P. HEN. It will not be accepted, on my life: The Douglas and the Hotspur both together Are confident against the world in arms.

K. HEN. Hence, therefore, every leader to his charge;

For, on their answer, will we set on them:
And God befriend us, as our cause is just!

[Exeunt KING, BLUNT, and PRINCE JOHN. FAL. Hal, if thou see me down in the battle, and bestride me, so; 't is 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. "T is not due yet; I would be loth to pay him before his day. What need I be so forward with him that calls not on me? Well, 't is 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 that word, 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.

SCENE II.-The Rebel Camp.

Enter WORCESTER and VERNON.

[Exit.

WOR. O, no, my nephew must not know, sir Richard, (1)

The liberal and ‡ kind offer of the king.

VER. "Twere best, he did.
WOR.

Then are we§ all undone.
It is not possible, it cannot be,
The king should keep his word in loving us;
He will suspect us still, and find a time
To punish this offence in other ¶ faults:
Suspicion,** all our lives, shall be stuck full of eyes:
For treason is but trusted like the fox;
Who, ne'er so tame, so cherish'd, and lock'd up,

Will have a wild trick of his ancestors.
Look how we can, or sad, or merrily,
Interpretation will misquote our looks,
And we shall feed like oxen at a stall,
The better cherish'd, still the nearer death.
My nephew's trespass may be well forgot,
It hath the excuse of youth, and heat of blood,
And an adopted name of privilege,-
A hair-brain'd Hotspur, govern'd by a spleen:
All his offences live upon my head,

And on his father's ;-we did train him on;
And, his corruption being ta'en from us,
We, as the spring of all, shall pay for all.
Therefore, good cousin, let not Harry know,
In any case, the offer of the king.
VER. Deliver what
you will, I'll
Here comes your cousin.

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.

Exit.

WOR. There is no seeming mercy in the king. HOT. Did you beg any? God forbid ! WOR. I told him gently of our grievances, Of his oath-breaking, which he mended thus,By now forswearing that he is forsworn: He calls us, rebels, traitors; and will scourge With haughty arms this hateful name in us.

Re-enter DoUGLAS.

DOUG. Arm, gentlemen! to arms! for I have thrown

A brave defiance in King Henry's teeth,
And Westmoreland, that was engag'd, did bear it ;
Which cannot choose but bring him quickly on.
WOR. The prince of Wales stepp'd forth before
the king,

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?

(*) First folio, he.

perhaps rightly, assigned it to Hotspur, observing that his station and his temper would have rendered him the first to take fire at his uncle's intelligence. c How show'd his tasking?] Tasking here means challenging. So in "Richard II." Act IV. Sc. 1.:

"I task the earth to the like."

All the old editions after the first quarto read, talking.

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, which became him like a prince indeed,
He made a blushing cital of himself,
And chid his truant youth with such a grace,
As if he master'd there a double spirit,
Of teaching and of learning, instantly.

There did he pause. But let me tell the world,-
If he outlive the envy of this day,
England did never owe so sweet a hope,
So much misconstrued in his wantonness.
HOT. Cousin, I think, thou art enamoured
On his follies; never did I hear

Of any prince, so wild a libertine: "
But, be he as he will, yet once ere night
I will embrace him with a soldier's arm,
That he shall shrink under my courtesy.-
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,
Can lift your blood up with persuasion.

Enter a Messenger.

MESS. My lord, here are letters for you.
HOT. I cannot read them now.-

O gentlemen, the time of life is short;
To spend that shortness basely, were too long,
If life did ride upon a dial's point,

a So wild a libertine:] The first three quartos read, so wild a libertie; the folio 1623, so wild at liberty. The emendation in the text was made by Capell.

And thou shalt find a king that will revenge Lord Stafford's death.

Still ending at the arrival of an hour.
An if we live, we live to tread on kings;
If die, brave death, when princes die with us!
Now for our consciences,-the arms are* fair,
When the intent oft bearing them is just.

