As far as to the sepulchre of Christ,—
Whose soldier now, under whose blessed cross 20
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 24
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, 28
And bootless 'tis to tell you we will go:
Therefore we meet not now. Then let me hear
Of you, my gentle cousin Westmoreland,
What yesternight our council did decree 32
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; 37
Whose worst was, that the noble Mortimer,
Leading the men of Herefordshire to fight
Against the irregular and wild Glendower, 40
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 44
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. 48
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
