Orl. And I will take up that with 'Give the devil his due.'

Con. Well placed: there stands your friend for the devil have at the very eye of that proverb with 'A pox of the devil.'

Orl. You are the better at proverbs, by how much 'A fool's bolt is soon shot.'

Con. You have shot over.

Orl. 'Tis not the first time you were overshot.

Enter a Messenger.

Mess. My lord high constable, the English lie within fifteen hundred paces of your tents. Con. Who hath measured the ground?

Mess. The Lord Grandpré.

130

Con. A valiant and most expert gentleman. Would it were day! Alas, poor Harry of England 140 he longs not for the dawning as we do.

Orl. What a wretched and peevish fellow is this king of England, to mope with his fat-brained followers so far out of his knowledge!

Con. If the English had any apprehension, they would run away.

Orl. That they lack; for if their heads had any intellectual armour, they could never wear such heavy head-pieces.

Ram. That island of England breeds very 150 valiant creatures; their mastiffs are of unmatchable courage.

Orl. Foolish curs, that run winking into the mouth of a Russian bear and have their heads crushed like rotten apples! You may as well say, that's a valiant flea that dare eat his breakfast on the lip of a lion.

153. winking, with their eyes shut.

Con. Just, just; and the men do sympathize with the mastiffs in robustious and rough coming on, leaving their wits with their wives: and then 160 give them great meals of beef, and iron and steel, they will eat like wolves and fight like devils.

Orl. Ay, but these English are shrewdly out of beef.

Now is

Con. Then shall we find to-morrow they have only stomachs to eat and none to fight. it time to arm: come, shall we about it? Orl. It is now two o'clock: but, let me see, by ten

We shall have each a hundred Englishmen.

ACT IV.

[Exeunt.

PROLOGUE.

Enter Chorus.

Chor. Now entertain conjecture of a time When creeping murmur and the poring dark Fills the wide vessel of the universe.

From camp to camp through the foul womb of

night

The hum of either army stilly sounds,

That the fix'd sentinels almost receive

The secret whispers of each other's watch:

Fire answers fire, and through their paly flames
Each battle sees the other's umber'd face;

158. sympathize with, correspond to.

163. shrewdly, sorely.

I. conjecture, imaginat on.
2. poring, purblind.
9. battle, army.

Steed threatens steed, in high and boastful neighs
Piercing the night's dull ear; and from the tents
The armourers, accomplishing the knights,
With busy hammers closing rivets up,
Give dreadful note of preparation :

The country cocks do crow, the clocks do toll,
And the third hour of drowsy morning name.
Proud of their numbers and secure in soul,
The confident and over-lusty French
Do the low-rated English play at dice;
And chide the cripple tardy-gaited night
Who, like a foul and ugly witch, doth limp

So tediously away. The poor condemned English,
Like sacrifices, by their watchful fires

Sit patiently and inly ruminate

The morning's danger, and their gesture sad
Investing lank-lean cheeks and war-worn coats
Presenteth them unto the gazing moon

So many horrid ghosts.

O now, who will behold
The royal captain of this ruin'd band
Walking from watch to watch, from tent to tent,
Let him cry 'Praise and glory on his head!'
For forth he goes and visits all his host,
Bids them good morrow with a modest smile
And calls them brothers, friends and countrymen.
Upon his royal face there is no note
How dread an army hath enrounded him ;
Nor doth he dedicate one jot of colour
Unto the weary and all-watched night,
But freshly looks and over-bears attaint
With cheerful semblance and sweet majesty ;
That every wretch, pining and pale before,

II. dull, drowsy.

12. accomplishing the knights, completing their equipment.

16. name. So Theobald, for

Ff 'nam'd.'

ΤΟ

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19. play, play for. 38. all-watched, spent with watching.

Beholding him, plucks comfort from his looks:
A largess universal like the sun

His liberal eye doth give to every one,
Thawing cold fear, that mean and gentle all
Behold, as may unworthiness define,
A little touch of Harry in the night.
And so our scene must to the battle fly;
Where O for pity!-we shall much disgrace
With four or five most vile and ragged foils,
Right ill-disposed in brawl ridiculous,
The name of Agincourt. Yet sit and see,
Minding true things by what their mockeries be.

[Exit.

SCENE I. The English camp at Agincourt.

Enter KING HENRY, BEDFORD, and GLOUCESTER. K. Hen. Gloucester, 'tis true that we are in great danger;

The greater therefore should our courage be.
Good morrow, brother Bedford. God Almighty!
There is some soul of goodness in things evil,
Would men observingly distil it out.
For our bad neighbour makes us early stirrers,
Which is both healthful and good husbandry :
Besides, they are our outward consciences,
And preachers to us all, admonishing
That we should dress us fairly for our end.
Thus may we gather honey from the weed,
And make a moral of the devil himself.

45. that, so that.

46. as may unworthiness define, as far as their unworthy natures permit.

53. Minding, recalled to the memory of.

50

ΤΟ

Enter ERPINGHAM.

Good morrow, old Sir Thomas Erpingham:
A good soft pillow for that good white head
Were better than a churlish turf of France.

Erp. Not so, my liege: this lodging likes me better,

Since I may say 'Now lie I like a king.'

K. Hen. 'Tis good for men to love their present
pains

Upon example; so the spirit is eased:
And when the mind is quicken'd, out of doubt,
The organs, though defunct and dead before,
Break up their drowsy grave and newly move,
With casted slough and fresh legerity.
Lend me thy cloak, Sir Thomas. Brothers both,
Commend me to the princes in our camp;

Do my good morrow to them, and anon
Desire them all to my pavilion.

Glou. We shall, my liege.

Erp. Shall I attend your grace?

K. Hen.

No, my good knight;

Go with my brothers to my lords of England:

I and my bosom must debate a while,

And then I would no other company.

Erp. The Lord in heaven bless thee, noble

Harry!

[Exeunt all but King. K. Hen. God-a-mercy, old heart! thou speak'st cheerfully.

Pist. Qui va là?

K. Hen. A friend.

Enter PISTOL.

Pist. Discuss unto me; art thou officer?

Or art thou base, common and popular?

19. Upon, in consequence of. 23. legerity, lightness.

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