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Henry IV, Pt. 1: Act III, Scene 2

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Henry IV, Pt. 1
Act III, Scene 2

London . The palace .

Thou shalt have charge and sovereign trust herein.

Edwin Austin Abbey, 1905

  1. Enter the King , Prince of Wales , Lords , and others .

King Henry IV

1 - 17
  1. Lords , give us leave , the Prince of Wales and I
  2. Must have some private conference , but be near at hand ,
  3. For we shall presently have need of you .
  4. Exeunt Lords .
  5. I know not whether God will have it so
  6. For some displeasing service I have done ,
  7. That in his secret doom , out of my blood
  8. He’ll breed revengement and a scourge for me ;
  9. But thou dost in thy passages of life
  10. Make me believe that thou art only mark’d
  11. For the hot vengeance , and the rod of heaven ,
  12. To punish my mistreadings . Tell me else ,
  13. Could such inordinate and low desires ,
  14. Such poor , such bare , such lewd , such mean attempts ,
  15. Such barren pleasures , rude society ,
  16. As thou art match’d withal and grafted to ,
  17. Accompany the greatness of thy blood ,
  18. And hold their level with thy princely heart ?

Prince Henry

18 - 28
  1. So please your Majesty , I would I could
  2. Quit all offenses with as clear excuse
  3. As well as I am doubtless I can purge
  4. Myself of many I am charg’d withal ;
  5. Yet such extenuation let me beg
  6. As in reproof of many tales devis’d ,
  7. Which oft the ear of greatness needs must hear
  8. By smiling pick - thanks and base newsmongers ,
  9. I may for some things true , wherein my youth
  10. Hath faulty wand’red and irregular ,
  11. Find pardon on my true submission .

King Henry IV

29 - 91
  1. God pardon thee ! Yet let me wonder , Harry ,
  2. At thy affections , which do hold a wing
  3. Quite from the flight of all thy ancestors .
  4. Thy place in Council thou hast rudely lost ,
  5. Which by thy younger brother is supplied ,
  6. And art almost an alien to the hearts
  7. Of all the court and princes of my blood ;
  8. The hope and expectation of thy time
  9. Is ruin’d , and the soul of every man
  10. Prophetically do forethink thy fall .
  11. Had I so lavish of my presence been ,
  12. So common - hackney’d in the eyes of men ,
  13. So stale and cheap to vulgar company ,
  14. Opinion , that did help me to the crown ,
  15. Had still kept loyal to possession ,
  16. And left me in reputeless banishment ,
  17. A fellow of no mark nor likelihood .
  18. By being seldom seen , I could not stir
  19. But like a comet I was wond’red at ,
  20. That men would tell their children , “ This is he ”;
  21. Others would say , “ Where , which is Bullingbrook ?”
  22. And then I stole all courtesy from heaven ,
  23. And dress’d myself in such humility
  24. That I did pluck allegiance from men’s hearts ,
  25. Loud shouts and salutations from their mouths ,
  26. Even in the presence of the crowned King .
  27. Thus did I keep my person fresh and new ,
  28. My presence , like a robe pontifical ,
  29. Ne’er seen but wond’red at , and so my state ,
  30. Seldom but sumptuous , show’d like a feast ,
  31. And wan by rareness such solemnity .
  32. The skipping King , he ambled up and down ,
  33. With shallow jesters , and rash bavin wits ,
  34. Soon kindled and soon burnt , carded his state ,
  35. Mingled his royalty with cap’ring fools ,
  36. Had his great name profaned with their scorns ,
  37. And gave his countenance , against his name ,
  38. To laugh at gibing boys , and stand the push
  39. Of every beardless vain comparative ,
  40. Grew a companion to the common streets ,
  41. Enfeoff’d himself to popularity ,
  42. That , being daily swallowed by men’s eyes ,
  43. They surfeited with honey and began
  44. To loathe the taste of sweetness , whereof a little
  45. More than a little is by much too much .
  46. So when he had occasion to be seen ,
  47. He was but as the cuckoo is in June ,
  48. Heard , not regarded ; seen , but with such eyes
  49. As , sick and blunted with community ,
  50. Afford no extraordinary gaze ,
  51. Such as is bent on sunlike majesty
  52. When it shines seldom in admiring eyes ;
  53. But rather drows’d and hung their eyelids down ,
  54. Slept in his face and rend’red such aspect
  55. As cloudy men use to their adversaries ,
  56. Being with his presence glutted , gorg’d , and full .
  57. And in that very line , Harry , standest thou ,
  58. For thou hast lost thy princely privilege
  59. With vile participation . Not an eye
  60. But is a - weary of thy common sight ,
  61. Save mine , which hath desir’d to see thee more ,
  62. Which now doth that I would not have it do ,
  63. Make blind itself with foolish tenderness .
King Henry IV

King Henry IV

John Miller, George Scharf, 1824

Prince Henry

92 - 93
  1. I shall hereafter , my thrice - gracious lord ,
  2. Be more myself .

