Page 1029 - Shakespeare - Vol. 2

PRINCE

Peace! [reads] ‘I will imitate the honourable Romans in brevity.’ [115]

POINS
He sure means brevity in breath, short-winded.

[PRINCE
reads]
‘I commend me to thee, I commend thee, and I leave thee. Be not too

familiar with Poins, for he misuses thy favours so much that he swears thou
art to marry his sister Nell. Repent at idle times as thou mayest, [120] and so
farewell.
‘Thine, by yea and no, which is as much as to say, as thou usest him, JACK
FALSTAFF with my familiars, JOHN with my brothers and sisters, and SIR JOHN with

all Europe.’ [125]

POINS
My lord, I’ll steep this letter in sack and make him eat it.

PRINCE
That’s to make him eat twenty of his words. But do you use me thus, Ned?
Must I marry your sister?

POINS
God send the wench no worse fortune! But I never [130] said so.

PRINCE

Well, thus we play the fools with the time, and the spirits of the wise sit in
the clouds and mock us. Is your master here in London?

BARDOLPH
Yea, my lord. [135]

PRINCE
Where sups he? Doth the old boar feed in the old frank?

BARDOLPH