To whom they are directed: if you knew haste. Gent. My good lord, I guess their tenor. Arch. Like enough, you do. To-morrow, good Sir Michael, is a day, The king, with mighty and quick-raised power, What with the sickness of Northumberland, (Who with them was a rated sinew too, And comes not in, o'er-rul'd by prophecies,)— I fear the power of Percy is too weak To wage an instant trial with the king. Of favour, from myself and all our house; Gent. Why, good my lord, you need not fear; When yet you were in place and in account there's Douglas, And Mortimer. Arch. No, Mortimer's not there. Gent. But there is Mordake, Vernon, lord And there's my lord of Worcester; and a bead Arch. And so there is: but yet the king hath The special head of all the land together ;- Gent. Doubt not, my lord, they shall be well Arch. I hope no less, yet needful 'tis to fear; Therefore, make haste: I must go write again ACT V. Nothing so strong and fortunate as I. The dangers of the time: You swore to us,— The seat of Gaunt, dukedom of Lancaster: And such a flood of greatness fell on you,- What with the injuries of a wanton time; That even our love durst not come near your SCENE I.-The King's Camp near Shrews-We were enforc'd, for safety sake, to fly For fear of swallowing; but with nimble wing bury. Enter King HENRY, Prince HENRY, Prince K. Hen. How bloodily the sun begins to peer P. Hen. The southern wind For nothing can seem foul to those that win.- • A strength on which they reckoned. Out of your sight, and raise this present head: K. Hen. These things, indeed, you have arti culated, Proclaim'd at market-crosses, read in churches; With some fine colour, that may please the cye Of fickle changelings, and poor discontents, And never yet did insurrection want P. Hen. In both our armies, there is many Shall pay full dearly for this encounter, In praise of Henry Percy; By my hopes, Scene II. FIRST PART OF KING HENRY IV. I do not think a braver gentleman, And so, I hear, he doth account me too : I am content, that he shall take the odds Of his great name and estimation; And will, to save the blood on either side, Try fortune with him in a single fight. 407 Interpretation will misquote our looks; A bair-brain'd Hotspur, govern'd by a spleen : K. Hen. And, prince of Wales, so dare we In any case, the offer of the king. Albeit, considerations infinite Do make against it :-No, good Worcester, no, [Exeunt WORCESTER and VERNON. K. Hen. Hence, therefore, every leader to For, on their answer, will we set on them: [Exeunt KING, BLUNT, and Prince JOHN. Fal. Hal, if thou see me down in the battle, and bestride me so; 'tis a point of friend ship. P. Hen. Nothing but a Colossus can do thee that friendship. Say thy prayers, and farewell. Fal. I would it were bed-time, Hal, and all well. P. Hen. Why, thou owest God a death. Ver. Deliver what you will, I'll say, 'tis so. Enter HOTSPUR and DOUGLAS; and Officers Hot. My uncle is return'd :-Deliver up land. Hot. Lord Douglas, go you and tell him so. [Exit. Wor. There is no seeming mercy in the king. Hot. Did you beg any? God forbid ! thus, By now forswearing that he is forsworn : Re-enter DOUGLAS. Doug. Arm, gentlemen; to arms! for I have thrown that was engaged, did And nephew, challeng'd you to single fight. heads; [day, And that no man might draw short breath toBut I and Harry Monmouth! Tell me, tell me, How show'd his tasking? seem'd it in contempt ? [Exit. Fal. 'Tis not due yet; I would be loath to What need I be so pay him before his day. forward with him that calls not on me? Well, 'tis no matter; Honour pricks me on. Yea, but how if bonour prick me off when I come on: how then? Can honour set to a leg? No. Or an Ver. No, by my soul; I never in my life arm? No. Or take away the grief of a wound? No. Honour hath no skill in surgery then? No. Did hear a challenge urg'd more modestly, What is honour? a word. What is in that word, Unless a brother should a brother dare honour? What is that honour? Air. A trim To gentle exercise and proof of arms. He that died o' He gave you all the duties of a man ; up your praises with reckoning 1-Who hath it? tongue; Wednesday. Doth he feel it? No. Doth he Trimm'd' hear it? No. Is it insensible then? Yea, to the dead. But will it not live with the living? Spoke your deservings like a chronicle; No. Why? Detraction will not suffer it :-there- Making you ever better than his praise, fore I'll none of it: Honour is a mere scutcheon, By still dispraising praise, valued with you : [Exit. And, which became him like a prince indeed, and so ends my catechism. He made a blushing cital of himself; WOR-And chid his truant youth with such a grace, As if he master'd there a double spirit Of teaching and of learning, instantly. There did he pause: but let me tell the world, SCENE II.