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Such water colours to impaint his cause,

Nor moody beggars, starving for a time

Of pell-mell havoc and confusion.

Prince. In both our armies there is many a soul

Shall pay full dearly for this encounter,

If once they join in trial. Tell your nephew

The Prince of Wales doth join with all the world

In praise of Henry Percy. By my hopes,

This present enterprise set off his head,

I do not think a braver gentleman,

More active-valiant or more valiant-young,

More daring or more bold, is now alive

To grace this latter age with noble deeds.

For my part, I may speak it to my shame,

I have a truant been to chivalry;

And so I hear he doth account me too.

Yet this before my father's Majesty-

I am content that he shall take the odds

Of his great name and estimation,

And will to save the blood on either side,

Try fortune with him in a single fight.

King. And, Prince of Wales, so dare we venture thee,

Albeit considerations infinite

Do make against it. No, good Worcester, no!

We love our people well; even those we love

That are misled upon your cousin's part;

And, will they take the offer of our grace,

Both he, and they, and you, yea, every man

Shall be my friend again, and I'll be his.

So tell your cousin, and bring me word

What he will do. But if he will not yield,

Rebuke and dread correction wait on us,

And they shall do their office. So be gone.

We will not now be troubled with reply.

We offer fair; take it advisedly.

Exit Worcester [with Vernon]

Prince. It will not be accepted, on my life.

The Douglas and the Hotspur both together

Are confident against the world in arms.

King. Hence, therefore, every leader to his charge;

For, on their answer, will we set on them,

And God befriend us as our cause is just!

Exeunt. Manent Prince, Falstaff.

Fal. Hal, if thou see me down in the battle and bestride me, so!

'Tis a point of friendship.

Prince. Nothing but a Colossus can do thee that friendship.

Say thy prayers, and farewell.

Fal. I would 'twere bedtime, Hal, and all well.

Prince. Why, thou owest God a death.

Exit.

Fal. 'Tis not due yet. I would be loath to pay him before his day.

What need I be so forward with him that calls not on me?

Well,

'tis no matter; honour pricks me on. Yea, but how if honour prick

me off when I come on? How then? Can honor set to a leg? No.

Or

an arm? No. Or take away the grief of a wound? No. Honour hath no

skill in surgery then? No. What is honour? A word. What is that

word honour? Air. A trim reckoning! Who hath it? He that died a

Wednesday. Doth he feel it? No. Doth be bear it? No. 'Tis

insensible then? Yea, to the dead. But will it not live with the

living? No. Why? Detraction will not suffer it. Therefore

I'll

none of it. Honour is a mere scutcheon- and so ends my catechism.

Exit.

Scene II. The rebel camp.

Enter Worcester and Sir Richard Vernon.

Wor. O no, my nephew must not know, Sir Richard,

The liberal and kind offer of the King.

Ver. 'Twere best he did.

Wor. Then are we all undone.

It is not possible, it cannot be

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

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,

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 hare-brained Hotspur govern'd by a spleen.

All his offences live upon my head

And on his father's. We did train him on;

And, his corruption being taken from us,

We, as the spring of all, shall pay for all.

Therefore, good cousin, let not Harry know,

In any case, the offer of the King.

Enter Hotspur [and Douglas].

Ver. Deliver what you will, I'll say