Page:Henry IV Part 2 (1921) Yale.djvu/57

King Henry the Fourth, II. iv

bung, away! By this wine, I'll thrust my knife

in your mouldy chaps an you play the saucy

cuttle with me. Away, you bottle-ale rascal!

you basket-hilt stale juggler, you! Since when,

I pray you, sir? God's light! with two points

on your shoulder? much!

Pist. God let me not live but I will murder

your ruff for this!

[Attacking her, and tearing her ruff.]

Fal. No more, Pistol: I would not have you

go off here. Discharge yourself of our company,

Pistol.

Host. No, good captain Pistol; not here,

sweet captain.

Dol. Captain! thou abominable damned

cheater, art thou not ashamed to be called

captain? An captains were of my mind, they

would truncheon you out for taking their names

upon you before you have earned them. You

a captain, you slave! for what? for tearing a

poor whore's ruff in a bawdy-house? He a

captain! Hang him, rogue! He lives upon

mouldy stewed prunes and dried cakes. A

captain! God's light, these villains will make

the word captain as odious as the word 'occupy,'

which was an excellent good word before it was

ill sorted: therefore captains had need look to 't.

Bard. Pray thee, go down, good ancient.

Fal. Hark thee hither, Mistress Doll.

Pist. Not I; I tell thee what, Corporal Bar-

 136 bung: slang for 'sharper'

137 chaps: jaws

138 cuttle: slang for 'cut purse'

139 basket-hilt: referring to the basket-shaped steel hand-guard on the hilt of Pistol's sword

juggler: trickster

Since when, etc.: a cant exclamation of scorn

140 two points: shoulder tags, mark of an army commission

159 occupy; cf. n. 