Doth play the trumpet to his purposes; K. Hen. Then, with the losers let it sympathise, For nothing can seem foul to those that win.[Trumpet sounds. Enter WORCESTER, and VERNON. Of broached mischief to the unborn times? For mine own part, I could be well content I have not sought the day of this dislike. K. Hen. You have not sought it! how comes it Fal. Rebellion lay in his way, and he found it. Wor. It pleas'd your majesty, to turn your looks For you my staff of office did I break That all in England did repute him dead : That even our love durst not come near your sight, K. Hen. These things, indeed, you have articulated, Proclaim'd at market-crosses, read in churches, With some fine colour, that may please the eye Of fickle changelings, and poor discontents, And never yet did insurrection want P. Hen. In both our armies, there is many a soul Shall pay full dearly for this encounter, If once they join in trial. Tell your nephew, K. Hen. And, prince of Wales, so dare we Albeit considerations infinite Do make against it.-No, good Worcester, no, [Exeunt WORCESTER, and VERnon. K. Hen. Hence, therefore, every leader to his charge, For, on their answer, will we set on them; [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. [Exit. Fal. "Tis not due yet: I would be loath to pay him before his day. What need I be so forward with him that calls not on me? Well, 'tis no matter; honour pricks me on. Yea, but how if honour prick me off when I come on? how then? Can honour set to a leg? No. Or an arm? No. Or take away the grief of a wound? No. Honour hath no skill in surgery, then? No. What is honour? A word. What is in that word, honour? What is that honour? Air. A trim reckoning!Who hath it? He that died o' Wednesday. Doth he feel it? No. Doth he hear it? No. Is it insensible, then? Yea, to the dead. But will it not live with the living? No. Why? Detraction will not suffer it-therefore, I'll none of it: honour is a mere scutcheon and so ends my catechism. [Exit. It is not possible, it cannot be, Who, ne'er so tame, so cherish'd, and lock'd up, A hare-brain'd Hotspur, govern'd by a spleen. Ver. Deliver what you will, I'll say, 'tis so. Enter HOTSPUR, and DOUGLAS; Officers and Soldiers, behind. Hot. My uncle is return'd:-Deliver up My lord of Westmoreland.-Uncle, what news! Wor. The king will bid you battle presently. Doug. Defy him by the lord of Westmoreland. Hot. Lord Douglas, go you and tell him so. Doug. Marry, and shall, and very willingly. Erit. And, nephew, challeng'd you to single fight. Hot. O! would the quarrel lay upon our heads; And that no man might draw short breath to-day, But I, and Harry Monmouth! Tell me, tell me, How show'd his tasking? seem'd it in contempt? Ver. No, by my soul: I never in my life Did hear a challenge urg'd more modestly, Unless a brother should a brother dare To gentle exercise and proof of arms. He gave you all the duties of a man, Trimm'd up your praises with a princely tongue, Spoke your deservings like a chronicle, Making you ever better than his praise, By still dispraising praise, valued with you; And chid his truant youth with such a grace, Hot. Cousin, I think thou art enamoured But be he as he will, yet once ere night I will embrace him with a soldier's arm, 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, Enter a Messenger. Mess. My lord, here are letters for you. Enter another Messenger. Mess. My lord, prepare; the king comes on apace. Hot. I thank him, that he cuts me from my tale, For I profess not talking. Only thisLet 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. SCENE III.-Plain near Shrewsbury. Excursions, and Parties fighting. Alarum to the Battle. Then enter DoUGLAS, and BLUNT, meeting. Blunt. What is thy name, that in battle thus Thou crossest me? what honour 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, Blunt. I was not born a yielder, thou proud Scot; [They fight, and BLUNT is slain. Enter Hotspur. Hot. O Douglas! hadst thou fought at Holmedon thus, 1 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, Doug. A fool go with thy soul, whither it goes! Hot. The king hath many marching in his coats. Doug. Now, by my sword, I will kill all his coats; I'll murder all his wardrobe, piece by piece, Until I meet the king. Hot. Up, and away! Our soldiers stand full fairly for the day. [Exeunt. Alarums. Enter FALSTaff. Fal. Though I could 'scape shot-free at London, I fear the shot here; here's no scoring, but upon the pate.-Soft! who art thou? Sir Walter Blunt: there's honour 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 raggamuffins 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 Prince HENRY. P. Hen. What! stand'st thou idle here? lend me thy sword: Many a nobleman lies stark and stiff Fal. O Hal! I pr'ythee, give me leave to breathe a while.