READ STUDY GUIDE: Act II, Prologue and scenes i–ii |
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Act II, Scene i:
London. A street.
London. A street.
| [Enter Corporal Nym and Lieutenant Bardolph.] |
| BARDOLPH: |
| Well met, Corporal Nym. |
| NYM: |
| Good morrow, Lieutenant Bardolph. |
| BARDOLPH: |
| What, are Ancient Pistol and you friends yet? |
| NYM: |
| For my part, I care not. I say little; but when time shall |
| serve, there shall be smiles; but that shall be as it may. I dare |
| not fight, but I will wink and hold out mine iron. It is a simple |
| one, but what though? It will toast cheese, and it will endure |
| cold as another man's sword will; and there's an end. |
| BARDOLPH: |
| I will bestow a breakfast to make you friends; and we'll |
| be all three sworn brothers to France. Let it be so, good |
| Corporal Nym. |
| NYM: |
| Faith, I will live so long as I may, that's the certain of it; and |
| when I cannot live any longer, I will do as I may. That is my rest, |
| that is the rendezvous of it. |
| BARDOLPH: |
| It is certain, corporal, that he is married to Nell Quickly; and |
| certainly she did you wrong, for you were troth-plight to her. |
| NYM: |
| I cannot tell. Things must be as they may. Men may sleep, and |
| they may have their throats about them at that time; and some say |
| knives have edges. It must be as it may. Though patience be a |
| tired mare, yet she will plod. There must be conclusions. Well, I |
| cannot tell. |
| [Enter Pistol and Hostess.] |
| BARDOLPH: |
| Here comes Ancient Pistol and his wife. Good Corporal, be |
| patient here. How now, mine host Pistol! |
| PISTOL: |
| Base tike, call'st thou me host? |
| Now, by this hand, I swear I scorn the term; |
| Nor shall my Nell keep lodgers. |
| HOSTESS: |
| No, by my troth, not long; for we cannot lodge and board a |
| dozen or fourteen gentlewomen that live honestly by the prick of |
| their needles, but it will be thought we keep a bawdy house |
| straight.[Nym and Pistol draw.]O well a day, Lady, if he be not |
| drawn now! We shall see wilful adultery and murder committed. |
| BARDOLPH: |
| Good Lieutenant! good corporal! offer nothing here. |
| NYM: |
| Pish! |
| PISTOL: |
| Pish for thee, Iceland dog! thou prick-ear'd cur of Iceland! |
| HOSTESS: |
| Good Corporal Nym, show thy valour, and put up your sword. |
| NYM: |
| Will you shog off? I would have you solus. |
| PISTOL: |
| "Solus," egregious dog! O viper vile! |
| The "solus" in thy most mervailous face; |
| The "solus" in thy teeth, and in thy throat, |
| And in thy hateful lungs, yea, in thy maw, perdy, |
| And, which is worse, within thy nasty mouth! |
| I do retort the "solus" in thy bowels; |
| For I can take, and Pistol's cock is up, |
| And flashing fire will follow. |
| NYM: |
| I am not Barbason; you cannot conjure me. I have an humour to |
| knock you indifferently well. If you grow foul with me, Pistol, I |
| will scour you with my rapier, as I may, in fair terms. If you |
| would walk off, I would prick your guts a little, in good terms, |
| as I may; and that's the humour of it. |
| PISTOL: |
| O braggart vile and damned furious wight! |
| The grave doth gape, and doting death is near, |
| Therefore exhale. |
| BARDOLPH: |
| Hear me, hear me what I say. He that strikes the first |
| stroke I'll run him up to the hilts, as I am a soldier. |
| [Draws.] |
| PISTOL: |
| An oath of mickle might; and fury shall abate. |
| Give me thy fist, thy fore-foot to me give. |
| Thy spirits are most tall. |
| NYM: |
| I will cut thy throat, one time or other, in fair terms: |
| that is the humour of it. |
| PISTOL: |
| "Couple a gorge!" |
| That is the word. I thee defy again. |
| O hound of Crete, think'st thou my spouse to get? |
| No! to the spital go, |
| And from the powdering tub of infamy |
| Fetch forth the lazar kite of Cressid's kind, |
| Doll Tearsheet she by name, and her espouse. |
| I have, and I will hold, the quondam Quickly |
| For the only she; and—pauca, there's enough. |
| Go to. |
| [Enter the Boy.] |
| BOY: |
| Mine host Pistol, you must come to my master, and you, |
| hostess. He is very sick, and would to bed. Good Bardolph, put |
| thy face between his sheets, and do the office of a warming-pan. |
| Faith, he's very ill. |
| BARDOLPH: |
| Away, you rogue! |
| HOSTESS: |
| By my troth, he'll yield the crow a pudding one of these days. |
| The King has kill'd his heart. |
| Good husband, come home presently. |
| [Exeunt Hostess and Boy.] |
| BARDOLPH: |
| Come, shall I make you two friends? We must to France |
| together; why the devil should we keep knives to cut one |
| another's throats? |
| PISTOL: |
| Let floods o'erswell, and fiends for food howl on! |
| NYM: |
| You'll pay me the eight shillings I won of you at betting? |
| PISTOL: |
| Base is the slave that pays. |
| NYM: |
| That now I will have: that's the humour of it. |
| PISTOL: |
| As manhood shall compound. Push home. |
| [They draw.] |
| BARDOLPH: |
| By this sword, he that makes the first thrust, I'll kill |
| him; by this sword, I will. |
| PISTOL: |
| Sword is an oath, and oaths must have their course. |
| BARDOLPH: |
| Corporal Nym, and thou wilt be friends, be friends; an |
| thou wilt not, why, then, be enemies with me too. Prithee, |
| put up. |
| NYM: |
| I shall have my eight shillings I won from you at betting? |
| PISTOL: |
| A noble shalt thou have, and present pay; |
| And liquor likewise will I give to thee, |
| And friendship shall combine, and brotherhood. |
| I'll live by Nym, and Nym shall live by me. |
| Is not this just? For I shall sutler be |
| Unto the camp, and profits will accrue. |
| Give me thy hand. |
| NYM: |
| I shall have my noble? |
| PISTOL: |
| In cash most justly paid. |
| NYM: |
| Well, then, that's the humour of't. |
| [Re-enter Hostess.] |
| HOSTESS: |
| As ever you come of women, come in quickly to Sir John. |
| Ah, poor heart! he is so shak'd of a burning quotidian tertian, |
| that it is most lamentable to behold. Sweet men, come to him. |
| NYM: |
| The King hath run bad humours on the knight; that's the even |
| of it. |
| PISTOL: |
| Nym, thou hast spoke the right. |
| His heart is fracted and corroborate. |
| NYM: |
| The King is a good king; but it must be as it may; he |
| passes some humours and careers. |
| PISTOL: |
| Let us condole the knight; for, lambkins, we will live. |
| [Exeunt.] |
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