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To wage an instant trial with the king.
Sir M. Why, my good lord, you need not
fear;

There is Douglas and Lord Mortimer.
Arch. No, Mortimer is not there.
Sir M. But there is Mordake, Vernon, Lord
Harry Percy,

And there is my Lord of Worcester and a head
Of gallant warriors, noble gentlemen.
Arch. And so there is: but yet the king
hath drawn

The special head of all the land together:
The Prince of Wales, Lord John of Lancaster,
The noble Westmoreland and warlike Blunt; 30
And many more corrivals and dear men
Of estimation and command in arms.

Sir M. Doubt not, my lord, they shall be well opposed.

Arch. I hope no less, yet needful 'tis to fear; And, to prevent the worst, Sir Michael, speed; For if Lord Percy thrive not, ere the king Dismiss his power, he means to visit us, For he hath heard of our confederacy, And 'tis but wisdom to make strong against him: Therefore make haste. I must go write again To other friends; and so farewell, Sir Michael.

ACT V.

[Exeunt.

SCENE I. The KING's camp near Shrewsbury.
Enter the KING, PRINCE OF WALES, LORD JOHN
OF LANCASTER, EARL OF WESTMORELAND,
SIR WALTER BLUNT, and FAlstaff.
King. How bloodily the sun begins to peer
Above yon busky hill! the day looks pale
At his distemperature.

Prince.

The southern wind Doth play the trumpet to his purposes, And by his hollow whistling in the leaves Foretells a tempest and a blustering day. King. Then with the losers let it sympathize, For nothing can seem foul to those that win. [The trumpet sounds.

Enter WORCESTER and VERNON.
How now, my Lord of Worcester! 'tis not well
That you and I should meet upon such terms 10
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 an exhaled 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,

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I have not sought the day of this dislike. King. You have not sought it! how comes it, then?

Fal. Rebellion lay in his way, and he found it. Prince. Peace, chewet, peace!

Wor. It pleased your majesty to turn your
looks
30

Of favor 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 dangers of the time. You swore to us, 41
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 swore 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, 50
The seeming sufferances that you have 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
Useth the sparrow, did oppress our nest;
As that ungentle gull, the cuckoo's bird,
Grew by our feeding to so great a bulk
That even our love durst not come near your
sight

60

For fear of swallowing; but with nimble wing
We were enforced, 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 forged against yourself
By unkind usage, dangerous countenance,
And violation of all faith and troth
Sworn to us in your younger enterprise.
King. These things indeed you have articu-
late,

70

Proclaim'd at market-crosses, read in churches,
To face the garment of rebellion
With some fine color 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-colors to impaint his cause;
Nor moody beggars starving for a time
Of pellmell havoc and confusion.

85

Prince. In both your 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, 90
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,

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 miscontrued in his wantonness.

Hot. Cousin, I think thou art enamoured 70 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.

you.

Mess. My lord, here are letters for Hot. 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.

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Mess. My lord, prepare; the king comes on

apace.

90

Hot. 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.

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SCENE III. Plain between the camps. The KING enters with his power. Alarum to the battle. Then enter DOUGLAS and SIR WALTER BLUNT.

Blunt. What is thy name, that in the battle thus

Thou crossest me? what honor dost thou seek Upon my head?

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

Doug. 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.
Blunt. I was not born a yielder, thou proud
Scot;

ΙΟ

And thou shalt find a king that will revenge Lord Stafford's death. [They fight. Douglas kills Biunt.

Enter HOTSPUR.

Hot. O Douglas, hadst thou fought at Holmedon thus,

I never had triumph'd upon a Scot.

Doug. All's done, all's won; here breathless
lies the king.
Hot. Where?
Doug. Here.

Hot. This, Douglas? no: I know this face full well:

A gallant knight he was, his name was Blunt: 20 Semblably furnish'd like the king himself.

Doug. 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? Hot. The king hath many marching in his

Alarum. Enter FALSTAFF, soius.

Fal. 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 honor for you! here's no vanity! I am as hot as molten 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 the PRINCE.

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Prince. 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.

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

50

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

Prince. Give it me: what, is it in the case? Fal. Ay, Hal; 'tis hot, 'tis hot; there's that will sack a city. [The Prince draws it out, and finds it to be a bottle of sack. Prince. What, is it a time to jest and dally now? [He throws the bottle at him. Exit

Fal. Well, if Percy be alive, I'll pierce hi n. 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 honor as Sir Walter hath: give me life: which if I can save, so; if not, honor comes unlooked for, and there's [Exit.

an end.

But not remember'd in thy epitaph!

