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Henry IV, Part 1 (Quarto 1, 1598)

Author: William Shakespeare
Editor: Rosemary Gaby
Not Peer Reviewed
1520
Enter Hotspur, Worcester, Lord Mortimer,
Owen Glendower.
Mor. These promises are faire, the parties sure,
And our induction ful of prosperous hope.
Hot. Lord Mortimer, and coosen Glendower wil you sit down?
and Vncle Worcester; a plague vpon it I haue forgot the map.
Glendow. No here it is; sit Coosen Percy, sit good Coosen
Hotspur, for by that name as oft as Lancaster doth speake of you,
his cheeke lookes pale, and with a rising sigh hee wisheth you in
heauen.
Hot. And you in hell, as oft as he heares Owen Glendower
spoke of.
1535Glen. I cannot blame him; at my natiuity
The front of heauen was full of fiery shapes
Of burning cressets, and at my birth
The frame and huge foundation of the earth
Shaked like a coward.
1540Hot. Why so it woulde haue done at the same season if your
mothers cat had but kittend, though your selfe had neuer beene
borne.
Glen. I say the earth did shake when I was borne.
Hot. And I say the earth was not of my mind,
1545If you suppose as fearing you it shooke.
Glen. The heauens were all on fire, the earth did tremble,
Hot. Oh then the earth shooke to see the heauens on fire,
1550And not in feare of your natiuity,
Diseased nature oftentimes breakes forth,
In strange eruptions, oft the teeming earth
Is with a kind of collicke pincht and vext,
By the imprisoning of vnruly wind
1555Within her vvombe, vvhich for enlargement striuing
Shakes the old Beldame earth, and topples down
Steeples and mossegrovvn towers. At your birth
Our Grandam earth, hauing this distemprature
In passion shooke.
1560Glen. Coosen of many men
I do not beare these crossings, giue me leaue
To tell you once againe that at my birth
The front of heauen vvas full of fiery shapes,
The goates ran from the mountaines, and the heards
1565Were strangely clamorous to the frighted fields.
These signes haue markt me extraordinary,
And all the courses of my life do shew
I am not in the roule of commen men:
Where is he liuing clipt in with the sea,
1570That chides the bancks of England, Scotland, Wales,
Which cals me pupil or hath read to me?
And bring him out that is but womans sonne?
Can trace me in the tedious waies of Arte,
And hold me pace in deepe experiments.
1575Hot. I thinke theres no man speakes better Welsh:
Ile to dinner.
Mor. Peace coosen Percy, you wil make him mad.
Glen. I can cal spirits from the vasty deepe.
Hot. Why so can I, or so can any man,
1580But wil they come when you do cal for them
Glen. Why I can teach you coosen to command the Deuil.
Hot. And I can teach thee coose to shame the deuil,
By telling truth. Tel truth and shame the deuil:
1585If thou haue power to raise him bring him hither,
And ile be sworne I haue power to shame him hence:
Oh while you liue tel truth and shame the deuil.
Mor. Come, come, no more of this vnprofitable chat.
1590Glen. Three times hath Henry Bullenbrooke made head
Against my power, thrice from the bankes of Wye,
And sandy bottomd Seuerne haue I sent him
Booteles home, and weather beaten backe.
Hot. Home without bootes, and in foule weather too,
How scapes he agues in the deuils name?
Glen. Come here is the map, shal we diuide our right?
According to our three fold order tane.
1600Mor. The Archdeacon hath diuided it
Into three limits very equally:
England from Trent, and Seuerne hitherto,
By South and East is to my part assignd:
Al westward, Wales beyond the Seuerne shore,
1605And al the fertile land within that bound
To Owen Glendower: and deare coose to you
The remnant Northward lying off from Trent,
And our indentures tripartite are drawn,
Which being sealed enterchangeably,
1610(A businesse that this night may execute:)
To morrow coosen Percy you and I
And my good Lord of Worcester wil set forth
To meet your father and the Scottish power,
As is appointed vs at Shrewsbury.
