P. Henry.
Your mony.
Poins.
Villains!
[As they are sharing, the Prince and Poins set upon
them. They all run away, and Falstaff after a
-- 147 --
blow or two runs away too, leaving the booty behind them.]
P. Henry.
Got with much ease. Now merrily to horse:
The thieves are scatter'd, and possest with fear
So strongly, that they dare not meet each other;
Each takes his fellow for an officer.
Away, good Ned. Now Falstaff sweats to death,
And lards the lean earth as he walks along:
Were't not for laughing, I should pity him.
Poins.
How the rogue roar'd!
[Exeunt.
Samuel Johnson [1765], The plays of William Shakespeare, in eight volumes, with the corrections and illustrations of Various Commentators; To which are added notes by Sam. Johnson (Printed for J. and R. Tonson [and] C. Corbet [etc.], London) [word count] [S11001].
