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Henry IV, Pt. 1: Act V, Scene 1

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Henry IV, Pt. 1
Act V, Scene 1

Scene 1

King Henry IV’s camp near Shrewsbury .

  1. Enter the King , Prince of Wales , Lord John of Lancaster , Sir
  2. Walter Blunt , Falstaff .

King Henry IV

1 - 3
  1. How bloodily the sun begins to peer
  2. Above yon bulky hill ! The day looks pale
  3. At his distemp’rature .

Prince Henry

4 - 7
  1.                        The southern wind
  2. Doth play the trumpet to his purposes ,
  3. And by his hollow whistling in the leaves
  4. Foretells a tempest and a blust’ring day .

King Henry IV

8 - 22
  1. Then with the losers let it sympathize ,
  2. For nothing can seem foul to those that win .
  3. The trumpet sounds .
  4. Enter Worcester and Sir Richard Vernon .
  5. How now , my Lord of Worcester ? ’Tis not well
  6. That you and I should meet upon such terms
  7. As now we meet . You have deceiv’d our trust ,
  8. And made us doff our easy robes of peace ,
  9. To crush our old limbs in ungentle steel .
  10. This is not well , my lord , this is not well .
  11. What say you to it ? Will you again unknit
  12. This churlish knot of all - abhorred war ?
  13. And move in that obedient orb again
  14. Where you did give a fair and natural light ,
  15. And be no more an exhal’d meteor ,
  16. A prodigy of fear , and a portent
  17. Of broached mischief to the unborn times ?

Earl of Worcester

23 - 27
  1. Hear me , my liege .
  2. For mine own part , I could be well content
  3. To entertain the lag end of my life
  4. With quiet hours ; for I protest
  5. I have not sought the day of this dislike .

King Henry IV

28
  1. You have not sought it , how comes it then ?

Falstaff

29
  1. Rebellion lay in his way , and he found it .

Prince Henry

30
  1. Peace , chewet , peace !

Earl of Worcester

31 - 72
  1. It pleas’d your Majesty to turn your looks
  2. Of favor from myself and all our house ,
  3. And yet I must remember you , my lord ,
  4. We were the first and dearest of your friends .
  5. For you my staff of office did I break
  6. In Richard’s time , and posted day and night
  7. To meet you on the way , and kiss your hand ,
  8. When yet you were in place and in account
  9. Nothing so strong and fortunate as I .
  10. It was myself , my brother , and his son ,
  11. That brought you home , and boldly did outdare
  12. The dangers of the time . You swore to us ,
  13. And you did swear that oath at Doncaster ,
  14. That you did nothing purpose ’gainst the state ,
  15. Nor claim no further than your new - fall’n right ,
  16. The seat of Gaunt , dukedom of Lancaster .
  17. To this we swore our aid . But in short space
  18. It rain’d down fortune show’ring on your head ,
  19. And such a flood of greatness fell on you ,
  20. What with our help , what with the absent King ,
  21. What with the injuries of a wanton time ,
  22. The seeming sufferances that you had borne ,
  23. And the contrarious winds that held the King
  24. So long in his unlucky Irish wars
  25. That all in England did repute him dead ;
  26. And from this swarm of fair advantages
  27. You took occasion to be quickly wooed
  28. To gripe the general sway into your hand ,
  29. Forgot your oath to us at Doncaster ,
  30. And being fed by us you us’d us so
  31. As that ungentle gull , the cuckoo’s bird ,
  32. Useth the sparrow ; did oppress our nest ,
  33. Grew by our feeding to so great a bulk
  34. That even our love durst not come near your sight
  35. For fear of swallowing ; but with nimble wing
  36. We were enforc’d for safety sake to fly
  37. Out of your sight and raise this present head ,
  38. Whereby we stand opposed by such means
  39. As you yourself have forg’d against yourself
  40. By unkind usage , dangerous countenance ,
  41. And violation of all faith and troth
  42. Sworn to us in your younger enterprise .
Costume design for Giuseppe Verdi's opera "Falstaff"

Costume design for Giuseppe Verdi's opera "Falstaff"

Adolfo Hohenstein, 1893

King Henry IV

73 - 83
  1. These things indeed you have articulate ,
  2. Proclaim’d at market - crosses , read in churches ,
  3. To face the garment of rebellion
  4. With some fine color that may please the eye
  5. Of fickle changelings and poor discontents ,
  6. Which gape and rub the elbow at the news
  7. Of hurly - burly innovation ;
  8. And never yet did insurrection want
  9. Such water - colors to impaint his cause ,
  10. Nor moody beggars , starving for a time
  11. Of pell - mell havoc and confusion .

