Colour her working with such deadly wounds;
Nor never could the noble Mortimer
Receive so many, and all willingly :
Then let him not be slander'd with revolt.
K. Hen. Thou dost belie him, Percy, thou
dost belie him;

He never did encounter with Glendower:
I tell thee,

He durst as well have met the devil alone,
As Owen Glendower for an enemy.

Art not ashamed? But, Sirrah, henceforth
Let me not hear you speak of Mortimer :
Send me your prisoners with the speediest
means,

And plant this thorn, this canker, Bolingbroke?
And shall it, in more shame, be further spoken,
That your are fool'd, discarded, and shook off
By him, for whom these shames ye underwent ?
No; yet time serves, wherein you may redeem
Your banish'd honours, and restore yourselves
Into the good thoughts of the world again :
Revenge the jeering and disdain'd contempt
Of this proud king; who studies, day and
night,

To answer all the debt he owes to you,
Even with the bloody payment of your deaths.
Therefore, I say,-

Wor. Peace, cousin, say no more:
And now I will unclasp a secret book,

land,

We license your departure with your son :-
Send us your prisoners, or you'll hear of it.
[Exeunt King HENRY, BLUNT, and Train.
Hot. And if the devil come and roar for
them,

I will not send them :-I will after straight,
And tell him so; for I will ease my heart,
Although it be with hazard of my head.
North. What, drunk with choler? stay, and
pause awhile;

Here comes your uncle.

Re-enter WORCESTER.

Hot. Speak of Mortimer? 'Zounds, I will speak of him; and let my soul Want mercy, if I do not join with him: Yea, on his part, I'll empty all these veins, And shed my dear blood drop by drop i'the dust, But I will lift the down-trod Mortimer As high i'the air as this unthankful king, As this ingrate and canker'd Bolingbroke. North. Brother, the king hath made your nephew mad. [To WORCESTER. Wor. Who struck this heat up, after I was gone?

Hot. He will, forsooth, have all my prisoners;
And when I urg'd the ransom once again
Of my wife's brother, then his cheek look'd
pale;

And on my face he turn'd an eye of death,
Trembling even at the name of Mortimer.
Wor. I cannot blame him: Was he not pro-
claim'd,

By Richard that dead is, the next of blood ?
North. He was; I heard the proclamation:
And then it was, when the unhappy king
(Whose wrongs in us God pardon !) did set forth
Upon his Irish expedition;

From whence he, intercepted, did return
To be depos'd, and shortly, murdered.
Wor. And for whose death, we in the world's
wide mouth

Live scandaliz'd, and foully spoken of.

Hot. But, soft, I pray you: Did king Richard then

Proclaim my brother Edmund Mortimer
Heir to the crown?

North. He did; myself did hear it.

Hot. Nay, then I cannot blame his cousin king,

That wish'd him on the barren mountains starv'd.

But shall it be, that you, that set the crown
Upon the head of this forgetful man;
And, for his sake, wear the detested blot
Of murd'rous subordination,-shall it be,
That you a world of curses undergo;
Being the agents, or base second means,
The cords, the ladder, or the hangman rather ?--
O pardon me, that I descend so low,
To show the line and the predicament
Wherein you range under this subtle king.
Shall it, for shame, be spoken in these days,
Or fill up chronicles in time to come,
That men of your nobility and power,
Did gage them both in an unjust behalf,-
As both of you, God pardon it! have done,-
To put down Richard, that sweet lovely rose,

I'll read you matter deep and dangerous;
As full of peril and advent'rous spirit,
As to o'er-walk a current, roaring loud,
On the unsteadfast footing of a spear.
Hot. If he fall in, good night :—or sink or
swim:

Send danger from the east unto the west,
So honour cross it from the north to south,
And let them grapple :-Oh! the blood more
stirs,

To rouse a lion than to start a hare

North. Imagination of some great exploit, Drives him beyond the bounds of patience. Hot. By heaven methinks it were an easy leap,

To pluck bright honour from the pale-fac'd moon;

Or dive unto the bottom of the deep,
Where fathom-line could never touch the ground,
And pluck up drowned honour by the locks;
So he, that doth redeem her thence, might
wear,

Without co-rival,-all her dignities:
But out upon this half-fac'd fellowship!

