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And chid his truant youth with such a grace,
As if he master'd there a double spirit,
Of teaching, and of learning, instantly.
There did he pause; But let me tell the world,—
If he outlive the envy of this day,
England did never owe so sweet a hope,
So much misconstrued in his wantonness.

Hot. Cousin, I think, thou art enamoured
Upon his follies; never did I hear
Of any prince, so wild, at liberty :-
But, be he as he will, yet once ere night

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I will embrace him with a soldier's arm,
That he shall shrink under my courtesy.-
Arm, arm, with speed:-
:-- -And, fellows, soldiers,
Better consider what you have to do, [friends,
Than I, that have not well the gift of tongue,
Can lift blood up
with persuasion.

your

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,
If life did ride upon a dial's point,
Still ending at the arrival of an hour.
An if we live, we live to tread on kings;
If die, brave death, when princes die with us!
Now for our conscience, the arms are fair,
When the intent of bearing them is just.

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
A sword, whose temper 1 intend to stain
With the best blood that I can meet withal
In the adventure of this perilous day.
Now, Esperance !--Percy!-and set on.-
Sound all the lofty instruments of war,
And by that music let us all embrace :
For, heaven to earth, some of us never shall
A second time do such a courtesy.

[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, The sword hath ended him: so shall it thee, Unless thou yield thee as my prisoner.

Blunt. I was not born a yielder, thou proud Scot; And thou shalt find a king that will revenge Lord Stafford's death. [They fight, & BLUNT is slain.

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A gallant knight he was, his name was Blunt;
Semblably furnish'd like the king himself.
Doug. A fool go with thy soul, whither it goes!
A borrow'd title hast thou bought too dear.
Why didst thou tell me that thou wert a king?

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.

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: God keep lead out of me! I need no more weight than my 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 town's end, to beg during life. But who comes here?

Enter PRINCE HENRY.

P. Hen. What, stand'st thou idle here? lend me Many a nobleman lies stark and stiff [thy sword: Under the hoofs of vaunting enemies, [sword. Whose deaths are unreveng'd: Pr'ythee, lend me thy Fal. O Hal, I pr'ythee, give me leave to breathe awhile.-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. Lend me thy sword, I pr'ythee.

Fal. Nay, before God, Hal, if Percy be alive, thou get'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. [Exit.

I

SCENE IV. Another part of the Field. Alarums. Excursions. Enter the KING, 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.

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 !

P. John. We breathe too long:-Come, cousin
Westmoreland,

Our duty this way lies: for God's sake come.

[Exeunt PRINCE JOHN and WESTMORELAND.

[caster,

down as if he were dead, and erit DOUGLAS. HOTSPUR is wounded and falls.

P. Hen. By heaven, thou hast deceiv'd me, Lan- | Enter DOUGLAS; he fights with FALSTAFF, who falls did not think thee lord of such a spirit: Before, I lov'd thee as a brother, John; But now, I do respect thee as my soul.

K. Hen. I saw him hold lord Percy at the point, With lustier maintenance than I did look for Of such an ungrown warrior.

P. Hen.

Lends mettle to us all.

O, this boy,

Hot. O, Harry, thou hast robb'd me of my youth:
I better brook the loss of brittle life,
Than those proud titles thou hast won of me; [flesh.
They wound my thoughts, worse than thy sword my
But thought's the slave of life, and life, time's fool;
[Exit. And time, that takes survey of all the world,
Must have a stop. O, I could prophesy,
But that the earthy and cold hand of death
Lies on my tongue :-No, Percy, thou art dust,
And food for-

Alarums. Enter DOUGLAS. Doug. Another King! they grow like Hydras' I am the Douglas, fatal to all those [heads: 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 So many of his shadows thou hast met, [at heart, And not the very king. I have two boys, Seek Percy, and thyself, about the field: But, seeing thou fall'st on me so luckily, I will assay thee; so defend thyself.

Doug. I fear, thou art another counterfeit ; And yet, in faith, thou bear'st thee like a king: But mine, I am sure, thou art, whoe'er thou be, And thus I win thee.

[They fight; the KING being in danger, enter PRINCE HENRY.

P. Hen. Hold up thy head, vile Scot, or thou art Never to hold it up again! the spirits [like Of Shirley, Stafford, Blunt, are in my arms : It is the prince of Wales, that threatens thee; Who never promiseth, but he means to pay. [They fight; DOUGLAS flies. Cheerly, my lord; How fares your grace?— Sir Nicholas Gawsey hath for succour sent, And so hath Clifton; I'll to Clifton straight. K. Hen. Stay, and breathe awhile: Thou hast redeem'd thy lost opinion; And shew'd, thou mak'st some tender of my life, In this fair rescue thou hast brought to me.

