KING HENRY V.

BY

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE.

From the Text of the Rev. Alexander Dyce's
Second Edition.

KING HENRY V.

DRAMATIS PERSONE.

KING HENRY the Fifth.
DUKE OF GLOSTER, brothers to
DUKE OF BEDFORD, the King.
DUKE OF EXETER, uncle to the
King.

DUKE OF YORK, cousin to the
King.

EARL OF SALISBURY.

EARL OF WESTMORELAND.
EARL OF WARWICK.
ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY.
BISHOP OF ELY.

EARL OF CAMBRIDGE.
LORD SCROOP.

SIR THOMAS GREY.
SIR THOMAS ERPINGHAM,
GOWER, FLUELLEN, MAC-
MORRIS, JAMY, officers in King
Henry's army.

JOHN BATES,

ALEXANDER COURT, MICHAEL WILLIAMS, soldiers in the same.

PISTOL.

NYM.

BARDOLPH.

Boy.
A Herald.

CHARLES the Sixth, king of
France.

LOUIS, the Dauphin.
DUKE OF BURGUNDY.
DUKE OF ORLEANS.
DUKE OF BOURBON.
The Constable of France.
RAMBURES, GRANDPRE, French
lords.

Governor of Harfleur.

MONTJOY, a French herald. Ambassadors to the King of England.

ISABEL, queen of France. KATHARINE, daughter to Charles and Isabel.

ALICE, a lady attending on her. Hostess of a tavern in Eastcheap (formerly Mistress Quickly, and now married to Pistol).

Lords, Ladies, Officers, Soldiers, Citizens, Messengers, and

SCENE

Attendants.

Chorus.

During the earlier part of the play in England, after

wards in France.

1

Enter Chorus.

Chor. O for a Muse of fire, that would ascend The brightest heaven of invention,

A kingdom for a stage, princes to act,

And monarchs to behold the swelling scene!
Then should the warlike Harry, like himself,
Assume the port of Mars; and at his heels,

Leash'd-in like hounds, should famine, sword, and fire,
Crouch for employment. But pardon, gentles all,
The flat unraised spirits that have dar'd
On this unworthy scaffold to bring forth
So great an object: can this cockpit hold
The vasty fields of France? or may we cram
Within this wooden O the very casques
That did affright the air at Agincourt?
O, pardon! since a crookèd figure may
Attest in little place a million;

And let us, ciphers to this great accompt,
On your imaginary forces work.

Suppose within the girdle of these walls
Are now confin'd two mighty monarchies,
Whose high-upreared and abutting fronts
The perilous narrow ocean parts asunder:
Piece-out our imperfections with your thoughts;
Into a thousand parts divide one man,
And make imaginary puissance;

Think, when we talk of horses, that you see them
Printing their proud hoofs i' the receiving earth;
For 'tis your thoughts that now must deck our kings,
Carry them here and there; jumping o'er times,
Turning th' accomplishment of many years
Into an hour-glass: for the which supply,
Admit me Chorus to this history;

Who, prologue-like, your humble patience pray,
Gently to hear, kindly to judge, our play.

[Exit.