And I do haunt thee in the battle thus
Because some tell me that thou art a king.
BLUNT They tell thee true.
DOUGLAS The Lord of Stafford dear today hath bought
Thy likeness, for instead of thee, King Harry,
This sword hath ended him. So shall it thee,
Unless thou yield thee as a prisoner.
BLUNT I was not born to yield, thou haughty Scot,
And thou shalt find a king that will revenge
Lord Stafford's death.
Fight. Blunt is slain
Then enters Hotspur
HOTSPUR O Douglas, had'st thou fought at Holmedon thus,
I never had triumphed o'er a Scot.
DOUGLAS All's done, all's won, here breathless lies the king.
HOTSPUR Where?
DOUGLAS Here.
HOTSPUR This, Douglas? No. I know this face full well:
A gallant knight he was, his name was Blunt,
Semblably furnished like the king himself.
DOUGLAS Ah, fool, go with thy soul, whither it goes!
A borrowed title hast thou bought too dear.
Why didst thou tell me that thou wert a king?
HOTSPUR The king hath many marching in his coats.
DOUGLAS Now, by my sword, I will kill all his coats.
I'll murder all his wardrobe, piece by piece,
Until I meet the king.
HOTSPUR Up, and away!
Our soldiers stand full fairly for the day.
Exeunt
Alarum, and enter Falstaff, solus
FALSTAFF Though I could scape shot-free at London, I fear the
shot here: here's no scoring but upon the pate. Soft! Who are
you? Sir Walter Blunt. There's honour for you! Here's no
vanity! I am as hot as molten lead, and as heavy too; heaven
keep lead out of me! I need no more weight than mine own
bowels. I have led my ragamuffins where they are peppered:
there's not three of my hundred and fifty left alive, and they
for the town's end, to beg during life. But who comes here?
Enter the Prince
PRINCE HENRY What, stand'st thou idle here? Lend me thy sword.
Many a nobleman lies stark and stiff
Under the hoofs of vaunting enemies,
Whose deaths are unrevenged. Prithee
Lend me thy sword.
FALSTAFF O Hal, I prithee give me leave to breathe awhile.
Turk Gregory never did such deeds in arms as I have done
this day. I have paid Percy, I have made him sure.
PRINCE HENRY He is, indeed, and living to kill thee. I prithee lend
me thy sword.
FALSTAFF Nay, Hal, if Percy be alive, thou get'st not my sword;
but take my pistol, if thou wilt.
PRINCE HENRY Give it me. What, is it in the case?
FALSTAFF Ay, Hal, 'tis hot. There's that will sack a city.
The Prince draws out a bottle of sack
PRINCE HENRY What, is it a time to jest and dally now?
Exit. [He] throws it at him [as he leaves]
FALSTAFF If Percy be alive, I'll pierce him. If he do come in my
way, so: if he do not, if I come in his willingly, let him make a
carbonado of me. I like not such grinning honour as Sir
Walter hath. Give me life, which if I can save, so: if not,
honour comes unlooked for, and there's an end.
Exit
Act 5 Scene 3
running scene 16 continues
Location: the battlefield at Shrewsbury
Alarum. Excursions. Enter the King, the Prince, Lord John of Lancaster and Earl of Westmorland
The Prince has been wounded
KING HENRY IV I prithee,
Harry, withdraw thyself, thou bleed'st too much.
Lord John of Lancaster, go you with him.
PRINCE JOHN Not I, my lord, unless I did bleed too.
PRINCE HENRY I beseech your majesty, make up,
Lest your retirement do amaze your friends.
KING HENRY IV I will do so.
My lord of Westmorland, lead him to his tent.
WESTMORLAND Come, my lord, I'll lead you to your tent.
PRINCE HENRY Lead me, my lord? I do not need your help;
And heaven forbid a shallow scratch should drive
The Prince of Wales from such a field as this,
Where stained nobility lies trodden on,
And rebels' arms triumph in massacres!
PRINCE JOHN We breathe too long: come, cousin Westmorland,
Our duty this way lies. For heaven's sake, come.
[Exeunt Lancaster and Westmorland]
PRINCE HENRY By heaven, thou hast deceived me, Lancaster.
I did not think thee lord of such a spirit:
Before, I loved thee as a brother, John;
But now, I do respect thee as my soul.
KING HENRY IV I saw him hold Lord Percy at the point
With lustier maintenance than I did look for
Of such an ungrown warrior.
PRINCE HENRY O, this boy lends mettle to us all!
Exit
Enter Douglas
DOUGLAS Another king? They grow like Hydra's heads.
I am the Douglas, fatal to all those
That wear those colours on them. What art thou,
That counterfeit'st the person of a king?
KING HENRY IV The king himself, who, Douglas, grieves at heart
So many of his shadows thou hast met
And not the very king. I have two boys
Seek Percy and thyself about the field:
But, seeing thou fall'st on me so luckily,
I will assay thee, so defend thyself.
DOUGLAS I fear thou art another counterfeit,
And yet, in faith, thou bear'st thee like a king.
But mine I am sure thou art, whoe'er thou be,
And thus I win thee.
