KING HENRY THE FOURTH.

HENRY, Prince of Wales, afterwards
King Henry V.

THOMAS, Duke of Clarence,

PRINCE JOHN of Lancaster, afterwards his Sons. (2 Henry V.) Duke of Bedford,

PRINCE HUMPHREY of Gloster, afterwards (2 Henry V.) Duke of Gloster,

EARL OF WARWICK,

EARL OF WESTMORELAND, of the King's Party.
GOWER, HARCOURT,

LORD CHIEF JUSTICE of the King's Bench.
A Gentleman attending on the Chief Justice.
EARL OF NORTHUMBERLAND,"

SCROOP, Archbishop of York,

LORD MOWBRAY,

LORD HASTINGS,

Enemies to the

King.

LORD BARDOLPH,

SIR JOHN COLEVILLE,

TRAVERS and MORTON, Domestics of Northumberland.

FALSTAFF, BARDOLPH, PISTOL, and Page POINS and PETO, Attendants on Prince Henry. SHALLOW and SILENCE, Country Justices. DAVY, Servant to Shallow.

MOULDY, SHADOW, WART, FEEBLE, and BULLCALF, Recruits.

FANG and SNARE, Sheriff's Officers.

Rumour.

A Porter.

A Dancer, Speaker of the Epilogue.

LADY NORTHUMBERLAND.

LADY PERCY.

Hostess QUICKLY.

DOLL TEAR-SHEET.

Lords and other Attendants; Officers, Soldiers, Messenger, Drawers, Beadles, Grooms, &c. SCENE, England.

KING HENRY IV.

PART SECOND.

INDUCTION.

Warkworth. Before Northumberland's Castle. Enter RUMOUR, painted full of tongues. Rum. Open your ears; for which of you will stop The vent of hearing, when loud Rumour speaks? 1. from the orient to the drooping west, Making the wind my post-horse, still unfold The acts commencé on this ball of earth: Upon my tongues continual slanders ride; The which in every language I pronounce, Stuffing the ears of men with false reports. I speak of peace, while covert enmity, Under the smile of safety, wounds the world: And who but Rumour, who but only I, Make fearful musters, and prepared defence ;.

Whilst 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 wavering multitude,
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 bloody 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 noble 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 learn'd of me: From Rumour's tongues
They bring smooth comforts false, worse than true

wrongs.

[Bail.

ACT I.

SCENE I. The same.

The Porter before the Gate. Enter Lord BARDOLPH. Bard. Who keeps the gate here, ho?-Where is the Port. What shall I say you are?

Bard.

[ear!?

Tell thou the earl,

That the lord Bardolph doth attend him here.

Port. His lordship is walk'd forth into the orchard; Please it your honour, knock but at the gate,

And he himself will answer.

Bard.

Enter NORTHUMBERLAND.

Here comes the earl.

North. What news, lord Bardolph ? every minute

now

Should be the father of some stratagem:
The times are wild; contention, like a horse
Full of high feeding, madly hath broke loose,
And bears down all before him.

Bard,

Noble earl, I bring you certain news from Shrewsbury. North. Good, an Heaven will!

Bard.

As good as heart can wish
The king is almost wounded to the death;
And, in the fortune of my lord your son,
Prince Harry slain outright; and both the Blunts
Kill'd by the hand of Douglas: young Prince John,
And Westmoreland, and Stafford, fled the field;
And Harry Monmouth's brawn, the hulk Sir John,
Is prisoner to your son: O, such a day,

So fought, so follow'd, and so fairly won.
Came not, till now, to dignify the times,
Since Cæsar's fortunes!

North.

How is this derived?

Saw you the field? came you from Shrewsbury

Bard. I spake with one, my lord, that came from thence,

A gentleman well bred, and of good name,
That freely render'd me these news for true.

North. Here comes my servant, Travers, whom

On Tuesday last to listen after news.

Bard. My lord, I overrode him on the way;

And he is furnish'd with no certainties,

More than he haply may retail from me.

Enter TRAVERS.

[sent

North. Now, Travers, what good tidings come with you?

Tra. My lord, Sir John Umfrevile turn'd me back With joyful tidings; and, being better horsed, Outrode me. After him, came, spurring hard, A gentleman almost forespent with speed, That stopp'd by me to breathe his bloodied horse: He ask'd the way to Chester; and of him I did demand, what news from Shrewsbury. He told me, that rebellion had bad luck, And that young Harry Percy's spur was cold. With that, he gave his able horse the head, And, bending forward, struck his armed heels, Against the panting sides of his poor jade Up to the rowel-head; and, starting so, He seem'd in running to devour the way, Staying no longer question.

B