KING HENRY

S Oh shaken as we are, so won with care, Find we a time for frighted peace to pant, And breath short winded accents of new broils To be commencte in stronds a far remote: No more to e thirsty entrance of this soil Shall daub her lips with her own children's blood, No more shall trenching war channel her fields, Nor bruise her flourets with the armed hoofes Of hostile paces: those opposed eyes, Which Like the m teors of a troubled heaven, All of one nature, of one substance bred, Did lately meet in the intestine shock And furious close of civil butchery, Shall now in mutual welbeseeming ranks, March all one way, and be no more opposed Against acquaintance, kindred and allies. The edge of war, Like and ill sheathed knife, 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 leafy, Whose arms were moulded in their mother's womb, To chase these pagans in those holy fields, Over whose acres walked those blessed feet, Which 1400. years ago were nailed, For our advantage on the bitter cross. But this our purpose now is twelve month old, And bootless 'tis to tell you we will go. Therefore we meet not now: then let me hear Of you my gentle Cousin Westmoreland, What yesternight our counsel did decree In forwarding this deer expedience. It seems then that the tidings of this broil, Brake off our business for the holy land. Here is deer, a true industrious friend, Sir Walter Blunt new lighted from his horse, Stained 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 Balked in their own blood. Did sir Walter see On Holmedons plains, of prisoners Hotspur took Mordake Earl of Fife, and eldest son To beaten Douglas, and the Earl of Athol, Of Murrey, Angus, and Menteith: And is not this and honourable spoil? A gallant priz? Would cousin, is it not? In faith it is. Yea, there thou makest me sad, and makest me sin In envy, that my Lord Northumberland Should be the father to so blessed a son: A son, who is the theme of honours tongue, Amongst a grove, the very straightest plant, Who is sweet Fortune's minion and her pride, While I by looking on the praise of him See riot and dishonour stain the brow Of my young Harry. Oh that it could be proved That some night tripping fairy had exchanged, In cradle clothes our children where they lay, And called mine Percy, his Plantagenet, Then would I have his Harry, and he mine: But let him from my thoughts. What think you coose Of this young Percies pride? The prisoners Which he in this adventure hath surprised To his own use, he keeps and sends me word I shall have none but Mordake Earl of Fife. But I have sent for him to answer this: And for this cause a while we must neglect Out holy purpose to Jerusalem. Cousin on wednesday next our council we will hold At Windsor, so inform the Lords: But come your self with speed to us again, For more is to be said and to be done, Then out of anger can be uttered. My blood hath been too cold and temperate, Unapt to stir at these indignities, And you have found me, for accordingly You tread upon my patience, but be sure I will from henceforth rather be my self Mighty, and to be feared, then my condition Which hath been smooth as oil soft as young down, And therefore lost that title of respect, Which the proud soul near pays but to the proud. Worcester get thee gone for I do see Danger, and di obedience in thine eye: Oh sir, your presence is too bold and peremptory, And Majesty might never yet endure The moody frontier of a servant brow, You have good leave to leave us, when we needs Your use and counsel we shall send for you. Exit. Wor. You were about to speak. Why yet he does deny his prisoners, But with proviso and exception, That we at our own charge shall ransom straight His brother in law, the foolish Mortimer, Who on my soul, hath wilfully betrayed The lives of those, that he did led to fight Against that great Magician, damned Glendower, Whose daughter as we hear, that Earl of March Hath lately married: shall our coffers then Be emptied, to redeem a traitor home? Shall we buy treason? and indent with fears When they have lost and forfeited themselves? No, on the barren mountains let him starve; For I shall never hold that man my friend, Whose tongue shall ask me for one penny cost To ransom home revolted Mortimer, Thou dost belly him Percy, thou dost belly him, He never did encounter with Clendower: I tell thee, he durst as well have met the devil alone, As Owen Glendower for and enemy. Art thou not ashamed? but sirrah, hence forth Let me not hear you speak of Mortimer: Send me your prisoners with the speediest means, Or you shall hear in such a kind from me As will displease you. My Lord Northumberland: We licence your departure with your son, Send us your prisoners, or you will hear of it. Exit King Lords give us leave, the Prince of Wales and I, Must have some private conference, but be near at hand, For we shall presently have need of you. Exeunt Lords. I know not whither God will have it so For some displeasing service I have done, That in his secret doom out of my blood, Heel breed revengement and a scourge for me: But thou dost in thy passages of life, Make me believe that thou art only marked For the hight vengeance, and the rod of heaven, To punish my mistreadings. Tell me else Could such inordinate and low desires, Such poor, such bore, such lewd, such mean attempts, Such barten pleasures, rude society As thou art matched withal, and grafted to, Accompany the greatness of thy blood, And hold their leu ll with thy princely heart? For all the world, As thou art to this hour was Richard then, When I from France set foot at Ravenspurgh, And even as I was than, is Percy now, Now by my sceptre, and my soul to boot, He hath more worthy interest to the state Then thou the shadow of succession. For of no right, nor colour Like to right, He does fill fields with harness in the realm, Turns head against the lions armed jaws, And being no more in debt to years, then thou Leads ancient Lords, and reverend Bishops on To bloody battles, and to bruising arms. What never dying honour hath he God Against renowned Dow+glas? Whose high deeds, Whose hight incursions, and great name in arms, Holds from all soldiers chief majority And military title capital. Through all the kingdom that acknowledge Christ Thrice hath this Hotspur Mar in swaddling clothes, This infant warrior in his enterprises, Discomfited great Dow+glas, taken him once, Enlarged him, and made a friend of him, To fill the mouth of deep defiance up, And shake the peace and safety of our throne, And what say you to this? Percy