Shall this his mock mock out of their dear hus

bands;

Mock mothers from their sons, mock castles down;

And some are yet ungotten and unborn

That shall have cause to curse the Dauphin's scorn.
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.

304. proportions. Cf. v. 137 above.

306. reasonable, intelligent; a swiftness consistent with uni

[Exeunt. Flourish.

formly intelligent action.

290

300

310

307. God before, with God's guidance.

ACT II.

PROLOGUE.

Flourish. Enter Chorus.

Chor. 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 mightst thou do, that honour would thee do,
Were all thy children kind and natural!

ΤΟ

But see thy fault! France hath in thee found out 20 A nest of hollow bosoms, which he fills

With treacherous crowns; and three corrupted men, One, Richard Earl of Cambridge, and the second,

16. model to, image in little of. The physical and material England is but a miniature reflection of her giant spirit. 19. kind, filial.

23. Richard Earl of Cambridge, cousin of Henry IV., VOL. VII

33

father of Richard Duke of York, and grandfather of Edmund IV. He conspired in favour of his brother-in-law, Edmund Mortimer, whose superior title to the crown (admitted in Henry VI.) is here ignored.

D

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. 30
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.

40

[Exit.

SCENE I. London. A street.

Enter Corporal Nyм and Lieutenant BARDOLPH.

Bard. Well met, Corporal Nym.

24. Henry Lord Scroop; son of Sir Stephen Scroop in Richard II., and step-brother of the Earl of Cambridge.

26. gilt, gold.

27. fearful, timid.

31. Linger on, prolong.

ib. digest the abuse of distance, manage, dispose of, the awkwardness imposed by the vast and rapid movements of the action. Others interpret, arrange, or contrive, the illusion of distance.'

32. force a play, compel the reluctant material to assume dramatic form.

Some corrup

tion is however probable, from the imperfect metre.

34. set, set out.

41. But, till the king come forth, and not till then, etc. An elliptical sentence: 'Till the king comes (our scene remains in London); when he comes, and not till then, we shift it to Southampton.'

Nym. Good morrow, Lieutenant Bardolph.

Bard. What, are Ancient Pistol and you friends yet?

little;

Nym. For my part, I care not: I say 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: 10 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 longer, I will do as I may: that is my rest, that is the rendezvous of it.

Bard. It is certain, corporal, that he is married to Nell Quickly and certainly she did you 20 wrong; for you were troth-plight to her.

:

Nym. I cannot tell things must be as they may: men may sleep, and they may have their throats about them at that time; and some say knives have edges. It must be as it may though patience be a tired mare, yet she will plod. must be conclusions. Well, I cannot tell.

Enter PISTOL and Hostess.

There

Bard. Here comes Ancient Pistol and his

8. wink, shut my eyes.

13. sworn brothers to France, comrades pledged to share all fortunes in the French expedition.

17. my rest, my resolve; from the phrase 'set up my rest,' in

the game of primero, -make my wager, stand to win or lose.

26. mare; Theobald's correction for name.'

27. conclusions, attempts. Nym cautiously avails himself of the antiquity of the word.

wife good corporal, be patient here. mine host Pistol!

How now,

30

Pist. Base tike, call'st thou me host?
Now, by this hand, I swear, I scorn the term;
Nor shall my Nell keep lodgers.

Host. No, by my troth, not long; for we cannot lodge and board a dozen or fourteen gentlewomen that live honestly by the prick of their needles, but it will be thought we keep a bawdy house straight. [Nym and Pistol draw.] O well a day, Lady, if he be not drawn now! we shall see wilful adultery and murder committed.

Bard. Good lieutenant! good corporal! offer nothing here.

Nym. Pish!

Pist. Pish for thee, Iceland dog! thou prickear'd cur of Iceland!

Host. Good Corporal Nym, show thy valour, and put up your sword.

Nym. Will you shog off? I would have you

solus.

Pist. 'Solus,' egregious dog? O viper vile!
The 'solus' in thy most mervailous face;
The solus' in thy teeth, and in thy throat,
And in thy hateful lungs, yea, in thy maw, perdy,
And, which is worse, within thy nasty mouth!

I do retort the 'solus' in thy bowels;

For I can take, and Pistol's cock is up,

And flashing fire will follow.

Nym. I am not Barbason; you cannot conjure

31. tike, cur.

39. drawn; Theobald's probable emendation for Ff 'hewn.' 44. Iceland dog, white, longhaired dogs, in favour with ladies as lapdogs.

47. shog off, be packing.

40

50