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Sought to entrap me by intelligence;

Rated my uncle from the council-board;

In rage dismiss'd my father from the court;

Broke oath on oath, committed wrong on wrong:
And, in conclusion, drove us to seek out
This head of safety; and, withal, to pry
Into his title, the which we find

Too indirect for long continuance.

Blunt. Shall I return this answer to the king?

The king, with mighty and quick-raised power, Meets with lord Harry: and I fear, Sir Michael, What with the sickness of Northumberland, (Whose power was in the first proportion) 5 And what with Owen Glendower's absence thence, (Who with them was a rated sinew3 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.

Hot. Not so, sir Walter; we'll withdraw a while. 10

Go to the king; and let there be impawn'd
Some surety for a safe return again,

And in the morning early shall my uncle

Bring him our purposes: and so farewel. [love.

[fear;

Sir Mich. Why, my good lord, you need not
There's Douglas and lord Mortimer.
York. No, Mortimer is not there.
Sir Mich. But there is Mordake, Vernon, lor
Harry Percy,

Blunt. I would, you would accept of grace and 15 And there's my lord of Worcester, and a head

Hot. And, may be, so we shall.

Blunt. Pray heaven, you do!

SCENE IV.

[Exeunt.

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Of gallant warriors, noble gentlemen.

[drawn York. And so there is: but yet the king hath The special head of all the land together;The prince of Wales, lord John of Lancaster, 20 The noble Westmoreland, and warlike Blunt; And many more corrivals, and dear men Of estimation and command in arms.

25

Sir Mich. Doubt not, my lord, they shall be
well oppos'd.

York. I hope no less, yet needful 'tis to fear;
And, to prevent the worst, Sir Michael, speed:
For, if lord Percy thrive not, ere the king
Dismiss his power, he means to visit us,—
For he hath heard of our confederacy,-

30 And 'tis but wisdom to make strong against him;
Therefore, make haste: I must go write again
To other friends; and so farewel, Sir Michael.
[Exeunt.

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' Meaning, this army, from which I hope for protection. accounted a strong aid. i. e. woody, from bosquet, Fr.

2 A brief is simply a letter.
3 i. e.
"Theobald explains chewet, or chuet, to

mean, a noisy chattering bird, a pie; while Mr. Steevens thinks it alludes to a kind of fat greasy puddings called chewets.

Hh2

And

For my part, I may speak it to my shame,
I have a truant been to chivalry;
And so, I hear, he doth account me too:
Yet this before my father's majesty,—
5 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.

10

K. Henry. And, prince of Wales, so dare we venture thee,

Albeit, considerations infinite

Do make against it :-No, good Worcester, no,
We love our people well; even those we love,
That are mis-led upon your cousin's part:
15 And, will they take the offer of our grace,
Both he, and they, and you, yea, every man
Shall be my friend again, and I'll be his:
So tell your cousin, and bring me word
What he will do:-But if he will not yield,
20 Rebuke and dread correction wait on us,
And they shall do their office. So, be gone;
We will not now be troubled with reply:
We offer fair, take it advisedly.

And yet I must remember you, my lord,
We were the first and dearest of your friends.
For you, my staff of office did I break-
In Richard's time; and posted day and night
To meet you on the way, and kiss your hand,
When yet you were in place and in account
Nothing so strong and fortunate as I.
It was myself, my brother, and his son,
That brought you home, and boldly did outdare
The dangers of the time: You swore to us,-
And you did swear that oath at Doncaster,-
That you did nothing purpose 'gainst the state;
Nor claim no further than your new-fall'n right,
The seat of Gaunt, dukedom of Lancaster:
To this we sware our aid. But, in short space,
It rain'd down fortune showering on your head;
And such a flood of greatness fell on you,
What with our help; what with the absent king;
What with the injuries of a wanton time';
The seeming sufferances that you had bore;
And the contrarious winds, that held the king
So long in his unlucky Irish wars,
That all in England did repute him dead;—
And, from this swarm of fair advantages,
You took occasion to be quickly woo'd
To gripe the general sway into your hand:
Forgot your oath to us at Doncaster;
And, being fed by us, you us'd us so
As that ungentle gull, the cuckow's bird,
Useth the sparrow: did oppress our nest;
Grew by our feeding to so great a bulk,
That even our love durst not come near your sight,|
For fear of swallowing; but with nimble wing
We were enforc'd, for safety sake, to fly
Out of your sight, and raise this present head:
Whereby we stand opposed' by such means
As you yourself have forg'd against yourself;
By unkind usage, dangerous countenance,
And violation of all faith and troth
Sworn to us in your younger enterprise. [lated', 40
K. Henry.These things, indeed, you have articu
Proclaim'd at market-crosses, read in churches;
To face the garment of rebellion

With some fine colour, that may please the eye
Of fickle changelings, and poor discontents,
Which gape, and rub the elbow, at the news
Of hurly-burly innovation:

And never yet did insurrection want
Such water-colours to impaint his cause;
Nor moody beggars, starving for a time
Of pell-mell havock and confusion.