Wor. He apprehends a world of figures⚫

here,

But not the form of what he should attend.Good cousin, give me audience for a while. Hot. I cry you mercy.

Wor. Those same noble Scots, That are your prisoners,

Hot. I keep them all;

By heaven he shall not have a Scot of them: No, if a Scot would save his soul, he shall not: I'll keep them, by this hand.

Wor. You start away,

And lend no ear unto my purposes.-
Those prisoners you shall keep.

Hot. Nay, I will; that's flat :-
He said he would not ransom Mortimer;
Forbade my tongue to speak of Mortimer;
But I will find him when he lies asleep,
And in his ear I'll holla-Mortimer !
Nay,

I'll have a starling shall be taught to speak
Nothing but Mortimer, and give it him,
To keep his anger still in motion.
Wor. Hear you,

Cousin; a word.

Hot. All studies here I solemnly defy,♦ Save how to gall and pinch this Bolingbroke: And that same sword-and-buckler Prince of Wales.

But that I think his father loves him not,
And would be glad he met with some mis-
chance,

I'd have him poison'd with a pot of ale.
Wor. Farewell, kinsman! I will talk to you,
When you are better temper'd to attend.
North. Why, what a wasp-stung and impa-
tient fool

Art thou, to break into this woman's mood;
Tying thine ear to no tongue but thine own?
Hot. Why, look you, I am whipp'd and
Scourg'd with rods,

• Shapes created by his imagination. + Refuse. The term for a blustering quarrelsome fellow.

Which I shall send you written, be assur'd
Will easily be granted.-You, my lord,

[7b NORTHUMBERLAND.
Your son in Scotland being thus employ'd,
Shall secretly into the bosom creep
Of that same noble prelate, well belov'd,
The archbishop.

Hot. Of York, is't not?

Wor. True: who bears hard

His brother's death at Bristol the lord Scroop.

I speak not this in estimation, t

As what I think might be, but what I know
Is ruminated, plotted, and set down;

And only stays but to behold the face
Of that occasion that shall bring it on.

Hot. I smell it; upon my life, it will do well.

North. Before the game's a-foot, thou still let'st slip.

Hot. Why, it cannot choose but be a noble

plot :

And then the power of Scotland, and of York,— To join with Mortimer, ha ?

Wor. And so they shall.

Hot. In faith, it is exceedingly well aim'd. Wor. And 'tis no little reason bids us speed, To save our heads by raising of a head :‡ For, bear ourselves as even as we can, The king will always think him in our debt, And think we think ourselves unsatisfied, Till he hath found a time to pay us home. And see, already, how he doth begin To make us strangers to his looks of love. Hot. He does, he does; we'll be reveng'd on him.

Wor. Cousin, farewell :-No further go in this,

Than I by letters shall direct your course.
When time is ripe, (which will be suddenly,)
I'll steal to Glendower and lord Mortimer;
Where you and Douglas, and our powers

once,

at

(As I will fashion it,) shall happily meet, To bear our fortunes in our own strong arms, Which now we bold at much uncertainty. North. Farewell, good brother: we shall thrive, I trust.

ACT II.

SCENE I.-Rochester.-An Inn Yard. Enter a CARRIER, with a Lantern in his hand.

1 Car. Heigh ho! An't be not four by the day, I'll be hanged: Charles' wain is over the new chimney, and yet our horse not packed. What, ostler!

Ost. [Within.] Anon, anon.

saddle,

1 Car. I pry'thee Tom, beat Cut's put a few flocks in the point; the poor jade is wrung in the withers out of all cess. t

Enter another CARRIER.

2 Car. Pease and beans are as dank § here as jades the bots: this house is turned upside a dog, and that is the next way to give poor down, since Robin ostler died.

