Original Text |
Translated Text |
Source: Folger Shakespeare Library |
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Enter Prince of Wales, and Sir John Falstaff. FALSTAFF Now, Hal, what time of day is it, lad? PRINCE Thou art so fat-witted with drinking of old sack, and unbuttoning thee after supper, and sleeping upon benches after noon, that thou hast forgotten to demand that truly which thou wouldst 5 truly know. What a devil hast thou to do with the time of the day? Unless hours were cups of sack, and minutes capons, and clocks the tongues of bawds, and dials the signs of leaping-houses, and the blessed sun himself a fair hot wench in 10 flame-colored taffeta, I see no reason why thou shouldst be so superfluous to demand the time of the day. | At the prince's bachelor pad in London, Falstaff asks Hal what time of day it is. Hal tells his boy that it shouldn't matter to Falstaff, who spends all his time boozing, eating, and visiting brothels. |
FALSTAFF Indeed, you come near me now, Hal, for we that take purses go by the moon and the seven 15 stars, and not by Phoebus, he, that wand’ring knight so fair. And I prithee, sweet wag, when thou art king, as God save thy Grace—Majesty, I should say, for grace thou wilt have none— PRINCE What, none? 20 FALSTAFF No, by my troth, not so much as will serve to be prologue to an egg and butter. PRINCE Well, how then? Come, roundly, roundly. FALSTAFF Marry then, sweet wag, when thou art king, let not us that are squires of the night’s body be 25 called thieves of the day’s beauty. Let us be Diana’s foresters, gentlemen of the shade, minions of the moon, and let men say we be men of good government, being governed, as the sea is, by our noble and chaste mistress the moon, under whose countenance 30 we steal. PRINCE Thou sayest well, and it holds well too, for the fortune of us that are the moon’s men doth ebb and flow like the sea, being governed, as the sea is, by the moon. As for proof now: a purse of gold most 35 resolutely snatched on Monday night and most dissolutely spent on Tuesday morning, got with swearing “Lay by” and spent with crying “Bring in”; now in as low an ebb as the foot of the ladder, and by and by in as high a flow as the ridge of the 40 gallows. FALSTAFF By the Lord, thou sayst true, lad. And is not my hostess of the tavern a most sweet wench? PRINCE As the honey of Hybla, my old lad of the castle. And is not a buff jerkin a most sweet robe of 45 durance? FALSTAFF How now, how now, mad wag? What, in thy quips and thy quiddities? What a plague have I to do with a buff jerkin? PRINCE Why, what a pox have I to do with my hostess 50 of the tavern? FALSTAFF Well, thou hast called her to a reckoning many a time and oft. PRINCE Did I ever call for thee to pay thy part? FALSTAFF No, I’ll give thee thy due. Thou hast paid all 55 there. PRINCE Yea, and elsewhere, so far as my coin would stretch, and where it would not, I have used my credit. FALSTAFF Yea, and so used it that were it not here 60 apparent that thou art heir apparent—But I prithee, sweet wag, shall there be gallows standing in England when thou art king? And resolution thus fubbed as it is with the rusty curb of old father Antic the law? Do not thou, when thou art king, hang a 65 thief. PRINCE No, thou shalt. FALSTAFF Shall I? O rare! By the Lord, I’ll be a brave judge. PRINCE Thou judgest false already. I mean thou shalt 70 have the hanging of the thieves, and so become a rare hangman. FALSTAFF Well, Hal, well, and in some sort it jumps with my humor as well as waiting in the court, I can tell you. 75 PRINCE For obtaining of suits? FALSTAFF Yea, for obtaining of suits, whereof the hangman hath no lean wardrobe. ’Sblood, I am as melancholy as a gib cat or a lugged bear. PRINCE Or an old lion, or a lover’s lute. 80 FALSTAFF Yea, or the drone of a Lincolnshire bagpipe. PRINCE What sayest thou to a hare, or the melancholy of Moorditch? | Falstaff agrees with his pal's assessment and the two continue to joke around. Falstaff says that, when Hal is king, he hopes he'll take it easy on Falstaff and other thieves that "work" at night. The two continue with the witty banter and trade insults and Hal makes an allusion to Falstaff hanging. |
