The prince of Wales accused to his father. Iohn Stow. The suspicious gelousie of the king toward his son. The prince goeth to the court with a great traine. ["Pickthanks" sowed division The Prince's reference to the slanders of certain "pickthanks," who accused him of a more serious transgression than that of keeping loose company, seems to anticipate a misunderstanding which arose between the father and son towards the end of Henry IV.'s reign. In 1412, the [Hol. iii. 539/1/1.] lord Henrie, prince of Wales, eldest sonne to king Henrie, got knowledge that certeine of his fathers seruants were busie to giue informations against him, whereby discord might arise betwixt him and his father: for they put into the kings head, not onelie what euill rule (according to the course of youth) the prince kept to the offense of manie, but also what great resort of people came to his house; so that the court was nothing furnished with such a traine as dailie followed the prince. These tales brought no small suspicion into the kings head, least his sonne would presume to vsurpe the crowne, he being yet aliue; through which suspicious gelousie, it was perceiued that he fauoured not his sonne, as in times past he had doone. The Prince (sore offended with such persons as, by slanderous reports, sought not onelie to spot his good name abrode in the realme, but to sowe discord also betwixt him and his father) wrote his letters into euerie part of the realme, to reprooue all such slanderous deuises of those that sought his discredit. And to cleare himselfe the better, (that the world might vnderstand what wrong he had to be slandered in such wise,) about the feast of Peter and Paule, to wit, the nine and twentith daie of June, he came to the court with such a number of noble men and other his freends that wished him well, as the like traine had beene sildome seene repairing to the court at any one time in those daies. At Westminster Prince Henry made his peace with the King, by whom "he was dismissed with great loue and signes of fatherlie affection." I give the passage following these words, because it contains the epithet "pickthanks," which occurs in the lines quoted above; and also elucidates the Prince's avowal that "some things" were "true," wherein his youth had "faulty wandred.” [Hol. iii. 539/2/28.] Thus were the father and the sonne reconciled, betwixt whom the said pickthanks had sowne diuision, between the insomuch that the sonne, vpon a vehement conceit of vnkindnesse sproong in the father, was in the waie to be worne out of fauour. King and Prince Henry's behaviour.] Abr. Fl, out of Angl. Note prælijs. against orig.] Which was the more likelie to come to passe, by their informations that priuilie charged him with riot1 and other vnciuill demeanor [Prince vnseemelie for a prince. Indeed he was youthfullie giuen, growne to audacitie, and had chosen him companions agreeable to his age; with whome he spent the time in such recreations,2 exercises, and delights as he fansied. But yet (it should seeme by the report of us... some writers) that his behauiour was not offensiue or at least tending to the damage of anie bodie; sith he had a care to auoid dooing of wrong, and to tedder his affections within the tract of vertue; whereby he opened vnto himselfe a redie passage of good liking among the prudent sort, and was beloued of such as could discerne his disposition, which was in no degree so excessiue, as that he deserued in such vehement maner to be suspected. Continuing to rebuke his son, the King says (11. 32, 33): Thy place in counsell thou hast rudely lost, Holinshed briefly mentions the well-known story 3 that Prince [Hol. iii. 543/2/17.] The king after expelled him out of his priuie councell, banisht him the court, and made the duke of Clarence (his yoonger brother) president of councell in his steed. 1 I find nothing to warrant this charge, but it is said that Eastcheap-the Shaksperian Prince Hal's old haunt-was once disturbed by a riot in connexion with which Prince John-Falstaff's "yong sober blouded boy" (2 Hen. IV., IV. iii. 94)—is mentioned. Under 1410, Stow writes (550): "Vpon the eeuen of Saint Iohn Baptist [June 23], Thomas and Iohn, the kings sonnes, being in East-cheap at London, at supper, after midnight, a great debate hapned betweene their men, and men of the court, lasting an houre, till the Maior and Sheriffes with other Citizens ceased the same." The riot is thus chronicled by Greg. (106): "And the same tyme [1410] was the hurlynge in Estechepe by the lorde Thomas and the lorde John, the kyngys sone, &c." 2 One of these "recreations" is thus described by Stow (557): He [Prince Henry] liued somewhat insolently, insomuch that, whilest his father liued, being accompanied with some of his yong Lords and gentlemen, he would waite in disguised aray for his owne receiuers, and distresse them of their money; and sometimes at such enterprises both he and his company were surely beaten and when his receiuers made to him their complaints how they were robbed in their comming vnto him, hee would give them discharge of so much money as they had lost; and, besides that, they should not depart from him without great rewards for their trouble and vexation; especially they should be rewarded that best had resisted him and his company, and of whom he had receiued the greatest and most strokes.' With the words italicized cp. what Prince Henry says in regard to the booty taken from the travellers on Gadshill: "The money shall bee paid backe againe with aduantage" (1 Hen. IV., II. iv. 599). 3 See p. 161, below. made [Clarence president of the Council instead of Prince Henry. The kings speedie diligence. Shakspere has used a dramatist's freedom in making Henry IV. speak of Hotspur as "being no more in debt to yeares" than the Prince (1. 103). Whether Shakspere was ignorant of, or chose to disregard, the chronological aspect of this matter, I know not, but from a comparison of two passages in his authority (Hol. ii. H. S. 249/ 2/7, &c., and iii. 511/2/9, &c.) he could have learnt that in 1388 Harry Percy was old enough to command the English forces at Otterburne, while in 1399 Harry Monmouth was only twelve years of age. Indeed it is probable that Hotspur was older than the King. Henry IV. was born on April 3, 1367 (Compotus Hugonis de Waterton, cited in Notes & Queries, 4th S. xi. 162); and Walsingham tells us (i. 388) that, on November 25, 1378, Hotspur displayed his pennon for the first time ("primo . . . suum vexillum displicuit") at the siege of Berwick Castle. When the Prince has succeeded in gaining his father's confidence, and has been promised a command in the royal army, Sir Walter Blunt enters and announces that news of the rebels' gathering at Shrewsbury has been sent by "Lord Mortimer of Scotland" (1. 164). In the following excerpt George of Dunbar, Earl of the March of Scotland, is called "the Scot, the earle of March"; an appellation which might have led Shakspere to believe that the Scottish Earls of March were akin to the English Mortimers, Earls of March. [Hol. iii. 522/2/39.] King Henrie, aduertised of the proceedings of the Persies, foorthwith gathered about him such power as he might make, and, being earnestlie called vpon by the Scot, the earle of March, to make hast and giue battell to his enimies, before their power by delaicng of time should still too much increase, he passed forward with such speed, that he was in sight of his enimies, lieng in campe neere to Shrewesburie, before they were in doubt of anie such thing; for the Persies thought that he would haue staied at Burton vpon Trent, till his councell had come thither to him to giue their aduise what he were best to doo. But herein the enimie was deceiued of his expectation, sith the king had great regard of expedition and making speed for the safetic of his owne person; wherevnto the earle of March incited him, considering that in delaie is danger, & losse in lingering. Act IV. sc. i.—A messenger brings Hotspur news that Northumberland "is grieuous sicke" (1. 16), and delivers a letter containing the Earl's excuses for not coming himself or sending the expected reinforcements. After speaking of the efforts made by Hotspur and Worcester to increase their strength (p. 137 above), Holinshed says: 1 He is called "George de Dunbarre, Erle of the Marche of Scotland," in the indenture (dated July 25, 1400) by which he engages to transfer his allegiance from Robert III. to Henry IV.-Rymer, viii. 153. umberland [Hol. iii. 522/1/39.] The earle of Northumberland himselfe was [Northnot with them, but, being sicke, had promised vpon his amende- prevented ment to repaire vnto them (as some write) with all conuenient from joining speed. Act IV. sc. ii.—If, in Shakspere's day, there were some captains who "misused the kinges presse damnablie" (1. 13), contemporaries of Sir John Falstaff had also enriched themselves by a like practice. In 1387, Richard Earl of Arundel,-to whom the command of an English fleet had been given,— by sickness Hotspur and Worcester.] [Hol. iii. 454/1/53.] vnderstanding that the duke of Glocester, and manie other noblemen would see the muster of his men, vsed all diligence, and spared for no costs, to haue the most choisest and pikedst fellowes that might be gotten; not following the euill example of others in times past, which receiued tag and rag to fill vp their numbers, whom they hired for small wages, and reserued 4 great the residue to their pursses. Act IV. sc. iii.