And comes not in, o'er-rul'd by prophecies,) I fear the power of Percy is too weak And in the morning early shall mine uncle Hot. And, may be, so we shall. 'Pray heaven, you do! [Exeunt. SCENE IV. -York. A Room in the Archbishop's House. Enter the Archbishop of York, and a Gentleman. Arch. Hie, good sir Michael? bear this sealed brief 9, With winged haste, to the lord mareshal; How much they do import, you would make haste. I guess their tenor. Arch. Like enough you do. The king, with mighty and quick-raised power, Gent. Why, good my lord, you need not fear; there's Douglas, And Mortimer. Percy, And there's my lord of Worcester; and a head Arch. And so there is: but yet the king hath drawn The special head of all the land together: - Gent. Doubt not, my lord, they shall be well oppos'd. Arch. 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. And 'tis but wisdom to make strong against him; Therefore, make haste: I must go write again To other friends; and so farewell, sir Michael. [Exeunt severally ACT V. SCENE I.. The King's Camp near Shrewsbury. | With quiet hours; for, I do protest, Enter KING HENRY, PRINCE HENRY, PRINCE 2 K. Hen. How bloodily the sun begins to peer Above yon busky hill! the day looks pale At his distemperature. P. Hen. The southern wind Doth play the trumpet to his purposes; And, by his hollow whistling in the leaves, Foretells a tempest, and a blustering day. K. Hen. Then with the losers let it sympathize; For nothing can seem foul to those that win. Trumpet. Enter WORCESTER and VERNON. Of broached mischief to the unborn times? For mine own part, I could be well content I have not sought the day of this dislike. K. Hen. You have not sought for it! how comes it then? Fal. Rebellion lay in his way, and he found it. P. Hen. Peace, chewet 4, peace. Wor. It pleas'd your majesty, to turn your looks It was myself, my brother, and his son, - To gripe the general sway into your hand; That even our love durst not come near your sight, Fal. Hal, if thou see me down in the battle, and bestride me, so; 'tis a point of friendship. P. Hen. Nothing but a colossus can do thee that [Exit. Fal. 'Tis not due yet; I would be loath to pay before the day. What need I be so forward with him that calls not on me? Well, 'tis no matter; Honour pricks me on. Yea, but how if honour prick me off when I come on? how then? 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? K. Hen. These things, indeed, you have articu-A word. What is in that word, honour? What is lated 5, Proclaim'd at market-crosses, read in churches; With some fine colour, that may please the eye And never yet did insurrection want P. Hen. In both our armies, there is many a soul, Tell your nephew, The prince of Wales doth join with all the world Albeit, considerations infinite [Exeunt WORCESTER and VERNON. K. Hen. Hence, therefore, every leader to his charge; For, on their answer, will we set on them: [Exeunt KING, BLUNT, and PRINCE JOHN. 5 Exhibited in articles. that honour? Air. A trim reckoning! - Who hath it? He that died o' Wednesday. Doth he feel it? No. Doth he hear it? No. Is it insensible then? Yea, to the dead. But will it not live with the living? No. Why? Detraction will not suffer it: therefore I'll none of it: Honour is a mere scutcheon, and so ends my catechism. Wor. [Exit. Enter WORCESTER and VERNON. O, no, my nephew must not know, sır The liberal kind offer of the king. Ver. 'Twere best he did. Then are we all undone. It is not possible, it cannot be, By now forswearing that he is forsworn : Doug. Arm, gentlemen; to arms! for I have thrown A brave defiance in king Henry's teeth, And, nephew, challeng'd you to single fight. Trimm'd up your praises with a princely tongue; And chid his truant youth with such a grace, There did he pause: But let me tell the world, — Hot. Cousin, I think, thou art enamoured I will embrace him with a soldier's arm, And by that musick let us all embrace : [The Trumpets sound. They embrace, and exeunt. 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, Blunt. I was not born a yielder, thou proud Scot: [They fight, and BLUNT is slain. Enter HOTSPUR. Hot. This, Douglas? no, I know this face full well: A gallant knight he was, his name was Blunt; Arm, arm, with speed: ——— And, fellows, soldiers, Why didst thou tell me that thou wert a king? Mess. My lord, here are letters for you. O gentlemen, the time of life is short; Enter another Messenger. 