First my fear, then my curtsy, last my speech. My
fear is your displeasure, my curtsy my duty, and my
speech, to beg your pardons. If you look for a good
speech now, you undo me, for what I have to say is
of mine own making, and what indeed I should say 5
will, I doubt, prove mine own marring.
But to the purpose, and so to the venture. Be it
known to you, as it is very well, I was lately here in
the end of a displeasing play to pray your patience
for it and to promise you a better. I meant indeed to 10
pay you with this, which, if like an ill venture it
come unluckily home, I break, and you, my gentle
creditors, lose. Here I promised you I would be,
and here I commit my body to your mercies. Bate
me some, and I will pay you some, and, as most 15
debtors do, promise you infinitely. And so I kneel
down before you, but, indeed, to pray for the
Queen.
If my tongue cannot entreat you to acquit me,
will you command me to use my legs? And yet that 20
were but light payment, to dance out of your debt.
But a good conscience will make any possible
satisfaction, and so would I. All the gentlewomen
here have forgiven me; if the gentlemen will not,
then the gentlemen do not agree with the gentlewomen, 25
which was never seen before in such an
assembly.
One word more, I beseech you: if you be not too
much cloyed with fat meat, our humble author will
continue the story, with Sir John in it, and make 30
you merry with fair Katherine of France, where, for
anything I know, Falstaff shall die of a sweat, unless
already he be killed with your hard opinions; for
Oldcastle died a martyr, and this is not the man.
My tongue is weary; when my legs are too, I will bid 35
you good night. | One of the actors (probably the guy who played Falstaff) comes on stage and delivers an Epilogue (a final speech to the audience). There's the usual hemming and hawing about how terrible the play was and how he hopes the audience will forgive him for being part of such a lousy play but maybe they'll be kind enough to clap anyway. Then there's a promise to continue the story of Falstaff in the next play, along with the story of Hal's future wife, Catherine. The speaker also makes a disclaimer about how Falstaff is not based on the historic figure, Sir John Oldcastle. (Falstaff's original name was "Sir John Oldcastle" in Henry IV Part 1. But, when the descendants of the historical Sir John Oldcastle pitched a fit, Shakespeare changed the name of his disgraceful knight to "Falstaff.") Then the speaker does a jig, which is a lively and bawdy dance number. |