SCENE I. Gloucestershire. SHALLOW'S house. The Second part of King Henry the Fourth  Shakespeare homepage  |  Henry IV, part 2  | Act 5, Scene 1 

 Previous scene  |  Next scene  SCENE I. Gloucestershire. SHALLOW'S house. 

 Enter SHALLOW, FALSTAFF, BARDOLPH, and Page  SHALLOW  By cock and pie, sir, you shall not away to-night. 

 What, Davy, I say! 

 FALSTAFF  You must excuse me, Master Robert Shallow. 

 SHALLOW  I will not excuse you; you shall not be excused; 

 excuses shall not be admitted; there is no excuse 

 shall serve; you shall not be excused. Why, Davy! 



 Enter DAVY  DAVY  Here, sir. 

 SHALLOW  Davy, Davy, Davy, Davy, let me see, Davy; let me 

 see, Davy; let me see: yea, marry, William cook, 

 bid him come hither. Sir John, you shall not be excused. 

 DAVY  Marry, sir, thus; those precepts cannot be served: 

 and, again, sir, shall we sow the headland with wheat? 

 SHALLOW  With red wheat, Davy. But for William cook: are 

 there no young pigeons? 

 DAVY  Yes, sir. Here is now the smith's note for shoeing 

 and plough-irons. 

 SHALLOW  Let it be cast and paid. Sir John, you shall not be excused. 

 DAVY  Now, sir, a new link to the bucket must need be 

 had: and, sir, do you mean to stop any of William's 

 wages, about the sack he lost the other day at 

 Hinckley fair? 

 SHALLOW  A' shall answer it. Some pigeons, Davy, a couple 

 of short-legged hens, a joint of mutton, and any 

 pretty little tiny kickshaws, tell William cook. 

 DAVY  Doth the man of war stay all night, sir? 

 SHALLOW  Yea, Davy. I will use him well: a friend i' the 

 court is better than a penny in purse. Use his men 

 well, Davy; for they are arrant knaves, and will backbite. 

 DAVY  No worse than they are backbitten, sir; for they 

 have marvellous foul linen. 

 SHALLOW  Well conceited, Davy: about thy business, Davy. 

 DAVY  I beseech you, sir, to countenance William Visor of 

 Woncot against Clement Perkes of the hill. 

 SHALLOW  There is many complaints, Davy, against that Visor: 

 that Visor is an arrant knave, on my knowledge. 

 DAVY  I grant your worship that he is a knave, sir; but 

 yet, God forbid, sir, but a knave should have some 

 countenance at his friend's request. An honest 

 man, sir, is able to speak for himself, when a knave 

 is not. I have served your worship truly, sir, 

 this eight years; and if I cannot once or twice in 

 a quarter bear out a knave against an honest man, I 

 have but a very little credit with your worship. The 

 knave is mine honest friend, sir; therefore, I 

 beseech your worship, let him be countenanced. 

 SHALLOW  Go to; I say he shall have no wrong. Look about, Davy. 



 Exit DAVY  Where are you, Sir John? Come, come, come, off 

 with your boots. Give me your hand, Master Bardolph. 

 BARDOLPH  I am glad to see your worship. 

 SHALLOW  I thank thee with all my heart, kind 

 Master Bardolph: and welcome, my tall fellow. 



 To the Page  Come, Sir John. 

 FALSTAFF  I'll follow you, good Master Robert Shallow. 



 Exit SHALLOW  Bardolph, look to our horses. 



 Exeunt BARDOLPH and Page  If I were sawed into quantities, I should make four 

 dozen of such bearded hermits' staves as Master 

 Shallow. It is a wonderful thing to see the 

 semblable coherence of his men's spirits and his: 

 they, by observing of him, do bear themselves like 

 foolish justices; he, by conversing with them, is 

 turned into a justice-like serving-man: their 

 spirits are so married in conjunction with the 

 participation of society that they flock together in 

 consent, like so many wild-geese. If I had a suit 

 to Master Shallow, I would humour his men with the 

 imputation of being near their master: if to his 

 men, I would curry with Master Shallow that no man 

 could better command his servants. It is certain 

 that either wise bearing or ignorant carriage is 

 caught, as men take diseases, one of another: 

 therefore let men take heed of their company. I 

 will devise matter enough out of this Shallow to 

 keep Prince Harry in continual laughter the wearing 

 out of six fashions, which is four terms, or two 

 actions, and a' shall laugh without intervallums. O, 

 it is much that a lie with a slight oath and a jest 

 with a sad brow will do with a fellow that never 

 had the ache in his shoulders! O, you shall see him 

 laugh till his face be like a wet cloak ill laid up! 

 SHALLOW  [Within]  Sir John! 

 FALSTAFF  I come, Master Shallow; I come, Master Shallow. 



 Exit  Shakespeare homepage  |  Henry IV, part 2  | Act 5, Scene 1 

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