Henry IV, Part One - Couverture souple

Dramatis Personae

king Henry the fourth

prince Henry,  Prince of Wales,     sons of the King

prince john of Lancaster,   

earl of Westmorland

sir Walter blunt

earl of Northumberland, Henry Percy,

Harry Percy, (hotspur), his son,

earl of Worcester, Northumberland's

younger brother,

lord Mortimer, Edmund Mortimer,

also referred to as the Earl of March,

Owen Glendower,

earl of Douglas, Archibald Douglas,

sir Richard Vernon,

archbishop of York, Richard Scroop,

sir Michael, a member of the

Archbishop's household,

lady Percy, Hotspur's wife and Mortimer's sister

lady Mortimer, Mortimer's wife and Glendower's daughter

sir john Falstaff

Ned Poins

Bardolph

Peto

Gadshill, arranger of the highway robbery

hostess of the tavern, Mistress Quickly

Francis, a drawer, or tapster

vintner, or tavern keeper

first carrier

second carrier

hostler

chamberlain

first traveler

sheriff

servant to Hotspur

messenger

second messenger

Soldiers, Travelers, Lords, Attendants

scene: England and Wales

1.1. Location: The royal court.

2 Find we let us find. frighted frightened

3 breathe short-winded accents speak, even though we are out of breath. accents words broils battles

4 strands afar remote far-off shores, i.e., of the Holy Land (to which, at the end of Richard II, Henry has pledged himself to a crusade)

5 thirsty entrance i.e., parched mouth

6 daub coat, smear

7 trenching cutting, plowing

9 paces horses' tread

12 intestine internal

13 close hand-to-hand encounter. civil (as in "civil war")

18 his its

21 impressed conscripted

22 power army

23 their mother's i.e., England's, but also suggesting their mothers'

1.1 A Enter the King, Lord John of Lancaster, [the] Earl of Westmorland, [Sir Walter Blunt,] with others.

king

So shaken as we are, so wan with care,

Find we a time for frighted peace to pant, 2

And breathe short-winded accents of new broils 3

To be commenced in strands afar remote. 4

No more the thirsty entrance of this soil 5

Shall daub her lips with her own children's blood; 6

No more shall trenching war channel her fields 7

Nor bruise her flowerets with the armed hoofs

Of hostile paces. Those opposed eyes, 9

Which, like the meteors of a troubled heaven,

All of one nature, of one substance bred,

Did lately meet in the intestine shock 12

And furious close of civil butchery, 13

Shall now in mutual well-beseeming ranks

March all one way and be no more opposed

Against acquaintance, kindred, and allies.

The edge of war, like an ill-sheathed knife,

No more shall cut his master. Therefore, friends, 18

As far as to the sepulcher of Christ--

Whose soldier now, under whose blessed cross

We are impressed and engaged to fight-- 21

Forthwith a power of English shall we levy, 22

Whose arms were molded in their mothers' womb 23

To chase these pagans in those holy fields

Over whose acres walked those blessed feet

Which fourteen hundred years ago were nailed

For our advantage on the bitter cross.

But this our purpose now is twelve month old,

29 bootless useless

30 Therefore . . . now That is not the reason for our present meeting.

31 Of from. gentle cousin noble kinsman

33 dear expedience urgent expedition

34 hot in question being hotly debated

35 limits . . . charge particulars of military responsibility

36 athwart at cross purposes, contrarily

37 post messenger. loaden laden

43 corpse corpses

44 transformation mutilation

49 other other news

50 uneven disconcerting, distressing

52 Holy Rood Day September 14

54 approved proved by experience

55 Holmedon Humbleton in Northumberland

57 by judging from

58 shape of likelihood likely outcome

59 them the news

And bootless 'tis to tell you we will go. 29

Therefore we meet not now. Then let me hear 30

Of you, my gentle cousin Westmorland, 31

What yesternight our council did decree

In forwarding this dear expedience. 33

Westmorland

My liege, this haste was hot in question, 34

And many limits of the charge set down 35

But yesternight, when all athwart there came 36

A post from Wales loaden with heavy news, 37

Whose worst was that the noble Mortimer,

Leading the men of Herefordshire to fight

Against the irregular and wild Glendower,

Was by the rude hands of that Welshman taken,

A thousand of his people butchered--

Upon whose dead corpse there was such misuse, 43

Such beastly shameless transformation, 44

By those Welshwomen done as may not be

Without much shame retold or spoken of.

king

It seems then that the tidings of this broil

Brake off our business for the Holy Land.

