bill, fhall rob thofe men that we have already waylaid; your felf and I will not be there; and when they have the booty, if you and I do not rob them, cut this head from off my shoulders.

P. Henry. But how fhall we part with them in setting forth?

Poins. Why, we will fet forth before or after them; and appoint them a place of meeting, wherein it is at our pleasure to fail'; and then will they adventure upon the exploit themselves, which they shall have no foonet atchiev'd, but we'll fet upon them.

P. Henry. Ay; but, 'tis like, they will know us byr our horfes, by our habits, and by every other appointment, to be our felves.

Poins. Tut, our horfes they fhall not fee, I'll tye them in the wood; our vizors we will change after we leave them; and, firrah, I have cafes of buckram for the nonce, to immask our noted outward garments.

P. Henry. But, I doubt, they will be too hard for us.' Poins. Well, for two of them, I know them to be as true-bred cowards as ever turn'd Back; and for the third, if he fight longer than he fees reafon, I'll forfwear arms. The virtue of this jeft will be, the incomprehenfible lies that this fame fat rogue will tell us when we meet at fupper; how thirty at least he fought with, what wards, what blows, what extremities he endured; and, in the reproof of this, lies the jeft.

P. Henry. Well, I'll go with thee; provide us all

lower. So that the Four to be concern'd are Falstaff, Bardolfe, Peto, and Gads-hill. Accordingly, the Robbery is committed: and the Pace and Poins afterwards rob them Four. When the Matter comes to an Examination in the Boar'sHead Tavern, the Prince rallies Peto and Bardolfe for their running away; who confess the Charge. Upon the Evidence now is it not plain, that Bardolfe and Peto were two of the four Robbers? And who then can doubt, but Harvey and Roffil were the Names of the Actors that perform'd those two Parts; and by Miftake, in the old Play-houfe Books, put instead of the Names of the Characters to be reprefented by them?

things neceffary, and meet me to morrow night in Eaficheap, there I'll fup. Farewel.

Poins. Farewel, my lord.

[Exit Poins. P. Henry. I know you all, and will a while uphold 'The unyok'd humour of your idleness; Yet herein will I imitate the Sun,

Who doth permit the bafe contagious clouds
To fmother up his beauty from the world;
That when he please again to be himself,
Being wanted, he may be more wondred at,
By breaking through the foul and ugly mifts
Of vapours, that did feem to ftrangle him.
If all the year were playing holidays,
To fport would be as tedious as to work;
But when they feldom come, they wifht-for come,
And nothing pleafeth but rare Accidents.
So, when this loose behaviour I throw off,
And pay the debt I never promised;
By how much better than my word I am,
By fo much fhall I falfifie men's hopes;
And, like bright metal on a fullen ground,
My Reformation, glittering o'er my fault,
Shall fhew more goodly, and attract more eyes,
Than That which hath no foil to fet it off.
I'll fo offend, to make offence a skill;
Redeeming time, when men think leaft I will. [Exit

SCENE changes to an Apartment in the

Palace.

Enter King Henry, Northumberland, Worcester, Hotfpur, Sir Walter Blunt, and others.

Y blood hath been too cold and tem

K. Henry. MY
Μ

perate,

Unapt to ftir at these indignities;

And you have found me; for accordingly
You tread upon my patience: but be fure,
I will from henceforth rather be my self,
Mighty, and to be fear'd, than my condition,
Which hath been smooth as oyl, foft as young down,

And

And therefore loft that title of Respect,

Which the proud foul ne'er pays, but to the proud. Wor. Our House, my fovereign Liege, little deferves The scourge of Greatness to be used on it;

And that fame Greatness too, which our own hands Have help'd to make fo portly.

North. My good lord,

K. Henry. Worcester, get thee gone; for I do fee Danger and disobedience in thine eye.

O Sir, your prefence is too bold and peremptory;
And Majefty might never yet endure
The moody frontier of a fervant brow.
You have good leave to leave us.

Your ufe and counfel, we shall fend for you.

You were about to speak.

North. Yes, my good lord.

When we need

[Exit Worcester.

[To Northumberland.

Thofe prifoners, in your Highness' name demanded,
Which Harry Percy here at Holmedon took,

Were, as he fays, not with fuch strength deny'd
As was deliver'd to your Majefty.

