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BOOL LIB 31.000 1975

OXFORD

The FIRST PART of

HENRY IV.

WITH THE

LIFE and DEATH

O F

Henry Sirnam'd Hot-Spur.

DRAMATIS PERSONA.

KING HENRY the Fourth.

HENRY, Prince of Wales,
JOHN, Prince of Lancaster, S

Sons to the King.

WORCESTER,

NORTHUMBERLAND,"

HOT-SPUR,

MORTIMER,

Archbishop of YORK,

DOWGLAS,

OWEN GLENDOWER,

Sir RICHARD VERNON,

Sir MICHELL,

WESTMORLAND,

Enemies to the King.

Sir WALTER BLUNT, of the King's Party.

Sir JOHN FALSTAFF.

POINS,
GADS-HILL,
PETO,

BARDOLPH,

}

Companions of Falstaff.

Lady PERCY, Wife to Hotfpur.

Lady MORTIMER, Daughter to Glendower, and Wife to

Mortimer.

Hoftefs QUICKLY.

Sheriff, Vintner, Chamberlain, Drawers, two Carriers, Travellers, and Attendants.

SCENE, ENGLAND,

THE

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The Court at LONDON.

Enter King Henry, Lord John of Lancaster, Earl of Westmorland, and others.

K. Henry.

S

O fhaken as we are, fo wan with care,
Find we a time for frighted peace to pant,
And breathe short-winded accents of new

broils

To be commenc'd in ftronds afar remote ! No more the thirsty entrance of this foil

Shall dawb her lips with her own children's blood:
No more fhall trenching War channel her fields,
Nor bruise her flowrets with the armed hoofs

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Of hoftile paces. Thofe oppofed arms
Which like the meteors of a troubled heav'n,
All of one nature, of one fubftance bred,
Did lately meet in the inteftine fhock

And

And furious clofe of civil butchery,
Shall now in mutual well-beseeming ranks
March all one way, and be no more oppos'd
Against acquaintance, kindred, and allies:
The edge of war, like an ill-fheathed knife,
No more fhall cut his mafter. Therefore, friends,
As far as to the fepulchre of Chrift,

(Whose foldier now, under whofe bleffed Cross
We are impreffed, and engag'd to fight)
Forthwith a power of English fhall we levy;
Whose arms were moulded in their mother's womb,
To chafe thefe pagans, in thofe holy fields.
Over whofe acres walk'd thofe bleffed feet
Which, fourteen hundred years ago, were nail'd
For our advantage on the bitter Crofs.

But this our purpose is a twelvemonth old,
And bootlefstis to tell you we will go:
Therefore we meet not now.

Then let me hear

Of you, my gentle coufin Weftmorland,

What yefternight our council did decree,
In forwarding this dear expedience.

Weft. My Liege, this hafte was hot in question,
And many limits of the charge fet down

:

But yefternight when all athwart there came
A poft from Wales, loaden with heavy news;
Whose worst was, that the noble Mortimer,
Leading the men of Herefordshire to fight
Against th' irregular and wild Glendower,
Was by the rude hands of that Welfoman taken;
A thousand of his people butchered,
Upon whofe dead corps there was fuch misuse,
Such beaftly fhameless transformation

By thofe Welforwomen done, as may not be

Without much fhame re-told or spoken of.

K. Henry. It seems then, that the tidings of this broil

Brake off our bufinefs for the holy land.

Weft. This, matcht with other like, my gracious Lord; Farther uneven and unwelcome news

Came from the North, and thus it did import.
On holy-rood day, the gallant Hot-fpur there

Young

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