Page 1649 - Shakespeare - Vol. 2

And I:
If wishes would prevail with me,
My purpose should not fail with me, [15]
But thither would I hie.

BOY
As duly,

But not as truly,
As bird doth sing on bough.

Enter Fluellen.

FLUELLEN
[God’s plud!] Up to the breach, you dogs! [20] Avaunt, you cullions!
Beats them in.

PISTOL
Be merciful, great duke, to men of mould!
Abate thy rage, abate thy manly rage;
Abate thy rage, great duke!
Good bawcock, bate thy rage; use lenity, sweet chuck! [25]

NYM

These be good humours! your honour wins bad humours.
Exit [with Pistol and Bardolph].

BOY
As young as I am, I have observed these three swashers. I am boy to them
all three, but all they three, though they would serve me, could not be man
to me; [30] for indeed three such antics do not amount to a man. For

Bardolph, be is white-livered and red-faced; by the means whereof a’ faces it
out, but fights not. For Pistol, he hath a killing tongue and a quiet sword; by
the means whereof a’ breaks words, and keeps whole weapons. For [35]
Nym, he bath heard that men of few words are the best men; and therefore

he scorns to say his prayers, lest a’ should be thought a coward: but his few
bad words are matched with as few good deeds; for a’ never broke any man’s
head but his own, and that was against a post [40] when he was drunk. They
will steal any thing and call it purchase. Bardolpb stole a lute-case, bore it