Shall chide your trespass, and return your mock

In second accent of his ordnance.

Dau. Say, if my father render fair return, It is against my will; for I desire

125

Nothing but odds with England: to that end,
As matching to his youth and vanity,

130

I did present him with the Paris balls.

Exe. He'll make your Paris Louvre shake for it,

Were it the mistress court of mighty Europe :
And, be assur'd, you'll find a difference

(As we, his subjects, have in wonder found) Between the promise of his greener days

135

And these he masters now; now he weighs time,

Even to the utmost grain; that you shall read

In your own losses, if he stay in France.

Fr. King. To-morrow shall you know our mind at full.
Exe. Despatch us with all speed, lest that our king

140

Come here himself to question our delay;

For he is footed in this land already.

Fr. King. You shall be soon despatch'd with fair conditions:

A night is but small breath, and little pause,
To answer matters of this consequence.

145

[Exeunt.

Chor. Thus with imagin'd wing our swift scene flies,

In motion of no less celerity

Than that of thought. Suppose that you have seen
The well-appointed king at Hampton pier
Embark his royalty; and his brave fleet

With silken streamers the young Phoebus fanning.
Play with your fancies; and in them behold,
Upon the hempen tackle ship-boys climbing;
Hear the shrill whistle which doth order give
To sounds confus'd; behold the threaden sails,
Borne with the invisible and creeping wind,
Draw the huge bottoms through the furrow'd sea,
Breasting the lofty surge: O, do but think
You stand upon the rivage, and behold

5

10

15

A city on the inconstant billows dancing;
For so appears this fleet majestical,
Holding due course to Harfleur. Follow, follow!
Grapple your minds to sternage of this navy;
And leave your England, as dead midnight still,
Guarded with grandsires, babies, and old women,
Either past, or not arriv'd to, pith and puissance :
For who is he, whose chin is but enrich'd
With one appearing hair, that will not follow

'These cull'd and choice-drawn cavaliers to France ?
Work, work your thoughts, and therein see a siege:
Behold the ordnance on their carriages,

With fatal mouths gaping on girded Harfleur.

Suppose, the ambassador from the French comes back;
Tells Harry, that the king doth offer him
Katharine his daughter; and with her, to dowry,
Some petty and unprofitable dukedoms.
The offer likes not: and the nimble gunner
With linstock now the devilish cannon touches,

[Alarum; and chambers go off within. And down goes all before them. Still be kind, And eke out our performance, with your mind.

SCENE I.—France. Before Harfleur.

[Exit.

35

Alarums. Enter KING HENRY, EXETER, BEDFORD, GLOSTER, and Soldiers, with scaling ladders.

K. Hen. Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more; Or close the wall up with our English dead!

In peace there's nothing so becomes a man

As modest stillness and humility:

But when the blast of war blows in our ears,
Then imitate the action of the tiger;
Stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood,
Disguise fair nature with hard-favour'd rage:

5

Then lend the eye a terrible aspect;

Let it pry through the portage of the head

Like the brass cannon; let the brow o'erwhelm it,
As fearfully as doth a galled rock

O'erhang and jutty his confounded base,
Swill'd with the wild and wasteful ocean.

10

;

15

Now set the teeth, and stretch the nostril wide
Hold hard the breath, and bend up every spirit
To his full height !—On, on, you noble English,
Whose blood is fetch'd from fathers of war-proof!—
Fathers that, like so many Alexanders,

Have in these parts from morn till even fought,
And sheath'd their swords for lack of argument:
Dishonour not your mothers; now attest

That those whom you call'd fathers did beget you!
Be copy now to men of grosser blood,

And teach them how to war!—And you, good yeomen,
Whose limbs were made in England, show us here
The mettle of your pasture; let us swear

That you are worth your breeding: which I doubt not;
For there is none of you so mean and base
That hath not noble lustre in your eyes.
I see you stand like greyhounds in the slips,
Straining upon the start. The game's afoot;
Follow your spirit; and, upon this charge,

Cry-God for Harry! England! and Saint George !

[Exeunt. Alarum, and chambers go off within.

SCENE II.-The same.

Forces pass over; then enter NYM, BARDOLPH, PISTOL, and Boy. Bard. On, on, on, on, on! to the breach, to the breach ! Nym. Pray thee, corporal, stay; the knocks are too hot; and, for mine own part, I have not a case of lives: the humour of it is too hot, that is the very plain-song of it.

Pist. The plain-song is most just; for humours do abound:

Knocks go and come; God's vassals drop and die ;

And sword and shield,

In bloody field,

Doth win immortal fame.

6

Boy. Would I were in an alehouse in London! I would give all my fame for a pot of ale and safety.

Pist. And I:

If wishes would prevail with me,

My purpose should not fail with me,
But thither would I hie.

11

15

Flu. Up to the preach, you dogs! avaunt, you cullions.

[Driving them forward.

Pist. Be merciful, great duke, to men of mould !

Abate thy rage, abate thy manly rage!

Abate thy rage, great duke!

Good bawcock, bate thy rage! use lenity, sweet chuck! Nym. These be good humours !-your honour wins bad humours.

24

[Exeunt NYM, PISTOL, and BARDOLPH, followed by FLUELLEN. Boy. As young as I am, I have observed these three swashers. I am boy to them all three: but all they three, though they would serve me, could not be man to me; for, indeed, three such antics do not amount to a man. For Bardolph-he is white-livered, and red-faced; by the means whereof 'a faces it out, but fights not. For Pistol-he hath a killing tongue and a quiet sword; by the means whereof 'a breaks words, and keeps whole weapons. For Nym--he hath heard that men of few words are the best men; and therefore he scorns to say his prayers, lest 'a should be thought a coward: but his few bad words are match'd with as few good deeds; for 'a never broke any man's head but his own, and that was against a post when