P. Hen. This is the strangest fellow, brother K. Hen. Bear Worcester to the death, an John.

Vernon too : Come, bring your luggage nobly on your back;

Other offenders we will pause upon.For my part, if a lie may do thee grace,

(Ereunt WORCESTER and VERNON, guarded I'll gild it with the happiest terms I have. How goes the field !

(A Retreat is sounded. P. Hen. The noble Scot, lord Douglas, when The trumpet sounds retreat, the day is our's.

he saw Come, brother, lei's to the higbest of the field, The fortune of the day quite turn'd from him, To see what friends are living, who are dead. The noble Percy slain and all his men

(Ereunt Prince HENRY and Prince John. Upon the foot of fear,-fled with the rest ; Fal. I'll follow, as they say for reward. He And, falling from a hill, be was so bruis'd, that rewards me, God reward him! If I do That the pursuers took him. At my tent grow great, l'll grow less; for I'll purge, and The Douglas is ; And I beseech your grace, leave sack, and live cleanly, as a nobleman 1 may dispose of him. should do. [Erit, bearing off the body. K. Hen. With all my heart.

P. Hen. Then, brother John of Lancaster to SCENE V.-Another part of the Field. This honourable bounty shall belong : [you

Go to the Douglas and deliver him
The Trumpets sound.- Enter King HENRY, Up to his pleasure, ransomless, and free :

Prince HENRY, Prince JOHN, WESTMORE: His valour, shown upon our crests to-day,
LAND and others, with WORCESTER and Hath taught us how to cherish such high deeds,
VERNON, prisoners.

Even in the bosom of our adversaries. P. Hen. Thus ever did rebellion find re- K. Hen. Then this remains, that we divide buke.

our power. Ill-spirited Worcester! did we not send grace, You, son John, and my cousin Westmoreland, Pardon, and terms of love to all of you !

Towards York shall bend you, with your dearest And would'st thou turn our offers contrary ?

speed, Misuse the tenor of thy kinsman's trust?

To meet Northumberland and the prelate Three knights upon our party slain to-day,

Scroop, A poble earl, and many a creature else,

Who, as we hear, are busily in arms : Had been alive this hour,

Myself and you, son Harry, will towards Wales, If, like a Christian, thou hadst truly borne To fight with Glendower and the earl of Marcb. Betwixt our armies true intelligence.

Rebellion in this land shall lose his sway, Wor. What I have done, my safety urged me Meeting the check of such another day :

And since this business so fair is done, And I embrace this fortune patiently,

Let us not leave till all our own be won. Since not to be avoided it falls on me.

(Ereunt.

to;

SECOND PART

OP

KING HENRY IV.

LITERARY AND HISTORICAL NOTICE. SHAKSPEARE is supposed to have written this play in 1598. Its action comprehends a period of nine years, com

mencing with Hotspur's death, 1403, and terminating with the coronation of Henry V. 1412-13. Many of th tragic scenes in this second portion of the history are forcible and pathetic ; but the comedy is of a much looser and more indecent character, than any in the preceding part. Shallow is an odd though pleasing por trait of a brainless magistraty; and a character, it is to be feared, not peculiar to Glostershire only. In thu exhibiting his worship to the ridicule of an audience, Shakspeare amply revenged himself on his old War. wickshire prosecntor. On the character of Falstaff, as exhibited in the two plays, Dr. Johnson makes the following admirable remarks : “ Falstaff ! unimitated, unimitable Falstaff, how shall I describe thee ; thou compound of sense and vice ; of sense which may be admired, but not esteemed ; of vice which may be despised, but hardly detested. Falstaff is a character loaded with faults, and with those faults which naturally produce contempt. He is a thief and a glutton, a coward and a boaster ; always ready to cheat the weak, ana prey upon the poor ; to terrify the timorous, and insult the defenceless. At once obsequious and malignante he satirizes in their absence those whom he lives by fiatiering. He is familiar with the prince, only as an agent of vice ; but of this familiarity he is so proud, as not only to be supercilious and haughty with common men, but to think his interest of importance to the Duke of Lancaster. Yet the man thus corrupt, thus despicable, makes himself necessary to the prince that despises him, by the most pleasing of all qualities, perpetual gaity : by an unfailing power of exciting laughter, which is the more freely indulged, as his wit is not of the splendid or ambitious kind, but consists in easy scapes and sallies of levity, which make sport, buz raise no envy. It must be observed, that he is stained with no enormous or sanguinary crimes, so that his licentiousness is not so offensive but that it may be borne for his mirth."