1 Car. Poor fellow; never joyed since the price of oats rose; it was the death of him.

2 Car. I think this be the most villainous house in all London road for fleas I am stung like a teuch.¶

1 Car. Like a tench? by the mass, there is ne'er a king in Christendom could be better bit than I have been since the first cock.

and then we leak in your chimney; and your 2 Cur. Why, they will allow us ne'er a jorden,

chamber-lie breeds fleas like a loach. **

1 Car. What, ostler! come away and be hanged, come away.

2 Car. I have a gammon of bacon, and two razes of ginger, to be delivered as far as Charing

cross.

1 Car. 'Odsbody! the turkies in my pannier are quite starved.-What, ostler -A plague on thee hast thou never an eye in thy head? canst not hear? An 'twere not as good a deed as drink, to break the pate of thee, I am a very villain.-Come, and be hanged:-Hast no faith in thee?

Gads. o'clock ?

1 Car. I think it be two o'clock. Gads. I pr'ythee lend me thy lantern, to see my gelding in the stable.

1 Car. Nay, soft, I pray ye; I know a trick worth two of that, i'faith.

Gads. I pr'ythee lend me thine.

2 Car. Ay, when? canst tell?-Lend me thy lantern, quoth a ?-marry, I'll see thee hanged first.

Gads. Sirrah carrier, what time do you mean to come to London?

2 Car. Time enough to go to bed with a candle, I warrant thee.-Come, neighbour Mugs, we'll call up the gentlemen; they will along with company, for they have great charge. [Exeunt CARRIERS.

Gads. What ho! chamberlain ! Cham. [Within.] At hand, quoth pick-purse.✈ Gads. That's even as fair as-at band, quoth the chamberlain for thou variest no more from picking of purses, than giving direction dotă from labouring; thou lay'st the plot how.

It

short,

Till fields, and blows, and groans applaud our sport!

[Exeunt.

are up already, and call for eggs and butter: They will away presently.

Gads. Sirrah, if they meet not with saint Nicholas' clerks, I'll give thee this neck.

Cham. No, I'll none of it: I pr'ythee, keep that for the hangman; for I know thou worship'st saint Nicholas as truly as a man of falsehood

may.

Gads. What talkest thou to me of the hangman ? if I hang, I'll make a fat pair of gallows for if I hang, old Sir John hangs with me; and thou knowest he's no starveling. Tut! there are other Trojans that thou dreainest not of; the which, for sport sake, are content to do the profession some grace, that would, if matters should be looked into, for their own credit sake, make all whole. I am joined with no foot land-rakers,+ no long-staff, sixpenny strikers; none of these mad, mustachio purple-hued malt-worms: but with nobility and tranquillity; burgoinasters and great oneyers; such as can hold in; such as will strike sooner than speak, and speak sooner than drink, and drink sooner than pray: And yet I lie; for they pray continually to their saint, the commonwealth; or, rather, not pray to her, but prey on her; for they ride up and down on her, and make her their boots. §

afoot with me; and the stony-hearted villains know it well enough: A plague upon't, when thieves cannot be true to one another! [They whistle.] Whew!-A plague upon you all! Give me my horse, you rogues; give me my horse, and be hanged.

P. Hen. Peace, ye fat-guts! lie down: lay thine ear close to the ground, and list if thou canst hear the tread of travellers.

Fal. Have you any levers to lift me up again, being down? 'Sblood, I'll not bear mine own flesh so far afoot again, for all the coin in thy father's exchequer. What a plague mean ye to colt me thus ?

P. Hen. Thou liest, thou art not colted, thou art uncolted.

Fal. I pr'ythee, good prince Hal, help me to my horse; good king's son.

P. Hen. Out, you rogue! shall I be your ostler!

Fal. Go, hang thyself in thy own heir-apparent garters! If I be ta'en, I'll peach for this. An I have not ballads made on you all, and sung to filthy tunes, let a cup of sack be my poison: When a jest is so forward, and afoot too,

[Exeunt.

SCENE II.-The Road by Gadshill.

Enter Prince HENRY and POINS; BARDOLPH and Pыто, at some distance.

