Page:Henry IV Part 1 (1917) Yale.djvu/16

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As far as to the sepulchre of Christ,—

Whose soldier now, under whose blessed cross

We are impressed and engag'd to fight,—

Forthwith a power of English shall we levy,

Whose arms were moulded in their mothers' womb

To chase these pagans in those holy fields

Over whose acres walk'd those blessed feet

Which fourteen hundred years ago were nail'd

For our advantage on the bitter cross.

But this our purpose now is twelve months old,

Therefore we meet not now. Then let me hear

Of you, my gentle cousin Westmoreland,

What yesternight our council did decree

In forwarding this dear expedience.

West. My liege, this haste was hot in question,

And many limits of the charge set down

But yesternight; when all athwart there came

A post from Wales loaden with heavy news;

Whose worst was, that the noble Mortimer,

Leading the men of Herefordshire to fight

Against the irregular and wild Glendower,

Was by the rude hands of that Welshman taken,

A thousand of his people butchered;

Upon whose dead corpse there was such misuse,

Such beastly shameless transformation

By those Welshwomen done, as may not be

Without much shame re-told or spoken of.

King. It seems then that the tidings of this broil

Brake off our business for the Holy Land.

 21 impressed: compelled into service

28 Cf. n.

29 bootless: useless

33 dear expedience: important expedition

34 hot in question: in hot debate

35 charge: expense

36 athwart: from an unexpected quarter

38 Mortimer; cf. n.

40 irregular: lawless 