Act 5. Scene II

SCENE II. The rebel camp.

Enter WORCESTER and VERNON
EARL OF WORCESTER
O, no, my nephew must not know, Sir Richard,
The liberal and kind offer of the king.

VERNON
'Twere best he did.

EARL OF WORCESTER
Then are we all undone.
It is not possible, it cannot be,
The king should keep his word in loving us;
He will suspect us still and find a time
To punish this offence in other faults:
Suspicion all our lives shall be stuck full of eyes;
For treason is but trusted like the fox,
Who, ne'er so tame, so cherish'd and lock'd up,
Will have a wild trick of his ancestors.
Look how we can, or sad or merrily,
Interpretation will misquote our looks,
And we shall feed like oxen at a stall,
The better cherish'd, still the nearer death.
My nephew's trespass may be well forgot;
it hath the excuse of youth and heat of blood,
And an adopted name of privilege,
A hair-brain'd Hotspur, govern'd by a spleen:
All his offences live upon my head
And on his father's; we did train him on,
And, his corruption being ta'en from us,
We, as the spring of all, shall pay for all.
Therefore, good cousin, let not Harry know,
In any case, the offer of the king.

VERNON
Deliver what you will; I'll say 'tis so.
Here comes your cousin.

Enter HOTSPUR and DOUGLAS

HOTSPUR
My uncle is return'd:
Deliver up my Lord of Westmoreland.
Uncle, what news?

EARL OF WORCESTER
The king will bid you battle presently.

EARL OF DOUGLAS
Defy him by the Lord of Westmoreland.

HOTSPUR
Lord Douglas, go you and tell him so.

EARL OF DOUGLAS
Marry, and shall, and very willingly.

Exit

EARL OF WORCESTER
There is no seeming mercy in the king.

HOTSPUR
Did you beg any? God forbid!

EARL OF WORCESTER
I told him gently of our grievances,
Of his oath-breaking; which he mended thus,
By now forswearing that he is forsworn:
He calls us rebels, traitors; and will scourge
With haughty arms this hateful name in us.

Re-enter the EARL OF DOUGLAS

EARL OF DOUGLAS
Arm, gentlemen; to arms! for I have thrown
A brave defiance in King Henry's teeth,
And Westmoreland, that was engaged, did bear it;
Which cannot choose but bring him quickly on.

EARL OF WORCESTER
The Prince of Wales stepp'd forth before the king,
And, nephew, challenged you to single fight.

HOTSPUR
O, would the quarrel lay upon our heads,
And that no man might draw short breath today
But I and Harry Monmouth! Tell me, tell me,
How show'd his tasking? seem'd it in contempt?

VERNON
No, by my soul; I never in my life
Did hear a challenge urged more