PASSAGES ILLUSTRATIVE

OF

SHAKSPEARE'S 'KING HENRY IV.'

PART I.

ABRIDGED FROM HOLINSHED'S HISTORY OF ENGLAND.'

' OWEN GLENDOWER was son to an esquire of Wales. He was first set to study the laws of the realm, and became an utter barrister, or an apprentice of the law (as they term him), and served King Richard at Flint Castle when he was taken by Henry duke of Lancaster; though other have written that he served this King Henry IV., before he came to attain the crown, in room of an esquire; and after, by reason of variance that rose betwixt him and the lord Reginald Grey of Ruthin, about the lands which he claimed to be his by right of inheritance, when he saw that he might not prevail, finding no such favour in his suit as he looked for, he first made war against the said lord Grey, wasting his lands and possessions with fire and sword. The king advertised of such rebellious exploits enterprised by the said Owen and his unruly complices, determined to chastise them, and so with an army entered into Wales; but the Welshmen with their captain withdrew into the mountains of Snowdon.

'Owen Glendower, according to his accustomed manner, robbing and spoiling within the English borders, caused all the forces of the shire of Hereford to assemble against them under

the conduct of Edmund Mortimer, earl of March. But, whether by treason or otherwise, so it fortuned, that the English power was discomfited, the earl taken prisoner, and about a thousand of his people slain. The shameful villany used by the Welsh women towards the dead carcases was such as honest ears would be ashamed to hear, and continent tongues to speak thereof. The king was not hasty to purchase the deliverance of the earl of March, because his title to the crown was well enough known, and therefore suffered him to remain in miserable prison.

"The king, to chastise the Welshmen, went with a great power of men into Wales to pursue the captain of the Welsh rebels, Owen Glendower; but Owen conveyed himself out of the way into his known lurking-places; and (as was thought) through art magic he caused such foul weather of winds, tempest, rain, snow and hail to be raised, for the avoidance of the king's army, that the like had not been heard of: in such sort that the king was constrained to return home.

Archibald, earl Douglas, procured a commission to invade England, and that to his cost. For at a place called Homeldon they were so fiercely assailed by the Englishmen, under the leading of the lord Percy, surnamed Henry Hotspur, and George, earl of March, that with violence of the English shot they were quite vanquished and put to flight. There were slain, of men of estimation, Sir John Swinton, Sir Adam Gordon, &c., and three-and-twenty knights, besides ten thousand of the commons; and, of prisoners, among other were these: Mordake earl of Fife, son to the governor, Archibald earl of Douglas,* Thomas earl of Murray, Robert earl of Angus, &c.

'Edmund Mortimer, earl of March, prisoner with Owen Glendower, whether for irksomeness of cruel captivity or fear of death, or for what other cause, it is uncertain, agreed to take part with Owen against the king of England, and took to wife the daughter of the said Owen. Strange wonders happened (as men reported) at the nativity of this man; for the same

* In Holinshed, an omission of the comma after the word' governor' misled Shakspeare to call Mordake 'eldest son to beaten Douglas.' The governor or regent of Scotland was Robert duke of Albany. See the 12th line on the next page.

night that he was born all his father's horses in the stable were found to stand in blood up to the bellies.

'Henry, earl of Northumberland, with his brother Thomas, earl of Worcester, and his son, the lord Henry Percy, surnamed Hotspur, which were to King Henry, in the beginning of his reign, both faithful friends and earnest aiders, began now to envy his wealth and felicity; and especially they were grieved, because the king demanded of the earl and his son such Scottish prisoners as were taken at Homeldon and Nesbit: for of all the captives which were taken in the conflicts fought in those two places, there was delivered to the king's possession only Mordake, earl of Fife, the duke of Albany's son, though the king did divers and sundry times require deliverance of the residue, and that with great threatenings: wherewith the Percies being sore offended, for that they claimed them as their own proper prisoners, and their peculiar prizes, by the counsel of the lord Thomas Percy, earl of Worcester, whose study was ever (as some write) to procure malice, and set things in a broil, came to the king unto Windsor (upon a purpose to prove him), and there required of him that, either by ransom or otherwise, he would cause to be delivered out of prison Edmund Mortimer, earl of March, their cousin german, whom (as they reported) Owen Glendower kept in filthy prison, shackled with irons, only for that he took his part, and was to him faithful and true. The king began not a little to muse at this request, and not without cause; for indeed it touched him somewhat near, sith this Edmund was son to Roger earl of March, which Edmund, at King Richard's going into Ireland, was proclaimed heir apparent to the crown, whose aunt, called Ellianor, the lord Henry Percy had married, and therefore King Henry could not well bear that any man should be earnest about the advancement of that lineage.

'The king, when he had studied on the matter, made answer, that the earl of March was not taken prisoner for his cause, nor in his service, but willingly suffered himself to be taken, because he would not withstand the attempts of Owen Glendower and his complices, therefore he would neither ransom him nor release him.

'The Percies with this answer and fraudulent excuse were not a little fumed, insomuch that Henry Hotspur said openly: Behold, the heir of the realm is robbed of his right, and yet the robber with his own will not redeem him. So in this fury the Percies departed, minding nothing more than to depose King Henry from the high type of his royalty, and to place in his seat their cousin Edmund, earl of March, whom they did not only deliver out of captivity, but also (to the high displeasure of King Henry) entered in league with the foresaid Owen Glendower.

'Herewith they by their deputies, in the house of the archdeacon of Bangor, divided the realm amongst them, causing a tripartite indenture to be made, and sealed with their seals; by the covenants whereof, all England from Severn and Trent, south and eastward, was assigned to the earl of March; all Wales, and the lands beyond Severn westward, were appointed to Owen Glendower; and all the remnant, from Trent northward, to the lord Percy. This was done (as some have said) through a foolish credit given to a vain prophecy, as though King Henry was the moldwarp, cursed of God's own mouth, and they three were the dragon, the lion, and the wolf, which should divide this realm between them.

'King Henry, not knowing of this confederacy, gathered a great army to go again into Wales, whereof the earl of Northumberland and his son were advertised by the earl of Worcester, and with all diligence raised all the power they could make, and sent to the Scots which before were taken prisoners at Homeldon, for aid of men, promising to the earl of Douglas the town of Berwick and a part of Northumberland, and to other Scottish lords great lordships and seignories, if they obtained the upper hand. The Scots, in hope of gain, and desirous to be revenged of their old griefs, came to the earl with a great company well appointed.

'The Percies, to make their part seem good, devised certain articles, by the advice of Richard Scroope archbishop of York, brother to the lord Scroope whom King Henry had caused to be beheaded at Bristow. These articles being showed to several noblemen, many of them did not only promise to the Percies aid and succour by words, but also by their writings