In short time after, he deposed the king;
Soon after that, deprived him of his life;

And, in the neck of that, task'd1 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 encaged in Wales,
There without ransom to lie forfeited:
Disgraced 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; 2 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 mine 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 Heaven, you do! [Exeunt.

1 Taxed.

2 This army, from which I hope for protection.

SCENE IV.

York. A room in the Archbishop's house.

Enter ARCHBISHOP OF YORK and GENTLEMAN.

Arch. Hie, good sir Michael; bear this sealed brief,1

With winged haste, to the lord marshal;

This to my cousin Scroop; and all the rest
To whom they are directed: if you knew

How much they do import, you would make haste.
Gen. My good lord,

I

guess their tenor.

Arch.

Like enough, you do.

To-morrow, good sir Michael, is a day

Wherein the fortune of ten thousand men
Must bide the touch: for, sir, at Shrewsbury,
As I am truly given to understand,

The king, with mighty and quick-raised power,
Meets with lord Harry and I fear, sir Michael,—
What with the sickness of Northumberland,
(Whose power was in the first proportion)

And what with Owen Glendower's absence thence,
(Who with them was a rated sinew too,2
And comes not in, o'er-ruled by prophecies)
I fear, the power of Percy is too weak
To wage an instant trial with the king.

1 Letter.

2 A strength on which we reckoned.

Gen. Why, my good lord, you need not fear: there's Douglas,

And lord Mortimer.

Arch.

No, Mortimer 's not there.

Gen. But there is Mordake, Vernon, lord Harry

Percy,

And there's my lord of Worcester; and a head
Of gallant warriors, noble gentlemen.

Arch. And so there is: but yet the king hath drawn

The special head of all the land together;-
The prince of Wales, lord John of Lancaster,
The noble Westmoreland, and warlike Blunt ;
And many more corrivals, and dear men

Of estimation and command in arms.

Gen. Doubt not, my lord, they shall be well opposed.

Arch. I hope no less, yet needful 'tis to fear;
And, to prevent the worst, sir Michael, speed:
For, if lord Percy thrive not, ere the king
Dismiss his power, he means to visit us;
For he hath heard of our confederacy;

And 'tis but wisdom to make strong against him :
Therefore make haste. I must go write again
To other friends; and so farewell, sir Michael.

[Exeunt severally.

ACT V.

SCENE I.

The king's camp near Shrewsbury.

Enter KING HENRY, PRINCE HENRY, PRINCE JOHN OF LANCASTER, Sir Walter BLUNT, and SIR JOHN

FALSTAFF.

K. Hen. How bloodily the sun begins to peer
Above yon busky1 hill! the day looks pale
At his distemperature.

P. Hen.

The southern wind

Doth play the trumpet to his purposes;

And, by his hollow whistling in the leaves,
Foretels a tempest and a blustering day.

K. Hen. Then with the losers let it sympathise ; For nothing can seem foul to those that win.

Trumpet.

Enter WORCESTER and Vernon.

How now, my lord of Worcester? 'tis not well,
That you and I should meet upon such terms
As 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 't? Will you again unknit

1 Woody.

This churlish knot of all-abhorred war;

And move in that obedient orb again,
Where you did give a fair and natural light;
And be no more an exhaled meteor,

A prodigy of fear, and a portent

Of broached mischief to the unborn times?
Wor. Hear me, my liege :

For mine own part, I could be well content
To entertain the lag-end of my life

With quiet hours; for, I do protest,

I have not sought the day of this dislike.

K. Hen. You have not sought it! how comes it

then?

Fal. Rebellion lay in his way, and he found it. P. Hen. Peace, chewet,1 peace.

Wor. It pleased your majesty to turn your looks

Of favor 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 break

In Richard's time; and posted day and night
To meet you on the way, and kiss your hand,
When yet you were in place and in account
Nothing so strong and fortunate as I.

It was myself, my brother, and his son,
That brought you home, and boldly did outdare
The dangers of the time. You swore to us,
And you did swear that oath at Doncaster,

A chattering bird, a pie.