It will be vain to endeavour to prevent many tender-hearted readers, who sigh over the horrors of a battle, from wishing, that the prince's challenge to Hotspur, had produced the single combat he desired; and, that the victory of the day had been so decided.

Such tender, and compassionate persons, should not suffer their estimation of honour thus to sink into an equality with the cowardly Falstaff's; but they should call to mind-that, though it was, in ancient times, considered as a token of valour, for a prince at the head of an army, to challenge to single contest the chief warrior on the opposite side; yet, in modern days, when a powerful monarch threw his gauntlet down, to save the effusion of blood, this act of self-sacrifice was considered as a token of mere mad

DRAMATIS PERSONÆ.

HENRY IV. KING OF ENGLAND

Mr. Murray. HENRY, PRINCE or Wales Mr. C. Kemble. PRINCE JOHN OF LANCASTER Mr. Curties. EARL OF WESTMORELAND Mr. Waddy. ARCHIBALD, Earl of DOUGLAS Mr. Claremont. EARL OF WORCESTER

Mr. Cory. EARL OF NORTHUMBE P. LAND Mr. Creswell. HOTSPUR

Mr. Kemble. Sir WALTER BLUNT

Mr. Chapman. Sir RichARD VERNON

Mr. Brunton. Sir John FALSTAFF

Mr. Cooke, SHERIFF

Mr. Field, Poins

Mr. Farley.
RABY

Mr. Klanert.
Mr. Abbot,

Mr. Lewiss.
TRAVELLERS

Mr. Reeves.

Mr. Powers. GADSHILL

Mr. Wilde. BARDOLPH

Mr. Davenport. Peto

Mr. Atkins. FIRST CARRIER

Mr. Emery. SECOND CARRIER

Mr. Beverly. FRANCIS

Mr. Knight. Ostler

Mr. Truman

KING HENRY IV.

THE FIRST PART.

ACT THE FIRST.

SCENE I.

The Palace in London.

Flourish of Trumpets and Drums.

KING HENRY, Prince John of LANCASTER, EARL

OF WESTMORELAND, SIR RICHARD Vernon, SIR WALTER BLUNT, and other GENTLEMEN discovered.

K. Hen. So shaken as we are, so wan with care, Find we a time for frighted peace to pant. No more the thirsty entrants of this soil Shall daub her lips with her own children's blood; No more shall trenching war channel her fields, Nor bruise her flowrets with the armed hoofs Of hostile paces : Therefore, friends, As far as to the sepulchre of Christ

go:

Forthwith a power of English shall we levy,
To chase these pagans, in those holy fields,
Over whose acres walk'd those blessed feet,
Which, fourteen hundred years ago, were nail'd,
For our advantage, on the bitter cross.
But this our purpose now is twelvemonth old,
And bootless 'tis to tell you—we

will
Therefore we meet not now.Then let me hear
Of you, my gentle cousin Westmoreland,
What yesternight our council dià decree,
In forwarding this dear expedience.

West. My liege, this haste was hot in question,
And many limits of the charge set down
But yesternight: when, all athwart, there came
A post from Wales, laden with heavy news;
Whose worst was, that the noble Mortimer,
Leading the men of Herefordshire to fight
Against the irregular and wild Glendower,
Was by the rude hands of that Welshman taken,
And a thousand of his people butchered.
K. Hen. It seems, then, that the tidings of this

broil
Brake off our business for the Holy Land.
West. This, match'd with other, did, my gracious

lord;
For more uneven, and unwelcome news,
Came from the north, and thus it did import.
On Holy-rood day, the gallant Hotspur there,
Young Harry Percy, and brave Archibald,
That ever-valiant and approved Scot,
At Holmedon met,
Where they did spend a sad and bloody hour;
As by discharge of their artillery,
And shape of likelihood, the news was told ;
For he, that brought them, in the very heat
And pride of their contention, did take horse,
Uncertain of the issue any way.

K. Hen. Here is a dear, a true-industrious friend,

Sir Walter Blunt, new lighted from his horse,
And he hath brought us smooth and welcome news.
The Earl of Douglas is discomfited
On Holmedon's plains : of prisoners, Hotspur took
Mordake, the Earl of Fife, and eldest son
To beaten Douglas; and the Earls
Oi Athol, Murray, Angus, and Menteith.
And is not this an honourable spoil?
A gallant prize? ha, cousin, is it not?

West. It is a conquest for a prince to boast of.
K. Hen. Yea, there thou mak'st me sad, and mak’st

me sin

In envy

that
my

Lord Northumberland
Should be the father of so bless'd a son:
A son, who is the theme of honour's tongue;
Whilst 1, by looking on the praise of him,
See riot and dishonour stain the brow
Of my young Harry. Oh, that it could be prov'd,
That some night-tripping fairy bad exchang’d
In cradle-clothes, our children, where they lay,
And call’d mine-Percy, his—Plantagenet!
Then would I have his Harry, and he mine.
But let him from my thoughts :-What think you,

CO2, Of this young Percy's pride ? the prisoners, Which he, in this adventure, hath surpris’d, To his own use he keeps; and sends me word, I shall have none but Mordake, Earl of Fife. West. This is his uncle's teaching, this is Worces

ter, Malevolent to you, in all aspects.

K. Hen. But I have sent for him to answer this; And, for this cause, awhile, we must neglect Our holy purpose to Jerusalem.

[Rises. Cousin, on Wednesday next, our council we Will hold at Windsor, so inform the lords : But come yourself with speed to us again ;