They fight, the King being in danger
Enter Prince
PRINCE HENRY Hold up thy head, vile Scot, or thou art like
Never to hold it up again! The spirits
Of valiant Shirley, Stafford, Blunt, are in my arms;
It is the Prince of Wales that threatens thee,
Who never promiseth but he means to pay.
They fight. Douglas flieth
Cheerly, my lord. How fares your grace?
Sir Nicholas Gawsey hath for succour sent,
And so hath Clifton: I'll to Clifton straight.
KING HENRY IV Stay, and breathe awhile.
Thou hast redeemed thy lost opinion,
And showed thou mak'st some tender of my life,
In this fair rescue thou hast brought to me.
PRINCE HENRY O heaven! They did me too much injury
That ever said I hearkened to your death.
If it were so, I might have let alone
The insulting hand of Douglas over you,
Which would have been as speedy in your end
As all the poisonous potions in the world
And saved the treacherous labour of your son.
KING HENRY IV Make up to Clifton, I'll to Sir Nicholas Gawsey.
Exit
Enter Hotspur
HOTSPUR If I mistake not, thou art Harry Monmouth.
PRINCE HENRY Thou speak'st as if I would deny my name.
HOTSPUR My name is Harry Percy.
PRINCE HENRY Why, then I see
A very valiant rebel of that name.
I am the Prince of Wales; and think not, Percy,
To share with me in glory any more:
Two stars keep not their motion in one sphere,
Nor can one England brook a double reign,
Of Harry Percy and the Prince of Wales.
HOTSPUR Nor shall it, Harry, for the hour is come
To end the one of us; and would to heaven
; Thy name in arms were now as great as mine!
PRINCE HENRY I'll make it greater ere I part from thee,
And all the budding honours on thy crest
I'll crop, to make a garland for my head.
HOTSPUR I can no longer brook thy vanities.
Fight
Enter Falstaff
FALSTAFF Well said, Hal! To it Hal! Nay, you shall find no boy's
play here, I can tell you.
Enter Douglas, he fights with Falstaff, who falls down as if he were dead
[Exit Douglas]
The Prince killeth Percy [Hotspur]
HOTSPUR O, Harry, thou hast robbed me of my youth!
I better brook the loss of brittle life
Than those proud titles thou hast won of me.
They wound my thoughts worse than the sword my flesh:
But thought's the slave of life, and life, time's fool;
And time that takes survey of all the world
Must have a stop. O, I could prophesy,
But that the earth and the cold hand of death
Lies on my tongue. No, Percy, thou art dust
And food for--
Dies
PRINCE HENRY For worms, brave Percy. Farewell, great heart!
Ill-weaved ambition, how much art thou shrunk?
When that this body did contain a spirit,
A kingdom for it was too small a bound,
But now two paces of the vilest earth
Is room enough. This earth that bears thee dead
Bears not alive so stout a gentleman.
If thou wert sensible of courtesy,
I should not make so great a show of zeal,
But let my favours hide thy mangled face,
Covers Hotspur's face
And, even in thy behalf, I'll thank myself
For doing these fair rites of tenderness.
Adieu, and take thy praise with thee to heaven!
Thy ignominy sleep with thee in the grave,
But not remembered in thy epitaph!--
What? Old acquaintance? Could not all this flesh
He sees Falstaff on the ground
Keep in a little life? Poor Jack, farewell!
I could have better spared a better man.
O, I should have a heavy miss of thee,
If I were much in love with vanity!
Death hath not struck so fat a deer today,
Though many dearer, in this bloody fray.
Embowelled will I see thee by and by:
Till then in blood by noble Percy lie.
Exit
Falstaff riseth up
FALSTAFF Embowelled! If thou embowel me today, I'll give you
leave to powder me and eat me too tomorrow. 'Twas time to
counterfeit, or that hot termagant Scot had paid me scot and
lot too. Counterfeit? I am no counterfeit; to die, is to be a
counterfeit, for he is but the counterfeit of a man who hath
not the life of a man. But to counterfeit dying, when a man
thereby liveth, is to be no counterfeit, but the true and
perfect image of life indeed. The better part of valour is
discretion, in the which better part I have saved my life. I am
afraid of this gunpowder Percy, though he be dead. How, if
he should counterfeit too and rise? I am afraid he would
prove the better counterfeit: therefore I'll make him sure,
yea, and I'll swear I killed him. Why may not he rise as well
as I? Nothing confutes me but eyes, and nobody sees me.
Therefore, sirrah, with a new wound in your
Stabs him
thigh, come you along with me.
Takes Hotspur on his back
Enter Prince and John of Lancaster
PRINCE HENRY Come, brother John, full bravely hast thou fleshed
Thy maiden sword.
PRINCE JOHN But, soft! Who have we here?
Did you not tell me this fat man was dead?
PRINCE HENRY I did. I saw him dead,
Breathless and bleeding on the ground.--
Art thou alive? Or is it fantasy
To Falstaff
That plays upon our eyesight? I prithee speak.
We will not trust our eyes without our ears.
Thou art not what thou seem'st.
