HENRY

IV.

P ART II. .

IN D U Ċ TIO N.

Enter Rumour, painted full of Tongues.

Rum. Open your ears; For which of you will stop
* The vent of hearing, when loud Rumour speaks?
1, from the orient to the drooping west,
Making the wind my post-horse, still unfold
The acts commenced on this ball of earth :
Upon my tongues continua) Nanders ride;
The which in every language I pronounce,
Stuffing the ears of men with false reports.
I speak of peace, while covert enmity,
Under the smile of safety, wounds the world :
And who but Rumour, who but only I,
Make fearful musters, and prepar'd defence ;
Whilst the big year, swoln with some other grief,
Is thought with child by the stern tyrant war,
And no such matter? Rumour is a pipe
Blown by surmises, jealousies, conjectures ;

And of so easy and so plain a stop,
That the blunt monster with uncounted heads,
The still-discardant wavering multitude,
Can play upon it. But what need I thus
My well-known body to anatomize
Among my houshold? Why is Rumour here?
I run before king Harry's victory;
Who, in a bloody field by Shrewsbury,

a The vent of hearing, ]—The passage which admits found. b And of so easy and jo plain a flop,]-fo easily play'd upon.

Hath

Hath beaten down young Hotspur, and his troops,
Quenching the flame of bold rebellion
Even with the rebels' blood. But what mean I
To speak so true at first ? my office is
To noise abroad,—that Harry Monmouth fell
Under the wrath of noble Hotspur's sword;
And that the king before the Douglas' rage
Stoop'd his anointed head as low as death.
This have I rumour'd through the peasant towns
Between that royal field of Shrewsbury
And this worm-eaten hold of ragged stone,
Where Hotspur's father, old Northumberland,
Lies crafty-fick: the posts come tiring on,
And not a man of them brings other news
Than they have learn’d of me; From Rumour's tongues
They bring smooth comforts false, worse than true wrongs.

[Exit.

worm-eaten bold of ragged ftone,)--this ruinous castle.
tiring on, ]-fatigued with the speed they have made.

PERSONS

ND,

KING HENRY THE FOURTH.
HENRY, Prince of Wales, afterwards King,
JOHN, Duke of Bedford,

his Sons.
HUMPHREY, Duke of Glofter,
THOMAS, Duke of Clarence,
EARL of NORTHUMBERLAND,
SCROOP, Archbishop of York,
LORD MOWBRAY,
LORD HASTINGS,
LORD BARDOLPH,

against the King.
SIR JOHN COLEVILE,
TRAVERS,
MORTON,
EARL of WARWICK,
EARL of WESTMORELAND,
GOWER,

of the King's Party.
HARCOURT,
LORD CHIEF JUSTICE,
FALSTAFF, POINS, BARDOLPH, PISTOL, PETO,

and PAGE,
SHALLOW, and SILENCE, Country Justices.
DAVY, Servant to SHALLOW.
PHANG and SNARE, iwo Serjeants.
MOULDY,
SHADOW,
WART,

Recruits.
FEEBLE,
BULLCALF,
LADY NORTHUMBERLAND.
LADY PERCY.
HOSTESS QUICKLY.
DOLL TEAR-SHEET.

Drawers, Beadles, Grooms, &c.
SCENE-ENGLAND.

This Second part comprises the transactions of about nine years, commencing with an account of Hotspur's defeat and death, and closing with the demise of Henry IV. and the coronation of Henry V.

SECOND

The Porter at the gate ; enter Lord Bardolph. Bard. Who keeps the gate here, ho? - Where is the

ear) ?
Port. What shall I say you are?

Bard. Tell thou the earl,
That the lord Bardolph doth attend him here.

Port. His lordship is walk'd.forth into the orchard;
Please it your honour, knock but at the gate,
And he himself will answer.

Enter Northumberland. Bard. Here comes the earl.

North. What news, lord Bardolph ? every minute now
Should be the father of some stratagem:
The times are wild; contention, like a horie
Should be the father of some firatagem:)—Should produce some great

“ What firatagems
" This deadly quarrel daily doth beget?"

-HÁNRY VI. Pars II. A& II. S. s: Fath. VOL. III.

Full

event.

PP