Poins. Come, shelter, shelter; I have reved Falstaff's horse, and he frets like a gummed velvet.

P. Hen. Stand close.

Enter FALSTAFF.

Fal. Poins! Poins, and be hanged! Poins! P. Hen. Peace, ye fat-kidneyed rascal; What a brawling dost thou keep ?

Fal. Where's Poins, Hal?

P. Hen. He is walked up to the top of the hill; I'll go seek him.

[Pretends to seek POINS. Fal. I am accursed to rob in that thief's Company: the rascal bath removed my horse, and tied him I know not where. If I travel but four foot by the squire further afoot, I shall break my wind. Well, I doubt not but to die a fair death for all this, if I 'scape hanging for killing that rogue. I have forsworn his company hourly any time this two-and-twenty years, and yet I am bewitched with the rogue's company. If the rascal bave not given me medicines to make me love him, I'll be hanged; it could not be else; I have drunk medicines.-Poins !-Hal-a plague upon you both !-Bardolph I-Peto -I'll starve, ere I'll rob a foot further. An 'twere not as good a deed as drink, to turn true man, and leave these rogues, I am the veriest varlet that ever chewed with a tooth. Eight yards of uneven ground, is threescore and ten miles

Gads. Stand.

Enter GADSHILL.

Fal. So I do, against my will,
Poins. O 'tis our setter: I know his voice.
Enter BARDOLPH.

Bard. What news?

Gads. Case ye, case ye; on with your visors; there's money of the king's coming down the bill; 'tis going to the king's exchequer. Fal. You lie, you rogue; 'tis going to the king's tavern.

Gads. 'There's enough to make us all.
Fal. To be hanged.

P. Hen. Sirs, you four shall front them in the narrow lane; Ned Poins and I will walk lower: if they 'scape from your encounter, then they light on us.

Peto. How many be there of them?
Gads. Some eight, or ten.

Fal. 'Zounds! will they not rob us?

P. Hen. What, a coward, Sir John Paunch? Fal. Indeed, I am not John of Gaunt, your grandfather; but yet no coward, Hal.

P. Hen. Well, we leave that to the proof. Poins. Sirrah Jack, thy horse stands behind the hedge; when thou needest him, there thou shalt find him. Farewell, and stand fast.

Fal. Now cannot I strike him, if I should be banged.

P. Hen. Ned, where are our disguises?
Poins. Here, hard by; stand close.

[Exeunt P. HENRY and POINS. Fal. Now, my masters, happy man he his dole, say 1; every man to his business.

Enter TRAVELLERS.

1 Trav. Come, neighbour; the boy shall lead our horses down the hill: we'll walk afoot a while, and ease our legs. Thieves. Stand.

Trav. Jesu bless us !

Fal. Strike; down with them; cut the villains' throats: Ah! whoreson caterpillars! bacou-fed knaves! they hate us youth: down with them; fleece them.

1 Trav. O we are undone, both we and our's, for ever.

Ful. Hang ye, gorbellied knaves; Are ye undone? No, ye fat chuffs; I would your store were here! On, bacons, on! What, ye knaves? young men must live: You are grand jurors are ye? We'll jure ye, i'faith.

[Exeunt FALSTAFF, &c. Driving the TRAVELLERS out.

Make a youngster of me.

Re-enter Prince HENRY and POINS. P. Hen. The thieves have bound the true men: Now could thou and I rob the thieves, and go merrily to London, it would be argument for a week, laughter for a month, and a good

'est for ever.

Poins. Stand close, I hear them coming.
Re-enter Thieves.

Fal. Come, my masters, let us share, and then to horse before day. An the prince and Poins be not two arrant cowards, there's no equity stirring; there's no more valour in that Poins, than in a wild duck.

P. Hen. Your money. Poins. Villains. [As they are sharing, the PRINCE and POINS set upon them. FALSTAFF, after a blow or two, and the rest, run away. leaving their booty behind them.]

[Rushing out upon them.

