NOTE XV.

v. 3. 36. This, like all Silence's snatches of song, is printed as prose in the Quarto, and ends shrovetide, be mery, be mery. The Folios print these words in the same line, but with a full stop at Shrovetide. Rowe, and all subsequent editors to Johnson inclusive, printed the last four words as if they were spoken, not sung. Capell corrected the error, and printed, Be merry, be merry, &c. In line 75, the word Samingo is printed as if spoken, and not sung, by all editors down to Malone.

NOTE XVI.

V. 4. I. Sincklo.'

See note IV. to The Taming of the Shrew.

NOTE XVII.

V. 5. I. The Quarto prefixes the numbers 1, 2, 3, to the first three speeches of this scene. Mr Dyce conjectures that the speech given to the first groom at line 3, might be distributed thus:

'Third Groom. It will be two of the clock ere they come from the coronation.

First Groom. Dispatch, dispatch.'

NOTE XVIII.

V. 5. 4. It seems probable from the stage-direction of the Quarto, that the king first crossed the stage in procession to his coronation, which is supposed to take place during the dialogue between Falstaff and the others, and that on his second entrance he appeared with the crown on his head.

KING HENRY THE FIFTH.

DUKE OF EXETER, uncle to the King.

DUKE OF YORK, cousin to the King.

EARLS OF SALISBURY, WESTMORELAND, and WARWICK.
ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY.

BISHOP OF ELY.

EARL OF CAMBRIDGE.

LORD SCROOP.

SIR THOMAS GREY.

SIR THOMAS ERPINGHAM, GOWER, FLUELLEN,

JAMY, officers in King Henry's army.

BATES, COURT, WILLIAMS, soldiers in the same.
PISTOL, NYM, BARDOLPH.

Boy.

A Herald.

CHARLES the Sixth, king of France.

LEWIS, the Dauphin.

DUKES OF Burgundy, ORLEANS, and BOURBON.

The Constable of France.

RAMBURES and GRANDPRE, French Lords.

Governor of Harfleur.

MONTJOY, a French Herald.

Ambassadors to the King of England.

ISABEL, Queen of France.

KATHARINE, daughter to Charles and Isabel.

ALICE, a lady attending on her.

MACMORRIS,

Hostess of a tavern in Eastcheap, formerly Mistress Quickly, and

now married to Pistol.

Lords, Ladies, Officers, Soldiers, Citizens, Messengers, and Attendants.

Chorus.

SCENE: England; afterwards France.

1 DRAMATIS PERSONA First given by Rowe.

See note (1).

THE LIFE OF

KING HENRY V.

PROLOGUE.

Enter Chorus.

Chor. O for a Muse of fire, that would ascend The brightest heaven of invention,

A kingdom for a stage, princes to act

And monarchs to behold the swelling scene!
Then should the warlike Harry, like himself,
Assume the port of Mars; and at his heels,
Leash'd in like hounds, should famine, sword and fire
Crouch for employment. But pardon, gentles all,
The flat unraised spirits that have dared
On this unworthy scaffold to bring forth
So great an object: can this cockpit hold
The vasty fields of France? or may we cram
Within this wooden O the very casques
That did affright the air at Agincourt?
Q, pardon! since a crooked figure may
Attest in little place a million;

And let us, ciphers to this great accompt,

PROLOGUE. Enter Chorus.] Enter Prologue. Ff.

8. employment]employments Rowe. But] om. Pope.

all,] F all: F,F,F3.

2

9. spirits that have] Staunton. Spirits, that hath Ff. spirit, that hath Rowe.

12. fields] F. field F2F3F4.

On your imaginary forces work.
Suppose within the girdle of these walls
Are now confined two mighty monarchies,
Whose high upreared and abutting fronts
The perilous narrow ocean parts asunder:
Piece out our imperfections with your thoughts;
Into a thousand parts divide one man,
And make imaginary puissance;

Think, when we talk of horses, that you see them.
Printing their proud hoofs i' the receiving earth;
For 'tis your thoughts that now must deck our kings,
Carry them here and there; jumping o'er times,
Turning the accomplishment of many years
Into an hour-glass: for the which supply,
Admit me Chorus to this history;

Who prologue-like your humble patience pray,

Gently to hear, kindly to judge, our play.

[Exit.

ACT I.

SCENE I. London. An ante-chamber in the KING'S palace.

Enter the ARChbishop of CANTERBURY, and the BISHOP of ELY.

Cant. My lord, I'll tell you; that self bill is urged,
Which in the eleventh year of the last king's reign
Was like, and had indeed against us pass'd,

But that the scambling and unquiet time

Did push it out of farther question.

20.

Ely. But how, my lord, shall we resist it now?

monarchies] Fr. monarches F2. monarchs F3F4.

Pope. An antechamber in the En-
glish court at Kenilworth. Theobald.

Enter...] Rowe. Enter the two
Bishops of Canterbury and Ely. F,
F2. Enter the Bishops... F3F4-
5. push] put Pope (ed. 2).