-Shakspere assigned to Sir Thomas Blunt the mission (11. 41-51) which, as my next excerpt shows, was entrusted to the Abbot of Shrewsbury and a clerk of the Privy Seal. [Hol. iii. 523/1/35.] The next daie in the morning earlie, being the euen of Marie Magdalene [July 21, 1403], they set their battels in order on both sides, and now, whilest the warriors looked when the token of battell should be giuen, the abbat of Shrewesburie, and one of the clearks of the priuie seale, were sent from the king vnto the Persies, to offer them pardon, if they would come to any reasonable agreement. By their persuasions, the lord Henrie Persie began to giue eare vnto the kings offers, & so sent with them his vncle the earle of Worcester, to declare vnto the king the causes of those troubles, and to require some effectuall reformation in the same. Act V. sc. i.-Holinshed's epitome of the Percies' charges is interwoven with the speeches of Hotspur (IV. iii. 60-62; 90-96) and Worcester (V. i. 41-58). I have transposed the order of the passages in Holinshed concerning the Abbot of Shrewsbury's mission, and the delivery of the Percies' articles to Henry. "The next daie "-when, as appears from the preceding excerpt, the Abbot offered Henry's terms to the rebels-was the day after that on which Hotspur's esquires were sent to the royal camp with these articles. [Hol. iii. 523/1/8.] Now when the two armies were incamped, abuse in choise of souldiers. The king pardon his offereth to aduersaries. The Persies sent their articles to the king. charged with periurie. the one against the other, the earle of Worcester and the lord Persie with their complices sent the articles (whereof I spake before), by Thomas Caiton, and Roger 1 Saluain, esquiers, to king King Henrie Henrie, vnder their hands and scales; which articles in effect charged him with manifest periurie, in that (contrarie to his oth receiued vpon the euangelists at Doncaster, when he first entred the realme after his exile) he had taken vpon him the crowne and roiall dignitie, imprisoned king Richard, caused him to resigne his title, and finallie to be murthered. Diuerse other matters they laid to his charge, as leuieng of taxes and tallages, contrarie to his promise, infringing of lawes & customes of the realme, and suffering the earle of March to remaine in prison, without trauelling to haue him deliuered. All which things they, as procurors & protectors of the common-wealth, tooke vpon them to prooue against him, as they protested vnto the whole world. Procurors & protectors of the common wealth. The kings answer to the messengers that brought the articles. King Henrie, after he had read their articles, with the defiance which they annexed to the same, answered the esquiers, that he was readie with dint of sword and fierce battell to prooue their quarrell false, and nothing else than a forged matter; not doubting, but that God would aid and assist him in his righteous cause, against the disloiall and false forsworne traitors. Act V. sc. ii.-On the day of battle (July 21), Hotspur, after hearing Henry's proposals, sent back their bearer, the Abbot of Shrewsbury, accompanied by Worcester, to the King (see p. 143 above). Holinshed left Worcester's treachery unexplained, but Shakspere has supplied a motive for it (ll. 4-23). [Hol. iii. 523/1/48.] It was reported for a truth, that now 1 Roger] Thomas Hol. 2 All these charges are made in Hotspur's or Worcester's speech.___ (They are contained in the Percies' "quarell," cited at p. 134, n. 4, above.) Hotspur says that Henry "taskt the whole state" (IV. iii. 92), and reformed "certaine edicts" and "streight decrees" (IV. iii. 79); words which embody the accusations of having levied "taxes and tallages," and infringed "lawes and customes of the realme." Worcester's complaint that they were in danger of their lives from Henry's jealousy (V. i. 59-64)-cp. what Hotspur says (IV. iii. 98)-occurs in some letters which, besides the articles, were sent abroad by the Percies, wherein they affirmed that "where through the slanderous reports of their enimies, the king had taken a greeuous displeasure with them, they durst not appeare personallie in the kings presence, vntill the prelats and barons of the realme had obteined of the king licence for them to come and purge themselues before him, by lawfull triall of their peeres, whose iudgement (as they pretended) they would in no wise refuse."—Hol. iii, 522/1/52. |