SHALLOW
Give me pardon sir; if sir you come with news from the Court, I
take it there's but two ways, either to utter them, or to conceal
them. I am sir under the King in some authority.
PISTOL
Under which king, Besonian? Speak or die.
SHALLOW
Under King Harry.
PISTOL
Harry the Fourth or, Fifth?
SHALLOW
Harry the Fourth.
PISTOL
A foutra for thine office!
Sir John, thy tender lambkin now is King.
Harry the Fifth's the man. I speak the truth.
When Pistol lies, do this, and fig me, like
The bragging Spaniard.

In this exchange from Henry IV, Part II, Falstaff's world is on the brink of transformation. Pistol arrives with the news that King Henry IV has died, and his son, Hal—now Henry V—is the new monarch. Pistol's abrupt question, "Under which king, Besonian? Speak or die," highlights the uncertainty and political tension surrounding the transition of power. The term "Besonian" is a derogatory term for a beggar or base fellow, underscoring Pistol's disdain for Justice Shallow's self-importance. Shallow's bumbling allegiance to "Harry the Fourth" further emphasizes his detachment from the political upheaval at hand. The announcement that "Harry the Fifth's the man" signifies a shift in royal power and foreshadows Falstaff's impending downfall, as his former tavern companion ascends the throne. Pistol's comparison to "the bragging Spaniard" illustrates his bravado and theatrics, injecting a sardonic tone into this moment of significant change.