bowels. I have led my raggamuffins where they are peppered: there's but three of my hundred and fifty left alive; and they are for the town's end, to beg during life. But who comes here? Enter Prince HENRY. P. Hen. What, stand'st thou idle here? lend me thy sword! Many a nobleman lies stark and stiff Fal. O Hal, I pr'ythee, give me leave to breathe a while!-Turk Gregory never did such deeds in arms, as I have done this day. I have paid Percy, I have made him sure. P. Hen. He is, indeed, and living to kill thee. Lend me thy sword, I pr'ythee. Fal. Nay, before God, Hal, if Percy be alive, thou get'st not my sword; but take my pistol, if thou wilt! P. Hen. Give it me! What, is it in the case? Fal. Ay, Hal; 'tis hot, 'tis hot; there's that will sack a city. [The Prince draws out a bottle of sack. P. IIen. What, is't a time to jest and dally now? [Throws it at him, and exit. Fal. Well, 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. SCENE IV. - Another part of the field. Alarums. Excursions. Enter the King, Prince HENRY, · Prince JOHN, and WESTMORELAND. K. Hen. I pr'ythee, Harry, withdraw thyself; thou bleed'st too much. Lord John of Lancaster, go you with him! P. John. Not I, my lord, unless I did bleed too. My lord of Westmoreland, lead him to his tent! come, cousin Doug. 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? Doug. 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 Henry. P. Hen. Hold up thy head, vile Scot, or thou art like Never to hold it up again! the spirits Of 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 flies. Cheerly, my lord! How fares your grace?— Sir Nicholas Gawsey hath for succour sent, And so hath Clifton. I'll to Clifton straight. K. Hen. Stay, and breathe a while!Thou hast redeem'd thy lost opinion, And show'd, thou mak'st some tender to my life, In this fair rescue, thou hast brought to me. P. Hen. O heaven! they did me too much injury, That ever said, I hearken'd for 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 sav'd the treacherous labour of your son. K. Hen. Make up to Clifton, I'll to sir Nicholas Gawsey. [Exit King Henry. Enter HOTSPUR. Hot. If I mistake not, thou art Harry Monmouth. P Hen. Thou speak'st, as if I would deny my name. Hot. My name is Harry Percy. P. Hen. Why, then I see A very valiant rebel of the name. I am the prince of Wales; and think not, Percy, Hot. Nor shall it, Harry, for the hour is come Fal. 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, and exit DOUGLAS. HOTSPUR is wounded, and falls. Hot. O, Harry, thou hast robb'd me of my youth: But thought's the slave of life, and life time's fool; Ill-weav'd ambition, how much art thou shrunk! K. Hen. The king himself, who, Douglas, grieves When that this body did contain a spirit, But let my favours hide thy mangled face! P. Hen. This is the strangest fellow, brother Come, bring your luggage nobly on your back: [A retreat is sounded. [Exeunt Prince Henry und Prince John. Fal. I'll follow, as they say, for reward. He that rewards me, God reward him! If I do grow great, I'll grow less ;for I'll purge, aud leave sack, and live cleanly,as a nobleman should do. [Exit,bearing off the body. [He sees Falstaff on the ground. What! old acquaintance! could not all this flesh Keep in a little life? Poor Jack, farewell! I would have better spar'd 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 to-day, Though many dearer, in this bloody fray. Embowell'd will I see thee by and by; Till then, in blood by noble Percy lie! [Exit. SCENF V.-Another part of the field. Fal. [Rising slowly.] Embowell'd! if thou embowel The trumpets sound. Enter King HENRY, Prince me to-day, I'll give you leave to powder me, and HENRY, Prince JOHN, WESTMORELAND, and Others,with eat me too, to-morrow. 'Sblood, 'twas time to coun- WORCESTER, and VERNON, prisoners. terfeit, or that hot termagant Scot had paid me K. Hen. Thus ever did rebellion find rebuke.scot and lot too. Counterfeit? I lie, I am no coun- Ill-spirited Worcester! did we not send grace, terfeit. To die, is to be a counterfeit; for he is but Pardon, and terms of love to all of you? the counterfeit of a man, who hath not the life of a And would'st thou turn our offers contrary? man: but to counterfeit dying, when a man thereby Misuse the tenor of thy kinsman's trust? liveth, is to be no counterfeit, but the true and per- Three knights upon our party slain to-day, fect image of life indeed. The better part of valour A noble earl, and many a creature else, is-discretion; in the which better part, I have saved Had been alive this hour, my life. "Zounds, I am afraid of this gunpowder Per-If, like a christian, thou hadst truly borne Wor. What I have done, my safety urg'd me to; too: [Exeunt Worcester and Vernon, guarded. How goes the field? P. Hen. The noble Scot, lord Douglas, when he saw That plays upon our eye-sight? I pr'ythee, speak; K. Hen. With all my heart. P. Hen. Then, brother John of Lancaster, to you Fal. No, that's certain; I am not a double man: but if I be not Jack Falstaff, then am I a Jack. There is Percy: [Throwing the body down.]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. P.llen. Why, Percy I kill'd myself, and saw thee dead. You, son John, and my cousin Westmoreland, Fal. Didst thou?- Lord! Lord! how this world is | Towards York shall bend you, with your darest speed, given to lying! I grant you, I was down, and out of To meet Northumberland, and the prelate Scroop, breath; and so was he: but we rose both at an instant, Who, as we hear, are busily in arms. and fought a long hour by Shrewsbury clock. If I may Myself, — and you, son Harry, — will towards Wales, be believed, so; if not, let them, that should reward To fight with Glendower, and the earl of March. valour, bear the sin upon their own heads. I'll take it Rebellion in this land shall lose his sway, upon my death, I gave him this wound in the thigh: if Meeting the check of such another day; the man were alive, and would deny it, I would make And since this business so fair is done, him eat a piece of my sword. Let us not leave, till all our own be won! P.John. This is the strangest tale that e'er I heard." [Exeunt. |