King Pepin, which depofed Childerick,

Did as heir general (being defcended

Of Blitbild, which was daughter to King Clothair)
Make claim and title to the crown of France,
Hugh Capet alfo, who ufurp'd the crown
Of Charles the Duke of Lorain fole heir male
Of the true line and ftock of Charles the great,
To fine his title with fome fhews of truth,
(Though in pure truth it was corrupt and naught)
Convey'd himself as heir to th' Lady Lingare,
Daughter to Charlemain, who was the fon
To Lewis th' Emperor, which was the fon
Of Charles the great. Allo King Lewis the ninth,
Who was fole heir to the ufurper Capet,

Could not keep quiet in his confcience
Wearing the crown of France, 'till fatisfy'd
That fair Queen Ifabel his grandmother

Was lineal of the Lady Ermengere,

Daughter to Charles the forefaid Duke of Lorain :
By the which match the line of Charles the great
Was re-united to the crown of France.
So that as clear as is the fummer's fun,
King Pepin's title, and Hugh Capet's claim,
King Lewis his fatisfaction, all appear
To hold in right and title of the female.
So do the Kings of France until
this day:
Howbeit they would hold this Salike law,
To bar your Highness claiming from the female ;.
And rather chufe to hide them in a net,

ЧР

Than openly imbare their crooked titles,

Ufurpt from you and your progenitors.

K. Henry. May 1 with right and confcience make this claim?

Cant. The fin upon my head, dread Sovereign!

For in the book of Numbers it is writ,

When the fon dies, let the inheritance

Defcend unto the daughter. Gracious Lord,
Stand for your own, unwind your bloody flag,
Look back into your mighty ancestors;

Go, my dread Lord, to your great grandfire's tomb,

From

From whom you claim; invoke his warlike fpirit,
And your great uncle Edward the black Prince,
Who on the French ground play'd a Tragedy,
Making defeat on the full pow'r of France:
While his moft mighty father on a hill
Stood fmiling, to behold his Lion's whelp
Forage in blood of French Nobility.
O noble English, that could entertain
With half their forces the full pow'r of France,
And let another half ftand laughing by,
All out of work and cold for action!

Ely. Awake remembrance of these valiant dead,
And with your puiffant arm renew their feats!
You are their heir, you fit upon their throne;
The blood and courage that renowned them,
Runs in your veins; and my thrice-puiffant Liege
Is in the very May-morn of his youth,

Ripe for exploits and mighty enterprises.

Exe. Your brother Kings and Monarchs of the earth Do all expect that you should rouze your self,

As did the former Lions of your blood.

Weft. They know your race hath had cause, means and might;

So hath your Highness; never King of England
Had Nobles richer, and more loyal fubjects;

Whofe hearts have left their bodies here in England,
And lye pavillion'd in the fields of France.

Cant. O, let their bodies follow, my dear Liege,
With blood and fword and fire to win your right!
In aid whereof we of the fpirituality

Will raife your Highnefs fuch a mighty fum,
As never did the Clergy at one time

Bring in to any of your ancestors.

K. Henry. We must not only arm t'invade the French, But lay down our proportions to defend

Against the Scot, who will make road upon us

With all advantages.

Cant. They of those Marches

Shall be a wall fufficient to defend

Our inland from the pilfering borderers.

K. Henry.

K. Henry. We do not mean the courfing snatchers only, But fear the main intendment of the Scot, Who hath been ftill a giddy neighbour to us: For you fhall read, that my great grandfather Never went with his forces into France, But that the Scot on his unfurnisht kingdom Came pouring like a tide into a breach, With ample and brim-fulness of his force, Galling the gleaned land with hot afsays, Girding with grievous fiege caftles and towns; That England, being empty of defence,

Hath fhook and trembled at th'ill neighbourhood.

Cant. She hath been then more fear'd than harm'd, my

Liege ;

For hear her but exampled by her felf;
When all her chivalry hath been in France
And the a mourning widow of her Nobles,
She hath her felf not only well defended,
But taken and impounded as a ftray

The King of Scots; whom the did fend to France,
To fill King Edward's fame with prisoner Kings;
And make his chronicle as rich with praise,

As is the ouzy bottom of the fea

With funken wreck and fumless treasuries.

