SCENE II. Another part of the forest. The Second part of King Henry the Fourth  Shakespeare homepage  |  Henry IV, part 2  | Act 4, Scene 2 

 Previous scene  |  Next scene  SCENE II. Another part of the forest. 

 Enter, from one side, MOWBRAY, attended; afterwards  the ARCHBISHOP OF YORK, HASTINGS, and others: from  the other side, Prince John of LANCASTER, and WESTMORELAND; Officers, and others with them  LANCASTER  You are well encounter'd here, my cousin Mowbray: 

 Good day to you, gentle lord archbishop; 

 And so to you, Lord Hastings, and to all. 

 My Lord of York, it better show'd with you 

 When that your flock, assembled by the bell, 

 Encircled you to hear with reverence 

 Your exposition on the holy text 

 Than now to see you here an iron man, 

 Cheering a rout of rebels with your drum, 

 Turning the word to sword and life to death. 

 That man that sits within a monarch's heart, 

 And ripens in the sunshine of his favour, 

 Would he abuse the countenance of the king, 

 Alack, what mischiefs might he set abrooch 

 In shadow of such greatness! With you, lord bishop, 

 It is even so. Who hath not heard it spoken 

 How deep you were within the books of God? 

 To us the speaker in his parliament; 

 To us the imagined voice of God himself; 

 The very opener and intelligencer 

 Between the grace, the sanctities of heaven 

 And our dull workings. O, who shall believe 

 But you misuse the reverence of your place, 

 Employ the countenance and grace of heaven, 

 As a false favourite doth his prince's name, 

 In deeds dishonourable? You have ta'en up, 

 Under the counterfeited zeal of God, 

 The subjects of his substitute, my father, 

 And both against the peace of heaven and him 

 Have here up-swarm'd them. 

 ARCHBISHOP OF YORK  Good my Lord of Lancaster, 

 I am not here against your father's peace; 

 But, as I told my lord of Westmoreland, 

 The time misorder'd doth, in common sense, 

 Crowd us and crush us to this monstrous form, 

 To hold our safety up. I sent your grace 

 The parcels and particulars of our grief, 

 The which hath been with scorn shoved from the court, 

 Whereon this Hydra son of war is born; 

 Whose dangerous eyes may well be charm'd asleep 

 With grant of our most just and right desires, 

 And true obedience, of this madness cured, 

 Stoop tamely to the foot of majesty. 

 MOWBRAY  If not, we ready are to try our fortunes 

 To the last man. 

 HASTINGS  And though we here fall down, 

 We have supplies to second our attempt: 

 If they miscarry, theirs shall second them; 

 And so success of mischief shall be born 

 And heir from heir shall hold this quarrel up 

 Whiles England shall have generation. 

 LANCASTER  You are too shallow, Hastings, much too shallow, 

 To sound the bottom of the after-times. 

 WESTMORELAND  Pleaseth your grace to answer them directly 

 How far forth you do like their articles. 

 LANCASTER  I like them all, and do allow them well, 

 And swear here, by the honour of my blood, 

 My father's purposes have been mistook, 

 And some about him have too lavishly 

 Wrested his meaning and authority. 

 My lord, these griefs shall be with speed redress'd; 

 Upon my soul, they shall. If this may please you, 

 Discharge your powers unto their several counties, 

 As we will ours: and here between the armies 

 Let's drink together friendly and embrace, 

 That all their eyes may bear those tokens home 

 Of our restored love and amity. 

 ARCHBISHOP OF YORK  I take your princely word for these redresses. 

 LANCASTER  I give it you, and will maintain my word: 

 And thereupon I drink unto your grace. 

 HASTINGS  Go, captain, and deliver to the army 

 This news of peace: let them have pay, and part: 

 I know it will well please them. Hie thee, captain. 



 Exit Officer  ARCHBISHOP OF YORK  To you, my noble Lord of Westmoreland. 

 WESTMORELAND  I pledge your grace; and, if you knew what pains 

 I have bestow'd to breed this present peace, 

 You would drink freely: but my love to ye 

 Shall show itself more openly hereafter. 

 ARCHBISHOP OF YORK  I do not doubt you. 

 WESTMORELAND  I am glad of it. 

 Health to my lord and gentle cousin, Mowbray. 

 MOWBRAY  You wish me health in very happy season; 

 For I am, on the sudden, something ill. 

 ARCHBISHOP OF YORK  Against ill chances men are ever merry; 

 But heaviness foreruns the good event. 

 WESTMORELAND  Therefore be merry, coz; since sudden sorrow 

 Serves to say thus, 'some good thing comes 

 to-morrow.' 

 ARCHBISHOP OF YORK  Believe me, I am passing light in spirit. 

 MOWBRAY  So much the worse, if your own rule be true. 



 Shouts within  LANCASTER  The word of peace is render'd: hark, how they shout! 

 MOWBRAY  This had been cheerful after victory. 

 ARCHBISHOP OF YORK  A peace is of the nature of a conquest; 

 For then both parties nobly are subdued, 

 And neither party loser. 

 LANCASTER  Go, my lord, 

 And let our army be discharged too. 



 Exit WESTMORELAND  And, good my lord, so please you, let our trains 

 March, by us, that we may peruse the men 

 We should have coped withal. 

 ARCHBISHOP OF YORK  Go, good Lord Hastings, 

 And, ere they be dismissed, let them march by. 



 Exit HASTINGS  LANCASTER  I trust, lords, we shall lie to-night together. 



 Re-enter WESTMORELAND  Now, cousin, wherefore stands our army still? 

 WESTMORELAND  The leaders, having charge from you to stand, 

 Will not go off until they hear you speak. 

 LANCASTER  They know their duties. 



 Re-enter HASTINGS  HASTINGS  My lord, our army is dispersed already; 

 Like youthful steers unyoked, they take their courses 

 East, west, north, south; or, like a school broke up, 

 Each hurries toward his home and sporting-place. 

 WESTMORELAND  Good tidings, my Lord Hastings; for the which 

 I do arrest thee, traitor, of high treason: 

 And you, lord archbishop, and you, Lord Mowbray, 

 Of capitol treason I attach you both. 

 MOWBRAY  Is this proceeding just and honourable? 

 WESTMORELAND  Is your assembly so? 

 ARCHBISHOP OF YORK  Will you thus break your faith? 

 LANCASTER  I pawn'd thee none: 

 I promised you redress of these same grievances 

 Whereof you did complain; which, by mine honour, 

 I will perform with a most Christian care. 

 But for you, rebels, look to taste the due 

 Meet for rebellion and such acts as yours. 

 Most shallowly did you these arms commence, 

 Fondly brought here and foolishly sent hence. 

 Strike up our drums, pursue the scatter'd stray: 

 God, and not we, hath safely fought to-day. 

 Some guard these traitors to the block of death, 

 Treason's true bed and yielder up of breath. 



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