P. Hen. Nothing but a colossus can do thee that friendship. Say thy prayers, and farewell. Fal. I would it were bed-time, Hal, and all well. [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 honour 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 in that word, honour? What is that honour? Air. A trim reckoning!-Who hath it? He that died o’Wednesday. Doth he feel it? No. Doth he hear it? No. Is it 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: Họnour is a mere scutcheon, and so ends my catechism. SCENE II. The Rebel Camp. Enter WORCESTER and VERNON. [Exit. Wor. O, no, my nephew must not know, sir Richard, The liberal 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; p-- Honour is a mere scutcheon,] The reward of brave actions formerly was only some honourable bearing in the shields of arms bestowed upon deservers. But Falstaff having said that honour often came not till after death, he calls it very wittily a scutcheon, which is the painted heraldry borne in funeral processions; and by mere scutcheon is insinuated that whether alive or dead, honour was but a name.- -WARBURTON. The old copies all read, " Supposition all our lives shall be stuck full of eyes." The corrections in the text were made by Pope and Farmer. For treason is but trusted like the fox; Who, ne'er so tame, so cherish'd, and lock'd up, Look how we can, or sad, or merrily, A hare-brain'd Hotspur, govern'd by a spleen : And on his father's ;—we did train him on : Ver. Deliver what you will, I'll say, Here comes your cousin. 'tis so. Enter HOTSPUR and DOUGLAS; and Officers and Hot. My uncle is return'd:-Deliver up My lord of Westmoreland.-Uncle, what news? Re-enter DOUGLAS. [Exit. Doug. Arm, gentlemen; to arms! for I have thrown Deliver up My lord of Westmoreland.] He was "impawned as a surety for the safe return" of Worcester. A brave defiance in king Henry's teeth, And Westmoreland, that was engag'd,' did bear it; Wor. The prince of Wales stepp'd forth before the king, And, nephew, challeng'd you to single fight. Hot. O, 'would the quarrel lay upon our heads; Ver. No, by my soul; I never in my life, England did never owe so sweet a hope, Of any prince, so wild, at liberty :*- I will embrace him with a soldier's arm, That he shall shrink under my courtesy. Arm, arm, with speed :-And, fellows, soldiers, friends, Better consider what you have to do, S engaged,] i. e. Delivered as an hostage. He made a blushing cital-] Mr. Pope observes, that by cital is meant taxation; but I rather think it means recital.-STEEVENS. Of any prince, so wild, at liberty:-] Of any prince that played such pranks, and was not confined as a madman.-JOHNSON. Than 1, that have not well the gift of tongue, Enter a Messenger. Mess. My lord, here are letters for you. Still ending at the arrival of an hour. Enter another Messenger. Mess. My lord, prepare; the king comes on apace. For I profess not talking; only this Let each man do his best: and here draw I [The Trumpets sound. They embrace, SCENE III. Plain near Shrewsbury. Excursions, and parties fighting. Alarum to the Battle. Then enter DOUGLAS and BLUNT, meeting. Blunt. What is thy name, that in the battle thus y Now,-Esperance!-] This was the word of battle on Percy's side. z For, heaven to earth,] i. e. One might wager heaven to earth.-WARBURTON. Thou crossest me? What honour dost thou seek Doug. Know then, my name is Douglas; And I do haunt thee in the battle thus, Because some tell me that thou art a king. Blunt. They tell thee true. Doug. The lord of Stafford dear to-day hath bought Thy likeness; for, instead of thee, king Harry, The sword hath ended him: so shall it thee, Unless thou yield thee as my prisoner. Blunt. I was not born a yielder, thou proud Scot; And thou shalt find a king that will revenge Lord Stafford's death. [They fight, and BLUNT is slain. Enter HOTSPUR. Hot. O Douglas, hadst thou fought at Holmedon thus, I never had triumph'd upon a Scot. Doug. All's done, all's won; here breathless lies the Hot. Where? Doug. Here. [king. Hot. This, Douglas? no, I know this face full well: A gallant knight he was, his name was Blunt; Semblably furnish'd like the king himself. Doug. A fool go with thy soul, whither it goes! Fal. Though I could 'scape shot-free at London, I fear the shot here; here's no scoring, but upon the pate. a Semblably- i. e. In resemblance, alike. b shot-free-] A play upon the word shot, as it means the part of a reckoning and a missive weapon discharged from artillery.-JOHNSON. |