Shakespeare's King Henry IV 2.3 - Hotspur and that dish of skim milk

King Henry IV, Part I

Please see the bottom of the page for extensive explanatory notes and other helpful resources.

ACT II SCENE III	Warkworth castle.
[Enter HOTSPUR, solus, reading a letter]
HOTSPUR	'But for mine own part, my lord, I could be well
	contented to be there, in respect of the love I bear
	your house.' He could be contented: why is he not,
	then? In respect of the love he bears our house:
	he shows in this, he loves his own barn better than	5
	he loves our house. Let me see some more. 'The
	purpose you undertake is dangerous;'--why, that's
	certain: 'tis dangerous to take a cold, to sleep, to
	drink; but I tell you, my lord fool, out of this
	nettle, danger, we pluck this flower, safety. 'The	10
	purpose you undertake is dangerous; the friends you
	have named uncertain; the time itself unsorted; and
	your whole plot too light for the counterpoise of so
	great an opposition.' Say you so, say you so? I say
	unto you again, you are a shallow cowardly hind, and	15
	you lie. What a lack-brain is this! By the Lord,
	our plot is a good plot as ever was laid; our
	friends true and constant: a good plot, good
	friends, and full of expectation; an excellent plot,
	very good friends. What a frosty-spirited rogue is	20
	this! Why, my lord of York commends the plot and the
	general course of action. 'Zounds, an I were now by
	this rascal, I could brain him with his lady's fan.
	Is there not my father, my uncle and myself? lord
	Edmund Mortimer, My lord of York and Owen Glendower?	25
	is there not besides the Douglas? have I not all
	their letters to meet me in arms by the ninth of the
	next month? and are they not some of them set
	forward already? What a pagan rascal is this! an
	infidel! Ha! you shall see now in very sincerity	30
	of fear and cold heart, will he to the king and lay
	open all our proceedings. O, I could divide myself
	and go to buffets, for moving such a dish of
	skim milk with so honourable an action! Hang him!
	let him tell the king: we are prepared. I will set	35
	forward to-night.
[Enter LADY PERCY]
	How now, Kate! I must leave you within these two hours.
LADY PERCY	O, my good lord, why are you thus alone?
	For what offence have I this fortnight been
	A banish'd woman from my Harry's bed?	40
	Tell me, sweet lord, what is't that takes from thee
	Thy stomach, pleasure and thy golden sleep?
	Why dost thou bend thine eyes upon the earth,
	And start so often when thou sit'st alone?
	Why hast thou lost the fresh blood in thy cheeks;	45
	And given my treasures and my rights of thee
	To thick-eyed musing and cursed melancholy?
	In thy faint slumbers I by thee have watch'd,
	And heard thee murmur tales of iron wars;
	Speak terms of manage to thy bounding steed;	50
	Cry 'Courage! to the field!' And thou hast talk'd
	Of sallies and retires, of trenches, tents,
	Of palisadoes, frontiers, parapets,
	Of basilisks, of cannon, culverin,
	Of prisoners' ransom and of soldiers slain,	55
	And all the currents of a heady fight.
	Thy spirit within thee hath been so at war
	And thus hath so bestirr'd thee in thy sleep,
	That beads of sweat have stood upon thy brow
	Like bubbles in a late-disturbed stream;	60
	And in thy face strange motions have appear'd,
	Such as we see when men restrain their breath
	On some great sudden hest. O, what portents are these?
	Some heavy business hath my lord in hand,
	And I must know it, else he loves me not.	65
HOTSPUR	What, ho!
[Enter Servant]
	Is Gilliams with the packet gone?
Servant	He is, my lord, an hour ago.
HOTSPUR	Hath Butler brought those horses from the sheriff?
Servant	One horse, my lord, he brought even now.	70
HOTSPUR	What horse? a roan, a crop-ear, is it not?
Servant	It is, my lord.
HOTSPUR	That roan shall by my throne.
	Well, I will back him straight: O esperance!
	Bid Butler lead him forth into the park.	75
[Exit Servant]
LADY PERCY	But hear you, my lord.
HOTSPUR	What say'st thou, my lady?
LADY PERCY	What is it carries you away?
HOTSPUR	Why, my horse, my love, my horse.
LADY PERCY	Out, you mad-headed ape!	80
	A weasel hath not such a deal of spleen
	As you are toss'd with. In faith,
	I'll know your business, Harry, that I will.
	I fear my brother Mortimer doth stir
	About his title, and hath sent for you	85
	To line his enterprise: but if you go,--
HOTSPUR	So far afoot, I shall be weary, love.
LADY PERCY	Come, come, you paraquito, answer me
	Directly unto this question that I ask:
	In faith, I'll break thy little finger, Harry,	90
	An if thou wilt not tell me all things true.
HOTSPUR	Away,
	Away, you trifler! Love! I love thee not,
	I care not for thee, Kate: this is no world
	To play with mammets and to tilt with lips:	95
	We must have bloody noses and crack'd crowns,
	And pass them current too. God's me, my horse!
	What say'st thou, Kate? what would'st thou
	have with me?
LADY PERCY	Do you not love me? do you not, indeed?	100
	Well, do not then; for since you love me not,
	I will not love myself. Do you not love me?
	Nay, tell me if you speak in jest or no.
HOTSPUR	Come, wilt thou see me ride?
	And when I am on horseback, I will swear	105
	I love thee infinitely. But hark you, Kate;
	I must not have you henceforth question me
	Whither I go, nor reason whereabout:
	Whither I must, I must; and, to conclude,
	This evening must I leave you, gentle Kate.	110
	I know you wise, but yet no farther wise
	Than Harry Percy's wife: constant you are,
	But yet a woman: and for secrecy,
	No lady closer; for I well believe
	Thou wilt not utter what thou dost not know;	115
	And so far will I trust thee, gentle Kate.
LADY PERCY	How! so far?
HOTSPUR	Not an inch further. But hark you, Kate:
	Whither I go, thither shall you go too;
	To-day will I set forth, to-morrow you.	120
	Will this content you, Kate?
LADY PERCY	It must of force.
[Exeunt]