1615My father Glendower is not ready yet,
Nor shal we need his helpe these fourteen daies,
Within that space you may haue drawne together
Your tenants, friends, and neighbouring gentlemen.
Glen. A shorter time shall send me to you Lords,
1620And in my conduct shall your Ladies come,
From whom you now must steale and take no leaue,
For there wil be a world of water shed,
Vpon the parting of your wiues and you.
Hot. Me thinks my moity North from Burton here,
1625In quantity equals not one of yours,
See how this riuer comes me cranking in,
And cuts me from the best of all my land,
A huge halfe moone, a monstrous scantle out,
Ile haue the currant in this place damnd vp,
1630And here the smug and siluer Trent shall run
In a new channell faire and euenly,
It shall not wind with such a deepe indent,
To rob me of so rich a bottome here.
Glen. Not wind it shal, it must, you see it doth.
1635Mor. Yea, but marke howe he beares his course, and runs mee
vp with like aduauntage on the other side, gelding the opposed
continent as much as on the other side it takes from you.
Wor. Yea but a little charge wil trench him here,
1640And on this Northside win this cape of land,
And then he runs straight and euen.
Hot. Ile haue it so, a little charge will do it.
Glen. Ile not haue it altred.
Hot. Will not you?
1645Glen. No, nor you shall not.
Hot. Who shall say me nay?
Glen. Why that will I.
Hot. Let me not vnderstand you then, speake it in Welsh.
1650Glen. I can speake English Lord as well as you,
For I was traind vp in the English court,
Where being but yong I framed to the harpe
Many an English ditty louely well,
And gaue the tongue a helpeful ornament,
1655A vertue that was neuer seene in you.
Hot. Marry and I am glad of it with all my hart,
I had rather be a kitten and cry mew,
Then one of these same miter ballet mongers,
I had rather heare a brazen cansticke turnd,
1660Or a drie wheele grate on the exle tree,
And that would set my teeth nothing an edge,
Nothing so much as minsing poetry,
Tis like the forc't gate of a shuffling nag.
Glen. Come, you shal haue Trent turnd.
1665Hot. I do not care, ile giue thrice so much land
To any well deseruing friend:
But in the way of bargaine marke ye me,
Ile cauill on the ninth part of a haire,
Are the Indentures drawn, shal we be gone?
1670Glen. The moon shines faire, you may away by night
Ile haste the writer, and withal
Breake with your, wiues of your departure hence,
I am afraid my daughter will run mad,
1675So much she doteth on her Mortimer.
Exit
Mor. Fie coosen Percy, how you crosse my father.
Hot. I cannot chuse, sometime he angers me
With telling me of the Moldwarp and the Ant,
1680Of the dreamer Merlin and his prophecies,
And of a Dragon and a finles fish,
A clipwingd Griffin and a molten rauen,
A couching Leon and a ramping Cat,
And such a deale of skimble scamble stuffe,
1685As puts me from my faith. I tel you what,
He held me last night at least nine houres
In reckoning vp the seueral Diuels names
That were his lackies, I cried hum, and wel go to,
1690But markt him not a word. O he is as tedious
As a tyred horse, a railing wife,
Worse then a smoky house. I had rather liue
With cheese and garlike in a Windmil far,
Then feed on cates and haue him talke to me,
1695In any summer house in Christendome.
Mor. In faith he is a worthy gentleman,
Exceedingly well read and profited
In strange concealements, valiant as a lion,
And wondrous affable; and as bountifull
1700As mines of India; shal I tell you coosen,
He holds your temper in a high respect
And curbs himselfe euen of his natural scope,
When you come crosse his humor, faith he does,
1705I warrant you that man is not aliue
Might so haue tempted him as you haue done,
Without the tast of danger and reproofe,
But do not vse it oft, let me intreat you.
Wor. In faith my Lord you are too wilfull blame,
1710And since your comming hither haue done enough
To put him quite besides his patience,
You must needes learne Lord to amend this fault,
Though sometimes it shew greatnes, courage, bloud,
And thats the dearest grace it renders you,
1715Yet oftentimes it doth present harsh rage,
Defect of maners, want of gouernment,
Pride, hautinesse, opinion, and disdaine,
The least of which hanting a noble man,
Looseth mens harts and leaues behind a staine
1720Vpon the beauty of all parts besides,
Beguiling them of commendation.
