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First Part of
King Henry the Fourth
ACT V SCENE IV
Plain near Shrewsbury. Prince Henry, Hotspur, Falstaff
after Hyacinthe Rigaud
Engraved by Thomas Ryder
| HOTSPUR O, Harry, thou hast robb'd me of my youth! I better brook the loss of brittle life Than those proud titles thou hast won of me; They wound my thoughts worse than sword my flesh: But thought's the slave of life, and life time's fool; |
And time, that takes survey of all the world, Must have a stop. O, I could prophesy, But that the earthy and cold hand of death Lies on my tongue: no, Percy, thou art dust And food for-- Dies |
SCENE IV. Another part of the field. Exeunt LANCASTER and WESTMORELAND PRINCE HENRY By God, thou hast deceived me, Lancaster; I did not think thee lord of such a spirit: Before, I loved thee as a brother, John; But now, I do respect thee as my soul. KING HENRY IV I saw him hold Lord Percy at the point With lustier maintenance than I did look for Of such an ungrown warrior. PRINCE HENRY O, this boy Lends mettle to us all! Exit Enter DOUGLAS EARL OF DOUGLAS Another king! they grow like Hydra's heads: I am the Douglas, fatal to all those That wear those colors on them: what art thou, That counterfeit'st the person of a king? KING HENRY IV The king himself; who, Douglas, grieves at heart So many of his shadows thou hast met And not the very king. I have two boys Seek Percy and thyself about the field: But, seeing thou fall'st on me so luckily, I will assay thee: so, defend thyself. EARL OF DOUGLAS 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. KING HENRY being in danger, PRINCE HENRY enters PRINCE HENRY Hold up thy head, vile Scot, or thou art like Never to hold it up again! the spirits Of valiant 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? Exit Enter HOTSPUR HOTSPUR If I mistake not, thou art Harry Monmouth. PRINCE HENRY Thou speak'st as if I would deny my name. HOTSPUR My name is Harry Percy. PRINCE HENRY Why, then I see A very valiant rebel of the name. I am the Prince of Wales; and think not, Percy, To share with me in glory any more: Two stars keep not their motion in one sphere; Nor can one England brook a double reign, Of Harry Percy and the Prince of Wales. HOTSPUR Nor shall it, Harry; for the hour is come To end the one of us; and would to God Thy name in arms were now as great as mine! PRINCE HENRY I'll make it greater ere I part from thee; And all the budding honours on thy crest I'll crop, to make a garland for my head. HOTSPUR I can no longer brook thy vanities. They fight Enter FALSTAFF FALSTAFF Well said, Hal! to it Hal! Nay, you shall find no boy's play here, I can tell you. Re-enter DOUGLAS; he fights with FALSTAFF, who falls down as if he were dead, and exit DOUGLAS. HOTSPUR is wounded, and falls HOTSPUR O, Harry, thou hast robb'd me of my youth! I better brook the loss of brittle life Than those proud titles thou hast won of me; They wound my thoughts worse than sword my flesh: But thought's the slave of life, and life time's fool; And time, that takes survey of all the world, Must have a stop. O, I could prophesy, But that the earthy and cold hand of death Lies on my tongue: no, Percy, thou art dust And food for — Dies ^^^PRINCE HENRY For worms, brave Percy: fare thee well, great heart! Ill-weaved ambition, how much art thou shrunk! When that this body did contain a spirit, A kingdom for it was too small a bound; But now two paces of the vilest earth Is room enough: this earth that bears thee dead Bears not alive so stout a gentleman. If thou wert sensible of courtesy, I should not make so dear a show of zeal: But let my favours hide thy mangled face; And, even in thy behalf, I'll thank myself For doing these fair rites of tenderness. Adieu, and take thy praise with thee to heaven! Thy ignominy sleep with thee in the grave, But not remember'd in thy epitaph! He spieth FALSTAFF on the
ground What, old acquaintance! could not all this flesh Exit PRINCE HENRY FALSTAFF [Rising up] Embowelled! if thou embowel me to-day, I'll give you leave to powder me and eat me too to-morrow. 'Sblood,'twas time to counterfeit, or that hot termagant Scot had paid me scot and lot too. Counterfeit? I lie, I am no counterfeit: to die, is to be a counterfeit; for he is but the counterfeit of a man who hath not the life of a man: but to counterfeit dying, when a man thereby liveth, is to be no counterfeit, but the true and perfect image of life indeed. The better part of valour is discretion; in the which better part I have saved my life.'Zounds, I am afraid of this gunpowder Percy, though he be dead: how, if he should counterfeit too and rise? by my faith, I am afraid he would prove the better counterfeit. Therefore I'll make him sure; yea, and I'll swear I killed him. Why may not he rise as well as I? Nothing confutes me but eyes, and nobody sees me. Therefore, sirrah, Stabbing him with a new wound in your
thigh, come you along with me. Takes up HOTSPUR on his back Re-enter PRINCE HENRY and LORD JOHN OF LANCASTER PRINCE HENRY Come, brother John; full bravely hast thou flesh'd Thy maiden sword. LANCASTER But, soft! whom have we here? Did you not tell me this fat man was dead? PRINCE HENRY I did; I saw him dead, Breathless and bleeding on the ground. Art thou alive? Or is it fantasy that plays upon our eyesight? I prithee, speak; we will not trust our eyes Without our ears: thou art not what thou seem'st. FALSTAFF 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 A retreat is sounded The trumpet sounds retreat; the day is
ours. Exeunt PRINCE HENRY and LANCASTER FALSTAFF 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, and leave sack, and live cleanly as a nobleman should do. Exit |