A noble earl, and many a creature else, If, like a christian, thou had'st truly borne Wor. What I have done, my safety urg'd me to ; Since not to be avoided it falls on me. K. Hen. Bear Worcester to the death, and Vernon too : Other offenders we will pause upon. [Exeunt WORCESTER and VERNON, guarded. How goes the field? P. Hen. The noble Scot, lord Douglas, when he saw The fortune of the day quite turn'd from him, The noble Percy slain, and all his men Upon the foot of fear,-fled with the rest; And, falling from a hill, he was so bruis'd, At my tent The Douglas is; and I beseech your grace, I may dispose of him. K. Hen. With all my heart. P. Hen. Then, brother John of Lancaster, to you This honourable bounty shall belong: Go to the Douglas, and deliver him Up to his pleasure, ransomeless, and free : Hath taught us how to cherish such high deeds, K. Hen. Then this remains, that we divide our power. You, son John, and my cousin Westmoreland, Towards York shall bend you, with your dearest speed, Myself, and you, son Harry,-will towards Wales, [Exeunt. 23* VOL. IV. PERSONS REPRESENTED. King HENRY the Fourth: HENRY, Pirnce of Wales, afterwards THOMAS, Duke of Clarence ; Prince JOHN of Lancaster, afterwards his sons. (2 Henry V.) Duke of Bedford; Prince HUMPHREY of Gloster, afterwards (2 Henry V.) Duke of Gloster ; Earl of WARWICK; Earl of WESTMORELAND; of the king's party. GOWER; HARCOURT; Lord Chief Justice of the king's bench. A Gentleman attending on the chief justice. Earl of NORTHUMBERLAND; SCROOP, Archbishop of York; Lord MOWBRAY; Lord HASTINGS; Lord BARDOLPH; Sir JOHN COLEVILE; enemies to the king. TRAVERS and MORTON, domestics of Northumber land. FALSTAFF, BARDOLPH, PISTOL, and Page. DAVY, servant to Shallow. MOULDY, SHADOW, WART, FEEBLE, and BULLCALF, recruits. FANG and SNARE, sheriff's officers. Rumour. A Porter. A Dancer, speaker of the Epilogue. Lady NORTHUMBERLAND. Lady PERCY. Lords and other Attendants; Officers, Soldiers, Mes senger, Drawers, Beadles, Grooms, Vc. SCENE-England. OBSERVATIONS. THE transactions comprized in this history take up about nine years. The action commences with the account of Hotspur's being defeated and killed [1403]: and closes with the death of king Henry IV. and the coronation of king Henry V. [1412-13.] THEOBALD. Mr. Upton thinks these two plays improperly called The First and Second Parts of Henry the Fourth. The first play ends, he says, with the peaceful settlement of Henry in the kingdom by the defeat of the rebels. This is hardly true; for the rebels are not yet finally suppressed. The second, he tells us, shows Henry the Fifth in the various lights of a goodnatured rake, till, on his father's death, he assumes a more manly character. This is true; but this representation gives us no idea of a dramatic action. These two plays will appear to every reader, who shall peruse them without ambition of critical discoveries, to be so connected, that the second is merely a sequel to the first; to be two only because they are too long to be one. JOHNSON. |