Westmorland

This matched with other did, my gracious lord; 49

For more uneven and unwelcome news 50

Came from the north, and thus it did import:

On Holy Rood Day, the gallant Hotspur there, 52

Young Harry Percy, and brave Archibald,

That ever-valiant and approved Scot, 54

At Holmedon met, where they did spend 55

A sad and bloody hour,

As by discharge of their artillery 57

And shape of likelihood the news was told; 58

For he that brought them, in the very heat 59

60 pride height

62-3 Here . . . Blunt (Whether Blunt enters at the start of the scene, or now, or possibly not at all, is not certain in the original text.)

66 smooth pleasant

67 discomfited defeated

69 Balked heaped up in balks, or ridges

71 Mordake i.e., Murdoch, son of the Earl of Albany

81 plant young tree

82 minion favorite

84 riot debauchery

86 night-tripping i.e., moving nimbly in the night

88 Plantagenet (Family name of English royalty since Henry II)

90 let him let him go. coz cousin, i.e., kinsman

And pride of their contention did take horse, 60

Uncertain of the issue any way.

king

Here is a dear, a true industrious friend, 62

Sir Walter Blunt, new lighted from his horse, 63

Stained with the variation of each soil

Betwixt that Holmedon and this seat of ours;

And he hath brought us smooth and welcome news. 66

The Earl of Douglas is discomfited; 67

Ten thousand bold Scots, two-and-twenty knights,

Balked in their own blood, did Sir Walter see 69

On Holmedon's plains. Of prisoners, Hotspur took

Mordake, Earl of Fife and eldest son 71

To beaten Douglas, and the Earl of Atholl,

Of Murray, Angus, and Menteith.

And is not this an honorable spoil?

A gallant prize? Ha, cousin, is it not?

Westmorland

In faith, it is a conquest for a prince to boast of.

king

Yea, there thou mak'st me sad, and mak'st me sin

In envy that my lord Northumberland

Should be the father to so blest a son--

A son who is the theme of honor's tongue,

Amongst a grove the very straightest plant, 81

Who is sweet Fortune's minion and her pride, 82

Whilst I, by looking on the praise of him,

See riot and dishonor stain the brow 84

Of my young Harry. Oh, that it could be proved

That some night-tripping fairy had exchanged 86

In cradle clothes our children where they lay,

And called mine Percy, his Plantagenet! 88

Then would I have his Harry, and he mine.

But let him from my thoughts. What think you, coz, 90

92 surprised ambushed, captured

93 To . . . use i.e., to collect ransom for them

94 none but Mordake (Since Mordake was of royal blood, being grandson to Robert II of Scotland, Hotspur could not claim him as his prisoner according to the law of arms.)

96 Malevolent . . . aspects (1) implacably hostile to you (2) in astrological terms, a planet in a disobedient orbit, ominous as seen from every angle

97 Which . . . himself i.e., which teaching makes Hotspur preen himself (as a falcon preens its feathers)

1.2 Location: London, perhaps in an apartment of the Prince's.

2 sack a Spanish white wine

4 forgotten forgotten how

6 a devil in the devil

8 dials clocks

9 leaping houses houses of prostitution

10 taffeta (commonly worn by prostitutes)

11 superfluous (1) unnecessarily concerned (2) self-indulgent

Of this young Percy's pride? The prisoners

Which he in this adventure hath surprised 92

To his own use he keeps, and sends me word 93

I shall have none but Mordake, Earl of Fife. 94

Westmorland

This is his uncle's teaching. This is Worcester,

Malevolent to you in all aspects, 96

Which makes him prune himself and bristle up 97

The crest of youth against your dignity.

King

But I have sent for him to answer this;

And for this cause awhile we must neglect

Our holy purpose to Jerusalem.

Cousin, on Wednesday next our council we

Will hold at Windsor. So inform the lords.

But come yourself with speed to us again,

For more is to be said and to be done

Than out of anger can be uttered.

Westmorland I will, my liege. Exeunt.

1.2 A Enter Prince of Wales and Sir John Falstaff.

Falstaff

Now, Hal, what time of day is it, lad?

prince  Thou art so fat-witted with drinking of old sack, 2

and unbuttoning thee after supper, and sleeping upon

benches after noon, that thou hast forgotten to de-  4

mand that truly which thou wouldst truly know. What

a devil hast though to do with the time of the day? Un- 6

less hours were cups of sack, and minutes capons, and

clocks the tongues of bawds, and dials the signs of   8

leaping houses, and the blessed sun himself a fair hot   9

wench in flame-colored taffeta, I see no reason why  10

thou shouldst be so superfluous to demand the time  11

of the day.