Continue to Henry IV, Part I, Act 2, Scene 4

Introduction
While Hal engages in his childish antics, Hotspur, in his castle in Northumberland, is organizing the rebellion against King Henry. But things are not going well for Hotspur. He has just received a letter from one of the noblemen that he has asked to join his side. The nobleman writes that he will not fight for Hotspur because the purpose he undertakes is dangerous and the men he has so far collected are not completely trustworthy. He adds to his list of problems that "your whole plot [is] too light for the counterpoise of so great an opposition." Hotspur agrees that his plot is dangerous, but that is no excuse to behave in so cowardly a fashion. He tells himself that he was foolish to try to recruit the nobleman, who is but "a dish of skim milk", sorely lacking honour and virtue. Lady Percy enters, and Hotspur informs her that he must leave within two hours. Anxious, Lady Percy asks Hotspur what has troubled him over the last few weeks and, in a wonderful speech, describes his strange behaviour.

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Explanatory Notes for Act 2, Scene 3
From Henry IV, Part I. Ed. Brainerd Kellogg. New York: Clark and Maynard.
(Line numbers have been altered.)
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Warkworth Castle, still standing on a lofty rock in Warkworth, Northumberland.

12. Unsorted, ill-selected, unsuitable.

33. Moving, trying to stir or incite.

35. Let him tell the king. The letter was from George, Earl of Dunbar and March, who warned the king, and also attended him at Shrewsbury, where he rescued him from the fierce onslaught of the Douglas, and carried King Henry out of danger.

48. Curst, sullen or ill-tempered.

51. Terms of manage, technical terms of horsemanship.

53. Frontiers, here forts along the boundaries, or frontiers.

54. Basilisks, large guns, so called from their supposed resemblance to the basilisk or cockatrice. Culverin, cannon.

74. O Esperance. Esperance, i.e. hope, was the motto of the Percy family, and is here used by Percy in anticipation of his war-cry.

82. As you are tossed with. An irritable temper was supposed to be connected with a swelling or agitation of the spleen.

86. To line his enterprise. To line is to support or fortify.

88. Paraquito, a small parrot.

95. Mammets, puppets.

97. Current, as current coins. Any coin, as a crown, when cracked was uncurrent.

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How to cite the introduction:
Mabillard, Amanda. Introduction to King Henry IV, Part 1 (2.3). Shakespeare Online. 20 Feb. 2010. (date when you accessed the information) < http://www.shakespeare-online.com/plays/1kh4_2_3.html >.

How to cite the explanatory notes:
Shakespeare, William. King Henry IV, Part 1. Ed. Brainerd Kellogg. New York: Clark and Maynard, 1885. Shakespeare Online. 20 Feb. 2010. (date when you accessed the information) < http://www.shakespeare-online.com/plays/1kh4_2_3.html >.

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