rifons between Macedon and Monmouth, that the fituations, look you, is both alike. There is a river in Macedon, there is also moreover a river at Monmouth; it is call'd Wye at Monmouth, but it is out of my prains, what is the name of the other river; but it is all one, 'tis as like as my fingers to my fingers, and there is Salmons in both. If you mark Alexander's life well, Harry of Monmouth's life is come after it indifferent well; for there is figures in all things. Alexander, God knows and you know, in his rages, and his furies, and his wraths, and his cholers, and his moods, and his difpleasures, and his indignations, and alfo being a little intoxicates in his prains, did in his ales and his angers, look you, kill his best friend Clytus. Gow. Our King is not like him in that, he never kill'd any of his friends.

Flu. It is not well done, mark you now, to take the tales out of my mouth, ere it is made and finifh'd. I fpeak but in figures, and comparifons of it. As Alexander kill'd his friend Clytus, being in his ales and his cups; fo alfo Harry Monmouth, being in his right wits and his good judgments, turn'd away the fat Knight with the great belly-doublet. He was full of jefts and gypes, and knaveries, and mocks; I have forgot his name.

Gow. Sir John Falstaff.

Flu. That is he. I tell you, there is good men porn at Monmouth.

Gow. Here comes his Majefty.

SCENE XIV.

Alarm. Enter King Henry, with Bourbon and other prifoners; Lords and Attendants. Flourish.

K. Henry. I was not angry fince I came to France, Until this inflant. Take a trumpet, herald,

The fat knight] This is the jaft time that Falfaff can make fport. The poet was loath to

party with him, and has continued his memory as long as he could.

Ride thou unto the horfemen on yon hill.
If they will fight with us, bid them come down,
Or void the field, they do offend our fight;
If they'll do neither, we will come to them;
And make them fker away, as fwift as ftones
Enforced from the old Afjrian flings:

*Befides, we'll cut the throats of thofe we have;
And not a man of them, that we fhall take,
Shall tafte our mercy. Go, and tell them fo.
Enter Mountjoy.

Exe. Here comes the herald of the French, my
Liege.

Glou. His eyes are humbler than they us'd to be.
K. Henry. How now, what means their herald?
Know't thou not,

That I have fin'd thefe bones of mine for ranfom? Com'st thou again for random?

Mount. No, great King:

I come to thee for charitable licence

That we may wander o'er this bloody field,
To book our dead, and then to bury them;
To fort our nobles from our common men;
For many of our Princes, woe the while!
Lie drown'd, and foak'd in mercenary blood
bicod;
So do our vulgar drench their peafant limbs
In blood of Princes, while their wounded steeds
Fret fet-lock deep in gore, and with wild rage
Yerk out their armed heels at their dead mafters,

Befides, we'll cut the throats, &c.] The king is in a very bloody difpofition. He has already cut the throats of his prifoners, and threatens now to cut them again. No hafte of compofition could produce fuch negligence; neither was this play, which is the fecond draught of the fame design, written in hatte. There must be fome dislocation of the fcenes. If we

place thefe lines at the beginning of the twelfth fcene, the abfurdity will be removed, and the action will proceed in a regular feries. This tranfpofition might easily happen in copies written for the players. Yet it must not be concealed, that in the imperfect play of 1608 the order of the icenes is the fame as here.

Killing

Killing them twice. O, give us leave, great King,
To view the field in fafety, and difpofe
Of their dead bodies.

K. Henry. I tell thee truly, herald,
I know not, if the day be ours or no ;
For yet a many of your horsemen peer,
And gallop o'er the field.

Mount. The day is yours.

K. Henry. Praised be God, and not our ftrength, for it!

What is this castle call'd, that ftands hard by?
Mount. They call it Agincourt.

K. Henry. Then call we this the field of Agincourt, Fought on the day of Crispin Crifpianus.

Flu. Your grandfather of famous memory, an't please your Majefty, and your great uncle Edward the plack Prince of Wales, as I have read in the chronicles, fought a moft prave pattle here in France.

