Chapter: Scene 3.

  Con. What the good yeere my Lord, why are you
thus out of measure sad?
  Ioh. There is no measure in the occasion that breeds,
therefore the sadnesse is without limit

   Con. You should heare reason

   Iohn. And when I haue heard it, what blessing bringeth
it?
  Con. If not a present remedy, yet a patient sufferance

   Ioh. I wonder that thou (being as thou saist thou art,
borne vnder Saturne) goest about to apply a morall medicine,
to a mortifying mischiefe: I cannot hide what I
am: I must bee sad when I haue cause, and smile at no
mans iests, eat when I haue stomacke, and wait for no
mans leisure: sleepe when I am drowsie, and tend on no
mans businesse, laugh when I am merry, and claw no man
in his humor

   Con. Yea, but you must not make the ful show of this,
till you may doe it without controllment, you haue of
late stood out against your brother, and hee hath tane
you newly into his grace, where it is impossible you
should take root, but by the faire weather that you make
your selfe, it is needful that you frame the season for your
owne haruest

   Iohn. I had rather be a canker in a hedge, then a rose
in his grace, and it better fits my bloud to be disdain'd of
all, then to fashion a carriage to rob loue from any: in this
(though I cannot be said to be a flattering honest man)
it must not be denied but I am a plaine dealing villaine, I
am trusted with a mussell, and enfranchisde with a clog,
therefore I haue decreed, not to sing in my cage: if I had
my mouth, I would bite: if I had my liberty, I would do
my liking: in the meane time, let me be that I am, and
seeke not to alter me

   Con. Can you make no vse of your discontent?
  Iohn. I will make all vse of it, for I vse it onely.
Who comes here? what newes Borachio?

Enter Borachio.

  Bor. I came yonder from a great supper, the Prince
your brother is royally entertained by Leonato, and I can
giue you intelligence of an intended marriage

   Iohn. Will it serue for any Modell to build mischiefe
on? What is hee for a foole that betrothes himselfe to
vnquietnesse?
  Bor. Mary it is your brothers right hand

   Iohn. Who, the most exquisite Claudio?
  Bor. Euen he

   Iohn. A proper squier, and who, and who, which way
lookes he?
  Bor. Mary on Hero, the daughter and Heire of Leonato

   Iohn. A very forward March-chicke, how came you
to this:
  Bor. Being entertain'd for a perfumer, as I was smoaking
a musty roome, comes me the Prince and Claudio,
hand in hand in sad conference: I whipt behind the Arras,
and there heard it agreed vpon, that the Prince should
wooe Hero for himselfe, and hauing obtain'd her, giue
her to Count Claudio

   Iohn. Come, come, let vs thither, this may proue food
to my displeasure, that young start-vp hath all the glorie
of my ouerthrow: if I can crosse him any way, I blesse
my selfe euery way, you are both sure, and will assist
mee?
  Conr. To the death my Lord

   Iohn. Let vs to the great supper, their cheere is the
greater that I am subdued, would the Cooke were of my
minde: shall we goe proue whats to be done?
  Bor. Wee'll wait vpon your Lordship.

Exeunt.

 At the Archbishop's palace in York, the rebel leaders hold a strategy meeting. Mowbray says he's down with the rebel's cause but he'd feel a whole lot better if they had a decent plan because the king's got an awfully powerful army. Hastings chimes in that the rebels have got 25,000 good soldiers now but they need Northumberland's forces if they're going to have a shot. Lord Bardolph says they can't count on Northumberland's men as reinforcements. There's just too much on the line for them to base their strategy on mere speculation. As an example, York and Lord Bardolph recall what recently happened to Hotspur at the battle at Shrewsbury. Hotspur was counting on his father's forces for backup but that didn't pan out . Hotspur, like a fool, jumped headlong into battle anyway, leading his troops to their death. The remaining rebels don't want to repeat Hotspur's mistakes. On the other hand, notes Hastings, there's nothing wrong with having a little "hope." was Hotspur's motto in Henry IV Part 1. Lord Bardolph disagrees and, in a lengthy speech, warns that the rebels shouldn't be counting their eggs before they hatch. He says that hoping early spring buds will mature into fruit is a bad idea because a frost usually comes along and kills them off. Then Lord Bardolph uses a metaphor comparing the rebels to an architect who carefully plans for and designs a house before he starts building it. Lord Bardolph also says that if the rebels can't execute their plot, they need to scrap their plan and then come up with another. Then Lord Bardolph makes a little joke about his building metaphor - before the rebels build their kingdom, first they have to tear down the one that already exists. Hastings wants in on the fun metaphor game and he's not about to be outdone by Bardolph's plagiarized builder metaphor so, he compares the rebels' plan to a pregnancy and says he hopes the baby won't be "stillborn." Still, he thinks the rebels have a "strong enough" body to see this thing through. Plus, says Hastings, the king's forces are pretty weak right now, especially because they're divided into three units: One division is busy fighting with Glendower's Welsh army and a second division is in the middle of a dustup with France. That leaves a paltry third division to deal with the English rebels. Also, the king is broke, war being so expensive to finance and all. York notes that it's not likely the king will pull his troops away from fighting the French and the Welsh to gang up on the rebels so things are looking good. Archbishop York gives the green light for going public with their plan and says the commonwealth is "sick" of Henry and it's their own darn fault. He compares the commoners' love for the king to an eating disorder - they couldn't get enough of Henry, eating him up, so to speak, and gorging themselves in the process. York goes on to call the commoners a "common dog" and a "beastly feeder" that throws up its food and then gobbles up its own vomit. Mowbray and Hastings say it's time to get this show on the road and the rebels set off to gather up their soldiers.