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. Hot. Up, and away; Our soldiers stand full fairly for the day. [Exeunt. Other Alarums. Enter FALstaff. Fal. Though I could 'scape shot-free at London, I fear the shot here; here's no scoring, but 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 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 here! town's end, to beg during life. But who comes arms, as I have dono 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. P. Hen. Hold up thy head, vile Scot, or thou art like Never to hold it up again! the spirits Fal. Nay, Hal, if Percy be alive, thou get'st not It is the prince of Wales, that threatens thee; 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 9 of me. I like not such grinning honour, as sir Walter hath: Give me life which if I can save, so; if not, honour comes unlook'd for, and there's an end. [Exit. Harry, withdraw thyself; thou bleed'st too much: - 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: 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 triúmph in massacres ! Who never promiseth, but he means to pay. [They fight; DOUGLAS flies. Cheerly, my lord; how fares your grace? P. Hen. O, heaven! they did me too much injury, I am the prince of Wales; and think not, Percy P. John. We breathe too long:- - Come, cousin To end the one of us; And 'would to God, Westmoreland, Alarums. Enter DOUGLAS. 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. Hen. The king himself; who, Douglas, grieves at heart, So of his shadows thou hast met, Doug. I fear, thou art another counterfeit ; [They fight; the KING being in danger, enter PRINCE HENRY. A piece of meat cut crosswise for the gridiron. Fal. 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, and exit DOUGLAS. HOTSPUR is wounded, and falls. Hot. O, Harry, thou hast robb'd me of my youth; But thought's the slave of life, and life time's fool; And food for If thou wert sensible of courtesy, I should not make so dear a show of zeal : [He sees FALSTAFF on the ground. O, I should have a heavy miss of thee, If I were much in love with vanity. [Exit. Fal. [Rising slowly.] Embowelled! if thou embowel me to-day, I'll give you leave to powder 2 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, 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 saved my life. I am afraid of this gunpowder Percy, though he be dead: How, if he should counterfeit too, and rise? I am afraid, he would prove the better counterfeit. Therefore I'll make him sure: yea, and I'll swear I killed him. Why may not he rise, as well as I? Nothing confutes me but eyes, and nobody seees 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 Thy maiden sword. P. John. But, soft! whom have we here? Did you not tell me, this fat man was dead? P. Hen. I did; I saw him dead, breathless and bleeding Upon the ground. Art thou alive? or is it phantasy That plays upon our eyesight? I pr'ythee, speak; We will not trust our eyes, without our ears: Thou art not what thou seem'st. Fal. No, that's certain; I am not a double man: but if I be not Jack Falstaff, then am I a Jack. There is Percy: [Throwing the body down.] if your father will do me any honour, so; if not, let him kill the next Percy himself. I look to be either earl, or duke, I can assure you. 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 rose both at an instant, and fought a long hour by Shrewsbury clock. If I may be believed, so; if not, let them, that should reward valour, bear the sin upon their own heads. I'll take it upon my death, I gave him this wound in the thigh: if the man were alive, and Scarf, with which he covers Percy's face. 2 Salt. 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. Come, bring your luggage nobly on your back : [A Retreat is sounded. [Exeunt PRINCE HENRY and PRINCE JOHN. Fal. I'll follow, as they say, for reward. He that rewards me, heaven reward him! If I do grow great, I'll grow less; for I'll purge, and leave sack, and live as a nobleman should do. SCENE V. [Exit, bearing off the body. - Another Part of the Field. The Trumpets sound. Enter KING HENRY, PRINCE If, like a Christian, thou hadst truly borne Wor. What I have done, my safety urg'd me to; K. Hen. Bear Worcester to the death, and Vernon too: Other offenders we will pause upon. [Exeunt WORCESTER and VERNON, guarded. How goes the field? P. Hen. The noble Scot, lord Douglas, when he saw The fortune of the day quite turn'd from him, The noble Percy slain, and all his men Upon the foot of fear, — fled with the rest ; And, falling from a hill, he was so bruis'd, That the pursuers took him. At my tent The Douglas is; and I beseech your grace, I may dispose of him. K. Hen. With all my heart. P. Hen. Then, brother John of Lancaster, to you, This honourable bounty shall belong : Go to the Douglas, and deliver him Up to his pleasure, ransomeless and free: His valour shown upon our crests to-day, Hath taught us how to cherish such high deeds, Even in the bosom of our adversaries. K. Hen. Then this remains, that we divide our power. You, son John, and my cousin Westmoreland, Towards York shall bend you, with your dearest speed, To meet Northumberland, and the prelate Scroop, Who, as we hear, are busily in arms: Myself, and you, son Harry,-will towards Wales, To fight with Glendower, and the earl of March. Rebellion in this land shall lose his sway, Meeting the check of such another day: And since this business so fair is done, Let us not leave till all our own be won. [Exeunt. |