Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB

But stand against us, like an enemy.

Blunt. And God defend, but still I should stand so,
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 confesseth 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 God,
He came but to be duke of Lancaster,
To sue his livery, and beg his peace;
With tears of innocency, and terms of zeal,
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,
Attended him on bridges, stood in lanes,
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 strait 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,
Proceeded further; cut me off the heads
Of all the favourites, that the absent king
In deputation left behind him here,
When he was personal in the Irish war.
Blunt. Tut, 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 incag'd in Wales,
There without ransome to lie forfeited:
Disgrac'd me in my happy victories;
Sought to intrap me by intelligence;
Rated my uncle from the council-board;

In 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, the which we find

Too indirect for long continuance.

[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small]

SCENE IV. York. A room in the Archbishop's
house.

Enter the Archbishop of YORK, and a Gentleman.
Arch. Hic, good sir Michael; bear this sealed brief,
With winged haste, to the lord mareshal!
This to my cousin Scroop; and all the rest
To whom they are directed! If you
knew
How much they do import, you would make haste.
Gent. My good lord,

I guess their tenor.

Arch. Like enough, you do.

To-morrow, good sir Michael, is a day,
Wherein the fortune of ten thousand men
Must 'bide the touch. For, sir, at Shrewsbury,
As I am truly given to understand,
The king, with mighty and quick-raised power,
Meets with lord Harry: and I fear, sir Michael,-
What with the sickness of Northumberland,
Whose power was in the first proportion,
And what with Owen Glendower's absence, thence,
Who with them was a rated sinew too,
And comes not in, o'er-rul'd by prophecies,-

Blunt. Shall I return this answer to the king? Hot. Not so, sir Walter! we'll withdraw awhile. Go to the king, and let there be impawn'd

I fear the power of Perey is too weak
To wage an instant trial with the king."
Gent. Why, good my lord, you need not fear;
there's Douglas,

And Mortimer.

Arch. No, Mortimer's not there.

Gent. But there is Mordake, Vernon, lord Harry
Percy,

And there's my lord of Worcester, and a head
Of gallant warriors, noble gentlemen.

Arch. And so there is: but yet the king hath drawn
The special head of all the land together:
The prince of Wales, lord John of Lancaster,
The noble Westmoreland, and warlike Blunt
And many more corrivals, and dear men
Of estimation and command in arms.
Gent. 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 severally.

[ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small]

A

That 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 for it! how comes

it then?

Fal. Rebellion lay in his way, aud 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 swore 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,
What with the injuries of a wanton time,
The seeming sufferances, that you had borne,
And the contrarious winds, that held the king
So long in his unlucky Irish wars,

That all in England did repute him dead,—
And, from this swarm of fair advantages,
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's 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 enterprize.

K. Hen. These things, indeed, you have articulated,
Proclaim'd at market-crosses, read in churches,
To face the garment of rebellion

gape

With some fine colour, that may please the eye
Of fickle changelings, and poor discontents,
Which and rub the elbow at the news
Of hurlyburly innovation:
And never yet did insurrection want
Such water-colours, to impaint his cause,
Nor moody beggars, starving for a time

Of pell-mell havock and confusion.
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,
The prince of Wales doth join with all the world
In praise of Henry Percy. By my hopes,-
This present enterprize set off his head,-
I do not think, a braver gentleman,
More active-valiant, or more valiant-young,
More daring, or more bold, is now alive,
To grace this latter age with noble deeds.
For my part, I may speak it to my shame,
I have a truant been to chivalry;
And So, I hear, he doth account me too:
Yet this before my father's majesty,-

I am content, that he shall take the odds
Of his great name and estimation,
And will, to save the blood on either side,
Try fortune with him in a single fight.

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,
And, will they take the offer of our grace,
Both he, and they, and you, yea, every man
Shall be my friend again, and I'll be his.
So tell your cousin, and bring me word
What he will do. - But if he will not yield,
Rebuke and dread correction wait on us,
And they shall do their office. So, be gone!
We will not now be troubled with reply:
We offer fair, take it advisedly!

[Exeunt Worcester and Vernon. P. Hen. It will not be accepted, on my life! The Douglas and the Hotspur both together Are confident against the world in arms. K. Hen.Hence, therefore, every leader to his charge! For, on their answer, will we set on them; And God befriend us, as our cause is just!

