With penons painted in the blood of Harfleur: Con. This becomes the great. His foldiers fick, and famifht in their march :: Fr. King. Therefore, Lord Conftable, hafte on Mountjoy: Fr. King. Be patient, for you fhall remain with us. Gor. SCENE, the English Camp. H Enter Gower and Fluellen.. [Exeunt. OW now, captain Fluellen, come you from: Flu. I affure you, there is very excellent services com÷ mitted at the pridge.. Gow. Is the Duke of Exeter safe ? Flu. The Duke of Exeter is as magnanimous as Aga memnon, and a man that. I love and honour with my foul, and my heart, and my duty, and my life, and my living, and my uttermoft power. He is not, God be praised and pleffed, any hurt in the world; he is. maintain the pridge moft valiantly, with excellent difcipline. There is an Ancient lieutenant. there at the pridge, I think, in my confcience, he is as valiant a man as Mark Antony, and he is a man of no eftima¬ tion in the world, but I did fee him do gallant fer vices. Gow. What do you call him ? Enter Piftol. Flu. Here is the man. Pift. Captain, I thee befeech to do me favours: The Duke of Exeter doth love thee well. Flu. I, I praife God, and I have merited fome love at his hands. Pift. Bardolph, a foldier firm and found of heart, And buxom valour, hath by cruel fate, And giddy fortune's furious fickle wheel, That Goddess blind that stands upon the rolling restless ftone Flu. By your patience, Ancient Piftol: Fortune is painted plind, with a muffler before her eyes, to fignifie to you that fortune is plind; and fhe is painted alfo with a wheel, to fignifie to you, which is the moral of it, that she is turning and inconftant, and mutabilities and variations; and her foot, look you, is fixed upon a spherical stone, which rowles, and rowles, and rowles ; in good truth, the Poet makes a most excellent defcription of it fortune is an excellent moral. : Pift. Fortune is Bardolph's foe, and frowns on him; for he hath ftoln a Pix, and hanged must a' be ; damned death! (16) Let (16) For be bath ftol'n e Pax,] Thus all the Editions, from the very firft: "And this is conformable to Hiftory, (fays "Mr. Pope;) a Soldier (as Hall tells us) being hang'd at this Time for fuch a Fact, But to fee this Gentleman's Ace curacy, and Inaccuracy, in one and the fame Circumftance ! Both Hall and Holing head agree as to the point of the Theft ; but as to the Thing ftoln, there is not that Conformity betwixt them and Mr. Pope. But let us fee, what is understood by a Pax. It was an ancient Custom, at the Celebration of Mass, that when the Priest pronounc'd these Words, Pax Dor Let gallows gape for dog, let man go free, And let not Bardolph's vital thread be cut With edge of penny-cord, and vile reproach. Pift. Why then rejoice therefore. Flu. Certainly, Ancient, it is not a thing to rejoice at; for if, look you, he were my brother, I would defire the Duke to use his good pleasure, and put him to executions; for difciplines ought to be used. Pift. Die and be damn'd, and Figo for thy friendship! Flu. It is well. Pift. The fig of Spain Flu. Very good. [Exit Pift. Gow. Why, this is an arrant counterfeit rascal, I remember him now; a bawd, a cut-purse; : Flu. I'll affure you, he utter'd as prave words at the pridge, as you fhall fee in a fummer's day but it is very well; what he has fpoke to me, that is well, I warrant you, when time is ferve. Gow. Why, 'tis a gull, a fool, a rogue, that now and then goes to the wars, to grace himfelf at his return into London, under the form of a foldier. Such fellows are mini fit femper vobifcum! The Peace of the Lord be always with you! both Clergy and People kifs'd one another. And This was call'd Ofculum Pacis, the Kifs of Peace. But that Custom being abrogated, a certain Image is now presented to be kifs'd, which, as moft Catholicks know, is call'd a Pax. But it was not this Image, which Bardolph ftole; it was a Pix; or little cheft, (from the Latin Word, Pixis, a Box ;) in which the confecrated Hoft was ufed to be kept. "A foolifh Sol"dier (fays Hall exprefsly, and Holing head after him ;) ftole 86 a Pix out of a Church; and unreverently did eat the boly "Hoftes within the fame contained." Is there the least Queftion, but that our Poet's Text must be fet right from thefe Chronicles? perfect perfect in the great commanders' names, and they will learn you by rote where fervices were done; at fuch and fuch a fconce, at fuch a breach, at fuch a convoy ; who came off bravely, who was fhot, who difgrac'd, what terms the enemy stood on; and this they con perfectly in the phrafe of war, which they trick up with new-turned oaths: And what a beard of the general's cut, and a horrid fute of the camp, will do among foaming bottles and ale-wash'd wits, is wonderful to be thought on! But you must learn to know fuch flanders of the age, or else you may be marvelously mistook. Flu. I tell you what, captain Gower; I do perceive, he is not the man that he would gladly make fhew to the world he is; if I find a hole in his coat, I will tell him my mind; hear you, the King is coming, and I must speak with him from the pridge. (17) Drum and Colours. Enter the King, and his poor foldiers. Flu. God plefs your Majefty. K. Henry. How now, Fluellen, cam'ft thou from the bridge? Flu. I, fo pleafe your Majefty: the Duke of Exeter has very gallantly maintain'd the pridge; the French is gone off, look you, and there is gallant and most prave paffages; marry, th' athverfary was have poffeffion of 17 The King is coming, and I must speak with him from the pridge.]" Speak with him from the Bridge, Mr. Pope tells us, it is added in the latter Editions; but that it is plain from "the Sequel, that the Scene here continues, and the affair of the bridge is over." 'Tis plain, this is a moft inaccurate Criticifm. The Scene, 'tis true, continues, and the Affair of the bridge is over; but thefe Words are to be continued for all That. Tho' the Affair of the Bridge be over, is That a Reason, that the King must receive no Intelligence from thence? Fluellen, who comes from the Bridge, means no more than this, that he wants to acquaint the King with the Tranfactions that had happen'd there and with the Duke of Exeter's having repuls'd the French from thence. And this is what he calls Speaking to the King from the Bridge. the the pridge, but he is enforced to retire, and the Duke of Exeter is mafter of the pridge: I can tell your Majefty, the Duke is a prave man. K. Henry. What men have you loft, Fluellen ? Flu. The perdition of th' athversary hath been very great, very reasonable great; marry, for my part, I think, the Duke hath loft never a man but one that is like to be executed for robbing a church, one Bardolph, if your Majefty know the man: his face is all bubukles, and whelks, and knobs, and flames of fire; and his lips blows at his nofe, and it is like a coal of fire; fometimes plue, and fometimes red; but his nofe is executed, and his fire's out. K. Henry. We would have fuch offenders so cut off; When lenity and cruelty play for kingdoms, Tucket founds. Enter Mountjoy. Mount. You know me by my habit. K. Henry. Well then, I know thee; what fhall I know of thee? Mount. My master's mind. K. Henry. Unfold it. Mount. Thus fays my King: fay thou to Harry Although we feemed dead, we did but fleep: Tell him, we could at Harfleur have rebuk'd him; To |