UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
AT LOS ANGELES
of CALIFORNIA
Lu ^S
THE
PLAYS
O F
WILLIAM SHAKSPEARE.
VOL. VI.
8 f 10
THE
PLAYS
WILLIAM SHAKSPEARE,
VOLUME the S I X T H.
CONTAINING
KING HENRY V.
KING HENRY VI. Part I.
KING HENRY VI. Part II.
KING HENRY VI. Part III.
LONDON,
Printed for C. Bathurft, W. Strahan. J. F. and C. Rivington,
J. Hinton, L. Davis, W. Owen, T. Caflon, E. Johnfon, S. Crowder,
B. White, T. Longman, B. Law, E and C. Dilly, C. Corbett,
T. Cadell, H. L. Gardener, J. Nichols, J. Bew, J. Beecroft,
W. Stuart, T. Lowndes, J. Rcbibn, T. Payne, T. Becket,
F. Newberv, G. Robinfon, R. Baldwin, J. Williams, J.Ridley,
T. Evans, W. Davies, W. Fox, and J. Murray,
J.1PCCLXXVI1I.
30323
51
VOL. VI. B
*****
On
HENRY V,
PirfSfis Reprefented.
King Henry the Fifth. *
J
Earl of Salifbury.
Earl of Weftmoreland.
Earl of Warwick.
Archbifhop of Canterbury.
Bifhop of Ely.
Earl of Cambridge, n
Lord Scroop, > confpirators again/I tie king.
Sir Thomas Grey, *
Sir Thomas Erpingham, Gower, Fluellen, Mack-
morris, Jamy, officers In king Henrys army*
Nym, Bardolph, Piftol, Boy, formerly fervants t%
Falftaff, now foldiers in the king's army.
Bates, Court, Williams, foldiers.
Charles, the Sixth, king of France.
The Dauphin.
Duke of Burgundy.
Conltable, Orleans, Rambures, Bourbon, Grandpree,
French lords.
Governor of Harfleur.
Montjoy, a her aid.
Ambajfadors to the king of England.
Ifabel, queen of France.
Katharine, daughter to the king of France.
Alice, a lady attending on the princefs Katharine.
Quickly, Piftofs wife, an hojicfs.
Chorus.
Lords, Mejfengers,' French and Englijh Soldiers, "Joit'k
other Attendants.
The SCENE, at tie beginning of the play, lies inJLng-
land ; but afterwards, wholly in France.
CHORUS*
* O, for a mufe of fire, that would afcend
The brighteft heaven of invention !
A kingdom for a ftagc, 2 princes to aft*
And monarchs to behold the fwelling fcene !
Then fhould the warlike Harry, like himfelf^
Affume the port of Mars ; and, at his heels,
Leaih'din like hounds, fhould famine, fword,and fire,
Crouch for employment J . But pardon, gentles all,
The flat unraifed fpirit, that hath dar'd,
On this unworthy fcaffold, to bring forth
So great an objedt : Can this cock-pit hold
1 O for a mufe. ofjfre, &c.] This goes upon the notion of tht
Peripatetic fyitem, which imagines feveral heavens one above
another ; the laft and higheft or which was one of fire.
WAR BUR TON.
It alludes likewife to the afpiring nature of fire, which, by
its levity, at the reparation of the chaos, took the higheft feat of
all the elements. JOHNSON.
* princes to aft,
And monarch s to behold * ]
Shakefpeare does not feem to fet diftance enough between th
performers and fpedtators. JOHNSON.
3 Leajbt in like hounds, Jbould famine t fword, and fire.
Crouch for employment. J
In K. Henry VI. " Lean famine, quartering fteel, and climb-
ing fire," are called the three attendants on the Englifh general,
lord Talbot ; and, as I fuppofe, are the dogs of ivar mentioned
in Julius Cafar.
This image of the warlike Henry very much refembles Mont-
faucotfs defcription of the Mars discovered at JBreJJe, who leads a
lyon and a lyonefs in couples, and crouching as for employ-
ment. TOLLET*
Warner, in his Albion 's England; 1602, fpeaking of King
Henry V. fays :
** He led good fortune in a line, and did but war and win."
Holinflied, (p. 567*) when the people of Roan petitioned king
Henry V. has put this fentiment into his mouth : He declared
that the goddefle of battell, called Bellona, had three hand*
maidens, ever of neceflitie attending upon her, as Hand) Jire^
' STEEVENS,
B a The
iv CHORUS.
The vafty field of France ? or may we cram,
4 Within this wooden O, 5 the very cafques
That did affright the air at Agincourt ?
O, pardon ! fince a crooked figure may
Atteil, in little place, a million ;
And let us, cyphers to this great accompf r
6 On your imaginary forces work :
Suppofe, within the girdle of thefe walls
Are now confin'd two mighty monarchies,
- 7 Whofe high-upreared and abutting fronts
The perilous narrow ocean parts afunder.
Piece out our imperfections with your thoughts ;
4 Within this wooden O, ] Nothing fhews more evidently
the power of cuftorh over language,- than that the frequent ufe
of calling a circle an O could fo much hide the meannefs of the
metaphor from Shakefpeare, that he has ufed it many times
tvhere he makes his molt eager attempts at dignity of ftile.
JOHNSON.
5 The very ca/ijucs] The helmets. JOHNSON.
6 Imaginary forces' ^ } Imaginary for imaginative, or your
powers of fancy. Adive and paflive words are by this author
frequently confounded. JOHNSON.
7 Whofc high-uprearcd, and abutting fronts
The perilous narrow ocean parts afufider.}
Without doubt the author wrote :
lf r bofe higb-vpreared and abutting fronts,
Perilous, the narrow ocean parts afunder. .]
For his purpofe is to fliew, that the higheft danger ariles from
the fliock of their meeting, and that it is but a little thing which
keeps them afunder. This fenfe my emendation gives us, as the
common reading gives us a contrary ; for thofe whom a perilous
ocean parts af under, are in no danger of meeting. WAR BUR TON.
Perilous narrwj in burlefque and common language meant no
more than very narrow. In old books this mode of exprellion oc-
curs perpetually. A perilous broad brim to a hat, a perilous long
jhvord, &c. So, in Beaumont and Fletcher's Humourous Lieu-
tenant :
" She is perilous crafty."
Thus, villainous is only ufed to exaggerate, in the Tempeft :
'* be turn'd to barnacles or apes
" With foreheads villanous low."
Again, in John Florio's Preface to his Tranjlation of Montaigne :
" in this perilous crook 'd paflage "
STEEVENS
Into
CHORUS. v
Into a thoufand parts divide one man,
8 And make imaginary puiflance :
Think, when we talk of horfes, that you fee them
Printing their proud hoofs i* the receiving earth ;
9 For 'tis your thoughts that now muft deck our kings,
^TJry them here and there ; jumping o'er times;
Turning the accomplifhment of many years
Into an hour-glafs ; For the which fupply,
Admit me chorus to this hiftory ;
Who, prologue-like, your humble patience pray,
Gently to hear, kindly to judge, our play.
8 And make imaginary puiffance :] This fhews that Shakefpeare
was fully fenfible of the abiurdity of (hewing battles on the thea-
tre, which indeed is never done but tragedy becomes farce. No-
thing can be reprefented to the eye but by fomething like it, and
fwitkhi a wooden O nothing very like a battle can be exhibited.
JOHNSON.
Other authors of that age feem to have been fenfible of the
fame abfurdities. In Heywood's Fair Maid of the Wejl t 1631 ;
a Chorus enters and fays :
w Our ftage fo lamely can exprefs a fea,
" That we are forc'd by Chorus to difcourfe
*' What (hould have been in action, sV." STEEVENS.
9 For 'tis your thoughts that novj muft deck our kings ;
Carry them here and there ; ]
We may read king for kings. The prologue relates only to this
lingle play. The miftake was made by referring them to kings
which belongs to thoughts. The fenfe is, your thoughts muft give
the king his proper greatnefs ; carry therefore your thoughts here and
there, jumping over time, and crowding years into an hour.
JOHNSON.
I am not fure that Dr. Johnfon's obfervation is juft. In this
play, the king of France as well as England, makes his appearance ;
and the fenfe may be this ; // muft be to your imaginations that
our kings are indebted for their royalty. Let the fancy of the fpec-
tator furnifli out thole appendages to greatnefs which the poverty
of our ilage is unable to fupply. The poet is ilill apologizing
for the defects of theatrical reprefentation.
B 3 LIFE
KING HENRY V,
ACT I. SCENE I.
An anflchamber in the Engliflj court, at Kenelworth.
the archbijhop of Canterbury, and bijhop of Ely.
*Cant. My lord, I'll tell you, that felf bill is
urg'd,
Which
1 &fe of Henry V.~\ This play was writ (as appears from a
pafiage in the chorus to the fifth at) at the time of the earl of
Eflex's commanding the forces in Ireland in the reign of queen
Elizabeth, and not 'till after Henry the Vlth had been played,
as may be feen by the concluiion of this play. POPE.
Life of Henry V.~\ The tranfadlions comprifed in this hifto-
rical play commence about the latter end of the firit, and terminate
in the eighth year of this king's reign : when he matried Katha-
rine princefs of France, and clofed up the differences betwixt
England and that crown. THEOBALD.
This play in the quarto edition, 1608, is flyled the Chronicle
Hijlory of Henry, &c. which feems to have been the title anci-
ently appropriated to all Shakefpeare's hiltorical dramas. So, in
The Antipodes, a comedy by R. Brome, 1638 :
** Thefe lads can at the emperor's lives all over,
*' And Shakefpeare's Chronicled Hijiories to boot."
The players likewife in the folio edition, 162?, rank thefe pieces
under the title of Hiftories.
It is evident, that a play on this fubje& had been performed
before the year 1595. Nafli, in Pierce Pennilefs bis Supplication to
the Devil ) dated 1159;, fays : " what a glorious thing it is to
have Henry the Fift reprefented on the ftage leading the French
king prifoner, and forcing both him and the dolphin to fweare
fealtie." STEEVENS.
1 Archlijhop of Canterbury.'} This firft fcene was added fince
the edition of 1608, which is much fliort of theprefent editions,
B 4 whcreia
S K I N G H E N R Y V.
