SCENE I. Rochester. An inn yard. The First part of King Henry the Fourth  Shakespeare homepage  |  Henry IV, part 1  | Act 2, Scene 1 

 Previous scene  |  Next scene  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. 

 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. 

 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? 

 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? 

 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. 



 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' 

 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, 

 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 

 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 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  Shakespeare homepage  |  Henry IV, part 1  | Act 2, Scene 1 

 Previous scene  |  Next scene 