FALSTAFF Thou hast the most unsavory similes, and art indeed the most comparative, rascaliest, sweet 85 young prince. But, Hal, I prithee trouble me no more with vanity. I would to God thou and I knew where a commodity of good names were to be bought. An old lord of the council rated me the other day in the street about you, sir, but I marked 90 him not, and yet he talked very wisely, but I regarded him not, and yet he talked wisely, and in the street, too. PRINCE Thou didst well, for wisdom cries out in the streets and no man regards it. 95 FALSTAFF O, thou hast damnable iteration, and art indeed able to corrupt a saint. Thou hast done much harm upon me, Hal, God forgive thee for it. Before I knew thee, Hal, I knew nothing, and now am I, if a man should speak truly, little better than 100 one of the wicked. I must give over this life, and I will give it over. By the Lord, an I do not, I am a villain. I’ll be damned for never a king’s son in Christendom. | Falstaff tells Hal that a Lord of the Council was talking smack about Prince Hal to Falstaff on the street the other day but Falstaff blew him off. Falstaff jokes that Prince Hal has corrupted him and made him wicked. |
PRINCE Where shall we take a purse tomorrow, Jack? 105 FALSTAFF Zounds, where thou wilt, lad. I’ll make one. An I do not, call me villain and baffle me. PRINCE I see a good amendment of life in thee, from praying to purse-taking. FALSTAFF Why, Hal, ’tis my vocation, Hal. ’Tis no sin 110 for a man to labor in his vocation. | Hal suggests stealing a "purse" tomorrow. (Not your granny's white, vinyl handbag that's full of tic-tacs. Hal's talking about the kind that's full of gold coins and carried by men.) |
Enter Poins. Poins!—Now shall we know if Gadshill have set a match. O, if men were to be saved by merit, what hole in hell were hot enough for him? This is the most omnipotent villain that ever cried “Stand!” to 115 a true man. PRINCE Good morrow, Ned. POINS Good morrow, sweet Hal.—What says Monsieur Remorse? What says Sir John Sack-and-Sugar? Jack, how agrees the devil and thee about 120 thy soul that thou soldest him on Good Friday last for a cup of Madeira and a cold capon’s leg? | Ned Poins rolls up to Hal's crib. The men greet each other and talk another round of trash (like when Poins implies that Falstaff sold his soul to the devil for a cold chicken leg and a cup of wine). |
PRINCE Sir John stands to his word. The devil shall have his bargain, for he was never yet a breaker of proverbs. He will give the devil his due. 125 POINS, to Falstaff Then art thou damned for keeping thy word with the devil. PRINCE Else he had been damned for cozening the devil. POINS But, my lads, my lads, tomorrow morning, by 130 four o’clock early at Gad’s Hill, there are pilgrims going to Canterbury with rich offerings, and traders riding to London with fat purses. I have vizards for you all. You have horses for yourselves. Gadshill lies tonight in Rochester. I have bespoke supper tomorrow 135 night in Eastcheap. We may do it as secure as sleep. If you will go, I will stuff your purses full of crowns. If you will not, tarry at home and be hanged. FALSTAFF Hear you, Yedward, if I tarry at home and 140 go not, I’ll hang you for going. POINS You will, chops? | Poins says tomorrow, at 4 o'clock, a group of travelers will ride by Gad's Hill on their way to Canterbury – the guys should meet up tomorrow and rob them since the travelers will be carrying a lot of cash. |
FALSTAFF Hal, wilt thou make one? PRINCE Who, I rob? I a thief? Not I, by my faith. FALSTAFF There’s neither honesty, manhood, nor 145 good fellowship in thee, nor thou cam’st not of the blood royal, if thou darest not stand for ten shillings. PRINCE Well then, once in my days I’ll be a madcap. FALSTAFF Why, that’s well said. 150 PRINCE Well, come what will, I’ll tarry at home. FALSTAFF By the Lord, I’ll be a traitor then when thou art king. PRINCE I care not. POINS Sir John, I prithee leave the Prince and me 155 alone. I will lay him down such reasons for this adventure that he shall go. FALSTAFF Well, God give thee the spirit of persuasion, and him the ears of profiting, that what thou speakest may move, and what he hears may be 160 believed, that the true prince may, for recreation sake, prove a false thief, for the poor abuses of the time want countenance. Farewell. You shall find me in Eastcheap. | When Falstaff asks the prince if he's in, Hal plays coy and says something like, "Who me? A thief?" Falstaff teases Hal and says he's a wimp if he doesn't join his pals. |