K. Henry. They did, Fluellen.

Flu. Your Majefty fays very true. If your Majefties is remember'd of it, the Welfomen did good fervice in a garden where Leeks did grow, wearing Leeks in their Monmouth caps, which your Majefty knows to this hour is an honourable padge of the fervice; and I do believe your Majefty takes no fcorn to wear the Leek upon St. Tavee's day.

K. Henry. I wear it for a memorable honour: For I am Welf, you know, good countryman.

Flu. All the water in Wye cannot wash your Majefty's Welsh plood out of your pody, I can tell you that; God plefs and preferve it, as long as it pleafes his grace and his majefty too.

K. Henry Thanks, good my countryman.

Flu. By Jefhu, I am your Majefty's countryman, I care not who know it; I will confefs it to all the orld; I need not be afhamed of your Majefty, praised be God, fo long as your Majefty is an honeft man.

K. Henry. God keep me fo!

1

Enter

Enter Williams.

Our hearlds go with him.

[Exeunt Heralds, with Mountjoy.

Bring me juft notice of the numbers dead
On both our parts Call yonder fellow hither.

Exe. Soldier, you must come to the King. K. Henry. Soldier, why wear'it thou that glove in thy cap

?

Will. A'nt please your Majefty, 'tis the gage that I fhould fight withal, if he be alive.

K. Henry. An Englishman?

of one

Will. An't please your Majesty, a rafcal that swagger'd with me last night; who, if alive, and if ever he dare to challenge this glove, I have fworn to take him a box o'th' ear; or if I can fee my glove in his cap, which he fwore as he was a foldier he would wear, if alive, I will ftrike it out foundly.

K. Henry. What think you, captain Fluellen, is it fit this foldier keep his oath?

Flu. He is a craven and a villain elfe, an't please your Majefty, in my conscience.

*

K. Henry. It may be, his enemy is a gentleman of great fort, quite from the anfwer of his degree. Flu. Though he be as good a gentleman as the devil is, as Lucifer and Belzebub himfelf, it is neceffary, look your Grace, that he keep his vow and his oath. If he be perjur'd, fee you now, his reputation is as arrant a villain and a jackfawce, as eyer his black shoe trod upon God's ground and his earth, in my conscience law.

.

K. Henry. Then keep thy vow, firrah, when thou meet'ft the fellow.

Will. So I will, my Liege, as I live.

Great fort.] High rank. So in the ballad of Jane Shore,

Lords and ladies of great fort.
+ Quite from the answer of his

degree.] A man of fuch station as is not bound to hazard his perfon in anjaver to a challenge from one of the foldier's low degree.

K. Henry.

K. Henry. Who ferv'st thou under ?

Will. Under captain Gower, my Liege.

Flu. Gower is a good captain, and is good knowledge and literature in the wars.

K. Henry. Call him hither to me, foldier.
Will. I will, my Liege.

[Exit. K. Henry. Here, Fluellen, wear thou this favour for me, and stick it in thy cap. When Alanfon and myfelf were down together, I pluck'd this glove from his helm; if any man challenge this, he is a friend to Alanfon and an enemy to our perfon; if thou encounter any fuch, apprehend him if thou doft love me.

Flu. Your Grace does me as great honours as can be defir'd in the hearts of his fubjects. I would fain fee the man, that has but two legs, that fhall find himself agriev'd at this glove; that is all; but I would fain fee it once, an please God of his grace that I might fee.

K. Henry. Know'st thou Gower ?

Flu. He is my dear friend, and please you.

K. Henry. Pray thee, go feek him, and bring him to my tent.

Flu. I will fetch him.

[Exit. K. Henry, My Lord of Warwick and my brother Glofter,

Follow Fluellen clofely at the heels:

The glove, which I have given him for a favour,
May, haply, purchafe him a box o'th' ear.
It is the foldier's; 1 by bargain fhould

Wear it myself. Follow, good coufin Warwick:
If that the foldier ftrike him, as, I judge
By his blunt bearing, he will keep his word;
Some fudden mifchief may arife of it:
For I do know Fluellen valiant,

And, touch'd with choler, hot as gun-powder;

And quickly he'll return an injury.

Follow; and fee, there be no harm between them.

Come you with us, uncle of Exeter.

[Exeunt. SCENE