Setting endeavour in continual motion : To which is fixed, as an aim or butt, Obedience; for fo work the honey Bees; * 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: "s Others, like merchant-venturers, trade abroad "Others, like foldiers, armed in their ftings, "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 edi tors 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 boney; ] 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, loosed several 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 elfe 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 fpeaker 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, muft have wrote, 't once a foot,

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

SCENE

SCENE III.

Enter Ambassadors 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 Majefty 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 christian King,
• Unto whofe grace our paffion is as fubject,
As are our wretches fetter'd in our prifons:
Therefore, with frank and with uncurbed plainnefs,
Tell us the Dauphin's mind.

Amb. Thus then, in few.

Your Highness, lately fending into France,
Did claim fome certain Dukedoms in the right
Of your great predeceffor, Edward the third.
In answer 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 spirit)
This tun of treasure; 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 christian grace.

Tell

Tell him, h'ath made a match with fuch a wrangler,
That all the Courts of France will be difturb'd
With chaces. And we understand him well,
How he comes o'er us with our wilder days;
Not measuring, what ufe we made of them.
We never valu'd this poor feat of England,
9 And therefore, living hence, did give our felf
To barb'rous licence; as 'tis ever common,
That men are merrieft, when they are from home.
But tell the Dauphin, I will keep my State,
Be like a King, and fhew my fail of Greatness;
When I do rowze me in my throne of France.
For that I have laid by my Majefty,
And plodded like a man for working days;
But I will rife there with fo full a glory,
That I will dazzle all the eyes of France;
Yea, ftrike the Dauphin blind to look on us.
And tell the pleafant Prince, this mock of his
Hath turn'd his balls to gun-ftones; and his foul
Shall stand fore charged for the wafteful vengeance
That fhall fly with them: many thousand widows,
Shall this his Mock mock out of their dear husbands;
Mock mothers from their fons, mock caftles down:
And fome are yet ungotten and unborn,

That fhall have cause to curfe the Dauphin's fcorn.
But this lies all within the will of God,
To whom I do appeal; and in whose name,
Tell you the Dauphin, I am coming on
To venge me as I may; and to put forth
My rightful hand in a well-hallow'd caufe.
So get you hence in peace; and tell the Dauphin,
His jeft will favour but of fhallow wit,

When thousands weep, more than did laugh at it.

9 And therefore, living hence,] This expreffion has ftrength and energy: He never valued England, and therefore lived hence, i. e. as if abfent from it. But the Oxford Editor alters bence to here.

Convey them with fafe conduct. Fare ye well. [Exeunt Ambassadors: Exe. This was a merry meffage.

K. Henry. We hope to make the fender blush at it: Therefore, my lords, omit no happy hour, That may give furth'rance to our expedition; For we have now no thoughts in us but France, Save thofe to God, that run before our business. Therefore, let our proportions for these wars Be foon collected, and all things thought upon, That may with reasonable swiftnefs add More feathers to our wings: for, God before, We'll chide this Dauphin at his father's door. Therefore let every man now task his thought, That this fair action may on foot be brought. [Exeunt.

Before QUICKLY's Houfe in Eaftcheap. Enter Corporal Nim, and Lieutenant Bardolph.

BARDOLPH.

ELL met, Corporal Nim.

WEL

Nim. Good-morrow, Lieutenant Bardolph. Bard. What, are Ancient Piftol and you friends yet?

Nim. For my part, I care not: I fay little; but when time fhall ferve, there shall be. [fmiles] But that

fhall

I SCENE IV.] Between this and the foregoing fcene, in all the editions hitherto, is inferted the chorus which I have poftponed. That chorus manifeftly is intended to advertise the spectators of the change of the fcene to Southampton, and therefore ought to be placed just before that change, and not here, where the fcene is ftill continued in London. Mr. Pope.

2 there shall be fmiles] I fufpe&t fmiles to be a marginal direction crept into the text. It is natural for a man, when he threatens,

to