ON

DRAMATIS PERSONÆ. KING HENRY THE FOURTH.

TRAVERs and Morton, Domestics of Northum. YENRY, Prince of Wales, after.

berland. wards King Henry V.

FALSTAFF, BAR DOLPH, PISTOL, and PACE. THOMAS, Duke of Clarence,

Poins and PETO, Attendants Prince PRINCE JOHN of Lancaster, after- his Sons.

Henry. wards Duke of Bedford ;

SHALLOW and SILENCE, Country Justices. PRINCE HUMPHREY of Gloster,

DAVY, Servant to Shallow. afterwards Duke of Gloster,

MOULDY, SHADOW, WART, FEEBLE, und EARL OF WARWICK,

BULLCALF, Recruits. EARL OF WESTMORE

FanG and SNARE, Sheriff's Oficers. of the King's Party. LAND,

RUMOUR.-A PORTER. GOWER,- HARCOURT,

A DANCER, Speaker of the Epilogue LORD CHIEF JUSTICE of the King's Bench. A GENTLEMAN attending on the Chief Justice. LADY NORTHUMBERLAND.-LADY PERCY, EARL OF NORTHUMBERLAND,

Hostess QUICKLY.-DOLL TEAR-SHEET. SCROOP, Archbishop of York, Enemies LORD MOWBRAY; LORD HASTINGS, to the Lords and other Attendants, Officers, Solo Lord BARDOLPH; Sir JOHN COLE- King. diers, Messenger, Drawers, Beadles, VILE,

Grooms, &c.

SCENE, England.

INDUCTION.

I, from the orient to the drooping west,

Making the wind my post-horse, still unfold Warkworth.-Before Northumberland's The acts commenced on this ball of carti: Castle.

Upon my tongues continual slanders ride ;

The which in every language I pronounce,
Enter Rumour, painteil full of T'ongues, Stuffing the ears of men with false reports.
Rum. Open your ears; for which of you will I speak of peace, while covert enmity,
stop

Under the smile of safety wounds the world: The vent of hearing, when lond Rumour speaks 3 | And who but Rumour, who but only 1,

Make fearful musters and prepar'd defence ; North. Here comes my servant, Traverso
Whilst the big year, swoll'n with some other

whom I sent
grier,

On Tuesday last to listen after news.
Is thought with child by the stern tyrant war, Bard. My lord, I over-rode him on the way;
And no such matter? Rumour is a pipe And he is furnish'd with no certainties,
Blown by surmises, jealousies, conjectures; More than he haply may retain from me.
And of so easy and so plain a stop,
That the blunt monster with uncounted heads,

Enter TRAVERS.
The still-discordant wavering multitude,

North. Now, Travers, what good tidings come Can play upon it. But what need I thus

with you ! My well-known body to anatomize

Tra. My lord, Sir Joba Uinfrevile turn’d me Among my housebold? Why is Rumour here?

back I run before king Harry's victory;

With joyful tidings; and, being better hors'd, Who, in a bloody field by Shrewsbury,

Out-rode me. After him, came spurring hard, Hath beaten down young Hotspur, and his A gentleman almost sorspent with speed, troops,

That stopp'd by me to breathe his bloodied Quenching the name of bold rebellion

horse : Even with the rebel's blood. But what mean I He ask'd the way to Chester ; and of him To speak so true at first? my office is

I did demand, what news from Shrewsbury. To noise abroad,-that Harry Monmouth fell He told me, that rebellion had bad luck, Under the wrath of noble Hotspur's sword; And that young Harry Percy's spur was cold ; And that the king before the Donglas' rage With that, he gave his able horse the head, Stoop'd his anointed bead as low as death. And, bending forward, struck his armed heels This have I rumour'd through the peasant Against the panting sides of his poor jade towns