—The Rebel Camp.-Enter Wor. O no, my nephew must not The liberal kind offer of the king. Wor. Then are we all undone. It is not possible, it cannot be, know, The king should keep his word in loving us : • It is common for the king to be here seated on a a princely If he outlive the envy of this day, Better consider what you have to do, • Own. Enter a MESSENGER. Mess. My lord, here are letters for you. Hot. I cannot read them now.O gentlemen, the time of life is short: To spend that shortness basely, were too long, If life did ride upon a dial's point, Still ending at the arrival of an hour. An if we live, we live to tread on kings; If die, brave death, when princes die with us! Now for our conscience,-the arms are fair, When the intent of bearing them is just. Enter another MESSENGER. Walter Blunt; there's honour for you: Here's no vanity !—I am as hot as molten lead, and as heavy too: God keep lead out of me! I need no more weight than mine own bowels.-I have led my raggamuffins where they are peppered: there's but three of my hundred and fifty left alive; and they are for the town's end, to beg during life. But who comes here ? Enter Prince HENRY. P. Hen. What, stand'st thou idle here? lend me thy sword: Many a nobleman lies stark and stiff Mess. My lord, prepare; the king comes on Under the hoofs of vaunting enemies, apace. Hot. I thank him that he cuts me from my tale, For I profess not talking: Only this Let each man do his best: and here draw I excunt. SCENE III.-Plain near Shrewsbury. Excursions, and Parties fighting. Alarum to the Battle. Then enter DOUGLAS and BLUNT, meeting. Blunt. What is thy name, that in the battle thus Thou crossest me? what honour dost thou seek Upon my head? Doug. Know then, my name is Douglas; And I do haunt thee in the battle thus, Because some tell me that thou art a king. Blunt. They tell thee true. Doug. The lord of Stafford dear to-day hath bought Thy likeness; for, instead of thee, king Harry, [They fight, and BLUNT is slain. Hot. O Douglas, hadst thou fought at Holmedon thus, I never had triumph'd upon a Scot. Whose deaths are unreveng'd: Pr'ythee, lend thy sword: Fal. O Hal, 1 pr'ythee, give me leave to breathe a while.-Turk Gregory never did such deeds in arms, as I have done this day. I have paid Percy, I have made him sure. P. Hen. He is, indeed; and living to kill thee. Lend me thy sword, I pr'ythee. Fal. Nay, before God, Hal, if Percy be alive, thou get'st not my sword; but take my pistol, if thou wilt. P. Hen. Give it me: What, is it in the case! Fal. Ay, Hal; 'tis hot, 'tis hot; there's that will sack a city. [The Prince draws out a bottle of sack. P. Hen. What, is't a time to jest and dally now? [Throws it at him and exit. Fal. Well, if Percy be alive, I'll pierce him. If he do come in my way, so: if he do not, if I come in his willingly, let him make a carbonado of me. I like not such grinning bonour as Sir Walter hath: Give me life: which if I can save, so; if not, honour comes unlooked for, and there's an end. [Erit. SCENE IV.-Another part of the Field. Alarums. Excursions. Enter the KING, Prince HENRY, Prince JOHN, and WESTMORELAND. K. Hen. I pr❜ythee; [much :Harry, withdraw thyself; thou bleed'st too Lord John of Lancaster, go you with him. P. John. Not I, my lord, unless I did bleed too. P. Hen. I do beseech your majesty, make up, Lest your retirement do amaze your friends. K. Hen. I will do so : My lord of Westmoreland, lead him to his tent. West. Come, my lord, I will lead you to your tent P. Hen. Lead me, my lord? I do not need your help: Doug. All's done, all's won; here breathless And heaven forbid a shallow scratch should lies the king. Hot. Where ? Doug. Here. Hot. This, Douglas? no, I know this face full well: Other Alarums.-Enter FALSTAFF. Fal. Though I could 'scape shot-free at London, I fear the shot here; here's no scoring, drive The prince of Wales from such a field as this; P. John. We breathe too long:-Come, consin Westmoreland, Our duty this way lies; for God's sake, come. I did not think thee lord of such a spirit: K. Hen. I saw him hold lord Percy at the point, With lustier maintenance than I did look for P. Hen. Oh! this boy Alarums.-Enter DOUGLAS. [Exit. but upon the pate.-Soft! who art thou? Sir I am the Douglas, fatal to all those In resemblance. • A piece of meat cut crossways for the gridiron. HENRY IV That wear those colours on them.