| ACT V SCENE II | The rebel camp. |
| [Enter WORCESTER and VERNON] |
| EARL OF WORCESTER | O, no, my nephew must not know, Sir Richard, |
| The liberal and kind offer of the king. |
| VERNON | 'Twere best he did. |
| EARL OF WORCESTER | Then are we all undone. |
| It is not possible, it cannot be, | 5 |
| The king should keep his word in loving us; |
| He will suspect us still and find a time |
| To punish this offence in other faults: |
| Suspicion all our lives shall be stuck full of eyes; |
| For treason is but trusted like the fox, | 10 |
| Who, ne'er so tame, so cherish'd and lock'd up, |
| Will have a wild trick of his ancestors. |
| Look how we can, or sad or merrily, |
| Interpretation will misquote our looks, |
| And we shall feed like oxen at a stall, | 15 |
| The better cherish'd, still the nearer death. |
| My nephew's trespass may be well forgot; |
| it hath the excuse of youth and heat of blood, |
| And an adopted name of privilege, |
| A hair-brain'd Hotspur, govern'd by a spleen: | 20 |
| All his offences live upon my head |
| And on his father's; we did train him on, |
| And, his corruption being ta'en from us, |
| We, as the spring of all, shall pay for all. |
| Therefore, good cousin, let not Harry know, | 25 |
| In any case, the offer of the king. |
| VERNON | Deliver what you will; I'll say 'tis so. |
| Here comes your cousin. |
| [Enter HOTSPUR and DOUGLAS] |
| HOTSPUR | My uncle is return'd: |
| Deliver up my Lord of Westmoreland. | 30 |
| Uncle, what news? |
| EARL OF WORCESTER | The king will bid you battle presently. |
| EARL OF DOUGLAS | Defy him by the Lord of Westmoreland. |
| HOTSPUR | Lord Douglas, go you and tell him so. |
| EARL OF DOUGLAS | Marry, and shall, and very willingly. | 35 |
| [Exit] |
| EARL OF WORCESTER | There is no seeming mercy in the king. |
| HOTSPUR | Did you beg any? God forbid! |
| EARL OF WORCESTER | I told him gently of our grievances, |
| Of his oath-breaking; which he mended thus, |
| By now forswearing that he is forsworn: | 40 |
| He calls us rebels, traitors; and will scourge |
| With haughty arms this hateful name in us. |
| [Re-enter the EARL OF DOUGLAS] |
| EARL OF DOUGLAS | Arm, gentlemen; to arms! for I have thrown |
| A brave defiance in King Henry's teeth, |
| And Westmoreland, that was engaged, did bear it; | 45 |
| Which cannot choose but bring him quickly on. |
| EARL OF WORCESTER | The Prince of Wales stepp'd forth before the king, |
| And, nephew, challenged you to single fight. |
| HOTSPUR | O, would the quarrel lay upon our heads, |
| And that no man might draw short breath today | 50 |
| But I and Harry Monmouth! Tell me, tell me, |
| How show'd his tasking? seem'd it in contempt?
|
| VERNON | No, by my soul; I never in my life |
| Did hear a challenge urged more modestly, |
| Unless a brother should a brother dare | 55 |
| To gentle exercise and proof of arms. |
| He gave you all the duties of a man; |
| Trimm'd up your praises with a princely tongue, |
| Spoke to your deservings like a chronicle, |
| Making you ever better than his praise | 60 |
| By still dispraising praise valued in you; |
| And, which became him like a prince indeed, |
| He made a blushing cital of himself; |
| And chid his truant youth with such a grace |
| As if he master'd there a double spirit. | 65 |
| Of teaching and of learning instantly. |
| There did he pause: but let me tell the world, |
| If he outlive the envy of this day, |
| England did never owe so sweet a hope, |
| So much misconstrued in his wantonness. | 70 |
| HOTSPUR | Cousin, I think thou art enamoured |
| On his follies: never did I hear |
| Of any prince so wild a libertine. |
| But be he as he will, yet once ere night |
| I will embrace him with a soldier's arm, | 75 |
| That he shall shrink under my courtesy. |
| Arm, arm with speed: and, fellows, soldiers, friends, |
| Better consider what you have to do |
| Than I, that have not well the gift of tongue, |
| Can lift your blood up with persuasion. | 80 |
| [Enter a Messenger] |
| Messenger | My lord, here are letters for you. |
| HOTSPUR | I cannot read them now. |
| O gentlemen, the time of life is short! |
| To spend that shortness basely were too long, |
| If life did ride upon a dial's point, | 85 |
| Still ending at the arrival of an hour. |
| An if we live, we live to tread on kings; |
| If die, brave death, when princes die with us! |
| Now, for our consciences, the arms are fair, |
| When the intent of bearing them is just. | 90 |
| [Enter another Messenger] |
| Messenger | My lord, prepare; the king comes on apace. |
| HOTSPUR | I thank him, that he cuts me from my tale, |
| For I profess not talking; only this-- |
| Let each man do his best: and here draw I |
| A sword, whose temper I intend to stain | 95 |
| With the best blood that I can meet withal |
| In the adventure of this perilous day. |
| Now, Esperance! Percy! and set on. |
| Sound all the lofty instruments of war, |
| And by that music let us all embrace; | 100 |
| For, heaven to earth, some of us never shall |
| A second time do such a courtesy. |
| [The trumpets sound. They embrace, and exeunt] |
1 Henry IV Overview (with theme analysis)