.

[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!

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? Can 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 in that word, honour? What is that 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.

[ocr errors]

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.

Wor. Then are we all undone. It is not possible, it cannot be,

The king should keep his word in loving us;

He will suspect us still, and find a time
To punish this offence in other faults:
Suspicion shall be all stuck full of eyes;
For treason is but trusted like the fox,

Who, ne'er so tame, so cherish'd, and lock'd up,
Will have a wild trick of his ancestors.
Look how we can, or sad, or merrily,
Interpretation will misquote our looks;
And we shall feed like oxen at a stall,
The better cherish'd, still the nearer death.
My nephew's trespass may be well forgot,

It hath the excuse of youth, and heat of blood,
And an adopted name of privilege,-
A hare-brain'd Hotspur, govern'd by a spleen:
All his offences live upon my head,

And on his father's; we did train him on;
And, his corruption being ta'en from us,
We, as the spring of all, shall pay for all.
Therefore, good cousin, let not Harry know,
In any case, the offer of the king!

Ver. Deliver what you will, I'll say, 'tis so.
Here comes your cousin.

Enter HOTSPUR and DOUGLAS; and Officers and diers, behind.

[merged small][ocr errors][merged small]

Arm,arm, with speed!-And, fellows,soldiers,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,
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 I intend to stain
With the best blood, that I can meet withal
Sol-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.

Hot. My uncle is return'd. - Deliver up
My lord of Westmoreland. - Uncle, what news?
Wor. The king will bid you battle presently.
Doug. Defy him by the lord of Westmoreland.
Hot. Lord Douglas, go you and tell him so!
Doug. Marry, and shall, and very willingly.[Exit.
Wor. There is no seeming mercy in the king.
Hot. Did you beg any? God forbid !
Wor. I told him gently of our grievances,
Of his oath-breaking; which he mended thus,—
By now forswearing that he is forsworn.
He calls us rebels, traitors, and will scourge
With haughty arms this hateful name in us.
Re-enter DOUGLAS.

Doug. Arm, gentlemen; to arms! for I have thrown
A brave defiance in King Henry's teeth,
And Westmoreland, that was engag'd, did bear it;
Which cannot choose but bring him quickly on.
Wor. The prince of Wales stepp'd forth before the
king,

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
Did hear a challenge urg'd more modestly,
Unless a brother should a brother dare
To gentle exercise and proof of arms.
He gave you all the duties of a man,

Trimm'd up your praises with a princely tongue,
Spoke your deservings like a chronicle,
Making you ever better, than his praise,
By still dispraising praise, valued with you,
And, which became him like a prince indeed,
He made a blushing cital of himself,
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
I will embrace him with a soldier's arm,
That he shall shrink under my courtesy.-

[ocr errors]

-

[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,
This 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, and Blunt is slain.

Enter HorSpur.

Hot.O Douglas, hadst thou fought at Holmedon thus,
I never had triumph'd upon a Scot.
Doug. All's done, all's won; here breathless lies
the king.
Hot. Where?

Doug. Here.

Hot. This, Douglas? no, I know this face full well:
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.

Hot. Up, and away!

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 mine own

[ocr errors]

du

K

U

W

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 thy sword!

Many a nobleman lies stark and stiff
Under the hoofs of vaunting enemies,
Whose deaths are unreveng'd. Pr'ythee, lend thy
sword!

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. 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. I 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.

SCENE IV. - Another part of the field. Alarums. Excursions. Enter the King, Prince HENRY, Prince Jons, 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 triumph 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.
Lancaster,
P. Hen.By heaven, thou hast deceiv'd: me,
I 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. O, this boy

Lends mettle to us all!

Alarums. Enter DOUGLAS.

[Exit.

Doug. Another king! they grow, like Hydra's 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?

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 like
Never to hold it up again! the spirits
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 a while!
Thou hast redeem'd thy lost opinion,
And show'd, thou mak'st some tender to 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 Gaw-
[Exit King Henry.

sey.

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.
Hot. I can no longer brook thy vanities. [They fight.
Enter FALSTAFF.

