William Shakespeare (1564–1616). The Oxford Shakespeare. 1914.
Act IV. Scene III.The First Part of King Henry the Fourth
Hot.We’ll fight with him to-night.
Wor.It may not be.
Doug.You give him then advantage.
Ver.Not a whit.
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 advis’d: stir not to-night.
Doug.You do not counsel well:
You speak it out of fear and cold heart.
VerDo 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:
Let it be seen to-morrow in the battle
Which of us fears.
Doug.Yea, or to-night.
Ver.Content.
Hot.To-night, say I.
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.
Blunt.I come with gracious offers from the king,
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,
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 mov’d,
Swore him assistance and perform’d it too.
Now when the lords and barons of the realm
Perceiv’d Northumberland did lean to him,
The more and less came in with cap and knee;
Met him in boroughs, cities, villages,
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 depos’d the king;
Soon after that, depriv’d 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 plac’d,
Indeed his king—to be engag’d in Wales,
There without ransom to lie forfeited;
Disgrac’d me in my happy victories;
Sought to entrap me by intelligence;
Rated my uncle from the council-board;
In rage dismiss’d my father from the court;
Broke oath on oath, committed wrong on wrong;
And in conclusion drove us to seek out
This head of safety; and withal to pry
Into his title, the which we find
Too indirect for long continuance.
Blunt.Shall I return this answer to the king?
Hot.Not so, Sir Walter: we’ll withdraw awhile.
Go to the king; and let there be impawn’d
Some surety for a safe return again,
And in the morning early shall my uncle
Bring him our purposes; and so farewell.
Blunt.I would you would accept of grace and love.
Hot.And may be so we shall.
Blunt.Pray God, you do![Exeunt.