Another part of the forest.
[Enter, from one side, MOWBRAY,
attended; afterwards the ARCHBISHOP
OF YORK, HASTINGS, and others: from
the other side, Prince John of LANCASTER,
and WESTMORELAND; Officers, and
others with them]
LANCASTER You are well encounter’d here,
my cousin Mowbray:
Good day to you, gentle lord archbishop;
And so to you, Lord Hastings, and to all.
My Lord of York, it better show’d with you
When that your flock, assembled by the bell,
Encircled you to hear with reverence
Your exposition on the holy text
Than now to see you here an iron man,
Cheering a rout of rebels with your drum,
Turning the word to sword and life to death.
O, who shall believe
But you misuse the reverence of your place,
Employ the countenance and grace of heaven,
As a false favourite doth his prince’s name,
In deeds dishonourable? You have ta’en up,
Under the counterfeited zeal of God,
The subjects of his substitute, my father,
And both against the peace of heaven and him
Have here up-swarm’d them.
ARCHBISHOP OF YORK Good my Lord of Lancaster,
I am not here against your father’s peace;
But, as I told my lord of Westmoreland,
The time misorder’d doth, in common sense,
Crowd us and crush us to this monstrous form,
To hold our safety up. I sent your grace
The parcels and particulars of our grief,
The which hath been with scorn shoved from the court,
Whereon this Hydra son of war is born;
Whose dangerous eyes may well be charm’d asleep
With grant of our most just and right desires.,
WESTMORELAND Pleaseth your grace
to answer them directly
How far forth you do like their articles.
LANCASTER I like them all, and do allow them well,
And swear here, by the honour of my blood,
My father’s purposes have been mistook,
And some about him have too lavishly
Wrested his meaning and authority.
My lord, these griefs shall be with speed redress’d;
Upon my soul, they shall. If this may please you,
Discharge your powers unto their several counties,
As we will ours: and here between the armies
Let’s drink together friendly and embrace,
That all their eyes may bear those tokens home
Of our restored love and amity.
ARCHBISHOP OF YORK I take your princely word
for these redresses.
LANCASTER I give it you, and will maintain my word:
And thereupon I drink unto your grace.
HASTINGS Go, captain, and deliver to the army
This news of peace: let them have pay, and part:
I know it will well please them. Hie thee, captain.
[Exit Officer]
ARCHBISHOP OF YORK To you,
my noble Lord of Westmoreland.
WESTMORELAND I pledge your grace;
and, if you knew what pains
I have bestow’d to breed this present peace,
You would drink freely: but my love to ye
Shall show itself more openly hereafter.
ARCHBISHOP OF YORK I do not doubt you.
WESTMORELAND I am glad of it.
Health to my lord and gentle cousin, Mowbray.
MOWBRAY You wish me health in very happy season;
For I am, on the sudden, something ill.
ARCHBISHOP OF YORK Against ill chances men are ever merry;
But heaviness foreruns the good event.
WESTMORELAND Therefore be merry,
coz; since sudden sorrow
Serves to say thus, ‘some good thing comes to-morrow.’
ARCHBISHOP OF YORK Believe me, I am passing light in spirit.
MOWBRAY So much the worse, if your own rule be true.
[Shouts within]
LANCASTER The word of peace is render’d:
hark, how they shout!
MOWBRAY This had been cheerful after victory.
ARCHBISHOP OF YORK A peace is of the nature of a conquest;
For then both parties nobly are subdued,
And neither party loser.
LANCASTER Go, my lord,
And let our army be discharged too.
[Exit WESTMORELAND]
And, good my lord, so please you, let our trains
March, by us, that we may peruse the men
We should have coped withal.
ARCHBISHOP OF YORK Go, good Lord Hastings,
And, ere they be dismissed, let them march by.
[Exit HASTINGS]
LANCASTER I trust, lords, we shall lie to-night together.
[Re-enter WESTMORELAND]
Now, cousin, wherefore stands our army still?
WESTMORELAND The leaders,
having charge from you to stand,
Will not go off until they hear you speak.
LANCASTER They know their duties.
[Re-enter HASTINGS]
HASTINGS My lord, our army is dispersed already;
Like youthful steers unyoked, they take their courses
East, west, north, south; or, like a school broke up,
Each hurries toward his home and sporting-place.
WESTMORELAND
Good tidings, my Lord Hastings; for the which
I do arrest thee, traitor, of high treason:
And you, lord archbishop, and you, Lord Mowbray,
Of capitol treason I attach you both.
MOWBRAY Is this proceeding just and honourable?
WESTMORELAND Is your assembly so?
ARCHBISHOP OF YORK Will you thus break your faith?
LANCASTER I pawn’d thee none:
I promised you redress of these same grievances
Whereof you did complain; which, by mine honour,
I will perform with a most Christian care.
But for you, rebels, look to taste the due
Meet for rebellion and such acts as yours.
Most shallowly did you these arms commence,
Fondly brought here and foolishly sent hence.
Strike up our drums, pursue the scatter’d stray:
God, and not we, hath safely fought to-day.
Playlist Henry IV Part Two | Dramatis Personea | Plays & Info