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France. The English camp.
[Enter FLUELLEN and GOWER]
GOWER
Nay, that's right: but why wear you your leek today? Saint Davy's day is
past.
FLUELLEN
There is occasions and causes why and wherefore in all things: I will tell
you asse my friend, Captain Gower; the rascally, scald, beggarly, lousy,
pragging knave Pistol, which you and yourself, and all the world, know to be
no petter than a fellow, look you now, of no merits: he is come to me, and
prings me pread and salt yesterday, look you, and bid me eat my leek: it was
in a place where I could not breed no contention with him; but I will be so
bold as to wear it in my cap till I see him once again, and then I will tell
him a little piece of my desires.
[Enter PISTOL]
GOWER
Why here he comes, swelling like a turkey-cock.
FLUELLEN
'Tis no matter for his swellings, nor his turkey-cocks. God pless you
Aunchient Pistol: you scurvy lousy knave, God pless you.
PISTOL
Ha, art thou bedlam? dost thou thirst, base Trojan, to have me fold up
Parca's fatal web? Hence; I am qualmish at the smell of leek.
FLUELLEN
I peseech you heartily, scurvy lousy knave, at my desires, and my requests,
and my petitions, to eat, look you, this leek; because, look you, you do not
love it, nor your affections, and your appetites and your digestions does
not agree with it, I would desire you to eat it.
PISTOL
Not for Cadwallader and all his goats.
FLUELLEN
There is one goat for you. [Strikes him] Will you be so good, scauld knave,
as eat it?
PISTOL
Base Trojan, thou shalt die.
FLUELLEN
You say very true, scauld knave, when God's will is: I will desire you to
live in the meantime, and eat your victuals: come, there is sauce for it.
You called me yesterday mountain-squire, but I will make you
today a squire of low degree. I pray you fall to, if you can mock a leek,
you can eat a leek.
GOWER
Enough captain, you have astonished him.
FLUELLEN
I say, I will make him eat some part of my leek, or I will peat his pate
four days: Bite I pray you, it is good for your green wound, and your ploody
coxcomb.
PISTOL
Must I bite.
FLUELLEN
Yes certainly, and out of doubt and out of question too, and ambiguities.
PISTOL
By this leek, I will most horribly revenge: I eat and eat I swear.
FLUELLEN
Eat I pray you, will you have some more sauce to your leek: there is not
enough leek to swear by.
PISTOL
Quiet thy cudgel, thou dost see I eat.
FLUELLEN
Much good do you scauld knave, heartily. Nay, pray you throw none away,
the skin is good for your broken coxcomb; When you take occasions to see
leeks hereafter, I pray you mock at 'em, that is all.
PISTOL
Good.
FLUELLEN
Aye, leeks is good: hold you, there is a groat to heal your pate.
PISTOL
Me a groat?
FLUELLEN
Yes verily, and in truth you shall take it, or I have another leek in my
pocket, which you shall eat.
PISTOL
I take thy groat in earnest of revenge.
FLUELLEN
If I owe you any thing, I will pay you in cudgels, you shall be a
woodmonger, and buy nothing of me but cudgels: God be with you, and keep
you, and heal your pate.
[Exit]
PISTOL
All hell shall stir for this.
GOWER
Go, go, you are a counterfeit cowardly knave, will you mock at an ancient
tradition began upon an honorable respect, and worn as a memorable trophy
of predeceased valor, and dare not avouch in your deeds any of your words? I
have seen you gleeking and galling at this gentleman twice or thrice. You
thought, because he could not speak English in the native garb, he could not
therefore handle an English cudgel: you find it otherwise, and henceforth
let a Welsh correction, teach you a good English condition, fare ye well.
[Exit]
PISTOL
Doth Fortune play the huswife with me now? News have I that my Nell is dead
in the spital of malady of France, and there my rendezvous is quite cut off:
Old I do wax, and from my weary limbs honor is cudgelled. Well, bawd I'll
turn, and something lean to cutpurse of quick hand: To England will I steal,
and there I'll steal:
, ,
, ,
, ,
And patch|es will | I get | unto | these
cud|gelled scars,
, ,
, , 2
, oo
And swear | I got | them in | the Gal|lia wars.|
(hex with prev)
[Exit]