My father, in kind heart and pity moved,
Swore him assistance, and performed it too.
Now, when the lords and barons of the realm
Perceived 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,
Laid gifts before him, proffer'd him their oaths,
Give 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
Made to my father, while his blood was poor,
Upon the naked shore at Ravenspurg;
And now, forsooth, takes on him to reform
Some certain edicts and some strait decrees
That lie too heavy on the commonwealth;
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
Of all the favourites, that the absent King
In deputation left behind him here
When he was personal in the Irish war.
The King is kind, and we know well that the King
knows what time to make promises, and when to pay:
my father, and my uncle, and myself
gave him the kingship he enjoys now
when he had just twenty six soldiers,
had no standing in the world, was wretched and low,
a poor unnoticed outlaw sneaking home,
my father welcomed him to the shore:
and when he heard him swear and vow to God
that he only wanted to be Duke of Lancaster,
to reclaim his lands, and ask for peace
with innocent tears, and great passion,
my father, moved by pity and being kind
swore to help him, and kept his promise.
Now, when the Lords and barons of the kingdom
saw that Northumberland favoured him,
both high and low came to pay respects,
met him in boroughs, cities, villages,
waited for him on bridges, stood in lanes,
gave him presents, swore loyalty to him,
gave him their heirs as servants, followed him
closely in magnificent crowds.
Soon after, thinking himself to be great,
he advanced a little higher than the vow
he made to my father when he was low
on the bare shore at Ravenspurgh;
and then, by God, he decided to reform
certain laws and taxes
which were lying too heavily on the country;
he spoke out against abuses, seemed to weep
over the wrongs done to his country; and by pretending
that he was acting for justice he won over
the hearts of everyone he wanted;
then he went further–he cut off the heads
of all the favourites that the absent King
had left behind as his deputies,
when he went to the war in Ireland.
BLUNT.
Tut, I came not to hear this.
Tut, I didn't come to listen to this.
HOT.
Then to the point:
In short time after, he deposed the King;
Soon after that, deprived 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 placed,
Indeed his king) to be engaged in Wales,
There without ransom to lie forfeited;
Disgraced me in my happy victories,
Sought to entrap me by intelligence;
Rated my uncle from the Council-board;
In rage dismiss'd my father from the Court;
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 now we find
Too indirect for long continuance.
Then I'll get to the point:
a short time after, he overthrew the king;
soon after that, he took away his life;
and at once he began taxing the whole country:
to make it worse, he allowed his kinsman Mortimer
(who, if everyone were in their right place,
would be King) to be held as hostage in Wales,
to live there abandoned without ransom;
he put a disgraceful spin on my great victories,
and tried to trap me with his spies,
attacked my uncle in the council,
angrily dismissed my father from the court,
broke oath after oath, committed wrong after wrong,
and in the end forced us to raise
this army for our defence, and also to
question his right to be king, and we find
that his claim is too tenuous to be upheld.
BLUNT.
Shall I return this answer to the King?
Shall I take this answer back to the King?
HOT.
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 my uncle
Bring him our purposes: and so, farewell.
No, Sir Walter: we'll withdraw for a while.
Go to the King; let him give guarantees
that anyone coming from me will be safe,
and early in the morning my uncle will
bring him news of our intentions: and so, farewell.
BLUNT.
I would you would accept of grace and love.
I wish you would accept grace and love.
HOT.
And may be so we shall.
Maybe we will.
BLUNT.
Pray God you do.
I pray to God that you do.
[Exeunt.]
[Enter the Archbishop of York and Sir Michael.]
ARCH.
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.
Go, good sir Michael; take this sealed letter
as fast as you can to the Lord Marshall;
this one to my cousin Scroop; and all the rest
as they are addressed. If you knew
how important they are, you would hurry.
SIR M.
My good lord,
I guess their tenour.
My good lord,
I can guess their content.
ARCH.
Like enough you do.
To-morrow, good Sir Michael, is a day
Wherein the fortune of ten thousand men
Must bide the touch; for, sir, at Shrewsbury,
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,
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.
I expect you can.
Tomorrow, good Sir Michael, is a day
when the fate of ten thousand men will be
p
ut to the test; for, sir, at Shrewsbury,
I have been given to understand,
the King, with great and swiftly gathered forces,
meets with Lord Harry: and I fear, Sir Michael,
that with the sickness of Northumberland,
who had the greatest share of power,
and what with Owen Glendower's absence,
he was a great part of their strength as well,
and he has not arrived, believing in prophecies–
I fear the power of Percy is too weak
to take on a fight with the King at the moment.
SIR M.
Why, my good lord, you need not fear;
There's Douglas and Lord Mortimer.
Why, my good lord, you need not be afraid;
he has Douglas and Lord Mortimer.
ARCH.
No, Mortimer's not there.
No, Mortimer is not there.
SIR M.
But there is Mordake, Vernon, Lord Harry Percy,
And there's my Lord of Worcester; and a head
Of gallant warriors, noble gentlemen.
But there is Mordake, Vernon, Lord Harry Percy,
and my Lord of Worcester; and a force
of gallant warriors, noble gentlemen.
ARCH.
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;
And many more corrivals and dear men
Of estimation and command in arms.
That's true: but still the king has gathered
the greatest forces in the land together;
the Prince of Wales, Lord John of Lancaster,
the noble Westmorland, and warlike Blunt;
and many more associates and good men
of good reputation as fighters.
SIR M.
Doubt not, my lord, they shall be well opposed.
