In cases of defence, 'tis best to weigh Fr. King. Think we king Harry strong; And, princes, look, you strongly arm to meet him. The patterns that by God and by French fathers The native mightiness and fate of him. Enter a MESSENGER. Mess. Ambassadors from Henry king of England Do crave admittance to your majesty. Fr. King. We'll give them present audience. Go, and bring [Exeunt MESSENGER and certain LORDS. them. You see, this chase is hotly follow'd, friends. Dau. Turn head, and stop pursuit: for coward dogs Most spend their mouths, when what they seem to threaten, Runs far before them. Good my sovereign, Take up the English short; and let them know Of what a monarchy you are the head : Self-love, my liege, is not so vile a sin As self-neglecting. Re-enter LORDS, with EXETER and Train. Fr. King. From our brother England? Exe. From him; and thus he greets your majesty. He wills you, in the name of God Almighty, That you divest yourself, and lay apart To him, and to his heirs; namely, the crown, [Gives a paper. Pick'd from the worm-holes of long-vanish'd days, Exe. Bloody constraint; for if you hide the crown To whom expressly I bring greeting too. Fr. King. For us, we will consider of this further: Dau. For the Dauphin, I stand here for him; What to him from England? The mighty sender, doth he prize you at. Thus says my king: and, if your father's highness Sweeten the bitter mock you sent his majesty, Dau. Say, if my father render fair reply, It is against my will: for I desire Nothing but odds with England; to that end, As matching to his youth and vanity, I did present him with those Paris balls. Exe. He'll make your Paris Louvre shake for it, * Resound, echo. Between the promise of his greener days, And these he masters now; now he weighs time, In your own losses, if he stay in France. Fr. King. To-morrow shall you know our mind at full, Come here himself to question our delay; For he is footed in this land already. Fr. King. You shall be soon despatch'd, with fair conditions: A night is but small breath, and little pause, To answer matters of this consequence. [Exeunt. ACT III. Enter CHORUS. Cho. Thus with imagined wing our swift scene flies, Than that of thought. Suppose, that you have seen With silken streamers the young Phoebus fanning. Holding due course to Harfleur. Follow, follow! With fatal mouths gaping on girded Harfleur. Suppose, the ambassador from the French comes back Katherine his daughter; and with her, to dowry, The offer likes not: and the nimble gunner [Alarum, and chambers* go off. And down goes all before them. Still be kind, And eke out our performance with your mind. SCENE I.-The same. Before Harfleur. [Exit. Alarums. Enter KING HENRY, Exeter, BEDFORD, GLOSTER, and SOLDIERS, with scaling-ladders. K. Hen. Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more; Or close the wall up with our English dead! In peace, there's nothing so becomes a man But when the blast of war blows in our ears, O'erhang and jutty+ his confounded‡ base, Have, in these parts, from morn till even fought, That those, whom you call'd fathers, did beget you! And teach them how to war!-And you, good yeomen, That you are worth your breeding: which I doubt not; I see you stand like greyhounds in the slips, Cry-God for Harry! England! and Saint George! [Exeunt. Alarum, and chambers go off. Small pieces of ordnance. Worn. g Fetched. + Jet over. I Matter. SCENE II.-The same. Forces pass over; then enter NYM, BARDOLPH, PISTOL, and Boy. Bard. On, on, on, on, on! to the breach, to the breach! Nym. 'Pray thee, corporal, stay; the knocks are too hot; and, for mine own part, I have not a case of lives: the humour of it is too hot, that is the very plain song of it. Pist. The plain song is most just; for humours do abound; Knocks go and come; God's vassals drop and die; And sword and shield, In bloody field, Doth win immortal fame. Boy. 'Would I were in an alehouse in London! I would give all my fame for a pot of ale, and safety. Pist. And I: If wishes would prevail with me, My purpose should not fail with me, Boy. As duly, but not as truly, as bird doth sing on bough. Enter FLUELLEN. Flu. Got's plood!-Up to the preaches, you rascals! will you not up to the preaches ? [Driving them forward. Pist. Be merciful, great duke, to men of mould !* Abate thy rage, abate thy manly rage! Abate thy rage, great duke! Good bawcock, bate thy rage! use lenity, sweet chuck! Nym. These be good humours!-your honour wins bad humours. [Exeunt NYM, PISTOL, and BARDOLPH, followed by FLUELLEN. Boy. As young as I am, I have observed three swashers. I am boy to them all three: but all they three, though they would serve me, could not be man to me; for, indeed, three such antics do not amount to a man. For Bardolph,-he is white-livered, and red-faced; by the means whereof, 'a faces it out, but fights not. For Pistol,-he hath a killing tongue, and a quiet sword; by the means whereof 'a breaks words, and keeps whole weapons. For Nym, he hath heard, that men of few words are the best men; and therefore he scorns to say his prayers, lest 'a should be thought a coward: but his few bad words are matched with as few good deeds; for 'a never broke any man's head but his own; and that was against a post, when he was drunk. They will steal anything, and call it,-purchase. Bardolph stole a lute-case; bore it twelve leagues, and sold it for three halfpence. Nym, and Bardolph, are sworn brothers in filching; and in Calais they stole a fire-shovel: I knew, by that piece of service, the men would carry coals.† They would have me as familiar * Earth. + Submit to any indignity. |