William Shakespeare: King Henry IV Part I

ACT II. 2. Scene II. The Road by Gads-hill. (continued)

FAL.
Have you any levers to lift me up again, being down? 'Sblood, I'll
not bear mine own flesh so far a-foot again for all the coin in thy
father's exchequer. What a plague mean ye to colt me thus?

PRINCE.
Thou liest; thou art not colted, thou art uncolted.

FAL.
I pr'ythee, good Prince Hal, help me to my horse, good king's
son.

PRINCE.
Out, ye rogue! shall I be your ostler?

FAL.
Go, hang thyself in thine own heir-apparent garters! If I be
ta'en, I'll peach for this. An I have not ballads made on you
all, and sung to filthy tunes, let a cup of sack be my poison.
When a jest is so forward, and a-foot too, I hate it.

[Enter Gadshill.]

GADS.
Stand!

FAL.
So I do, against my will.

POINTZ.
O, 'tis our setter: I know his voice.

[Comes forward with Bardolph and Peto.]

BARD.
What news?

GADS.
Case ye, case ye; on with your visards: there's money of
the King's coming down the hill; 'tis going to the King's
exchequer.

FAL.
You lie, ye rogue; 'tis going to the King's tavern.

GADS.
There's enough to make us all.

FAL.
To be hang'd.

PRINCE.
Sirs, you four shall front them in the narrow lane; Ned
Pointz and I will walk lower; if they 'scape from your
encounter, then they light on us.

PETO.
How many be there of them?

GADS.
Some eight or ten.