" 4 Her vine, the merry chearer of the heart,
"Unpruned lyes; her hedges even pleach'd,
"Like prifoners, wildly over-grown with hair,
"Put forth diforder'd twigs: her fallow leas
"The darnel, hemlock, and rank fumitory
"Doth root upon; while that the culter rufts,
"That fhould deracinate fuch favagery:

"The even Mead, that erst brought sweetly forth
"The freckled cowflip, burnet, and green clover,
"Wanting the scythe, all uncorrected, rank,
"Conceives by idleness; and nothing teems,
"But hateful docks, rough thistles, keckfies, burs,
"Lofing both beauty and utility;

"And all our vineyards, fallows, meads, and hedges,
"s Defective in their nurtures, grow to wildness.
Even fo our houses, and our felves and children
Have loft, or do not learn, for want of time,
The sciences, that should become our country;
But grow like favages, (as foldiers will,
That nothing do but meditate on blood)
To swearing and ftern looks, diffus'd attire,
And every thing that feems unnatural.
Which to reduce into our former favour,
You are affembled; and my fpeech intreats,
That I may know the Let, why gentle peace

4 Her vine,

6

Unpruned dyes:] We must read, lyes: For neglect of pruning does not kill the vine, but caufes it to ramify immoderately, grow wild; by which the requifite nourishment is withdrawn from its fruit.

and

5 Defective in their natures, grow to wildness] Quite contrary; they were not defective, but exuberant in their natures, and crefcive faculty: only, wanting their due cultivation, they degenerated. We must therefore read, nurtures.

6 diffus'd attire,] Diffus'd, for extravagant. The military habit of thofe times was extremely fo. A&t 3, Scene 7, Gower fays, And what a beard of the General's cut, and a horrid fuit of the camp, will do amongst &c. is wonderful to be thought on.

Should

Should not expel these inconveniencies;
And blefs us with her former qualities.

K.Henry. If, Duke of Burgundy, you would the peace,
Whose want gives growth to th' imperfections
Which you have cited; you must buy that peace
With full accord to all our just demands:

Whose tenours and particular effects

You have, enfchedul'd briefly, in your hands. Burg. The King hath heard them; to the which as yet

There is no answer made.

K. Henry. Well, then; the peace,

Which you before fo urg'd, lyes in his answer.
Fr. King. I have but with a curforary eye
O'er-glanc'd the articles; pleaseth your Grace
T'appoint fome of your council prefently

To fit with us, once more with better heed
To re-furvey them; 7 we will fuddenly
Pafs, or accept, and peremptory answer.

K. Henry. Brother, we fhall. Go, uncle Exeter,
And brother Clarence, and you, brother Gloucester,
Warwick and Huntington, go with the King;
And take with you free Pow'r to ratifie,
Augment, or alter, as your wisdoms best
Shall fee advantageable for our dignity,
Any thing in, or out of, our Demands;
And we'll confign thereto. Will you, fair sister,
Go with the Princes, or stay here with us?

2. Ifa. Our gracious brother, I will go with them; Haply, a woman's voice may do fome good,

7

we will fuddenly

Pass our accept, and peremptory anfwer.] As the French King defires more time to confider deliberately of the articles, 'tis odd and abfurd for him to fay abfolutely, that he would accept them all. He certainly muft mean, that he would at once wave and decline what he diffik'd, and confign to fuch as he approv'd of. Our author uses pass in this manner in other places.

When Articles, too nicely urg'd, be ftood on.

[us.

K. Henry. Yet leave our coufin Catharine here with She is our capital demand, compris'd

Within the fore-rank of our articles.

2. Ifa. She hath good leave.

SCE NE IV.

[Exeunt.

Manent King Henry, Catharine, and a Lady.
K. Henry. Fair Catharine, most fair.

Will you vouchfafe to teach a foldier terms,
Such as will enter at a lady's ear,

And plead his love-fuit to her gentle heart?

Cath. Your Majefty fhall mock at me, I cannot fpeak your England.

K. Henry. Ŏ fair Catharine, 'if you will love me foundly with your French heart, I will be glad to hear you confefs it brokenly with your English tongue. Do like you me, Kate?

Cath. Pardonnez moy, I cannot tell vhat is like me. K. Henry. An angel is like you, Kate, and you are like an Angel.

