things neceffary, and meet me to morrow night in Eaftcheap, there I'll fup. Farewel.

Poins. Farewel, my lord,

[Exit Poins.
P. Henry. I know you all, and will a while uphold
The unyok'd humour of your idleness;
Yet herein will I imitate the Sun,

Who doth permit the base contagious clouds
To fmother up his beauty from the world;
That when he please again to be himself,
Being wanted, he may be more wondred at,
By breaking through the foul and ugly mifts
Of vapours, that did feem to firangle him.
If all the year were playing holidays,
To fport would be as tedious as to work;
But when they feldom come, they wifht-for come,
And nothing pleafeth but rare Accidents.
So, when this loofe behaviour I throw off,
And pay the debt I never promised;
By how much better than my word I am,
By fo much fhall I falfifie men's hopes;
And, like bright metal on a fullen ground,
My Reformation, glittering o'er my fault,
Shall fhew more goodly, and attract more eyes,
Than That which hath no foil to fet it off.
I'll fo offend, to make offence a skill;
Redeeming time, when men think leaft I will.

[Exit.

SCENE changes to an Apartment in the
Palace.

Enter King Henry, Northumberland, Worcester, Hotfpur, Sir Walter Blunt, and others..

K. Henry. MY

Y blood hath been too cold and tem perate,

Unapt to flir at these indignities;

And you have found me; for accordingly
You tread upon my patience: but be fure,
I will from henceforth rather be my felf,
Mighty, and to be fear'd, than my condition,
Which hath been fmooth as oyl, foft as young down,

And

And therefore loft that title of Respect,

Which the proud foul ne'er pays, but to the proud.

Wor. Our houfe, my fovereign Liege, little deferves The fcourge of Greatnefs to be ufed on it;

And that fame Greatness too, which our own hands Have help'd to make so portly.

North. My good lord,

K. Henry. Worcester, get thee gone; for I do fee
Danger and difobedience in thine eye. ̧

O Sir, your prefence is too bold and peremptory;
And Majefty might never yet endure
The moody frontier of a fervant brow.
You have good leave to leave us.

When we need

Your use and counfel, we shall fend for you.

You were about to speak.

North. Yes, my good lord.

[Exit Worcester.

[To Northumberland.

Thofe prifoners, in your Highnefs' name demanded,

Which Harry Percy here at Holmedon took,

Were, as he fays, not with fuch ftrength deny'd

As was deliver'd to your Majesty.

Or Envy therefore, or Mifprifion,

Is guilty of this fault, and not my fon.

Hot. My Liege, I did deny no prisoners;
But I remember, when the fight was done,
-When I was dry with rage, and extream toil,
Breathlefs, and faint, leaning upon my fword;
Came there a certain lord, neat, trimly drefs'd
Fresh as a bridegroom, and his chin, new-reap'd,
Shew'd like a ftubble land at harvest-home.
He was perfumed like a milliner;

And 'twixt his finger and his thumb, he held
A pouncet-box, which ever and anon

He gave his nofe: and took't away again;

;

Who, therewith angry, when it next came there,

Took it in fnuff. And still he smil'd, and talk'd;

And as the foldiers bare dead bodies by,

He call'd them untaught knaves, unmannerly,
To bring a flovenly unhandfome coarse

Betwixt the wind, and his Nobility.

E 4

With

With many holiday and lady terms

He queftion'd me: amongst the rest, demanded
My prifoners, in your Majefty's behalf.

I, then all-fmarting with my wounds being cold,
(To be fo pefter'd with a popinjay,)

Out of my grief, and my impatience,
Anfwer'd, neglectingly, I know not what;
He fhould, or fhould not; for he made me mad,
To fee him fhine fo brifk, and fmell fo fweet,
And talk fo like a waiting-gentlewoman,

Of guns, and drums, and wounds; (God fave the mark!)

And telling me, the fovereign't thing on earth
Was Parmacity, for an inward bruife;
And that it was great pity, fo it was,
This villainous falt-petre fhould be digg'd
Out of the bowels of the harmless earth,
Which many a good, tall fellow had deftroy'd
So cowardly And but for thefe vile guns,
He would himself have been a foldier.
This bald, unjointed chat of his, my lord,
I anfwer'd indirectly, as I faid;

And I beseech you, let not this report
Come currant for an accufation,

Betwixt my love and your high Majefty.

