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  • Title: Henry IV, Part 1 (Folio 1 1623)
  • Editor: Rosemary Gaby

    • ISBN: 978-1-55058-371-7

    Copyright Rosemary Gaby. This text may be freely used for educational, non-profit purposes; for all other uses contact the Editor.
    Author: William Shakespeare
    Editor: Rosemary Gaby
    Peer Reviewed

    Henry IV, Part 1 (Folio 1 1623)

    72 The First Part of King Henry the Fourth.
    So many of his shadowes thou hast met,
    2990And not the very King. I haue two Boyes
    Seeke Percy and thy selfe about the Field:
    But seeing thou fall'st on me so luckily,
    I will assay thee: so defend thy selfe.
    Dow. I feare thou art another counterfeit:
    2995And yet infaith thou bear'st thee like a King:
    But mine I am sure thou art, whoere thou be,
    And thus I win thee. They fight, the K. being in danger,
    Enter Prince.
    Prin. Hold vp they 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, Dowglas flyeth.
    3005Cheerely My Lord: how fare's your Grace?
    Sir Nicolas Gawsey hath for succour sent,
    And so hath Clifton: Ile to Clifton straight.
    King. Stay, and breath awhile.
    Thou hast redeem'd thy lost opinion,
    3010And shew'd thou mak'st some tender of my life
    In this faire rescue thou hast brought to mee.
    Prin. O heauen, they did me too much iniury,
    That euer said I hearkned to your death.
    If it were so, I might haue let alone
    3015The insulting hand of Dowglas ouer you,
    Which would haue bene as speedy in your end,
    As all the poysonous Potions in the world,
    And sau'd the Treacherous labour of your Sonne.
    K. Make vp to Clifton, Ile to Sir Nicholas Gausey. Exit
    3020 Enter Hotspur.
    Hot. If I mistake not, thou art Harry Monmouth.
    Prin. Thou speak'st as if I would deny my name.
    Hot. My name is Harrie Percie.
    Prin. Why then I see a very valiant rebel of that name.
    3025I am the Prince of Wales, and thinke not Percy,
    To share with me in glory any more:
    Two Starres keepe not their motion in one Sphere,
    Nor can one England brooke a double reigne,
    Of Harry Percy, and the Prince of Wales.
    3030Hot. Nor shall it Harry, for the houre is come
    To end the one of vs; and would to heauen,
    Thy name in Armes, were now as great as mine.
    Prin. Ile make it greater, ere I part from thee,
    And all the budding Honors on thy Crest,
    3035Ile crop, to make a Garland for my head.
    Hot. I can no longer brooke thy Vanities. Fight.
    Enter Falstaffe.
    Fal. Well said Hal, to it Hal. Nay you shall finde no
    Boyes play heere, I can tell you.
    3040 Enter Dowglas, he fights with Falstaffe, who fals down
    as if he were dead. The Prince killeth Percie.
    Hot. Oh Harry, thou hast rob'd me of my youth:
    I better brooke the losse of brittle life,
    Then those proud Titles thou hast wonne of me,
    3045They wound my thoghts worse, then the sword my flesh:
    But thought's the slaue of Life, and Life, Times foole;
    And Time, that takes suruey of all the world,
    Must haue a stop. O, I could Prophesie,
    But that the Earth, and the cold hand of death,
    3050Lyes on my Tongue: No Percy, thou art dust
    And food for---
    Prin. For Wormes, braue Percy. Farewell great heart:
    Ill-weau'd Ambition, how much art thou shrunke?
    When that this bodie did containe a spirit,
    3055A Kingdome for it was too small a bound:
    But now two paces of the vilest Earth
    Is roome enough. This Earth that beares the dead,
    Beares not aliue so stout a Gentleman.
    If thou wer't sensible of curtesie,
    3060I should not make so great a shew of Zeale.
    But let my fauours hide thy mangled face,
    And euen in thy behalfe, Ile thanke my selfe
    For doing these fayre Rites of Tendernesse.
    Adieu, and take thy praise with thee to heauen,
    3065Thy ignomy sleepe with thee in the graue,
    But not remembred in thy Epitaph.
    What? Old Acquaintance? Could not all this flesh
    Keepe in a little life? Poore Iacke, farewell:
    I could haue better spar'd a better man.
    3070O, I should haue a heauy misse of thee,
    If I were much in loue with Vanity.
    Death hath not strucke so fat a Deere to day,
    Though many dearer in this bloody Fray:
    Imbowell'd will I see thee by and by,
    3075Till then, in blood, by Noble Percie lye.
    Exit.
    Falstaffe riseth vp.
    Falst. Imbowell'd? If thou imbowell mee to day, Ile
    giue you leaue to powder me, and eat me too to morow.
    'Twas time to counterfet, or that hotte Termagant Scot,
    3080had paid me scot and lot too. Counterfeit? I am no coun-
    terfeit; to dye, is to be a counterfeit, for hee is but the
    counterfeit of a man, who hath not the life of a man: But
    to counterfeit dying, when a man thereby liueth, is to be
    no counterfeit, but the true and perfect image of life in-
    3085deede. The better part of Valour, is Discretion; in the
    which better part, I haue saued my life. I am affraide of
    this Gun-powder Percy though he be dead. How if hee
    should counterfeit too, and rise? I am afraid hee would
    proue the better counterfeit: therefore Ile make him sure:
    3090yea, and Ile sweare I kill'd him. Why may not hee rise as
    well as I: Nothing confutes me but eyes, and no-bodie
    sees me. Therefore sirra, with a new wound in your thigh
    come you along me. Takes Hotspurre on his backe.
    Enter Prince and Iohn of Lancaster.
    3095Prin. Come Brother Iohn, full brauely hast thou flesht
    thy Maiden sword.
    Iohn. But soft, who 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 eye-sight?
    I prethee speake, we will not trust our eyes
    Without our eares. Thou art not what thou seem'st.
    Fal. No, that's certaine: I am not a double man: but
    3105if I be not Iacke Falstaffe, then am I a Iacke: There is Per-
    cy, if your Father will do me any Honor, so: if not, let him
    kill the next Percie himselfe. I looke to be either Earle or
    Duke, I can assure you.
    Prin. Why, Percy I kill'd my selfe, and saw thee dead.
    3110Fal. Did'st thou? Lord, Lord, how the 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 Shrewsburie clocke. If I may bee belee-
    ued, so: if not, let them that should reward Valour, beare
    3115the sinne vpon their owne heads. Ile take't on my death
    I gaue him this wound in the Thigh: if the man vvere a-
    liue, and would deny it, I would make him eate a peece
    of my sword.
    Iohn. This is the strangest Tale that e're I heard.
    3120Prin. This is the strangest Fellow, Brother Iohn.
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