ACT 1. SCENE 1-London.-An Antechamber in the King's Palace. And wholesome berries thrive and ripen best, Enter the Archbishop of CANTERBURY, and Grew like summer grass, fastest by night, Bishop of ELY. Cant. My lord, I'll tell you, that self bill is urg'a, Which, in the eleventh year o'the last king's reign Was like, and had indeed against us pass'd, Ely. But how, my lord, shall we resist it now? Cant. It must be thought on. If it pass against us, We lose the better half of our possession; Full fifteen earls, and fifteen hundred knights; Of indigent faint souls, past corporal toil, A thousand pounds by the year: Thus runs the bill. Ely. This would drink deep. Cant. 'Twould drink the cup and all. Ely. But what prevention ? Cant. The king is full of grace and fair regard. Ely. And a true lover of the holy church. not. The breath no sooner left his father's body, But that his wildness, mortified in him, Seem'd to die too: yea, at that very moment, Consideration like an angel came, And whipp'd the offending Adam out of him; To envelop and contain celestial spirits. Ely. We are blessed in the change. Unseen, yet crescive in his faculty. Cant. It must be so: for miracles are ceas'd And therefore we must needs admit the means How things are perfected. Ely. But, my good lord, How now for mitigation of this bill Cant. He seems indifferent; Or, rather, swaying more upon our part, Ely. How did this offer seem receiv'd, my lord ? Cant. With good acceptance of his majesty ; Save, that there was not time enough to hear (As I perceiv'd, his grace would fain bave done,) The severals and unhidden passages of his true titles to some certain dukedoms; And, generally, to the crown and France, seat Deriv'd from Edward, his great grandfather. Ely. What was the impediment that broke this off? Cant. The French ambassador, upon tha instaut, it Crav'd audience; and the hour I think is come To give him hearing: Is it four o'clock 1 You would desire the king were made a pre late: Hear him debate of commonwealth affairs, study: List his discourse of war, and you shall hear should Since his addiction was to courses vain; And never noted in him any study, Alluding to the method by which Hercules cleansed Augear stable: viz. turning a river through it. Ely. It is. Cant. Then go we in to know his embassy; Which I could, with a ready guess, declare, Before the Frenchman speak a word of it. Ely. I'll wait upon you; and I long to heat it. [Exeunt. SCENE II.-The same.-A Room of State in the same. Enter King HENRY, GLOSTER, BEDFORD, EXETER, WARWICK, WESTMORELAND, and Attendants. K. Hen. Where is my gracions lord of Canterbury? Exe. Not here in presence. K. Hen. Send for him, good uncle. W'est. Shall we call in the ambassador, my liege? K. Hen. Not yet, my cousin; we would be resolv'd, Before we hear him, of some things of weight, That task our thoughts, concerning us and France. Enter the Archbishop of CANTERBURY, and Bishop of ELY. Cant. God and his angels guard your sacred throne, And make you long become it! K. Hen. Sure, we thank you. Or nicely charge your understanding soul our ball drop their blood in approbation Of what your reverence shall incite us to: Therefore take heed how you impawn person; How you awake the sleeping sword of war;We charge you in the name of God, take heed: For never two such kingdoms did contend, Without much fall of blood; whose guiltless drops Are every one a woe, a sore complaint, Was re-united to the crown of France. 'Gainst him, whose wrongs give edge unto the Usurp'd from you and your progenitors. swords That make such waste in brief mortality. As pure as sin with baptism. Cant. Then hear me, gracious sovereign, and you peers, That owe your lives, your faith, and services, In terram Salicam mulieres ne succedant, Where Charles the great, having subdued the There left behind and settled certain French; Is at this day in Germany call'd Meisen. Subdued the Saxons, and did seat the French Eight hundred five. Besides, their writers say, Of Blithild, which was the daughter to Clothair, Make claim and title to the crown of France. Hugh Capet also, that usurp'd the crown Of Charles the duke of Lorain, sole heir male of the true line and stock of Charles the great, To fine this title with some show of truth, Convey'd himself as heir to the lady Lingare, tenth, Who was sole heir to the usurper Capet, K. Hen. May 1, with right and conscience, make this