You stand upon the rivage,1 and behold
A city on the inconstant billows dancing;
For so appears this fleet majestical,

Holding due course to Harfleur. Follow, follow!
Grapple your minds to sternage of this navy;
And leave your England, as dead midnight, still,
Guarded with grandsires, babies, and old women,
Either past or not arrived to pith and puissance :
For who is he, whose chin is but enrich'd
With one appearing hair, that will not follow
These cull'd and choice-drawn cavaliers to France?
Work, work your thoughts, and therein see a siege :
Behold the ordnance on their carriages,

With fatal mouths gaping on girded Harfleur: Suppose, the ambassador from the French comes back;

Tells Harry--that the king doth offer him
Katharine his daughter; and with her, to dowry,
Some petty and unprofitable dukedoms.

The offer likes not; and the nimble gunner
With linstock 2 now the devilish cannon touches,
[alarum; and chambers3 go off.
And down goes all before them. Still be kind,
And eke out our performance with your mind.

1 Bank or shore.

[Exit.

2 The staff to which the match is fixed when ordnance is

fired.

Small pieces of ordnance.

Alarums.

SCENE 1.

The same. Before Harfleur.

Enter KING HENRY, EXETER, BEDFORD, GLOSTER, and Soldiers, with scaling-ladders.

K. Hen. Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more;

Or close the wall up with our English dead!
In peace, there's nothing so becomes a man
As modest stillness and humility;

But when the blast of war blows in our ears,
Then imitate the action of the tiger;
Stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood,
Disguise fair nature with hard-favor'd rage:
Then lend the eye a terrible aspect;

Let it pry through the portage 1 of the head,
Like the brass cannon; let the brow o'erwhelm it,
As fearfully, as doth a galled rock

O'erhang and jutty 2 his confounded 3 base,
Swill'd with the wild and wasteful ocean.

Now set the teeth, and stretch the nostril wide;
Hold hard the breath, and bend up every spirit
To his full height!-On, on, you noble English,
Whose blood is fet from fathers of war-proof!
Fathers, that, like so many Alexanders,

1 Open space, from porta, a gate.

A jutty is a mole to withstand the encroachments of the tide. 3 Worn, wasted. 4 Fetched.

Have, in these parts, from morn till even fought, And sheathed their swords for lack of argument; 1 Dishonor not your mothers; now attest,

That those, whom you call'd fathers, did beget you! Be copy now to men of grosser blood,

And teach them how to war!-And you, good yeo

men,

Whose limbs were made in England, show us here The mettle of your pasture; let us swear

That you are worth your breeding, which I doubt

not;

For there is none of you so mean and base,
That hath not noble lustre in your eyes.
I see you stand like greyhounds in the slips,
Straining upon the start. The game's afoot:
Follow your spirit; and, upon this charge,

Cry-God for Harry! England! and saint George! [Exeunt. Alarum, and chambers go off.

Bar. On, on, on, on, on! to the breach, to the breach!

Nym. 'Pray thee, corporal, stay; the knocks are too hot; and, for mine own part, I have not a case

Matter or subject.

2 A pair or brace.

of lives: the humor of it is too hot, that is the very plain song of it.

Pis. The plain song is most just; for humors do abound;

Knocks go and come; God's vassals drop and die; And sword and shield,

In bloody field,

Doth win immortal fame.'

Boy. Would I were in an alehouse in London ! I would give all my fame for a pot of ale, and safety.

Pis. And I:

If wishes would prevail with me,

My purpose should not fail with me;

But thither would I hie.'

Boy. As duly, but not as truly, as bird doth sing on bough.

Enter FLUELlen.

Flu. Got's plood!-Up to the preaches, you ras, cals! will you not up to the preaches?

[driving them forward.

Pis. Be merciful, great duke,1 to men of mould! 2 Abate thy rage, abate thy manly rage!

Abate thy rage, great duke!

Good bawcock,3 bate thy rage! use lenity, sweet chuck!

1 Commander.

A corruption of beau

coq,

2 To poor mortal men
jolly cock.

Nym. These be good humors!-your honor wins bad humors.

[Exeunt Nym, Pistol, and Bardolph, followed by Fluellen.

Boy. As young as I am, I have observed these three swashers.1 I am boy to them all three: but all they three, though they would serve me, could not be man to me; for, indeed, three such antics do not amount to a man. For Bardolph, he is whitelivered and red-faced; by the means whereof, 'a faces it out, but fights not. For Pistol,―he hath a killing tongue and a quiet sword; by the means whereof 'a breaks words, and keeps whole weapons. For Nym, he hath heard, that men of few words are the best men; and therefore he scorns to say his prayers, lest a' should be thought a coward: but his few bad words are matched with as few good deeds; for 'a never broke any man's head but his own; and that was against a post when he was drunk. They will steal any thing, and call it,— purchase. Bardolph stole a lute-case; bore it twelve leagues, and sold it for three halfpence. Nym and Bardolph are sworn brothers in filching; and in Calais they stole a fire-shovel: I knew, by that piece of service, the men would carry coals. They would have me as familiar with men's pockets as their gloves or their handkerchiefs; which makes much against my manhood, if I should take from

1 Braggarts.

2 Bravest.

3 Pocket affronts.