marks = unit of currency

  a common expression of irritation

  ell = measurement of 45 inches

  denier = a French copper coin, worth very little

  The breaking of a belt was considered bad luck.

  Temple Hall is one of the Inns of Court, the London schools of law.

  ACT FOUR

  SCENE 1

  Original Text

  Enter HOTSPUR, WORCESTER, and DOUGLAS

  HOTSPUR

  Well said, my noble Scot. If speaking truth

  In this fine age were not thought flattery,

  Such attribution should the Douglas have

  As not a soldier of this season’s stamp

  5

  Should go so general current through the world.

  By God, I cannot flatter. I do defy

  The tongues of soothers. But a braver place

  In my heart’s love hath no man than yourself.

  Nay, task me to my word; approve me, lord.

  DOUGLAS

  10

  Thou art the king of honor.

  No man so potent breathes upon the ground

  But I will beard him.

  HOTSPUR

  Do so, and ’tis well.

  Enter a MESSENGER with letters

  What letters hast thou there? (to DOUGLAS) I can but thank you.

  MESSENGER

  These letters come from your father.

  HOTSPUR

  15

  Letters from him! Why comes he not himself?

  MESSENGER

  He cannot come, my lord. He is grievous sick.

  HOTSPUR

  Zounds, how has he the leisure to be sick

  In such a justling time? Who leads his power?

  Under whose government come they along?

  MESSENGER

  20

  His letters bear his mind, not I, my lord.

  WORCESTER

  I prithee, tell me, doth he keep his bed?

  MESSENGER

  He did, my lord, four days ere I set forth,

  And, at the time of my departure thence,

  He was much feared by his physicians.

  WORCESTER

  25

  I would the state of time had first been whole

  Ere he by sickness had been visited.

  His health was never better worth than now.

  HOTSPUR

  Sick now? Droop now? This sickness doth infect

  The very lifeblood of our enterprise.

  30

  ’Tis catching hither, even to our camp.

  He writes me here that inward sickness—

  And that his friends by deputation

  Could not so soon be drawn, nor did he think it meet

  To lay so dangerous and dear a trust

  35

  On any soul removed but on his own;

  Yet doth he give us bold advertisement

  That with our small conjunction we should on

  To see how fortune is disposed to us,

  For, as he writes, there is no quailing now,

  40

  Because the King is certainly possessed

  Of all our purposes. What say you to it?

  WORCESTER

  Your father’s sickness is a maim to us.

  HOTSPUR

  A perilous gash, a very limb lopped off!

  And yet, in faith, it is not. His present want

  45

  Seems more than we shall find it. Were it good

  To set the exact wealth of all our states

  All at one cast? To set so rich a main

  On the nice hazard of one doubtful hour?

  It were not good, for therein should we read

  50

  The very bottom and the soul of hope,

  The very list, the very utmost bound

  Of all our fortunes.

  DOUGLAS

  Faith, and so we should, where now remains

  A sweet reversion. We may boldly spend

  55

  Upon the hope of what is to come in.

  A comfort of retirement lives in this.

  HOTSPUR

  A rendezvous, a home to fly unto,

  If that the devil and mischance look big

  Upon the maidenhead of our affairs.

  WORCESTER

  60

  But yet I would your father had been here.

  The quality and hair of our attempt

  Brooks no division. It will be thought

  By some that know not why he is away

  That wisdom, loyalty, and mere dislike

  65

  Of our proceedings kept the Earl from hence.

  And think how such an apprehension

  May turn the tide of fearful faction

  And breed a kind of question in our cause.

  For well you know, we of the off’ring side

  70

  Must keep aloof from strict arbitrament,

  And stop all sight-holes, every loop from whence

  The eye of reason may pry in upon us.

  This absence of your father’s draws a curtain

  That shows the ignorant a kind of fear

  75

  Before not dreamt of.

  HOTSPUR

  You strain too far.

  I rather of his absence make this use:

  It lends a luster and more great opinion,

  A larger dare, to our great enterprise

  Than if the Earl were here, for men must think

  80

  If we without his help can make a head

  To push against a kingdom, with his help

  We shall o’erturn it topsy-turvy down.

  Yet all goes well, yet all our joints are whole.

  DOUGLAS

  As heart can think. There is not such a word

  85

  Spoke of in Scotland as this term of fear.

  Enter Sir Richard VERNON

  HOTSPUR

  My cousin Vernon, welcome, by my soul.

  VERNON

  Pray God my news be worth a welcome, lord.

  The Earl of Westmoreland, seven thousand strong,

  Is marching hitherwards, with him Prince John.

  HOTSPUR

  90

  No harm, what more?

  VERNON

  And further I have learned,

  The King himself in person is set forth,

  Or hitherwards intended speedily,

  With strong and mighty preparation.

  HOTSPUR

  He shall be welcome too. Where is his son,

  95

  The nimble-footed madcap Prince of Wales,

  And his comrades, that daffed the world aside

  And bid it pass?

