Either our history shall with full mouth Speak freely of our acts, or else our grave,
Like Turkish mute, shall have a tongueless mouth, Not worshipp'd with a waxen epitaph.
Enter Ambassadors of France.
Now are we well prepared to know the pleasure Of our fair cousin Dauphin; for we hear Your greeting is from him, not from the king. First Amb. May't please your majesty to give us leave
Freely to render what we have in charge; Or shall we sparingly show you far off The Dauphin's meaning and our embassy?
K. Hen. We are no tyrant, but a Christian king;
Unto whose grace our passion is as subject As are our wretches fetter'd in our prisons: Therefore with frank and with uncurbed plainness Tell us the Dauphin's mind.
First Amb. Thus then, in few. Your highness, lately sending into France, Did claim some certain dukedoms, in the right Of your great predecessor, King Edward the Third.
In answer of which claim, the prince our master Says that you savour too much of your youth, And bids you be advised there's nought in France That can be with a nimble galliard won;
You cannot revel into dukedoms there. He therefore sends you, meeter for your spirit, This tun of treasure; and, in lieu of this,
Desires you let the dukedoms that you claim Hear no more of you. This the Dauphin speaks. K. Hen. What treasure, uncle? Tennis-balls, my liege.
K. Hen. We are glad the Dauphin is so pleasant with us;
His present 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 set Shall strike his father's crown into the hazard. Tell him he hath made a match with such a wrangler
That all the courts of France will be disturb'd With chaces. And we understand him well, How he comes o'er us with our wilder days, Not measuring what use we made of them. We never valued this poor seat of England; And therefore, living hence, did give ourself To barbarous license; as 't is ever common That men are merriest when they are from home.
But tell the Dauphin I will keep my state, Be like a king and show my sail of greatness When I do rouse me in my throne of France: For that I have laid by my majesty And plodded like a man for working-days, But I will rise there with so full a glory That I will dazzle all the eyes of France, Yea, strike the Dauphin blind to look on us. And tell the pleasant prince this mock of his Hath turn'd his balls to gun-stones; and his soul
Shall stand sore charged for the wasteful vengeance
That shall fly with them: for many a thousand
Shall this his mock mock out of their dear
Mock mothers from their sons, mock castles down; And some are yet ungotten and unborn
That shall have cause to curse the Dauphin's.
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 cause. So get you hence in peace; and tell the Dauphin His jest will savour but of shallow wit
When thousands weep more than did laugh at it. Convey them with safe conduct. Fare you well. [Exeunt Ambassadors.
Exe. This was a merry message. K. Hen. We hope to make the sender blush at it. Therefore, my lords, omit no happy hour
That may give furtherance to our expedition; For we have now no thought in us but France, Save those to God, that run before our business. Therefore let our proportions for these wars Be soon collected, and all things thought upon That may with reasonable swiftness 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.
Flourish. Enter Chorus.
Now all the youth of England are on fire, And silken dalliance in the wardrobe lies; Now thrive the armourers, and honour's thought Reigns solely in the breast of every man : They sell the pasture now to buy the horse, Following the mirror of all Christian kings, With winged heels, as English Mercuries. For now sits Expectation in the air, And hides a sword from hilts unto the point With crowns imperial, crowns and coronets, Promised to Harry and his followers. The French, advised by good intelligence Of this most dreadful preparation, Shake in their fear, and with pale policy Seek to divert the English purposes.
O England! model to thy inward greatness, Like little body with a mighty heart,
What might'st thou do, that honour would thee do, Were all thy children kind and natural!
But see thy fault! France hath in thee found out A nest of hollow bosoms, which he fills
With treacherous crowns; and three corrupted men, One, Richard Earl of Cambridge, and the second, Henry Lord Scroop of Masham, and the third, Sir Thomas Grey, knight, of Northumberland, Have, for the gilt of France,-O guilt indeed!- Confirm'd conspiracy with fearful France; And by their hands this grace of kings must die, If hell and treason hold their promises,
Ere he take ship for France, and in Southampton. Linger your patience on; and we'll digest The abuse of distance; force a play.
The sum is paid; the traitors are agreed; The king is set from London; and the scene Is now transported, gentles, to Southampton: There is the playhouse now, there must you sit : And thence to France shall we convey you safe, And bring you back, charming the narrow seas To give you gentle pass; for if we may, We'll not offend one stomach with our play. But, till the king come forth and not till then, Unto Southampton do we shift our scene.
SCENE I. London. Eastcheap.
Enter NYM and BARDOLPH.
Bard. Well met, Corporal Nym.
Nym. Good morrow, Lieutenant Bardolph. Bard. What, are Ancient Pistol and you friends yet?
Nym. For my part, I care not: I say little ; but when time shall serve there shall be smiles; but that shall be as it may. I dare not fight; but I will wink and hold out mine iron. It is a simple one; but what though? it will toast cheese, and it will endure cold as another man's sword will: and there's an end.
Bard. I will bestow a breakfast to make you friends, and we'll be all three sworn brothers to France let it be so, good Corporal Nym.
Nym. Faith, I will live so long as I may, that's the certain of it; and when I cannot live any
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