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

Author: William Shakespeare
Not Peer Reviewed
2520Let there be no noyse made, my gentle friends,
Vnlesse some dull and fauourable hand
Will whisper musique to my weary spirite.
War. Call for the musique in the other roome.
King Set me the crowne vpon my pillow here.
2525Clar. His eie is hollow, and he changes much.
War. Lesse noyse, lesse noyse.
Enter Harry
Prince Who saw the duke of Clarence?
Clar. I am here brother, ful of heauinesse.
2530Prince How now, raine within doores, and none abroad?
How doth the King?
Hum. Exceeding ill.
Prince Heard he the good newes yet? tell it him.
2535Hum. He altred much vpon the hearing it,
Prince If he be sicke with ioy, heele recouer without phi-
sicke.
War. Not so much noyse my Lords, sweete prince, speake
lowe, the King your father is disposde to sleepe.
Cla. Let vs withdraw into the other roome.
War. Wilt please your Grace to go along with vs?
Prince No, I wil sit and watch heere by the King.
Why doth the Crowne lie there vpon his pillow,
2545Being so troublesome a bedfellow?
O polisht perturbation! golden care!
That keepst the ports of Slumber open wide
To many a watchfull night, sleepe with it now!
Yet not so sound, and halfe so deeply sweete,
2550As he whose brow (with homely biggen bound)
Snores out the watch of night. O maiestie!
When thou dost pinch thy bearer, thou dost sit
Like a rich armour worne in heate of day,
That scaldst with safty (by his gates of breath)
2555There lies a dowlny feather which stirs not,
Did he suspire, that light and weightlesse dowlne
Perforce must moue my gracious lord my father:
This sleepe is sound indeede, this is a sleepe,
That from this golden Rigoll hath diuorst
2560So many English Kings, thy deaw from me,
Is teares and heauy sorowes of the blood,
Which nature, loue, and filiall tendernesse
Shall (O deare father) pay thee plenteously:
My due from thee is this imperiall Crowne,
2565Which as immediate from thy place and blood,
Deriues it selfe to me: loe where it sits,
Which God shal guard, and put the worlds whole strength
Into one giant arme, it shal not force,
This lineal honor from me, this from thee
2570Will I to mine leaue, as tis left to me.
exit.
Enter Warwicke, Gloucester, Clarence.
King Warwicke, Gloucester, Clarence.
Clar. Doth the King cal?
2575War. What would your Maiestie?
King Why did you leaue me here alone, my lords?
Cla. We left the prince my brother here my liege, who vn-
dertooke to sit and watch by you.
2580King The prince of Wales, where is he? let me see him: he
2580.1is not here.
War. This doore is open, he is gone this way.
Hum. He came not through the chamber where we staide.
2585King Where is the Crowne? who took it from my pillow?
War. When we withdrew, my liege, we left it here.
King The Prince hath tane it hence, go seeke him out:
Is he so hastie, that he doth suppose my sleepe my death?
Finde him, my lord of Warwicke, chide him hither.
This part of his conioynes with my disease,
And helps to end me: see, sonnes, what things you are,
How quickly nature falls into reuolt,
When gold becomes her obiect?
For this, the foolish ouer-carefull fathers
Haue broke their sleepe with thoughts,
2600Their braines with care, their bones with industry:
For this they haue ingrossed and pilld vp,
The cankred heapes of strange atcheeued gold:
For this they haue beene thoughtfull to inuest
Their sonnes with arts and martiall exercises,
2605When like the bee toling from euery flower,
Our thigh, packt with waxe, our mouthes with hony,
We bring it to the hiue: and like the bees,
Are murdred for our paines, this bitter taste
Yeelds his engrossements to the ending father,
Now where is he that will not stay so long,
Till his friend sicknesse hands determind me.
Enter Warwicke.
War. My Lord, I found the prince in the next roome,
2615Washing with kindly teares, his gentle cheekes,
VVith such a deepe demeanour in great sorrow,
That tyranny, which neuer quaft but bloud,
VVould by beholding him, haue washt his knife,
VVith gentle eie-drops, hee is comming hither.
Enter Harry.
2620King But wherefore did he take away the crowne?
Loe where he comes, come hither to me Harry,
Depart the chamber, leaue vs here alone.
exeunt.
Harry I neuer thought to heare you speake againe.
2625King Thy wish was father (Harry,) to that thought
I stay too long by thee, I weary thee,
Dost thou so hunger for mine emptie chaire,
That thou wilt needes inuest thee with my honors,
Before thy howre be ripe! O foolish youth,
2630Thou seekst the greatnesse that will ouerwhelme thee,
Stay but a little, for my clowd of dignity
Is held from falling with so weake a wind,
That it will quickly drop: my day is dim,
Thou hast stolne that, which after some few houres,
2635VVere thine, without offence, and at my death,
Thou hast seald vp my expectation,
Thy life did manifest thou lou'dst me not,
And thou wilt haue me die, assurde of it,
Thou hidst a thousand daggers in thy thoughts,
2640VVhom thou hast whetted on thy stony heart,
To stab at halfe an hower of my life.
VVhat, canst thou not forbeare me halfe an hower?
Then get thee gone, and digge my graue thy selfe,
And bid the mery bells ring to thine eare,
2645That thou art crowned, not that I am dead:
Let all the teares that should bedew my hearse
Be drops of Balme, to sanctifie thy head,
Only compound me with forgotten dust.
