I am too perfect in, and, but for fhame,
In fuch a parly should I answer thee.

[The Lady again in Welfli.

I understand thy kiffes, and thou mine,
And that's a feeling difputation;

But I will never be a truant, love,

'Till I have learn'd thy language; for thy tongue
Makes Welsh as sweet as ditties highly penn'd,
Sung by a fair Queen in a fummer's bower,
With ravishing divifion to her lute.

Glend. Nay, if thou melt, then will she run mad.

[The Lady Speaks again in Welsh.

Mort. O, I am Ignorance itself in this.
Glend. She bids you,

All on the wanton rufhes lay you down",
And reft your gentle head upon her lap,

3

And she will fing the fong that pleaseth you,

* And on your eye-lids crown the God of Sleep,
Charming your blood with pleafing heaviness;
Making fuch diff'rence betwixt wake and fleep*,
As is the diff'rence betwixt day and night,
The hour before the heav'nly-harness'd team
Begins his golden progrefs in the east.

Mort. With all my heart I'll fit, and hear her fing: By that time will our book, I think, be drawn.

Glend. Do fo;

2 All on the wanton rushes lay you down.] It was the cuf tom in this country, for many ages, to ftrew the floors with rushes as we now cover them with carpets.

3 And on your eye-lids crown the God of Sleep,] The expreffion is fine; intimating, that the God of Sleep fhould not only fit on his eye lids, but that he fhould fit crown'd, that is, pleafed and delighted. WARBURTON.

N 2

4 Making fuch diffrence be

twixt wake and fleep,] She will lull you by her fong into foft tranquillity, in which you fhall be fo near to fleep as to be free from perturbation, and fo much awake as to be fenfible of pleafure; a ftate partaking of fleep and wakefulness, as the twilight of night and day.

5 our book,-] Our paper of conditions.

And

6

⚫ And those musicians, that fhall play to you Hang in the air a thousand leagues from hence; Yet ftrait they fhall be here. Sit, and attend.

Hot. Come, Kate, thou art perfect in lying down : come, quick, quick, that I may lay my head in thy lap.

Lady. Go, ye giddy goofe.

[The mufick plays. Hot. Now I perceive the devil understands Welsh: and 'tis no marvel, he is fo humorous, by'r lady, he's a good musician.

Lady. Then would you be nothing but mufical, for you are altogether govern'd by humours. Lie ftill, ye thief, and hear the lady fing in Welsh.

Hot. I had rather hear Lady, my brach, howl in Irifb.

Lady. Would't have thy head broken?
Hot. No.

Lady. Then be ftill.

7

Hot. Neither. 'Tis a woman's fault.
Lady. Now God help thee!

Hot. To the Welsh lady's bed.

Lady. What's that?

Hot. Peace, fhe fings.

[Here the Lady fings a Welsh fong.

Come, I'll have your fong too.

Lady. Not mine in good footh.

Hot. Not yours, in good footh! you fwear like a comfit-maker's wife; not you, in good footh; and, as true as I live; and, as God shall mend me; and, as fure as day and giveft fuch farcenet furety for thy oaths, as if thou never walk'd'ft further than Finfbury. Swear me, Kate, like a lady, as thou art,

A good mouth-filling oath, and leave infooth,
And fuch protest of pepper-ginger-bread,
To velvet-guards, and Sunday-citizens.
Come, fing.

Lady. I will not fing.

Hot.*"Tis the next way to turn tailor, or be RobinRed-breaft teacher. If the indentures be drawn, I'll away within these two-hours; and fo come in when will.

ye

[Exit.

Glen. Come, come, lord Mortimer, you are as flow,
As hot lord Percy is on fire to go.

By this our book is drawn: we will but feal,
And then to horfe immediately.

Mort. With all my heart.

SCENE

[Exeunt.

IV.

Changes to the Prefence-chamber in Windfor.

Enter King Henry, Prince of Wales, Lords and others.

K. Henry. L

ORDS, give us leave, the Prince of
Wales and I

Muft have fome private conference; but be near,
For we fhall presently have need of you.--

[Exeunt Lords.

