For treason is but trusted like the fox; A hare-brain'd Hotspur, govern'd by a spleen : And on his father's; - we did train him on ; Ver. Deliver what you will, I'll say, 'tis so. Here comes your cousin. And, nephew, challeng'd you to single fight. Hot. O, 'would the quarrel lay upon our heads; Trimm'd up your praises with a princely tongue; So much misconstrued in his wantonness. Hot. Cousin, I think, thou art enamoured Upon his follies; never did I hear Of any prince, so wild, at liberty: 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, Mess. My lord, here are letters for you. O gentlemen, the time of life is short; 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 this Let 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, Percy! — and set on. — Sound all the lofty instruments of war, And by that musick let us all embrace: For, heaven to earth, some of us never shall A second time do such a courtesy. Esperance! [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 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 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 my own bowels. I have led my raggamuffins 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: Many a nobleman lies stark and stiff Under the hoofs of vaunting enemies, K. Hen. The king himself; who, Douglas, grieves at heart, So many of his shadows thou hast met, Whose deaths are unreveng'd: Pr'ythee, lend thy Seek Percy, and thyself, about the field: sword. Fal. O Hal, I pr'ythee, give me leave to breathe awhile. 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. Lend me thy sword, I pr'ythee. 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. Alarums. [Exit. SCENE IV. - Another part of the Field. Excursions. Enter the KING, PRINCE HENRY, FRINCE 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. John. Not I, my lord, unless I did bleed too. P. Hen. I do beseech your majesty, make up, Lest your retirement do amaze your friends. K. Hen. I will do so: My lord of Westmoreland, lead him to his tent. West. Come, my lord, I will lead you to your tent. P. Hen. Lead me, my lord? I do not need your help: And heaven forbid, a shallow scratch should drive But, seeing thou fall'st on me so luckily, 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 [They fight; DOUGLAS flies. Cheerly, my lord; How fares your grace? P. Hen. O heaven! they did me too much injury, To share with me in glory any more: Hot. Nor shall it, Harry, for the hour is come 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 exit 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 food for [Dies. 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 If thou wert sensible of courtesy, [He sees FALSTAFF on the ground. What! old acquaintance! could not all this flesh Keep in a little life? Poor Jack, farewell! I could have better spar'd a better man. O, I should have a heavy miss of thee, If I were much in love with vanity. Death hath not struck so fat a deer to-day, [Exit. Fal. [Rising slowly.] Embowelled! if thou embowel 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-discretio ; 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? 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, [stabbing him.] with a new wound in your thigh, come you along with me. [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 Upon the ground. Art thou alive? or is it phantasy That plays upon our eyesight? I pr'ythee, speak ; We will not trust our eyes, without our ears : — Thou art not what thou seem'st. 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 [throwing the body down.] 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 killed 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, 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 John. Come, bring your luggage nobly on your back: [A retreat is sounded. [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. Warkworth. Before Northumberland's Castle. Enter Rumour, painted full of tongues. Rum. Open your ears; For which of you will stop The vent of hearing, when loud Rumour speaks? 417 Is thought with child by the stern tyrant war, Who, in a bloody field by Shrewsbury, But what mean I To speak so true at first? my office is Ee |