Giue that which gaue thee life, vnto the wormes,
2650Plucke downe my officers, breake my decrees,
For now a time is come to mocke at Forme:
Harry the fift is crownd, vp vanitie,
Downe royall state, all you sage counsailers, hence,
And to the English Court assemble now
2655From euery region, apes of idlenesse:
Now neighbour confines, purge you of your scumme
Haue you a ruffin that will sweare, drinke, daunce,
Reuell the night rob, murder, and commit
The oldest sinnes, the newest kind of waies?
2660Be happy, he will trouble you no more.
England shal double gild his trebble gilt,
England shall giue him office, honour, might:
For the fift Harry, from curbd licence, plucks
The mussel of restraint, and the wild dogge
2665Shal flesh his tooth on euery innocent.
O my poore kingdome! sicke with ciuill blowes:
VVhen that my care could not withhold thy riots,
VVhat wilt thou do when riot is thy care?
O thou wilt be a wildernesse againe,
2670Peopled with woolues, thy old inhabitants.
Prince O pardon me, my liege, but for my teares,
The moist impediments vnto my speech,
I had forestald this deere and deep rebuke,
2675Ere you with griefe had spoke, and I had heard
The course of it so far: there is your crowne:
And he that weares the crowne immortally,
Long gard it yours: if I affect it more,
Then as your honour, and as your renowne,
2680Let me no more from this obedience rise,
VVhich my most inward true and duteous spirit,
Teacheth this prostrate and exterior bending,
God witnesse with me. When I here came in,
And found no course of breath within your maiesty,
2685How cold it strooke my heart! if I do faine,
O let me in my present wildnesse die,
And neuer liue to shew th'incredulous world,
The noble change that I haue purposed.
Comming to looke on you, thinking you dead,
2690And dead almost, my liege, to thinke you were,
I spake vnto this crowne as hauing sence,
And thus vpbraided it: the care on thee depending,
Hath fed vpon the body of my father,
Therefore thou best of gold, art worse then gold,
2695Other lesse fine, in karrat more precious,
Preseruing life in medcine potable:
But thou, most fine, most honourd, most renown'd,
Hast eate thy bearer vp: thus my most royall liege,
2700Accusing it, I put it on my head,
To trie with it as with an enemy,
That had before my face murdered my father,
The quarrell of a true inheritour,
But if it did infect my bloud with ioy,
2705Or swell my thoughts to any straine of pride,
If any rebel or vaine spirit of mine,
Did with the least affection of a welcome,
Giue entertainement to the might of it,
Let God for euer keep it from my head,
2710And make me as the poorest vassaile is,
That doth with aw and terror kneele to it.
King God put in thy mind to take it hence,
That thou mightst win the more thy fathers loue,
2715Pleading so wisely in excuse of it:
Come hither Harry, sit thou by my bed,
And heare (I thinke) the very latest counsaile
That euer I shal breathe. God knowes (my sonne)
By what by-paths, and indirect crookt waies,
2720I met this crowne, and I my selfe know well,
How troublesome it sate vpon my head:
To thee it shall descend with better quiet,
Better opinion, better confirmation,
For al the soyle of the atchieuement goes,
2725With me into the earth, it seemd in me,
But as an honor snatcht with boistrous hand,
And I had many liuing to vpbraide
My gaine of it, by their assistances,
Which daily grew to quarrell and to bloudshed,
2730Wounding supposed peace: all these bold feares
Thou seest with perill I haue answerd:
For all my raigne hath beene but as a Scene,
Acting that argument: and now my death
2735Changes the mood, for what in me was purchast,
Fals vpon thee in a more fairer sort.
So thou the garland wearst successiuely,
Yet though thou standst more sure then I could do,
Thou art not firme enough, since griefes are greene,
2740And all thy friends which thou must make thy friends,
Haue but their stings and teeth newly tane out:
By whose fell working I was first aduaunst,
And by whose power I well might lodge a feare
To be againe displacde: which to auoyde,
2745I cut them off, and had a purpose, now
To leade out manie to the Holy Land,
Lest rest, and lying stil, might make them looke,
Too neare vnto my state: therefore, my Harry,
2750Be it thy course to busie giddie mindes
With forraine quarrells, that action hence borne out,
May waste the memory of the former dayes.
More would I, but my lungs are wasted so,
That strength of speech is vtterly denied me:
2755How I came by the crowne, O God forgiue,
And grant it may with thee in true peace liue.
Prince You won it, wore it, kept it, gaue it me,
Then plaine and right must my possession be,
2760Which I with more then with a common paine,
Gainst all the world will rightfully maintaine.
enter Lancaster.
King Looke, looke, here comes my Iohn of Lancaster.
Lanc. Health, peace, and happinesse to my royall father.
King Thou bringst me happinesse and peace sonne Iohn,
2770But health (alacke) with youthfull wings is flowne
From this bare witherd trunke: vpon thy sight,
My worldly busines makes a period:
Where is my lord of Warwicke?
Prince My Lord of Warwicke.
2775King Doth any name perticular belong
Vnto the lodging where I first did swound?
War. Tis cald Ierusalem, my noble Lord.
King Laud be to God, euen there my life must end.
2780It hath bin prophecide to me many yeares,
I should not die, but in Ierusalem,
Which vainely I supposde the Holy Land:
But beare me to that chamber, there ile lie,
Enter Shallow,
In that Ierusalem shall Harry die.