He therefore sends you, meeter for your spirit, Desires you, let the dukedoms, that you claim, Ere. Tennis-balls, my liege. K. Hen. We are glad, the Dauphin is so pleasant with us; His present, and your pains, we thank you for: 8 That all the courts of France will be disturb'd 7 8 - chaces.] Chace is a term at tennis. this poor seat of England;] By the seat of England, the King means the throne. 9 And therefore, living hence,] Living hence means, withdrawing from the court, the place in which he is now speaking. 1 For that I have laid by-] To qualify myself for this undertaking, I have descended from my station, and studied the arts of life in a lower character. JOHNSON. And tell the pleasant prince,-this mock of his Hath turn'd his balls to gun-stones; and his soul Shall stand sore charged for the wasteful vengeance That shall fly with them: for many a thousand widows Shall this his mock mock out of their dear husbands; Mock mothers from their sons, mock castles down; That shall have cause to curse the Dauphin's scorn. When thousands weep, more than did laugh at it.— K. Hen. We hope to make the sender blush at it. 2 his balls to gun-stones;] When ordnance was first used, they discharged balls, not of iron, but of stone. ACT II. Enter CHORUS. Chor. Now all the youth of England are on fire, And hides a sword, from hilts unto the point, O England!-model to thy inward greatness, What might'st thou do, that honour would thee do, But see thy fault! France hath in thee found out With treacherous crowns; and three corrupted men, One, Richard earl of Cambridge; and the second, Henry lord Scroop of Masham; and the third, Sir Thomas Grey knight of Northumberland,Have, for the gilt of France,3 (O guilt, indeed!) Confirm'd conspiracy with fearful France; 3 the gilt of France,] Gilt, which, in our author, generally signifies a display of gold, in the present instance, means golden money. And by their hands this grace of kings must die, SCENE I. The same. Eastcheap. Enter NYм and BARDOLph. Bard. Well met, corporal Nym. [Exit. Nym. Good morrow, lieutenant Bardolph. yet? Nym. For my part, I care not: I say little; but when time shall serve, there shall be smiles ;-but that shall be as it may. I dare not fight; but I will wink, and hold out mine iron: It is a simple one; but what though? it will toast cheese; and it will endure cold as another man's sword will: and there's the humour of it. Bard. I will bestow a breakfast, to make you while we force a play.] To force a play, is to produce a play by compelling many circumstances into a narrow compass, friends; and we'll be all three sworn brothers to France; let it be so, good corporal Nym. Nym. 'Faith, I will live so long as I may, that's the certain of it; and when I cannot live any longer, I will do as I may: that is my rest, that is the rendezvous of it. Bard. It is certain, corporal, that he is married to Nell Quickly : and, certainly, she did you wrong; for you were troth-plight to her. Nym. I cannot tell; things must be as they may: men may sleep, and they may have their throats about them at that time; and, some say, knives have edges. It must be as it may: though patience be a tired mare, yet she will plod. There must be conclusions. Well, I cannot tell. Enter PISTOL and Mrs. QUICKLY. Bard. Here comes ancient Pistol, and his wife:good corporal, be patient here.-How now, mine host Pistol? Pist. Base tike, call'st thou me-host? Now, by this hand I swear, I scorn the term; Quick. No, by my troth, not long: for we cannot lodge and board a dozen or fourteen gentlewomen, that live honestly by the prick of their needles, but it will be thought we keep a bawdyhouse straight. [NYм draws his sword. O well-aday, Lady, if he be not drawn now! O Lord! sand we'll be all three sworn brothers to France:] The humour of sworn brothers should be opened a little. In the time of adventure, it was usual for two chiefs to bind themselves to share in each other's fortune, and divide their acquisitions between them. So, in the Conqueror's expedition, Robert de Oily, and Roger de Ivery, were fratres jurati; and Robert gave one of the honours he received to his sworn brother Roger. So these three scoundrels set out for France, as if they were going to make a conquest of the kingdom. |