And beg thy pardon ere he do accuse thee.
I'll not be long behind; though I be old,
I doubt not but to ride as fast as York:
And never will I rise up from the ground 116
Till Bolingbroke have pardon'd thee. Away! be gone.
Scene Three
[Windsor. A Room in the Castle]
Enter Bolingbroke, Percy, and other Lords.
Boling. Can no man tell me of my unthrifty son?
'Tis full three months since I did see him last.
If any plague hang over us, 'tis he.
I would to God, my lords, he might be found: 4
Inquire at London, 'mongst the taverns there,
For there, they say, he daily doth frequent,
With unrestrained loose companions,
Even such, they say, as stand in narrow lanes 8
And beat our watch and rob our passengers;
While he, young wanton and effeminate boy,
Takes on the point of honour to support
So dissolute a crew. 12
H. Percy. My lord, some two days since I saw the prince,
And told him of these triumphs held at Oxford.
Boling. And what said the gallant?
H.Percy. His answer was: he would unto the stews, 16
And from the common'st creature pluck a glove,
1 unthrifty: ne'er-do-well; cf. n.
9 watch: Elizabethan equivalent of constables
passengers: passers-by
10 wanton: spoilt child
15 gallant: young blood
16 stews: brothels