Hot. Wel I am schoold good maners be your speed,
Here come our wiues, and let vs take our leaue.
1725
Enter Glendower with the Ladies.
Mor. This is the deadly spight that angers me,
My wife can speake no English, I no Welsh.
Glen. My daughter weepes, sheele not part with you,
Sheele be a souldior to, sheele to the wars.
1730Mor. Good father tell her, that she and my Aunt Percy
Shal follow in your conduct speedily.
Glendower speakes to her in Welsh, and she answeres
him in the same.
Glen. She is desperate here,
1735A peeuish selfe wild harlotrie, one that no perswasion can doe
good vpon.
The Ladie speakes in Welsh.
Mor. I vnderstand thy lookes, that prettie Welsh,
Which thou powrest downe from these swelling heauens,
1740I am too perfect in, and but for shame
In such a parley should I answere thee.
The Ladie againe in welsh.
Mor. I vnderstand thy kisses, and thou mine,
And thats a feeling disputation,
1745But I will neuer be a truant loue,
Till I haue learnt thy language, for thy tongue
Makes Welsh as sweet as ditties highly pend,
Sung by a faire Queene in a summers bowre,
With rauishing diuision to her Lute.
1750Glen. Nay, if you melt, then will she run mad.
The Lad e speakes againe in Welsh.
Mor. O I am ignorance it selfe in this.
Glen. She bids you on the wanton rushes lay you downe,
1755And rest your gentle head vpon her lap,
And she will sing the song that pleaseth you,
And on your eyelids crowne the God of sleepe,
Charming your bloud with pleasing heauinesse,
Making such difference twixt wake and sleepe,
1760As is the difference betwixt day and night,
The houre before the heauenly harnest teeme
Begins his golden progresse in the east.
Mor. With all my heart ile sit and heare her sing,
By that time will our booke I thinke be drawne.
1765Glen. Do so, & those musitions that shal play to you,
Hang in the aire a thousand leagues from hence,
And straight they shalbe here, sit and attend.
Hot. Come Kate, thou art perfect in lying downe,
1770Come quick, quick, that I may lay my head in thy lap.
La. Go ye giddy goose.
The musicke playes.
Hot. Now I perceiue the diuell vnderstands Welsh,
1775And tis no maruaile he is so humorous,
Birlady he is a good musition.
La. Then should you be nothing but musicall,
For you are altogither gouernd by humors,
Lie still ye thiefe, and heare the Lady sing in Welsh.
1780Hot. I had rather heare lady my brache howle in Irish.
La. Wouldst thou haue thy head broken?
Hotsp. No.
La. Then be still.
1785Hotsp. Neither, tis a womans fault.
La. Nowe God helpe thee.
Hot. To the Welsh Ladies bed.
La. Whats that?
Hot. Peace, she sings.
1790
Here the Ladie sings a welsh song.
Hot. Come Kate, ile haue your song too.
La. Not mine in good sooth.
Hot. Not yours in good sooth. Hart, you sweare like a comfit-
makers wife, not you in good sooth, and as true as I liue, and as
God shall mend me, and as sure as day:
And giuest such sarcenet surety for thy oathes,
As if thou neuer walkst further then Finsbury.
Sweare me Kate like a ladie as thou art,
1800A good mouthfilling oath, and leaue in sooth,
And such protest of pepper ginger bread
To veluet gards, and Sunday Citizens.
Come sing.
La. I will not sing.
1805Hot. Tis the next way to turne tayler, or be redbrest teacher,
and the indentures be drawn ile away within these two houres,
and so come in when ye will.
Exit.
Glen. Come, come, Lord Mortimer, you are as slow,
1810As Hot. Lord Percy is on fire to go:
By this our booke is drawne, weele but seale,
And then to horse immediatlie.
Mor. With all my hart.
Exeunt.