Act V · Scene I
KING HENRY IV's camp near Shrewsbury.
Hover a speech to translate it — or press play to hear it performed.
Enter KING HENRY, PRINCE HENRY, Lord John of LANCASTER, EARL OF WESTMORELAND, SIR WALTER BLUNT, and FALSTAFF
KING HENRY IV
How bloodily the sun begins to peerAbove yon busky hill! the day looks paleAt his distemperature.
PRINCE HENRY
The southern windDoth play the trumpet to his purposes,And by his hollow whistling in the leavesForetells a tempest and a blustering day.
KING HENRY IV
Then with the losers let it sympathize,For nothing can seem foul to those that win.
The trumpet sounds
Enter WORCESTER and VERNON
KING HENRY IV
How now, my Lord of Worcester! 'tis not wellThat you and I should meet upon such termsAs now we meet. You have deceived our trust,And made us doff our easy robes of peace,To crush our old limbs in ungentle steel:This is not well, my lord, this is not well.What say you to it? will you again unknitThis curlish knot of all-abhorred war?And move in that obedient orb againWhere you did give a fair and natural light,And be no more an exhaled meteor,A prodigy of fear and a portentOf broached mischief to the unborn times?
EARL OF WORCESTER
Hear me, my liege:For mine own part, I could be well contentTo entertain the lag-end of my lifeWith quiet hours; for I do protest,I have not sought the day of this dislike.
KING HENRY IV
You have not sought it! how comes it, then?
FALSTAFF
Rebellion lay in his way, and he found it.
PRINCE HENRY
Peace, chewet, peace!
EARL OF WORCESTER
It pleased your majesty to turn your looksOf favour from myself and all our house;And yet I must remember you, my lord,We were the first and dearest of your friends.For you my staff of office did I breakIn Richard's time; and posted day and nightto meet you on the way, and kiss your hand,When yet you were in place and in accountNothing so strong and fortunate as I.It was myself, my brother and his son,That brought you home and boldly did outdareThe dangers of the time. You swore to us,And you did swear that oath at Doncaster,That you did nothing purpose 'gainst the state;Nor claim no further than your new-fall'n right,The seat of Gaunt, dukedom of Lancaster:To this we swore our aid. But in short spaceIt rain'd down fortune showering on your head;And such a flood of greatness fell on you,What with our help, what with the absent king,What with the injuries of a wanton time,The seeming sufferances that you had borne,And the contrarious winds that held the kingSo long in his unlucky Irish warsThat all in England did repute him dead:And from this swarm of fair advantagesYou took occasion to be quickly woo'dTo gripe the general sway into your hand;Forget your oath to us at Doncaster;And being fed by us you used us soAs that ungentle hull, the cuckoo's bird,Useth the sparrow; did oppress our nest;Grew by our feeding to so great a bulkThat even our love durst not come near your sightFor fear of swallowing; but with nimble wingWe were enforced, for safety sake, to flyOut of sight and raise this present head;Whereby we stand opposed by such meansAs you yourself have forged against yourselfBy unkind usage, dangerous countenance,And violation of all faith and trothSworn to us in your younger enterprise.
KING HENRY IV
These things indeed you have articulate,Proclaim'd at market-crosses, read in churches,To face the garment of rebellionWith some fine colour that may please the eyeOf fickle changelings and poor discontents,Which gape and rub the elbow at the newsOf hurlyburly innovation:And never yet did insurrection wantSuch water-colours to impaint his cause;Nor moody beggars, starving for a timeOf pellmell havoc and confusion.
PRINCE HENRY
In both your armies there is many a soulShall pay full dearly for this encounter,If once they join in trial. Tell your nephew,The Prince of Wales doth join with all the worldIn praise of Henry Percy: by my hopes,This present enterprise set off his head,I do not think a braver gentleman,More active-valiant or more valiant-young,More daring or more bold, is now aliveTo grace this latter age with noble deeds.For my part, I may speak it to my shame,I have a truant been to chivalry;And so I hear he doth account me too;Yet this before my father's majesty--I am content that he shall take the oddsOf his great name and estimation,And will, to save the blood on either side,Try fortune with him in a single fight.
KING HENRY IV
And, Prince of Wales, so dare we venture thee,Albeit considerations infiniteDo make against it. No, good Worcester, no,We love our people well; even those we loveThat are misled upon your cousin's part;And, will they take the offer of our grace,Both he and they and you, every manShall be my friend again and I'll be his:So tell your cousin, and bring me wordWhat he will do: but if he will not yield,Rebuke and dread correction wait on usAnd they shall do their office. So, be gone;We will not now be troubled with reply:We offer fair; take it advisedly.
Exeunt WORCESTER and VERNON
PRINCE HENRY
It will not be accepted, on my life:The Douglas and the Hotspur both togetherAre confident against the world in arms.
KING HENRY IV
Hence, therefore, every leader to his charge;For, on their answer, will we set on them:And God befriend us, as our cause is just!
Exeunt all but PRINCE HENRY and FALSTAFF
FALSTAFF
Hal, if thou see me down in the battle and bestrideme, so; 'tis a point of friendship.
PRINCE HENRY
Nothing but a colossus can do thee that friendship.Say thy prayers, and farewell.
FALSTAFF
I would 'twere bed-time, Hal, and all well.
PRINCE HENRY
Why, thou owest God a death.
Exit PRINCE HENRY
FALSTAFF
'Tis not due yet; I would be loath to pay him beforehis day. What need I be so forward with him thatcalls not on me? Well, 'tis no matter; honour pricksme on. Yea, but how if honour prick me off when Icome on? how then? Can honour set to a leg? no: oran arm? no: or take away the grief of a wound? no.Honour hath no skill in surgery, then? no. What ishonour? a word. What is in that word honour? whatis that honour? air. A trim reckoning! Who hath it?he that died o' Wednesday. Doth he feel it? no.Doth he hear it? no. 'Tis insensible, then. Yea,to the dead. But will it not live with the living?no. Why? detraction will not suffer it. ThereforeI'll none of it. Honour is a mere scutcheon: and soends my catechism.
Exit