Bour. Normans, but bastard Normans; Norman ba

ftards.

Mort de ma vie! if thus they march along

Unfought withal, but I will fell my Dukedom,
To buy a foggy and a dirty farm

In that nook-fhotten 3 Ifle of Albion.

Con. Dieu de Batailles! why, whence have they this mettle?

Is not their climate foggy, raw and dull?
On whom, as in defpight, the Sun looks pale,
Killing their fruit with frowns? can fodden water,
A drench for fur-reyn'd jades, their barly-broth,
Decoct their cold blood to fuch valiant heat?
And fhall our quick blood, fpirited with wine,
Seem frosty? Oh! for honour of our land,
Let us not hang like frozen ificles

Upon our house-tops, while more frosty people
Sweat drops of gallant blood in our rich fields:
Poor, we may call them, in their native Lords.
Dau. By faith and honour,

Our madams mock at us, and plainly say,
Our mettle is bred out; and they will give
Their bodies to the luft of English youth,
To new-ftore France with baftard warriors.

Bour. They bid us to the English dancing-fchools, And teach La volta's high, and swift Corantos; Saying, our grace is only in our heels;

And that we are most lofty run-aways.

Fr. King. Where is Mountjoy, the herald? speed him hence;

3 In that nook-fhotten 1fle of Albion] Shotten fignifies any thing projected: So nook-fhotten Ifle, is an Ifle that fhoots out into capes, promontories and necks of land, the very figure of GreatBritain. WARBURTON. can f.dden water,

VOL. IV,

A drench for fur-reyn'd jades,-] The exact meaning of fur-reyn'd I do not know. It is common to give horfes over-ridden or feverifh, ground malt and hot water mixed, which is called a mafh. To this he alludes.

5

Let him greet England with our fharp defiance.
Up, Princes, and with spirit of honour edg'd,
Yet fharper than your fwords, hie to the field.
Charles Delabreth, high conftable of France;
You, dukes of Orieans, Bourbon, and of Berry,
Alanfon, Brabant, Bar and Burgundy,
Jaques Chatillion, Rambures, Vaudemont,
Beaumont, Grandpree, Rouffie, and Faulconbridge,
Leys, Leftraile, Bouciqualt, and Charaloys,

High Dukes, great Princes, Barons, Lords and Knights,
For your great feats now quit you of great shames,
Bar Harry England, that tweeps through our land
With penons painted in the blood of Harfleur;
Ruh on his hoft, as doth the melted fnow
Upon the vallies; whofe low vaffal feat
The Alps doth fpit and void his rheum upon.
Go down upon him, you have pow'r enough,
And in a captive chariot into Roan
Bring him our prifoner.

Con. This becomes the great.

Sorry am I, his numbers are fo few,

His foldiers fick, and famifht in their march;
For, I am fure, when he fhall fee our army,
He'll drop his heart into the fink of fear,
And for atchievement offer us his ranfom.
Fr.King. Therefore, Lord Conftable, hafte on Mount-

And let him fay to Englar that we send
To know what willing ranfom he will give.
Prince Dauphin, you shall stay with us in Roan.
Dau. Not fo, I do befeech your Majefty.

Fr. King. Be patient, for you fhall remain with us. Now forth, Lord Conftable, and Princes all; And quickly bring us word of England's fall. [Exeunt.

Gow.

Enter Gower and Fluellen.

TOW now, captain Fluellen, come you from the bridge?

HRth

Flu. I affure you, there is very excellent fervices committed at the pridge.

Gow. Is the Duke of Exeter fafe?

Flu. The Duke of Exeter is as magnanimous as Agamemnon, and a man that I love and honour with my foul, and my heart, and my duty, and my life, and my living, and my uttermoft power. He is not, God be praised and pleffed, any hurt in the world; he is maintain the pridge most valiantly, with excellent difcipline. There is an Antient lieutenant there at the pridge, I think, in my very confcience, he is as valiant a man as Mark Antony, and he is a man of no estimation in the world, but I did fee him do gallant Efervices.

Gow. What do you call him?
Flu. He is call'd Ancient Piftol.
Gow. I know him not.

Enter Piftol.

Flu. Here is the man.

Pift. Captain, I thee befeech to do me favours:

The Duke of Exeter doth love thee well.

Flu. I, I praife God, and I have merited fome love at his hands.

Pift. Bardolph, a foldier firm and found of heart, And buxom valour, hath by cruel fate,

And giddy fortune's furious fickle wheel,

That Goddefs blind that ftands upon the rolling reftlefs ftone

7

Flu. By your patience, Ancient Piftol: Fortune is painted plind, with a muffler before her eyes, to fignify to you that fortune is plind; and the is painted alfo with a wheel, to fignify to you, which is the moral of it, that she is turning and inconftant; and mutabilities and variations; and her foot, look is you, fixed upon a fpherical ftone, which rowles, and rowles, and rowles; in good truth, the Poet makes a most excellent defcription of it. Fortune is an excellent moral. Pift. Fortune is Bardolph's foe, and frowns on him, For he hath ftol'n a Pix, and hanged must a' be, Damned death!

8

7 Fortune is painted PLIND, with a muffler before her eyes, to fignify to you that fortune i pind;] Here the fool of a player was for making a joke, as Hamlet fays, not Jet down for him, and Jhewing a most pitiful ambition to be witty. For Fluellen, though he fpeaks with his country accent, yet is all the way reprefented as a man of good plain fenfe. Therefore, as it appears he knew the meaning of the term plind, by his ufe of it, he could never have faid that Fortune was painted flind, to fignify fhe was plind. He might as well have faid afterwards, that he was painted inconftant, to fignify She was inconftant. But there he fpeaks fenfe, and fo, unqueftion

Let

ably, he did here. We should therefore strike out the first pliza, and read,

Fortune is fainted with a muf fler, &c. WARBURTON. 8 The old editions, For he bath ftol'n a Pax,]" And "this is conformable to Hiftory, "(fays Mr. Pope) a Soldier (as "Hall tells us) being hang'd at "this Time for fuch a Fact."Both Hall and Holing fhead agree as to the point of the Theft; but as to the Thing stolen, there is not that Conformity betwixt them and Mr. Pope. It was an an cient cuftom, at the Celebration of Mafs, that when the Priet pronounc'd thefe Words, Pas De mini fit femper vobifcum! both Clergy and People kifs'd one

another.

Let gallows gape for dog, let man go free,
And let not hemp his wind-pipe fuffocate;
But Exeter hath given the doom of death,
For Pix of little price. Therefore, go speak,
The Duke will hear thy voice;

And let not Bardolph's vital thread be cut
With edge of penny-cord, and vile reproach.
Speak, Captain, for his life, and I will thee requite.
Flu. Ancient Piftol, I do partly understand your
meaning.

Pift. Why then rejoice therefore.

Flu. Certainly, Ancient, it is not a thing to rejoice at; for if, look you, he were my brother, I would defire the Duke to ufe his good pleasure, and put him to executions; for difciplines ought to be used.

Pift. Die and be damn'd, and Figo for thy friendfhip!

Flu. It is well.

Pift. The fig of Spain
Flu. Very good.

[Exit Pift.

Gow. Why, this is an arrant counterfeit rascal, I remember him now; a bawd, a cut-purse.

Flu. I'll affure you, he utter'd as prave words at the pridge, as you fhall fee in a fummer's day : but it is very well; what he has fpoke to me, that is well, 1 warrant you, when time is ferve.

Gow. Why, 'tis a gull, a fool, a rogue, that now and then goes to the wars, to grace himself at his re