P. Hen. O heaven! they did me too much injury, That ever said, I hearken'd for your death. If it were so, I might have let alone The insulting hand of Douglas over you; Which would have been as speedy in your end, As all the poisonous potions in the world, And sav'd the treacherous labour of your son. K. Hen. Make up to Clifton, I'll to sir Nicholas Gawsey. [Exit KING HENRY.

Enter HOTSPUR.

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 the name.
I am the prince of Wales; and think not, Percy,
To share with me in glory any more:
Two stars keep not their motion in one sphere;
Nor can one England brook a double reign,
Of Harry Percy, and the prince of Wales.

Hot. Nor shall it, Harry, for the hour is come
To end the one of us; And 'would to God,
Thy name in arms were now as great as mine!

P Hen. I'll make it greater, ere I part from thee; And all the budding honours on thy crest I'll crop to make a garland for my head.

[Dies.

P. Hen. For worms, brave Percy: Fare thee well, great heart!

Ill-weav'd ambition, how much art thou shrunk!
When that this body did contain a spirit,
A kingdom for it was too small a bound;
But now, two paces
of the vilest earth

Is room enough :-This earth, that bears thee dead
Bears not alive so stout a gentleman.

If thou wert sensible of courtesy,

I should not make so dear a show of zeal :-
But let my favours hide thy mangled face;
And, even in thy behalf, I'll thank myself
For doing these fair rites of tenderness.
Adieu, and take thy praise with thee to heaven!
Thy ignomy sleep with thee in the grave,
But not remember'd in thy epitaph!--

[He sees FALSTAFF on the ground
What! old acquaintance! could not all this flesh
Keep in a little life? Poor Jack, farewell!
I could have better spar'd a better man.
O, I should have a heavy miss of thee,
If I were much in love with vanity.
Death hath not struck so fat a deer to-day,
Though many dearer in this bloody fray
Embowell'd will I see thee by and by:
Till then, in blood by noble Percy lie.

:

[Exit. Fal. [Rising slowly.] Embowell'd! 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! 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. [Takes HOTSPUR on his back.

Re-enter PRINCE HENRY and PRINCE JOHN. P.Hen. Come, brother John, full bravely hast thou Thy maiden sword. [flesh'd 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 Upon the ground.[bleeding

P. John.

Hot. I can no longer brook thy vanities. [They fight. Art thou alive? or is it phantasy

Enter FALSTAFF.

That plays upon our eye-sight? I pr'ythee, speak;
We will not trust our eyes, without our ears :-

Fal. Well said, Hal! to it, Hal!-Nay, you shall Thou art not what thou seem'st. find no boy's play here, I can tell you.

Fal. No, that's certain; I am not a double man

but if I be not Jack Falstaff, then am I a Jack. There | Misuse the tenor of thy kinsman's trust?
is Percy [throwing the body down.] if your father Three knights upon our party slain to-day,
will do me any honour, so; if not, let him kill the A noble earl, and many a creature else,
next Percy himself. I look to be either earl or duke, Had been alive this hour,
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 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. P. Hen. This is the strangest fellow, brother John. Come, bring your luggage nobly on your back : For my part, if a lie may do thee grace, I'll gild it with the happiest terms I have.

[A retreat is sounded. The trumpet sounds retreat, the day is ours. Come, brother, let's to the highest of the field, To see what friends are living, who are dead.

[Exeunt PRINCE HENRY and PRINCE JOHN. Fal. I'll follow, as they say, for reward. He that rewards me, God reward him! If I do grow great, I'll grow less; for I'll purge, and leave sack, and live cleanly, as a nobleman should do.

[Exit, bearing off the body.

SCENE V.-Another part of the field. The trumpets sound. Enter KING HENRY, PRINCE HENRY, PRINCE JOHN, WESTMORELAND, and others, with WORCESTER and VERNON, prisoners. K. Hen. Thus ever did rebellion find rebuke.Ill-spirited Worcester! did we not send grace, Pardon, and terms of love to all of you? And would'st thou turn our offers contrary?

If, like a christian, thou hadst truly borne
Betwixt our armies true intelligence.
Wor. What I have done, my safety urg'd me to;
And I embrace this fortune patiently,
Since not to be avoided it falls on me.
K. Hen. Bear Worcester to the death, and Vernon
Other offenders we will pause upon.- [too:
[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, shewn upon our crests to-day, Hath taught us how to cherish such high deeds, Even in the bosom of our adversaries. [power.

K. Hen. Then this remains, - that we divide our 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.

SECOND PART OF

KING HENRY IV.

THE first edition of this play was the quarto of 1600, in which year it was twice reprinted in the same form. As it is mentioned in Nares' Wits' Treasury, 1598, and contains an allusion to the murder of the sons of Amurath the Third by their brother Mahomet, which took place Feb. 1596; the tragedy must have been written in the intervening period. It was

PERSONS REPRESENTED.