Fal. Well said, Hal! to it, Hal!-Nay, you shall find no boy's play here, I can tell you. Enter DOUGLAS; he fights with FALSTAFF, who falls down, as if he were dead, and exit DOUGLAS. HOTSPUR is wounded, and falls.

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;
They wound my thoughts, worse than thy sword my
flesh.

But thought's the slave of life, and life time's fool;
And time, that takes survey of all the world,
Must have a stop. O, I could prophecy,
But that the earthy and cold hand of death
Lies on my tongue. No, Percy, thou art dust,
And food for-

[Dies.

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

Ill-weav'd ambition, how much art thou shrunk!

K. Hen. The king himself, who, Douglas, grieves When that this body did contain a spirit,

[blocks in formation]

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 ignominy sleep with thee in the grave,
But not remember'd in thy epitaph!-

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.

[He sees Falstaff on the ground. What! old acquaintance! could not all this flesh Keep in a little life? Poor Jack, farewell! I would 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. SCENF V. Another part of the field. Fal. [Rising slowly.] Embowell'd! if thou embowel The trumpets sound. Enter King HENRY, Prince me to-day, I'll give you leave to powder me, and HENRY, Prince JOHN, WESTMORELAND, and Others, with eat me too, to-morrow. 'Sblood, 'twas time to coun- WORCESTER, and VERNON, prisoners. terfeit, or that hot termagant Scot had paid me K. Hen. Thus ever did rebellion find rebuke.scot and lot too. Counterfeit? I lie, I am no coun- Ill-spirited Worcester! did we not send grace, terfeit. To die, is to be a counterfeit; for he is but Pardon, and terms oflove to all of you? the counterfeit of a man, who hath not the life of a And would'st thou turn our offers contrary? man: but to counterfeit dying, when a man thereby Misuse the tenor of thy kinsman's trust? liveth, is to be no counterfeit, but the true and per- Three knights upon our party slain to-day, fect image of life indeed. The better part of valour A noble earl, and many a creature else, is-discretion; in the which better part, I have saved Had been alive this hour,

my life. 'Zounds, I am afraid of this gunpowder Per-If, like a christian, thou hadst truly borne
.cy, though he be dead: how, if he should counter- Betwixt our armies true intelligence.
feit too, and rise? I am afraid, he would prove the
better counterfeit. Therefore I'll make him sure: yea,
and I'll swear, I kill'd him. Why may not he rise, as
well as I? Nothing confutes me but eyes, and no-
body sees me. Therefore, sirrah, [Stabbing him.]
with a new wound in your thigh,come you along with
me! [Takes Hotspur on his back.

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

Re-enter Prince HENRY and Prince Jons.
P. Hen. Come, brother John, full bravely hast thou

[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors]

Art thou alive? or is it phantasy,

too:

Other oflenders we will pause upon.

[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,
bleed-That the pursuers took him. At my tent
The Douglas is; and I beseech your grace,
I may dispose of him.

That plays upon our eye-sight? I pr'ythee, speak;
We will not trust our eyes, without our ears. -
Thou art not what thou seem'st.

Ful. No, that's certain; I am not a double man: but if I be not Jack Falstaff, then am I a Jack. There is Percy [Throwing the body down.]if your father will do me any honour, so; if not, let him kill the next Percy himself. I look to be either earl, or duke, I can assure you.

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, shown upon our crests to-day,
Hath taught us, how to cherish such high deeds,
Even in the bosom of our adversaries.
K. Hen. Then this remains, that we divide our

power.

You, son John, and my cousin Westmoreland,
Towards York shall bend you, with your darest speed,
Tameet Northumberland, and the prelate Scroop,
Who, as we hear, are busily in arms.

P.Hen. Why, Percy I kill'd 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 Myself, - and you, son Harry, will towards Wales, be believed, so; if not, let them, that should reward To fight with Glendower, and the earl of March. valour, bear the sin upon their own heads. I'll take it Rebellion in this land shall lose his sway, upon my death, I gave him this wound in the thigh: if Meeting the check of such another day; the man were alive, and would deny it, I would make And since this business so fair is done, him eat a piece of my sword. Let us not leave, till all our own be won!

P.John. This is the strangest tale thrat e'er I heard.

[Exeunt.

« ZurückWeiter »