-What art So many of his shadows thou hast met, Doug. I fear thou art another counterfeit ; (They fight; the KING being in danger, enter Prince HENRY. P. Hen. Hold up thy head, vile Scot, or thou Never to bold it up again! the spirits That ever said I hearken'd for your death. . For worms, brave Percy: Fare thee Ill weav'd ambition, how much art thou shrunk ! If thou wert sensible of courtesy, I should not make so dear a show of zeal :- [Exit. Thy ignomy sleep with thee in the grave, Adieu, and take thy praise with thee tɔ heaven! [He sees FALSTAFF on the ground. But not remembered in thy epitaph!What! old acquaintance! could not all this flesh Keep in a little life? Poor Jack, farewell! I could have better spar'd a better man. OI should have a heavy miss of thee, If I were much in love with vanity. Death hath not struck so fat a deer to-day, Though many dearer, in this bloody fray :Embowell'd will I see thee by and by; Till then, in blood by noble Percy lie. Fal. [Rising slowly.] Embowelled! if thou 'Sblood, embowel me to-day, I'll give you leave to powder me, and eat me too, to-morrow. 'twas time to counterfeit, or that hot termagant Scot had paid me scot and lot too. Counterfeit? I lie, am no counterfeit: To die, is to be a counterfeit; for he is but the counterfeit of a man, who hath not the life of a man: but to counterfeit dying, when a man thereby liveth, is to be no counterfeit, but the true and perfect image of life indeed. The better part of valour Nich-is-discretion; in the which better part, I have saved my life. 'Zounds, I am afraid of this gunpowder Percy, though he be dead: How, if he should counterfeit too, and rise? I am Therefore I'll make him sure: yea, and I'll afraid he would prove the better counterfeit. swear I killed him. Why may not he rise, as well as I? nothing confutes me but eyes, and nobody sees me. Therefore, Sirrah, [Stabbing him.] with a new wound in your thigh, come you along with me. [Takes HOTSPUR on his back. Re-enter Prince HENRY and Prince JOHN. P. Hen. Come, brother John, full bravely hast thou flesh'd The insulting hand of Douglas over you; Enter HOTSPUR. P. Hen. Thou speak'st as if I would deny Hot. My name is Harry Percy. A very valiant rebel of the name. I am the prince of Wales; and think not, Percy, Hot. Nor shall it, Harry, for the hour is come Enter EALSTAFF. Het. O Harry, thou hast robb'd me of my [youth, I better brook the loss of brittle life, Than those prond titles thou hast won of me; They wound my thoughts, worse than thy sword [fool my flesh;But thought's the slave of life, and life time's And time, that takes survey of all the world, Must have a stop. OI could prophesy, But that the earthy and cold hand of death es on my tongue :-No, Percy, thou art dust, [Dies. And food for There is no reason to suppose that Hotspur was Thy maiden sword. P. John. But, soft! whom bave we here? Art thou alive? or is it fantasy our eyesight? We will not trust our eyes, without our ears :- Fal. No, that's certain; I am not a double P. Hen. Why, Percy I killed myself, and saw thee dead. Fal. Didst thou Lord, Lord, how this world is given to lying!-I grant you, I was down, and out of breath; and so was he: but we arose both at an instant, and fought a long hour by Shrewsbury clock. If I may be believed, so; I'll take it upon if not, let them that should reward valour bear the sin upon their own heads. my death, I gave him this wound in the thigh: if the man were alive, and would deny it, I would make him eat a piece of my sword. P. John. This is the strangest tale that e'er I heard. Scarf, with which he covers Percy s face. + Salt. 3 G P. Hen. This is the strangest fellow, brother Come, bring your luggage nobly on your back; [A Retreat is sounded. SCENE V.-Another part of the Field. The Trumpets sound.-Enter King HENRY, Prince HENRY, Prince JOHN, WESTMORELAND and others, with WORCESTER and VERNON, prisoners. P. Hen. Thus ever did rebellion find re- Ill-spirited Worcester! did we not send grace, And would'st thou turn our offers coutrary ? If, like a Christian, thou hadst truly borne K. Hen. Bear Worcester to the death, and Other offenders we will pause upon.- P. Hen. The noble Scot, lord Douglas, when The fortune of the day quite turn'd from him, K. Hen. With all my heart. P. Hen. Then, brother John of Lancaster to K. Hen. Then this remains, that we divide You, son John, and my cousin Westmoreland, To meet Northumberland and the prelate Who, as we hear, are busily in arms : Wor. What I have done, my safety urged me Meeting the check of such another day: to; And I embrace this fortune patiently, Since not to be avoided it falls on me. And since this business so fair is done, [Exeunt. |