The front of heaven was full of fiery shapes;
The goats ran from the mountains, and the herds
Were strangely clamorous to the frighted fields.
These signs have mark'd me extraordinary;
And all the courses of my life do show,
I am not in the roll of common men.
Where is he living, clipp'd in with the sea
That chides the banks of England, Scotland,

Wales,

Which calls me pupil, or hath read to me?
And bring him out, that is but woman's son,
Can trace me in the tedious ways of art,
And hold me pace in deep experiments.

Hot. I think, there is no man speaks better

Welsh:

I will to dinner.

Mort. Peace, cousin Percy; you will make him

mad.

Glend. I can call spirits from the vasty deep.
Hot. Why, so can I; or so can any man:
But will they come, when you do call for them?
Glend. Why, I can teach you, cousin, to command
The devil.

Hot. And I can teach thee, coz, to shame the devil,
By telling truth; Tell truth, and shame the devil.-
If thou have power to raise him, bring him hitber,
And i'll be sworn, I have power to shame him hence.
O, while you live, tell truth, and shame the devil.

Mort. Come, come,
No more of this unprofitable chat.

Glend. Three times hath Henry Bolingbroke

too!

How 'scapes he agues, in the devil's name?

Hot. Home without boots, and in foul weather

And h

Ihan

(1) Unsuccessful.

(4)

made head

Against my power: thrice from the banks of Wye,
And sandy-bottom'd Severn, bave I sent him,
Bootless home, and weather-beaten back.

Glend. Come, here's the map; Shall we divide

our right,

According to our three-fold order ta'en?
Mort. The archdeacon hath divided it

Into three limits, very equally:
England, from Trent and Severn hitherto,
By south and east, is to my part assign'd:
All westward, Wales beyond the Severn shore,
And all the fertile land within that bound,
To Owen Glendower:-and, dear coz, to you
The remnant northward, lying off from Trent.
And our indentures tripartitel are drawn:
Which being sealed interchangeably
(A business that this night may execute,)
To-morrow, cousin Percy, you, and I,
And my good lord of Worcester, will set forth,
To meet your father, and the Scottish power,2
As is appointed us, at Shrewsbury.
My father Glendower is not ready yet,
Nor shall we need his help these fourteen days :-
Within that space, [To Glend.] you may have

drawn together

Your tenants, friends, and neighbouring gentlemen.
Glend. A shorter time shall send me to you, lords,
And in my conduct shall your ladies come:
From whom you now must steal, and take no leave;
For there will be a world of water shed,
Upon the parting of your wives and you.

Hot. Methinks, my moiety, north from Burton

here,

In quantity equals not one of yours:
See, how this river comes me cranking in,
And cuts me, from the best of all my land,
A huge half moon, a monstrous cantle out.
I'll have the current in this place damm'd up;
And here the smug and silver Trent shall run,
In a new channel, fair and evenly:

(1) Three copies. (2) Force. (3) Part.
(4) Corner.

It shall not wind with such a deep indent,
To rob me of so rich a bottom here.

Glend. Not wind? it shall, it must; you see, it doth.

Mort. Yea,

But mark, how he bears his course, and runs me up
With like advantage on the other side;
Gelding1 the opposed continent as much,
As on the other side it takes from you.

Wor. Yea, but a little charge will trench him

here,

And on this north side win this cape of land;
And then he runs straight and even.

Hot. I'll have it so; a little charge will do it.
Glend. I will not have it alter'd.

Speak it in Welsh.

Glend. I can speak English, lord, as well as you; For I was train'd up in the English court: Where, being but young, I framed to the harp Many an English ditty, lovely well, And gave the tongue a helpful ornament; A virtue that was never seen in you.

Hot. Marry, and I'm glad of it with all my heart; I had rather be a kitten, and cry-mew, Than one of these same metre ballad-mongers: I had rather hear a brazen canstick2 turn'd, Or a dry wheel grate on an axle-tree; And that would set my teeth nothing on edge, Nothing so much as mincing poetry; 'Tis like the forc'd gait of a shuffling nag. Glend. Come, you shall have Trent turn'd. Hot. I do not care: I'll give thrice so much land

To any well-deserving friend;

(1) Cutting... (2) Candlestick.

But, in the way of bargain, mark ye me,
I'll cavil on the ninth part of a hair.

Are the indentures drawn? shall we be gone?

Glend. The moon shines fair, you may away

by night:

I'll haste the writer, and, withal,
Break2 with your wives of your departure hence:
I am afraid, my daughter will run mad,
So much she doteth on her Mortimer.

[Exit.

Mort. Fie, cousin Percy! how you cross my

father!

Hot. I cannot choose: sometimes he angers me With telling me of the moldwarp3 and the ant, Of the dreamer Merlin and his prophecies; And of a dragon and a finless fish, A clip-wing'd griffin, and a moulten raven, A couching lion, and a ramping cat, And such a deal of skimble-skamble stuff As puts me from my faith. I tell you what,He held me, but last night, at least nine hours In reckoning up the several devils' names, That were his lackeys: I cried, humph,-and

well,-go to,一

But mark'd him not a word. O, he's as tedious
As is a tired horse, a railing wife;
Worse than a smoky house:-I had rather live
With cheese and garlic, in a windmill, far,
Than feed on cates, and have him talk to me,
In any summer-house in Christendom.

Mort. In faith, he is a worthy gentleman;
Exceedingly well read, and profited
In strange concealments ;5 valiant as a lion,
And wond'rous affable; and as bountiful
As mines of India. Shall I tell you, cousin?
He holds your temper in a high respect,
And curbs himself even of his natural scope,

(1) The writer of the articles.

(2) Break the matter.

(4) Dainties.

(3) Mole.

(5) Secrets,

When you do cross his humour; faith, he does:
I warrant you, that man is not alive,

Might so have tempted him as you have done,
Without the taste of danger and reproof;
But do not use it oft, let me entreat you.

Wor. In faith, my lord, you are too wilful-blame;
And since your coming hither have done enough
To put him quite beside his patience.
You must needs learn, lord, to amend this fault:
Though sometimes it show greatness, courage, blood
(And that's the dearest grace it renders you,)
Yet oftentimes it doth present harsh rage,
Defect of manners, want of government,
Pride, haughtiness, opinion, and disdain:
The least of which, haunting a nobleman,
Loseth men's hearts; and leaves behind a stain
Upon the beauty of all parts besides,
Beguiling them of commendation,

Hot. Well, I am school'd; good manners be

your speed!

Here come our wives, and let us take our leave.

Re-enter Glendower, with the Ladies. Mort. This is the deadly spite that angers me,My wife can speak no English, I no Welsh. Glend. My daughter weeps; she will not part

with you,

She'll be a soldier too, she'll to the wars.
Mort. Good father, tell her,-that she, and my

aunt Percy,

Shall follow in your conduct1 speedily.

[Glendower speaks to his daughter in Welsh, and she answers him in the same.

Glend. She's desperate here; a peevish self

will'd harlotry,

One no persuasion can do good upon.

[Lady M. speaks to Mortimer in Welsh.

Mort. I understand thy looks: that pretty Welsh

(1) Guard, escort.