The Arden Shakespeare Complete Works
Page 164
and fifty tattered prodigals lately come from swine-
keeping, from eating draff and husks. A mad fellow
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met me on the way, and told me I had unloaded all the
gibbets and pressed the dead bodies. No eye hath seen
such scarecrows. I’ll not march through Coventry
with them, that’s flat: nay, and the villains march wide
betwixt the legs as if they had gyves on, for indeed I
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had the most of them out of prison. There’s not a shirt
and a half in all my company, and the half shirt is two
napkins tacked together and thrown over the
shoulders like a herald’s coat without sleeves; and the
shirt to say the truth stolen from my host at Saint
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Albans, or the red-nose innkeeper of Daventry. But
that’s all one, they’ll find linen enough on every hedge.
Enter the PRINCE and the LORD OF WESTMORELAND.
PRINCE How now, blown Jack? How now, quilt?
FALSTAFF What, Hal! How now, mad wag? What a devil
dost thou in Warwickshire? My good Lord of
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Westmoreland, I cry you mercy, I thought your
honour had already been at Shrewsbury.
WESTMORELAND Faith, Sir John, ’tis more than time
that I were there, and you too, but my powers are there
already; the King I can tell you looks for us all, we
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must away all night.
FALSTAFF Tut, never fear me, I am as vigilant as a cat to
steal cream.
PRINCE I think, to steal cream indeed, for thy theft hath
already made thee butter; but tell me, Jack, whose
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fellows are these that come after?
FALSTAFF Mine, Hal, mine.
PRINCE I did never see such pitiful rascals.
FALSTAFF Tut, tut, good enough to toss, food for
powder, food for powder, they’ll fill a pit as well as
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better; tush, man, mortal men, mortal men.
WESTMORELAND Ay, but, Sir John, methinks they are
exceeding poor and bare, too beggarly.
FALSTAFF Faith, for their poverty I know not where
they had that; and for their bareness I am sure they
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never learned that of me.
PRINCE No, I’ll be sworn, unless you call three fingers
in the ribs bare. But sirrah, make haste; Percy is
already in the field. Exit.
FALSTAFF What, is the King encamped?
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WESTMORELAND He is, Sir John, I fear we shall stay too
long. Exit.
FALSTAFF Well,
To the latter end of a fray, and the beginning of a feast
Fits a dull fighter and a keen guest. Exit.
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4.3 Enter HOTSPUR, WORCESTER, DOUGLAS, VERNON.
HOTSPUR We’ll fight with him tonight.
WORCESTER It may not be.
DOUGLAS You give him then advantage.
VERNON Not a whit.
HOTSPUR Why say you so, looks he not for supply?
VERNON So do we.
HOTSPUR His is certain, ours is doubtful.
WORCESTER Good cousin, be advis’d, stir not tonight.
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VERNON Do not, my lord.
DOUGLAS You do not counsel well.
You speak it out of fear and cold heart.
VERNON Do me no slander, Douglas; by my life,
And I dare well maintain it with my life,
If well-respected honour bid me on,
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I hold as little counsel with weak fear
As you, my lord, or any Scot that this day lives;
Let it be seen tomorrow in the battle
Which of us fears.
DOUGLAS Yea, or tonight.
VERNON Content.
HOTSPUR Tonight, say I.
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VERNON Come, come, it may not be. I wonder much,
Being men of such great leading as you are,
That you foresee not what impediments
Drag back our expedition: certain horse
Of my cousin Vernon’s are not yet come up,
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Your uncle Worcester’s horse came but today,
And now their pride and mettle is asleep,
Their courage with hard labour tame and dull,
That not a horse is half the half himself.
HOTSPUR So are the horses of the enemy
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In general journey-bated and brought low.
The better part of ours are full of rest.
WORCESTER The number of the King exceedeth ours:
For God’s sake, cousin, stay till all come in.
[The trumpet sounds a parley.]
Enter SIR WALTER BLUNT.
BLUNT I come with gracious offers from the King,
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If you vouchsafe me hearing and respect.
HOTSPUR
Welcome, Sir Walter Blunt: and would to God
You were of our determination!
Some of us love you well, and even those some
Envy your great deservings and good name,
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Because you are not of our quality,
But stand against us like an enemy.
BLUNT And God defend but still I should stand so,
So long as out of limit and true rule
You stand against anointed majesty.
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But to my charge. The King hath sent to know
The nature of your griefs, and whereupon
You conjure from the breast of civil peace
Such bold hostility, teaching his duteous land
Audacious cruelty. If that the King
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Have any way your good deserts forgot,
Which he confesseth to be manifold,
He bids you name your griefs, and with all speed
You shall have your desires with interest
And pardon absolute for yourself, and these
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Herein misled by your suggestion.
