ACT V.

SCENE L-The King's Cump near Shrewsbury.

Enter KING HENRY, PRINCE HENRY, PRINCE JOHN of Lancaster, Sir WALTER BLUNT, and Sir JOHN FALSTAFF.

K. HEN. How bloodily the sun begins to peer Above yon busky hill! the day looks pale

At his distemperature.

Doth play the trumpet to his purposes;
And, by his hollow whistling in the leaves,
Foretells a tempest and a blustering day.

K. HEN. Then with the losers let it sympathise;
For nothing can seem foul to those that win.

Trumpet. Enter WORCESTER and VERNON.
How now, my lord of Worcester? 't is not well,
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 it? 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 it! how comes it then?
FAL. Rebellion lay in his way, and 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 danger 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 sware 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 used 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 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 enterprise.

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

With some fine colour, that may please the eye
Of fickle changelings and poor discontents,
Which gape, 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 pellmell havoc 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 enterprise 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; 't is 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 Heaven a death.

[Exit. FAL. "T is not due yet; I would be loth to pay him before his day. What need I be so forward with him that calls not on me? Well, 't is 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 that word, 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. [Exit.

SCENE II.-The Rebel Camp.

Enter WORCESTER and VERNON.

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

VER. "T were best he did.

WOR.

Then are we all undone.

It is not possible, it cannot be,

The king would 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 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 't is so.

Here comes your cousin.

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

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.
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.

[Exit.