[Exe. Worcester and Vernon. 25 P. Henry. It will not be accepted, on my life: The Douglas and the Hotspur both together Are contident against the world in arms.

K. Henry. Hence, therefore, every leader to his charge;

30 For, on their answer, we will set on them: And God befriend us, as our cause is just!

35

[Exe. King, Blunt, and Prince John. Fal. Hal, if thou see me down in the battle, and bestride me, so; 'tis a point of friendship.

P. Henry. 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. Henry. Why, thou owest heaven a death. [Exit Prince Henry.

Fal. 'Tis not due yet; I would be loth to pay him before his day. What need I be so forward with him that calls not on me? Well, 'tis no mat. ter: honour pricks me on. Yea, but how if ho nour prick me off when I come on: how then? 45 Can honour set to a leg? No. Or an arm? No. Or take away the grief of a wound? No. Honour hath no skill in surgery then? No. What is honour? A word. What is that word, honour? Air. A trim reckoning!-Who hath it? He that dy'd o' 50 Wednesday. Doth he feel it? No. Doth he hear it? [soul No. Is it insensible then? Yea, to the dead. But P. Henry. In both our armies, there is many a will it not live with the living? No. Why? DeShall pay full dearly for this encounter, traction will not suffer it:-therefore I'll none of If once they join in trial.. Tell your nephew, it: Honour is a mere scutcheon, and so ends my The prince of Wales doth join with all the world 55 catechism. [Exit. In praise of Henry Percy: by my hopes,— This present enterprize set off his head,I do not think, a braver gentleman, More active-valiant, or more valiant-young, More daring, or more bold, is now alive,

To grace this latter age with noble deeds.

1

SCENE

II.

Hotspur's Camp.

Enter Worcester and Vernon.

Wor. O, no, my nephew must not know, Sir

Richard,

i. e. the injuries done by king Richard in the wantonness of prosperity.

chicken, who, being hatched and fed by the sparrow, in whose nest the cuckow's.egg was laid, grows in time able to devour her nurse.

articles.

i. e. we stand in opposition to you.

2 The cuckow's

i. e. exhibited in

The

The liberal kind offer of the king.

Ver. 'Twere best, he did.
Wor. Then we are all undone..
It is not possible, it cannot be,

The king should keep his word in loving us;
He will suspect us still, and find a time
To punish this offence in other faults:
Suspicion, all our lives, shall be stuck full of eyes:
For treason is but trusted like the fox;

Who, ne'er so tame, so cherish'd, and lock'd up,
Will have a wild trick of his ancestors.
Look how we can, or sad, or merrily,
Interpretation will misquote our looks;
And we shall feed like oxen at a stall,
The better cherish'd, still the nearer death.
My nephew's trespass may be well forgot,
It hath the excuse' of youth, and heat of blood;
And an adopted name of privilege,—

A hair-brain'd Hotspur, govern'd by a spleen:
All his offences live upon my head,
And on his father's; we did train him on;
And, his corruption being ta'en from us,
We, as the spring of all, shall pay for all.
Therefore, good cousin, let not Harry know,
In any case, the offer of the king.

Ver. Deliver what you will, I'll say, 'tis so.
Here comes your cousin.

Enter Hotspur, and Douglas.

Hot. My uncle is return'd,-Deliver up

Trimm'd up your praises with a princely tongue;
Spoke your deservings like a chronicle;
Making you ever better than his praise,
By still dispraising praise, valu'd with you:
5 And, which became him like a prince indeed,
He made a blushing cital' of himself;
Aud chid his truant youth with such a grace,
As if he master'd' there a double spirit,
Of teaching, and of learning, instantly.
10 There did he pause: But let me tell the world,—
If he out-live the envy of this day,
England did never owe so sweet a hope,
So much misconstrued in his wantonness.
Hot. Cousin, I think, thou art enamoured
15 Upon his follies; never did I hear
Of

any prince so wild, at liberty*:-
But, be he as he will, yet once ere night

I will embrace him with a soldier's arm,
That he shall shrink under my courtesy.-

20 Arm, arm, with speed:And, fellows, soldiers,
friends,

25

Better consider what you have to do,

Than I, that have not well the gift of tongue,
Can lift your blood up with persuasion.

