Hot. Welcome, Sir Walter Blunt; And 'would to
You were of our determination!
Some of us love you well: and even those some
Envy your great deservings, and good name;
Because you are not of our quality,
But stand against us, like an enemy.
Blunt. And Heaven defend, but still I should stand
So long as, out of limit, and true rule,
You stand against anointed majesty !
But, to my charge.-The king hath sent to know
The nature of your griefs; and whereupon
You conjure from the breast of civil peace
Such bold hostility, teaching his duteous land
Audacious cruelty: If that the king
Have any way your good deserts forgot,-
Which he confesses to be manifold,-
He bids you name your griefs; and, with all speed,
You shall have your desires, with interest;
And pardon absolute for yourself, and these,
Herein misled, by your suggestion.
Hot. The king is kind; and, well we know, the king
Knows at what time to promise, when to pay.
My father, and my uncle, and myself,
Did give him that same royalty he wears:
And, when he was not six-and-twenty strong,
Sick in the world's regard, wretched and low,
A poor, unminded, outlaw, sneaking home,
My father gave him welcome to the shore:
And,--when he heard him swear, and vow to Heaven,
He came but to be Duke of Lancaster,
My father, in kind heart and pity mov'd,
Swore him assistance, and perform'd it too.
Now, when the lords and barons of the realm,
Perceiv'd Northumberland did lean to him,
The more and less came in with cap and knee;
Met him in boroughs, cities, villages;
Laid gifts before him, proffer'd him their oaths,
Gave him their heirs; as pages follow'd him,
Even at the heels, in golden multitudes.
He, presently, as greatness knows itself,-
Steps me a little higher than his vow,
Made to my father, while his blood was poor,
Upon the naked shore at Ravenspurg;
And now, forsooth, takes on him to reform
Some certain edicts, and some straight decrees,
That lie too heavy on the commonwealth :
Cries out upon abuses, seems to weep
Over his country's wrongs; and by this face,
This seeming brow of justice, did he win
The hearts of all that he did angle for.
Blunt. I came not to hear this.
Hot. Then to the point.-
In short time after, he depos'd the king;
Soon after that, depriv'd him of his life;
And, in the neck of that, task'd the whole state:
To make that worse, suffer'd his kinsman March
(Who is, if every owner were well plac'd,
Indeed his king), to be engag'd in Wales,
There without ransom, to lie forfeited:
Disgrac'd me in my happy victories;
Sought to entrap me by intelligence;
Rated my uncle from the council-board;
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 too, the which we find
Too indirect for long continuance.
Blunt. Shall I return this answer to the king? Hot. Not so, Sir Walter; we'll withdraw a while. 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, farewell.
Blunt. I would, you would accept of grace and love.
Hot. And, may be, so we shall.
Blunt. 'Pray Heaven, you do!
[Flourish of Trumpets and Drums;
[Excunt SIR W. BLUNT and Two GENTLEMEN, HOTSPUR, and his Friends.
Flourish of Trumpets and Drums.
KING HENRY, HENRY, PRINCE OF WALES, PRINCE
JOHN OF LANCASTER, SIR WALTER BLUnt, Sir
JOHN FALSTAFF, GENTLEMEN, and SOLDIERS,
discovered.
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
And, by his hollow whistling in the leaves,
Foretells a tempest and a blustering day.
[A Trumpet sounds a Parley.
Enter EARL OF WORCESTER, and SIR RICHARD VERNON.
K. Hen. How now, my Lord of Worcester? 'tis not well,
you and I should meet upon such terms
As now we meet: You have deceiv'd our trust;
And made us doff our easy robes of peace,
To crush our old limbs in ungentle steel:
This is not well, my lord, this is not well.
What say you to't? will you again unknit
This churlish knot of all-abhorred war;
And move in that obedient orb again
Where you did give a fair and natural light,
And be no more an exhal'd meteor,
A prodigy of fear, and a portent
Of broached mischief to the unborn times?
Wor. Hear me, my liege:
For mine own part, I could be well content
To entertain the lag-end of my life
With quiet hours; for, I do protest,
I have not sought the day of this dislike.
K. Hen. You have not sought it, sir! how comes it, then?
Fal. Rebellion lay in his way, and he found it.
P. Hen. Peace, chewet, peace!
Wor. It pleas'd your majesty, to turn your looks
Of favour from myself, and all our house;
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,—
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 cuckoo'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.
K. Hen. These things, indeed, you have articu.
lated,
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 burly-burly innovation:
And never yet did insurrection want
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