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- HENRY THE FOURTH PART 1
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- Act 2 Scene 1
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- (Enter a Carrier, with a lantern in his hand)
- l1l First Carrier Heigh-ho! An Æt be not four by the day, IÆll
- l2l be hanged. CharlesÆs Wain is over the new chimney,
- l3l and yet our horse not packed. What, ostler!
- l4l Ostler (within) Anon, anon!
- l5l First Carrier I prithee, Tom, beat cutÆs saddle, put a few
- l6l flocks in the point. Poor jade is wrung in the withers,
- l7l out of all cess.
- (Enter another Carrier)
- l8l Second Carrier Peas and beans are as dank here as a
- l9l dog, and that is the next way to give poor jades the
- l10l bots. This house is turned upside down since Robin
- l11l Ostler died.
- l12l First Carrier Poor fellow never joyed since the price of
- l13l oats rose; it was the death of him.
- l14l Second Carrier I think this be the most villainous house
- l15l in all London road for fleas. I am stung like a tench.
- l16l First Carrier Like a tench? By the mass, there is neÆer
- l17l a king christen could be better bit than I have been
- l18l since the first cock.
- l19l Second Carrier Why, they will allow us neÆer a jordan,
- l20l and then we leak in your chimney, and your chamber-
- l21l lye breeds fleas like a loach.
- l22l First Carrier What, ostler! Come away, and be hanged,
- l23l come away!
- l24l Second Carrier I have a gammon of bacon and two races
- l25l of ginger to be delivered as far as Charing Cross.
- l26l First Carrier GodÆs body, the turkeys in my pannier are
- l27l quite starved! What, ostler! A plague on thee, hast
- l28l thou never an eye in thy head? Canst not hear? An
- l29l Ætwere not as good deed as drink to break the pate on
- l30l thee, I am a very villain. Come, and be hanged! Hast
- l31l no faith in thee?
- (Enter Gadshill)
- l32l Gadshill Good morrow, carriers. WhatÆs oÆclock?
- l33l First Carrier I think it be two oÆclock.
- l34l Gadshill I prithee lend me thy lantern to see my gelding
- l35l in the stable.
- l36l First Carrier Nay, by God, soft. I know a trick worth
- l37l two of that, iÆ faith.
- l38l Gadshill (to Second Carrier) I pray thee, lend me thine.
- l39l Second Carrier Ay, when? Canst tell? ôLend me thy
- l40l lantern,ö quoth a. Marry, IÆll see thee hanged first.
- l41l Gadshill Sirrah carrier, what time do you mean to come
- l42l to London?
- l43l Second Carrier Time enough to go to bed with a candle,
- l44l I warrant thee.ùCome, neighbour Mugs, weÆll call up
- l45l the gentlemen. They will along with company, for they
- l46l have great charge.
- (Exeunt Carriers)
- l47l Gadshill What ho, chamberlain!
- (Enter Chamberlain)
- l48l Chamberlain ôAt handö quoth Pickpurse.
- l49l Gadshill ThatÆs even as fair as ô ôôAt handöö quoth the
- l50l chamberlainö, for thou variest no more from picking of
- l51l purses than giving direction doth from labouring: thou
- l52l layest the plot how.
- l53l Chamberlain Good morrow, Master Gadshill. It holds
- l54l current that I told you yesternight. ThereÆs a franklin
- l55l in the Weald of Kent hath brought three hundred
- l56l marks with him in gold. I heard him tell it to one of
- l57l his company last night at supperùa kind of auditor,
- l58l one that hath abundance of charge too, God knows
- l59l what. They are up already, and call for eggs and butter;
- l60l they will away presently.
- l61l Gadshill Sirrah, if they meet not with Saint NicholasÆs
- l62l clerks, IÆll give thee this neck.
- l63l Chamberlain No, IÆll none of it; I pray thee keep that
- l64l for the hangman, for I know thou worshippest Saint
- l65l Nicholas as truly as a man of falsehood may.
- l66l Gadshill What talkest thou to me of the hangman? If I
- l67l hang, IÆll make a fat pair of gallows, for if I hang, old
- l68l Sir John hangs with me, and thou knowest heÆs no
- l69l starveling. Tut, there are other Trojans that thou
- l70l dreamest not of, the which for sportÆ sake are content
- l71l to do the profession some grace, that would, if matters
- l72l should be looked into, for their own creditÆ sake make
- l73l all whole. I am joined with no foot-landrakers, no long-
- l74l staff sixpenny strikers, none of these mad mustachio
- l75l purple-hued maltworms, but with nobility and tranquillity,
- l76l burgomasters and great ôoyezö-ers; such as can
- l77l hold in, such as will strike sooner than speak, and
- l78l speak sooner than drink, and drink sooner than pray.
- l79l And yet, zounds, I lie, for they pray continually to their
- l80l saint the commonwealth; or rather, not pray to her,
- l81l but prey on her; for they ride up and down on her and
- l82l make her their boots.
- l83l Chamberlain What, the commonwealth their boots? Will
- l84l she hold out water in foul way?
- l85l Gadshill She will, she will, justice hath liquored her. We
- l86l steal as in a castle, cocksure; we have the recipe of
- l87l fern-seed, we walk invisible.
- l88l Chamberlain Nay, by my faith, I think you are more
- l89l beholden to the night than to fern-seed for your walking
- l90l invisible.
- l91l Gadshill Give me thy hand; thou shalt have a share in
- l92l our purchase, as I am a true man.
- l93l Chamberlain Nay, rather let me have it as you are a
- l94l false thief.
- l95l Gadshill Go to, ôhomoö is a common name to all men.
- l96l Bid the ostler bring my gelding out of the stable.
- l97l Farewell, you muddy knave.
- (Exeunt severally)
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