Enter another Messenger.

MESS. My lord, prepare; the king comes on apace.

Hor. I thank him, that he cuts me from my tale,

For I profess not talking. Only this-
Let each man do his best; and here draw It
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.

[Flourish of trumpets. They embrace,
and exeunt.

SCENE III.-Plain near Shrewsbury. Alarum to the battle. Excursions, and Parties fighting. Then enter DOUGLAS and Blunt, meeting.

BLUNT. What is thy name, that in the || 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,
This sword hath ended him: so shall it thee,
Unless thou yield thee as my¶ prisoner.

BLUNT. I was not born a yielder, thou proud
Scot;b

[They fight, and BLUNT is slain.

Other 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 ragamuffins § where they are peppered: there's but || 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:

(*) First folio, Lords. (1) First folio, Heaven. (1) Old text, not.

And,

(t) Old copies, Ah.
(8) Old text, rag of muffins.
(4) First folio omits, are.

"And all the world to nothing That he dares ne'er come back."—

"Should I miscarry in the present journey, From whence it is all number to a cipher I ne'er return with honour."

MASSINGER'S Duke of Milan, Act I. Sc. 3.

b I was not born a yielder, thou proud Scot;] So the first quarto; the folio reads, I was not born to yield, thou haughty Scot.

The king hath many marching in his coats.] For marching Mr. Collier's annotator reads, masking.

Many a nobleman lies stark and stiff
Under the hoofs of vaunting enemies,
Whose deaths are unreveng'd. Pr'ythee, lend me
thy sword.

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 it 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 carbonadob 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.

P. JOHN. We breathe too long:-come, cousin
Westmoreland,

Our duty this way lies; for God's sake, come.

[Exeunt PRINCE JOHN and WESTMORELAND. P. HEN. By heaven, thou hast deceiv'd me, Lancaster;

I did not think thee lord of such a spirit :
Before, I lov'd thee as a brother, John;
But now, I do respect thee as my soul.

K. HEN. I saw him hold lord Percy at the point,

With lustier maintenance than I did look for
Of such an ungrown warrior.
P. HEN.
O, this boy

Lends mettle to us all!

Alarums. Enter DOUGLAS.

[Exit.

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,
And not the very king. I have two boys
Seek Percy, and thyself, about the field:
But seeing thou fall'st on me so luckily,
I will assay thee; so defend thyself.

DOUG. I fear, thou art another counterfeit ; And yet, in faith, thou bear'st thee like a king: But mine, I am sure, thou art, whoe'er thou be, And thus I win thee.

[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:

It is the Prince of Wales, that threatens thee:
Who never promiseth, but he means to pay.-
[They fight; DOUGLAS flies.
Cheerly, my lord; how fares your grace?-
Sir Nicholas Gawsey hath for succour sent,
And so hath Clifton; I'll to Clifton straight.
K. HEN. Stay, and breathe a while :- . (2)
Thou hast redeem'd thy lost opinion;"

(*) First folio, Heavens.

b Carbonado-] A collop cooked on the coals.

e Thou hast redeem'd thy lost opinion;] That is, reputation, estimation. So in "The Gamester," by Shirley, "Patience!

I mean you have the opinion of a valiant gentleman; one that dares fight and maintain your honour against odds."

And show'd, thou mak'st some tender of my life, In this fair rescue thou hast brought to me.

P. HEN. O God,* they did me too much injury,
That ever said, I hearken'd for your death.
If it were so, I might have let alone

The insulting hand of Douglas over you;
Which would have been as speedy in your end,
As all the poisonous potions in the world,
And sav'd the treacherous labour of your son.
K. HEN. Make up to Clifton, I'll to Sir Nicholas
Gawsey.
[Exit KING HENRY.

Enter HOTSPUR. HOT. If I mistake not, thou art Harry Monmouth.

P. HEN. Thou speak'st as if I would deny my