Here is the line-by-line modern paraphrase of the monologue:

Original: I am sorry I should force you to believe
Modern: I’m sorry that I have to make you accept

Original: That which I would to God I had not seen;
Modern: Something that I truly wish I had never witnessed;

Original: But these mine eyes saw him in bloody state,
Modern: But my own eyes saw him covered in blood,

Original: Rend’ring faint quittance, wearied and out-breath’d,
Modern: Barely able to fight back, exhausted and gasping for air,

Original: To Harry Monmouth, whose swift wrath beat down
Modern: Against Harry Monmouth, whose fierce and furious rage struck down

Original: The never-daunted Percy to the earth,
Modern: The fearless Hotspur Percy right to the ground,

Original: From whence with life he never more sprung up.
Modern: From which he never rose again alive.

Original: In few, his death—whose spirit lent a fire
Modern: In short, his death — he was the one whose energy and spirit had inspired

Original: Even to the dullest peasant in his camp—
Modern: Even the most ordinary foot soldier in our army —

Original: Being bruited once, took fire and heat away
Modern: Once the news of it spread, it drained all the fire and courage

Original: From the best-temper’d courage in his troops;
Modern: Even from the strongest and bravest men among our forces;

Original: For from his metal was his party steeled;
Modern: Because it was Hotspur’s own strength and character that had made his men tough and determined;

Original: Which once in him abated, all the rest
Modern: And once that strength was gone from him, everyone else

Original: Turn’d on themselves, like dull and heavy lead.
Modern: Collapsed inward on themselves, becoming as lifeless and heavy as lead.

Original: And as the thing that’s heavy in itself
Modern: And just like a heavy object

Original: Upon enforcement flies with greatest speed,
Modern: When hurled by force travels with tremendous speed,

Original: So did our men, heavy in Hotspur’s loss,
Modern: So too did our men, weighed down by grief over Hotspur’s death,

Original: Lend to this weight such lightness with their fear
Modern: Add such speed to that heaviness through their sheer panic

Original: That arrows fled not swifter toward their aim
Modern: That not even arrows shot toward their target moved faster

Original: Than did our soldiers, aiming at their safety,
Modern: Than our soldiers did, running only to save their own lives,

Original: Fly from the field. Then was that noble Worcester
Modern: Fleeing the battlefield. Then the noble Worcester

Original: Too soon ta’en prisoner; and that furious Scot,
Modern: Was captured far too quickly; and that fierce Scottish warrior,

Original: The bloody Douglas, whose well-labouring sword
Modern: The fierce Douglas, whose hard-working and deadly sword

Original: Had three times slain th’ appearance of the King,
Modern: Had already cut down three men disguised to look like the King,

Original: Gan vail his stomach and did grace the shame
Modern: Began to lose his nerve and ended up joining in the disgrace

Original: Of those that turn’d their backs, and in his flight,
Modern: Of all those who had turned and run away, and while fleeing,

Original: Stumbling in fear, was took. The sum of all
Modern: Tripping in his panic, he was captured. The bottom line

Original: Is that the King hath won, and hath sent out
Modern: Is that the King has won the battle, and has already dispatched

Original: A speedy power to encounter you, my lord,
Modern: A fast-moving military force to come after you, my lord,

Original: Under the conduct of young Lancaster
Modern: Led by young Prince Lancaster

Original: And Westmoreland. This is the news at full.
Modern: And Westmoreland. That is the full report of everything that happened.

Act I, Scene i of Henry IV, Part II opens at Warkworth Castle, where Northumberland anxiously awaits news of the battle at Shrewsbury. A lord named Travers arrives first and delivers an uncertain report, having heard secondhand that the rebel forces were defeated and that Northumberland’s son, Hotspur, may have been killed. Northumberland struggles to accept this troubling news, but before he can fully process it, another messenger named Morton arrives. Morton, who was present at the battle himself, confirms the worst: the rebels were decisively defeated at Shrewsbury, and Hotspur has indeed been slain — killed at the hands of Prince Hal. Northumberland is devastated by the news of his son’s death, and his grief quickly transforms into rage.

As the scene progresses, Morton continues to relay the full scope of the disaster, informing Northumberland that the rebel leader Worcester has been captured and faces execution. Despite this crushing blow, Morton urges Northumberland not to surrender to despair, reminding him that the rebellion is not entirely lost. He reports that the Archbishop of York, Richard Scroop, has already raised a new army and is rallying fresh support for the cause against King Henry IV. Lord Bardolph and Morton together persuade Northumberland that the fight must continue, and that the Archbishop’s uprising offers a renewed opportunity to press their grievances against the crown. Northumberland, though grief-stricken, ultimately agrees to take action and support the continuing rebellion.

Henry IV, Part Two - Summary of Events

The play opens with Rumour spreading false news that Hotspur has defeated King Henry IV at Shrewsbury. Northumberland soon learns the truth: his son Hotspur is dead, and the rebellion has failed. Despite his grief and calls from his allies to continue the fight, Northumberland eventually flees to Scotland. Meanwhile, the rebel leaders—the Archbishop of York, Lord Mowbray, and Lord Hastings—gather forces for a new uprising against the King.

Prince Hal continues his time in the taverns of Eastcheap with Falstaff, Mistress Quickly, Doll Tearsheet, and his companions. Falstaff, deep in debt and pursued by the Hostess for unpaid bills, manipulates his way out of trouble and is eventually called to join the King’s forces. The King himself is gravely ill and troubled by insomnia, burdened by guilt over how he obtained the crown. He laments that Hal remains irresponsible and fears for England’s future under his son’s rule.

In Gaultree Forest, Prince John of Lancaster meets with the rebels under a flag of truce. He promises to address their grievances, and the rebel leaders dismiss their armies. Once the rebel forces disperse, Prince John arrests the leaders for treason and orders their execution. When the dying King Henry hears of this victory and later finds Hal with the crown at his bedside (believing him dead, Hal had taken it), father and son reconcile. Henry dies, and Hal becomes King Henry V.

As the new king, Henry V publicly rejects Falstaff, who arrives expecting rewards and favor. The King banishes his former companion from his presence, promises him support at a distance, but makes clear their relationship is over. The Lord Chief Justice is retained in his position, and the new king prepares to rule England. The epilogue promises that the story will continue with Henry V’s wars in France and hints that Falstaff will appear again.