Harry. I hear, you are going with lord John of Lancafter, against the Archbishop and the Earl of Northumberland.

Fal. Yes, I thank your pretty fweet wit for it; but look you, pray, all you that kifs my lady Peace at home, that our armies join not in a hot day; for, by the Lord, I take but two fhirts out with me, and I mean not to sweat extraordinarily; if it be a hot day, if I brandish any thing but a bottle, would I might never fpit white again. There is not a dangerous action can peep out his head, but I am thrust upon it. Well, I cannot laft ever. But it was always yet the trick of our English Nation, if they have a good thing, to make it too common. If ye will needs fay, I am an old man, you fhould give me Reft: I would to God, my name were not fo terrible to the enemy as it is! I were better to be eaten to death with a ruft, than to be fcour'd to nothing with perpetual motion.

Ch. Juft. Well, be honeft, be honest, and heav'n blefs your expedition!

Fal. Wili your lordship lend me a thousand pound, to furnish me forth?

Ch. Juft. Not a penny, not a penny; you are too impatient to bear croffes. Fare you well. Fare you well. Commend me to my coufin Westmorland.

8

[Exit. Fal. If I do, fillip me with a three man beetle-A man can no more feparate age and covetoufnels, than he can part young limbs and letchery; but the gout galls the one, and the pox pinches the other, and fo both the degrees prevent my curfes. Boy,Page. Sir?

Fal. What money is in my purfe?

Page. Seven groats and two pence.

Fal. I can get no remedy against this confumption of the purfe. Borrowing only lingers and lingers out, but the difeafe is incurable. Go bear this letter to my lord of Lancaster, this to the Prince, this to

2

- a three-man beetle-A beetle wielded by three men. Pops.

the

the Earl of Westmoreland, and this to old Mrs. Urfula, whom I have weekly fworn to marry fince I perceived the first white hair on my chin. About it; you know where to find me. A pox of this gout! or, a gout of this pox! for the one, or t'other, plays the rogue with my great toe; it is no matter, if I do halt, I have the wars for my colour, and my penfion fhall feem the more reasonable. A good wit will make ufe of any thing; I will turn diseases to commodity. [Exeunt.

Changes to the Archbishop of York's Palace. Enter Archbishop of York, Haftings, Thomas Mowbray (Earl Marshal) and Lord Bardolph.

York. HUS have you heard our caufe, and know

THU

our means;

Now, my most noble friends, I pray you all,
Speak plainly your opinions of our hopes.
And firft, Lord Marfhal, what fay you to it?
Mowb. I well allow th' occafion of our arms,
But gladly would be better fatisfied

How in our means we fhould advance our felves,
To look with forehead bold and big enough
Upon the pow'r and puiffance of the King?
Haft. Our prefent mufters grow upon the file
To five and twenty thousand men of choice;
And our Supplies live largely in the hope
Of great Northumberland, whose bosom burns
With an incenfed fire of injuries.

Bard. The queftion then, lord IIaftings, ftandeth thus ;

Whether our prefent five and twenty thousand
May hold up head without Northumberland?
Haft. With him we may.

Bard. Ay, marry, there's the point:
But if without him we be thought too feeble,

My

My judgment is, we fhould not step too far 3
Till we had his affistance by the hand.
For in a theam fo bloody-fac'd as this,
Conjecture, expectation, and furmife,
Of aids uncertain, fhould not be admitted.
York. 'Tis very true, lord Bardolph; for, indeed,
It was young Hot-fpur's cafe at Shrewsbury.

Bard. It was, my lord, who lin'd himself with hope, Eating the air, on promife of Supply ;

Flatt'ring himself with project of a Power
Much smaller than the fmalleft of his thoughts;
And fo, with great imagination,

Proper to madmen, led his Pow'rs to death,
And, winking, leap'd into deftruction.

4

Haft. But, by your leave, it never yet did hurt
To lay down likelihoods and forms of hope.
- Bard. Yes, if this prefent quality of war,
Indeed the inftant action; a caufe on foot
Lives fo in hope, as in an early Spring

We fee th' appearing buds; which, to prove fruit,
Hope gives not fo much warrant, as Despair,

3 - ftip too far] The four following lines were added in the fecond edition.

Yes, if this prefint quality of war,] Thefe first twenty lines were first inferted in the folio of 1623.