Up to the rowel-head; and, starting so,
Between that royal field of Shrewsbury

He seem'd in running to devour the way,
And this worm-eaten hold of ragged stone, Staying no longer question.
Where Hotspur's father, old Northumberland, North. Ha !--Again.
Lies crafty-sick : the posts come tiring on, Said be, young Harry Percy's spur was cold ?
And not a man of them brings other news of Hotspur, coldspur ? that rebellion
Than they have learn'd of me; From Rumour's Had met ill-luck!"
tongues

Bard. My lord, i'll tell you what ;-
They bring smooth comforts false, worse than If my young lord your son bave not the day,
true wrongs.

(Erit. Upon mine honour, for a silken point *

I'll give my barony: never talk of it.
North. Why should the gentleman, that rode

by Travers,
ACT J.

Give then such instances of loss?

Bard. Who, he ?
SCENE 1.-The_same.-The PORTRR before The horse he rode on ; and, upon my life,

He was some hilding fellow, that had stola
the Gate ; Enter Lord BARDOLPH.

Spoke at a venture. Look, here comes more Bard. Who keeps the gate here, hof

news. Where is the earl ? Port. What shall I say you are ?

Enter MORTON. Bard. Tell thou the earl,

North. Yea, this man's brow, like to a title That the lord Bardolph doth attend him here.

leaf,
Port. His lordship is walk'd forth into the Fortells the pature of a tragic volume :
orcbard;

So looks the strond, wheron the imperious flood
Please it your honour, knock but at the gate, Hath left a witness'd usurpation.
And he himself will answer.

Say, Morton, didst thou come from Shrews.
Enter NorthUXBERLAND.

bury?

Mor. I ran from Shrewsbury, my noble lord; Bard. Here comes the earl.

Where hateful death put ou his ugliest mask,
North. What news, lord Bardolph ? every To fright our party:
minute now

North. How doth my son and brother ?
Should be the father of some stratagem : + Thou tremblest; and the whiteness in thy cheek
The times are wild ; contention, like a horse Is apter than thy tongue to tell thy errand.
Full of high feeding, madly hath broke loose, Even such a man, so faint, so spiritless,
And bears down all before him.

So dull, so dead in look, so woe-begone,
Bard. Noble earl,

Drew Priam's curtain in the dead of night,
I bring you certain news from Shrewsbury. And would have told him, half his Troy was
North. Good, an heaven will!

burn'd: Bard. As good as heart can wish :

But Priam found the fire, ere be his tongue,
The king is almost wounded to the death ; And I my Percy's death, ere thou report'st it.
And, in the fortune of my lord your son, This thou would'st say,--Your son did thus and
Prince Harry slain outright ; and both the thus,
Blunts

Your brother, thus ; so fought the noble Doug-
Killd by the band of Douglas : young prince
John,

Stopping my greedy ear with their bold deeds :
And Westmoreland, and Stafford, fled the field ; But in the end, to stop mine ear indeed,
And Harry Monmouth's brawn, the hulk Sir John, Thou hast a sigh to blow away this praise,
Is prisoner to your son : 0 such a day,

Ending with-brother, son, and all are dead.
So fought, so follow'd, and so fairly won,

Mor. Douglas is living, and your brother, yet :
Came not, till now, to dignify the times, But, for my lord your son,-
Since Cæsar's fortunes !

North. Why, he is dead.
North. How is this deriv'd ?

See, what a ready tongue suspicion hath?
Saw you the field ? came you from Shrewsbury? He that but fears the thing he would not
Bard. I spake with one, my lord, that came

kuow,
from thence ;

Hath, by instiuct, knowledge from other's eyes, A gentleman well bred, and of good name, That what he fear'd is chanced. Yet speak, That freely render'd me these news for true.

Morton;

Tell thou thy earl, bis divination lies ;
• Northumberland castle.
+ Important or dreadful event.

• Lace tagged + An attestation of its ravage.

las ;