claim? Cant. The sin upon my head, dread so vereign ! + For in the book of Numbers is it writ, From whom you claim; invoke his warlike spirit, And your great uncle's Edward the black prince; Who on the French ground play'd a tragedy, Ely. Awake remembrance of these valiant dead, And with your puissant arm renew their feats: You are their heir, you sit upon their throne; The blood and courage, that renowned them, Runs in your veins; and my thrice-puissant liege Is in the very May-morn of his youth, the earth Do all expect that you should rouse yourself, West. They know your grace hath cause, and means, and might; So hath your highness; never king of England And lie pavilion'd in the fields of France, Cant. O let their bodies follow, my dear liege, With blood, and sword, and fire, to win your In aid whereof, we of the spiritualty K. Hen. We must not only arm to invade the But lay down our proportions to defend Cant. They of those marches, gracious so- the Shall be a wall sufficient to defend of By the which marraige, the line of Charles the great The whole of this long speech is from Hollinshed. + Explain. 1 Make showy or specious. Derived his title. Came pouring like the tide unto a breach, Cant. She hath been then more fear'd than For hear her but exampled by herself,- The king of Scots; whom she did send to To fill king Edward's fame with prisoner And make your chronicle as rich with praise, Cannot defend our own door from the dog, K. Hen. Call in the messengers sent from the Dauphin. [Exit an Attendant. The KING ascends his Throne. Now are we well resolv'd; and, by God's And your's the noble sinews of our power, Or lay these bones in an unworthy urn, West. But there's a saying, very old and Not worship'd with a waxen epitaph. true, If that you will France win, For once the eagle England being in prey, Comes sneaking; and so sucks her princely eggs; Playing the mouse, in absence of the cat, To spoil and havoc more than she can eat. Enter AMBASSADORS of France. Now are we well prepar'd to know the plea. sure Of our fair cousin Dauphin; for, we hear, Freely to render what we have in charge; Exe. It follows then, the cat must stay at Or shall we sparingly show you far off Cant. True: therefore doth heaven divide As many several ways meet in one town; liege. Divide your happy England into four; my The Dauphin's meaning, and our embassy? K. Hen. We are no tyrant, but a Christian Unto whose grace our passion is as subject, Tell us the Dauphin's mind. Amb. Thus then, in few. Your highness, lately sending into France, In answer of which claim, the prince our wrangler, That all the courts of France will be disturb'd But, tell the Dauphin, I will keep my state; Dominion. † An ancient dance. This story is by no means credible: the great offers made by France, to avert the war, shew that they cutertained a just idea of Henry's character.Hume. For that I bave laid by my majesty, And some are yet ungotten, and unborn, scorn. But this lies all within the will of God, at it. Convey them with safe conduct.-Fare you well. ACT II. Enter CHORUS. [Exeunt. Chor. Now, all the youth of England are on fire, And silken dalliance in the wardrobe lies: men, Linger your patience on; and well digest SCENE 1.-The same.-Eastcheap. 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 It is a simple one: but what though? it will not fight; but I will wink, and hold out mine iron: toast cheese: and it will endure cold as another man's sword will: and there's the humour of it. 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 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. There must be conclusions. Well, I cannot tell. Enter PISTOL and Mrs. QUICKLY. Bard. Here comes ancient Pistol, and his wife :-good corporal, be patient here.-How now, mine host Pistol? Pist. Base tike, + call'st thou me host? Now, by this hand I swear, I scorn the term; Nor shall my Nell keep lodgers. Quick. 