Complete Plays, The (218 page)

Exeunt Worcester and Vernon

Prince Henry

It will not be accepted, on my life:
The Douglas and the Hotspur both together
Are confident against the world in arms.

King Henry IV

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 all but Prince Henry and Falstaff

Falstaff

Hal, if thou see me down in the battle and bestride me, so; ’tis a point of friendship.

Prince Henry

Nothing but a colossus can do thee that friendship.
Say thy prayers, and farewell.

Falstaff

I would ’twere bed-time, Hal, and all well.

Prince Henry

Why, thou owest God a death.

Exit Prince Henry

Falstaff

’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. ’Tis 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.

Exit

S
CENE
II. T
HE
REBEL
CAMP
.

Enter Worcester and Vernon

Earl Of Worcester

O, no, my nephew must not know, Sir Richard,
The liberal and kind offer of the king.

Vernon

’Twere best he did.

Earl Of Worcester

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 all our lives shall be 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 hair-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.

Vernon

Deliver what you will; I’ll say ’tis so.
Here comes your cousin.

Enter Hotspur and Douglas

Hotspur

My uncle is return’d:
Deliver up my Lord of Westmoreland.
Uncle, what news?

Earl Of Worcester

The king will bid you battle presently.

Earl Of Douglas

Defy him by the Lord of Westmoreland.

Hotspur

Lord Douglas, go you and tell him so.

Earl Of Douglas

Marry, and shall, and very willingly.

Exit

Earl Of Worcester

There is no seeming mercy in the king.

Hotspur

Did you beg any? God forbid!

Earl Of Worcester

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 the Earl Of Douglas

Earl Of Douglas

Arm, gentlemen; to arms! for I have thrown
A brave defiance in King Henry’s teeth,
And Westmoreland, that was engaged, did bear it;
Which cannot choose but bring him quickly on.

Earl Of Worcester

The Prince of Wales stepp’d forth before the king,
And, nephew, challenged you to single fight.

Hotspur

O, would the quarrel lay upon our heads,
And that no man might draw short breath today
But I and Harry Monmouth! Tell me, tell me,
How show’d his tasking? seem’d it in contempt?

Vernon

No, by my soul; I never in my life
Did hear a challenge urged 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 to your deservings like a chronicle,
Making you ever better than his praise
By still dispraising praise valued in 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.

Hotspur

Cousin, I think thou art enamoured
On his follies: never did I hear
Of any prince so wild a libertine.
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.
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

Messenger

My lord, here are letters for you.

Hotspur

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 consciences, the arms are fair,
When the intent of bearing them is just.

Enter another Messenger

Messenger

My lord, prepare; the king comes on apace.

Hotspur

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
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

S
CENE
III. P
LAIN
BETWEEN
THE
CAMPS
.

King Henry enters with his power. Alarum to the battle. Then enter Douglas and Sir Walter Blunt

Sir Walter Blunt

What is thy name, that in the battle thus
Thou crossest me? what honour dost thou seek
Upon my head?

Earl Of Douglas

 
Know then, my name is Douglas;
And I do haunt thee in the battle thus
Because some tell me that thou art a king.

Sir Walter Blunt

They tell thee true.

Earl Of Douglas

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.

Sir Walter 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. Douglas kills Sir Walter Blunt. Enter Hotspur

Hotspur

O Douglas, hadst thou fought at Holmedon thus, never had triumph’d upon a Scot.

Earl Of Douglas

All’s done, all’s won; here breathless lies the king.

Hotspur

Where?

Earl Of Douglas

Here.

Hotspur

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.

Earl Of Douglas

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?

Hotspur

The king hath many marching in his coats.

Earl Of Douglas

Now, by my sword, I will kill all his coats;
I’ll murder all his wardrobe, piece by piece,
Until I meet the king.

Hotspur

Up, and away!
Our soldiers stand full fairly for the day.

Exeunt

Alarum. Enter Falstaff, solus

Falstaff

Though I could ’scape shot-free at London, I fear the shot here; here’s no scoring but upon the pate. Soft! who are you? Sir Walter Blunt: there’s honour for you! here’s no vanity! I am as hot as moulten 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

Prince Henry

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 yet unrevenged: I prithee,
Lend me thy sword.

Falstaff

O Hal, I prithee, 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.

Prince Henry

He is, indeed; and living to kill thee. I prithee, lend me thy sword.

Falstaff

Nay, before God, Hal, if Percy be alive, thou get’st not my sword; but take my pistol, if thou wilt.

Prince Henry

Give it to me: what, is it in the case?

Falstaff

Ay, Hal; ’tis hot, ’tis hot; there’s that will sack a city.

Prince Henry draws it out, and finds it to be a bottle of sack

Prince Henry

What, is it a time to jest and dally now?

He throws the bottle at him. Exit

Falstaff

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 Falstaff

S
CENE
IV. A
NOTHER
PART
OF
THE
FIELD
.

Alarum. Excursions. Enter Prince Henry, Lord John Of Lancaster, and Earl Of Westmoreland

King Henry IV

I prithee,
Harry, withdraw thyself; thou bleed’st too much.
Lord John of Lancaster, go you with him.

Lancaster

Not I, my lord, unless I did bleed too.

Prince Henry

I beseech your majesty, make up,
Lest your retirement do amaze your friends.

King Henry IV

I will do so.
My Lord of Westmoreland, lead him to his tent.

Westmoreland

Come, my lord, I’ll lead you to your tent.

Prince Henry

Lead me, my lord? I do not need your help:
And God 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!

Lancaster

We breathe too long: come, cousin Westmoreland,
Our duty this way lies; for God’s sake come.

Exeunt Lancaster and Westmoreland

Prince Henry

By God, thou hast deceived me, Lancaster;
I did not think thee lord of such a spirit:
Before, I loved thee as a brother, John;
But now, I do respect thee as my soul.

King Henry IV

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

Prince Henry

O, this boy
Lends mettle to us all!

Exit

Enter Douglas

Earl Of Douglas

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?

King Henry IV

The king himself; who, Douglas, grieves at heart
So many of his shadows thou hast met
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.

Earl Of Douglas

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. King Henry being in danger, Prince Henry enters

Prince Henry

Hold up thy head, vile Scot, or thou art like
Never to hold it up again! the spirits
Of valiant 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 succor sent,
And so hath Clifton: I’ll to Clifton straight.