SCENE III. The rebel camp near Shrewsbury. The First part of King Henry the Fourth  Shakespeare homepage  |  Henry IV, part 1  | Act 4, Scene 3 

 Previous scene  |  Next scene  SCENE III. The rebel camp near Shrewsbury. 

 Enter HOTSPUR, WORCESTER, DOUGLAS, and VERNON  HOTSPUR  We'll fight with him to-night. 

 EARL OF WORCESTER  It may not be. 

 EARL OF DOUGLAS  You give him then the advantage. 

 VERNON  Not a whit. 

 HOTSPUR  Why say you so? looks he not for supply? 

 VERNON  So do we. 

 HOTSPUR  His is certain, ours is doubtful. 

 EARL OF WORCESTER  Good cousin, be advised; stir not tonight. 

 VERNON  Do not, my lord. 

 EARL OF DOUGLAS  You do not counsel well: 

 You speak it out of fear and cold heart. 

 VERNON  Do me no slander, Douglas: by my life, 

 And I dare well maintain it with my life, 

 If well-respected honour bid me on, 

 I hold as little counsel with weak fear 

 As you, my lord, or any Scot that this day lives: 

 Let it be seen to-morrow in the battle 

 Which of us fears. 

 EARL OF DOUGLAS  Yea, or to-night. 

 VERNON  Content. 

 HOTSPUR  To-night, say I. 

 VERNON  Come, come it nay not be. I wonder much, 

 Being men of such great leading as you are, 

 That you foresee not what impediments 

 Drag back our expedition: certain horse 

 Of my cousin Vernon's are not yet come up: 

 Your uncle Worcester's horse came but today; 

 And now their pride and mettle is asleep, 

 Their courage with hard labour tame and dull, 

 That not a horse is half the half of himself. 

 HOTSPUR  So are the horses of the enemy 

 In general, journey-bated and brought low: 

 The better part of ours are full of rest. 

 EARL OF WORCESTER  The number of the king exceedeth ours: 

 For God's sake. cousin, stay till all come in. 



 The trumpet sounds a parley 

 Enter SIR WALTER BLUNT  SIR WALTER BLUNT  I come with gracious offers from the king, 

 if you vouchsafe me hearing and respect. 

 HOTSPUR  Welcome, Sir Walter Blunt; and would to God 

 You were of our determination! 

 Some of us love you well; and even those some 

 Envy your great deservings and good name, 

 Because you are not of our quality, 

 But stand against us like an enemy. 

 SIR WALTER BLUNT  And God defend but still I should stand so, 

 So long as out of limit and true rule 

 You stand against anointed majesty. 

 But to my charge. The king hath sent to know 

 The nature of your griefs, and whereupon 

 You conjure from the breast of civil peace 

 Such bold hostility, teaching his duteous land 

 Audacious cruelty. If that the king 

 Have any way your good deserts forgot, 

 Which he confesseth to be manifold, 

 He bids you name your griefs; and with all speed 

 You shall have your desires with interest 

 And pardon absolute for yourself and these 

 Herein misled by your suggestion. 

 HOTSPUR  The king is kind; and well we know the king 

 Knows at what time to promise, when to pay. 

 My father and my uncle and myself 

 Did give him that same royalty he wears; 

 And when he was not six and twenty strong, 

 Sick in the world's regard, wretched and low, 

 A poor unminded outlaw sneaking home, 

 My father gave him welcome to the shore; 

 And when he heard him swear and vow to God 

 He came but to be Duke of Lancaster, 

 To sue his livery and beg his peace, 

 With tears of innocency and terms of zeal, 

 My father, in kind heart and pity moved, 

 Swore him assistance and perform'd it too. 

 Now when the lords and barons of the realm 

 Perceived Northumberland did lean to him, 

 The more and less came in with cap and knee; 

 Met him in boroughs, cities, villages, 

 Attended him on bridges, stood in lanes, 

 Laid gifts before him, proffer'd him their oaths, 

 Gave him their heirs, as pages follow'd him 

 Even at the heels in golden multitudes. 

 He presently, as greatness knows itself, 

 Steps me a little higher than his vow 

 Made to my father, while his blood was poor, 

 Upon the naked shore at Ravenspurgh; 

 And now, forsooth, takes on him to reform 

 Some certain edicts and some strait decrees 

 That lie too heavy on the commonwealth, 

 Cries out upon abuses, seems to weep 

 Over his country's wrongs; and by this face, 

 This seeming brow of justice, did he win 

 The hearts of all that he did angle for; 

 Proceeded further; cut me off the heads 

 Of all the favourites that the absent king 

 In deputation left behind him here, 

 When he was personal in the Irish war. 

 SIR WALTER BLUNT  Tut, I came not to hear this. 

 HOTSPUR  Then to the point. 

 In short time after, he deposed the king; 

 Soon after that, deprived him of his life; 

 And in the neck of that, task'd the whole state: 

 To make that worse, suffer'd his kinsman March, 

 Who is, if every owner were well placed, 

 Indeed his king, to be engaged in Wales, 

 There without ransom to lie forfeited; 

 Disgraced me in my happy victories, 

 Sought to entrap me by intelligence; 

 Rated mine uncle from the council-board; 

 In rage dismiss'd my father from the court; 

 Broke oath on oath, committed wrong on wrong, 

 And in conclusion drove us to seek out 

 This head of safety; and withal to pry 

 Into his title, the which we find 

 Too indirect for long continuance. 

 SIR WALTER BLUNT  Shall I return this answer to the king? 

 HOTSPUR  Not so, Sir Walter: we'll withdraw awhile. 

 Go to the king; and let there be impawn'd 

 Some surety for a safe return again, 

 And in the morning early shall my uncle 

 Bring him our purposes: and so farewell. 

 SIR WALTER BLUNT  I would you would accept of grace and love. 

 HOTSPUR  And may be so we shall. 

 SIR WALTER BLUNT  Pray God you do. 



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