Enter a Messenger.

Mes. 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,

My lord of Westmoreland.-Uncle, what news? 30 If life did ride upon a dial's point,

Wor. The king will bid you battle presently.
Doug. Defy him by the lord of Westmoreland.
Hot. Lord Douglas, go you and tell him so.
Doug. Marry, and shall, and very willingly.
[Exit Douglas.35
Wor. There is no seeming mercy in the king.
Hot. Did you beg any? God forbid !
Wor. I told him gently of our grievances,
Of his oath-breaking; which be mended thus,-
By now forswearing that he is forsworn.
He calls us, rebels, traitors; and will scourge
With haughty arms this hateful name in us.
Re-enter Douglas.

Doug. Arm, gentlemen, to arms! for I have
thrown

A brave defiance in king Henry's teeth,
And Westmoreland, that was engag'd', did bear it;
Which cannot chuse but bring him quickly on.
Wor. The prince of Wales stept forth before the

king,

And, nephew, challeng'd you to single fight.
Hot. O, would the quarrel lay upon our heads:
And that no man might draw short breath to-day,
But I and Harry Monmouth! Tell me, tell me,
How shew'd his tasking? seem'd it in contempt?
Ver. No, by my soul; I never in my life
Did hear a challenge urg'd more modestly,
Unless a brother should a brother dare
To gentle exercise and proof of arms.
He gave you all the duties of a man;

'Engag'd is deliver'd as an hostage.

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 consciences, the arms are fair,
When the intent for bearing them is just.
Enter another Messenger.

Mes. My lord, prepare; the king comes on

apace.

Hot. I thank him, that he cuts me from my tale, 40 For I profess not talking; Only this

45

50

55

Let each man do his best: and here draw I
A sword, whose temper I intend to stain
With the best blood that I can meet withal
In the adventure of this perilous day.
Now,-Esperance?!-Percy!—and set on.—
Sound all the lofty instruments of war,
And by that music let us all embrace:
For, heaven to earth", some of us never shall
A second time do such a courtesy.

[The trumpet sounds. They embrace, then exe.
SCENE III.

Plain near Shrewsbury.

The King entereth with his power. Alarum to
the battle. Then enter Douglas and Blunt.
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;
60 And I do haunt thee in the battle thus,

2 i. e. recital.

5

3i. e. was master of. * i. e. of any prince who played such pranks, and was not confined as a madman. This was the word of battle on Percy's side, and has always been the motto of the Percy family. Esperance en Dieu is the present motto of the duke of Northumberland, and has been long used by his predecessors. 'i. e. one might wager heaven to earth.

11

Because

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Doug. The lord of Stafford dear to-day hath
Thy likeness; for, instead of thee, king Harry,
This sword hath ended hin: so shall it thee,
Unless thou yield thee as my prisoner.

Blunt. I was not born a yielder, thou proud Scot;
And thou shall find a king that will revenge
Lord Stafford's death.

Fight, Blunt is slain. Enter Hotspur.
Hot. O Douglas, hadst thou fought at Holmedon
I never had triumph'd upon a Scot.

[thus,

5

10

Doug. All's done, all's won; here breathless lies
Hot. Where?
[the king.
Doug. Here.
[well: 15
Hot. This, Douglas? no, I know his face full
A gallant knight he was, his name was Blunt;
Semblably' furnish'd like the king himself.

Doug. A fool go with thy soul, whither it goes!
A borrow'd title hast thou bought too dear.
Why didst thou tell me that thou wert a king?
Hot. The king hath many marching in his coats.
Doug. Now by my sword I will kill all his coats.
I'll murder all his wardrobe, piece by piece,
Until I meet the king.

[Exe.