P. Hen. Got with much ease. Now merrily

to horse :

The thieves are scatter'd, and possess'd with fear

So strongly, that they dare not meet each other:
Each takes his fellow for an officer.
Away, good Ned. Falstaff sweats to death,
And lards the lean earth as he walks along:
Wer't not for laughing, I should pity him.
Poins. How the rogue roar'd!

[Exeunt.

SCENE III.-Warkworth.-A Room in the
Castle.

Enter HOTSPUR, reading a Letter. But, for mine own part, my lord, I could be well contented to be there, in respect of the love I bear your house. He could be contented,-Why is he not then? In respect of the love he bears our house :-be shows in this he loves his own barn better than he loves our house. Let me see some more. The purpose you undertake is dangerous-Why, that's certain; 'tis dangerous to take a cold, to sleep, to drink: but I tell you, my lord fool, out of this nettle, danger, we pluck this flower, safety. The purpose you undertake, is dangerous; the friends you have named, uncertain; the time itself unsorted; and your whole plot too light, for the counterpoise of so great an opposition. -Say you so, say you so ? I say unto you again, you are a shallow cowardly hind, and you lie. What a lack-brain is this? By the Lord, our plot is a good plot as ever was laid; our friends true and constant: a good plot, good friends, and full of expectation: an excellent plot, very good friends. What a frosty-spirited rogue is this? Why, my lord of York commends the plot, and the general course of the action. 'Zounds, an I were now by this rascal, I could brain him with his lady's fan. Is there not my father, my uncle, and myself? lord Edward Mortimer, my lord of York, and Owen Glendower? Is there not, besides, the Douglas? Have I not all their letters, to meet me in arms by the ninth of the next month? and are they not, some of them, set forward already? What a rascal is this! an infidel! Ha! you shall see now, in very sincerity of fear and cold heart, will he to the king, and lay open all our proceedings. O I could divide myself, and go to buffets, for moving such a dish of skimmed milk with so honourable an action! Hang him! let him tell the king: We are prepared: I will set forward to-night.

Enter Lady PERCY.

pagan

A banish'd woman from my Harry's bed? Tell me, sweet lord, what is't that takes from thee

Thy stomach, pleasure, and thy golden sleep? Why dost thou bend thine eyes upon the earth;

And start so often when thou sit'st alone?
Why hast thou lost the fresh blood in thy
cheeks;

And given my treasures, and my rights of thee,
To thick-ey'd musing, and curs'd melancholy?
In thy faint slumbers, 1 by thee have watch'd,
And heard thee murmur tales of iron wars:
Speak terms of manage to thy bounding steed;
Cry, Courage!—to the field! And thou hast
talk'd
Of sallies and retires; of trenches, tents,
Of palisadoes, frontiers, parapets;
Of basilisks, of cannon, culverin;
Of prisoners' ransom, and of soldiers slain,
And all the currents of a heady fight.
Thy spirit within thee hath been so at war,
And thus hath so bestir'd thee in the sleep,
That beads of sweat have stood upon thy
brow,

Like bubbles in a late-disturbed stream:
And in thy face strange motions have ap
pear'd,
[breath
Such as we see when men restrain their
On some great sudden haste. O what por-
tents are these?

Some heavy business hath my lord in hand,
And I must know it, else he loves me not.
Hot. What, ho! is Gilliams with the packet
gone?

My love, my horse.

Lady. Out, you mad-headed ape! A weasel hath not such a deal of spleen, As you are toss'd with. In faith, I'll know your business, Harry, that I will. I fear my brother Mortimer doth stir About his title and hath sent for you, To line his enterprize; But if you goHot. So far afoot, I shall be weary, love. Lady. Come, come, you paraquito, answer Directly to this question that I ask. In faith, I'll break thy little finger, Harry, An if thou wilt not tell me all things true. Hot. Away,

me

Well, do not then; for, since you love me not,
will not love myself. Do you not love me ?
Nay, tell me, if you speak in jest or no.
And when I am o'horse-back, I will swear
Hot. Come, wilt thou see me ride?

• Occurrences.

+ Motto of the Percy family. * Strengthen. 3 E