To any well-deserving friend;
But in the way of
bargain, mark ye me,
I'll cavil on the ninth part of a hair
Are the indentures drawn? Shall we be gone?
Glend. The moon shines fair; you may away by night.
I'll haste the
writer, and
withalBreak with your wives of your
departure hence.
I am afraid my daughter will run mad,
So much she doteth on her Mortimer. Exit.
Mort. Fie, cousin Percy! how you cross my father!
Hot. I cannot choose. Sometimes he angers me
With telling me of the moldwarp and the ant,
Of the
dreamer Merlin and his prophecies,
And of a
dragon and a finless fish,
A clip-wing'd griffin and a moulten raven,
A couching lion and a ramping cat,
And such a deal of skimble-skamble stuff
As puts me from my faith. I tell you what-
He held me last night at least nine hours
In
reckoning up the several devils' names
That were his lackeys. I cried 'hum,' and 'Well, go to!'
But mark'd him not a word. O, he is as tedious
As a tired horse, a
railing wife;
Worse than a smoky house. I had rather live
With
cheese and
garlic in a windmill far
Than feed on cates and have him talk to me
In any summer house in Christendom).
Mort. In faith, he is a
worthy gentleman,
Exceedingly well read, and profited
In strange concealments,
valiant as a lion,
And
wondrous affable, and as bountiful
As mines of India. Shall I tell you, cousin?
He holds your
temper in a high respect
And curbs himself even of his natural scope
When you come 'cross his
humour. Faith, he does.
I
warrant you that man is not alive
Might so have tempted him as you have done
Without the taste of danger and
reproof.
But do not use it oft, let me
entreat you.
Wor. In faith, my lord, you are too wilful-blame,
And since your coming
hither have done enough
To put him quite besides his patience.
You must needs learn, lord, to amend this fault.
Though sometimes it show
greatness, courage, blood-
And that's the dearest grace it renders you-
Yet
oftentimes it doth present harsh rage,
Defect of manners, want of government,
Pride, haughtiness, opinion, and disdain;
The least of which haunting a nobleman
Loseth men's hearts, and leaves behind a stain
Upon the beauty of all parts besides,
Beguiling them of commendation.
Hot. Well, I am school'd. Good manners be your speed!
Here come our wives, and let us take our leave.
Enter Glendower with the Ladies.
Mort. This is the
deadly spite that angers me-
My wife can speak no English, I no Welsh.
Glend. My daughter weeps; she will not part with you;
She'll be a soldier too, she'll to the wars.
Mort. Good father, tell her that she and my aunt Percy
Shall follow in your conduct speedily.
Glendower speaks to her in Welsh, and she answers
him in the same.
Glend. She is
desperate here. A peevish self-will'd harlotry,
One that no
persuasion can do good upon.
The Lady speaks in Welsh.
Mort. I understand thy looks. That pretty Welsh
Which thou pourest down from these swelling heavens
I am too perfect in; and, but for shame,
In such a Barley should I answer thee.
The Lady again in Welsh.
I understand thy kisses, and thou mine,
And that's a feeling disputation.
But I will never be a
truant, love,
Till I have
learnt thy language: for thy tongue
Makes Welsh as sweet as ditties highly penn'd,
Sung by a fair queen in a summer's bow'r,
With ravishing division, to her lute.
Glend. Nay, if you melt, then will she run mad.
The Lady speaks again in Welsh.
Mort. O, I am
ignorance itself in this!
Glend. She bids you on the
wanton rushes lay you down
And rest your gentle head upon her lap,
And she will sing the song that pleaseth you
And on your eyelids crown the god of sleep,
Charming your blood with
pleasing heaviness,
Making such difference 'twixt wake and sleep
As is the difference betwixt day and night
The hour before the heavenly-harness'd team
Begins his golden progress in the East.
Mort. With all my heart I'll sit and hear her sing.
By that time will our book, I think, be drawn.
Glend. Do so,
And those musicians that shall play to you
Hang in the air a thousand leagues from hence,
And straight they shall be here. Sit, and attend.
Hot. Come, Kate, thou art perfect in lying down. Come, quick,
quick, that I may lay my head in thy lap.
Lady P. Go, ye giddy goose.