  VERNON

  All furnished, all in arms,

  All plumed like estridges that with the wind

  Baited like eagles having lately bathed,

  100

  Glittering in golden coats like images,

  As full of spirit as the month of May,

  And gorgeous as the sun at midsummer,

  Wanton as youthful goats, wild as young bulls.

  I saw young Harry with his beaver on,

  105

  His cuisses on his thighs, gallantly armed

  Rise from the ground like feathered Mercury

  And vaulted with such ease into his seat

  As if an angel dropped down from the clouds,

  To turn and wind a fiery Pegasus

  110

  And witch the world with noble horsemanship.

  HOTSPUR

  No more, no more! Worse than the sun in March

  This praise doth nourish agues. Let them come.

  They come like sacrifices in their trim,

  And to the fire-eyed maid of smoky war

  115

  All hot and bleeding will we offer them.

  The mailèd Mars shall on his altar sit

  Up to the ears in blood. I am on fire

  To hear this rich reprisal is so nigh

  And yet not ours. Come, let me taste my horse,

  120

  Who is to bear me like a thunderbolt

  Against the bosom of the Prince of Wales.

  Harry to Harry shall, hot horse to horse,

  Meet and ne’er part till one drop down a corse.

  O, that Glendower were come!

  VERNON

  There is more news.

  125

  I learned in Worcester, as I rode along,

  He cannot draw his power this fourteen days.

  DOUGLAS

  That’s the worst tidings that I hear of yet.

  WORCESTER

  Ay, by my faith, that bears a frosty sound.

  HOTSPUR

  What may the King’s whole battle reach unto?

  VERNON

  130

  To thirty thousand.

  HOTSPUR

  Forty let it be.

  My father and Glendower being both away,

  The powers of us may serve so great a day.

  Come, let us take a muster speedily.

  Doomsday is near. Die all, die merrily.

  DOUGLAS

  135

  Talk not of dying. I am out of fear

  Of death or death’s hand for this one half year.

  Exeunt

  ACT FOUR

  SCENE 1

  Modern Text

  HOTSPUR, WORCESTER, and DOUGLAS enter.

  HOTSPUR

  Well said, you excellent Scotsman. If people these days didn’t confuse the truth with flattery, I would praise you highly. No other soldier so newly tested in battle would have gained such a widespread reputation. God knows, I don’t flatter: I hate people who give out praise too easily. But you have a place in my heart that no other man has. Make me prove it; try me.

  DOUGLAS

  You are the most honorable man alive, and if any man challenges that—no matter how powerful—I’ll defy him.

  HOTSPUR

  You do that. Well done.

  A MESSENGER enters with letters.

  What letters have you got there? (to DOUGLAS) All I can do is thank you.

  MESSENGER

  These letters come from your father.

  HOTSPUR

  Letters from him? Why isn’t he here in person?

  MESSENGER

  He can’t come, my lord; he’s terribly sick.

  HOTSPUR

  Damn! How can he take the leisure of being sick at such a frantic time? Who’s in charge of his army? Who’s leading them here?

  MESSENGER

  His letters will tell you his plans, my lord, not I.

  WORCESTER

  Pardon me, but is he bedridden?

  MESSENGER

  He had been, sir, for four days before I left. And on the day I left, his doctors were extremely concerned.

  WORCESTER

  I wish he’d waited till things were settled before he went and got sick. We’ve never needed him more than now.

  HOTSPUR

  Sick now? Faint now? His disease is infecting our entire project. It’s spread all the way to here, right to our camp. He writes that some internal illness—and that his allies couldn’t be gathered so quickly by one of his deputies. Besides, he didn’t think it was appropriate to delegate such a dangerous and important task to someone other than himself. But he also says that we should be bold and press on with our small contingent. For, as he writes, there’s no turning back now, since the King surely knows our plans. What do you think?

  WORCESTER

  Your father’s sickness is a serious injury to us.

  HOTSPUR

  It’s a perilous wound, like losing a limb. And yet, truly, it’s not that bad; the loss of my father seems worse than it is. After all, is it a good idea to bet all our resources on one throw of the dice? Or to gamble such a rich stake on a single hazardous event? No, because that would mean we had reached the end of our hope, and the very limit of our luck.

  DOUGLAS

  That’s right. We have a chance at a rich inheritance; we can take a risk now, based on the promise of success to come. That gives us comfort, something to fall back on.

  HOTSPUR

  It gives us a refuge, a home we can always run to, in case the devil or misfortune ruins these early plans.

  WORCESTER

  I still wish your father were here. Our endeavor here won’t withstand any division. People who don’t realize your father is sick will assume that he knows some kind of secret, or that he is loyal to the King, or that he doesn’t approve of how we’re handling things. And just imagine how that kind of mistrust could frighten our more timid supporters, and lead them to doubt us. You know very well that the challenger must always avoid careful examination. We must seal every crack, every loophole, which skeptics might look through to see weaknesses. Your father’s absence draws the curtains back and reveals frightful things to ignorant people, who had never had a reason to fear before.

