The trumpets sound. [Enter the King, Prince of Wales, Lord John of Lancaster, Earl of Westmoreland, with Worcester and Vernon prisoners.
King. Thus ever did rebellion find rebuke.
Ill-spirited Worcester! did not we send grace, Pardon, and terms of love to all of you?
And wouldst thou turn our offers contrary?
Misuse the tenour of thy kinsman"s trust?
Three knights upon our party slain to-day, A n.o.ble earl, and many a creature else Had been alive this hour, If like a Christian thou hadst truly borne Betwixt our armies true intelligence.
Wor. What I have done my safety urg"d me to; And I embrace this fortune patiently, Since not to be avoided it fails on me.
King. Bear Worcester to the death, and Vernon too; Other offenders we will pause upon.
Exeunt Worcester and Vernon, [guarded].
How goes the field?
Prince. The n.o.ble Scot, Lord Douglas, when he saw The fortune of the day quite turn"d from him, The n.o.ble Percy slain and all his men Upon the foot of fear, fled with the rest; And falling from a hill,he was so bruis"d That the pursuers took him. At my tent The Douglas is, and I beseech Your Grace I may dispose of him.
King. With all my heart.
Prince. Then brother John of Lancaster, to you This honourable bounty shall belong.
Go to the Douglas and deliver him Up to his pleasure, ransomless and free.
His valour shown upon our crests today Hath taught us how to cherish such high deeds, Even in the bosom of our adversaries.
John. I thank your Grace for this high courtesy, Which I shall give away immediately.
King. Then this remains, that we divide our power.
You, son John, and my cousin Westmoreland, Towards York shall bend you with your dearest speed To meet Northumberland and the prelate Scroop, Who, as we hear, are busily in arms.
Myself and you, son Harry, will towards Wales To fight with Glendower and the Earl of March.
Rebellion in this laud shall lose his sway, Meeting the check of such another day; And since this business so fair is done, Let us not leave till all our own be won.
Exeunt.
THE END
> 1598
SECOND PART OF KING HENRY IV
by William Shakespeare
Dramatis Personae
RUMOUR, the Presenter KING HENRY THE FOURTH
HENRY, PRINCE OF WALES, afterwards HENRY PRINCE JOHN OF LANCASTER PRINCE HUMPHREY OF GLOUCESTER THOMAS, DUKE OF CLARENCE Sons of Henry IV
EARL OF NORTHUMBERLAND SCROOP, ARCHBISHOP OF YORK LORD MOWBRAY LORD HASTINGS LORD BARDOLPH SIR JOHN COLVILLE TRAVERS and MORTON, retainers of Northumberland Opposites against King Henry IV
EARL OF WARWICK EARL OF WESTMORELAND EARL OF SURREY EARL OF KENT GOWER HARCOURT BLUNT Of the King"s party
LORD CHIEF JUSTICE SERVANT, to Lord Chief Justice
SIR JOHN FALSTAFF EDWARD POINS BARDOLPH PISTOL PETO Irregular humourists
PAGE, to Falstaff
ROBERT SHALLOW and SILENCE, country Justices DAVY, servant to Shallow
FANG and SNARE, Sheriff"s officers
RALPH MOULDY SIMON SHADOW THOMAS WART FRANCIS FEEBLE PETER BULLCALF Country soldiers
FRANCIS, a drawer
LADY NORTHUMBERLAND LADY PERCY, Percy"s widow HOSTESS QUICKLY, of the Boar"s Head, Eastcheap DOLL TEARSHEET
LORDS, Attendants, Porter, Drawers, Beadles, Grooms, Servants, Speaker of the Epilogue
SCENE: England
INDUCTION INDUCTION.
Warkworth. Before NORTHUMBERLAND"S Castle
Enter RUMOUR, painted full of tongues
RUMOUR. Open your ears; for which of you will stop The vent of hearing when loud Rumour speaks?
I, from the orient to the drooping west, Making the wind my post-horse, still unfold The acts commenced on this ball of earth.
Upon my tongues continual slanders ride, The which in every language I p.r.o.nounce, Stuffing the ears of men with false reports.
I speak of peace while covert emnity, Under the smile of safety, wounds the world; And who but Rumour, who but only I, Make fearful musters and prepar"d defence, Whiles the big year, swoln with some other grief, Is thought with child by the stern tyrant war, And no such matter? Rumour is a pipe Blown by surmises, jealousies, conjectures, And of so easy and so plain a stop That the blunt monster with uncounted heads, The still-discordant wav"ring mult.i.tude, Can play upon it. But what need I thus My well-known body to anatomize Among my household? Why is Rumour here?
I run before King Harry"s victory, Who, in a b.l.o.o.d.y field by Shrewsbury, Hath beaten down young Hotspur and his troops, Quenching the flame of bold rebellion Even with the rebels" blood. But what mean I To speak so true at first? My office is To noise abroad that Harry Monmouth fell Under the wrath of n.o.ble Hotspur"s sword, And that the King before the Douglas" rage Stoop"d his anointed head as low as death.
This have I rumour"d through the peasant towns Between that royal field of Shrewsbury And this worm-eaten hold of ragged stone, Where Hotspur"s father, old Northumberland, Lies crafty-sick. The posts come tiring on, And not a man of them brings other news Than they have learnt of me. From Rumour"s tongues They bring smooth comforts false, worse than true wrongs.
Exit
> ACT I. SCENE I.
Warkworth. Before NORTHUMBERLAND"S Castle
Enter LORD BARDOLPH
LORD BARDOLPH. Who keeps the gate here, ho?