I know not, whether God will have it fo,
For fome difpleafing fervice I have done,
That, in his fecret doom, out of my blood
He'll breed revengement, and a fcourge for me,
But thou doft in thy paffages of life

Make me believe that thou art only mark'd

& Velvet guards.] To fuch as have their cloaths adorned with fhreds of velvet, which was, I fuppofe, the finery of Cockneys.

'Tis the next way to turn
taylor, &c.] I fuppofe Percy

means, that finging is a mean
quality, and therefore he ex-
cufes his lady.

For fome difpleafing service~]
fervice for action, fimply.

N 3

WARBURTON.

For

For the hot vengeance and the rod of heav'n,
To punish my mif-treadings. Tell me else,
Could fuch inordinate and low defires,

Such poor, fuch bafe, fuch lewd, ' fuch mean attempts,
Such barren pleasures, rude fociety,

As thou art match'd withal and grafted to,
Accompany the greatnefs of thy blood

And hold their level with thy princely heart?
P. Henry. So please your Majefty, I would I could
Quit all offences with as clear excuse,

As well, as, I am doubtless, I can purge
My felf of many I am charg'd withal.

2

Yet fuch extenuation let me beg,

As, in reproof of many tales devis'd,

Which oft the ear of greatness needs must hear,
By fmiling pick-thanks and bafe news-mongers,
I may for fome things true wherein my youth
Hath faulty wander'd and irregular,
Find pardon on my true fubmiffion.
K. Henry. Heav'n pardon thee.
Harry,

Yet let me wonder,

At thy affections, which do hold a wing
Quite from the flight of all thy ancestors.
Tny place in council thou haft rudely loft,
Which by thy younger brother is fupply'd;
And art almost an alien to the hearts
Of all the court and princes of my blood.
The hope and expectation of thy time
Is ruin'd, and the foul of ev'ry man
Prophetically does fore-think thy Fall.
Had I fo lavifh of my prefence been,

-fuch lewd, fuch mean ATTEMPTS,] Shakespear certainly wrote ATTAINTS, i. e. unlawful actions. WARB.

Yet fuch extenuation let me beg, &c.] The conftruction is fomewhat obfcure. Let

me beg fo much extenuation,
that, upon confutation of many
falfe charges, I may be pardoned
fame that are true. I fhould read
on reproof instead of in reproof
but concerning Shakespeare's par-
ticles there is no certainty.

Sa

1

So common-hackney'd in the eyes of men,
So ftale and cheap to vulgar company,
Opinion, that did help me to the crown,
Had still kept loyal to poffeffion,
And left me in reputelefs banishment,
A fellow of no mark, nor likelihood.
But being feldom feen, I could not ftir,
But, like a comet, I was wonder'd at,

That men would tell their children, this is he;
Others would fay, where? which is Bolingbroke?
4 And then I ftole all courtefie from heav'n,
And dreft my self in much humility,

That I did pluck allegiance from men's hearts,
Loud fhouts and falutations from their mouths,
Even in the presence of the crowned King.
Thus I did keep my perfon fresh and new,
My prefence, like a robe pontifical,

Ne'er feen, but wonder'd at; and fo my State,
Seldom, but fumptuous, fhewed like a feaft,
And won, by rarenefs, fuch folemnity.
The skipping King, he ambled up and down
With fhallow jefters, and rafh bavin wits,
Soon kindled, and foon burnt;

3 Loyal to poffeffion.] True to him that had then possession of the

crown.

✦ And then I fole all courtefie from heav'n,] This is an allufion to the ftory of Prome theus's theft, who ftole fire from thence; and as with this he made a Man, fo with that, Bolingbroke made a King. As the Gods were fuppofed jealous in appropriating reafon to themfelves, the getting fire from thence, which lighted it up in the mind, was called a theft; and as power is their prerogaive, the getting courtefie from

N4

2

1

'fcarded his State;

thence, by which power is best
procured, is called a theft. The
thought is exquifitely great and
beautiful. WARBURTON.
5 Rafh bavin wits.] Rah is
beady, thoughtless. Bavin is
Brushwood, which, fired, burns
fiercely, but is foon out.
6 In former copies,

CARDED his State] Richard is here represented as laying afide his royalty, and mixing himself with common jefters. This will lead us to the true reading, which I suppose is,

'SCARDED his State; i, e. difcarded, threw off. WARB.

Mingled