Enter Hotspur, Worcester, Douglas, and Vernon. HOTSPUR
We’ll fight with him tonight. WORCESTER It may not be. DOUGLAS
You give him then advantage. VERNON Not a whit. HOTSPUR
Why say you so? Looks he not for supply? 5 VERNON So do we. HOTSPUR His is certain; ours is doubtful. WORCESTER
Good cousin, be advised. Stir not tonight. VERNON, to Hotspur
Do not, my lord. DOUGLAS You do not counsel well. 10
You speak it out of fear and cold heart. | At the rebel camp, Hotspur says he wants to fight the king's forces that evening, but Vernon and Worcester try to talk him out of it – they don't have all their troops together yet and the king's army outnumbers theirs. Douglas calls Worcester a chicken. |
VERNON
Do me no slander, Douglas. By my life
(And I dare well maintain it with my life),
If well-respected honor bid me on,
I hold as little counsel with weak fear 15
As you, my lord, or any Scot that this day lives.
Let it be seen tomorrow in the battle
Which of us fears. DOUGLAS Yea, or tonight. VERNON Content. 20 HOTSPUR Tonight, say I. VERNON
Come, come, it may not be. I wonder much,
Being men of such great leading as you are,
That you foresee not what impediments
Drag back our expedition. Certain horse 25
Of my cousin Vernon’s are not yet come up.
Your uncle Worcester’s horse came but today,
And now their pride and mettle is asleep,
Their courage with hard labor tame and dull,
That not a horse is half the half of himself. 30 HOTSPUR
So are the horses of the enemy
In general journey-bated and brought low.
The better part of ours are full of rest. WORCESTER
The number of the King exceedeth ours.
For God’s sake, cousin, stay till all come in. 35 The trumpet sounds a parley. Enter Sir Walter Blunt. BLUNT
I come with gracious offers from the King,
If you vouchsafe me hearing and respect. HOTSPUR
Welcome, Sir Walter Blunt, and would to God
You were of our determination.
Some of us love you well, and even those some 40
Envy your great deservings and good name
Because you are not of our quality
But stand against us like an enemy. BLUNT
And God defend but still I should stand so,
So long as out of limit and true rule 45
You stand against anointed majesty.
But to my charge. The King hath sent to know
The nature of your griefs, and whereupon
You conjure from the breast of civil peace
Such bold hostility, teaching his duteous land 50
Audacious cruelty. If that the King
Have any way your good deserts forgot,
Which he confesseth to be manifold,
He bids you name your griefs, and with all speed
You shall have your desires with interest 55
And pardon absolute for yourself and these
Herein misled by your suggestion. | Sir Walter Blunt arrives from the king's camp with a peace offering from King Henry. All will be forgiven if the rebels disband and say they're sorry for being bad. |
HOTSPUR
The King is kind, and well we know the King
Knows at what time to promise, when to pay.
My father and my uncle and myself 60
Did give him that same royalty he wears,
And when he was not six-and-twenty strong,
Sick in the world’s regard, wretched and low,
A poor unminded outlaw sneaking home,
My father gave him welcome to the shore; 65
And when he heard him swear and vow to God
He came but to be Duke of Lancaster,
To sue his livery, and beg his peace
With tears of innocency and terms of zeal,
My father, in kind heart and pity moved, 70
Swore him assistance and performed it too.
Now when the lords and barons of the realm
Perceived Northumberland did lean to him,
The more and less came in with cap and knee,
Met him in boroughs, cities, villages, 75
Attended him on bridges, stood in lanes,
Laid gifts before him, proffered him their oaths,
Gave him their heirs as pages, followed him
Even at the heels in golden multitudes.
He presently, as greatness knows itself, 80
Steps me a little higher than his vow
Made to my father while his blood was poor
Upon the naked shore at Ravenspurgh,
And now forsooth takes on him to reform
Some certain edicts and some strait decrees 85
That lie too heavy on the commonwealth,
Cries out upon abuses, seems to weep
Over his country’s wrongs, and by this face,
This seeming brow of justice, did he win
The hearts of all that he did angle for, 90
Proceeded further—cut me off the heads
Of all the favorites that the absent king
In deputation left behind him here
When he was personal in the Irish war. BLUNT
Tut, I came not to hear this. 95 | Hotspur lays out the Percy family's beef with the king and Walter Blunt
says he doesn't want to hear it – the Percys should take the deal. |
HOTSPUR Then to the point.
In short time after, he deposed the King,
Soon after that deprived him of his life
And, in the neck of that, tasked the whole state.
To make that worse, suffered his kinsman March 100
(Who is, if every owner were well placed,
Indeed his king) to be engaged in Wales,
There without ransom to lie forfeited,
Disgraced me in my happy victories,
Sought to entrap me by intelligence, 105
Rated mine uncle from the council board,
In rage dismissed my father from the court,
Broke oath on oath, committed wrong on wrong,
And in conclusion drove us to seek out
This head of safety, and withal to pry 110
Into his title, the which we find
Too indirect for long continuance. BLUNT
Shall I return this answer to the King? HOTSPUR
Not so, Sir Walter. We’ll withdraw awhile.
Go to the King, and let there be impawned 115
Some surety for a safe return again,
And in the morning early shall mine uncle
Bring him our purposes. And so farewell. BLUNT
I would you would accept of grace and love. HOTSPUR
And maybe so we shall. 120 BLUNT Pray God you do. They exit. | Hotspur says he'll think about it and Blunt returns to the king's camp. |