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Henry IV, Part 1 (Quarto 1, 1598)

Author: William Shakespeare
Editor: Rosemary Gaby
Not Peer Reviewed
Alarme, excursions. Enter the King, the Prince, Lord Iohn
of Lancaster, Earle of Westmerland.
2960King. I preethe Harry withdraw thy selfe, thou bleedest too
Lord Iohn of Lancaster go you with him.
P.Iohn. Not I my Lord, vnlesse I did bleed too.
Prin. I beseech your maiestie make vp,
Least your retirement do amaze your friends.
2965King. I will do so. My Lord of Westmerland lead him to his
West. Come my Lord, ile lead you to your tent.
Prin. Lead me my Lord? I do not need your helpe,
And God forbid a shallow scratch should driue
2970The Prince of Wales from such a field as this,
Where staind nobilitie lies troden on,
And rebels armes triumphe in massacres.
Ioh. We breath toolong, come coosen Westmerland
Our dutie this way lies: For Gods sake come.
2975Prin. By God thou hast deceiu'd me Lancaster,
I did not thinke thee Lord of such a spirit,
Before I lou'd thee as a brother Iohn,
But now I do respect thee as my soule.
King. I saw him hold Lord Percy at the poynt,
2980With lustier maintenance then I did looke for
Of such an vngrowne warrior.
Prin. O this boy lends mettall to vs all.
Exit.
Doug. Another king, they grow like Hydraes heads,
2985I am the Douglas fatall to all those
That weare those colours on them. What art thou
That counterfetst the person of a King?
King. The king himself, who Douglas grieues at hart,
So many of his shadowes thou hast met
2990And not the verie king, I haue two boies
Seeke Percy and thy selfe about the field,
But seeing thou falst on me so luckily
I will assay thee and defend thy selfe.
Doug. I feare thou art another counterfet,
2995And yet in faith thou bearest thee like a king,
But mine I am sure thou art who ere thou be,
And thus I winne thee.
They fight, the king being in danger, Enter Prince of Wales.
Prin. Hold vp thy head vile Scot, or thou art like
3000Neuer to hold it vp againe, the spirits
Of Valiant Sherly, Stafford, Blunt are in my armes,
It is the Prince of Wales that threatens thee,
Who neuer promiseth but he meanes to pay.
They fight, Douglas flieth.
3005Cheerly my Lord, how fares your grace?
Sir Nicholas Gawsey hath for succour sent,
And so hath Clifton, ile to Clifton straight.
King. Stay and breath a while,
Thou hast redeemed thy lost opinion,
3010And shewde thou makst some tender of my life,
In this faire rescue thou hast brought to me.
Prin. O God they did me too much iniury,
That euer said I harkned for your death,
If it were so, I might haue let alone
3015The insulting hand of Douglas ouer you,
Which would haue been as speedy in your end
As al the poisonous potions in the world,
And sau'd the trecherous labour of your sonne.
King. Make vp to Clifton, ile to S. Nicholas Gawsey.
Exit Ki:
3020
Enter Hotspur.
Hot. If I mistake not, thou art Harry Monmouth.
Prin. Thou speakst as if I would deny my name.
Hot. My name is Harry Percy.
Pr. Why then I see a very valiant rebel of the name;
3025I am the Prince of Wales, and thinke not Percy
To share with me in glory any more:
Two stars keepe not their motion in one sphere,
Nor can one England brooke a double raigne
Of Harry Percy and the Prince of Wales.
3030Hot. Now shal it Harry, for the houre is come
To end the one of vs, and would to God
Thy name in armes were now as great as mine.
Prin. Ile make it greater ere I part from thee,
And al the budding honors on thy crest
3035Ile crop to make a garland for my head.
Hot. I can no longer brooke thy vanities.
They fight: Enter Falstalffe.
Falst. Well said Hall, to it Hall. Nay you shall find no boyes
play here I can tel you.
3040
Enter Douglas, he fighteth with Falstalffe, he fals
down as if he were dead, the Prince
killeth Percy.
Hot. Oh Harry thou hast robd me of my youth,
I better brooke the losse of brittle life
Then those proud titles thou hast won of me,
3045They wound my thoughts worse then thy sword my flesh,
But thoughts the slaues of life, and life times foole,
And time that takes suruey of all the world
Must haue a stop. O I could prophecy,
But that the earthy and cold hand of death
3050Lies on my tongue: no Percy thou art dust
And food for.