Which, in the eleventh year o'the laft. king's re i^n
Was like, and had indeed againft us paft,
But
wherein the fpeeches are generally enlarged and railed : feveral
whole fcenes befides, and all the chorufes alfo, were fince addtd
by Shakefpeare. POPE.
On this fubjeft a play was written about the time of Shake-
fpeare ; but whether betore or after his Henry V. made its ap-
pearance, has not yet been abfolutely determined. (It is thus
entered in the books of the Stationers' company. " Tho. Strode]
May 2, 1594- A booke entituled the famous Victories of Henry
the Fift, containing the honorable Battell of Agincourt." There
are two more entries of a play of Henry V. viz. between 1596
and 1615, and one Augufl i4th, 1600.) I have two copies^ of
it in my pofleffion : one without date (which fecms much the
elder of the two) and another (apparently printed from it) dated
1617, though printed by Bernard Alfop (who was printer of the
other edition) and fold by the fame perfon and at the fame place.
Alfop appears to have been a printer before the year 1 6co, and was
afterwards one of the twenty appointed by decree of the ftai -
chamber to print for this kingdom. I believe, however, this
piece to have been prior to that of Shakefpeare for feveral reaforis.
Firft, becaufe it is highly probable that it is the very " difpleaf-
ing play" alluded to in the epilogue to the fecond p'art of King
H'.nry IV.- for Oldcaftle died a martyr. Oldcaille is the Falitaff
of the piece, which is defpicable, and full of ribaldry and im-
piety from the firil fcene to the laft. Secondly, becaufe Shake-
fpeare feems to have taken not a few hints from it ; for it com-
prehends in fome meafure the ftory of the two parts of Hairy IV.
as well as of Henry V. and no ignorance I think could debafe the
gold of Shakefpeare into fuch drofs ; though no chemiilry but
that of Shakefpeare could exalt fuch bafe metal into gold.
When the prince of Wales in Henry IV. calls Falitaff my old lad
of the Caf.lc, it is probably but a fneering allufion to the deferved
tate which this performance met with ; tor there is no proof that
our poet was ever obliged to change the name of Oldcaftle into
that of Falilaff, though there is an abfolute certainty that this
piece muft have been condemned by any audience before whom
it was ever reprefentcd.
Laftly, becaufe it appears (as Dr. Farmer has obferved) from
the Jefts of the famous comedian Tarlton, 410. 1611, that he
had been particularly celebrated in the part of the Clown f in
Henry
f Mr. OMys, in a manurcript note in his copy of Langbnine, fays,
that Tarlton appear'd in thccharacler of the Judge who receives the
box on the car. This Judge is likewifc a character in the old play.
I may
K I N G H E N R Y V. 9
But that the fcambling and unquiet time*
Did pulh it out of further queftion.
Ely.
Henry V. and though this character does pot exift in our play,
we find it in the other, which, for the reafons already enumerat-
ed, I fuppofe to have been prior to this.
- This anonymous play of Henry V. is neither divided into ahs
or fcenes, is uncommonly fhort, and has all the appearance of
having been imperfectly taken down during the reprefentation.
As much of it appears to have been omitted, we may fuppofe
that the author did not think it convenient for his reputation to
publifh a more ample copy.
There is, indeed, a play, called Sir John Oldcaftle, publifhed
in 1600, with the name of William iSbakefpeare prefixed to it.
The prologue being very fhort, I fhall quote it, as it ferves to
prove, that a former piece, in which the character of Oldcaftit
yvas introduced, had given great offence :
" The doubtfull title (gentlemen) prefixtr
** Upon the argument we have in hajid,
*' May breed fufpence, and wrongfully difturbe
'* The peaceful quiet of your fettled thoughts :
*' To flop which fcruple, let this breefe fuflice.
" It is no pampe r V glutton we prefent,
*' Nor aged counce Hour to youtbfull Jinne ;
*' But one, whofe vertue fhone above the reft,
" A valiant martyr, and a vertuous peere,
*' In whofe true faith and loyalty expreft
*' Unto his foveraigne, and his countries weale :
*' We flrive to pay that tribute of our love
*' Your favours merit : let faire truth be grac'd
'.' Since forg'd invention former time defac'd."
STEEVENS.
3 Tie fcambling and unquiet time."] In the old houfliold book of
the jth earl of Northumberland, there is a particular fe&ion ap-
pointing the order of fervice for ihc fcambling days in lent, that
is, days on which no regular meals were provided, but every one
Ji-amb'lea'i i. e. fcrambled and ihifted for himfelf as well as he could.
- r So, in the old noted book intitled, " Leicefter's Common-
one of the marginal heads is, " Scumbling between Lei-
I may add, on the authority of the books at Stationer's-Hall, that
Tarlton publifhed what he called his Farewell, a ballad, in Sept.
1588. In Oft. 1589, was enter'd, " Tarlton" s Repentance, and his
Farewell to his Friends in his Sicknefs a little before his Death j" in 1590,
'. Tarlton s Neives out of Purgatorie :" and in the fame year, " A
pleafaunt Ditty Dialogue-wife, between Tarlton's Ghofl and Rohn Cood-
Jellowe." STEEVENS,
ceflet
io K I N G n E N R Y V.
Ely. But how, my lord, fhall we refifl it now ?
Cant. It muft be thought on. If it pafs againft US A
We lofe the better half of our pofleflion :
For all the temporal lands, which men devout
By teftament have given to the church,
Would they ftrip from us ; being valu'd thus,
As much as would maintain, to the king's honour,
Full fifteen earls, and fifteen hundred knights ;
Six thoufand and two hundred good efquires ;
And, to relief of lazars, and weak age,
Of indigent faint fouls, paft corporal toil,
A hundred alms-houfes, right well iupply'd;
And to the coffers of the king, betide,
A thoufand 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.
Cant. The courfes of his youth promis'd it not.
The breath no fooner left his father's body;
But that his wildnefs, mortify'd in him,
Seem'd to die too ; yea, at that verv moment,
cefter and Huntlngton at the upftiot." Where in the text, the
author fays, " Haflings, for ought I fee, when he cometh to
ihzfcambling, is like to have no better luck by the bear [Lei-,
cefler] then his anceftors had by the boare [K. Rich. III.]" edit.
1641, 1 2mo. p. 87. So again, Shakefpearc himfelf makes king
Hen. V. fay to the princefs Katharine, " I get thee with fcamb-
li'i?, and thou mufl therefore prove a good foldier-breeder.'*
ActV. PERCY.
Shakefpeare ufes the fame word in Much Ado about Nothing ;
" Shambling) out-facing, raflnon-mong'ring boys."
Again, in Ram- Alley, or Merry Tricks, 1611 :
*' the widow and myielf
" W\\\fcamllc out the fhakiug of the fhccts,
*' Without your mufic."
Again, in the Merry Devil of Edmonton, 1626 :
*' Leave us to ft amble for her getting out." STEEVENS.
Confi-
K I N G H E N R Y V. u
4 Confederation like an angel came,
And whipp'd the offending Adam out of him $
Leaving his body as a paradife,
To envelop and contain celeftial fpirits.
Never was fuch a fudden fcholar made :
Never came reformation in a flood 5 ,
With fuch a heady current, fcouring faults j
Nor never Hydra-headed wilfulnefs
So foon did lofe his feat, and all at once,
As in this king.
Ely. We are blefled in the change.
Cant. Hear him but reafon in divinity 6 ,
And,
4 Confederation, like an angel, &c.] As pnradife, when fin and
Adam were driven out by the angel, became the habitation of
celeftial fpirits, fo the king's heart, fmce confederation has driven
put his follies, is now the receptacle of wifdom and of virtue.
JOHNSON.
5 Never came reformation in afload^\ Alluding to the method
by which Hercules cleanfed the famous ftables when he turned a
a river through them. Hercules flill is in our author's head
when he mentions the Hydra, JOHNSON.
6 Hear him but reafon in divinity, &c.] This Ipeech feems to
have been copied from king James's prelates, fpeaking of their
Solomon : when archbifhop VVhitgift, who, as an eminent wri-
ter fays, died foon afterwards, and probcbiy doatcd then, at the
Hampton-Court conference, declared himfelf verily perfuadcd^
that bis facred majefty fpoke by the fpirit of God. And, in eftect,
this fcene was added after king James's acceffion to the crown :
fo that we have no way of avoiding its being efteemed a compli-
jnent to him, but by fuppofmg it was a fatire on his bifiops.
WAR BUR TON.
Why thefe lines fhould be divided from the reft of the ipeech
and applied to king James, I am not able to conceive ; nor why
an opportunity fliould be fo eagerly fnatched to treat with con-
tempt that part of his character which was leaft contemptible.
King James's theological knowledge was not inconliderable. To
prefide at difputations is not very fuitable to a king, but to un-
<1erftand the queftions is furely laudable. The poet, if he had
Barnes in his thoughts, was no fkilful encomiaft ; for the men-
tion of Harry's Ikill in war, forced upon the remembrance of
his audienCC the great deficiency of their preient king ; who yet
ivith all his faults, and many faults he had, was fuch, that fir
Robert
12 KINGHENRYV.
And, all-admiring, with an inward vvifh
You would defire, the king were made a prelate r
Hear him debate of common-wealth affairs,
You would fay, it hath been all-in-all his fludy ;
Lift his difcourfe of war, and you fhall hear
A fearful battle rendered you in mufic :
Turn hkn to any caufe of policy,
The Gordian knot of it he will unloofe,
Familiar as his garter ; that, when he fpcaks^
7 The air, a charter'd libertine, is ftill,
And the mute wonder lurketh in men's ears,
To fleal his fvveet and honey'd fentences ;
* So that the art, and pradtic part of life
Muft
Robert Cotton fays, be would le content that England .JhouU never
toave a better, provided that itfoould never have a ivorfe.
JOHNSON.