-Turk Gregory never did such deeds in arms, as I have done this day. I have paid Percy, I have made him sure. P. Hen. He is, indeed; and living to kill thee. I pr'ythee lend me thy sword. Fal. Nay, before God, Hal, if Percy be alive, thou get'st not my sword; but take my pistol, if thou wilt. P. Hen. 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 out a bottle of sack. P. Hen. What! is't a time to jest and dally now? [Throws it at him, and exit. Fal. Well, if Percy be alive, I'll pierce him. 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 honour as sir Walter hath: give me life; which if I can save, so; if not, honour comes unlooked for, and there's an end. [Exit. SCENE IV. Another part of the Field. Alarums. Excursions. Enter the KING, Prince HENRY, Prince JOHN, and WESTMORELAND. K. Hen. I pr'ythee, Harry, withdraw thyself; thou bleed'st too much.Lord John of Lancaster, go you with him. P. Hen. Lead me, my lord? I do not need your help: And heaven forbid, a shallow scratch should drive P. John. We breathe too long.-Come, cousin Our duty this way lies: for God's sake, come. [Exeunt Prince JOHN, and WESTMORELAND. P. Hen. By God thou hast deceiv'd me, Lancaster, I did not think thee lord of such a spirit: K. Hen. I saw him hold lord Percy at the point, P. Hen. Lends mettle to us all. O! this boy [Exit. Alarums. Enter DOUGLAS. Doug. Another king! they grow like Hydra's heads. I am the Douglas, fatal to all those That wear those colours on them :—what art thou, That counterfeit'st the person of a king? K. Hen. The king himself; who, Douglas, grieves at heart, So many of his shadows thou hast met, Doug. I fear thou art another counterfeit, [They fight the KING being in danger, enter Prince HENRY. P. Hen. Hold up thy head, vile Scot, or thou art like Never to hold it up again! the spirits Of valiant Shirley, Stafford, Blunt, are in my arms: P. Hen. O God! they did me too much injury, I am the prince of Wales; and think not, Percy, And all the budding honours on thy crest Enter FALSTAFF. [They fight. Fal. Well said, Hal! to it, Hal!-Nay, you shall find no boy's play here, I can tell you. Enter DOUGLAS; he fights with FALSTAFF, who falls down as if he were dead, and erit DoUGLAS. HOTSPUR is wounded, and falls. Hot. O, Harry! thou hast robb'd me of my youth. I better brook the loss of brittle life, But thought's the slave of life, and life time's fool; And time, that takes survey of all the world, P. Hen. For worms, brave Percy. Fare thee well, great heart !— Ill-weav'd ambition, how much art thou shrunk ! Is room enough:-this earth that bears thee dead, Bears not alive so stout a gentleman. If thou wert sensible of courtesy, I should not make so great a show of zeal :- For doing these fair rites of tenderness. Adieu, and take thy praise with thee to heaven: [He sees FALSTAFF on the ground. [Exit. 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? I 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 valour 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, with a new wound in your thigh come you along with me. [He takes HOTSPUR on his back. Re-enter Prince HENRY, and Prince JOHN. P. Hen. Come, brother John; full bravely hast thou flesh'd Thy maiden sword. P. John. But, soft! whom have we here? Did you not tell me this fat man was dead? P. Hen. I did; I saw him dead, breathless, and bleeding On the ground. Art thou alive? or is it phantasy That plays upon our eyesight? I pr'ythee, speak; Fal. No, that's certain: I am not a double man; but if I be not Jack Falstaff, then am I a Jack. There is Percy: if your father will do me any honour, so; if not, let him kill the next Percy himself. I look to be either earl or duke, I can assure you. P. Hen. Why, Percy I kill'd 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 Shrewsbury clock. If I may be believed, so; if not, let them that should reward valour 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. P. John. This is the strangest tale that e'er I heard. P. Hen. This is the strangest fellow, brother Come, bring your luggage nobly on your back: [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 HENRY, and Prince JOHN. 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, bearing off the Body. SCENE V.-Another part of the Field. The Trumpets sound. Enter King HENRY, Prince HENRY, Prince JOHN, WESTMORELAND, and others, with WORCESTER, and VERNON, prisoners. K. Hen. Thus ever did rebellion find rebuke.Ill-spirited Worcester, did we not send grace, Pardon, and terms of love to all of you? And would'st thou turn our offers contrary? Misuse the tenor of thy kinsman's trust? Three knights upon our party slain to-day, |