King Henry IV

94 - 129
  1. For all the world
  2. As thou art to this hour was Richard then
  3. When I from France set foot at Ravenspurgh ,
  4. And even as I was then is Percy now .
  5. Now by my sceptre , and my soul to boot ,
  6. He hath more worthy interest to the state
  7. Than thou the shadow of succession .
  8. For of no right , nor color like to right ,
  9. He doth fill fields with harness in the realm ,
  10. Turns head against the lion’s armed jaws ,
  11. And being no more in debt to years than thou ,
  12. Leads ancient lords and reverend bishops on
  13. To bloody battles and to bruising arms .
  14. What never - dying honor hath he got
  15. Against renowned Douglas ! Whose high deeds ,
  16. Whose hot incursions and great name in arms ,
  17. Holds from all soldiers chief majority
  18. And military title capital
  19. Through all the kingdoms that acknowledge Christ .
  20. Thrice hath this Hotspur , Mars in swathling clothes ,
  21. This infant warrior , in his enterprises
  22. Discomfited great Douglas , ta’en him once ,
  23. Enlarg’d him and made a friend of him ,
  24. To fill the mouth of deep defiance up ,
  25. And shake the peace and safety of our throne .
  26. And what say you to this ? Percy , Northumberland ,
  27. The Archbishop’s grace of York , Douglas , Mortimer ,
  28. Capitulate against us , and are up .
  29. But wherefore do I tell these news to thee ?
  30. Why , Harry , do I tell thee of my foes ,
  31. Which art my nearest and dearest enemy ?
  32. Thou that art like enough , through vassal fear ,
  33. Base inclination , and the start of spleen ,
  34. To fight against me under Percy’s pay ,
  35. To dog his heels and curtsy at his frowns ,
  36. To show how much thou art degenerate .
Costume design for Prince Henry

Costume design for Prince Henry

John Miller, George Scharf, 1824

Prince Henry

130 - 160
  1. Do not think so , you shall not find it so ,
  2. And God forgive them that so much have sway’d
  3. Your Majesty’s good thoughts away from me !
  4. I will redeem all this on Percy’s head ,
  5. And in the closing of some glorious day
  6. Be bold to tell you that I am your son ,
  7. When I will wear a garment all of blood ,
  8. And stain my favors in a bloody mask ,
  9. Which wash’d away shall scour my shame with it .
  10. And that shall be the day , when e’er it lights ,
  11. That this same child of honor and renown ,
  12. This gallant Hotspur , this all - praised knight ,
  13. And your unthought - of Harry chance to meet .
  14. For every honor sitting on his helm ,
  15. Would they were multitudes , and on my head
  16. My shames redoubled ! For the time will come
  17. That I shall make this northern youth exchange
  18. His glorious deeds for my indignities .
  19. Percy is but my factor , good my lord ,
  20. To engross up glorious deeds on my behalf ;
  21. And I will call him to so strict account
  22. That he shall render every glory up ,
  23. Yea , even the slightest worship of his time ,
  24. Or I will tear the reckoning from his heart .
  25. This in the name of God I promise here ,
  26. The which if he be pleas’d I shall perform ,
  27. I do beseech your Majesty may salve
  28. The long - grown wounds of my intemperance .
  29. If not , the end of life cancels all bands ,
  30. And I will die a hundred thousand deaths
  31. Ere break the smallest parcel of this vow .

King Henry IV

161 - 163
  1. A hundred thousand rebels die in this .
  2. Thou shalt have charge and sovereign trust herein .
  3. Enter Blunt .
  4. How now , good Blunt ? Thy looks are full of speed .

Blunt

164 - 170
  1. So hath the business that I come to speak of .
  2. Lord Mortimer of Scotland hath sent word
  3. That Douglas and the English rebels met
  4. The eleventh of this month at Shrewsbury .
  5. A mighty and a fearful head they are ,
  6. If promises be kept on every hand ,
  7. As ever off’red foul play in a state .

King Henry IV

171 - 181
  1. The Earl of Westmorland set forth today ,
  2. With him my son , Lord John of Lancaster ,
  3. For this advertisement is five days old .
  4. On Wednesday next , Harry , you shall set forward ,
  5. On Thursday we ourselves will march . Our meeting
  6. Is Bridgenorth . And , Harry , you shall march
  7. Through Gloucestershire ; by which account ,
  8. Our business valued , some twelve days hence
  9. Our general forces at Bridgenorth shall meet .
  10. Our hands are full of business , let’s away ,
  11. Advantage feeds him fat while men delay .
  1. Exeunt .
Cassell's Illustrated Shakespeare

And I will die a hundred thousand deaths
Ere break the smallest parcel of this vow.

From: Cassell's Illustrated Shakespeare

Mary Cowden Clarke, Charles Cowden Clarke, 1870

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