20

25

Hot. Up, and away: Our soldiers stand full fairly for the day. Other alarums. Enter Falstaff. Fal. Though I could 'scape shot-free' at London, I fear the shot here; here's no scoring, but 30 upon the pate.-Soft! who art thou? Sir Walter Blunt; there's honour for you: Here's no vanity! I am as hot as molten lead, and as heavy too: Heaven keep lead out of me! I need no more weight than my own bowels.—I have led 35 my raggamuffins where they are pepper'd: there's not 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. Henry. What, stand'st thou idle here? lend me thy sword:

P. Henry. What, is it time to jest and dally now? [Throws it at him, and exit. Fal. If Percy be alive, I'll pierce him. It he do come in my way, so: if he do not,--if I come in nis, willingly, let him make a carbonado' of me. I like not such grinning honours as Sir Walter han: Give me life: which if I can save, so; if not, honour comes unlook'd for, and there's an end. [Exit. SCENE IV.

Another part of the Field.
Alarums. Excursions. Enter the King, the
Prince, Lord John of Lancaster, and the Earl
of Westmoreland.

K. Henry. Harry, withdraw thyself; thou

bleed'st too much :-
Lord John of Lancaster, go you with him.

Lan. Not I, my lord, unless I did bleed too.
P. Henry. I beseech your majesty, make up,
Lest your retirement do amaze your friends.
K. Henry. 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. Henry. Lead me, my lord? I do not need
your help:

And heaven forbid, a shallow scratch should drive
The prince of Wales from such a field as this;
Where stain'd nobility lies trodden on,
And rebels' arms triumph in massacres !

Lan. We breathe too long:-Come, cousin
Westmoreland,

Our duty this way lies; for heaven's sake, come.
[Exeunt P. John and West.

P. Henry. By heaven, thou hast deceiv'd me,

Lancaster,

I did not think thee lord of such a spirit:
Before, I lov'd thee as a brother, John;
But now, I do respect thee as my soul.

K. Henry. I saw him hold lord Percy at the point,
40 With lustier maintenance than I did look for
Of such an ungrown warrior.

Many a noblenian lies stark and stiff
Under the hoofs of vaunting enemies,
Whose deaths are unreveng'd: lend me thy sword. 45

Fal. O Hal, I pr'ythee give me leave to breathe awhile.-Turk Gregory never did such deeds in arms, as I have done this day. I have paid Percy,| I have made him sure".

P. Henry. He is, indeed; and living to kill thee. 50 I pr'ythee, lend me thy sword.

Ful. Nay, Hal, if Percy be alive, thou get'st not my sword; but take my pistol, if thou wilt. P. Henry. Give it me: What, is it in the case? Fal. Ay, Hal; 'tis hot, 'tis hot: there's that will 55 sack a city. [The Prince draws out a bottle of sack.

missive

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P. Henry. O, this boy
Lends mettle to us all!

Enter Douglas.

[Exit.

Doug. Another king! they grow like Hydra's

heads:

I am the Douglas, fatal to all those
That wear those colours on them.---What art thou,
That counterfeit❜st the person of a king?

K. Henry. The king himself: who, Douglas,
grieves at heart,

So many of his shadows thou hast met,
And not the very king. I have two boys
Seek Percy, and thyself, about the field:
But, seeing thou fall'st on me so luckily,
will assay thee; so defend thyself.

4

1i. e. in resemblance, alike. 2 A play upon shot, as it means the part of a reckoning, and a weapon discharged from artillery. our author's time, the negative, in common speech, was used to design, ironically, the excess of a thing. Meaning Gregory the Seventh, called Hildebrand. This furious friar surmounted almost invincible obstacles to deprive the emperor of his right of investiture of bishops, which his predecessors had long attempted in vain. Fox, in his History, hath made this Gregory so odious, that I don't doubt but the good Protestants of that time were well pleased to hear him thus characterized, as uniting the attributes of their two great enemies, the Turk and Pope, in one. Sure has two significations-certainly disposed of, and safe. Falstaff uses it in the former sense; the prince replies to it in the latter. A quibble on the word suck. 'A cac bonado is a piece of meat cut cross-wise for the gridiron. History says, the prince was wounded in the eye by an arrow. Dong

6

Doug. I fear thou art another counterfeit ; And yet, in faith, thou bear'st thee like a king: But mine, I ani sure thou art, whoe'er thou be, And thus I win thee.

[They fight; the King being in danger, enter 5 Prince Henry.

P. Henry. Hold up thy head, vile Scot, or
thou art like

Never to hold it up again! The spirits
Of valiant Shirley, Stallord, Blunt, are in my arms: 10
It is the prince of Wales that threatens thee;
Who never promiseth but he means to pay.—
[They fight; Douglas fieth.
Cheerly, my lord; how fares your grace?—
Sir Nicholas Gawsey hath for succour sent,
And so hath Clifton; I'll to Clifton straight.

