As Falstaff and his beggarly troops approached Coventry, Prince Henry overtook them, crying, "How now, blown Jack, how now?" and he bid Sir John to make haste, for Percy was already in the field. As well as he might, with such a rascally following, the fat knight made his way to Shrewsbury, and led his ragamuffins into the fight, where they were peppered until there were not three of the hundred and fifty alive. The knight himself, by reason of a prudent expenditure of courage, went unhurt, but he was mortally afraid of the shot, and crept out of its reach whenever he could decently do so. Thus prowling about the field, he found the body of Sir Walter Blunt, who had fallen in combat with Douglas, the Scot taking him to be the king himself, because he wore a suit of armour like Henry's own, which several other knights had also done to protect the king against those who should aim especially at his life.

As Falstaff ruminated over the body of the dead warrior, Prince Henry came up in search of a sword. "What?" he cried, "do you stand idle here when many a nobleman whose death is unrevenged lies stark and stiff under the hoofs of vaunting enemies?" Then he demanded Falstaff's sword, who asked for leave to breathe a while, for, he said, Turk Gregory never did such deeds in arms as he had done that day, for he had slain Percy himself. "He is living to kill thee; but, prithee, lend me thy sword," answered the prince. Falstaff said that if Percy were in

deed alive he would keep his sword; but he offered Prince Hal his pistol. "What, is it in the case?" asked the prince, for Sir John had handed him a case-bottle. "Ay, Hal," he said; "'tis hot, 'tis hot; there's that within will sack a city." The prince drew out the bottle, which at another time he would have taken as a merry jest,› and, frowning upon the knight, threw it at him and rode swiftly away to find the king. When he came up with him, King Henry was alarmed because his son was wounded and bleeding. He bid him withdraw from the fight, and told John, his brother, to go with him; but the younger son said he would not unless he bled too, whereupon the king directed Westmoreland to lead Prince Hal to his tent. "Lead me, my lord?" proudly said the prince.

"I do not need your help. Heaven forbid a shallow scratch should drive the Prince of Wales from such a field as this!"

As they stood thus in colloquy the Douglas approached, and, seeing this time the real king and supposing him to be another knight in disguise, he said, "What art thou that counterfeit❜st the person of a king?"

"The king himself," answered King Henry, and he fixed his weapon for the attack, bidding Douglas to defend himself. The Scot still doubted the king's identity, but he acknowledged that the knight bore himself like a king; whereupon they met hand to hand, and presently the king was like to have been wounded; but Prince Henry, who stood

watchfully by, saw his father's danger, and, in spite of his own wounds, took the fight upon himself. So bravely and so mightily did he oppose the Douglas, that in a brief space he put him to flight. Then he turned to his father, saying, "Cheerily, my lord; how fares your grace?" The king was unharmed; but was touched deeply by his son's devotion and prowess. “You have redeemed your lost opinion and shown that you value my life," he said. Prince Henry replied that they did him too much injury that ever said he desired the king's death; and thus by courage and devotion the wayward son atoned for a misspent youth.

The king parted from him now, for it became necessary to look to his forces; and just at the self-same moment Hotspur rode up in search of the Prince of Wales. "If I mistake not," he said, "thou art Harry Monmouth?" And when Prince Henry acknowledged that he was, Hotspur proudly told him that he was Harry Percy. The prince called him a valiant rebel, and said that one England could not brook a double reign of two such warriors. "Nor shall it," said Hotspur, "for the hour is come to end the one of us!" With this they fell to combat, and just as the fight began Falstaff came up panting forth encouragement for the prince; but hot in pursuit was Douglas, who at once engaged the terrified knight, giving him not even time enough to run away. With his usual prudence in face of danger,

Sir John fell down after a pass or two, and pretended to be dead; and beside him presently fell Hotspur, mortally wounded by the prince. With great-hearted words of courage and regret the young Percy expired, while Prince Henry bent over him proud of his victory but sad for the deed which had deprived the earth of so valiant a gentleman, whose body, he said, had contained a spirit which found a kingdom too small a bound.

As he ruminated thus, Prince Hal's eye fell upon the form of Falstaff, lying near by, and he was much moved to see his old acquaintance stretched out in death. "Poor Jack, farewell!" he said. "I could have better spared a better man." Then, as the battle still raged, the prince could not stay to mourn, but hastened away; and as soon as he was well out of sight and hearing, Sir John got slowly upon his fat legs, muttering curses upon Earl Douglas and excuses for his own cowardice. He believed, he said, that the better part of valour is discretion, and as he feared this Hotspur who lay at his feet might be counterfeiting like himself, he stabbed him to make sure of his death. Then he lifted the body on his back and stumbled off under the great load.

Presently he came up with Prince Henry and his brother Prince John. "Did you not tell me this fat man was dead?" asked John; and Prince Hal answered that he had seen him dead, breathless and bleeding on the ground; then, addressing Falstaff as a spectre, he said, "Art thou alive? or

is it phantasy that plays upon our eyesight?" "If I be not Jack Falstaff," answered the unmistakable voice, "then I am a Jack;" whereupon he threw down the body of Hotspur, saying, "There is Percy: if your father will do me any honour, so; if not, let him kill the next Percy himself." He looked, he said, to be either earl or duke for his deed of prowess; and in all things took to himself the honour of having slain the leader of the rebels. "Why, Percy I killed myself and saw thee dead," said the prince; but even this did not disconcert Sir John. "Didst thou?" he asked. "Lord, lord, how the world is given to lying. I grant I was down and out of breath, and so was he; but we rose both at an instant and fought a long hour by Shrewsbury clock. I'll take it upon my oath 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."

But the prince awoke at last to the humour of the thing, and told the knight to come along and bring his luggage nobly on his back. As Sir John again shouldered the Percy's body, a retreat sounded, and the two princes hurried away to see what friends were living and dead. Falstaff plodded on, muttering that he meant to have reward, and that then he would grow great and grow less, for he would purge and leave sack and live cleanly as a nobleman should do.

The king's forces had won the day, and among