Enter NORTHUMBERLAND.

Welcome, my lord: what is the news?

North. First, to thy sacred state wish I all

happiness.

The next news is, I have to London sent

The heads of Oxford, Salisbury, Blunt, and Kent:
The manner of their taking may appear

At large discoursed in this paper here.

Boling. We thank thee, gentle Percy, for thy pains;

And to thy worth will add right worthy gains.

Enter FITZWATER.

Fitz. My lord, I have from Oxford sent to
London

The heads of Brocas and Sir Bennet Seely,
Two of the dangerous consorted traitors
That sought at Oxford thy dire overthrow.

Boling. Thy pains, Fitzwater, shall not be forgot; Right noble is thy merit, well I wot.

Enter PERCY, and the BISHOP of Carlisle.

Percy. The grand conspirator, Abbot of Westminster,

With clog of conscience and sour melancholy
Hath yielded up his body to the grave;

But here is Carlisle living, to abide

Thy kingly doom and sentence of his pride.
Boling. Carlisle, this is your doom:

Choose out some secret place, some reverend

room,

More than thou hast, and with it joy thy life;

8. Oxford; apparently an oversight for 'Spencer' (i.e. the Earl of Gloucester), the name

ΤΟ

20

given by Holinshed, and thence substituted in Ff.

So as thou livest in peace, die free from strife:
For though mine enemy thou hast ever been,
High sparks of honour in thee have I seen.

Enter EXTON, with persons bearing a coffin.

Exton. Great king, within this coffin I present
Thy buried fear: herein all breathless lies
The mightiest of thy greatest enemies,
Richard of Bordeaux, by me hither brought.

Boling. Exton, I thank thee not; for thou hast wrought

A deed of slander with thy fatal hand

Upon my head and all this famous land.

Exton. From your own mouth, my lord, did I this deed.

Boling. They love not poison that do poison need,

Nor do I thee: though I did wish him dead,
I hate the murderer, love him murdered.
The guilt of conscience take thou for thy labour,
But neither my good word nor princely favour:
With Cain go wander thorough shades of night,
And never show thy head by day nor light.
Lords, I protest, my soul is full of woe,
That blood should sprinkle me to make me grow:
Come, mourn with me for that I do lament,
And put on sullen black incontinent :

I'll make a voyage to the Holy Land,
To wash this blood off from my guilty hand:
March sadly after; grace my mournings here;
In weeping after this untimely bier.

35. A deed of slander, one that will cause scandal or re

proach.
'slaughter.'

[Exeunt.

30

40

50

So Q1' The rest

THE FIRST PART OF

KING HENRY THE FOURTH

DRAMATIS PERSONÆ

KING HENRY the Fourth.

HENRY, Prince of Wales, }

of Lancaster,

EARL OF WESTMORELAND.

SIR WALTER BLUNT.

sons to the King.

THOMAS PERCY, Earl of Worcester.

HENRY PERCY, Earl of Northumberland.
HENRY PERCY, surnamed HOTSPUR, his son.
EDMUND MORTIMER, Earl of March.

RICHARD SCROOP, Archbishop of York.
ARCHIBALD, Earl of Douglas.

OWEN GLENDOWER.

SIR RICHARD VERNON.

SIR JOHN FAlstaff.

SIR MICHAEL, a friend to the Archbishop of York.
POINS.

GADSHILL.

PETO.

BARDOLPH.

LADY PERCY, wife to Hotspur, and sister to Mortimer.
LADY MORTIMER, daughter to Glendower, and wife to
Mortimer.

MISTRESS QUICKLY, hostess of a tavern in Eastcheap.

Lords, Officers, Sheriff, Vintner, Chamberlain, Drawers, two Carriers, Travellers, and Attendants.

SCENE: England.

DURATION OF TIME

Dramatic Time. --Ten 'historic' days, with three extra 'Fal. staffian' days, and intervals.