Blunt. The circumftance confider'd, good my lord, Whatever Harry Percy then had said,

To fuch a perfon, and in fuch a place,
At fuch a time, with all the reft retold,
May reasonably die; and never rife
To do him wrong, or any way impeach
What then he faid, fo he unfay it now.

K. Henry. Why, yet he doth deny his prisoners,
But with provifo and exception,

That we at our own charge fhall ranfom ftrait
His Brother in-law, the foolish Mortimer ;
Who, on my foul, hath wilfully betray'd
The lives of thofe, that he did lead to fight
Against the great magician, damn'd Glendower ;
Whofe daughter, as we hear, the Earl of March

Hath

Hath lately marry'd. Shall our coffers then
Be empty'd, to redeem a traitor home?
Sall we buy treason? and indent with fears,
When they have loft and forfeited themselves?
No; on the barren mountains let him ftarve;
For I fhall never hold that man my friend,
Whofe tongue shall ask me for one penny coft
To ransom home revolted Mortimer.

Hot. Revolted Mortimer?

He never did fall off, my fovereign Liege,
But by the chance of war; to prove That true,
Needs no more but one tongue, for all thofe wounds,
Those mouthed wounds, which valiantly he took,
When on the gentle Severn's fedgie bank,

In fingle oppofition, hand to hand,

He did confound the best part of an hour

In changing hardiment with great Glendower:

Three times they breath'd, and three times did they drink,

Upon agreement, of fwift Severn's flood;

Who then affrighted with their bloody looks,
Ran fearfully among the trembling reeds,
And hid his crifp'd head in the hollow bank,
Blood-ftained with thefe valiant Combatants.
Never did bafe and rotten Policy

Colour her working with fuch deadly wounds;
Nor ever could the noble Mortimer
Receive fo many, and all willingly.

Then let him not be flander'd with Revolt.

K. Henry. Thou doft belie him, Percy, thou belieft

him;

He never did encounter with Glendower;

He durft as well have met the Devil alone,

As Owen Glendower for an enemy.

Art not asham'd? but, firrah, from this hour
Let me not hear you fpeak of Mortimer.
Send me your prifoners with the speedieft means,
Or you fhall hear in fuch a kind from me

As will displease you My Lord Northumberland,
We licence your departure with your fon.

£ 5

Send

Send us your prifoners, or you'll hear of it.

[Exit K. Henry. Hot. And if the Devil come and roar for them,

I will not fend them. I will after ftrait,

And tell him fo; for I will ease my heart,

Although it be with hazard of my head.

North. What, drunk with choler? ftay, and pause a while;

Here comes your uncle.

Enter Worcester.

Hot. Speak of Mortimer?

my foul

Yes, I will fpeak of him; and let
Want Mercy, if I do not join with him.
In his behalf, I'll empty all these veins,
And fhed my dear blood drop by drop in duft,
But I will lift the downfall'n Mortimer

As high i' th' Air as this unthankful King,
As this ingrate and cankred Bolingbroke.

North. Brother, the King hath made your Nephew -mad. [To Worcester. Wor. Who ftrook this heat up after I was gone? Hot. He will, forfooth, have all my prifoners: And when I urg'd the ranfem once again

Of my wife's brother, then his cheek look'd pale,
And on my face he turn'd an eye of death,
Trembling ev'n at the name of Mortimer.

Wor. I cannot blame him; was he not proclaim'd, By Richard that dead is, the next of blood?

North. He was: I heard the Proclamation;

And then it was, when the unhappy King

(Whofe wrongs in us, God pardon!) did fet forth

Upon his Irish expedition;

From whence he, intercepted, did return

To be depos'd, and fhortly murthered.

Wor. And for whofe death, we in the world's wide

mouth

Live fcandaliz'd, and foully.fpoken of.

Hot. But foft, I pray you; Proclaim my brother Mortimer

did King Richard then