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Henry IV, Part 2 (Quarto 1, 1598).

Author: William Shakespeare
Not Peer Reviewed
Enter the Archbishop, Mowbray, Bardolfe, Hastings, within
1861.1
the forrest of Gaultree.
Bish. What is this forrest calld?
Hast. Tis Gaultree forrest, and't shal please your grace.
Bishop Here stand, my lords, and send discouerers forth,
To know the numbers of our enemies.
Hastings We haue sent forth already.
Bishop Tis well done,
1870My friends and brethren (in these great affaires)
I must acquaint you, that I haue receiu'd
New dated letters from Northumberland,
Their cold intent, tenure, and substance thus:
Here doth he wish his person, with such powers,
1875As might hold sortance with his quallitie,
The which he could not leuy: whereupon
He is retirde to ripe his growing fortunes,
To Scotland, and concludes in hearty prayers,
That your attempts may ouer-liue the hazard
1880And fearefull meeting of their opposite.
Mowb. Thus do the hopes we haue in him, touch ground,
And dash themselues to peeces.
Enter messenger
Hastings Now, what newes?
1885Messenger West of this forrest, scarcely off a mile,
In goodly forme comes on the enemy,
And by the ground they hide, I iudge their number
Vpon, or neere the rate of thirty thousand.
Mowbray The iust proportion that we gaue them out,
1890Let vs sway on, and face them in the field.
Bishop What wel appointed Leader fronts vs heere?
Enter Westmerland
Mowbray I thinke it is my lord of Westmerland.
West. Health and faire greeting from our Generall,
1895The prince lord Iohn and duke of Lancaster.
Bishop Say on my lord of VVestmerland in peace,
VVhat doth concerne your comming?
We. Then my L. vnto your Grace do I in chiefe addresse
1900The substance of my speech: if that rebellion
Came like it selfe, in base and abiect rowtes,
Led on by bloody youth, guarded with rage,
And countenaunst by boyes and beggary.
I say, if damnd commotion so appeare,
1905In his true, natiue, and most proper shape,
You, reuerend father, and these noble Lordes,
Had not beene heere to dresse the owgly forme
Of base and bloody Insurrection
With your faire Honours. You (lord Archbishop)
1910Whose Sea is by a ciuile peace maintainde,
Whose beard the siluer hand of Peace hath toucht,
Whose learning and good letters Peace hath tutord,
Whose white inuestments figure innocence,
The Doue, and very blessed spirite of peace.
1915Wherefore do you so ill translate your selfe
Out of the speech of peace that beares such grace,
Into the harsh and boystrous tongue of warre?
Turning your bookes to graues, your incke to bloud,
Your pennes to launces, and your tongue diuine,
1920To a lowd trumpet, and a point of warre?
Bish. Wherefore do I this? so the question stands:
Briefly, to this end we are all diseasde:
The dangers of the daie's but newly gone,
VVhose memorie is written on the earth,
1950VVith yet appearing blood, and the examples
Of euery minutes instance (present now,)
Hath put vs in these ill-beseeming armes,
Not to breake peace, or any braunch of it,
But to establish heere a peace indeede,
1955Concurring both in name and quallitie.
West. VVhen euer yet was your appeale denied
VVherein haue you beene galled by the King?
What peere hath beene subornde to grate on you?
That you should seale this lawlesse bloody booke
1960Of forgde rebellion with a seale diuine,
1960.1And consecrate commotions bitter edge.
Bishop My brother Generall, the common wealth
1961.1To brother borne an houshold cruelty,
I make my quarrell in particular.
West. There is no neede of any such redresse,
Or if there were, it not belongs to you.
1965Mowbray why not to him in part, and to vs all
That feele the bruises of the daies before?
And suffer the condition of these times,
To lay a heauy and vnequall hand
Vpon our honors.
West. But this is meere digression from my purpose.
Here come I from our princely generall,
To know your griefes, to tell you from his Grace,
That he will giue you audience, and wherein
2010It shall appeere that your demaunds are iust,
You shall enioy them, euery thing set off
That might so much as thinke you enemies.
Mowbray But he hath forcde vs to compel this offer,
And it proceedes from policie, not loue.
2015West. Mowbray, you ouerweene to take it so:
This offer comes from mercy, not from feare:
For loe, within a ken our army lies:
Vpon mine honour, all too confident
To giue admittance to a thought of feare:
2020Our battell is more full of names than yours,
Our men more perfect in the vse of armes,
Our armour all as strong, our cause the best:
Then Reason will our hearts should be as good:
Say you not then, our offer is compelld.
2025Mow. Well, by my will, we shall admit no parlee.
West. That argues but the shame of your offence,
A rotten case abides no handling.
Hastings Hath the prince Iohn a full commission,
In very ample vertue of his father,
2030To heare, and absolutely to determine
Of what conditions we shall stand vpon?
West. That is intended in the Generalles name,
I muse you make so slight a question.
Bishop Then take, my lord of Westmerland, this scedule,
2035For this containes our generall grieuances,
Each seuerall article herein redrest.
All members of our cause both here and hence,
That are ensinewed to this action,
Acquitted by a true substantiall forme,
2040And present execution of our willes,
To vs and our purposes confinde,
We come within our awefull bancks againe,
And knit our powers to the arme of peace.
West. This will I shew the Generall, please you Lords,
2045In sight of both our battells we may meete,
At either end in peace, which God so frame,
Or to the place of diffrence call the swords,
Which must decide it.
Exit Westmerland
Bishop My lord, we will doe so.
2050Mou There is a thing within my bosome tells me
That no conditions of our peace can stand.
Hastings Feare you not, that if we can make our peace,
Vpon such large termes, and so absolute,
As our conditions shall consist vpon,
2055Our peace shall stand as firme as rockie mountaines.
Moub. Yea but our valuation shal be such,
That euery slight, and false deriued cause,
Yea euery idle, nice, and wanton reason,
Shall to the King taste of this action,
2060That were our royal faiths martires in loue,
We shall be winow'd with so rough a wind,
That euen our corne shal seeme as light as chaffe,
And good from bad find no partition.
Bish. No, no, my lord, note this, the King is weary
2065Of daintie and such picking greeuances,
For he hath found, to end one doubt by death,
Reuiues two greater in the heires of life:
And therefore will he wipe his tables cleane,
And keepe no tel-tale to his memorie,
2070That may repeate, and history his losse,
To new remembrance: for full wel he knowes,
He cannot so precisely weed this land,
As his misdoubts present occasion,
His foes are so enrooted with his friends,
2075That plucking to vnfix an enemy,
He doth vnfasten so, and shake a friend,
So that this land, like an offensiue wife,
That hath enragde him on to offer strokes,
As he is striking, holdes his infant vp,
2080And hangs resolu'd correction in the arme,
That was vpreard to execution.
Hast. Besides, the King hath wasted al his rods,
On late offendors, that he now doth lacke
The very instruments of chasticement,
2085So that his power, like to a phanglesse lion,
May offer, but not hold.
Bishop Tis very true,
And therefore be assurde, my good Lord Marshall,
If we do now make our attonement well,
2090Our peace wil like a broken limbe vnited,
Grow stronger for the breaking.
Mow. Be it so, here is returnd my lord of Westmerland.
Enter Westmerland.
2095West. The prince is here at hand, pleaseth your Lordship
To meet his grace iust distance tweene our armies.
2100
Enter Prince Iohn and his armie.
Mow. Your grace of York, in Gods name then set forward.
Bishop. Before, and greete his grace (my lord) we come.