Original: I know thee not, old man. Fall to thy prayers.
Modern: I don’t know you, old man. Go pray for your soul.

Original: How ill white hairs become a fool and jester!
Modern: How disgraceful it is for an old man to act like a clown and joker!

Original: I have long dreamt of such a kind of man,
Modern: I’ve been dreaming about a man like you for a long time,

Original: So surfeit-swell’d, so old, and so profane;
Modern: So bloated from excess, so old, and so disrespectful;

Original: But being awak’d, I do despise my dream.
Modern: But now that I’m awake, I hate that dream.

Original: Make less thy body hence, and more thy grace;
Modern: From now on, shrink your body and grow your virtue;

Original: Leave gormandizing; know the grave doth gape
Modern: Stop overeating; realize that the grave is opening wide

Original: For thee thrice wider than for other men—
Modern: Three times wider for you than for other men—

Original: Reply not to me with a fool-born jest;
Modern: Don’t respond to me with stupid jokes;

Original: Presume not that I am the thing I was,
Modern: Don’t assume I’m the same person I used to be,

Original: For God doth know, so shall the world perceive,
Modern: Because God knows, and the world will see,

Original: That I have turn’d away my former self;
Modern: That I have rejected my old self;

Original: So will I those that kept me company.
Modern: And I’ll also reject those who hung around with me.

Original: When thou dost hear I am as I have been,
Modern: When you hear that I’ve gone back to my old ways,

Original: Approach me, and thou shalt be as thou wast,
Modern: Come see me, and you can be what you were before,

Original: The tutor and the feeder of my riots.
Modern: The teacher and supporter of my wild behavior.

Original: Till then I banish thee, on pain of death,
Modern: Until then I’m exiling you, under penalty of death,

Original: As I have done the rest of my misleaders,
Modern: Just as I’ve done with the rest of those who led me astray,

Original: Not to come near our person by ten mile.
Modern: Not to come within ten miles of me.

Original: For competence of life I will allow you,
Modern: I’ll give you enough money to live on,

Original: That lack of means enforce you not to evils;
Modern: So that poverty doesn’t force you into crime;

Original: And, as we hear you do reform yourselves,
Modern: And, as we hear that you’re reforming yourselves,

Original: We will, according to your strengths and qualities,
Modern: We will, based on your abilities and character,

Original: Give you advancement. Be it your charge, my lord,
Modern: Promote you. Let it be your responsibility, my lord,

Original: To see perform’d the tenour of our word.
Modern: To make sure my commands are carried out.

Original: Set on.
Modern: Let’s go.

In Act V, Scene 5 of Henry IV, Part 2, the newly crowned King Henry V processes through the streets of London following his coronation. Falstaff, accompanied by Shallow, Pistol, Bardolph, and the Page, eagerly awaits the King’s arrival, confident that his former companion Prince Hal will now shower him with favor and advancement. Falstaff is boisterous and excited, believing his fortunes are about to change dramatically now that his old friend has become king. He speaks with bravado to his companions about the influence and power he expects to wield, even borrowing money from Justice Shallow in anticipation of his imminent elevation.

When King Henry V finally appears with his procession, including the Lord Chief Justice, Falstaff calls out to him familiarly as “King Hal” and “my royal Hal.” However, the new King publicly and coldly rejects Falstaff, telling him “I know thee not, old man” and delivering a stern rebuke about presuming upon their former acquaintance. Henry banishes Falstaff from his presence, forbidding him to come within ten miles of the court on pain of death, though he promises him competence (a sufficient living) if he reforms his life. The King then departs with his train, leaving Falstaff stunned. The Lord Chief Justice orders Falstaff and his companions to be taken to the Fleet prison, and Prince John of Lancaster expresses satisfaction that the King has chosen him and the Lord Chief Justice as his chief advisors, predicting that war with France will soon follow.

Henry IV, Part Two - Summary of Events

The play opens with Rumour spreading false news that Hotspur has defeated King Henry IV at Shrewsbury. Northumberland soon learns the truth: his son Hotspur is dead, and the rebellion has failed. Despite his grief and calls from his allies to continue the fight, Northumberland eventually flees to Scotland. Meanwhile, the rebel leaders—the Archbishop of York, Lord Mowbray, and Lord Hastings—gather forces for a new uprising against the King.

Prince Hal continues his time in the taverns of Eastcheap with Falstaff, Mistress Quickly, Doll Tearsheet, and his companions. Falstaff, deep in debt and pursued by the Hostess for unpaid bills, manipulates his way out of trouble and is eventually called to join the King’s forces. The King himself is gravely ill and troubled by insomnia, burdened by guilt over how he obtained the crown. He laments that Hal remains irresponsible and fears for England’s future under his son’s rule.

In Gaultree Forest, Prince John of Lancaster meets with the rebels under a flag of truce. He promises to address their grievances, and the rebel leaders dismiss their armies. Once the rebel forces disperse, Prince John arrests the leaders for treason and orders their execution. When the dying King Henry hears of this victory and later finds Hal with the crown at his bedside (believing him dead, Hal had taken it), father and son reconcile. Henry dies, and Hal becomes King Henry V.

As the new king, Henry V publicly rejects Falstaff, who arrives expecting rewards and favor. The King banishes his former companion from his presence, promises him support at a distance, but makes clear their relationship is over. The Lord Chief Justice is retained in his position, and the new king prepares to rule England. The epilogue promises that the story will continue with Henry V’s wars in France and hints that Falstaff will appear again.