Prince Henry

84 - 101
  1. In both your armies there is many a soul
  2. Shall pay full dearly for this encounter ,
  3. If once they join in trial . Tell your nephew
  4. The Prince of Wales doth join with all the world
  5. In praise of Henry Percy . By my hopes ,
  6. This present enterprise set off his head ,
  7. I do not think a braver gentleman ,
  8. More active , valiant , or more valiant , young ,
  9. More daring or more bold , is now alive
  10. To grace this latter age with noble deeds .
  11. For my part , I may speak it to my shame ,
  12. I have a truant been to chivalry ,
  13. And so I hear he doth account me too ;
  14. Yet this before my father’s Majesty :
  15. I am content that he shall take the odds
  16. Of his great name and estimation ,
  17. And will , to save the blood on either side ,
  18. Try fortune with him in a single fight .
Costume design for King Henry IV

Costume design for King Henry IV

John Miller, George Scharf, 1824

King Henry IV

102 - 115
  1. And , Prince of Wales , so dare we venture thee ,
  2. Albeit considerations infinite
  3. Do make against it . No , good Worcester , no ,
  4. We love our people well , even those we love
  5. That are misled upon your cousin’s part ,
  6. And , will they take the offer of our grace ,
  7. Both he and they and you , yea , every man
  8. Shall be my friend again , and I’ll be his .
  9. So tell your cousin , and bring me word
  10. What he will do . But if he will not yield ,
  11. Rebuke and dread correction wait on us ,
  12. And they shall do their office . So be gone ;
  13. We will not now be troubled with reply .
  14. We offer fair , take it advisedly .
  1. Exit Worcester with Vernon .

Prince Henry

116 - 118
  1. It will not be accepted , on my life .
  2. The Douglas and the Hotspur both together
  3. Are confident against the world in arms .

King Henry IV

119 - 121
  1. Hence therefore , every leader to his charge ,
  2. For on their answer will we set on them ,
  3. And God befriend us as our cause is just !
  1. Exeunt . Manent Prince , Falstaff .

Falstaff

122 - 123
  1. Hal , if thou see me down in the battle and bestride me , so ;
  2. ’tis a point of friendship .

Prince Henry

124 - 125
  1. Nothing but a Colossus can do thee that friendship . Say thy
  2. prayers , and farewell .

Falstaff

126
  1. I would ’twere bed - time , Hal , and all well .

Prince Henry

127
  1. Why , thou owest God a death .
  1. Exit .

Falstaff

128 - 140
  1. ’Tis not due yet , I would be loath to pay him before his
  2. day . What need I be so forward with him that calls not on
  3. me ? Well , ’tis no matter , honor pricks me on . Yea , but how
  4. if honor prick me off when I come on ? How then ? Can honor
  5. set to a leg ? No . Or an arm ? No . Or take away the grief of a
  6. wound ? No . Honor hath no skill in surgery then ? No . What is
  7. honor ? A word . What is in that word honor ? What is that
  8. honor ? Air . A trim reckoning ! Who hath it ? He that died a’
  9. Wednesday . Doth he feel it ? No . Doth he hear it ? No . ’Tis
  10. insensible then ? Yea , to the dead . But will’t not live with
  11. the living ? No . Why ? Detraction will not suffer it .
  12. Therefore I’ll none of it , honor is a mere scutcheon . And so
  13. ends my catechism .
  1. Exit .
Shield designs for use in Charles Kean's productions of Henry IV 1 & 2

Shield designs for use in Charles Kean's productions of Henry IV 1 & 2

Charles Hamilton Smith, Emma Hamilton Smith, 19th century

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