home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search
- $Unique_ID{SSP02654}
- $Title{King Henry IV, Part I: Act II, Scene I}
- $Author{Shakespeare, William}
- $Subject{}
- $Log{Dramatis Personae*02650.TXT}
-
- Portions copyright (c) CMC ReSearch, Inc., 1989
-
- The Complete Works of William Shakespeare
-
- KING HENRY IV, PART I
-
-
- ACT II
- ................................................................................
-
-
- SCENE I: Rochester. An inn yard.
- . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
-
- {Enter a Carrier with a lantern in his hand.}
-
- First Carrier: Heigh-ho! an it be not four by the day, I'll be
- hanged: Charles' wain is over the new chimney, and
- yet our horse not packed. What, ostler!
-
- Ostler: [Within] Anon, anon.
-
- First Carrier: I prithee, Tom, beat Cut's saddle, put a few flocks
- in the point; poor jade, is wrung in the withers out
- of all cess.
-
- {Enter another Carrier.}
-
- Second Carrier: Peas and beans are as dank here as a dog, and that
- is the next way to give poor jades the bots: this
- house is turned upside down since Robin Ostler died. 10
-
- First Carrier: Poor fellow, never joyed since the price of oats
- rose; it was the death of him.
-
- Second Carrier: I think this be the most villanous house in all
- London road for fleas: I am stung like a tench.
-
- First Carrier: Like a tench! by the mass, there is ne'er a king
- christen could be better bit than I have been since
- the first cock.
-
- Second Carrier: Why, they will allow us ne'er a jordan, and then we
- leak in your chimney; and your chamber-lie breeds
- fleas like a loach. 20
-
- First Carrier: What, ostler! come away and be hanged!
-
- Second Carrier: I have a gammon of bacon and two razors of ginger,
- to be delivered as far as Charing-cross.
-
- First Carrier: God's body! the turkeys in my pannier are quite
- starved. What, ostler! A plague on thee! hast thou
- never an eye in thy head? canst not hear? An
- 'twere not as good deed as drink, to break the pate
- on thee, I am a very villain. Come, and be hanged!
- hast thou no faith in thee?
-
- {Enter GADSHILL.}
-
- GADSHILL: Good morrow, carriers. What's o'clock? 30
-
- First Carrier: I think it be two o'clock.
-
- GADSHILL: I pray thee lend me thy lantern, to see my gelding
- in the stable.
-
- First Carrier: Nay, by God, soft; I know a trick worth two of that,
- i' faith.
-
- GADSHILL: I pray thee, lend me thine.
-
- Second Carrier: Ay, when? can'st tell? Lend me thy lantern, quoth
- he? marry, I'll see thee hanged first.
-
- GADSHILL: Sirrah carrier, what time do you mean to come to
- London? 40
-
- Second Carrier: Time enough to go to bed with a candle, I warrant
- thee. Come, neighbour Mugs, we'll call up the
- gentleman: they will along with company, for they
- have great charge.
-
- [Exeunt carriers.]
-
- GADSHILL: What, ho! chamberlain!
-
- Chamberlain: [Within] At hand, quoth pick-purse.
-
- GADSHILL: That's even as fair as--at hand, quoth the
- chamberlain; for thou variest no more from picking
- of purses than giving direction doth from labouring;
- thou layest the plot how. 50
-
- {Enter Chamberlain.}
-
- Chamberlain: Good morrow, Master Gadshill. It holds current that
- I told you yesternight: there's a franklin in the
- wild of Kent hath brought three hundred marks with
- him in gold: I heard him tell it to one of his
- company last night at supper; a kind of auditor; one
- that hath abundance of charge too, God knows what.
- They are up already, and call for eggs and butter;
- they will away presently.
-
- GADSHILL: Sirrah, if they meet not with Saint Nicholas' 60
- clerks, I'll give thee this neck.
-
- Chamberlain: No, I'll none of it: I pray thee keep that for the
- hangman; for I know thou worshippest St. Nicholas
- as truly as a man of falsehood may.
-
- GADSHILL: What talkest thou to me of the hangman? if I hang,
- I'll make a fat pair of gallows; for if I hang, old
- Sir John hangs with me, and thou knowest he is no
- starveling. Tut! there are other Trojans that thou
- dreamest not of, the which for sport sake are
- content to do the profession some grace; that would, 70
- if matters should be looked into, for their own
- credit sake, make all whole. I am joined with no
- foot-land rakers, no long-staff sixpenny strikers,
- none of these mad mustachio purple-hued malt-worms;
- but with nobility and tranquillity, burgomasters and
- great oneyers, such as can hold in, such as will
- strike sooner than speak, and speak sooner than
- drink, and drink sooner than pray: and yet, zounds,
- I lie; for they pray continually to their saint, the
- commonwealth; or rather, not pray to her, but prey 80
- on her, for they ride up and down on her and make
- her their boots.
-
- Chamberlain: What, the commonwealth their boots? will she hold
- out water in foul way?
-
- GADSHILL: She will, she will; justice hath liquored her. We
- steal as in a castle, cocksure; we have the receipt
- of fern-seed, we walk invisible.
-
- Chamberlain: Nay, by my faith, I think you are more beholding to
- the night than to fern-seed for your walking 90
- invisible.
-
- GADSHILL: Give me thy hand: thou shalt have a share in our
- purchase, as I am a true man.
-
- Chamberlain: Nay, rather let me have it, as you are a false
- thief.
-
- GADSHILL: Go to; 'homo' is a common name to all men. Bid the
- ostler bring my gelding out of the stable. Farewell,
- you muddy knave.
-
- [Exeunt.]
-