Cath. Que dit-il, que je fuis femblable à les Anges? Lady. Ouy, vrayment, (fauf voftre grace) ainfi dit il. K. Henry. I faid fo, dear Catharine, and I must not blush to affirm it.

Cath. O bon Dieu! les langues des hommes font pleines de tromperies.

K. Henry. What fays fhe, fair one? that tongues of men are full of deceits?

Lady. Ouy, dat de tongues of de mans is be full of deceits dat is de Princes.

K. Henry. The Princess is the better English Woman. I' faith, Kate, my wooing is fit for thy understanding; I am glad thou canft fpeak no better English, for if thou could'ft, thou would'ft find me fuch a plain King, that thou would❜ft think I had fold my farm to buy

my

my Crown. I know no ways to mince it in love, but directly to say, I love you; then if you urge me further than to fay, do you in faith? I wear out my fut. Give me your anfwer; i'faith, do; and fo clap hands and a bargain; how fay you, lady?

Cath. Sauf votre bonneur, me understand well.

K. Henry. Marry, if you would put me to verfes, or to dance for your fake, Kate, why, you undid me; for the one I have neither words nor measure; and for the other I have no ftrength in measure, yet a reasonable measure in ftrength. If I could win a lady at leap-frog, or by vaulting into my faddle with my armour on my back; under the correction of bragging be it spoken, I fhould quickly leap into a wife: Or if I might buffet for my love, or bound my horfe for her favours, I could lay on like a butcher, and fit like a jack-a-napes, never off. But, before God, Kate, I cannot look greenly, nor gafp out my eloquence, nor have I cunning in proteftation; only downright oaths, which I never use 'till urg'd, and never break for urging. If thou canst love a fellow of this temper, Kate, whofe face is not worth fun-burning; that never looks in his glass for love of any thing he fees there; let thine eye be thy cook. I fpeak plain foldier; if thou canft love me for this, take me; if not, to say to thee that I fhall die, 'tis true; but for thy love, by the lord, no: yet I love thee too. And while thou liv'ft, Kate, take a fellow of plain and uncoined conftancy, for he perforce muft do thee right, because he hath not the gift to woo in other places: " for these fellows of infinite tongue, "that can rhime themselves into ladies' favours, they "do always reafon themselves out again. What? a fpeaker is but a prater; a rhime is but a ballad; a good leg will fall, a ftraight back will stoop, a black beard

8

8 a fellow of plain and uncoined conftancy,], i. e. a conftancy in the ingot, that hath fuffered no alloy, as all coined metal has.

will turn white, a curl'd pate will grow bald, a fair face will wither, a full eye will wax hollow; but a good heart, Kate, is the fun and the moon; or rather the fun, and not the moon; for it fhines bright and never changes, but keeps his courfe truly. If thou would'st have fuch a one, take me; take a foldier; take a King: and what fay'ft thou then to my love? fpeak, my fair, and fairly, I pray thee.

Cath. Is it poffible dat I fhould love de enemy of

France?

K. Henry. No, it is not poffible that you should love the enemy of France, Kate; but in loving me you fhould love the friend of France; for I love France fo well, that I will not part with a village of it: I will have it all mine; and Kate, when France is mine and I am yours, then yours is France, and you are

mine.

Cath. I cannot tell vhat is dat.

K. Henry. No, Kate? I will tell thee in French, (which, I am fure, will hang upon my tongue like a married wife about her husband's neck, hardly to be fhook off) quand j'ay le poffeffion de France, & quand cous aves le poffeffion de moi (let me fee, what then? St. Dennis be my speed!) donc voftre eft France, & vous eftes mienne. It is as eafy for me, Kate, to conquer the kingdom, as to speak fo much more French: I fhall never move thee in French, unless it be to laugh at me. Cath. Sauf voftre honneur, le Francois que vous parlez, eft meilleur que l'Anglois lequel je parle.

P. Henry. No, faith, is't not, Kate; but thy fpeaking of my tongue and I thine, moft truly falfly, muft needs be granted to be much at one. But, Kate, doft thou understand thus much English? canft thou love me?

Cath. I cannot tell.

K. Henry. Can any of your neighbours tell, Kate? I'll ask them. Come, I know thou loveft me; and at