Or Envy therefore, or Mifprifion,

Is guilty of this fault, and not my fon.

Hot. My Liege, I did deny no prifoners;
But I remember, when the fight was done,
When I was dry with rage, and extream toil,
Breathless, and faint, leaning upon my fword;
Came there a certain lord, neat, trimly drefs'd;
Fresh as a bridegroom, and his chin, new-reap'd,
Shew'd like a ftubble land at harvest-home.
He was perfumed like a milliner;

And 'twixt his finger and his thumb, he held
A pouncet-box, which ever and anon

He gave his nofe and took't away again;

Who, therewith angry, when it next came there,
Took it in fnuff. And still he fmil'd, and talk'd;
And as the foldiers bare dead bodies by,

He call'd them untaught knaves, unmannerly,
To bring a flovenly, unhandfome coarse
Betwixt the wind, and his Nobility.

E 4

With

With many holiday and lady terms

He question'd me: amongst the reft, demanded
My prifoners, in your Majefty's behalf.

I, then all-fmarting with my wounds being cold,
(To be fo pefter'd with a popinjay,)

Out of my Grief, and my impatience,
Anfwer'd, neglectingly, I know not what;
He should, or fhould not; for he made me mad,
To see him shine so brisk, and smell so sweet,
And talk fo like a waiting-gentlewoman,

Of guns, and drums, and wounds; (God fave the mark!)

And telling me, the fovereign'ft thing on earth
Was Parmacity, for an inward bruife;
And that it was great pity, fo it was,

This villainous falt petre fhould be digg'd
Out of the bowels of the harmless earth,
Which many a good, tall fellow had destroy'd
So cowardly: And but for thefe vile guns,
He would himself have been a foldier.
This bald, unjointed chat of his, my lord,
I answer'd indirectly, as I faid;
And I beseech you, let not this report
Come currant for an accusation,

Betwixt my love and your high Majefty.

Blunt. The circumftance confider'd, good my lord, Whatever Harry Percy then had faid,

To fuch a person, and, in fuch a place,
At fuch a time, with all the reft retold,
May reasonably die; and never rise
To do him wrong, or any way impeach
What then he said, so he unfay it now.

K. Henry. Why, yet he doth deny his prisoners,
But with provifo and exception,

That we at our own charge fhall ranfom ftrait
His brother-in-law, the foolish Mortimer;
Who, on my foul, hath wilfully betray'd
The lives of thofe, that he did lead to fight
Against the great magician, damn'd Glendower;
Whofe daughter, as we hear, the Earl of March

Hath

Hath lately marry'd. Shall our coffers then
Be empty'd, to redeem a traitor home?

Shall we buy treafon ? and indent with fears,
When they have loft and forfeited themselves?
No; on the barren mountains let him starve;
For I fhall never hold that man my friend,
Whofe tongue fhall ask me for one penny coft
To ranfom home revolted Mortimer.

Hot. Revolted Mortimer?

He never did fall off, my fovereign Liege,
But by the chance of war; to prove That true,
Needs no more but one tongue, for all those wounds,
Thofe mouthed wounds, which valiantly he took,
When on the gentle Severn's fedgie bank,

In fingle oppofition, hand to hand,

He did confound the best part of an hour
In changing hardiment with great Glendower:

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

Upon agreement, of swift Severn's flood;

Who then affrighted with their bloody looks,
Ran fearfully among the trembling reeds,
And hid his crifp'd head in the hollow bank,
Blood-ftained with these valiant Combatants.
Never did bafe and rotten Policy

Colour her working with fuch deadly wounds;
Nor ever could the noble Mortimer

Receive fo many, and all willingly.

Then let him not be flander'd with Revolt.

K. Henry. Thou doft belie him, Percy, thou belieft

him;

He never did encounter with Glendower;

He durft as well have met the Devil alone,

As Owen Glendower for an enemy.

Art not asham'd? but, firrah, from this hour
Let me not hear you speak of Mortimer.

Send me your prifoners with the speedieft means,
Or you fhall hear in fuch a kind from me

As will difpleafe you My Lord Northumberland,
We licence your departure with your fon.
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Send