Do not think, my lord, that they won't be strongly opposed.
ARCH.
I hope no less, yet needful 'tis to fear;
And, to prevent the worst, Sir Michael, speed:
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
To other friends; and so, farewell, Sir Michael.
That's what I hope, but caution is necessary;
and, to prevent the worst happening, Sir Michael, hurry:
for if Lord Percy does not succeed, the King
intends to attack us before he dissolves his army,
for he has heard about our Alliance;
it's only sensible to prepare defences against him:
so hurry. I must go and write more
to other friends; and so, farewell, Sir Michael.
[Exeunt.]
[Enter King Henry, Prince Henry, Lancaster, Sir Walter Blunt,
and Sir John Falstaff.]
KING.
How bloodily the Sun begins to peer
Above yon bulky hill! the day looks pale
At his distemperature.
How bloody the sun looks peering
over that great hill! The day looks pale
at his illness.
PRINCE.
The southern wind
Doth play the trumpet to his purposes;
And by his hollow whistling in the leaves
Foretells a tempest and a blustering day.
The southern wind
is playing his own tune;
his hollow whistling through the leaves
predicts a storm and a windy day.
KING.
Then with the losers let it sympathize,
For nothing can seem foul to those that win.--
[The trumpet sounds. Enter Worcester and Vernon.]
How, now, my Lord of Worcester! 'tis not well
That you and I should meet upon such terms
As now we meet. You have deceived our trust;
And made us doff our easy robes of peace,
To crush our old limbs in ungentle steel:
This is not well, my lord, this is not well.
What say you to't? will you again unknit
This churlish knot of all-abhorred war,
And move in that obedient orb again
Where you did give a fair and natural light;
And be no more an exhaled meteor,
A prodigy of fear, and a portent
Of broached mischief to the unborn times?
Then let it suit the mood of the losers,
for nothing can look bad to those who win-
Hello, my lord of Worcester!It's not good
that you and I should meet on these terms.
You have betrayed my trust,
and made me remove the soft clothes of peace,
to crush my old limbs into harsh steel armour:
this is not good, my lord, this is not good.
What have you to say about it? Will you untie
this horrid knot of hated war,
and come back into the orbit of the planet
which gave you a fair natural light;
stop being a riotous meteor, a
bringer of fear, and a sign of
terrible harm to future ages?
WOR.
Hear me, my liege:
For mine own part, I could be well content
To entertain the lag-end of my life
With quiet hours; for I do protest,
I have not sought the day of this dislike.
Hear me, my lord:
for my part, I would be very glad
to spend my last years quietly;
I must point out that I
didn't look for this day of conflict.
KING.
You have not sought it! why, how comes it, then?
You didn't look for it!How's it happened then?
FAL.
Rebellion lay in his way, and he found it.
He came across rebellion, and picked it up.
PRINCE.
Peace, chewet, peace!
Peace, chatterer, be quiet!
WOR.
It pleased your Majesty to turn your looks
Of favour from myself and all our House;
And yet I must remember you, my lord,
We were the first and dearest of your friends.
For you my staff of office did I break
In Richard's time; and posted day and night
To meet you on the way, and kiss your hand,
When yet you were in place and in account
Nothing so strong and fortunate as I.
It was myself, my brother, and his son,
That brought you home, and boldly did outdare
The dangers of the time. You swore to us,--
And you did swear that oath at Doncaster,--
That you did nothing purpose 'gainst the state;
Nor claim no further than your new-fall'n right,
The seat of Gaunt, dukedom of Lancaster:
To this we swore our aid. But in short space
It rain'd down fortune showering on your head;
And such a flood of greatness fell on you,--
What with our help, what with the absent King,
What with the injuries of a wanton time,
The seeming sufferances that you had borne,
And the contrarious winds that held the King
So long in his unlucky Irish wars
That all in England did repute him dead,--
And, from this swarm of fair advantages,
You took occasion to be quickly woo'd
To gripe the general sway into your hand;
Forgot your oath to us at Doncaster;
And, being fed by us, yo
u used us so
As that ungentle gull, the cuckoo-bird,
Useth the sparrow; did oppress our nest;
Grew by our feeding to so great a bulk,
That even our love durst not come near your sight
For fear of swallowing; but with nimble wing
We were enforced, for safety-sake, to fly
Out of your sight, and raise this present head:
Whereby we stand opposed by such means
As you yourself have forged against yourself,
By unkind usage, dangerous countenance,
And violation of all faith and troth
Sworn to us in your younger enterprise.
Your Majesty decided that I and all my family
were out of favour;
I must remind you, my lord,
that we were your oldest and closest friends.
I threw away my job as steward for you
in Richard's time; I rode night and day
to meet you on the journey, and kiss your hand,
when you didn't have anything like
my fame or position.
It was I, my brother and my son
who brought you home, boldly risking
the dangers of the time.You swore to us -
you swore the oath at Doncaster -
that you had no intentions against the country;
you said all you wanted was your newly-inherited title,
the seat of Gaunt, the dukedom of Gloucester:
we swore to help you in that.But very swiftly
a great fortune fell down upon your head,
a huge flood of greatness -
with our help, with the king absent,
with the hardships of that wild time,
the hardships you seemed to have suffered,
and the unfavourable winds which kept the King
stuck for so long in his unlucky Irish wars
that everyone in England believed he was dead -
with all this good luck
you allowed yourself to be quickly persuaded
to take power into your hands;
you forgot what you had sworn to us at Doncaster;
and, having been helped by us, you were like
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) Page 77