France being ours, we'll bend it to our awe, O'er France, and all her almost kingly dukedoms, Enter Ambassadors of France. Now are we well prepar'd to know the pleasure Amb. May 't please your majesty, to give us leave K. Hen. We are no tyrant, but a Christian king, Unto whose grace our passion is as subject, As are our wretches fetter'd in our prisons; Therefore, with frank and with uncurbed plainness, Tell us the Dauphin's mind. Amb. Thus then, in few. Your highness, lately sending into France, K. Hen. What treasure, uncle? Exe. Tennis-balls, my liege9. K. Hen. We are glad the Dauphin is so pleasant with us. His present, and your pains, we thank you for: That shall have cause to curse the Dauphin's scorn, 9 Tennis-balls, my liege.] In the old play of "The Famous Victories," this present consists of "a gilded tun of tennis-balls, and a carpet." 10 With CHASES.] A "chase" at tennis is the duration of a contest between the players, in which the strife on each side is to keep up the ball. The other terms in the text belonging to the game are sufficiently intelligible. But this lies all within the will of God, When thousands weep, more than did laugh at it.— Ere. This was a merry message. [Exeunt Ambassadors. K. Hen. We hope to make the sender blush at it. Therefore, my lords, omit no happy hour, That may give furtherance to our expedition; For we have now no thought in us but France, Save those to God, that run before our business. Therefore, let our proportions for these wars Be soon collected, and all things thought upon, That may with reasonable swiftness add More feathers to our wings; for, God before, We'll chide this Dauphin at his father's door. Therefore, let every man now task his thought, That this fair action may on foot be brought. [Exeunt. ACT II. Enter CHORUS. Chor. Now all the youth of England are on fire, For now sits Expectation in the air; And hides a sword, from hilts unto the point, O England! model to thy inward greatness, What might'st thou do, that honour would thee do, But see thy fault! France hath in thee found out With treacherous crowns, and three corrupted men, Ere he take ship for France, and in Southampton. The sum is paid; the traitors are agreed; Th' abuse of distance: force a play.] This is the reading of the folio, 1623, excepting "well" for we'll; and though the measure be defective, we have no warrant for an arbitrary correction of it, especially when sense may be extracted without any addition. The Chorus calls upon the audience to digest well the abuse to the scene, arising out of the distance of the various places, and to "force a play," or put constraint upon themselves in this respect, for the sake of the drama. Malone reads, with Pope, "While we force a play." VOL. IV. I i To give you gentle pass; for, if we may, We'll not offend one stomach with our play. [Exit. SCENE I. London. Eastcheap. Enter NYM and BARDOLPH. Bard. Well met, corporal Nym. Nym. Good morrow, lieutenant Bardolph. Bard. What, are ancient Pistol and you friends yet? 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 not fight; but I will wink, and hold out mine iron. It is a simple one; but what though? it will toast cheese, and it will endure cold as another man's sword will; and there's an end3. 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. 2 But, till the king come forth, and not till then, Unto Southampton do we shift our scene.] The meaning is clear, though obscurely expressed the scene is not to be changed to Southampton until the king makes his appearance. No change is necessary, though various new readings have been recommended by Sir T. Hanmer, Edwards, Heath, and Malone. 3 and there's AN END.] So the folio the quartos, "and there's the humour of it," which was certainly a favourite phrase with Corporal Nym. - |