Thofe who are felicitous that juftice ihould be done to the
theological knowledge of our Britilh Solomon, may very eafily
furnilh themfelves with fpecimens of it from a book entitled,
Rex Platonicus, Jive de potentijjlmi Principle Jacobi Britanniariun
Regis ad Ulujlrijjimam AcaJemiam Qxonieiifcm adventu, Aug. 27,
Anno 1 60^. In this performance we may ftill bear him rcafoning
in Divinity, Phyfic, Jurifprudence, and Philofophy. On the
fecond of thefe fubjects he has not failed to exprefs his well-
known enmity to tobacco, and throws out many a royal witticifm
on the " Medici Nicotianilhe," and " Tobacconiftae" of the age j
infomuch thnt Ifaac Wake, the chronicler of his triumphs at
Oxford, declares, thnt " nemo nifi iniquilfimus rerum aeftimator,
bonique publici peflime invidus, Jacobo noftro recufabit immor-
talem gloriae aram figere, qui ipfe adeo mirabilem in Thcologia^y
yttrifprutlcntirt et ^Icdicina arcanis peritiam eamque plane aivi-
vitus aflecutus eft, ut &c." STEEVEXS.
7 The air, &c.J This line is exquifitely beautiful. JOHNSON,
The fame thought occurs in As You Like It. Aft II. fc. 7 :
'* I muft. have liberty
*' Withal, as large a charier as the ivinJ,
*' To blow on whom I pleafe." MAI.OKE.
* So that the art, and pra&ic/rfr/ of life,'] All the editions, if
I am not deceived, are guilty of a 'flight corruption in this paf-
fage. The archbifhop has been fhewing what a mafter the king
was in the theory of divinity, war, and policy : fo that it muft
be expected (as, I conceive he would infer) thut the kingfhould
now
KING HENRY V. i 3
Muft be the miftrefs to this theorique 9 :
Which is a wonder, how his grace fhould glean it,
Since his addition was to courfes vain ;
His companies unletter'd, rude, and lhallow ;
His hours fill'd up with riots, banquets, fports ;
And never noted in him any ftudy,
Any retirement, any fequeflration
From open haunts and popularity.
Ely. The flrawberry grows underneath the nettle ' ;
And~wholibme berries thrive, and ripen beft,
Neighbour'd by fruit of bafer quality :
And fo the prince obfcur'd his contemplation
Under the veil of wildnefs ; which, no doubt,
Grew like the fuminer grafs, fafteft by night,
now wed mat theory to aftion, and the putting the feveral parts
of his knowledge into practice. If this be our author's meau-
ing, I think, we can hardly doubt but he wrote :
So'that tie aft, andprattic^ &c.
Thus we have a confonance in the terms and fenfe. For theory
is the art and ftudy of the rules of any fcience ; and action, the
exemplification of thofe rules by proof and experiment.
THEOBALD.
This emendation is received by Dr. Warburton, but it appears
to me founded upon a mifreprefentation. The true meaning
deems to be this. He difcourfes with fo much Ikill on all fub-
je6ts, that the art and praflice of life muft be the mijlrefs or teachtr
of bis thecrique ; that is, that his theory muft have been taught by
art and praflice ; which, fays he, is ftrange, fince he could fee
little of the true art or practice among his loofe companions, nor
ever retired to digeft his practice into theory : art is ufed by the
author (or praftice, as diitinguiftied fromfcience or theory.
JOHNSON.
9 to this theorique :~\ Tljcoric is what terminates in fpe-
culation So, in The Valiant Welchman^ 1615:
i , fon Caradoc,
* *Tis yet unfit that on this fudden warning
' You leave your fair wife, to the theorique
' Of matrimonial pleafure and delight/'
Bookifh theorique is mentioned in Othello. STEEVENS.
1 The Jlrawlerry &c.] i. e. the wild fruit fo called, that groWS
in the woods, STEEVENS,
; r ".% Unfeen,
i 4 K I N G H E N R V V.
Unfeen, yet crefcive in his faculty *.
Cant, It muft be fo : for miracles are ceas'd ;
And therefore we muft needs admit the means,
How things are perfected.
Ely. But, my good lord,
How now for mitigation of this bill
Urg'd by the commons ? Doth his majefty
Incline to it, or no ?
Cant. He leems indifferent ;
Or, rather, fwaying more upon our part,
Than cherifhing the cxhibiters againft us :
For I have made an offer to his majefty,
Upon our fpiritual convocation ;
And in regard of caufes now in hand,
Which I have open'd to his grace at large,
As touching France, to give a greater funi
Than ever at one time the clergy yet
Did to his predeceflbrs part withal.
Ely. How did this offer feem received, my lord ?
Cant. With good acceptance of his majefty :
Save, that there was not time enough to hear
(As, I perceiv'd, his grace would fain have done)
The feverals, ar.d unhidden paffages J ,
Of his true titles to fome certain dukedoms ;
And, generally, to the crown and feat of France,
Dcriv'd from Edward, his great grandfather.
a crefcive in bis faculty.] Increafing in its proper power.
JOHNSON.
Grt-~M like thefummergrafs, fnjlefi by night ,
Unfeen^yet crefcive in his faculty ,~\
Crefcit occulto vclut arbor aevo
Fama Marcelli.
Cre/dve is a word ufed by Drant in his tranflation of Horace's
Art of Poetry, i 567 :
" As lufty youths of crefcive age doe flouriflie frefhe and
grow." STEEVENS.
3 Tlxfeverals, and unhidden pajjages ,] This line I fufpecr, of
corruption, though it may be fairly enough explained: the/rf/*-
fages of his titles are the lines of fucceffion by which his claims de-
1'cend. Unhidden is ofcn t clear. JOHNSON,
Eh.
KING HENRY V. i 5
Ely. What was the impediment that broke this off?
Cant. The French ambaflador, upon that inftant,
Crav'd audience : and the hour, I think, is come,
To give him hearing ; Is it four o'clock ?
Ely. It is.
Cant. Then go we in, to know his embaffy ;
Which I could, with a ready guefs, declare,
Before the Frenchman fpeaks a word of it.
Ely. I'll wait upon you ; and I long to hear it.
[Exeunt,
SCENE II.
Opens to the prefence.
Enter king Henry, Glo/ter, Bedford, Warwick, Weft-
'/norland, and Exeter.
K. Henry. Where is my gracious lord of Canter-
bury ?
Exe. Not here in prefence.
K. Henry. Send for him, good uncle *.
Weft. 5 Shall we call in the ambaflador, my liege ?
K. Hemy> Not yet, my coufm 6 ; we would be re-
folv'd,
Before we hear him, of fome things of weight,
That 7 talk our thoughts, concerning us and France.'
Enter the archbfoop of Canterbury, and bifJiop of Ely.
Cant. God, and his angels, guard your facred throne,
And make you long become it !
4 Good Uncle.'} John Holland, duke of Exeter, was married to
to Elizabeth the king's aunt. STEEVENS.
* Shall we call in, &c,] Here began the old play. POPE.
' Notyet, my con/in ; &c.] The 410. 1600 and 1608, read
Not yet, my coujin, till ive be refold d
Of fome Jcrious matters touching us and France.
STEEVENS.
tafi~\ Keep bufied with fcruples and laborious difquifi-
tions. JOHNSON.
K. Henry.
16 KING HENRY V.
K. Henry. Sure, we thank you.
My learned lord, we pray you to proceed ;
And juftly and religioufly unfold,
Why the law Salique, that they have in France,
Or fhould, or mould not, bar us in our claim.
And God forbid, my dear and faithful lord,
That you Ihould fafhion, wreft, or bow your reading,
8 Or nicely charge your underftanding foul
With opening titles 9 mifcreate, whofe right
Suits not in native colours with the truth ;
For God doth know, how many, now in health,
Shall drop their blood in approbation '
Of what your reverence ihall incite us to :
Therefore * take heed how you impawn our perfon,
How you awake the fleeping fword of war ;
We charge you in the name of God, take heed :
For never two fuch kingdoms did contend,
Without much fall of blood ; whofe guiltlefs drops
8 Or nicely charge your underjlanding foul] Take heed left by nice
and fubtle fophillry you burthen your knowing foul, or know-
ingly burthen your foul, with the guilt of advancing a falfe title,
or of maintaining, by fpecious fallacies, a claim which, if flie\vn.
in its native and true colours, would appear to be falfe.
JOHNSON.
9 mifcrcate, ] Ill-begotten, illegitimate, fpurious.
JOHNSON.
in approbation] i.e. in proving nnd fupporting that title
which fliall be now fet up. So, in Brathwaite's Survey of Hif-
tories, 1614. " Compofing what he wrote, not by report of
others, but by the approbation of his own eyes." Again, in the
Winter's Tale:
" That lack'd fight only ; nought for approbation
" But only feeing." MALONE.
* take heed bovj you impawn our perfon,~\ The whole drift
of the king is to imprefs upon the archbilhop a due fenfe of the
caution with which he is to fpeak. He tells him that the crime
of unjufl war, if the war be unjuft, fhall reft upon him.
Therefore take heed how you impawn your perfon.
So, I think it fhould be read. Take heed how you pledge yourfelf,
your honour, your happinefs, in fupport of bad advice.
Dr. Warburton explains impawn by engage^ and fo efcapes the
difficulty. JOHNSON.
Arc
K I N G H E N R Y V. 17
Arc every one a woe, a fore complaint,
*Gainft him, vvhofe wrong gives edge unto the fvvord
That makes fuch wafte in brief mortality \
4 Under this conjuration, fpcak, my lord ;
For we will hear, note, and believe in heart,
That what you fpeak is in your confcience wafh'd
"As pure as fin with baptifm.
Cant. Then hear me, gracious fovcreign, and you
peers,
That owe your lives, your faith, and fervices,
To this imperial throne ; There is no bar *
To make againft your highnefs' claim to France,
But this, which they produce from Pharamond, -
In t err am Salicam mulleres ne fuccedant 6 9
No woman Jhall fv.ccesd in Saliqus land:
Which Sdique land the French unjuftly gloze
To be the realm of France, and Pharamond
The founder of this law and female bar.
Yet their own authors faithfully affirm,
That the land Salique lies in Germany,
Between the floods of Sala and of Elbe :
Where Charles the great, having fubdu'd the Saxons^
There left behind and fettled certain French ;
Who, holding in difdain the German women,
For fomc dilhoneft manners of their life,
Eftabliih'd there this law, to wit, no female
Should be inheritrix in Salique land ;
* Irlcf mortality. "J
" Nulla brcvcm dominum fequetur. Hor. STEEVENS,
* Under this conjuration,] The 4tos 1600 and 1608, read :
After this conjuration. STEEVF.NS.
