Our lands, our lives, and all, are Bolingbroke's, To monarchize, be fear'd, and kill with looks: As if this flesh which walls about our life, Bores through his caftle walls, and farewel King! SHAKSPEARE. СНАР. CHAP. XIV. HOTSPUR AND GLENDOWER. GLEN. SIT, coufin, Percy; fit, good coufin Hotfpur 3 For by that name, as oft as Lancaster Doth speak of you, his cheeks look pale! and with Hor. And you in hell as often as he hears GLEN. I cannot blame him. At my nativity, Hor. So it would have done At the fame feafon if your mother's cat Had kitten'd, though yourself had ne'er been born. If you fuppofe, as fearing you, it shook. GLEN. The heav'ns were all on fire, the earth did tremble. Hor. O! then the earth fhook to see the heav'ns on fire, And not in fear of your nativity. Difeafed Nature oftentimes breaks forth In ftrange eruptions; and the teeming earth- Within her womb; which, for enlargement ftriving, Our Our grandam Earth, having this diftemp'rature GLEN. Coufin, of many men. I do not bear thefe croflings; give me leave- I am not in the roll of common men. That chides the banks of England, Wales, or Scotland, And bring him out that is but woman's fon, Or hold me pace in deep experiments. Hor. I think there is no man fpeaks better Welch. GLEN. I can fpeak English, lord, as well as you, For I was train'd up in the English court: Where, being young, I framed to the harp Many an English ditty, lovely well, And gave the tongue a helpful ornament; A virtue that was never seen in you. Hor. Marry! and I'm glad of it with all my heart: I'd rather be a kitten, and cry mew! Than one of thefe fame metre- ballad mongers! GLEN GLEN. And I can call spirits from the vafty deep. But will they come when you do call for them? ́ GLEN. Why, I can teach thee to command the devil, HOT. And I, can teach thee, çoz, to shame the devil, By telling truth; Tell truth and shame the devil. If thou haft power to raise him, bring him hither, CHAP. XV. SHAKSPEARE HOTSPUR READING A LETTER. BUT UT for mine own part, my Lord, I could be "well contented to be there, in refpect of the love I bear 66 your houfe." He could be contented to be there; why is he not then?" In refpect of the love he bears our house !” He fhews in this, he loves his own barn better than he loves our house. Let me fee fome more. The purpose you "undertake is dangerous. Why, that is certain; it is dangerous to take a cold, to fleep, to drink: but I tell you, my Lord fool, out of this nettle Danger, we pluck this flower Safety." The purpofe you undertake is dangerous, "the friends you have named uncertain, the time itself un"forted, and your whole plot too light for the counterpoise "of fo great an oppofition." Say you fo, fay you fo? I fay unto you again, you are a fhallow, cowardly hind, and you lie. What a lack-brain is this? By the Lord, our plot is a good plot as ever was laid; our friends true and conftant: a good plot, good friends, and full of expectation; an excellent plot, very good friends. What a frofty frofty-fpirited rogue this is? Why, my Lord of York commends the plot, and the general courfe of the action. By this hand, if I were now by this rafcal, I could brain him with his Lady's fan. Is there not my father, my uncle, and myself, Lord Edmund Mortimer, my Lord of York, and Owen Glendower? Is there not, befides, the Douglas? Have I not all their letters, to meet me in arms by the ninth of the next month and are there not fome of them fet forward already? What a Pagan rascal is this! an infidel! Ha! you shall fee now, in very fincerity of fear and cold heart, will he to the King and lay open all our proceedings. O, I could divide myself, and go to buffets, for moving fuch a dish of skimmed milk with fo honourable an action. Hang him, let him tell the King. We are preSHAKSPEARE pared; I will fet forward to night.. CHAP. XVI. HENRY IV.'s SOLILOQUY ON SLEEP. How many thousands of my poorest subjects Are at this hour asleep? O gentle. Sleep! Why rather, Sleep, lay'st thou in fmoky cribs, And hush'd with buzzing night-flies to thy flumber; And lull'd with founds of sweetest melody? A watch |