Of murd'rous subornation, 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,
And plant this thorn, this canker, Bolingbroke?
And shall it, in more shame, be farther spoken,
That you 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,
And to your quick-conceiving discontents
I'll read you matter deep and dangerous ;
As full of peril and adventurous 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 :-O! 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 leap3,
To pluck bright honour from the pale-fac'd moon;
Or dive into 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 corrival 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.

That are your prisoners,

Hot.

Those same noble Scots,

I'll keep them all.

By God, 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;
Forbad 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:

By heaven, methinks, it were an easy leap,] In the earlier quartos, this line and seven others that follow it are assigned to Northumberland. The error was corrected in the quarto, 1608.

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 mischance,
I would 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 impatient fool2 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,

Nettled, and stung with pismires, when I hear
Of this vile politician, Bolingbroke.

In Richard's time,-what do ye call the place?-
A plague upon't-it is in Gloucestershire;—
'Twas where the mad-cap duke his uncle kept,
His uncle York,-where I first bow'd my knee
Unto this king of smiles, this Bolingbroke,

'Sblood'! when you and he came back from Ravenspurg.

North. At Berkley castle.

Hot. You say true.

Why, what a candy deal of courtesy

This fawning greyhound then did proffer me! Look," when his infant fortune came to age," And,—“ gentle Harry Percy,”—and, “kind cousin,' O, the devil take such cozeners!-God forgive me!— And that same SWORD-AND-BUCKLER prince of Wales,] Servants, and riotous fellows, were in the habit of wearing swords and bucklers. Steevens, on this point, refers to a tract by William Basse, called, "Sword and Buckler, or Serving Man's Defence," printed in 1602.

I would have HIM POISON'D] The folio thus transposes the words "I would have poison'd him.”

2 Why, what a WASP-STUNG and impatient fool] This is the epithet in the first quarto, and it is surely much superior to wasp-tongued, the reading of the folio and other editions. Northumberland, of course, means that his son is as impatient as if he had been stung by a wasp, not that he had a wasp's tongue in his head, for the tongue of the wasp is harmless. Malone nevertheless has a long vindication of wasp-tongued.

3 'Sblood!] All the quartos give, and all the folios omit, this characteristic interjection. The same circumstance occurs afterwards.

Good uncle, tell your tale: I have done1.
Wor. Nay, if you have not, to't again,
We'll stay your leisure.

Hot.

I have done, i'faith.

Wor. Then once more to your Scottish prisoners. Deliver them up without their ransom straight, And make the Douglas' son your only mean For powers in Scotland; which, for divers reasons Which I shall send you written, be assur'd, Will easily be granted you.-My lord,

[TO 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 it not?

Wor. True; who bears hard

His brother's death at Bristol, the lord Scroop.
I speak not this in estimation,

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 wondrous well3.

North. Before the game's afoot, 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;

* Good uncle, tell your tale: I have done.] The word "for" is inserted in

the folio, 1623, after "tale;"

with more spirit without it.

but the line, though syllabically imperfect, reads

It is followed by a line of only eight syllables.

5 Upon my life it will do WONDROUS well.] "Wondrous" is obtained from the folio, and seems on all accounts necessary.

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 farther 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 at once,
As I will fashion it, shall happily meet,

To bear our fortunes in our own strong arms,
Which now we hold at much uncertainty.

North. Farewell, good brother: we shall thrive, I

trust.

Hot. Uncle, adieu.-O! let the hours be short, Till fields, and blows, and groans applaud our sport.

[Exeunt.

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.

1 Car. I pr'ythee, Tom, beat Cut's saddle, put a few flocks in the point; the poor jade is wrung in the withers out of all cess".

• I'll steal to Glendower, and Lord Mortimer ;] Regarding this line see the Introduction, p. 223.

7

out of all cess.] i. e. "out of all measure (says Warburton): the phrase