and the half shirt is two napkins tacked together and thrown over the shoulders like an herald's coat without sleeves; and the shirt, to say the truth, stolen from my host at Saint Alban's, or 50 the red-nose innkeeper of Daventry. But that's all one; they'll find linen enough on every hedge.

Enter the PRINCE and WESTMORELAND. Prince. How now, blown Jack! how now, quilt !

Fal. What, Hal! how now, mad wag! what a devil dost thou in Warwickshire? My good Lord of Westmoreland, I cry you mercy: I thought your honour had already been at Shrewsbury.

West. Faith, Sir John, 'tis more than time 60 that I were there, and you too; but my powers are there already. The king, I can tell you, looks for us all we must away all night.

Fal. Tut, never fear me: I am as vigilant as a cat to steal cream.

Prince. I think, to steal cream indeed, for thy theft hath already made thee butter. But tell me, Jack, whose fellows are these that come after? Fal. Mine, Hal, mine.

Prince. I did never see such pitiful rascals.

Fal. Tut, tut; good enough to toss; food for powder, food for powder; they'll fill a pit as well as better tush, man, mortal men, mortal men.

West. Ay, but, Sir John, methinks they are exceeding poor and bare, too beggarly.

48. herald's coat without sleeves, the tabard, or official sleeveless coat of the herald.

50, 51. St. Alban's and Daventry both lie on the highroad from London through Coventry

to Shrewsbury.

70

63. away all night, march all night; so Q. Ff have ' ' away all tonight.'

71. to toss, i.e. on pikes.

Fal. 'Faith, for their poverty, I know not where they had that; and for their bareness, I am sure they never learned that of me.

Prince. No, I'll be sworn ; three fingers on the ribs bare.

unless you call

But, sirrah, make 80

haste Percy is already in the field.

Fal. What, is the king encamped?

West. He is, Sir John: I fear we shall stay too long.

Fal. Well,

To the latter end of a fray and the beginning of a

feast

Fits a dull fighter and a keen guest.

[Exeunt.

SCENE III. The rebel camp near Shrewsbury.

Enter HOTSPUR, Worcester, Douglas, and
VERNON.

Hot. We'll fight with him to-night.

Wor.

It may not be.

Not a whit.

Doug. You give him then advantage.
Ver.

Hot. Why say you so? looks he not for supply?

Ver. So do we.

Hot.

His is certain, ours is doubtful. Wor. Good cousin, be advised; stir not to-night.

Ver. Do not, my lord.

Doug.

You do not counsel well :

You speak it out of fear and cold heart.

Ver. Do me no slander, Douglas: by my life, And I dare well maintain it with my life,

If well-respected honour bid me on,

I hold as little counsel with weak fear

As you, my lord, or any Scot that this day lives:

10

Let it be seen to-morrow in the battle

Ver. Come, come, it may not be. I wonder

much,

Being men of such great leading as you are,
That you foresee not what impediments
Drag back our expedition: certain horse
Of my cousin Vernon's are not yet come up:
Your uncle Worcester's horse came but to-day;
And now their pride and mettle is asleep,
Their courage with hard labour tame and dull,
That not a horse is half the half of himself.
Hot. So are the horses of the enemy
In general, journey-bated and brought low:
The better part of ours are full of rest.

Wor. The number of the king exceedeth ours:
For God's sake, cousin, stay till all come in.

[The trumpet sounds a parley.

Enter SIR WALTER BLUNT.

20

Blunt. I come with gracious offers from the king, 30 If you vouchsafe me hearing and respect.

Hot. Welcome, Sir Walter Blunt; and would to God

You were of our determination!

Some of us love you well; and even those some
Envy your great deservings and good name,
Because you are not of our quality,

But stand against us like an enemy.

Blunt. And God defend but still I should

stand so,

26. journey-bated, exhausted

with the journey.

36. of our quality, of our sort,

on our side.

So long as out of limit and true rule
You stand against anointed majesty.

But to my charge.

The king hath sent to know

The nature of your griefs, and whereupon

You conjure from the breast of civil peace
Such bold hostility, teaching his duteous land
Audacious cruelty. If that the king

Have any way your good deserts forgot,
Which he confesseth to be manifold,

He bids you name your griefs; and with all speed
You shall have your desires with interest

And pardon absolute for yourself and these
Herein misled by your suggestion.

Hot. The king is kind; and well we know the
king
Knows at what time to promise, when to pay.
My father and my uncle and myself

Did give him that same royalty he wears;
And when he was not six and twenty strong,
Sick in the world's regard, wretched and low,
A poor unminded outlaw sneaking home,
My father gave him welcome to the shore;
And when he heard him swear and vow to God
He came but to be Duke of Lancaster,
To sue his livery and beg his peace,
With tears of innocency and terms of zeal,
My father, in kind heart and pity moved,
Swore him assistance and perform'd it too.
Now when the lords and barons of the realm
Perceived Northumberland did lean to him,
The more and less came in with cap and knee;
Met him in boroughs, cities, villages,

42. griefs, grievances.

ib. whereupon, on what pre

text.

51. suggestion, instigation.

40

50

60

62. sue his livery; lay legal claim to his estates; cf. Rich. II. ii. 1. 203, 204.

68, more and less, high and low.

Attended him on bridges, stood in lanes,

Laid gifts before him, proffer'd him their oaths,
Gave him their heirs as pages, follow'd him
Even at the heels in golden multitudes.
He presently, as greatness knows itself,
Steps me a little higher than his vow
Made to my father, while his blood was poor,
Upon the naked shore at Ravenspurgh;
And now, forsooth, takes on him to reform
Some certain edicts and some strait decrees
That lie too heavy on the commonwealth,
Cries out upon abuses, seems to weep
Over his country's wrongs; and by this face,
This seeming brow of justice, did he win
The hearts of all that he did angle for;
Proceeded further; cut me off the heads
Of all the favourites that the absent king
In deputation left behind him here,
When he was personal in the Irish war.
Blunt. Tut, I came not to hear this.
Hot.
Then to the point.

In short time after, he deposed the king;
Soon after that, deprived him of his life;
And in the neck of that, task'd the whole state;
To make that worse, suffer'd his kinsman March,
Who is, if every owner were well placed,
Indeed his king, to be engaged in Wales,
There without ransom to lie forfeited;
Disgraced me in my happy victories,
Sought to entrap me by intelligence;
Rated mine uncle from the council-board;
In rage dismiss'd my father from the court;

87. In deputation, as deputies. 88. personal, present in person.

92. in the neck of that, following hard upon that.

92. task'd, taxed.

95. engaged, kept as a hostage.

98. by intelligence, by means of spies (cf. 1 i. 3. 23 f.)