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. |