FIRST PART OF KING HENRY IV. ACT I. SCENE I. London. A Room in the Palace. Enter King HENRY, WESTMORELAND, Sir WALTER BLUNT, and Others. K. Hen. So shaken as we are, so care, wan with Find we a time for frighted peace to pant, No more shall trenching war channel her fields, Which, like the meteors of a troubled hea ven. All of one nature, of one substance bred, No more shall cut his master. Therefore, friends, As far as to the sepulcher of Christ, (Whose soldier now, under whose blessed cross We are impressed and engaged to fight,) Forthwith a power of English shall we levy; Whose arms were moulded in their mothers' womb To chase these pagans, in those holy fields, hear Of you, my gentle cousin Westmoreland, West. My Liege, this haste was hot in question, And many limits of the charge set down But yesternight: when, all athwart, there came K. Hen. It seems then the tidings of this Brake off our business for the holy land. West. This match'd with other, did, my gracious Lord; For more uneven and unwelcome news At Holmedon met, Where they did spend a sad and bloody hour; As by discharge of their artillery, And shape of likelihood the news was told; For he that brought them, in the very heat And pride of their contention did take horse, Uncertain of the issue any way. K. Hen. Here is a dear and true-industrious friend, Sir Walter Blunt, new lighted from his horse, Stain'd with the variation of each soil Betwixt that Holmedon and this seat of ours; And he hath brought us smooth and welcome news. The Earl of Douglas is discomfited; Ten thousand bold Scots, two and twenty knights, Mordake the Earl of Fife, and eldest son And is not this an honourable spoil? West. In faith, It is a conquest for a Prince to boast of. K. Hen. Yea, there thou makʼst me sad, and 'mak'st me sin In envy that my lord Northumberland Should be the father of so blest a son: A son, who is the theme of honour's tongue; Amongst a grove, the very straightest plant; Of my young Harry. O, that it could be prov'd, coz', Of this young Percy's pride? the prisoners, Which makes him prune himself, and bristle up K. Hen. But I have sent for him to answer this; And, for this cause, awhile we must neglect Our holy purpose to Jerusalem. Cousin, on Wednesday next our council we [Exeunt, SCENE II, The same. Another Room in the Palace. Enter HENRY, Prince of Wales, and FALSTAFF. Fal. Now, Hal, what time of day is it, lad? P. Hen. Thou art so fat-witted, with drinking of old sack, and unbuttoning thee after supper, and sleeping upon benches after noon, that thou hast forgotten to demand that truly which thou would'st truly know. What a devil hast thou to do with the time of the day? unless hours were cups of sack, and miuntes capons, and clocks the tongues of bawds, and dials the signs of leaping-houses, and the blessed sun himself a fair hot wench in flame-colour'd taffata; I see no. reason, why thou should'st be superfinous to demand the time of the day. Fal. Indeed, you come near me, now Hal: for we, that take purses, go by the moon and seven stars; and not by Phoebus, he, that wandering knight so fair. And, I pray thee, sweet wag, when thou art King, as, God save thy grace, (majesty, I should say; for grace thou wilt have none,)P. Hen. What! none? Fal. No, by my troth; not so much as will serve to be prologue to an egg and butter, P. Hen. Well, how then? come, roundly, roundly. Fal. Marry, then, sweet wag, when thou art King, let not us, that are squires of the night's body, be call'd thieves of the day's beauty; let us be Diana's foresters, gentlemen of the shade, minions of the noon: And let men say, we be men of good government; being govern'd as the sea is, by our noble and chaste mistress the moon, under whose countenance we steal. P. Hen. Thou say'st well; and it holds well too for the fortune of us, that are the moon's men, doth ebb and flow like the sea; been govern'd as the sea is, by the moon. As, for proof, now: A purse of gold most resolutely snatch'd |