SECOND PART OF KING HENRY THE FOURTH. INDUCTION. Warkworth. Before Northumberland's Castle. Enter RUMOR, painted full of tongues.1 Make fearful musters, and prepared defence; That the blunt monster with uncounted heads, 1 In a mask on St. Stephen's Night, 1614, by Thomas Campion, Rumor comes on in a skin coat full of winged tongues. 2 The stops are the holes in a flute or pipe. Can play upon it. But what need I thus Among my household? Why is rumor here? Who, in a bloody field by Shrewsbury, Hath beaten down young Hotspur, and his troops, Even with the rebels' blood. But what mean I wrongs. ACT I. SCENE I. The same. The Porter before the Gate. Enter LORD BARDOLPH. Bardolph. Who keeps the gate here, ho?-Where is the earl? Port. What shall I say you are? Bard. Tell thou the earl, That the lord Bardolph doth attend him here. Port. His lordship is walked forth into the orchard. 1 Northumberland's castle. Please it your honor, knock but at the gate, Bard. Enter NORTHUMBERLAND. Here comes the earl. North. What news, lord Bardolph? Every minute now Should be the father of some stratagem; Bard. Bard. As good as heart can wish.The king is almost wounded to the death; And, in the fortune of my lord your son, Prince Harry slain outright; and both the Blunts Killed by the hand of Douglas: young prince John, And Westmoreland, and Stafford, fled the field; And Harry Monmouth's brawn, the hulk sir John, Is prisoner to your son. O, such a day, So fought, so followed, and so fairly won, Came not, till now, to dignify the times, Since Cæsar's fortunes! North. How is this derived? Saw you the field? Came you from Shrewsbury? Bard. I spake with one, my lord, that came from thence; A gentleman well-bred, and of good name, North. Here comes my servant, Travers, whom I sent On Tuesday last to listen after news. Bard. My lord, I overrode him on the way; And he is furnished with no certainties, More than he haply may retail from me. Enter TRAVERS. North. Now, Travers, what good tidings come with you? 1 Tra. My lord, sir John Umfrevile turned me back With joyful tidings; and, being better horsed, Outrode me. After him, came, spurring hard, A gentleman almost forspent with speed, That stopped by me to breathe his bloodied horse. He asked the way to Chester; and of him I did demand, what news from Shrewsbury. He told me, that rebellion had bad luck, And that young Harry Percy's spur was cold. With that he gave his able horse the head, And, bending forward, struck his armed heels Against the panting sides of his poor jade Up to the rowel-head; and, starting so, He seemed in running to devour the way, Staying no longer question. North. Ha!Again. Said he, young Harry Percy's spur was cold? Of Hotspur, coldspur? that rebellion Had met ill luck! Bard. My lord, I'll tell you what; If my young lord your son have not the day, Upon mine honor, for a silken point 2 I'll give my barony; never talk of it. North. Why should the gentleman, that rode by Travers, Give then such instances of loss? Bard. Who, he? He was some hilding fellow, that had stolen Spoke at a venture. Look, here comes more news. Enter MORTON. North. Yea, this man's brow, like to a title-leaf, Foretells the nature of a tragic volume; 1 Exhausted. 2 A silken point is a tagged lace. 3 i. e. Hilderling, base, low fellow. So looks the strond, whereon the imperious flood Say, Morton, didst thou come from Shrewsbury? North. And would have told him, half his Troy was burned; North. Why, he is dead. See, what a ready tongue suspicion hath! He, that but fears the thing he would not know, And I will take it as a sweet disgrace, And make thee rich for doing me such wrong. Mor. You are too great to be by me gainsaid; Your spirit is too true, your fears too certain. North. Yet, for all this, say not that Percy's dead. I see a strange confession in thine eye; The tongue offends not, that reports his death; |