PRINCE Farewell, thou latter spring. Farewell, Allhallown 165 summer. Falstaff exits. POINS Now, my good sweet honey lord, ride with us tomorrow. I have a jest to execute that I cannot manage alone. Falstaff, Peto, Bardolph, and Gadshill shall rob those men that we have already 170 waylaid. Yourself and I will not be there. And when they have the booty, if you and I do not rob them, cut this head off from my shoulders. PRINCE How shall we part with them in setting forth? POINS Why, we will set forth before or after them, and 175 appoint them a place of meeting, wherein it is at our pleasure to fail; and then will they adventure upon the exploit themselves, which they shall have no sooner achieved but we’ll set upon them. PRINCE Yea, but ’tis like that they will know us by our 180 horses, by our habits, and by every other appointment to be ourselves. POINS Tut, our horses they shall not see; I’ll tie them in the wood. Our vizards we will change after we leave them. And, sirrah, I have cases of buckram 185 for the nonce, to immask our noted outward garments. PRINCE Yea, but I doubt they will be too hard for us. POINS Well, for two of them, I know them to be as true-bred cowards as ever turned back; and for the 190 third, if he fight longer than he sees reason, I’ll forswear arms. The virtue of this jest will be the incomprehensible lies that this same fat rogue will tell us when we meet at supper: how thirty at least he fought with, what wards, what blows, what 195 extremities he endured; and in the reproof of this lives the jest. PRINCE Well, I’ll go with thee. Provide us all things necessary and meet me tomorrow night in Eastcheap. There I’ll sup. Farewell. 200 | Falstaff says nighty night to his friends, leaving Poins and Hal alone to plan an elaborate prank on Falstaff. Tomorrow, after Falstaff, Peto, and Bardolph rob the travelers at Gads Hill, Hal and Poins will jump out of the bushes (wearing disguises, of course) and rob Falstaff of his stolen loot. This will be hilarious because Falstaff is sure to lie about the whole thing afterward.
Prince Hal agrees and says he'll meet Poins in Eastcheap tomorrow night. |
POINS Farewell, my lord. Poins exits. PRINCE I know you all, and will awhile uphold The unyoked humor of your idleness. Yet herein will I imitate the sun, Who doth permit the base contagious clouds 205 To smother up his beauty from the world, That, when he please again to be himself, Being wanted, he may be more wondered at By breaking through the foul and ugly mists Of vapors that did seem to strangle him. 210 If all the year were playing holidays, To sport would be as tedious as to work, But when they seldom come, they wished-for come, And nothing pleaseth but rare accidents. So when this loose behavior I throw off 215 And pay the debt I never promisèd, By how much better than my word I am, By so much shall I falsify men’s hopes; And, like bright metal on a sullen ground, My reformation, glitt’ring o’er my fault, 220 Shall show more goodly and attract more eyes Than that which hath no foil to set it off. I’ll so offend to make offense a skill, Redeeming time when men think least I will. He exits. | Poins leaves and Hal delivers a shocking speech to the audience. He says he's not really a degenerate – he's just acting that way for now. Eventually, he's going to stage a dramatic reformation (from wild child to honorable prince) that will amaze everyone. We interrupt this program with a history snack: By the time Shakespeare wrote Henry IV Part 1, folklore surrounding the historic Prince Hal was firmly established. He was remembered fondly as a wild prince who turned into a beloved ruler, King Henry V. Shakespeare got the idea for "wild Prince Hal" from popular stories and a play called The Famous Victories of Henry V (c. 1594). The opening scene of Famous Victories shows the prince and his cronies counting their loot after robbing the king's receivers. |