Ely. But there's a faying very old and true,
If that you will France win, then with Scotland first begin.
For once the Eagle England being in prey;

To her unguarded neft the Weazel Scot
Comes fneaking, and fo fucks her princely eggs,
Playing the Mouse in abfence of the Cat,

To fpoil and havock more than she can eat.

Exe. It follows then the Cat must stay at home;

Yet that is not o' courfe a neceffity;

Since we have locks to fafeguard neceffaries,
And pretty traps to catch the petty thieves.
While that the armed hand doth fight abroad,
Th' advised head defends it felf at home:

For government, though high, and low, and lower
Put into parts, doth keep in one confent,
Congruing in a full and natural clofe,

Like

Like mufick.

Cant. Therefore heaven doth divide
The state of man in divers functions,
Setting endeavour in continual motion:
To which is fixed as an aim or butt,
Obedience; for fo work the honey Bees;
Creatures that by a ruling nature teach
The art of order to a peopled kingdom.
They have a King and officers of forts,
Where fome like magiftrates correct at home a
Others like merchants venture trade abroad:
Others, like foldiers armed in their ftings,
Make boot upon the fummer's velvet buds :
Which pillage they with merry march bring home
To the tent-royal of their Emperor :
Who bufied in his Majefty, furveys
The finging mafon building roofs of gold,
The civil citizens kneading up the honey,
The poor mechanick porters crowding in
Their heavy burdens at his narrow gate :
The fad-ey'd Juftice with his furly hum,
Delivering o'er to executors pale
The lazy yawning drone. I this infer,
That many things having full reference
To one confent, may work contrariously:
As, many arrows loofed feveral ways

Come to one mark, and ways meet in one town ;
As, many fresh streams meet in one falt sea ;
As, many lines clofe in the dial's center;

So may a thousand acts at once a-foot

End in one purpose, and be all well born

Without defeat. Therefore to France, my Liege!
Divide your happy England into four,
Whereof take you one quarter into France,
And you withal fhall make all Gallia fhake
If we with thrice fuch powers left at home,
Cannot defend our own doors from the dog,
Let us be worried, and our nation lose
The name of hardiness and policy.

K. Henry, Call in the meffengers fent from the Dauphin.

Now

Now are we well refolv'd, and by God's help
And yours, the noble finews of our power,
France being ours, we'll bend it to our awe,
Or break it all to pieces. There we'll fit,
Ruling in large and ample empery

O'er France and all her almost kingly Dukedoms;
Or lay these bones in an unworthy urn,
Tomblefs, with no remembrance over them.
Either our history fhall with full mouth
Speak freely of our acts; or else our grave,
Like Turkish mute, fhall have a tongueless mouth,
Not worshipt with a waxen epitaph.

SCENE III. Enter Ambassadors of France.
Now are we well prepar'd to know the pleasure
Of our fair coufin Dauphin; for we hear
Your greeting is from him, not from the King.
Amb. May't pleafe your Majefty to give us leave
Freely to render what we have in charge;
Or fhall we fparingly fhew you far off

The Dauphin's meaning and our embaffie?

K. Henry. We are no tyrant, but a chriffian King,
Unto whofe grace our paffion is as fubject,
As are our wretches fetter'd in our prifons :
Therefore with frank and with uncurbed plainness,
Tell us the Dauphin's mind.

Amb. Thus then in few.

Your Highness lately fending into France,
Did claim fome certain Dukedoms in the right
Of your great predeceffor, Edward the third.
In answer of which claim, the Prince our mafter
Says that you favour too much of your youth,
And bids you be advis'd: there's nought in France
That can be with a nimble galliard won;
You cannot revel into Dukedoms there:
He therefore fends you (meeter for your fpirit)
This tun of treasure; and in lieu of this,
Defires you let the Dukedoms that you claim
Hear no more of you. This the Dauphin speaks.
K. Henry. What treasure, uncle?
Exe, Tennis-balls, my Liege.

K. Henry.