Pr. For wormes, braue Percy. Fare thee wel great hart
Ill weaud ambition, how much art thou shrunke,
When that this body did containe a spirit,
3055A kingdom for it was too small a bound,
But now two paces of the vilest earth
Is roome inough, this earth that beares the dead
Beares not aliue so stout a gentleman,
If thou wert sensible of curtesie
3060I should not make so deare a shew of zeale,
But let my fauors hide thy mangled face,
And euen in thy behalfe ile thanke my selfe,
For doing these faire rights of tendernesse,
Adiew and take thy praise with thee to heauen,
3065Thy ignominy sleepe with thee in the graue,
But not remembred in thy Epitaph.
He spieth Falstalffe on the ground.
What old acquaintance, could not all this flesh
Keepe in a little life? poore Iacke farewell,
I could haue better sparde a better man:
3070O I should haue a heauy misse of thee,
If I were much in loue with vanitie:
Death hath not strooke so fat a Deere to day,
Though many dearer in this bloudy fray,
Inboweld will I see thee by and by,
3075Til then in bloud by noble Percy lie.
Exit.
Falstalffe riseth vp.
Fal. Inboweld, if thou inbowel me to day, ile giue you leaue
to powder me and eate me too to morrowe. Zbloud twas time
to counterfet, or that hot termagant Scot had paide me scot and
3080lot too. Counterfet? I lie, I am no counterfet, to die is to bee a
counterfet, for he is but the counterfet of a man, who hath not
the life of a m|~a|: but to co|~u|terfet dying when a man therby liueth,
is to be no counterfet, but the true & perfect image of life indeed.
3085The better parte of valour is discretion, in the which better part
I haue saued my life. Zounds I am afraid of this gunpowder Per-
cy, though he be dead, how if he should counterfet too and rise?
by my faith I am afraid hee woulde proue the better counterfet,
therefore ile make him sure, yea, and ile sweare I kild him. Why
3090may not he rise aswell as I? nothing confutes me but eies, and no
body sees me: therefore sirrha, with a new wound in your thigh,
come you along with me.
He takes vp Hotspur on his backe. Enter Prince
Iohn of Lancaster.
3095Prin. Come brother Iohn, full brauely hast thou flesht
Thy mayden sword.
Iohn of Lan. But soft, whom haue we heere?
Did you not tell me this fat man was dead?
Prin. I did, I saw him dead,
3100Breathlesse and bleeding on the ground. Art thou aliue?
Or is it fantasie that playes vpon our eiesight?
I preethe speake, we will not trust our eies
Without our eares, thou art not what thou seemst.
Fal. No thats certaine, I am not a double man: but if I bee
3105not Iacke Falstalffe, then am I a Iacke: there is Percy, if your
father will doe me anie honour, so: if not, let him kill the next
Percie himselfe: I looke to bee either Earle or Duke, I can as-
sure you.
Prin. Why Percy, I kild my selfe, and saw thee dead.
3110Falst. Didst thou? Lord, Lord, howe this world is giuen to
lying, I graunt you I was downe, and out of breath, and so was
he, but we rose both at an instant, and fought a long houre by
Shrewesburie clocke, if I may be beleeude so: if not, let them
that should rewarde valour, beare the sinne vppon their owne
3115heads. Ile take it vpon my death, I gaue him this wound in the
thigh, if the man were aliue, and would denie it, zounds I would
make him eate a peece of my sword.
Iohn. This is the strangest tale that euer I heard.
3120Prin. This is the strangest fellow, brother Iohn,
Come bring your luggage nobly on your backe.
For my part, if a lie may do thee grace,
Ile guild it with the happiest termes I haue.
A retraite is sounded.
3125Prin. The Trumpet sounds retrait, the day is our,
Come brother let vs to the highest of the field,
To see what friends are liuing, who are dead.
Exeunt.
Fal. Ile follow as they say for reward. Hee that rewardes mee
God reward him. If I do growe great, ile growe lesse, for ile
3130purge and leaue Sacke, and liue cleanlie as a noble man
should do.
Exit.