[He spieth Falstaff on the ground. What, old acquaintance! could not all this flesh Keep in a little life? Poor Jack, farewell! I could have better spared a better man: O, I should have a heavy miss of thee, If I were much in love with vanity! Death hath not struck so fat a deer to-day, Though many dearer, in this bloody fray. Embowell'd will I see thee by and by: Till then in blood by noble Percy lie. [Exit. 110 Fal. [Rising up.] Embowelled! if thou embowel me to-day, I'll give you leave to powder me and eat me too to-morrow. 'Sblood, 'twas time to counterfeit, or that hot termagant Scot had paid me scot and lot too. Counterfeit? 1 lie, I am no counterfeit: to die, is to be a counterfeit; for he is but the counterfeit of a man who hath not the life of a man; but to counterfeit dying, when a man thereby liveth, is to be no counterfeit, but the true and perfect image of life indeed. The better part of valor is discretion; in the which better part I have saved my life. 'Zounds, I am afraid of this gunpowder Percy, though he be dead: how if he should counterfeit too and rise? by my faith, I am afraid he would prove the better counterfeit. Therefore I'll make him sure: yea, and I'll swear I killed him. Why may not he rise as well as I? Nothing confutes me but eyes, and nobody sees me. Therefore, sirrah [stabbing him], with a new wound in your thigh, come you along with [Takes up Hotspur on his back.

me.

Re-enter the Prince of Wales and LORD JOHN OF LANCASTER.

Prince. Come, brother John; full bravely hast thou flesh'd Thy maiden sword.

Lan.

But, soft! whom have we here? Did you not tell me this fat man was dead? Prince. I did; I saw him dead, Breathless and bleeding on the ground. Art thou alive?

Or is it fantasy that plays upon our eyesight? I prithee, speak; we will not trust our eyes 139 Without our ears; thou art not what thou seem'st. Fal. No, that's certain; I am not a double man; but if I be not Jack Falstaff, then am I a Jack. Thereis Percy [throwing the body down]: if your father will do me any honor, so; if not, let him kill the next Percy himself. I look to be either earl or duke, I can assure you. Prince. Why, Percy I killed myself, and saw thee dead.

Fal. Didst thou? Lord, Lord, how this world is given to lying! I grant you I was down and out of breath; and so was he: but we rose both at an instant and fought a long hour by Shrews bury clock. If I may be believed, so: if not, let them that should reward valor bear the sin upon their own heads. I'll take it upon my death, I gave him this wound in the thigh: if the man were alive and would deny it, 'zounds, I would make him eat a piece of my sword. [heard. Lan. This is the strangest tale that ever I Prince. This is the strangest fellow, brother John.

159

Come, bring your luggage nobly on your back:

For my part, if a lie may do thee grace,
I'll gild it with the happiest terms I have.

[A retreat is sounded. The trumpet sounds retreat: the day is ours. Come, brother, let us to the highest of the field, To see what friends are living, who are dead.

[Exeunt Prince of Wales and Lancaster. Fal. I'll follow, as they say, for reward. He that rewards me, God reward him! If I do grow great, I'll grow less; for I'll purge, and leave sack, and live cleanly as a nobleman should do. [Exit.

SCENE V. Another part of the field.

The trumpets sound. Enter the KING, PRINCE OF WALES, LORD JOHN OF LANCASTER, EARL OF WESTMORELAND, with WORCESTER ani VERNON prisoners.

King. 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 kinsman's 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 borne Betwixt our armies true intelligence. Wor. What I have done my safety urged me And I embrace this fortune patiently, [to: Since not to be avoided it falls on me. King. Bear Worcester to the death and Ver

ΙΟ

[Exeunt Worcester and Vernon, guarded. How goes the field?

Prince. The noble Scot, Lord Douglas, when he saw

20

The fortune of the day quite turn'd from him,
The noble Percy slain, and all his men
Upon the root of fear, fled with the rest;
And falling from a hill, he was so bruised
That the pursuers took him. At my tent
The Douglas is; and I beseech your grace
I may dispose of him.
King.
With all my heart. [you
Prince. Then, brother John of Lancaster, to
This honorable bounty shall belong :
Go to the Douglas, and deliver him
Up to his pleasure, ransomless and free:
His valor shown upon our crests to-day
Hath taught us how to cherish such high deeds
Even in the bosom of our adversaries.

31

Lan. I thank your grace for this high courtesy, Which I shall give away immediately. King. Then this remains, that we divide our

power.

You, son John, and my cousin Westmoreland, Towards York shall bend you with your dearest speed,

To meet Northumberland and the prelate Scroop,
Who, as we hear, are busily in arms:
Myself and you, son Harry, 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 won. [Exewit.

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