Ill-fpirited Wor'fter, did we not fend grace,
Pardon, and terms of love to all of you?
And would't thou turn our offers contrary ?
Mifufe the tenor of thy kinfman's truft?
Three Knights upon our party flain to-day,
A noble Earl, and many a creature elfe,
Had been alive this hour,!

If like a chriftian thou had'ft truly borne
Betwixt our armies true intelligence.

Wor. What I have done, my fafety urg'd me to; And I embrace this fortune patiently,

Since not to be avoided it falls on me.

K. Henry. Bear Worcester to death, and Vernon too. Other Offenders we will paufe upon.

[Exeunt Worcester and Vernon, guarded.

How goes the field?

P.Hen. The gallant Scot, lord Douglas, when he faw The fortune of the day quite turned from him, The noble Percy flain, and all his men Upon the foot of fear, filed with the reft, And, falling from a hill, he was fo bruis'd, That the purfuers took him. At my Tent The Dowglas is, and I befeech your Grace, may difpofe of him.

I

K. Henry. With all my heart.

P. Henry. Then, brother John of Lancaster, to you This honourable bounty fhall belong.

Go to the Douglas, and deliver him

Up to his pleafure, ranfomlefs and free.

His valour, fhown upon our crefts to-day,

Hath taught us how to cherish fuch high deeds,
Ev'n in the bofom of our adverfaries.

Lan. I thank your Grace for this high courtefie, Which I fhall give away immediately.

K. Henry. Then this remains, that we divide our

Power. bad

4 Thefe two lines are added from the quarto.

I fufpect that they were rePOPE. jected by Shakespeare himself.

You fon John, and my cousin Westmorland,
Tow'rds York fhall bend you, with your dearest speed,
To meet Northumberland and Prelate Scroop,
Who, as we hear, are bufily in arms.

Myfelf and You, fon Harry, will tow'rds Wales,
To fight with Glendower and the Earl of Marche.
Rebellion in this land fhall lofe his fway,
Meeting the check of fuch another day;
And fince this bufinefs fo far fair is done,
Let us not leave, till all our own be won.

[Exeunt.

Harcourt,

Lord Chief Justice,

of the King's Party.

Falstaff, Poins, Bardolph, Pistol, Peto, and Page.

Shallow and Silence, Country Juftices.

Davy, Servant to Shallow.

Phang and Snare, two Serjeants.

Mouldy,

I. Quarto, printed by V. S. for Andrew Wife and William Afpley,

II. Folio, 1623.

• Enter RUMOUR," painted full of Tongues.

PEN your ears; for which of you will stop The Vent of Hearing, when loud Rumour speaks? I from the Orient to the drooping Weft, Making the wind my post-horse, still unfold The Acts commenced on this Ball of Earth. Upon my tongues continual flanders ride, The which in every language I pronounce; Stuffing the ears of men with falfe reports. I fpeak of Peace, while covert enmity, Under the smile of fafety, wounds the world; And who but Rumour, who but only I, Make fearful mufters and prepar'd defence, Whilft the big year, fwoll'n with fome other griefs, Is thought with child by the ftern tyrant War, And no fuch matter? Rumour is a pipe.

3

Blown by furmifes, jealoufies, conjectures ;
And, of fo eafy and fo plain a stop,

That the blunt monster with uncounted heads,
The still difcordant wavering multitude,
Can play upon it. But what need I thus

Enter RUMOUR,-] This fpeech of Rumour is not inelegant or unpoetical, but is wholly ufelefs, fince we are told nothing which the first scene does not clearly and naturally difcover. The only end of fuch prologues is to inform the audience of fome facts previous to the action, of which they can have no knowledge from the perfons of the drama.

2-painted full of tongues.] This direction, which is only to be found in the firft Edition in Quarto of 1600, explains a paffage in what follows, otherwife obfcure. РОРЕ.

3

Rumour is a pipe] Here the poet imagines himfelf defcribing Rumour, and forgets that Rumour is the speaker.

My