Northumberland, The Archbishop's grace of York, Dow+glas, Mortimer, Capitulate against us, and are up. But wherefore do I tell these news to thee? Why Harry do I tell thee of my foes, Which art my nearest and dearest enemy? Thou that art Like enough through vassal fear, Base inclination, and the start of spleen, To fight against me under Percies pay, To dog his heals, and curtsy at his frowns, To show how much thou art degenerate. A hundred thousand rebels die in this, Thou shalt have charge and sovereign trust herein. How now good blunt thy looks are full of speed. The Earl of Westmoreland set forth to day, With him my son Lord John of Lancaster, For this advertisement is five days old. On Wednesday next, Harry you shall set forward, On thursday we our selves will march. Our meeting Is Bridgenorth, and Harry, you shall march Through Gloucestershire, by which account Our business valued some twelve days hence, Our general forces at Bridgenorth shall meet: Our hands are full of business, lets away, Advantage feeds him fat while men delay. Exeunt. How now my Lord of Worcester, 'tis not well, That you and I should meet upon such terms As now we meet. You have deceived 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 and exhalde meteor, A prodigy of fear, and a portent Of broached mischief to the unborn times. You have not sought it, how comes it then? These things indeed you have articulate, Proclaimed 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 hurly burly innovation, And never yet did insurrection want Such water colours to impaint his cause Nor moody beggars starving for a time, Of pell mell h uocke and c nfusion. 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 cozens partly, And will they take the offer of our grace, Both he, and they, and you, yea every man Shall be my friend again, and isle be his, So tell your cousin, and bring me word What he will do. But if he will not yield, Rebuke and dread correction weight 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. Exit Worcester. Hence therefore, every leader to his charge, For on their a swear will we set on them, And God befriend us as our cause is joust. Exeunt: manent. I preethe Harry withdraw thy self, thou bleedest too much, Lord John of Lancaster go you with him. I will do so. My Lord of Westmoreland led him to his tent. I saw him hold Lord Percy at the point, With lustier maintenance then I did look for Of such and ungrown warrior. 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 thy self about the field, But seeing thou falst on me so luckily I will assay thee and defend thy self. Stay and breath a while, Thou hast redeemed thy lost opinion, And showed thou makest some tender of my life, In this fair rescue thou hast brought to me. Make up to Clifton, isle to S. Nicholas Gawsey. Exit Ki: Thus ever did rebellion find rebuke, Ill spirited Worcester, did not we send grace, Pardon, and terms of love to all of you? And wouldst thou turn our offers contrary? Misuse the tenor of thy kinsmans trust. Three knights upon our party slain to day, A noble Earl and many a creature else, Had been alive this hour, If Like a Christian thou hadst truly born Betwixt our armies true intelligence. Bear Worcester to the death and Vernon too: Other Offenders we will pause upon. How goes the field? With all my heart How bloodily the sun begins to pear Above you but ky hill, the day looks pale At his distemperature. Then this remains that we, divide our power, You son John, and my cousin Westmoreland Towards York shall bend, you with your de rest speed To meet Northumberland and the Prelate Scroop, Who as we hea e are busily in arms: My self and you son Hatry will towards Wales, To fight with Glendower and the Earl of March, Rebellion in this land shall lose his sway, Meeting the check of such another day, And since this business so fair is done, Let us not leave till all our own be wone. Exeunt God pardon thee yet let me wonder, Harry, At thy affections, which do hold a wing Quite from the flight of all thy ancestors, Thy place in counsel thou hast rudely lost Which by thy younger brother is supplied, And art almost and alien to the hearts Of all the Court and princes of my blood, The hope and expectation of thy time Is ruined, and the soul of every man Prophetically do for think thy fallen: Had I so lavish of my presence been, So common hackneid in the eyes of men, So stale and cheap to vulgar company. Opinion that did help me to the crown, Had still kept loyal to possession, And left me in reputeless banishment, A fellow of no mark nor likelihood. By being seldom seen, I could not stir But Like a Comet I was wondered at That men would tell their children this is he: Others would say, where, which is Bullingbrook? And then I stole all courtesy from heaven, And dressed my self in such humility That I did pluck allegiance from men's hearts, Loud shouts, and salutations from their mouths, Even in the presence of the crowned king. Thus did I keep my person fresh and new, My presence Like a robe pontifical, Near seen but wondered at, and so my state Seldom, but sumptuous showed Like a feast, And won by rareness such solemnity. The skipping king, he ambled up and down, With shallow jesters, and rash bavin wits, Soon kindled, and one burned, Can dead his state, Mingled his royalty with cap king ooles, Had his great name prophaned with their scorns, And gave his countenance against his name To laugh at gibing boys, and stand the push Of every beardless vain comparative, Grew a companion to the common stree es, Enfe oft himself to popularity, That being daily swallowed by men's eyes, They surfeited with honey, and began to loath The taste of sweetness, whereof a little More then a little, is by much too much. So when he had occasion to be seen, He was but as the Cuckoe is in June, Herd, not regarded: Scene, but with such eyes As sick and blunted with community, Afford no extraordinary gaze. Such as is bent on sunlike majesty, When it shines seldom in admirring eyes, But rather drowzd, and hung their eyelids down, Slept in his face, and rendered such aspect As cloudy men use to their adversaries, Being with his presence glutted, gordge, and full. And in that very line Harry standest thou, For thou hast lost thy princely privilege With vile participation. Not and eye But is a weary of thy common sighed, Save mine, which hath desired to see thee more, Which now does that I would not have it do, Make blind it self with foolish tenderness. Then with the losers' let it sympathise, For nothing can seem foul to those that win.