FALSTAFF No, that's certain: I am not a double man. But if I be
not Jack Falstaff, then am I a jack. There is
Throws the body down
Percy. If your father will do me any honour,
so: if not, let him kill the next Percy himself. I look to be
either earl or duke, I can assure you.
PRINCE HENRY Why, Percy I killed myself and saw thee dead.
FALSTAFF Didst thou? Lord, Lord, how the world is given to
lying! I grant you I was down and out of breath, and so was
he. But we rose both at an instant and fought a long hour by
Shrewsbury clock. If I may be believed, so: if not, let them
that should reward valour bear the sin upon their own
heads. I'll take't on my death, I gave him this wound in the
thigh: if the man were alive and would deny it, I would make
him eat a piece of my sword.
PRINCE JOHN This is the strangest tale that e'er I heard.
PRINCE HENRY This is the strangest fellow, brother John.--
Come, bring your luggage nobly on your back.
To Falstaff
For my part, if a lie may do thee grace,
I'll gild it with the happiest terms I have.--
A retreat is sounded
The trumpets sound retreat, the day is ours.--
Come, brother, let's to the highest of the field,
To see what friends are living, who are dead.
Exeunt [Prince Henry and Lancaster]
FALSTAFF I'll follow, as they say, for reward. He that rewards
me, heaven reward him! If I do grow great again, I'll grow
less, for I'll purge, and leave sack, and live cleanly as a
nobleman should do.
Exit
Act 5 Scene 4
running scene 16 continues
The trumpets sound. Enter the King, Prince of Wales, Lord John of Lancaster, Earl of Westmorland [and others], with Worcester and Vernon prisoners
KING HENRY IV Thus ever did rebellion find rebuke.
Ill-spirited Worcester, did we not send grace,
Pardon and terms of love to all of you?
And wouldst thou turn our offers contrary?
Misuse the tenor of thy kinsman's trust?
Three knights upon our party slain today,
A noble earl and many a creature else
Had been alive this hour,
If like a Christian thou hadst truly borne
Betwixt our armies true intelligence.
WORCESTER What I have done my safety urged me to,
And I embrace this fortune patiently,
Since not to be avoided it falls on me.
KING HENRY IV Bear Worcester to death and Vernon too:
Other offenders we will pause upon.
Exeunt Worcester and Vernon, [guarded]
How goes the field?
PRINCE HENRY The noble Scot, Lord Douglas, when he saw
The fortune of the day quite turned from him,
The noble Percy slain, and all his men
Upon the foot of fear, fled with the rest;
And falling from a hill, he was so bruised
That the pursuers took him. At my tent
The Douglas is, and I beseech your grace
I may dispose of him.
KING HENRY IV With all my heart.
PRINCE HENRY 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.
KING HENRY IV Then this remains, that we divide our power.--
You, son John, and my cousin Westmorland
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 land shall lose his way,
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
TEXTUAL NOTES
Q = First Quarto text of 1598
Q5 = Fifth Quarto text of 1613
Q7 = Seventh Quarto text of 1632
F = First Folio text of 1623
F2 = a correction introduced in the Second Folio text of 1632
F3 = a correction introduced in the Third Folio text of 1663-64
Ed = a correction introduced by a later editor
SD = stage direction
SH = speech heading (i.e. speaker's name)
List of Parts = Ed BARDOLPH = F. Q = Bardoll
1.1.64 Stained = Q. F = Strain'd 66 welcome = Q. F = welcomes 76 In...is = Ed. F includes at end of king's speech, making his answer his own rhetorical question
1.2.0 SD Falstaff = Ed. F = Falstaffe and Pointz (it is conceivable that Poins enters here and remains silently in the background during the first 98 lines of dialogue, but more likely that he enters when his name is mentioned at line 94) 38 of Hybla = Q. Not in F 72 similes = Q5. F = smiles 80 for...it = F. Q = for wisedome cries out in the streets and no man regards it 94 Poins set as a speech heading in F 110 had been = Q. F = had 145 Peto, Bardolph = Ed. F = Haruey, Rossill (Shakespeare's original names for these characters) 195 foil = Q. F = soyle
1.3.24 name = Q. Not in F 27 As...son = F. Q = As is deliuered to your maiestie. Either enuie therefore, or misprision, Is guiltie of this fault, and not my sonne (F is more likely to be purposeful revision than compositorial error) 43 bore = Q. F = bare 45 corpse spelled Coarse in F 68 this = F. Q = his 78 yet he doth= Q. F = yet doth 136 downfall = F. Q = down-trod 164 wore = F. Q = weare 239 poisoned him = F. Q = him poisoned 256 candy = Q. F = caudie 303 Lord = Ed. F = loe
2.1.31 SH FIRST CARRIER = Ed. F = Car.
2.2.0 SD and Bardolph (not in F but implied by Q's "and Peto &c.") 10 thief's = Q. F = Theefe 12 square spelled squire in F 27 me my = Q. F = my 46 SH BARDOLPH = Ed. F = Bardolfe, what newes? (continuation of Poins' speech) 47 SH GADSHILL = Ed. F = Bar. 71 SH FIRST TRAVELLER = Ed. F = Tra. 76 Ah, whoreson = Ed. F = a whorson