5 There is no bar &c.] This whole fpeech is copied (in
a manner <vcrlatltn) from Hall's Chronicle Henrv V. year the fe-
cond, folio 4. xx. xxx. xl, &c. In the firft edition it is very
imperfeft, and the whole hiftory and names of the princes are
confounded ; but this was afterwards fet right, and corrected
from his original, Hall's Chronicle,. POPE.
6 This ipeech (together with the Latin paflage in it) may as
well be faid to be taken from Holinfned as from Hall. STEEVENS.
VOL. VI. C Which
18 KING HENRY V.
Which Salique, as I faid, 'twixt Elbe and Sala,
Is at this day in Germany call'd Meifen.
Thus doth it well appear, the Salique law
Was not devifed for the realm of France :
Nor did the French poflefs the Salique land
Until four hundred one and twenty years
After defun&ion of king Pharamond,
Idly fuppos'd the founder of this law ;
Who died within the year of our redemption
Four hundred twenty-fix ; and Charles the gieat,
Subdu'd the Saxons, and did feat the French
Beyond the river Sala, in the year
Eight hundred five. Befides, their writers fay,
King Pepin, which depofed Childerick,
Did, as heir general, being defcended
Of Blithild, which was daughter to king Clothair,
Make claim and title to the crown of France.
Hugh Capet alib, that ufurp'd the crown
Of Charles the duke of Lorain, fole heir male
Of the true line and ftock of Charles the great,-
7 To fine his title with fome fliew of truth,
(Though, in pure truth, it was corrupt and naught)
Convey'd himlelf as heir to the lady Lingare,
Daughter to Charlemain, who was the fon
To Lewis the emperor, and Lewis the fon
Of Charles the great. Alfo king Lewis the ninth,
7 To fine bis title &c.] This is the reading of the quarto of
1608, that of the folio is, To find bis title. I would read :
To line bis title ^MtthfvmeJbe-TU of truth.
To line may fignify at once to decorate and to ftrengthen. In
Macbeth :
" He //'</ line the rebels ivitb hidden help and vantage"
Dr. Warburton fays, that to fine bis title, is to refine or improve
it. The reader is to judge.
I now believe that^W is right ; the jury finds for the plaintiff,
or finds for the defendant : to find his title is, to determine in fa-
vour of bis title with fame flew of truth. JOHNSON.
Both the quartos, 1600 and 1608, read 'To fine his title, i. e.
to nuke itjleiiy or Jfieciom by loine appearance of juftice.
STEEVENS.
Who
KING HENRY V. I9
Who was folc heir to the ufurper Capet,
Could not keep quiet in his confcience,
Wearing the crown of France, 'till fatisfy'd
That fair queen Ifabel, his grandmother,
Was lineal of the lady Ermengare,
Daughter to Charles the forefaid duke of Lorain;
By the which marriage, the line of Charles the great;
Was re-united to the crown of France.
So that, as clear as is the fummer's fun,
King Pepin's title, and Hugh Capet's claim,
King Lewis his fatisfa&ion, all appear
To hold in right and title of the female :
So do the kings of France unto this day ;
Howbeit they would hold up this Salique law,
To bar your highnefs claiming from the female;
And rather chule to hide them in a net,
Than amply to imbare their crooked titles 8 ,
Ufuro'd from you and your progenitors.
K. Henry.
* imbare their crooked titles^] Mr. Pope reads :
Than openly imbrace] But where is the antithefis betwixt
bide in the preceding line, and imbrace in this ? The two old fo
lios read, Than amply to imbarre. We certainly muft read, a$
Mr. Warburton advifed me, Than amply to imbare lay open,
difplay to view. I am furpriz'd Mr. Pope did not flart this con-
jecture, as Mr. Rowe had led the way to it in his edition j who
reads :
Than amply to make bare their crooked titles. THEOBALD.
Mr. Theobald might have found in the quarto of 1608, this
reading :
Than amply to embrace their crooked caufes ;
out of which line Mr. Pope formed his reading, erroneous in-
deed, but not merely capricious. JOHNSON.
The 410 1600, reads imbace.
I know of no fuch word as imbare. To unbar is to open, which
I fuppofe to be the word fet down by the poet, and was probably
oppofed to bar.
So, in the firft fcene of Timoa, the poet fays, " I'll unbolt to you."
To embar^ however, teems, from the following paflage in the
firrt book of Stanyhurfl's tranflation of Virgil t 1582, to fignify
to break or cut off abruptly :
" Heere Venus embarring his tale, &c."
C 2 Yet.
20 K I N G H E N R Y V.
K. Henry. May I,- with right and confcience, make
this claim ?
Cant. The fin upon my head, dread fovereign I
For in the book of Numbers is it writ
When the fon dies, let the inheritance
Defcend unto the daughter. Gracious lord,
Stand for your own ;. unwind your bloody flag ;
Look back unto your mighty anceilors :
Go, my dread lord, to your great grandfire's tomb,
From whom you claim ; invoke his warlike fpirit,
And your great uncle's, Edward the black prince ;.
Who on the French ground play'd a tragedy,
Making defeat on the full power of France ;
Whiles his moft mighty father on a hill,
Stood fmiling, to behold his lion's whelp
Forage in blood of French nobility.
O noble Englifh, that could entertain
With half their forces the full pride of France j
And let another half ftand laughing by,
All out of xvork, and cold for action 9 !
Ely. Awake remembrance of thefc valiant dead,
And with your puiflant arm renew their feats :
You are their heir, you fit upon their throne ;
The blood and courage, that renowned them,
Runs in your veins ; and my thrice-puillant Hege
Is in the very May-morn of his youth,
Ripe for exploits and mighty entcrprizes.
Exe. Your brother kings and monarchs of the earth
Do all expert that you Ihould roufe yourfclf,
As did the former lions of your blood.
Yet, as to lar, in Mud Ado alout Nothing, is to flrengthen,
** that is llronger made
44 Which was before barrel up with ribs of iron. '*'
SoJ amply to unbar may mean to weaken by an open difplay of
invalidity. STEEVENS.
9 cold for aftion /] The next fpeeches of Ely, Exeter,
Weftmoreland, and Canterbury, were added after the quartos
1600 and i6ob'. STEEVENS.
K I N G H E N R Y V. 21
Weft* l They know, your grace hath caufe, and
means and might ;
So hath your highncfs ; never king of England
Had nobles richer, and more loyal fubjcdts ;
Whofe hearts have left their bodies here in England,
And lie pavilion'd in the fields of France.
Cant. O, let their bodies follow, my dear liege*,
With blood, and fvvord, and fire, to win your right :
In aid whereof, we of the fpiritualty
Will raife your highnefs fuch a mighty Cum,
As never did the clergy at one time
Bring in to any of your anceftors.
K. Henry. We mud not only arm to invade the
French ;
But lay down our proportions to defend
Againft the Scot, who will make road upon us
With all advantages.
Cant. They of thofe marches J , gracious fovereign,
Shall be a wall fufficient to defend
Our inland from the pilfering'borderers.
K> Henry.. We do not mean the courfing matchers
only,
1 jTZvy know your grace hath caufe, and means, and might)
So hath your bighnefi ; ]
\Ve fliould read :
-your race had caufc
which is carrying on the lenfe of the concluding words of
Exeter :
j&s did the former lions of your blood $
meaning Edward HI. and the black prince. WARBURTOX.
I do not fee but the prelent reading may Hand as I have
pointed it. JOHNSON.
* Thefetwo lines Dr. Warburton gives to Weftmoreland, but
with fo little reafon that I have continued them to Canterbury.
The credit of old copies, though not great, is yet more than
nothing. JOHNSON.
3 They of tbofe marches,] The marches are the borders, the li-
mits, the confines. Hence the Lords Marchers, i. e. the lords
presidents of the marches, &c. So, in the firit canto of Drayton's
Baron? Wars :
*' When now the marchers well urxm their way, &c."
STEEVENS.
C 2 But
22 K I N G H E N R Y V.
But fear the main intendment of the Scot,
Who hath been Hill a 4 giddy neighbour to us :
For you fiiall read, that my great grandfather
* Never went with his forces into France,
But that the Scot on his unfurnifh'd kingdom
Came pouring, like the tide into a breach,
With ample and brim fulnefs of his force ;
Galling the gleaned land with hot affays ;
Girding with grievous fiegc caftles, and towns ;
That England, being empty of defence,
Hath fliook, and trembled 6 at the ill neigbourhood.
Cant. She hath been then more fear'd than harm'd^
my liege :
For hear her but exampled by herfelf, .
When all her chivalry hath been in France,
.And ihe a mourning widow of her nobles,
She hath herfelf not only well defended,
But taken, and impounded as a ftray, .
4 ~ giddy neighbour ] That is, inconftant, changeable,.
JOHNSON-.
5 Never ivent with his forces into France,] Shakefpeare wrote
the line thus :
Nf Vr ivent with his full forces into France.
The following expreffions of unfurnijh'd kingdom, gleaned lan^
and empty of defence , fhew this. WARBURTOX.
There is no need of alteration. JOHNSON.
The 4tos 1600 and 1608 read:
> never my great grandfather
Unmaflc'd bis power for France
What an opinion the Scots entertained of the defencelefs flate
of England, may be known by the following paflage from
The Battle of Floddon, an ancient hiftorical poem :
" For England's king you underftand
" To France is part with all his peers :
* l There is none at home left in the land,
** But joult-head monks, and burften freers.
* Of ragged rufties, without rules,
** Of priefts prating for pudding (hives ;
'* Of milners madder than their mules,
'* Or wanton clerks, waking their wives." STEEVENS.
* at the ill neighbourhood.] The 4tos 1 600 and 1608 read ;
at the bruit thereof. STEEVENS.
The
KING HENRY V. 2J
The king of Scots ; whom fhe did fend to France,
To fill king Edward's fame with prifcner kings;
7 And make your chronicle as rich with praife,
As is the ouze and bottom of the fea
With funken wreck * and fumlefs treafuries.
Exe* 9 But there's a faying, very old and true,
1 If that you will France win,
Then with Scotland frjl be^ln :
For once the eagle England being in prey,
To her unguarded neft the weazcl Scot
Comes fneaking, and fo fucks her princely eggs ;
Playing the moufe, in abfence of the cat,
7 And make bis chronicle as rich with praife,] He is fpeaking
of king Edward's prifoners ; fo that it appears Shukefpeare
wrote :
as rl(h wit]} prize,
i.e. captures, booty. Without this there is neither beauty nor
likenefs in the fimjlitude. WAR BUR TON.
