345Those Prisoners in your Highnesse demanded,

346Which Harry Percy heere at Holmedon tooke,

347Were (as he sayes) not with such strength denied

348As was deliuered to your Maiesty:

349Who either through enuy, or misprision,

350Was guilty of this fault; and not my Sonne.

351Hot. My Liege, I did deny no Prisoners.

352But, I remember when the fight was done,

353When I was dry with Rage, and extreame Toyle,

354Breathlesse, and Faint, leaning vpon my Sword,

355Came there a certaine Lord, neat and trimly drest;

356Fresh as a Bride-groome, and his Chin new reapt,

357Shew'd like a stubble Land at Haruest home.

358He was perfumed like a Milliner,

359And 'twixt his Finger and his Thumbe, he held

360A Pouncet-box: which euer and anon

361He gaue his Nose, and took't away againe:

362Who therewith angry, when it next came there,

363Tooke it in Snuffe. And still he smil'd and talk'd:

364And as the Souldiers bare dead bodies by,

365He call'd them vntaught Knaues, Vnmannerly,

366To bring a slouenly vnhandsome Coarse

367Betwixt the Winde, and his Nobility.

368With many Holiday and Lady tearme

369He question'd me: Among the rest, demanded

370My Prisoners, in your Maiesties behalfe.

371I then, all-smarting, with my wounds being cold,

372(To be so pestered with a Popingay)

373Out of my Greefe, and my Impatience,

374Answer'd (neglectingly) I know not what,

375He should, or should not: For he made me mad,

376To see him shine so briske, and smell so sweet,

377And talke so like a Waiting-Gentlewoman,

378Of Guns, & Drums, and Wounds: God saue the marke;

379And telling me, the Soueraign'st thing on earth

380Was Parmacity, for an inward bruise:

381And that it was great pitty, so it was,

382That villanous Salt-peter should be digg'd

383Out of the Bowels of the harmlesse Earth,

384Which many a good Tall Fellow had destroy'd

385So Cowardly. And but for these vile Gunnes,

386He would himselfe haue beene a Souldier.

387This bald, vnioynted Chat of his (my Lord)

388Made me to answer indirectly (as I said.)

389And I beseech you, let not this report

390Come currant for an Accusation,

391Betwixt my Loue, and your high Maiesty.

392Blunt. The circumstance considered, good my Lord,

393What euer Harry Percie then had said,

394To such a person, and in such a place,

395At such a time, with all the rest retold,

396May reasonably dye, and neuer rise

397To do him wrong, or any way impeach

398What then he said, so he vnsay it now.

399King. Why yet doth deny his Prisoners,

400But with Prouiso and Exception,

401That we at our owne charge, shall ransome straight

402His Brother-in-Law, the foolish Mortimer,

403Who (in my soule) hath wilfully betraid

404The liues of those, that he did leade to Fight,

405Against the great Magitian, damn'd Glendower:

406Whose daughter (as we heare) the Earle of March

407Hath lately married. Shall our Coffers then,

408Be emptied, to redeeme a Traitor home?

409Shall we buy Treason? and indent with Feares,

410When they haue lost and forfeyted themselues.

411No: on the barren Mountaine let him sterue:

412For I shall neuer hold that man my Friend,

413Whose tongue shall aske me for one peny cost

414To ransome home reuolted Mortimer.

415Hot. Reuolted Mortimer?

416He neuer did fall off, my Soueraigne Liege,

417But by the chance of Warre: to proue that true,

418Needs no more but one tongue. For all those Wounds,

419Those mouthed Wounds, which valiantly he tooke,

420When on the gentle Seuernes siedgie banke,

421In single Opposition hand to hand,

422He did confound the best part of an houre

423In changing hardiment with great Glendower:

424Three times they breath'd, and three times did they drink

425Vpon agreement, of swift Seuernes flood;

426Who then affrighted with their bloody lookes,

427Ran fearefully among the trembling Reeds,

428And hid his crispe-head in the hollow banke,

429Blood-stained with these Valiant Combatants.

430Neuer did base and rotten Policy

431Colour her working with such deadly wounds;

432Nor neuer could the Noble Mortimer

433Receiue so many, and all willingly:

434Then let him not be sland'red with Reuolt.

435King. Thou do'st bely him Percy, thou dost bely him;

436He neuer did encounter with Glendower:

437I tell thee, he durst as well haue met the diuell alone,

438As Owen Glendower for an enemy.

439Art thou not asham'd? But Sirrah, henceforth

440Let me not heare you speake of Mortimer.

441Send me your Prisoners with the speediest meanes,

442Or you shall heare in such a kinde from me

443As will displease ye. My Lord Northumberland,

444We License your departure with your sonne,

445Send vs your Prisoners, or you'l heare of it.

446Hot. And if the diuell come and roare for them

447I will not send them. I will after straight

448And tell him so: for I will ease my heart,

449Although it be with hazard of my head.

450Nor. What? drunke with choller? stay & pause awhile,

451Heere comes your Vnckle. Enter Worcester.

452Hot. Speake of Mortimer?

453Yes, I will speake of him, and let my soule

454Want mercy, if I do not ioyne with him.

455In his behalfe, Ile empty all these Veines,

456And shed my deere blood drop by drop i'th dust,

457But I will lift the downfall Mortimer

458As high i'th Ayre, as this Vnthankfull King,

459As this Ingrate and Cankred Bullingbrooke.

460Nor. Brother, the King hath made your Nephew mad

461Wor. Who strooke this heate vp after I was gone?

462Hot. He will (forsooth) haue all my Prisoners:

463And when I vrg'd the ransom once againe

464Of my Wiues Brother, then his cheeke look'd pale,

465And on my face he turn'd an eye of death,

466Trembling euen at the name of Mortimer.

467Wor. I cannot blame him: was he not proclaim'd

468By Richard that dead is, the next of blood?

469Nor. He was: I heard the Proclamation,

470And then it was, when the vnhappy King

471(Whose wrongs in vs God pardon) did set forth

472Vpon his Irish Expedition:

473From whence he intercepted, did returne

474To be depos'd, and shortly murthered.

475Wor. And for whose death, we in the worlds wide mouth

476Liue scandaliz'd, and fouly spoken of.