  HOTSPUR

  You’re taking this too far. I’d rather think about his absence this way: it makes us look even better. It makes our great undertaking seem even more daring than it would if Northumberland were here. People will think that if we can raise an army against the King without my father, that once he joins we’ll turn the whole kingdom upside down. Everything is fine, we’re all in one piece.

  DOUGLAS

  We’re as well off as we could have hoped. In Scotland, we don’t even know the meaning of the word fear.

  Sir Richard VERNON enters.

  HOTSPUR

  Welcome, kinsman Vernon, from the bottom of my heart.

  VERNON

  I pray to God that what I have to say is worth welcoming, my lord. The Earl of Westmoreland, with seven thousand men, is marching this way. Prince John is with him.

  HOTSPUR

  Nothing to be worried about. What else?

  VERNON

  I’ve also learned that the King himself is coming this way, or at least plans to very soon, with a huge and powerful force.

  HOTSPUR

  We’ll welcome him too. Where’s his son, that sporting, foolhardy Prince of Wales, and his comrades, who don’t care about anything?

  VERNON

  They’re all in uniform, all armed. They look like feathered ostriches; like eagles beating their wings after a bath; like statues painted gold. They’re as lively as the springtime; as gorgeous as the midsummer sun; as giddy as young goats; as wild as young bulls. I saw young Harry with his helmet on, and armor on his thighs. Armed with powerful weapons, he rose off the ground like the winged god Mercury, and leaped so effortlessly into his saddle, it was as if an angel had dropped out of the sky to ride a fiery Pegasus, and bewitch the world with his incredible horsemanship.

  HOTSPUR

  Stop, stop! This praise of him makes me sicker than the sun on an early spring day. Let them come, like sacrifices in all their finery; we’ll offer them, hot and bleeding, to the fire-eyed goddess of smoky war. The war-god Mars will sit on his altar, up to his ears in blood. I am on fire, knowing that this rich prize is so near, and yet still not ours. Come, bring me my horse, who will carry me like a lightning bolt to face the Prince of Wales. Then this Harry will meet that Harry, my horse against his horse; we’ll meet and never separate, till one of us falls down as a corpse. Oh, I wish that Glendower were here!

  VERNON

  I have more news: as I passed through the town of Worcester, I heard that Glendower won’t be able to collect his army for two more weeks.

  DOUGLAS

  That’s the worst news I’ve heard so far.

  WORCESTER

  Yes, truly, that news makes me cold.

  HOTSPUR

  How many men in the King’s army?

  VERNON

  Thirty thousand.

  HOTSPUR

  Let it be forty. Even with both my father and Glendower absent, our armies may still be enough to win. Come on, let’s gather our troops right now. It’s almost doomsday; if we die, we die cheerfully.

  DOUGLAS

  Don’t talk about dying. I won’t even worry about dying for the next six months.

  They exit.

  ACT 4, SCENE 2

  Original Text

  Enter FALSTAFF and BARDOLPH

  FALSTAFF

  Bardolph, get thee before to Coventry. Fill me a bottle of sack. Our soldiers shall march through. We’ll to Sutton Coldfield tonight.

  BARDOLPH

  Will you give me money, captain?

  FALSTAFF

  5

  Lay out, lay out.

  BARDOLPH

  This bottle makes an angel.

  FALSTAFF

  An if it do, take it for thy labor. An if it make twenty, take them all. I’ll answer the coinage. Bid my lieutenant Peto meet me at town’s end.

  BARDOLPH

  10

  I will, captain. Farewell.

  Exit BARDOLPH

  FALSTAFF

  If I be not ashamed of my soldiers, I am a soused gurnet. I have misused the King’s press damnably. I have got, in exchange of a hundred and fifty soldiers, three hundred and odd pounds. I press me none but good householders,

  15

  yeomen’s sons; inquire me out contracted bachelors, such as had been asked twice on the banns; such a commodity of warm slaves—as had as lief hear the devil as a drum, such as fear the report of a caliver worse than a struck fowl or a hurt wild duck. I pressed me none but such toasts-and-butter,

  20

  with hearts in their bellies no bigger than pins’ heads, and they have bought out their services, and now my whole charge consists of ancients, corporals, lieutenants, gentlemen of companies—slaves as ragged as Lazarus in the painted cloth, where the glutton’s dogs licked his sores;

  25

  and such as indeed were never soldiers, but discarded, unjust servingmen, younger sons to younger brothers, revolted tapsters, and ostlers tradefallen, the cankers of a calm world and a long peace, ten times more dishonorable-ragged than an old feazed ancient; and such have I to fill up

  30

  the rooms of them that have bought out their services, that you would think that I had a hundred and fifty tattered prodigals lately come from swine-keeping, from eating draff and husks. A mad fellow met me on the way and told me I had unloaded all the gibbets and pressed the dead

  35

  bodies. No eye hath seen such scarecrows. I’ll not march through Coventry with them, that’s flat. Nay, and the villains march wide betwixt the legs as if they had gyves on, for indeed I had the most of them out of prison. There’s not a shirt and a half in all my company, and the half shirt is two