The change of praife to prize, I believe no body will approve ;
the fimilitude between the chronicle and the fea confifts only in
this, that they are both full, and filled with fomething valuable.
Befides, Dr f Warburton prefuppofes a reading which exifts in no
ancient copy, for hh chronicle as the later editions give it, the
quarto has your, the folio their chronicle.
Tour and their written by contraction _yr are juft alike, and her
in the old hands is not much unlike yr. I believe we ftiould read
her chronicle. JOHNSON.
8 and fumlefs treafuries.'} The quartos 1600 and 1608
read :
and fhiplefs treafury. STEEVENS.
9 Ely. But there's q faying, &c.] This fpeech, which is dif
fuafive of war with France, is abfurdly given to one of the
churchmen in confederacy to pufli the king upon it, as appears
by the firft fcene of this aft. Befides, the poet had here an eye
to Hall, who gives this obfervation to the duke of Exeter. But
the editors have made Ely and Exeter change fides, and fpeak
one another's fpeeches ; for this, which is given to Ely, is Exe-
ter's ; and the following given to Exeter is Ely's.
WARBURTON.
1 If that you will France win, &c.] Hall's Chronicle. Hen. V.
year 2. fol. 7. p. 2. x. POPE.
It is likewife found in Holinfhed, and in the old anonymoui
play of K. Henry V, STEEVENS.
C 4. To
24 K I N G H E N R Y V.
* To taint and havock more than Ihe can cat.
Ely. It follows then, the cat muft ftay at home :
} Yet that is but a curs'd neceffity ;
Since we have locks to fafcguard neceffaries,
4 And pretty traps to catch the petty thieves.
While that the armed hand doth fight abroad,
The advifed head defends itfelf at home :
* To tear ami havock more than Jlie can eat."] It is not much
the quality of the moufe to tear the food it comes at, but to run
over and defile it. The old quarto reads, fpoile \ and 'the two
firfl folios, tame : from which laft corrupted word, I think, I
have retrieved the poet's genuine reading, taint. THEOBALD.
3 Tet that is bvt a curs'd nccejjlty ;] So the old quarto. The
folios read cruflfd: neither of the words convey any tolerable
idea ; but give- us a counter-reafoning, and not at all pertinent,
We fbould read, 'fcus'd nectjpty. It is Ely's bufinefs to '{hew
there is no real neceffity for flaying at home : he mull therefore
mean, that though there be a leeming neceffity, yet it is one that
may be well e xcufd and got over. WAR BUR TON*.
Neither the old readings nor the emendation feem very futif-
factory. A curfed nccejjlty has no fenfe ; a 'fcus'd neceffity is fo
harfh that one would not admit it, if any thing elfe can be
found. A crufh'd neceffity may mean, a neceffity which is fubdued
and over-powered by contrary reafons. We might read a crude
neceffity, a neccjjlty not complete^ or not well confidered and dU
gelled, but it is too harfh.
Sir. T. Hanmer reads :
Tet that is not o'courfe a necejpty. JOHNSON.
A curfd neceffity means, I believe, only an unfortunate necef-
Jity. Cursed, in colloquial phrafe, figmfies any thing unfortunate^
So we fny, fuch a one leads a curfed life ; another has got into a
curfed fcrape. It may mean, a neceffity to It execrated.
t This vulgarifm is often ufed by fir Arthur Gorges in his tranf-
lation of Lucan, 1614. So, B. vii. p. 293 :
" His curfed fortune he condemned."
Again, p. 297 :
" : -on the cruel deftinies
" The people pour out curfed cries."
Again, in Chapman's tranllation of the 5th OdyJJey :
" while thus difcourfe beheld,
" A curs'd furge *gainfl a cutting rock impell'd
His naked body." STEEVENS.
* And pretty traps ] Thus the old copy j but I believe we
fliould read petty. STEEVENS.
For
KING HENRY V. 25
5 For government, though high, and low, and lower,
Put into parts, doth keep in one confent 6 ;
Congruing in a full and natural clofe,
Like mufick.
Cant. True : therefore doth heaven divide
The ftate of man in divers functions,
7 Setting endeavour in continual motion ;
To which is fixed, as an aim or butt,
Obedience : for fo work the honey bees ;
Creatures, that, by a rule in nature, teach
The art of order to a peopled kingdom.
They have a king, and officers of forts :
Where fome, like magiftrates, correct at home ;
8 Others, like merchants, venture trade abroad ;
Others, like foldiers, armed in their ftings,
Make boot upon the fummer's velvet buds ;
Which pillage they with merry march bring home
5 For government, though high, and low, and lower,] The
foundation and expreffion of this thought feems to be borrowed
from Cicero de Rcpnblica, lib. ?. Sic ex fummis, & mediis, &
infimis interjects ordinibus, ut fonis, moderatam ratione civitatem 9
Confenfu diflimiliorum concinere j & qua harmonia a muficis did-*
tttr in cantu, tarn ejje in civitate concordiam. THEOBALD.
6 in one confent,] Confent is unifon. STEEVENS.
7 Setting endeavour in continual motion ;
To which is fixed, as an aim or butt,
Obedience'} Neither the fenfe nor the conftruclion of this
paflage is very obvious. The conftruclion is, endeavour as ax
aim or butt to which endeavour, obedience is fixed. The fenfe is
that all endeavour is to terminate in obedience, to be fubordinate
to the publick good and general defign of government.
JOHNSON.
8 Others, like merchants, venture trade abroad j] What is the
venturing trade ? I am perfuaded we fhould read and point it
thus :
Others, like merchant venturers, trade abroad.
WAR BUR TON.
If the whole difficulty of this paflage confifts in the obfcurity
of the phrafe to venture trade it may be eafily cleared. To ven-
ture trade is a phrafe of the fame import and flruclure as to hazard
battle. Nothing could have raifed an objection but the defire of
being bufy. JOHNSON,
To
26 KING HENRY V.
To the tent-royal of their emperor :
Who, bufy'd in his majefly, furveys
The tinging mafons building roofs of gold ;
9 The civil citizens kneading up the honey ;
The poor mechanick porters crowding in
Their heavy burdens at his narrow gate ;
The fad-ey'd juftice, with his furly hum,
Delivering o'er to executors pale
The lazy yawning drone. I this infer,
That many things, having full reference
To one confent, may work contrarioufly ;
As many arrows, loofed feveral ways,
Fly to one mark ;
As many feveral ways meet in one town ;
As many frefh ftreams run in one felf fca ;
As many lines clofe in the dial's center;
1 So may a thoufand actions, once afoot,
End in one purpofe, and be all well borne
9 The civil citizens kneading up the honey ;] This may poflibly
be right : but I rather think that Shakefpeare wrote heading up
the honey; alluding to the putting up merchandife in calks. And
this is in faft the cafe. The honey being beaded up in feparate
and diftinft cells by a thin membrane of wax drawn over the
mouth of each of them, to hinder the liquid matter from run-
ning out. WARBURTON.
To head the honey can hardly be right ; for though we head the
cafk, no man talks of heading the commodities. To knead gives
an eafy fenfe, though not phyfically true. The bees do in faft
knead the wax more than the honey, but that Shakefpeare per-
haps did not know. JOHNSON.
The old quartos read -lading up the honey. STEEVENS.
1 So may a thnufand attions, once afoot ,] The fpeaker is en-
deavouring to (hew that the Hate is able to execute many pro-
jected actions at once, and conduct them all to their completion,
without impeding or joftling one another in their courfe. Shake-
fpeare, therefore, muft have wrote, aftions '/ once a foot, i. e,
at once ; or, on foot together. WARBURTON.
Sir T. Hanmer is more kind to this emendation by reading aft.
at once. The change is not neceflary, the old text may ftand.
JOHNSON.
With-
KING HENRY V. 2J
* Without defeat. Therefore to France, my liege.
Divide your happy England into four ;
Whereof take you one quarter into France,
.And you withal fhall make all Galliafhake.
If we, with thrice that power left at home,
Cannot defend our own door from the dog,
Let us be worried ; and our nation lofe
The name of hardinefs, and policy.
K. Henry. Call in the meflengers fent from the
Dauphin.
Now are we well refolv'd : and, by God's help ;
And yours, the noble finews of our power,
France being ours, we'll bend it to our awe,
Or break it all to pieces : Or there we'll fit,
Ruling, in large and ample empery',
O'er France, and all her alrnoft kingly dukedoms ;
Or lay thefe bones in an unworthy urn,
Tomblefs, with no remembrance over them :
Either our hiflory fhall, with full mouth,
Speak freely of our ad:s ; or elfe our grave,
Like Turkifh mute, fhall have a tonguelefs mouth,
Not worfhip'd 4 with a waxen epitaph.
Enter
4 Without defeat.] The quartos 1600 and 1608 read, With-
out defect. STEEVENS,
3 emperyj This word which fignifies dominion^ is now obfb-
lete, though formerly in general ufe. So, in Claudius Tiberius
Nero, 1607 :
" Within the circuit of our empery" STEEVENS.
4 with a waxen epitaph.] The quarto 1608 reads, with a
paper epitaph.
Either a waxen or a paper epitaph, is an epitaph eafily obli-
terated or deftroyed ; one which can confer no lafting honour on
the dead. Shakefpeare employs the former epithet in a fimilar
fenfe in K. Richard II :
" That it may enter Mowbray's "Max en coat."
Again, in G. Whetftone's Garden of Unthriftines, 1576 : /
" In ivaxe, fay I, men eafily grave their will ;
** In marble ftone the worke with paine is wonne :
" But perfect once, the print remaineth ftill,
" When waxen feales by every browfe are donne."
STEEVENS.
The
2 3 K I N G H E N R Y V.
Enter ambafladors of France.
Now we are well prepared to know the pleafure
Of our fair coufin Dauphin ; for, we hear,
Your greeting is from him, not from the king.
Amb. May't pleafe your majefty, to give us leavQ
Freely to render what we have in charge ;
Or fhall we fparingly ftiew you far off
The Dauphin's meaning;, and our embafly ?