HOTSPUR
The King is kind, and well we know the King
Knows at what time to promise, when to pay:
My father, and my uncle, and myself
Did give him that same royalty he wears,
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And when he was not six and twenty strong,
Sick in the world’s regard, wretched and low,
A poor unminded outlaw sneaking home,
My father gave him welcome to the shore:
And when he heard him swear and vow to God
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He came but to be Duke of Lancaster,
To sue his livery, and beg his peace
With tears of innocency, and terms of zeal,
My father, in kind heart and pity mov’d,
Swore him assistance, and perform’d it too.
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Now when the lords and barons of the realm
Perceiv’d Northumberland did lean to him,
The more and less came in with cap and knee,
Met him in boroughs, cities, villages,
Attended him on bridges, stood in lanes,
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Laid gifts before him, proffer’d him their oaths,
Gave him their heirs as pages, follow’d him
Even at the heels in golden multitudes.
He presently, as greatness knows itself,
Steps me a little higher than his vow
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Made to my father while his blood was poor
Upon the naked shore at Ravenspurgh;
And now forsooth takes on him to reform
Some certain edicts and some strait decrees
That lie too heavy on the commonwealth;
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Cries out upon abuses, seems to weep
Over his country’s wrongs; and by this face,
This seeming brow of justice, did he win
The hearts of all that he did angle for;
Proceeded further – cut me off the heads
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Of all the favourites that the absent King
In deputation left behind him here,
When he was personal in the Irish war.
BLUNT Tut, I came not to hear this.
HOTSPUR Then to the point.
In short time after he depos’d the King,
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Soon after that depriv’d him of his life,
And in the neck of that task’d the whole state;
To make that worse, suffer’d his kinsman March
(Who is, if every owner were well plac’d,
Indeed his King) to be engag’d in Wales,
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There without ransom to lie forfeited;
Disgrac’d me in my happy victories,
Sought to entrap me by intelligence,
Rated mine uncle from the Council-board,
In rage dismiss’d my father from the court,
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Broke oath on oath, committed wrong on wrong,
And in conclusion drove us to seek out
This head of safety, and withal to pry
Into his title, the which we find
Too indirect for long continuance.
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BLUNT Shall I return this answer to the King?
HOTSPUR Not so, Sir Walter. We’ll withdraw awhile.
Go to the King, and let there be impawn’d
Some surety for a safe return again,
And in the morning early shall mine uncle
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Bring him our purposes – and so, farewell.
BLUNT I would you would accept of grace and love.
HOTSPUR And may be so we shall.
BLUNT Pray God you do.
Exeunt.
4.4 Enter the ARCHBISHOP OF YORK and SIR MICHAEL.
ARCHBISHOP
Hie, good Sir Michael, bear this sealed brief
With winged haste to the lord marshal,
This to my cousin Scroop, and all the rest
To whom they are directed. If you knew
How much they do import you would make haste.
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SIR MICHAEL My good lord,
I guess their tenor.
ARCHBISHOP Like enough you do.
Tomorrow, good Sir Michael, is a day
Wherein the fortune of ten thousand men
Must bide the touch; for, sir, at Shrewsbury,
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As I am truly given to understand,
The King with mighty and quick-raised power
Meets with Lord Harry: and I fear, Sir Michael,
What with the sickness of Northumberland,
Whose power was in the first proportion,
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And what with Owen Glendower’s absence thence,
Who with them was a rated sinew too,
And comes not in, o’er-rul’d by prophecies,
I fear the power of Percy is too weak
To wage an instant trial with the King.
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SIR MICHAEL Why, my good lord, you need not fear,
There is Douglas, and Lord Mortimer.
ARCHBISHOP No, Mortimer is not there.
SIR MICHAEL
But there is Mordake, Vernon, Lord Harry Percy,
And there is my Lord of Worcester, and a head
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Of gallant warriors, noble gentlemen.
ARCHBISHOP
And so there is: but yet the King hath drawn
The special head of all the land together:
The Prince of Wales, Lord John of Lancaster,
The noble Westmoreland, and warlike Blunt,
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And many mo corrivals and dear men
Of estimation and command in arms.
SIR MICHAEL
Doubt not, my lord, they shall be well oppos’d.
ARCHBISHOP I hope no less, yet needful ’tis to fear;
And to prevent the worst, Sir Michael, speed.
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For if Lord Percy thrive not, ere the King
Dismiss his power he means to visit us,
For he hath heard of our confederacy,
And ’tis but wisdom to make strong against him:
Therefore make haste – I must go write again
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To other friends; and so, farewell, Sir Michael.
Exeunt.
5.1 Enter the KING, PRINCE OF WALES, LORD JOHN OF LANCASTER, SIR WALTER BLUNT, FALSTAFF.
KING How bloodily the sun begins to peer
Above yon bulky hill! The day looks pale
At his distemp’rature.
PRINCE The southern wind