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 draws his sword.] O well-a-day, Lady, if he be not drawn now! O Lord! here's corporal Nym's-now shall we have wilful adultery and murder committed. Good lieutenant Bardolph,-good corporal, offer nothing here. Nym. Pish I Pist. Pish for thee, Iceland dog! thou prickeared cur of Iceland! Quick. Good corporal Nym, show the valour of a man, and put up thy sword. Nym. Will you shog off? I would have you solus. [Sheathing his sword. Pist. Solus, egregious dog? O viper vile! The solus in thy most marvellous face; The solus in thy teeth, and in thy throat, And in thy hateful lungs, yea, in thy maw, And, which is worse, within thy nasty mouth! perdy; t I do retort the solus in thy bowels : For I can take, and Pistol's cock is up, And flashing fire will follow. • What I am resolved on. † Clown : Par Drew. Nym. I am not Barbason; you cannot con- [ quickly to Sir John: Ah! poor heart! he is so jure me. I have a humour to knock you in- shaked of a burning quotidian tertiau, that it is differently well: If you grow foul with me most lamentable to behold. Sweet men, come Pistol, I will scour you with my rapier, as I to him. may, in fair terms: if you would walk off, I would prick your guts a little, in good terms, as I may and that's the humour of it. Pist. O braggard vile, and damned furious wight! The grave doth gape, and doting death is near; Give me thy fist, thy fore-foot to me give; Nym. I will cut thy throat, one time or other, in fair terms; that is the humour of it. Pist. Coup le gorge, that's the word ?-I thee defy again. O hound of Crete, think'st thou my spouse to get? No; to the spital go, And from the powdering tub of infamy Roy. Mine host Pistol, you must come to my master, and you, hostess ;-he is very sick, and would to bed.-Good Bardolph, put thy nose between his sheets, and do the office of a warming-pan: 'faith, he's very ill. Bard. Away, you rogue. Quick. By my troth, he'll yield the crow a pudding one of these days: the king has killed his heart.-Good husband, come home presently, [Exeunt Mrs. QUICKLY and BOY. Bard. Come, shall I make you two friends? We must to France together; Why, the devil, should we keep knives to cut one another's throats? Pist. Let floods o'erswell, and fiends for food howl on! Nym. You'll pay me the eight shillings I won of you at betting? Pist. Base is the slave that pays. Nym. That now I will have; that's the humour of it. Pist. As manhood shall compound: Push home. Bard. By this sword, he that makes the first thrust, I'll kill him: by this sword, I will. Pist. Sword is an oath, and oaths must have their course. Bard. Corporal Nym, an thou wilt be friends, be friends: as thou wilt not, why then be enemies with me too. Pr'ythee, put up. Nym. I shall have my eight shillings I won of you at betting. Pist. A noble shalt thou have, and present I'll live by Nym, and Nym shall live by me :- Nym. I shall have my noble ? Pist. In cash most justly paid. Nym. Well then, that's the bumour of it. Re-enter Mrs. QUICKLY. Nym. The king hath run bad humours on the knight, that's the even of it. Pist. Nym, thou hast spoke the right; His heart is fracted and corroborate. Nym. The king is a good king: but it must be as it may; he passes some humours, and careers. Pist. Let us condole the knight; for, lambkins, we will live. [Exeunt. SCENE II.-Southampton.-A Council- Enter EXETER, BEDFORD, and WESTMORE LAND. Bed. 'Fore God, his grace is bold, to trust these traitors. Exe. They shall be apprehended by and by. West. How smooth and even they do bear themselves! As if allegiance in their bosoms sat, Bed. The king hath note of all that they inteud, By interception which they dream not of. fellow, That he should, for a foreign purse, so sell CAMBRIDGE, GREY, Lords, and Attentants. K. Hen. Now sits the wind fair, and we will aboard. My lord of Cambridge,-and my kind lord of Masham, And you, my gentle knight,———give me your thoughts: Think you not, that the powers we bear with us, Will cut their passage through the force of France, Doing the execution, and the act, For which we have in head assembled them? Scroop. No doubt, my liege, if each man do his best. K. Hen. I doubt not that since we are well persuaded, We carry not a heart with us from hence, Cam. Never was monarch better fear'd and lov'd, [subject, Than is your majesty; there's not, I think, a That sits in heart-grief and uneasiness Under the sweet shade of your government. Grey. Even those, that were your father's enemies, Have steep'd their galls in honey; and do serve you With hearts create + of duty and of zeal. K. Hen. We therefore have great cause of thankfulness; And shall forget the office of our hand, Scroop. So service shall with steeled sinews toil; And labour shall refresh itself with hope, Quick. As ever you came of women, come in That rail'd against our person: we consider, It was excess of wine that set him on; |