OBSERVATIONS.

THE tranfactions comprized in this history take up about nine years. The action commences with the account of Hotfpur's being defeated and killed [1403]; and clofes with the death of King Henry IV. and the coronation of King Henry V. [1412-13.] THEOBALD.

This play was entered at Stationers' Hall, August 23, 1600.

STEEVENS.

The Second Part of King Henry IV. I suppose to have been written in 1598. MALONE.

Mr. Upton thinks thefe two plays improperly called The First and Second Parts of Henry the Fourth. The first play ends, he says, with the peaceful fettlement of Henry in the kingdom by the defeat of the rebels. This is hardly true; for the rebels are not yet finally fuppreffed. The fecond, he tells us, fhows Henry the Fifth in the various lights of a good-natured rake, till, on his father's death, he affumes a more manly character. This is true; but this representation gives us no idea of a dramatic action. These two plays will appear to every reader, who shall peruse them without ambition of critical discoveries, to be so connected, that the fecond is merely a fequel to the first; to be two only because they are too long to be one. JOHNSON.

King HENRY the Fourth.

HENRY, Prince of Wales, afterwards King
Henry V.

THOMAS, Duke of Clarence;

Prince JOHN of Lancaster, afterwards (2 Hen- bis fons. ry V.) Duke of Bedford;

Prince HUMPHREY of Glocefter, afterwards

(2 Henry V.) Duke of Glocester ;

Earl of WARWICK.

Earl of WESTMORELAND. of the King's party.
HARCOURT.

GOWER.

Lord Chief Justice of the King's Bench.

A Gentleman attending on the Chief Justice.

Earl of NORTHUMBERLAND;

SCROOP, Archbishop of York;

Lord MOWBRAY; Lord HASTINGS;

enemics
enemies to the

king.

Lord BARDOLPH; Sir JOHN COLEVILE;

TRAVERS and MORTON, domefticks of Northumberland.

FALSTAFF, BARDOLPH, PISTOL, and Page.

POINS and PETO, attendants on Prince Henry.

SHALLOW and SILENCE, country Justices.

DAVY, fervant to Shallow.

MOULDY, SHADOW, WART, FEEBLE, and BULLCALF,

recruits.

FANG and SNARE, Sheriff's officers.

RUMOUR. A Porter.

A Dancer, Speaker of the Epilogue.

Lady NORTHUMBERLAND. Lady PERCY.

Hoftefs QUICKLY. DOLL TEAR-SHEET.

Lords and other Attendants; Officers, Soldiers, Meflonger, Drawers, Beadles, Grooms, &c.

-SCENE, England.

INDUCTION.

Warkworth. Before Northumberland's Caftle.

Enter RUMOUR, painted full of tongues.

Rum. OPEN your ears; For which of you will ftop
The vent of hearing, when loud Rumour speaks?
I, from the orient to the drooping weft,
Making the wind my pofthorfe, ftill unfold
The acts commenced on this ball of earth;
Upon my tongues continual flanders ride,
The which in every language I pronounce,
Stuffing the ears of men with false reports.
I speak of peace, while covert enmity,
Under the smile of fafety, wounds the world:
And who but Rumour, who but only I,

Make fearful musters, and prepar'd defence;
Whilft the big year, fwol'n with fome other grief,
Is thought with child by the stern tyrant war,
And fo fuch matter? Rumour is a pipe
Blown by furmifes, jealoufies, conjectures;
And of fo eafy and fo plain a stop,

That the blunt monster with uncounted heads,
The still-difcordant wavering multitude,
Can play upon it. But what need I thus
My well-known body to anatomize

Among my houfhold? Why is Rumour here?

I run before king Harry's victory;
Who, in a bloody field by Shrewsbury,
Hath beaten down young Hotspur, and his troops
Quenching the flame of bold rebellion

Even with the rebels' blood. But what mean I
To speak fo true at firft? my office is

To noise abroad,—that Harry Monmouth fell
Under the wrath of noble Hotspur's sword;
And that the king before the Douglas' rage
Stoop'd his anointed head as low as death.
This have I rumour'd through the peafant towns
Between that royal field of Shrewsbury
And this worm-eaten hold of ragged stone,
Where Hotspur's father, old Northumberland,
Lies crafty-fick: the posts come tiring on,
And not a man of them brings other news

Than they have learn'd of me; From Rumour's tongues

They bring smooth comforts falfe, worse than true wrongs.

[Exit.

KING HENRY IV.

SECOND PART.

ACT I. SCENE I.

The fame.

The Porter before the gate; Enter Lord BARDOLPH.

WH

Bardolph.

HO keeps the gate here, ho?-Where is the earl?
Port. What fhall I fay you are?

Bard.

Tell thou the earl,

That the lord Bardolph doth attend him here.

Port. His lordship is walk'd forth into the orchard; Please it your honour, knock but at the gate,

And he himself will anfwer,

Bard.

Enter NORTHUMBERLAND.

Here comes the earl.

North. What news, lord Bardolph ? every minute now Should be the father of fome ftratagem:

The times are wild; contention, like a horfe