K. Henry. We are no tyrant, but a Chriftian king ;
Unto whofe grace our paflion is as fubjedt,
As are our wretches fetter'd in our prifons :
Therefore, with frank and with uncurbed plainnefs,
Tell us the Dauphin's mind.
Amb. Thus then, in few.
Your highnefs, lately fending into France,
Did claim fome certain dukedoms, in the right
Of your great predeceflbr, king Edward the third.
In anfwer of which claim, the prince our matter
Says, that you favour too much of your youth ;
And bids you be advis'd, there's nought in France,
That can be with a nimble galliard * won ;
You cannot revel into dukedoms there :
He therefore fends you, meeter for your fpirit,
This tun of treafure ; and, in lieu of this, .
Defires you, let the dukedoms, that you claim,
Hear no more of you. This the Dauphin fpeaks^
K. Henry. What treafure, uncle ?
Exe. 6 Tennis-balls, my liege.
The fecond reading is more unintelligible, to me at leaft, than
the other : a grave not digni/ied with the llightell memorial.
JOHNSON.
s a nimble galliard tuon :~\ A galliard was an ancient dance,
no^v obfolete. So, in All for Money, 1574:
" Where fhall we get a pipe to play the devil z galliard f M
STEEVENS.
* Tennis-balls, my lie%e.~\ In the old play of Henry V. already
mentioned, this prefent confiils of a gilded tun of tennis-balls and
K. Henry.
a g
a carpet
K I N G H E N R Y V. 29
K. Henry. 7 We are glad, the Dauphin is fo pleafant
with us ;
His present, and your pains, we thank you for :
When we have match'd our rackets to thefe balls,
We will, in France, by God's grace, play a fet,
Shall flrike his father's crown into the hazard :
Tell him, he hath made a match with fuch a wrangler,
That all the courts of France will be difturb'd
With 8 chaces. And we underftand him well,
How he comes o'er us with our wilder days,
Not meafuring what ufe we made of them.
We never valu'd this poor feat of England ;
9 And therefore, living hence, did give ourfelf
To barbarous licence ; As 'tis ever common,
That men are merneft when they are from home.
But tell the Dauphin, I will keep my flate ;
Be like a king, and Ihew my fail of greatnefs,
When I do roufe me in my throne of France :
7 We are glad the dauphin is fo pleafant ivith us ; ] Thus ilandi
the anfwer of K. Henry in the fame old play :
44 My lord, prince Dolphin is very pleafant with me.
'* But tell him, that inltead of balls of leather,
*' We will tots him balls of brafs and of iron :
" Yea, fuch balls as never were tofs'd in France.
44 The proudeft tennis-court in France fhall rue it."
And the following paflkge is in Michael Drayton's Battle of Agin*
court :
" I'll fend him balls and rackets if I live,
" That they fuch racket fhall in Paris fee,
* When over line with bandies I fliall drive ;
44 As that, before the fet be fully done,
* 4 France may perhaps into the hazard run." STEEVENS.
8 Cbace is a term at tennis. JOHNSON.
So is the hazard; a place in the tennis-court into which the
ball is fometimes ftruck. STEEVENS.
9 And t +:re fore, living hence, ] This expreflion has (Irength
and energy : he never valued England ; and therefore lived
hence; i.e. as if abfent from it. But the Oxford editor alters
hence to here. WAR BUR TON.
Living hence means, I believe, withdrawing from the court,
the place in which he is now fpeaking. STEEVENS.
For
30 KING HENRY V.
1 For that I have laid by my majefty,
And plodded like a man for working-days ;
But I will rife there with fo full a glory,
That I will dazzle all the eyes of France,
Yea, flrike the Dauphin blind to look on us.
And tell the pleafant prince, this mock of his
Hath turn'd 1 his balls to gun-flones ; and his foul
Shall fland fore charged for the wafteful vengeance
That fliall fly with them : for many a thoufand widows
Shall this his mock mock out of their dear hufbands ;
Mock mothers from their fons, mock caftles down ;
And fome are yet ungotten, and unborn,
That fhall have caufe to curfe the Dauphin's fcorn.
But this lies all within the will of God,
To whom I do appeal ; And in whofe name,
Tell you the Dauphin, I am coming on,
To venge me as I may, and to put forth
My rightful hand in a well-hallow'd caufe*
So, get you hence in peace ; and tell the Dauphin,
His jeft will favour but of lhallow wit,
When thoufands weep, more than did laugh at it.
Convey them with fafe conduct. Fare you well.
[Exeunt AmbaJJadors.
Exe. This was a merry meffage.
A". Henry. We hope to make the fender blufh 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 thofe to God, that run before our bufmefs.
Therefore, let our proportions for thefe wars
1 For that I have laidly ] To qualify myfelf for this un-
dertaking, I have defcended from my ftation, and fludied the arts
of life iii a lower character. JOHNSON.
The quartos 1600 and i6c8 read -for this. STEEVENS.
"* bislallstogTin-Jtones; ] When ordinance was firft
ufed, they difcharged balls, not of iron, but of ftone. JOHNSON.
So Holinflied, p. 947. " About feaven of the clocke marched
foi"ward the light peeces of ordinance, wiihjlone and powder."
STEEVENS.
Be
KING HENRY V. 3*
Be foon collected ; and all things thought upon,
That, may, with reafonable fwiftnefs, add
More feathers to our wings : for, God before,
We'll chide this Dauphin at his father's door.
Therefore, let every man now talk his thought,
That this fair a&ion may on foot bebrought. [Exeunt.
ACT II.
Enter Chorus.
Chor. Now all the youth of England are on fire *,
And filken dalliance in the wardrobe lies ;
Now
3 In this place, in all the editions hitherto, is inferted the
chorus which I have poftponed. That chorus manifeftly is in-
tended to advertife the fpeftators of the change of the fcene to
Southampton, and therefore ought to be placed juft before that
change, and not here, where the fcene is uill continued in Lon-
don. POPE.
Now all the youth of England ] I have replaced this chorus
here, by the authority of the old folios ; and ended the firft a&,
as the poet certainly intended. Mr. Pope removed it, becaufe,
fays he, " This chorus manifeftly is intended to advertife the
fpeclators of the change of the fcene to Southampton ; and
therefore ought to be placed jufl before that change, and not
here." It is true, the fpedlators are to be informed, that, when
they next fee the king, they are to fuppofe him at Southampton
But this does not imply any neceffity of this chorus being con-
tiguous to that change. On the contrary, the very concluding
lines vouch abfclutely againft it :
But till the king comefortb^ ana 1 not till then,
Unto Southampton do wejlrift our fcene,
For how abfurd is fuch a notice, if the fcene is to change, fo
foon as ever the chorus quits the ftage ? Befides, unlefs this cho-
rus be prefixed to the fcene betwixt Nym, Bardolph, &c. we
fliall draw the poet into another abfurdity. Piftol, Nym, and
Bardolph are in this fcene talking of going to the wars or France :
but the king had but juft, at his quitting the ftage, declared hi$
refolution of commencing this war ; and without the interval of
3 i KING HENRY V.
Now thrive the armourers, and honour's thought
Reigns folely in the breaft of every man :
They fell the pafture now, to buy the horfe ;
Following the mirror of all Chrillian kings,
With winged heels, as Englifh Mercuries.
4 For mw fits Expectation in the air ;
And hides a fword, from hilts unto the point,
With crowns imperial, crowns, and coronets.,
Promis'd to Harry, and his followers.
The French, advis'd by good intelligence
Of this moft dreadful preparation,
Shake in their fear ; and with pale policy
Seek to divert the Englifh purpofes.
O England ! model to thy inward greatnefs,
Like little body with a mighty heart,
What might'fl thou do, that honour would thee do,
an aft, betwixt the fcene and the comic characters entering, how
could they with any probability be informed of this intended ex-
pedition ? THEOBALD.
I think Mr. Pope miftaken in tranfpofing this chorus, and
Mr. Theobald in concluding the aft with it. The chorus evi-
dently introduces that which follows, not comments on that which
precedes, and therefore rather begins than ends the aft, and
Ib I have printed it. Dr. Warburton follows Mr. Pope.
JOHNSON.
4 For noi'jjtts Expectation In the air,
And bides afivord, from bills unto ike point,
With crowns imperial, &c.] The imagery is wonderfully
fine, and the thought exquifite. Expcttation fitting in the air,
defigns the height of their ambition ; and the/twn/ b'ul from tbc
hilt to tbc point ivitb crowns and coronets, that all fentiments of
danger were loft in the thoughts of glory. WARBURTON.
The idea is taken from the ancient reprefentations of trophies
in tapeftry or painting. Among thefe it is very common to fee
fwords encircled with naval or mural crowns. Expectation is like-
wife perfonified by Milton, Par. Loft, b. vi.
" while Expectation flood
" In horror." STEEVENS.
In the horfe armoury in the Tower of London, Edward III. is
reprefented with two crowns on his fword, alluding to the two
kingdoms, France and England, of both which he was crowned
heir. Perhaps the poet took the thought from this reprefenta-
tion. TOLLET.
Were
it ING HENRY V. 33
Were all thy children kind and natural !
But fee thy fault ! France hath in thee found out
A neft of hollow bofoms, which fhe fills
With treacherous crowns: and three corrupted men,-
One, Richard earl of Cambridge ; and the fecond,
Henry lord Scroop of Malham ; and the third,
Sir Thomas Grey knight of Northumberland,-
Have for the gilt of France *, (O guilt, indeed !)
Confirm 'd confpiracy with fearful France ;
5 And by their hands this 6 grace of kings mufl die,
(if
* the gilt of France} Gilt, which in our author, gene-
rally fignifies a difplay of gold (as in this play:
*' Our gaynefs and our gilt are all befmirch'd.")
in the prefent inilance means golden money. So, in An Alarun
for London, 1602 :
" To fpend the victuals of our citizens,
" Which we can fcarcely compafs now for ///."
STEEVEXS.
5 And ly their bands this grace of kings mujl die,
(If bell and treafon bold their promifes,)
Ere be take j)Ap for France, and in Southampton*
Linger your patience on ; and well digcjl
The alufe of diflance, while we force a play*
The ftim is paid ; the traitors are agreed ;
The king isfetfrom London ; and the fcexe
Is 'ioi'.' traitfportcd, gentles, to Southampton :
There h the phy-houfe now, ] I fuppofe every one that
reads thefc lines looks about for a meaning which he cannot find.
