5SO shaken as we are, so wan with care,

6Finde we a time for frighted Peace to pant,

7And breath shortwinded accents of new broils

8To be commenc'd in Stronds a-farre remote:

9No more the thirsty entrance of this Soile,

10Shall daube her lippes with her owne childrens blood:

11No more shall trenching Warre channell her fields,

12Nor bruise her Flowrets with the Armed hoofes

13Of hostile paces. Those opposed eyes,

14Which like the Meteors of a troubled Heauen,

15All of one Nature, of one Substance bred,

16Did lately meete in the intestine shocke,

17And furious cloze of ciuill Butchery,

18Shall now in mutuall well-beseeming rankes

19March all one way, and be no more oppos'd

20Against Acquaintance, Kindred, and Allies.

21The edge of Warre, like an ill-sheathed knife,

22No more shall cut his Master. Therefore Friends,

23As farre as to the Sepulcher of Christ,

24Whose Souldier now vnder whose blessed Crosse

25We are impressed and ingag'd to fight,

26Forthwith a power of English shall we leuie,

27Whose armes were moulded in their Mothers wombe,

28To chace these Pagans in those holy Fields,

29Ouer whose Acres walk'd those blessed feete

30Which fourteene hundred yeares ago were nail'd

31For our aduantage on the bitter Crosse.

32But this our purpose is a tweluemonth old,

33And bootlesse 'tis to tell you we will go:

34Therefore we meete not now. Then let me heare

35Of you my gentle Cousin Westmerland,

36What yesternight our Councell did decree,

37In forwarding this deere expedience.

38West. My Liege: This haste was hot in question,

39And many limits of the Charge set downe

40But yesternight: when all athwart there came

41A Post from Wales, loaden with heauy Newes;

42Whose worst was, That the Noble Mortimer,

43Leading the men of Herefordshire to fight

44Against the irregular and wilde Glendower,

45Was by the rude hands of that Welshman taken,

46And a thousand of his people butchered:

47Vpon whose dead corpes there was such misuse,

48Such beastly, shamelesse transformation,

49By those Welshwomen done, as may not be

50(Without much shame) re-told or spoken of.

51King. It seemes then, that the tidings of this broile,

52Brake off our businesse for the Holy land.

53West. This matcht with other like, my gracious Lord,

54Farre more vneuen and vnwelcome Newes

55Came from the North, and thus it did report:

56On Holy-roode day, the gallant Hotspurre there,

57Young Harry Percy, and braue Archibald,

58That euer-valiant and approoued Scot,

59At Holmeden met, where they did spend

60A sad and bloody houre:

61As by discharge of their Artillerie,

62And shape of likely-hood the newes was told:

63For he that brought them, in the very heate

64And pride of their contention, did take horse,

65Vncertaine of the issue any way.

66King. Heere is a deere and true industrious friend:

67Sir Walter Blunt, new lighted from his Horse,

68Strain'd with the variation of each soyle,

69Betwixt that Holmedon, and this Seat of ours:

70And he hath brought vs smooth and welcomes newes.

71The Earle of Dowglas is discomfited,

72Ten thousand bold Scots, two and twenty Knights

73Balk'd in their owne blood did Sir Walter see

74On Holmedons Plaines. Of Prisoners, Hotspurre tooke

75Mordake Earle of Fife, and eldest sonne

76To beaten Dowglas, and the Earle of Atholl,

77Of Murry, Angus, and Menteith.

78And is not this an honourable spoyle?

79A gallant prize? Ha Cosin, is it not? Infaith it is.

80West. A Conquest for a Prince to boast of.

81King. Yea, there thou mak'st me sad, & mak'st me sin,

82In enuy, that my Lord Northumberland

83Should be the Father of so blest a Sonne:

84A Sonne, who is the Theame of Honors tongue;

85Among'st a Groue, the very straightest Plant,

86Who is sweet Fortunes Minion, and her Pride:

87Whil'st I by looking on the praise of him,

88See Ryot and Dishonor staine the brow

89Of my yong Harry. O that it could be prou'd,

90That some Night-tripping-Faiery, had exchang'd

91In Cradle-clothes, our Children where they lay,

92And call'd mine Percy, his Plantagenet: