And there's my lord of Worcester; and a head Arch. And so there is: but yet the king hath drawn Sir M. 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. Doth play the trumpet to his purposes; K. Hen. Then, with the losers let it sympathise, For nothing can seem foul to those that win.[Trumpet sounds. Enter WORCESTER and VERNON. How now, my lord of Worcester! 'tis not well, Of broached mischief to the unborn times? For mine own part, I could be well content With quiet hours; for, I do protest I have not sought the day of this dislike. [then? K. Hen. You have not sought it! how comes it Wor. It pleas'd your majesty to turn your looks In Richard's time; and posted day and night Nothing so strong and fortunate as I. Grew by our feeding to so great a bulk, That even our love durst not come near your sight, K. Hen. These things, indeed, you have articulated, 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 Shall pay full dearly for this encounter, If once they join in trial. Tell your nephew, I do not think a braver gentleman, I am content, that he shall take the odds Of his great name and estimation, K. Hen. 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 misled upon your cousin's part; [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. 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 friendship. Say thy prayers, and farewell. Can Fal. I would it were bed-time, Hal, and all well. P. Hen. Why, thou owest God a death. [Exit. Fal. 'Tis not due yet; I would be loath to pay him before his 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? 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 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. SCENE II.-The Rebel Camp. Enter WORCESTER and VERNON. [Exit. Wor. O, no! my nephew must not know, Sir Richard, The liberal kind offer of the king. Ver. 'Twere best he did. Then are we all undone. It is not possible, it cannot be, The king should keep his word in loving us; To punish this offence in other faults: Suspicion all our lives shall be stuck full of eyes; Who, ne'er so tame, so cherish'd, and lock'd up, A hare-brain'd Hotspur, govern'd by a spleen: And, his corruption being ta'en from us, Ver. Deliver what you will, I'll say 'tis so. Enter HOTSPUR and DOUGLAS; Officers and Soldiers, behind. Re-enter DOUGLAS, 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. 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 show'd his tasking? seem'd it in contempt? Ver. No, by my soul; I never in my life There did he pause: but let me tell the world,- Hot. Cousin, I think thou art enamourèd Of any prince so wild o' liberty, I will embrace him with a soldier's arm, friends, 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. Mess. 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, Enter another Messenger. Mess. My lord, prepare; the king comes on apace. Hot. I thank him, that he cuts me from my tale, For I profess not talking; only this Let each man do his best: and here draw I [The trumpets sound. and exeunt. They embrace, SCENE III.-Plain near SHREWSBURY. Excursions, and Parties fighting. Alarum to the Battle. Then enter DOUGLAS and BLUNT, (who is accoutred like the KING,) meeting. Bluni. 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. Hot. This, Douglas? no; I know this face full well: A gallant knight he was, his name was Blunt; Doug. A fool go with thy soul, whither it goes! 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. Up, and away! Hot. Our soldiers stand full fairly for the day. [Exeunt. 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: God keep lead out of me! I need no more weight than mine own bowels.-I have led my ragamuffins where they are peppered: 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. Hen. What! stand'st thou idle here? lend me thy sword: Many a nobleman lies stark and stiff Fal. O Hal! I pr'ythee, give me leave to breathe a while.-Turk Gregory never did such deeds in arms, as I have done this day. I have paid Percy, I have made him sure. P. Hen. He is, indeed; and living to kill thee. I pr'ythee, lend me thy sword. Fal. Nay, before God, Hal, if Percy be alive, thou gett'st not 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 of me. like not such grinning honour as Sir Walter hath: give me life: which if I can save, so; if not, honour comes unlooked for, and there's an end. SCENE IV. Another Part of the Field. [Exit. I Alarums. Excursions. Enter KING HENRY, PRINCE HENRY, PRINCE JOHN, and WESTMORELAND. K. Hen. I pr'ythee, Harry, withdraw thyself; thou bleed'st too much.Lord John of Lancaster, go you with him. F. John. Not I, my lord, unless I did bleed too. P. Hen. I 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'll lead you to your tent. P. Hen. Lead me, my lord? I do not need your help: And God forbid, a shallow scratch should drive Our duty this way lies; for God's sake, come. MORELAND. P. Hen. By heaven, thou hast deceiv'd me, Lancaster; I did not think thee lord of such a spirit: K. Hen. I saw him hold lord Percy at the point, Alarums. Enter DOUGLAS. Re-enter DOUGLAS; he fights with FALSTAFF, who falls down as if he were dead, and exit DOUGLAS. HOTSPUR is wounded, and falls. Doug. Another king! they grow like Hydra's I better brook the loss of brittle life, 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? Hot. O, Harry, thou hast robb'd me of my youth ! Than those proud titles thou hast won of me; They wound my thoughts worse than thy sword my flesh :: But thought's the slave of life, and life, time's fool; K. Hen. The king himself; who, Douglas, grieves And time, that takes survey of all the world, at heart, So many of his shadows thou hast met, Doug. I fear thou art another counterfeit ; [They fight. The KING being in danger, re-enter P. HENRY. P. Hen. Hold up thy head, vile Scot, or thou art like Never to hold it up again! the spirits And show'd thou mak'st some tender of my life, P. Hen. O God, they did me too much injury, The insulting hand of Douglas over you; Enter HOTSPUR. [Exit. Hot. If I mistake not, thou art Harry Monmouth. P. Hen. Thou speak'st as if I would deny my name. Hot. My name is Harry Percy. P. Hen. Why, then I see A very valiant rebel of that name. Hot. Nor shall it, Harry; for the hour is come Enter FALSTAFF. [They fight. Fal. Well said, Hal! to it, Hal!-Nay, you shall find no boy's play here, I can tell you. great heart! Ill-weav'd ambition, how much art thou shrunk! Is room enough:-this earth, that bears thee dead, If thou wert sensible of courtesy, I should not make so dear a show of zeal :- [He sees FALSTAFF on the ground. [Exit. Fal. [Rising.] Embowelled! if thou embowel 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 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. 'Zounds! I am afraid of this gunpowder Percy, though he be dead: how, if he should counterfeit too, and rise? by my faith, 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 sees me: therefore, sirrah, [stabbing him.] with a new wound in your thigh, come you along with me. [He 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? |