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.

BLUNT Pray God you do.

Exeunt [Hotspur, Worcester, Douglas, and Vernon at one door, Blunt at another door⌉

4.4 Enter the Archbishop of York, and Sir Michael

ARCHBISHOP (giving letters)

Hie, good Sir Michael, bear this sealed brief

With winged haste to the Lord Marshal,

This to my cousin Scrope, and all the rest

To whom they are directed. If you knew

How much they do import, you would make haste.

SIR MICHAEL My good lord,

I guess their tenor.

ARCHBISHOP Like enough you do.

Tomorrow, good Sir Michael, is a day

Wherein the fortune of ten thousand men

Must bide the touch; for, sir, at Shrewsbury,

As I am truly given to understand,

The King with mighty and quick-raised power

Meets with Lord Harry. And I fear, Sir Michael,

What with the sickness of Northumberland,

Whose power was in the first proportion, 15

And what with Owain Glyndŵr’s absence thence,

Who with them was a rated sinew too,

And comes not in, overruled by prophecies,

I fear the power of Percy is too weak

To wage an instant trial with the King.

SIR MICHAEL

Why, my good lord, you need not fear; there is

Douglas

And Lord Mortimer.

ARCHBISHOP No, Mortimer is not there.

SIR MICHAEL

But there is Mordake, Vernon, Lord Harry Percy;

And there is my lord of Worcester, and a head

Of gallant warriors, noble gentlemen.

ARCHBISHOP

And so there is; but yet the King hath drawn

The special head of all the land together—

The Prince of Wales, Lord John of Lancaster,

The noble Westmorland, and warlike Blunt,

And many more corrivals, and dear men

Of estimation and command in arms.

SIR MICHAEL

Doubt not, my lord, they shall be well opposed.

ARCHBISHOP

I hope no less, yet needful ’tis to fear;

And to prevent the worst, Sir Michael, speed.

For if Lord Percy thrive not, ere the King

Dismiss his power he means to visit us,

For he hath heard of our confederacy,

And ’tis but wisdom to make strong against him;

Therefore make haste. I must go write again

To other friends; and so farewell, Sir Michael.

Exeunt severally⌉

5.1 Enter King Henry, Prince Harry, Lord John of Lancaster, the Earl of Westmorland, Sir Walter Blunt, and Sir John Oldcastle

KING HENRY

How bloodily the sun begins to peer

Above yon bulky hill! The day looks pale

At his distemp’rature.

PRINCE HARRY The southern wind

Doth play the trumpet to his purposes,

And by his hollow whistling in the leaves 5

Foretells a tempest and a blust’ring day.

KING HENRY

Then with the losers let it sympathize,

For nothing can seem foul to those that win.

The trumpet sounds a parley within⌉. Enter the Earl of Worcester and Sir Richard Vernon⌉

How now, my lord of Worcester? ’Tis not well

That you and I should meet upon such terms 10

As now we meet. You have deceived our trust,

And made us doff our easy robes of peace

To crush our old limbs in ungentle steel.

This is not well, my lord, this is not well.

What say you to it? Will you again unknit 15

This churlish knot of all-abhorred war,

And move in that obedient orb again

Where you did give a fair and natural light,

And be no more an exhaled meteor,

A prodigy of fear, and a portent

Of broached mischief to the unborn times?

WORCESTER Hear me, my liege.

For mine own part, I could be well content

To entertain the lag-end of my life

With quiet hours; for I protest, 25

I have not sought the day of this dislike.

KING HENRY

You have not sought it? How comes it, then?

SIR JOHN Rebellion lay in his way, and he found it.

PRINCE HARRY Peace, chewet, peace!

WORCESTER (to the King)

It pleased your majesty to turn your looks

Of favour from myself and all our house;

And yet I must remember you, my lord,

We were the first and dearest of your friends.

For you my staff of office did I break

In Richard’s time, and posted day and night

To meet you on the way and kiss your hand

When yet you were in place and in account

Nothing so strong and fortunate as I.

It was myself, my brother, and his son

That brought you home, and boldly did outdare

The dangers of the time. You swore to us,

And you did swear that oath at Doncaster,

That you did nothing purpose ‘gainst the state,

Nor claim no further than your new-fall’n right,

The seat of Gaunt, dukedom of Lancaster.

To this we swore our aid, but in short space

It rained down fortune show’ring on your head,

And such a flood of greatness fell on you,

What with our help, what with the absent King,