Page:Henry IV Part 1 (1917) Yale.djvu/19

King Henry the Fourth, I. ii 

Fal. 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 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 flame-colour'd taffeta, I see no

reason why thou shouldst be so superfluous to

demand the time of the day.

Fal. Indeed, you come near me now, Hal;

for we that take purses go by the moon and the

seven stars, and not by Phœbus, he, 'that wan-

dering 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?

Fal. 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.

Fal. Marry, then, sweet wag, when thou art

 3 sack: sweet Spanish wine 9 bawds: panders 10 leaping-houses: brothels 16 Cf. n.

19-33 Cf. n.

24 roundly: plainly, to the point 26 Marry: an interjection, well; originally an oath, by the Virgin Mary 