The music plays.
Hot. Now I
perceive the devil understands Welsh;
And 'tis no
marvel, be is so humorous.
By'r Lady, he is a good musician.
Lady P. Then should you be nothing but
musical; for you are
altogether govern'd by
humours. Lie still, ye thief, and hear the
lady sing in Welsh.
Hot. I had rather hear Lady, my brach, howl in Irish.
Lady P. Wouldst thou have thy head broken?
Hot. No.
Lady P. Then be still.
Hot. Neither! 'Tis a woman's fault.
Lady P. Now God help thee!
Hot. To the Welsh lady's bed.
Lady P. What's that?
Hot. Peace! she sings.
Here the Lady sings a Welsh song.
Come, Kate, I'll have your song too.
Lady P. Not mine, in good sooth.
Hot. Not yours, in good sooth? Heart! you swear like a
comfit-maker's wife. 'Not you, in good sooth!' and 'as true as I
live!' and 'as God shall mend me!' and 'as sure as day!'
And givest such sarcenet surety for thy oaths
As if thou ne'er walk'st further than Finsbury.
Swear me, Kate, like a lady as thou art,
A good mouth-filling oath; and leave 'in sooth'
And such protest of
pepper gingerbread
To
velvet guards and Sunday citizens. Come, sing.
Lady P. I will not sing.
Hot. 'Tis the next way to turn
tailor or be redbreast-teacher. An
the indentures be drawn, I'll away within these two hours; and so
come in when ye will. Exit.
Glend. Come, come, Lord Mortimer. You are as slow
As hot Lord Percy is on fire to go.
By this our book is drawn; we'll but seal,
And then to horse immediately.
Mort. With all my heart.
Exeunt.
Scene II.
London. The Palace.
Enter the King, Prince of Wales, and others.
King. Lords, give us leave. The Prince of Wales and I
Must have some private
conference; but be near at hand,
For we shall
presently have need of you.
Exeunt Lords.
I know not whether God will have it so,
For some dis
pleasing service I have done,
That, in his secret doom, out of my blood
He'll breed revengement and a
scourge for me;
But thou dost in thy passages of life
Make me believe that thou art only mark'd
For the hot
vengeance and the rod of heaven
To
punish my mistreadings. Tell me else,
Could such inordinate and low desires,
Such poor, such bare, such lewd, such mean attempts,
Such
barren pleasures, rude society,
As thou art match'd
withal and grafted to,
Accompany the
greatness of thy blood
And hold their level with thy
princely heart?
Prince. So please your Majesty, I would I could
Quit all offences with as clear excuse
As well as I am
doubtless I can purge
Myself of many I am charged
withal.
Yet such extenuation let me beg
As, in
reproof of many tales devis'd,
Which oft the ear of
greatness needs must bear
By, smiling pickthanks and base newsmongers,
I may, for some things true
wherein my youth
Hath
faulty wand'red and irregular,
And
pardon on lily true submission.
King. God
pardon thee! Yet let me wonder, Harry,
At thy affections, which do hold a wing,
Quite from the
flight of all thy ancestors.
Thy place in Council thou hast
rudely lost,
Which by thy younger brother is supplied,
And art almost an alien to the hearts
Of all the court and
princes of my blood.
The hope and
expectation of thy time
Is ruin'd, and the soul of every man
Prophetically do forethink thy fall.
Had I so
lavish of my presence been,
So common-hackney'd in the eyes of men,
So stale and cheap to
vulgar company,
Opinion, that did help me to the crown,
Had still kept loyal to possession
And left me in reputeless banishment,
A fellow of no mark nor likelihood.
By being seldom seen, I could not stir
But, like a comet, I Was wond'red at;
That men would tell their children, 'This is he!'
Others would say, 'Where? Which is Bolingbroke?'
And then I stole all
courtesy from heaven,
And dress'd myself in such humility
That I did pluck
allegiance from men's hearts,
Loud shouts and salutations from their mouths
Even in the presence of the crowned King.
Thus did I keep my person fresh and new,
My presence, like a robe pontifical,
Ne'er seen but wond'red at; and so my state,
Seldom but
sumptuous, show'd like a feast
And won by rareness such solemnity.
The skipping King, he ambled up and down