书城公版Henry IV
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第8章

Why hast thou lost the fresh blood in thy cheeks;And given my treasures and my rights of thee To thick-eyed musing and cursed melancholy?

In thy faint slumbers I by thee have watch'd, And heard thee murmur tales of iron wars;Speak terms of manage to thy bounding steed;Cry 'Courage! to the field!' And thou hast talk'd Of sallies and retires, of trenches, tents, Of palisadoes, frontiers, parapets, Of basilisks, of cannon, culverin, Of prisoners' ransom and of soldiers slain, And all the currents of a heady fight.

Thy spirit within thee hath been so at war And thus hath so bestirr'd thee in thy sleep, That beads of sweat have stood upon thy brow Like bubbles in a late-disturbed stream;And in thy face strange motions have appear'd, Such as we see when men restrain their breath On some great sudden hest. O, what portents are these?

Some heavy business hath my lord in hand, And I must know it, else he loves me not. HOTSPUR What, ho!

Enter Servant Is Gilliams with the packet gone? Servant He is, my lord, an hour ago. HOTSPUR Hath Butler brought those horses from the sheriff? Servant One horse, my lord, he brought even now. HOTSPUR What horse? a roan, a crop-ear, is it not? Servant It is, my lord. HOTSPUR That roan shall by my throne.

Well, I will back him straight: O esperance!

Bid Butler lead him forth into the park.

Exit Servant LADY PERCY But hear you, my lord. HOTSPUR What say'st thou, my lady? LADY PERCY What is it carries you away? HOTSPUR Why, my horse, my love, my horse. LADY PERCY Out, you mad-headed ape!

A weasel hath not such a deal of spleen As you are toss'd with. In faith, I'll know your business, Harry, that I will.

I fear my brother Mortimer doth stir About his title, and hath sent for you To line his enterprise: but if you go,-- HOTSPUR So far afoot, I shall be weary, love. LADY PERCY Come, come, you paraquito, answer me Directly unto this question that I ask:

In faith, I'll break thy little finger, Harry, An if thou wilt not tell me all things true. HOTSPUR Away, Away, you trifler! Love! I love thee not, I care not for thee, Kate: this is no world To play with mammets and to tilt with lips:

We must have bloody noses and crack'd crowns, And pass them current too. God's me, my horse!

What say'st thou, Kate? what would'st thou have with me? LADY PERCY Do you not love me? do you not, indeed?

Well, do not then; for since you love me not, I will not love myself. Do you not love me?

Nay, tell me if you speak in jest or no. HOTSPUR Come, wilt thou see me ride?

And when I am on horseback, I will swear I love thee infinitely. But hark you, Kate;I must not have you henceforth question me Whither I go, nor reason whereabout:

Whither I must, I must; and, to conclude, This evening must I leave you, gentle Kate.

I know you wise, but yet no farther wise Than Harry Percy's wife: constant you are, But yet a woman: and for secrecy, No lady closer; for I well believe Thou wilt not utter what thou dost not know;And so far will I trust thee, gentle Kate. LADY PERCY How! so far? HOTSPUR Not an inch further. But hark you, Kate:

Whither I go, thither shall you go too;

To-day will I set forth, to-morrow you.

Will this content you, Kate? LADY PERCY It must of force.

Exeunt SCENE IV. The Boar's-Head Tavern, Eastcheap. Enter PRINCE HENRY and POINS PRINCE HENRY Ned, prithee, come out of that fat room, and lend me thy hand to laugh a little. POINS Where hast been, Hal? PRINCE HENRY With three or four loggerheads amongst three or four score hogsheads. I have sounded the very base-string of humility. Sirrah, I am sworn brother to a leash of drawers; and can call them all by their christen names, as Tom, ****, and Francis.

They take it already upon their salvation, that though I be but the prince of Wales, yet I am king of courtesy; and tell me flatly I am no proud Jack, like Falstaff, but a Corinthian, a lad of mettle, a good boy, by the Lord, so they call me, and when Iam king of England, I shall command all the good lads in Eastcheap. They call drinking deep, dyeing scarlet; and when you breathe in your watering, they cry 'hem!' and bid you play it off. To conclude, Iam so good a proficient in one quarter of an hour, that I can drink with any tinker in his own language during my life. I tell thee, Ned, thou hast lost much honour, that thou wert not with me in this sweet action. But, sweet Ned,--to sweeten which name of Ned, I give thee this pennyworth of sugar, clapped even now into my hand by an under-skinker, one that never spake other English in his life than 'Eight shillings and sixpence' and 'You are welcome,'

with this shrill addition, 'Anon, anon, sir! Score a pint of bastard in the Half-Moon,' or so. But, Ned, to drive away the time till Falstaff come, I prithee, do thou stand in some by-room, while I question my puny drawer to what end he gave me the sugar;and do thou never leave calling 'Francis,' that his tale to me may be nothing but 'Anon.' Step aside, and I'll show thee a precedent. POINS Francis! PRINCE HENRY Thou art perfect. POINS Francis!

Exit POINS

Enter FRANCIS FRANCIS Anon, anon, sir. Look down into the Pomgarnet, Ralph. PRINCE HENRY Come hither, Francis. FRANCIS My lord? PRINCE HENRY How long hast thou to serve, Francis? FRANCIS Forsooth, five years, and as much as to-- POINS [Within] Francis! FRANCIS Anon, anon, sir. PRINCE HENRY Five year! by'r lady, a long lease for the clinking of pewter. But, Francis, darest thou be so valiant as to play the coward with thy indenture and show it a fair pair of heels and run from it? FRANCIS O Lord, sir, I'll be sworn upon all the books in England, I could find in my heart. POINS [Within] Francis! FRANCIS Anon, sir. PRINCE HENRY How old art thou, Francis? FRANCIS Let me see--about Michaelmas next I shall be-- POINS [Within] Francis! FRANCIS Anon, sir. Pray stay a little, my lord. PRINCE HENRY Nay, but hark you, Francis: for the sugar thou gavest me,'twas a pennyworth, wast't not? FRANCIS O Lord, I would it had been two! PRINCE HENRY I will give thee for it a thousand pound: