William Shakespeare: King Henry IV Part II

ACT V. 3. SCENE III. Gloucestershire. Shallow's orchard.

[Enter Falstaff, Shallow, Silence, Davy, Bardolph, and the Page.]

SHALLOW.
Nay, you shall see my orchard, where, in an arbour, we will eat
a last year's pippin of mine own graffing, with a dish of caraways,
and so forth: come, cousin Silence: and then to bed.

FALSTAFF.
'Fore God, you have here a goodly dwelling and a rich.

SHALLOW.
Barren, barren, barren; beggars all, beggars all, Sir John:
marry, good air. Spread, Davy; spread, Davy: well said, Davy.

FALSTAFF.
This Davy serves you for good uses; he is your serving-man
and your husband.

SHALLOW.
A good varlet, a good varlet, a very good varlet, Sir John:
by the mass, I have drunk too much sack at supper: a good
varlet. Now sit down, now sit down: come, cousin.

SILENCE.
Ah, sirrah! quoth-a, we shall
Do nothing but eat, and make good cheer,

[Singing.]

And praise God for the merry year;
When flesh is cheap and females dear,
And lusty lads roam here and there
So merrily,
And ever among so merrily.

FALSTAFF.
There's a merry heart! Good Master Silence, I'll give you
a health for that anon.

SHALLOW.
Give Master Bardolph some wine, Davy.

DAVY.
Sweet sir, sit; I'll be with you anon; most sweet sir, sit.
Master page, good master page, sit. Proface!
What you want in meat, we'll have in drink:
but you must bear; the heart 's all.

[Exit.]

SHALLOW.
Be merry, Master Bardolph; and, my little soldier there,
be merry.

SILENCE.
Be merry, be merry, my wife has all;

[Singing.]

For women are shrews, both short and tall;
'Tis merry in hall when beards wag all;
And welcome merry Shrove-tide.
Be merry, be merry.

FALSTAFF.
I did not think Master Silence had been a man of this mettle.