13 you . . . now i.e., you've scored a point on me

14 go by (1) travel by the light of (2) tell time by. the seven stars the Pleiades

15-16 Phoebus . . . fair (Phoebus, god of the sun, is here equated with the wandering knight of a ballad or popular romance.)

17 Grace royal highness (with pun on spiritual grace and also on the grace or blessing before a meal)

20 troth faith

21 prologue . . . butter i.e., grace before a brief meal

22 roundly i.e., out with it

23 Marry Indeed. (Literally, "by the Virgin Mary.") wag joker

24-5 let . . . beauty i.e., let not us who are attendants on the goddess of night, members of her household, be blamed for stealing daylight by sleeping in the daytime.

25-6 Diana's foresters (An elegant name for thieves by night; Diana is goddess of the moon and the hunt.)

26 minions favorites

27 government (1) conduct (2) commonwealth

29 countenance (1) face (2) patronage, approval. steal (1) move stealthily (2) rob

30 it holds well the comparison is apt

36 Lay by (a cry of highwaymen, like "Hands up!") Bring in (an order given to a waiter in a tavern)

37 ladder (1) pier ladder (2) gallows ladder

38 ridge crossbar

41 Hybla (a town, famed for its honey, in Sicily near Syracuse) old . . . castle (1) a roisterer (2) the name Sir John Oldcastle, borne by Falstaff in an earlier version of this play

42 buff jerkin a leather jacket worn by officers of the law. durance (1) imprisonment (2) durability, durable cloth

44 quiddities subtleties of speech

Falstaff  Indeed, you come near me now, Hal, for we  13

that take purses go by the moon and the seven stars,  14

and not by Phoebus, "he, that wandering knight so  15

fair." And I prithee, sweet wag, when thou art king,  16

as, God save Thy Grace--Majesty I should say, for  17

grace thou wilt have none--

prince  What, none?

Falstaff  No, by my troth, not so much as will serve to  20

be prologue to an egg and butter. 21

prince  Well, how then? Come, roundly, roundly. 22

Falstaff  Marry, then, sweet wag, when thou art  23

king, let not us that are squires of the night's body be  24

called thieves of the day's beauty. Let us be Diana's  25

foresters, gentlemen of the shade, minions of the moon;  26

and let men say we be men of good government,  27

being governed, as the sea is, by our noble and chaste

mistress the moon, under whose countenance we steal. 29

prince  Thou sayest well, and it holds well too, for the  30

fortune of us that are the moon's men doth ebb and

flow like the sea, being governed, as the sea is, by the

moon. As, for proof, now: a purse of gold most

resolutely snatched on Monday night and most dis-

solutely spent on Tuesday morning, got with swearing

"Lay by" and spent with crying "Bring in," now in as  36

low an ebb as the foot of the ladder and by and by in  37

as high a flow as the ridge of the gallows. 38

Falstaff  By the Lord, thou say'st true, lad. And is not

my hostess of the tavern a most sweet wench?

prince  As the honey of Hybla, my old lad of the castle.  41

And is not a buff jerkin a most sweet robe of durance?  42

Falstaff  How now, how now, mad wag, what, in thy

quips and thy quiddities? What a plague have I to do  44

with a buff jerkin?

46 pox syphilis (Here, what a pox is used as an expletive, like "what the devil.")

48 reckoning settlement of the bill (with bawdy suggestion that is continued in pay thy part and my coin would stretch)

58 resolution courage (of a highwayman). fubbed cheated

59 Antic Buffoon

62 rare splendid. brave excellent

65 have . . . thieves (1) be in charge of hanging thieves (or protecting them from hanging) (2) hang like other thieves. rare (1) rarely used (2) excellent

67-8 jumps . . . humor suits my temperament

68 waiting in the court being in attendance at the royal court

70 suits petitions. (But Falstaff uses the word to mean suits of clothes; clothes belonging to an executed man were given to the executioner.)

72 'Sblood By his (Christ's) blood

73 gib cat tomcat. lugged bear bear led by a chain and baited by dogs.

76 hare (a proverbially melancholy animal)

77 Moorditch (a foul ditch draining Moorfields, outside London walls)

prince  Why, what a pox have I to do with my hostess  46

of the tavern?

falstaff  Well, thou hast called her to a reckoning  48

many a time and oft.

prince  Did I ever call for thee to pay thy part?

falstaff  No, I'll give thee thy...