SCENE III.

The same.

Another Room in the Palace.

Enter King Henry, NORTHUMBERLAND, WOR

CESTER, HOTSPUR, Sir WALTER BLUNT, and
Others.
K. Hen. My blood hath been too cold and tem-

perate,
Unapt to stir at these indignities,
And
you

have found me; for, accordingly, You tread upon my patience: but, be sure, I will from henceforth rather be myself, Mighty, and to be fear’d, than my condition;' Which hath been smooth as oil, soft as young down, And therefore lost that title of respect, Which the proud soul ne'er pays, but to the proud.

Wor. Our house, my sovereign liege, little de

serves

The scourge of greatness to be used on it;
And that same greatness too which our own hands
Have holp to make so portly.

North. My lord,
K. Hen. Worcester, get thee gone, for I see

danger
And disobedience in thine eye: 0, sir,
Your presence is too bold and peremptory,
And majesty might never yet endure
The moody frontier? of a servant brow.

9 I will from henceforth rather be myself,

Mighty, and to be fear'd, than my condition;] i. e. I will from henceforth rather put on the character that becomes me, and exert the resentment of an injured king, than still continue in the inactivity and mildness of my natural disposition.

The moody frontierma] Frontier was anciently used for fore. head.

Who, therewith a

You have good leave” to leave us; when we need Your use and counsel, we shall send for you.

(Exit WORCESTER You were about to speak.

[To North, North.

Yea, my good lord. Those prisoners in your highness' name demanded, Which Harry Percy here at Holmedon took, Were, as he says, 'not with such strength denied As is deliver'd to your majesty: Either envy, therefore, or misprision Is guilty of this fault, and not my son,

Hot. My liege, I did deny no prisoners. But, I remember, when the fight was done, When I was dry with rage, and extreme toil, Breathless and faint, leaning upon my sword, Came there a certain lord, neat, trimly dress’d, Fresh as a bridegroom; and his chin, new reap'd, Show'd like a stubble-land at harvest-home; He was perfumed like a milliner; And ’twixt his finger and his thumb he held A pouncet-box, which ever and anon

his nose, and took't away again ;Took it in snuff:*—and still he smild, and talk'd; And, as the soldiers bore dead bodies by, He call’d them-untaught knaves, unmannerly, To bring a slovenly unhandsome corse Betwixt the wind and his nobility. With many holiday and lady terms He question'd me; among the rest demanded My prisoners, in your majesty's behalf.

? You have good leave) i. e. our ready assent.

* A pouncet-box,] A small box for musk or other perfumes then in fashion: the lid of which, being cut with open work,

it its name; from poinsoner, to prick, pierce, or engrave. 4 Took it in snuff:] Snuf is equivocally used for anger, and a powder taken up the nose.

gave

I then, all smarting, with my wounds being cold,
To be so pester'd with a popinjay,"
Out of my grief and my impatience,
Answer'd neglectingly, I know not what;
He should, or he should not;—for he made me mad,
To see him shine so brisk, and smell so sweet,
And talk so like a waiting-gentlewoman,
Of guns, and drums, and wounds, (God save the

mark!)
And telling me, the sovereign'st thing on earth
Was parmaceti, for an inward bruise;
And that it was great pity, so it was,
That villainous salt-petre should be digg'd
Out of the bowels of the harmless earth,
Which many a good tall fellow had destroy'd
So cowardly; and, but for these vile guns,
He would himself have been a soldier.
This bald unjointed chat of his, my lord,
I answer'd indirectly, as I said;
And, I beseech you, let not his report
Come current for an accusation,
Betwixt my love and your high majesty, .
Blunt. The circumstance consider'd, good my

lord,
Whatever Harry Percy then had said,
To such a person, and in such a place,
At such a time, with all the rest re-told,
May reasonably die, and never rise
To do him wrong, or any way impeach
What then he said, so he unsay

K. Hen, Why, yet he doth deny his prisoners;
But with proviso, and exception,-
That we, at our own charge, shall ransome straight
His brother-in-law, the foolish Mortimer;
Who, on my soul, hath wilfully betray’d
5 To be so pester'd with a popinjay,] i. e, a parrota

-grief-] i. e. pain.

it now.

The lives of those that he did lead to fight
Against the great magician, damn’d Glendower;
Whose daughter, as we hear, the earl of March
Hath lately married. Shall our coffers then
Be emptied, to redeem a traitor home?
Shall we buy treason and indent. with fears,
When they have lost and forfeited themselves?
No, on the barren mountains let him starve;
For I shall never hold that man my friend,
Whose tongue shall ask me for one penny cost
To ransome home revolted Mortimer.

Hot. Revolted Mortimer!
He never did fall off, my sovereign liege,
But by the chance of war ;- To prove that true,
Needs no more but one tongue for all those wounds,
Those mouthed wounds, which valiantly he took,
When on the gentle Severn's sedgy bank,
In single opposition, hand to hand,
He did confound the best part of an hour
In changing hardiments with great Glendower:
Three tiines they breath'd, and three times did they

drink,
Upon agrcement, of swift Severn's flood;
Who then, affrighted with their bloody looks,
Ran fearfully among the trembling reeds,
And hid his crisp head' in the hollow bank
Blood-stained with these valiant combatants.

9

and indent with fears,) i. e. bargain and article with fears.

hardiment -- ] An obsolete word, signifying hardiness, bravery, stoutness. Spenser is frequent in his use of it.

three times did they drink,] It is the property of wounds to excite the most impatient thirst. The poet therefore hath with exquisite propriety introduced this circumstance, which may serve to place in its proper light the dying kindness of Sir Philip Sydney; who, though suffering the extremity of thirst from the agony of his own wounds, yet, notwithstanding, gave up his own draught of water to a wounded soldier. HENLEY.

his crisp head-] Crisp is curled.

1

Never did bare and rotten policy
Colour her working with such deadly wounds;
Nor never could the noble Mortimer
Receive so many, and all willingly:
Then let him not be slander'd with revolt.
K. Hen. Thou dost belie him, Percy, thou dost

belie him,
He never did encounter with Glendower;
I tell thee,
He durst as well have met the devil alone,
As Owen Glendower for an enemy.
Art not ashamed? But, sirrah, henceforth
Let me not hear you speak of Mortimer:
Send me your prisoners with the speediest means,
Or
you

shall hear in such a kind from me As will displease you. My lord Northumberland, We license your departure with your son :Send us your prisoners, or you'll hear of it.

[Exeunt King HENRY, Blunt, and Train. Hot. And if the devil come and roar for them, I will not send them:-I will after straight, And tell him so; for I will ease my heart, Although it be with hazard of my head. North. What, drunk with choler? stay, and pause

awhile; Here comes your uncle.

Re-enter WORCESTER.

Hot.

Speak of Mortimer?
'Zounds, I will speak of him; and let my soul
Want mercy, if I do not join with him:
Yea, on his part, I'll empty all these veins,
And shed

my dear blood drop by drop i’the dust,
But I will lift the down-trod Mortimer
As high i'the air as this unthankful king,
As this ingrate and canker'd Bolingbroke.