And pretty traps to catch the petty thieves.
While that the armed hand doth fight abroad,
Th' advised head defends itself at home;

For Government, though high, and low, and lower,
Put into parts, doth deep in one confent,
Congreeing in a full and natural close,
Like mufick.

6

Cant. Therefore heav'n 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 rule in nature teach
The art of order to a peopled kingdom.
They have a King, and officers of fort;
Where fome, like magiftrates, correct at home,
Others, like merchants, venture trade abroad, 7

fhew, there is no real Neceffity for staying at home: he must therefore mean, that tho' there be a feeming Neceffity, yet it is one that may be well excus'd and got over.

WARBURTON.

Neither the old readings nor the emendation feem very fatisfactory. A curfed neceflity has no fenfe, a 'fcus'd neceffity is fo harsh that one would not admit it, if any thing else can be found. A crush'd neceffaty may mean, a neceffity which is subdu'd and overpowered by contrary reasons We might read a crude neceffity, a neceffity not complete, or not well confidered and digefted, but it is too harsh.

Sir T. Hanmer reads, Yet that is not o'course a neceffity. • For Government, though high, and low, and lower,] The foundation and expreffion of this Thought feems to be bor

Others

row'd from Cicero de Republica, lib. 2. Sic ex fummis, & mediis, & infimis interjectis Ordinibus, ut fonis, moderatam ratione Civitatem, Confenfu diffimi liorum concinere; & quæ Harmonia à Muficis dicitur in Cantu, eam effe in Civitate Concordiam.

THEOBALD.

6 Setting endeavour in continual

motion,

To which is fixed, as an aim or butt,

Obedience. Neither the fenfe nor the construction of this paffage is very obvious. The conftruction is, endeavour — as an aim or butt to which endeavour, obedience is fixed. The fenfe is. that all endeavour is to terminate in obedience, to be fubordinate to the publick good and general defign of government. 7 Others, like merchants, VENTURE trade abroad; What

Bb 4

is

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 bufy'd in his majefty, furveys

The finging mafon building roofs of gold
The civil citizens kneading up the honey;"
The poor mechanick pórters 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 thus infer,
That many things, having full reference
To one confent, may work contrariously.
As many arrows, loofed feveral ways,
Come to one mark; as many ways meet in one town;
As many fresh streams meet in one falt fea;
As many lines clofe in the dial's center;
So may a thousand actions once a-foot, 9

is the venturing trade? I am per fuaded we should read and point it thus,

Others, like merchant-venturers, trade abroad.

WARBURTON. If the whole difficulty of this paffage confift in the obfcurity of the phrafe to venture trade, it may be easily cleared. To venture trade is a phrafe of the fame import and structure as to hazard battle. Nothing could have raised an objection but the defire of being busy.

8 The civil Citizens KNEADING up the boney;] This may poffibly be right; but I ras ther think that Shakespear wrote HEADING up the honey; alluding to the putting up merchandise in casks. And this is in fact the

End in one purpose, and be all well borne
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 shake,
If we, with thrice fuch powers left at home,
Cannot defend our own doors from the dog,
Let us be worried; and our Nation lofe
The name of hardinefs and policy.

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

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, shall have a tongueless mouth;
Not worshipt with a waxen epitaph.

Enter Ambafadors 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

pletion, without impeding or jostling one another in their courfe. Shakespeare, therefore, must have wrote, actions 't once a foot, i, e, at once; or, on foot

together.

WARBURTON.

Sir T. Hanmer is more kind to this emendation by reading aAs at once. The change is not neceffary, the old text may ftand.

The

The Dauphin's meaning, and our embaffy?

K. Henry. We are no tyrant, but a Chriftian King, Unto whole 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 Highnefs, 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 gilliard won;
You cannot revel into Dukedoms there.
He therefore fends you, meeter for your spirit,
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. We're glad, the Dauphin is so pleasant with us.

His prefent, and your pains, we thank you for.
When we have match'd our rackets to these balls,
We will in France, by God's grace, play a fet,
Shall ftrike his father's Crown into the hazard.
Tell him, h'ath made a match with fuch a wrangler,
That all the Courts of France will be disturb'd
With chaces. And we understand him well,
How he comes o'er us with our wilder days;
Not measuring, what ufe we made of them.
We never valu'd this poor feat of England,
And therefore, living hence, did give ourself

*

Chace is a term at tennis. 1 And therefore, living hence, -] This expreffion has ftrength and energy: He never

valued England, and therefore lived hence, i. e. as if abfent from But the Oxford Editor alters WARBURTON, To

it.

bence to here.

To barb'rous licence; as 'tis ever common,
That men are merrieft, when they are from home.
But tell the Dauphin, I will keep my State,
Be like a King, and fhew, my fail of Greatness
When I do rouze me in my throne of France.
*For that I have laid by my Majefty,
And plodded like a man for working days;
But I will rife there with fo full a glory,
That I will dazzle all the eyes of France,
Yea, ftrike the Dauphin blind to look on us.
And tell the pleafant Prince, this mock of his
Hath turn'd his balls to gun-ftones; and his foul
Shall stand fore charged for the wafteful vengeance,
That fhall fly with them. Many thousand widows
Shall this his Mock mock out of their dear husbands,
Mock mothers from their fons, mock caftles down;
And some are yet ungotten and unborn,

That fhall have caufe to curfe the Dauphin's fcorn.
But this lies all within the will of God,
To whom I do appeal; and in whofe name,
Tell you the Dauphin, I am coming on
To 'venge me as I may; and to put forth
My rightful hand in a well-hallow'd caufe.

So get you hence in peace; and tell the Dauphin,
His jeft will favour but of fhallow wit,

When thousands weep, more than did laugh at it. .. -Convey them with fafe conduct -Fare ye well. [Exeunt Ambassadors..

Exe. This was a merry meffage.

K. Henry. We hope to make the fender blush at it. Therefore, my Lords, omit no happy hour, That may give furth'rance to our expedition; For we have now no thoughts in us but Frante, Save those to God, that run before our business.

For that I have laid by, &c.] To qualify myself for this undertaking, I have defcended from my ftation, and ftudied the arts of life in a lower character.

+ His balls to gun-ftones.] When ordnance was first used, they dif charged balls not of iron but of tone.

There