The first clause of this paffage is evidently corrupted. All the folio editions and Mr. Rowe's concur in the fame reading, which Mr. Pope altered thus, Yes, if this prefent quality of avar Impede the inftant act. This has been filently followed by Mr. Theobald, Sir Tho. Hanmer, and Dr. Warburton; but the corruption is certainly deeper, for in the prefent reading Bardolph makes the inconvenience of hope to be that it may caufe

delay, when indeed the whole tenour of his argument is to recommend delay to the reft that are too forward. I know not what to propofe, and am afraid that fomething is omitted, and that the injury is irremediable. Yet, perhaps, the alteration requifite is no more than this,

Yes, in this prent qual of war, Indeed of infant action. It never, fays Haflings, did harm to lay down likelihoods of boge. Yes, fays Bardolph, it has done harm in this prefent qual ty of war, in a fate of things, fuch as is now before us, of war, in deed of infant action. This is obfcure, but Mr. Pope's reading is fill lefs reafonable.

That

That frofts will bite them. When we mean to build,

We first survey the plot, then draw the model;

And when we fee the figure of the house,
Then must we rate the cost of the erection;
Which, if we find out-weighs ability,

What do we then but draw a-new the model
In fewer offices? at leaft, defift

To build at all? much more, in this great Work,
Which is almoft to pluck a Kingdom down,
And fet another up, fhould we furvey
The plot of fituation, and the model;
Confent upon a fure foundation,
Question furveyors, know our own eftate,
How able fuch a work to undergo,
To weigh against his oppofite; or elfe,
We fortify in paper and in figures,
Ufing the names of men inftead of men,

Like one that draws the model of a house
Beyond his pow'r to build it, who, half through,
Gives o'er, and leaves his part created cost
A naked fubject to the weeping clouds,

And wafte for churlish winter's tyranny.

Haft. Grant, that our hopes, yet likely of fair birth, Should be ftill born, and that we now poffeft The utmost man of expectation,

I think, we are a body strong enough,

Ev'n as we are, to equal with the King.

[fand?

Bard. What, is the King but five and twenty thouHaft. To us, no more; nay, not fo much, lord Bardolph.

For his divifions, as the times do brawl,

Are in three heads; one Pow'r against the French,
And one against Glendower; perforce, a third
Muft take up us; fo is the unfirm King
In three divided; and his coffers found

With hollow poverty and emptiness.

[gether,

York. That he fhould draw his fev'ral ftrengths toAnd come against us in full puiffance,

Need

2

1

Need not be dreaded.

Haft. If he fhould do fo, 5

He leaves his back unarm'd, the French and Welsh
Baying him at the heels; never fear That.

Bard. Who, is it like, fhould lead his forces hither? Haft. The Duke of Lancaster, and Westmoreland: Against the Web, himself and Harry Monmouth: But who is fubftituted 'gainft the French,

I have no certain notice.

6

York. Let us on;

And publish the occafion of our arms.

The Commonwealth is fick of their own choice;
Their over-greedy love hath furfeited.
An habitation giddy and unfure

Hath he, that buildeth on the vulgar heart.
O thou fond Many! with what loud applaufe
Did'ft thou beat heav'n with bleffing Bolingbroke,
Before he was, what thou would't have him be?
And now, being trim'd up in thine own defires,
Thou, beastly feeder, art fo full of him,
That thou provok'ft thy felf to caft him up.
So, fo, thou common dog, didft thou difgorge
Thy glutton bofom of the royal Richard,
And now thou would'ft eat thy dead vomit up,
And howl'ft to find it. What Truft is in these times?
They, that when Richard liv'd, would have him die,
Are now become enamour'd on his Grave;
Thou, that threw'ft duft upon his goodly head,
When through proud London he came fighing on
After th' admired heels of Bolingbroke,
Cry'st now, O Earth, yield us that King again,

5 If he should do fo,] This paffage is read in the first editions thus. If he should do so, French and Welsh he leaves his back unarm'd, they baying him at the heels, never fear that. Thefe lines, which were evidently printed from an interlined copy not understood, are properly

regulated in the next edition, and are here only mentioned to show what errors may be fufpected to remain.

6 Let us on, &c.] This excellent fpeech of York was one of the paffages added by ShakeSpeare after his firft Edition. POPE.

And