Cant. They of thofe Marches, gracious Sovereign, Shall be a wall fufficient to defend

Our Inland from the pilfering borderers.

K. Henry. We do not mean the courfing snatchers only,

But fear the main intendment of the Scot,
Who hath been still a giddy neighbour to us:
For, you fhall read, that my great grandfather
7 Ne'er went with his full forces into France,
But that the Scot on his unfurnifht kingdom
Came pouring, like a tide into a breach,
With ample and brim fulness of his force;
Galling the gleaned land with hot assays;
Girding with grievous fiege caftles and tow
That England, being empty of defence,

Hath fhook, and trembled, at th' ill neighbourhood. Cant. She hath been then more fear'd than harm'd, my Liege;

For hear her beft exampled by her felf;

When all her chivalry hath been in France,
And she a mourning widow of her Nobles,
She hath her felf not only well defended,
But taken and impounded as a stray

The King of Scots; whom she did fend to France,
To fill King Edward's fame with prisoner Kings;
? And make his chronicle as rich with prize,

7 Never went with his forces into France.] Shakespear wrote the line thus,

Ne'er went with his FULL forces into France. The following expreffions of unfurnisht kingdom, gleaned land, and empty of defence fhew this.

8 For hear her BUT exampled by her felf; ] We fhould read, For hear her BEST exampled

i. e. her own history will be our best inftruction in this point. 9 And make his chronicle as rich with PRAISE,] He is fpeaking of King Edward's prifoners; fo that it appears Shakespear

wrote,

i. e. captures, booty. likeness in the fimilitude.

as rich with PRIZE, Without this, there is neither beauty nor

As

As is the ouzy bottom of the Sea
With funken wreck and fumlefs treafuries.

Exe. But there's a faying very old and true,

? If that you will France win, then with Scotland first begin.

For once the Eagle England being in prey,

To her unguarded neft the Weazel, Scot,
Comes fneaking, and fo fucks her princely eggs;
Playing the Moufe in abfence of the Cat,
To (a) taint, and havock, more than she can eat.
Ely. It follows then, the Cat must stay at home,
3 Yet that is but a 'scus'd neceffity;

Since we have locks to fafeguard neceffaries,
And pretty traps to catch the petty thieves.
While that the armed hand doth fight abroad,
Th' advised head defends it felf at home:

;

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

Cant. Therefore heaven doth divide
The state of man in divers functions,

1 Ely. But there's a faying &c.] This fpeech, which is dif fuafive of the war with France, is abfurdly given to one of the churchmen in confederacy to push the King upon it, as appears by the first scene of this act. Befides, the poet had here an eye to Hall, who gives this obfervation to the Duke of Exeter. But the editors have made Ely and Exeter change fides, and speak one another's fpeeches; for this, which is given to Ely, is Exeter's ; and the following given to Exeter, is Ely's.

2 If that you will France win, &c.] Hall's Chronicle. Hen. V. Mr. Pope. year 2. fol. 7. p. 2. x.

3 Yet that is but a curs'd neceffity; ] So the old Quarto. The Folios read crush'd: neither of the words are pertinent. 'Tis Exeter's bufinefs to fhew there is no unavoidable neceffity of ftaying at home. We must read therefore,

a'scus'D neceffity;

i. e. a neceffity that may be excufed; but a feeming neceffity, not a real one.

S

[(a) taint, Mr. Theobald. Vulg. tear.]

Setting

Setting endeavour in continual motion : To which is fixed, as an aim or butt, Obedience; for fo work the honey Bees; 4 Creatures, that by a ruling 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: "5 Others, like merchant-venturers, trade abroad "Others, like foldiers, armed in their stings, "Make boot upon the fummer's velvet buds : "Which pillage they with merry march bring home "To the tent-royal of their Emperor: "Who, bufied in his majefty, furveys "The finging mafon building roofs of gold; "The civil citizens kneading up the honey; "The poor mechanick porters crowding in "Their heavy burthens at his narrow gate: "The fad-ey'd Juftice with his furly hum, "Delivering o'er to executors pale "The lazy yawning drone. I this infer, That many things, having full reference

4 Creatures, that by a RULE IN NATURE teach] The editors have made the poet fay the direct contrary to what he intended. He would fay, that the bees inftinctively teach; they fay, that bees act by a rule in nature. We should read,

Creatures, that by a RULING NATURE teach

i. e. by a governing nature. And this the argument requires. For if bees did it by a ruling nature, it is reafon we should imitate them; not fo, if only by a rule in nature; for all animals are not to go by one and the fame rule.

5 Others, like merchants, VENTURE trade abroad; ] What is the venturing trade? I am perfuaded we should read and point it thus,

Others, like merchant-venturers, trade abroad.

6 The civil citizens KNEADING up the honey;] This may poffibly be right; but I rather think that Shakespear wrote HEADING up the honey; alluding to the putting up merchandise in casks. And this is in fact the cafe. The honey being headed up in feparate and diftinct cells by a thin membrane of wax drawn over the mouth of each of them, to hinder the liquid matter from running out.

Το

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;
7 So may a thousand actions, 't once a-foot,
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 fhake:
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, fhall have a tonguelefs mouth;
Not worshipt with a waxen epitaph.

7 So may a thousand actions, ONCE a-foot,] The speaker is endeavouring to fhew, that the ftate is able to execute many projected actions at once, and conduct them all to their completion, without impeding or jostling one another in their courfe. ShakeSpear, therefore, must have wrote, 't once a foot,

i. e. at once: or, on foot together.

SCENE

Enter Ambaffadors 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 please your Majesty to give us leave
Freely to render what we have in charge:
Or fhall we fparingly fhew you far off
The Dauphin's meaning, and our embaffie?

K. Henry. We are no tyrant, but a chriftian King,
* Unto whofe grace our paffion is as fubject,
As are our wretches fetter'd in our prisons :
Therefore, with frank and with uncurbed plainnefs,
Tell us the Dauphin's mind.

Amb. Thus then, in few.

Your Highness, lately sending into France,
Did claim fome certain Dukedoms in the right
Of your great predeceffor, Edward the third.
In anfwer of which claim, the Prince our master
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 galliard won;

You cannot revel into Dukedoms there :
He therefore fends you (meeter for your fpirit)
This tun of treafure; and in lieu of this,
Defires you, let the Dukedoms, that you claim,
Hear no more of you. This the Dauphin fpeaks.
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.

8 Unto whofe grace] i. e. the chriflian grace.

Tell