There is no connexion of ienfe nor regularity of tranfition from,
one thought to the other. It may be fufpefted that fome lines
are loft, j.nd in that cafe the fenfe is irretrievable. I rather think
the meaning is obfcured by an accidental tranfpofuion, which I
would reform thus :
And ly their hands this grace of kings mujl dic t
. If hell and treafun hold their promifes.
The fiuii is paid, the traitors are agreed,
The king isfetfrom London, and tbefcene
Is no-iv tranfported, gentles, to Southampton,
Ere he take Jhip for France. And in Southampton^
Linger your patience on, and well digejl
The abufe of dijlunce, wk'lc ive force a play*
There is the play -houfe novj "
' VOL, VI, D This
34 K I N G H E N R Y V.
(If hell and treafon hold their promifes)
Ere he take fhip for France, and in Southampton,'
Linger your patience on ; and well digeft 7
The abufe of diflance, 8 while we force a play.
The ium is paid ; the traitors are agreed ;
The king is fet from London ; and the fcene
Is now tranfported, gentles, to Southampton :
There is the play-houfe now, there muft you fit :
And thence to France ihall we convey you fafe,
And bring you back, charming the narrow feas 9
To give you gentle pafs ; for, if we may,
'We'll not offend one ftomach with our play.
This alteration reftores fenfe, and probably the true fenfe. The
lines might be otherwife ranged, but this order pleafes me beft.
JOHNSON.
* this grace of kings ] i.e. he who does greatcft honour to
the title. By the fame kind of phrafeology the ufurper in Ham-
let is called the Fice of kings, i^e. the opprobrium of them.
WARBURTOX.
Shakefpeare might have found this phrafe in Chapman's tranfla-
tion of the firft book of Homer, 1598 :
'* with her the grace of kings^
" Wife Ithacus afcended "
Again, in the 24th book :
" Idasus, guider of the mules, difcern'd this grace of men"
STEEVENS.
7 well (ligtfi\ The folio in which only thefe chorufes are
found, reads, and perhaps rightly, 'we'll digeft. STEEVENS.
* while ive- ] Thefe two words have been added by the
modern editors, and (as it fhould feem) very properly. To
force a play , is to produce a play by compelling many circumftances
into a narrow compafs. STEEVENS.
9 charming the narrow feai\ From the prologue to Every Man
in his Humcur, it appears, that Hen. V. though not printed till
1600, was performed before the year 1598. Though Jonfon
was indebted, as we are told, to the kindnefs of Shakefpeare for
the introduction of this his firft piece on the ftage, and though
Shakefpeare himfelf played a part in it, he has in this, as iu many
other places, endeavoured to ridicule and depreciate him.
" He rather prays you will be pleafed to fee,
*' One fuch to-day as other plays lliould be;
*' Where neither c harm wafts you o'er thefeas, &c." MA LONE.
* Witt not offend one ftomach ] That is, you fliall pal's the-
fca without the qualms of fea-ficknefs. JOHNSON*
But
KING HENRY V. 35
4 "But, 'till the king come forth, and not 'till then,
Unto Southampton do we fhift our fcene. [Exit*
SCENE 1. ,
Before Quickly* s loufe in Eqftcheap.
Enter corporal Nym, and lieutenant Bardotyl.
3 Bard. Well met, corporal.
Nym. Good morrow, 4 lieutenant Bardolph.
Bard. What, are ancient Piftol and you friends
yet?
Nym. For my part, I care not : I fay little ; but
* But) 'till the king come forth, ] Here feems to be fomething
omitted. Sir T. Hanmer reads :
But when the king comes /0rA6,
which, as the paflage now ftands, is neceflary. Thefe lines, ob-
fcure as they are, refute Mr. Pope's conjeftures on the true place
of the chorus ; for they fliew that fomething is to intervene be-
fore the fcene changes to Southampton. JOHNSON.
The Canons of Criticifm read :
" and but till then."
And the Revifal approves the correction.
STBEVENS.
s Bard. Well met, corporal] I have chofe to begin the fe-
cond aft here, becaufe each aft may clofe regularly with a cho-
rus. Not that I am perfuaded this was the poet's intention, to
mark the intervals of his afts^ as the chorus did on the old Gre-
cian ftage. He had no occalion of this fort : fmce, in his time,
the paufes of aftion were filled up, as now, with a leflbn of
mufic : but the reafons for this diftribution are explained before.
THEOBALD.
I have already (hewn why in this edition the act begins with
the chorus. JOHNSON.
* lieutenant Bardolpb.~\ At this fcene begins the connec-
tion of this play with the latter part of Kin? Henry IV. The
charafters would be indifKnft, and the incidents unintelligible,
without the knowledge of what pafled in the two foregoing plays,
JOHNSON.
D 2 when
3<* K I N G H E N R Y V.
when time lhall ferve, 5 there lhall be fmiles ; but
that lhall be as it may. I dare not fight ; but I will-
wink, and hold out mine iron : It is a fimple one ;
but what though ? it will toaft cheefc ; and it will en-
dure cold as another man's fvvord will : and there's
6 the humour of it.
Bard. I will beftow a breakfaft, to make you
friends ; 7 and we'll be all three fworn brothers to*
France : let it be fo, good corporal Nym.
Nym*- Faith, I will live fo 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 reft, that is the ren-
dezvous of it.
Bard It is certain, corporal, that he is married to
Nell Quickly : and, certainly, Ihe did you wrong ; for
you were troth-plight to her.
Nym. I cannot tell ; things muft be as they may :
Menmayfleep,and they may have their throats about
them at that time ; and, fome fay,., knives have edges.
5 there Jhallle fmiles; ] I fufpeft fmiles to be a marginal
direction crept into the text. It is natural for a man, when he
threatens, to break off abruptly, and conclude, But tbct Jball Is
as it may. But this fantaftical fellow is made to fmile difdainfully
while he threatens ; which circumftance was marked for the
player's direction in the margin. WARBURTON.
I do not remember to have met with thefe marginal directions
for expreffion of countenance, in any of the old copies : neither
do I fee occafion for Dr. Warburton's emendation, as it is vain to
feek the precife meaning of every whimlical exprelfion employed
by this eccentric character. Nym, however, having exprefred
his indifference about the continuance of Piftol's friendfhip,
might have added, ivhen time ferves there Jball be fmile J, i.e. he
fhould be merry, even though he was to lofe it ; or, that his-
face would be ready with a fmile as often as occafion fiiould call
one out into fervice, though Piftol, who had excited io many,
was no longer near him. STEEVENS.
6 the humour of it.'} The folio reads, and there's tin end.
STEEVENS.
7 an J iv f II all be fworn brothers to France. ] We fhould
read, we'll all go/u.w brothers to Fiance, or, we 'tt all be fworn
Irothtn in France. JOHNSON,
It
K I N G H E N R Y V. 37
It tnuft be as it may : though 8 patience be a tir'd
.mare, yet fhe will plod. There muft be conclufions.
Well, I cannot tell.
Enter Pijlol, and Quickly*
Sard. Here comes ancient Piftol, and his wife :
.good corporal, be patient here. Hotfr now, mine
Iioft Piftol ?
PI/1. Bafetyke', call'ft thou me hoft ?
Now, by this hand I fwear, I Icorn the term ;
Nor fhall my Nell keep lodgers.
^uick. No, by my troth, not long : for we cannot
lodge and board a dozen or fourteen gentlewomen,
that live honeftly by the prick of their needles, but it
will be thought we keep a bawdy-houfe ftraight. ' O
well-
8 -patience le a frVV mare, ; ] The folio reads by cor-
ruption, tired name ! from which fir T. Hanmer, fagacioufly
enough, derived tired dame. Mr. Theobald retrieved from the
quarto tired mare, the true reading. JOHNSON.
9 j^^'tyke, ] Tike is a (mail kind of dog. STEEVENS.
1 O well-a-day, lady, if be be not hewn n<nv !~\ I cannot un-
derftand the drift of this expreflion. Jf he be not bewn, muft
fignify, if he be not cut down -, and in that cafe, the very thing
is fuppofed which Quickly was apprehenfive of. But I rather
think her fright ariies upon feeing the fwords drawn : and I have
ventured to make a flight alteration accordingly. If he le not
drawn, for, if he has not his fword drawn t is an expreffion fa-
niiliar to our poet. THEOBALD.
I have not difturbed Mr. Theobald's emendation ; but yet I
think we might read if he be not hewing. To hack and he-M is
a common vulgar espreffioa. So, in If you knovj not me you kuow
Nolody, by Heywood, 163?. " Bones o'me, he would hew it.'*
Again, in K. Edward III." 1599 :
'* The fin is more to hack and hew poor men."
Again, in the metrical romance of Guy Earl of Warwick^ bl. !
no date :
" The noble knights with fpear and fhield,
" Lay all bewen in the field."
The fame expreflion occurs many times in the fame book.
After all (as the late Mr. Guthrie obferved) to be hewn might
jnean, Co be drunk. There is yet a low phrafe in ufe on the fame
) 3 occa-.
3 8 KING HENRY V.
well-a-day, lady, if he be not drawn now ! We fhall
fee wilful adultery and murder committee!.
Bard. 2 Good lieutenant, good corporal, offer no-
thing -here.
Nym. Pifti !
Pijl. Pifh for thee, J Iceland dog ! thou prick-ear'd
cur of Iceland \
occafion, which is not much unlike ;t ; viz. " he is cut"
" Such a one was cut a little laft night."
So, in the #7//y Fair One, by Shirley, 1633 :
" Then, fir, there is the cut of your leg.
" that's when a man is drunk, is it not ?
** Do not ftagger in your judgment, for this cut is the grace
of your body."
Again, in the London Cbaunticlcres, 1659 : " - when the cups
of canary have made our heads trifle ; oh how we (hall foot it
when we can fcarce ftand, and caper when we are cut in the leg !"
Again, in Decker's Guls Hornbook, 1609 : " to accept the
courteiy of the cellar when it is offered you by the drawers (and
you muft know that kindnefs never creepes upon them but when
they lee you almoft cleft to the fhoulders) &c." STEEVENS.
1 Good lieutenant, ] We ftiould read, Good ancient, for it is
Piftol to whom he addrertes himfelf. STEEVENS.
