Pr. No? How might a Prince of my great hopes forget So great Indignities you laid vpon me? What? Rate? Rebuke? and roughly send to Prison Th' immediate Heire of England? Was this easie? May this be wash'd in Lethe, and forgotten? Ch.Iust. I then did vse the Person of your Father: The Image of his power, lay then in me, And in th' administration of his Law, Whiles I was busie for the Commonwealth, Your Highnesse pleased to forget my place, The Maiesty, and power of Law, and Iustice, The Image of the King, whom I presented, And strooke me in my very Seate of Iudgement: Whereon (as an Offender to your Father) I gaue bold way to my Authority, And did commit you. If the deed were ill, Be you contented, wearing now the Garland, To haue a Sonne, set your Decrees at naught? To plucke downe Iustice from your awefull Bench? To trip the course of Law, and blunt the Sword That guards the peace, and safety of your Person? Nay more, to spurne at your most Royall Image, And mocke your workings, in a Second body? Question your Royall Thoughts, make the case yours: Be now the Father, and propose a Sonne: Heare your owne dignity so much prophan'd, See your most dreadfull Lawes, so loosely slighted; Behold your selfe, so by a Sonne disdained: And then imagine me, taking your part, And in your power, soft silencing your Sonne: After this cold considerance, sentence me; And, as you are a King, speake in your State, What I haue done, that misbecame my place, My person, or my Lieges Soueraigntie

Prin. You are right Iustice, and you weigh this well: Therefore still beare the Ballance, and the Sword: And I do wish your Honors may encrease, Till you do liue, to see a Sonne of mine Offend you, and obey you, as I did. So shall I liue, to speake my Fathers words: Happy am I, that haue a man so bold, That dares do Iustice, on my proper Sonne; And no lesse happy, hauing such a Sonne, That would deliuer vp his Greatnesse so, Into the hands of Iustice. You did commit me: For which, I do commit into your hand, Th' vnstained Sword that you haue vs'd to beare: With this Remembrance; That you vse the same With the like bold, iust, and impartiall spirit As you haue done 'gainst me. There is my hand, You shall be as a Father, to my Youth: My voice shall sound, as you do prompt mine eare, And I will stoope, and humble my Intents, To your well-practis'd, wise Directions. And Princes all, beleeue me, I beseech you: My Father is gone wilde into his Graue, (For in his Tombe, lye my Affections) And with his Spirits, sadly I suruiue, To mocke the expectation of the World; To frustrate Prophesies, and to race out Rotten Opinion, who hath writ me downe After my seeming. The Tide of Blood in me, Hath prowdly flow'd in Vanity, till now. Now doth it turne, and ebbe backe to the Sea, Where it shall mingle with the state of Floods, And flow henceforth in formall Maiesty. Now call we our High Court of Parliament, And let vs choose such Limbes of Noble Counsaile, That the great Body of our State may go In equall ranke, with the best gouern'd Nation, That Warre, or Peace, or both at once may be As things acquainted and familiar to vs, In which you (Father) shall haue formost hand. Our Coronation done, we will accite (As I before remembred) all our State, And heauen (consigning to my good intents) No Prince, nor Peere, shall haue iust cause to say, Heauen shorten Harries happy life, one day.

Exeunt.

Scena Tertia.

Enter Falstaffe, Shallow, Silence, Bardolfe, Page, and Pistoll.

Shal. Nay, you shall see mine Orchard: where, in an Arbor we will eate a last yeares Pippin of my owne graffing, with a dish of Carrawayes, and so forth. (Come Cosin Silence, and then to bed

William Shakespeare
Classic Literature Library

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