Nothing but odds with England; to that end,
As matching to his youth and vanity,

I did present him with those Paris balls.

Ere. He'll make your Paris Louvre shake for it, Were it the mistress court of mighty Europe: And, be assur'd, you'll find a difference, (As we, his subjects, have in wonder found,) Between the promise of his greener days, And these he masters now; now he weighs time, Even to the utmost grain; which you shall read In your own losses, if he stay in France.

Fr. King. To-morrow shall you know our minɖ

at full.

Ere. Despatch us with all speed, lest that our king Come here himself to question our delay; For he is footed in this land already.

Fr. King. You shall be soon despatch'd, with fair conditions:

A night is but small breath, and little pause,
To answer matters of this consequence. [Exeunt.

ACT III.

Enter CHORUS.

Chor. Thus with imagin'd wing our swift scene flies,

In motion of no less celerity

Than that of thought. Suppose that you have seen
The well-appointed king at Hampton pier
Embark his royalty; and his brave fleet

With silken streamers the young Phoebus fanning,
Play with your fancies; and in them behold,
Upon the hempen tackle, ship-boys climbing:
Hear the shrill whistle, which doth order give

To sounds confus'd: behold the threaden sails,
Borne with the invisible and creeping wind,
Draw the huge bottoms through the furrow'd sea,
Breasting the lofty surge: O, do but think,
You stand upon the rivage,2 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;3
And leave your England, as dead midnight, still,
Guarded with grandsires, babies, and old women,
Either past, or not arriv'd 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 now the devilish cannon touches,
[Alarum; and Chambers go off.
And down goes all before them. Still be kind,
And eke out our performance with your mind.

2

3

rivage,] The bank or shore.

[Exit.

to sternage of this navy;] The stern being the hinder part of the ship, the meaning is, let your minds follow close after the navy. Stern, however, appears to have been anciently synonymous to rudder.

4

linstock] The staff to which the match is fixed when ordnance is fired.

SCENE I.

The same. Before Harfleur.

Alarums. Enter King HENRY, EXETER, BedFORD, GLOSTER, and Soldiers, with Scaling Ladders.

In

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

once more;

Or close the wall up with our English dead!
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-favour'd
Then lend the eye a terrible aspect;

rage:

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

O'erhang and jutty his confounded 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 noblest English,
Whose blood is set from fathers of war-proof!
Fathers, that, like so many Alexanders,

Have, in these parts, from morn till even fought,

5 -jutty-] The force of the verb to jutty, when applied to a rock projecting into the sea, is not felt by those who are unaware that this word anciently signified a mole raised to withstand the encroachment of the tide. Jutty-heads, in sea language, are platforms standing on piles, near the docks, and projecting without the wharfs, for the more convenient docking and undocking ships.

his confounded base,] His worn or wasted base,

And sheath'd their swords for lack of argument."
Dishonour 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

yeomen,

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;

8

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,

SCENE II,

The same,

Forces pass over; then enter NYM, BARDOLPH, PISTOL, and Boy.

Bard. 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 of lives: the humour of it is too hot, that is the very plain-song of it.

7

Pist. The plain-song is most just; for humours do abound

argument.] Is matter, or subject.

like greyhounds in the slips,] Slips are a contrivance of leather, to start two dogs at the same time.

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. Pist. 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.9

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

[Driving them forward. Pist. Be merciful, great duke, to men of mould!', Abate thy rage, abate thy manly rage!

Abate thy rage, great duke!

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

Nym. These be good humours!-your honour wins bad humours.

Exeunt NYM, PISTOL, and BARDOlph, followed by FLuellen.

Boy. As young as I am, I have observed these three swashers. 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 anticks do not amount to a man. For Bardolph, he is white-livered, and red-faced; by the means whereof,

9 - Fluellen.] This is only the Welsh pronunciation of Lluellyn. Thus also Flloyd instead of Lloyd.

to men of mould!] To men of earth, to poor mortal

men,