K. Henry. Stay, and breathe a-while-
Thou hast redeem'd thy lost opinion:
And shew'd, thou makest some tender of my life,
In this fair rescue thou hast brought to me.

P. Henry. O heaven; they did me too much
injury,

That ever said, I hearken'd for your death.
If it were so, I might have let alone

The insulting hand of Douglas over you;
Which would have been as speedy in your end,
As all the poisonous potions in the world,
And sav'd the treacherous labour of your son:
K. Henry. Make up to Clifton, I'll to Nicho-
las Gawsey.

Enter Hotspur.

They wound my thoughts, worse than thy sword
my flesh:-

But thought's the slave of life, and life time's fool;
And time, that takes survey of all the world,
Must have a stop'. O, I could prophesy,
But that the earthy and cold hand of death
Lies on my tongue :-No, Percy, thou art dust,
And food for
[Dies.
P. Henry. For worms, brave Percy: Fare thee
well, great heart!—

Ill-weav'd ambition, how much art thou shrunk!
When that this body did contain a spirit,
A kingdom for it was too small a bound;
But now two paces of the vilest earth

15 Is room enough:-This earth, that bears thee dead,
Bears not alive so stout a gentleman.
if thou wert sensible of courtesy,

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I should not make so great a show of zeal:-
But let my favours hide thy mangled face;
20 And, even in thy behalf, I'll thank myself
For doing these fair rights of tenderness.
Adieu, and take thy praise with thee to heaven!
Thy ignomy sleep with thee in the grave,
But not remember'd in thy epitaph!

25

[Exit. 30

Hot. If I mistake not, thou art Harry Monmouth.
P. Henry. Thou speak'st as if I would deny my

name.

Hot. My name is Harry Percy.
P.Henry. Why, then I see
A very valiant rebel of that name.

I am the prince of Wales; and think not, Percy,
To share with me in glory any more:
Two stars keep not their motion in one sphere;
Nor can one England brook a double reign,
Of Harry Percy, and the prince of Wales.

Hot. Nor shall it, Harry, for the hour is come
To end the one of us; And would to heaven,
Thy name in arms were now as great as mine!
P. Henry. I'll make it greater, ere I part from
thee;

And all the budding honours on thy crest
I'll crop, to make a garland for my head.
Hot. I can no longer brook thy vanities. [Fight.
Enter Falstaff.

35

45

[He sees Falstaff on the ground. What! old acquaintance! could not all this flesh Keep in a little life? Poor Jack, farewel!

I could have better spar'd a better man.
O, I 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 :-
Imbowell'd will I see thee by and by;
'Till then, in blood by noble Percy lie.
Falstaff, rising slowly,

[Exit.

Fal. Imbowell'd! if thou imbowel me to-day, I'll give you leave to powder me', and eat me too, to-morrow. 'Sblood, 'twas time to counterfeit, or that hot termagant Scot had paid me scot 40 and lot too. Counterfeit! I lie, I 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 is-discretion; in the which better part, I have sav'd my life. I am afraid of this gunpow der Percy, though he be dead: How if he should counterfeit too, and rise? I am afraid, he would 50 prove the better counterfeit. Therefore I'll make him sure: yea, and I'll swear I kill'd him.Why may he not rise, as well as I? Nothing confutes me but eyes, and nobody sees me.Therefore, sirrah, with a new wound in your thigh, come you along with me.

Ful Well said, Hal! to it, Hal!-Nay, you
shall find no boy's play here, I can tell you.
Enter Douglas; he fights with Falstaff, who falls
down as if he were dead. Percy is wounded, 55
and fulls.

Hot. O, Harry, thou hast robb'd me of my youth:
I better brook the loss of brittle life,
Than those proud titles thou hast won of me;

[Takes Hotspur on his back. Re-enter Prince Henry, and John of Lancaster. P.Henry. Come, brother John, full bravely hast thou flesh'd

'Dr. Johnson comments on this passage thus: "Hotspur in his last moments endeavours to console himself. The glory of the prince wounds his thoughts; but thought, being dependent on life, must cease with it, and will soon be at an end. Life, on which thought depends, is itself of no great value, being the fool and sport of time; of time, which, with all its dominion over sublunary things, must itself at last be stopped," See note, p. 461. To powder is to salt,

Thy

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