SCENE I.-The King's Camp 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
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 sounds. 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 deceived our trust;
And made us doff2 our easy robes of peace,
To crush our old limbs in ungentle steel:
Busky.] Bosky or busky means woody. As the beast passed
Roister Doister, i. 4.
by, he start out of a busk.'
2 Doff] Originally do off.
So in Roister Doister, iv. 7, 'Do not off your harness, sirs.' See the Editor's Samson Agonistes of Milton, p. 64, note on l. 1410.
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,
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,1 peace.
Wor. It pleased your majesty to turn your looks
Of favour from myself and all our house;
And yet I must remember you,2 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,—
And you did swear that oath at Doncaster,-
That you did nothing purpose 'gainst the state;
Nor claim no further than your new-fallen right,
1 Chewet.] A chattering bird. Fr. chouette.
2 Remember you.] Remind you.
The seat of Gaunt, dukedom of Lancaster :
To this we swore our aid. But, in short space,
It rained 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 wooed
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; 1 did oppress our nest,
Grew by our feeding to so great a bulk,
That e en our love durst not come near your sight,
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.
K. Hen. These things, indeed, you have articulated,2 Proclaimed at market-crosses, read in churches,
To face the garment of rebellion
'That ungentle gull, &c.] The gull is the young cuckoo, which the hedge-sparrow mistakes for her own offspring.
2 Articulated.] Drawn up in the form of articles.
With some fine colour, that may please the eye
Of fickle changelings and poor discontents,1
Which gape, and rub the elbow, at the news
Of hurly-burly innovation :
And never yet did insurrection want
Such water-colours,2 to impaint his cause;
Nor moody beggars, starving for3 a time
Of pell-mell havoc and confusion.
P. Hen. In both our armies, there is many a soul
Shall 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,5—
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.
1 Discontents.] Malcontents.
2 Water-colours.] Thin pretexts.
Starving for.] Hungering after; greedily longing for.
A Dearly.] Dear is here dissyllabic. See a similar example in p. 102.
5 This present enterprise, &c.] Apart from the guilt of this present enterprise resting on his head.
Yet this, &c.] Yet let me say this before, &c.
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,1 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; 'tis 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 God a death.
Fal. 'Tis not due yet; I would be loth to pay him
1 On their answer.] Immediately on receipt of their answer of refusal.
2 Bestride me.] That is, for the purpose of defending me.
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