Shakespeare's King Henry IV 4.4 - ten thousand men must bide the touch

King Henry IV, Part I

Please see the bottom of the page for extensive explanatory notes and other helpful resources.

ACT IV SCENE IV	York. The Archbishop's palace.
[Enter the ARCHBISHOP OF YORK and SIR MICHAEL]
ARCHBISHOP OF YORK	Hie, good Sir Michael; bear this sealed brief
	With winged haste to the lord marshal;
	This to my cousin Scroop, and all the rest
	To whom they are directed. If you knew
	How much they do to import, you would make haste.	5
SIR MICHAEL	My good lord,
	I guess their tenor.
ARCHBISHOP OF YORK	Like enough you do.
	To-morrow, good Sir Michael, is a day
	Wherein the fortune of ten thousand men	10
	Must bide the touch; for, sir, at Shrewsbury,
	As I am truly given to understand,
	The king with mighty and quick-raised power
	Meets with Lord Harry: and, I fear, Sir Michael,
	What with the sickness of Northumberland,	15
	Whose power was in the first proportion,
	And what with Owen Glendower's absence thence,
	Who with them was a rated sinew too
	And comes not in, o'er-ruled by prophecies,
	I fear the power of Percy is too weak	20
	To wage an instant trial with the king.
SIR MICHAEL	Why, my good lord, you need not fear;
	There is Douglas and Lord Mortimer.
ARCHBISHOP OF YORK	No, Mortimer is not there.
SIR MICHAEL	But there is Mordake, Vernon, Lord Harry Percy,	25
	And there is my Lord of Worcester and a head
	Of gallant warriors, noble gentlemen.
ARCHBISHOP OF YORK	And so there is: but yet the king hath drawn
	The special head of all the land together:
	The Prince of Wales, Lord John of Lancaster,	30
	The noble Westmoreland and warlike Blunt;
	And moe corrivals and dear men
	Of estimation and command in arms.
SIR MICHAEL	Doubt not, my lord, they shall be well opposed.
ARCHBISHOP OF YORK	I hope no less, yet needful 'tis to fear;	35
	And, to prevent the worst, Sir Michael, speed:
	For if Lord Percy thrive not, ere the king
	Dismiss his power, he means to visit us,
	For he hath heard of our confederacy,
	And 'tis but wisdom to make strong against him:	40
	Therefore make haste. I must go write again
	To other friends; and so farewell, Sir Michael.
[Exeunt]

Continue to Henry IV, Part I, Act 5, Scene 1

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Explanatory Notes for Act 4, Scene 4
From Henry IV, Part I. Ed. Brainerd Kellogg. New York: Clark and Maynard.
(Line numbers have been altered.)
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1. Brief, letter. Now the points of a lawyer's argument.

11. Bide the touch, bear the trial.

18. A rated sinew, a valued sinew of battle.

32. Corrivals, copartners. Rival occurs several times in Shakespeare in the sense of partner or associate.

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How to cite the explanatory notes:
Shakespeare, William. King Henry IV, Part 1. Ed. Brainerd Kellogg. New York: Clark and Maynard, 1885. Shakespeare Online. 20 Feb. 2010. (date when you accessed the information) < http://www.shakespeare-online.com/plays/1kh4_4_4.html >.

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