Snare.
Hostess.
Mr. Phang, have you enter'd the action?
Phang.
It is enter'd.
Host.
Where's your yeoman? is he a lusty yeoman?
Will he stand to it?
Phang.
Sirrah, where's Snare?
Host.
O Lord, ay, good Mr. Snare.
Snare.
Here, here.
Phang.
Snare, we must arrest Sir John Falstaff.
Host.
Ay, good Mr. Snare, I have enter'd him and all.
Snare.
It may chance cost some of us our lives, for
he will stab.
Host.
Alas-the-day! take heed of him; he stab'd
me in mine own house, and that most beastly; he
cares not what mischief he doth, if his weapon be out.
He will foin like any devil; he will spare neither man,
woman, nor child.
Phang.
If I can close with him, I care not for his
thrust.
Host.
No, nor I neither.—I'll be at your elbow.
-- 258 --
Phang.
If I but fist him once, 7 noteif he come but
within my vice.
Host.
I am undone by his going; I warrant you,
he is an infinitive thing upon my score. Good Mr.
Phang, hold him sure; good Mr. Snare, let him not
'scape. He comes continually to Pie corner, saving
your manhoods, to buy a saddle: and he is indited to
dinner to the 8 noteLubbars-head in Lombard-street, to Mr.
Smooth's the Silkman. I pray ye, since my exion is
enter'd, and my case so openly known to the world,
let him be brought in to his answer. 9 note
A hundred
mark is a long Lone, for a poor lone woman to bear;
and I have borne, and borne, and borne, and have
been fub'd off, and fub'd off, from this day to that
day, that it is a shame to be thought on. There is
no honesty in such dealing, unless a woman should
be made an Ass and a beast, to bear every knave's
wrong.
Enter Falstaff, Bardolph, and the boy.
Yonder he comes, and that arrant 1 notemalmsey-nose knave
Bardolph with him. Do your offices, do your offices,
Mr. Phang and Mr. Snare, do me, do me, do me
your offices.
Fal.
How now? whose mare's dead? what's the
matter?
-- 259 --
Phang.
Sir John, I arrest you at the suit of Mrs.
Quickly.
Fal.
Away, varlets. Draw, Bardolph, cut me off
the villain's head; throw the quean in the kennel.
Host.
Throw me in the kennel? I'll throw thee in the
kennel. Wilt thou? wilt thou? thou bastardly rogue.
Murder, murder! O thou 2 notehony-suckle villain, wilt
thou kill God's officers and the King's? O thou hony-seed
rogue! thou art a hony-seed, a man-queller, and
a woman-queller.
Fal.
Keep them off, Bardolph.
Phang.
A rescue, a rescue!
Host.
Good people, bring a rescue or two; 3 notethou
wo't, wo't thou? thou wo't, wo't thou? do, do, thou
rogue, do, thou hemp-seed!
Fal.
4 noteAway, you scullion, you rampallian, you fustilarian:
I'll tickle your catastrophe.
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].