KING HENRY THE FOURTH.

HENRY, Prince of Wales, afterwards
King Henry V.,

THOMAS, Duke of Clarence,

PRINCE JOHN of Lancaster, afterwards

(2 Henry V.) Duke of Bedford, PRINCE HUMPHREY of Gloster, afterwards (2 Henry V.) Duke of Gloster,

entered at Stationers' Hall, August 23, 1600. The transactions comprised in the history take up almost nine years. The action commences with the account of Hotspur's being defeated and killed, 1403; and closes with the death of Henry the Fourth, and the coronation of Henry the Fifth, 1412-13.

LORD CHIEF JUSTICE of the King's Bench.

A Gentleman attending on the Chief Justice.

TRAVERS and MORTON, domestics of Northumberland. FALSTAFF, BARDOLPH, PISTOL, and Page.

POINS and PETO, attendants on Prince Henry.

SHALLOW and SILENCE, country justices.

This sons.

DAVY, servant to Shallow.

EARL OF WARWICK,

EARL OF WESTMORELAND,

of the King's party.

GOWER, HARCOURT,

EARL OF NORTHUMBERLAND,

SCROOP, Archbishop of York,

enemies to

LORD MOWBRAY, LORD HASTINGS,

the King.

LORD BARDOLPH, Sir JOHN COLEVILE,J

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INDUCTION.

Warkworth.-Before Northumberland's Castle.
Enter Rumour, painted full of tongues.
Rum. Open your ears: For which of you will stop
The vent of hearing, when loud Rumour speaks?
I, from the orient to the drooping west,
Making the wind my post-horse, still unfold
The acts commenced on this ball of earth:
Upon my tongues continual slanders ride,
The which in every language I pronounce,
Stuffing the ears of men with false reports.
I speak of peace, while covert enmity,
Under the smile of safety, wounds the world:
And who but Rumour, who but only I,
Make fearful musters, and prepar'd defence;
Whilst the big year, swol'n with some other grief,
Is thought with child by the stern tyrant war,
And no such matter! Rumour is a pipe
Blown by surmises, jealousies, conjectures;
And of so easy and so plain a stop,

That the blunt monster with uncounted heads,
The still-discordant wavering multitude,
Can play upon it. But what need I thus
My well-known body to anatomize

Among my household? Why is Rumour here?
I run before king Harry's victory;
Who, in a bloody field by Shrewsbury,

Hath beaten down young Hotspur, and his troops,
Quenching the flame of bold rebellion

Even with the rebels' blood. But what mean I
To speak so true at first? my office is
To noise abroad,-that Harry Monmouth fell
Under the wrath of noble Hotspur's sword;
And that the king before the Douglas' rage
Stoop'd his anointed head as low as death.
This have I rumour'd through the peasant towns
Between that royal field of Shrewsbury
And this worm-eaten hold of ragged stone,
Where Hotspur's father, old Northumberland,
Lies crafty-sick: the posts come tiring on,
And not a man of them brings other news
Than they have learn'd of me; From Rumour's tongues
They bring smooth comforts false, worse than true

wrongs.

ACT I.

SCENE I.-The same.

[Erit.

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North. Now, Travers, what good tidings come with you?

Tra. My lord, sir John Umfrevile turn'd me back
With joyful tidings; and, being better hors'd,
Out-rode me. After him, came, spurring hard,
A gentleman almost forspent with speed,
That stopp'd by me to breathe his bloodied horse :
He ask'd the way to Chester; and of him
I did demand, what news from Shrewsbury.
He told me, that rebellion had bad luck,
And that young Harry Percy's spur was cold:
With that, he gave his able horse the head,
And, bending forward, struck his armed heels
Against the panting sides of his poor jade
Up to the rowel-head; and starting so,
He seem'd in running to devour the way,
Staying no longer question.

North.
Ha!-Again.
Said he, young Harry Percy's spur was cold?
Of Hotspur, coldspur? that rebellion
Had met ill luck!

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North. Yea, this man's brow, like to a title-leaf,
Foretels the nature of a tragic volume:
So looks the strond, whereon the imperious flood
Hath left a witness'd usurpation,

Say, Morton, didst thou come from Shrewsbury?
Mor. I ran from Shrewsbury, my noble lord;
Where hateful death put on his ugliest mask,
To fright our party.
North.
How doth my son, and brother?
Thou tremblest; and the whiteness in thy cheek
Is apter than thy tongue to tell thy errand.
Even such a man, so faint, so spiritless,
So dull, so dead in look, so woe-begone,
Drew Priam's curtain in the dead of night,
And would have told him, half his Troy was burn'd:
But Priam found the fire, ere he his tongue,
And I my Percy's death, ere thou report'st it.

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