What with the injuries of a wanton time,

The seeming sufferances that you had borne,

And the contrarious winds that held the King

So long in his unlucky Irish wars

That all in England did repute him dead;

And from this swarm of fair advantages

You took occasion to be quickly wooed

To gripe the general sway into your hand,

Forgot your oath to us at Doncaster,

And being fed by us, you used us so

As that ungentle gull, the cuckoo’s bird,

Useth the sparrow—did oppress our nest,

Grew by our feeding to so great a bulk

That even our love durst not come near your sight

For fear of swallowing. But with nimble wing

We were enforced for safety’ sake to fly 65

Out of your sight, and raise this present head,

Whereby we stand opposed by such means

As you yourself have forged against yourself,

By unkind usage, dangerous countenance,

And violation of all faith and troth

Sworn to us in your younger enterprise.

KING HENRY

These things indeed you have articulate,

Proclaimed at market crosses, read in churches,

To face the garment of rebellion

With some fine colour that may please the eye

Of fickle changelings and poor discontents,

Which gape and rub the elbow at the news

Of hurly-burly innovation;

And never yet did insurrection want

Such water-colours to impaint his cause,

Nor moody beggars starving for a time

Of pell-mell havoc and confusion.

PRINCE HARRY

In both our armies there is many a soul

Shall pay full dearly for this encounter

If once they join in trial. Tell your nephew

The Prince of Wales doth join with all the world

In praise of Henry Percy. By my hopes,

This present enterprise set off his head,

I do not think a braver gentleman,

More active-valiant or more valiant-young,

More daring, or more bold, is now alive

To grace this latter age with noble deeds.

For my part, I may speak it to my shame,

I have a truant been to chivalry;

And so I hear he doth account me too.

Yet this, before my father’s majesty:

I am content that he shall take the odds

Of his great name and estimation,

And will, to save the blood on either side,

Try fortune with him in a single fight.

KING HENRY

And, Prince of Wales, so dare we venture thee,

Albeit considerations infinite

Do make against it. No, good Worcester, no.

We love our people well; even those we love

That are misled upon your cousin’s part; 105

And will they take the offer of our grace,

Both he and they and you, yea, every man

Shall be my friend again, and I’ll be his.

So tell your cousin, and bring me word

What he will do. But if he will not yield,

Rebuke and dread correction wait on us,

And they shall do their office. So be gone.

We will not now be troubled with reply.

We offer fair; take it advisedly.

Exeunt Worcester [and Vernon]

PRINCE HARRY

It will not be accepted, on my life.

The Douglas and the Hotspur both together

Are confident against the world in arms.

KING HENRY

Hence, therefore, every leader to his charge,

For on their answer will we set on them,

And God befriend us as our cause is just!

Exeunt all but Prince Harry and Oldcastle

SIR JOHN Hal, if thou see me down in the battle, and bestride me, so. ’Tis a point of friendship.

PRINCE HARRY Nothing but a colossus can do thee that friendship. Say thy prayers, and farewell.

SIR JOHN I would ’twere bed-time, Hal, and all well.

PRINCE HARRY Why, thou owest God a death. Exit

SIR JOHN ‘Tis not due yet. I would be loath to pay him before his day. What need I be so forward with him that calls not on me? Well, ’tis no matter; honour pricks me on. Yea, but how if honour prick me off when I come on? How then? Can honour set-to a leg? No. Or an arm? No. Or take away the grief of a wound? No. Honour hath no skill in surgery, then? No. What is honour? A word. What is in that word ‘honour’? What is that ‘honour’ ? Air. A trim reckoning! Who hath it? He that died o’ Wednesday. Doth he feel it? No. Doth he hear it? No. ’Tis insensible then? Yea, to the dead. But will it not live with the living? No. Why? Detraction will not suffer it. Therefore I’ll none of it. Honour is a mere scutcheon. And so ends my catechism.

Exit

5.2 Enter the Earl of Worcester and Sir Richard Vernon

WORCESTER

O no, my nephew must not know, Sir Richard,

The liberal and kind offer of the King.

VERNON

’Twere best he did.

WORCESTER Then are we all undone.

It is not possible, it cannot be,

The King should keep his word in loving us.

He will suspect us still, and find a time

To punish this offence in other faults.

Supposition all our lives shall be stuck full of eyes,

For treason is but trusted like the fox,

Who, ne‘er so tame, so cherished, and locked up,

Will have a wild trick of his ancestors.

Look how we can, or sad or merrily,

Interpretation will misquote our looks,

And we shall feed like oxen at a stall,