.3 JJlanddog; ] I believe we fliould read Icelan.i dog. He
feems to allude to an account credited in Elizabeth's time, that
in the north there was a nation with human bodies and dogs
heads. JOHNSON.
The quartos confirm Dr. Johnfon's conjecture. STEEVENS.
Iceland dog is probubly the true reading ; yet we often meet
with ijland. Dray ton in his Moon-calfe mentions water-dogs, and
iflands. And John Taylor dedicates his Sculler, " To the whole
Icennel of Antichrifl's hounds, prielts, friars, monks, and jefuites,
jnaftiffs, mongrels, i/lands, blood-hounds, bobtaile-tikes.
FARMER,
So, in Ram- Alley i or Merry-Tricks, 1611;
** - you fhall have jewels,
" A baboon, a parrot, and an Izeland dog"
Perhaps this kind of dog was then in vogue for the ladies to carry
about with them.
So, in Tat'tf Wife Men, and all the rejl Fooh .-
Enter Levitia, cum Pedifequa, her periwig of dog* sbair white, &c."
4 The head is a dog, 'tis a mermaid, half dog, half woman."
" -"-No, 'tis but the hair of a dog infajhion, pulled from thefe
Iceland dogs."
Again;
KING HENRY V. 3?
Qttick. Good corporal Nym, fhew the valour of a
man, and put up thy fvvord.
Nym. 4 Will you fhogoff? I would have youfofas.
P'lft. Solus, egregious dog ? O viper vile !
'Fhzfolus in thy moft marvellous face;
The folus in thy teeth, and in thy throat,
And in thy hateful lungs, yea, in thy maw, perdy ;
And, which is worfe, within thy nafty mouth * !
I do retort the folus in thy bowels :
6 For I can talk ; and Piftol's cock is up,
And flafhiug fire will follow.
Nym. 7 1 am not Barbaibn; you cannot conjure me.
I have an humour to knock you indifferently well : If
you grow foul with me, Piflol, I will fcour you with
my rapier, as I may, in fair terms : If you would
walk off, I would prick your guts a little, in good
terms, as I may j and that's the riumour of it.
Again : " for torturing of thefe Iceland imps, with eradicat-
ing their fleeces, thereby to enjoy the roots."
Again, in the Preface to Swetnam's Arraignment ef Wo^en, 1617 :
" But if I had brought little dogs from Iceland^ or tine glavfes
from Venice, &c."
It appears from a proclamation in Rymcr's Fadera, that in the
reign of Hen. V. the Englifli had a fifhery on the coafts of Nor-
way and Iceland-, and Holinfhed, in his Defer Iption of Britain^
p. 231, lays, " we have fholts or curs dailie brought out of Ife-
iand. STEEVENS.
PL prick-ear* d cur is likewife in the lift of dogs enumerated in
the Booke of Huntyng, &c. bl. no date :
" trindle-tails and prick-ear'd curs." STEEVENS.
* Will you fhog off? ] This cant word is ufed in Beaumont
and Fletcher's Coxcomb :
*' Come, pr'ythee, let \isjhog ojf"
Again, in Paf quill and Katharine, 1601 :
" thus \tjhogges, " 5. e. thus it goes. STEEVENS.
5 thy nalty mouth ! ] The quartos read :
mefsful mouth. STEEVENS.
6 For I can take ; ] I know not well what he can take. The
quarto reads talk. In our author to take, is fometimes to blajtj
which fenfe may ferve in this place. JOHNSON.
7 / am not Barbafon ; you cannot conjure me.~\ Barlafon is the
iiame of a dajmon mentioned in the Merry Wives of Windfor.
STEEVENS.
D 4 Ptft^
40 KING HENRY V.
Pift. O braggard vile, and damned furious wight !
The grave doth gape, and 8 doting death is near ;
Therefore exhale.
Bard. Hear me, hear me what I fay : he that
ftrikes the firft flroke a I'll run him up to the hilts, as
J am a foldier.
Pift. An oath of mickle might ; and fury lhall
abate.
Give me thy fift, thy fore-foot to me give ;
Thy fpirits are moft tall.
Nym. I will cut thy throat, one time or other, in
fair terms ; that is the humour of it.
Pift. Coupe k gorge, that is the word ? I defy thee
again.
hound of Crete, think'ft thou my fpoufe to get ?
No ; to the fpital go,
And from the powdering tub of infamy
Fetch forth the lazar kite of Creflid's kind 9 ,
Doll Tear-fheet me by name, and her efpoufe :
1 have, and I will hold, the quondam Quickly
For the only ihe ; and Pauca, there's enough :
go to '.
Enter the Boy,
Boy. Mine hoft Piftol, you muft come to my maf-
ter, and you hoftefs ; he is very fick, and would
to bed. Good Bardolph, put thy nofe between his
* doting death is near ; ] The quarto has groaning death.
JOHNSON.
9 the lazar kite of Creflid's kind.] The fame expref-
fion occurs in Green's Card of Fancy, 1608 : " What courtefy
is to be found in fuch kites of Crejjid's kind?"
Again, in Gafcoigne's Dan Bartholomew of Bathe, 1587 :
'* Nor feldom feene in kites of Creflides kindc."
Shakefpeare might defign a ridicule on the hut of thefe paflages. 1 '
STEEVENS,
there's enough : go to.
The firit folio read?, there's enough to go to. STEEVENS.
Iheets,
KING HENRY V. 4 ,
iheets, and do the office of a warming-pan : faith,
he's very ill.
Bard. Away, you rogue.
^uick. By my troth, he'll yield the crow a pudr
ding one of thefe days : the king has kill'd his heart.
-Good hufband, come home prefently.
[Exit Quickly.
Bard. Come, fhall I make you two friends ? We
muft to France together ; Why, the devil, Ihould we
keep knives to cut one another's throats ?
Pi/t. Let floods o'erfwell, and fiends for food howl
on
Nym. You'll pay me the eight fhillings I won of
you at betting ?
Pip. * Bafe is the flave that pays.
Nym. That now I will have ; that's the humour of
it.
Pip. As manhood lhall compound ; Pufli home.
[Draw.
Bard. By this fword, he that makes the firft thrufl,
I'll kill him ; by this fword, I will.
Pijt. Sword is an oath, and oaths muft have their
courie.
Bard. Corporal Nym, an thou wilt be friends, be
friends : an thou wilt not, why then be enemies with
me too. Pry'thee, put up.
Nym. I fhall have my eight Ihillings, I won of you
at betting ?
Pift. A noble ihalt thou have, and prefent pay ;
And liquor likewife will I give to thee,
And friendihip mall combine, and brotherhood :
I'll live by Nym, and Nym lhall live by me ;
Is not this juft ? for I fhall futler be
2 Bafe is the flaw that fays.] Perhaps this expreflion was pro-
verbial. I meet with it in The fair Maid of the Weft, by Hey-
Wood, 1631 :
" My motto {hall be, Bafe it the man that pays."
STEEVENS.
Unto
42 K I N G H E N R Y V.
Unto the camp, and profits will accrue.
Give me thy hand.
Nym. I lhall have my noble ?
Pift. In cafh mod juftly paid.
Nym. Well then, that's the humour of it.
Re-enter Quickly.
Quick. As ever you came of women, come in
quickly to Sir John : Ah, poor heart ! he is fo ftiak'd
of a burning quotidian tertian, that it is moft lament-
-able to behold. Sweet men, come to him.
Nym. The king hath run bad humours on the
knight, that's the even of it.
Pift. Nym, thou haft fpoke the right ;
His heart is fradted, and corroborate.
Nym. The king is a good king : but it muft be as
it may ; he paflfes fome humours, and careers.
Pijl. Let us condole the knigh.t ; for ? lambkins,
we will live. [Exeunt,
SCENE II.
Southampton.
Enter Exeter, Bedford, and Wejlmoreland.
Bed. 'Fore God, his grace is bold, to truft thefc
traitors.
Exe. They fliall be apprehended by and by.
Weft. How fmooth and even they do bear them-r
felves !
As if allegiance in their bofoms fat,
Crowned with faith, and conftant loyalty.
Bed. The king hath note of all that they intend,
By interception which they dream not of.
Jxe. Nay, but the man that was his bedfellow %
Whom
3 thai wai kis bedfellow,] So, Holinflied. " The (aid Lord
was in fuch favour with the king, that he admitted him
fome-
K I N G H E N R Y V. 43
Whom he hath cloy'd and grac'd 4 with princely
favours,
That he fhould, for a foreign purfe, fo fell
His fovereign's life * to death and treachery !
[Trumpets found.
Enter the King, Scroop, Cambridge, Grey, and attendants.
K' Henry. Now fits the wind fair, and we will
aboard.
My lord of Cambridge, and my kind lord of Mafham,
And you, my gentle knight, give me your thoughts:
Think you not, that the powers we bear with us,
Will cut their paflage through the force of France ;
Doing the execution, and the aft,
* For which we have in head aflembled them ?
Scroop.
fometime to be his bedfellow" The familiar appellation
fcllo<iv, wliich appears ftrange to us, was common among the an-
cient nobility. There is a letter from \hzjixth earl of North-
umberland (flill preferved in the collection of the prefent duke)
addrefled ** To his beloved coufyn Thomas Arundel, &c." which
begins, " Bedfcllo---!, after my moft harte recommendacion :"
So, in a comedy called A Knack to know a Knave, 1594 :
Yet, for thou waft once bedfellow to a king,
And that I iov'd thee as my fecond felf, &c."
Again,
Again.
n Look about Tou^ 1600 :
if I not err
Thou art the prince's ward.
1 am his ward, his chamberlain and bedfellow"
n Cynthia's Revenge, 1613 :
Her I'll beftow, and without prejudice,
On thee alorc, my noble bedfellow" STEEVENS.
* cloy'd andgra<?d~~'\ Thus the quarto ; the folio reads
JulTd and cloy'd. Perhaps dull'd is a miftake for dofd.
STEEVENS.
s _/,, death an d treachery !~\ Here the quartos infert a line
omitted in all the following editions.
Exet. O ! the lord of Majbam ! JOHNSON.
6 For <whicb ive have in head ajjembled them ?~\ This is not an
Englifh phrafeology. I am perfuaded Shakefpeare wrote :
For luhich ive have in aid ajfembled them f
alluding to the tenures of thofe times. WARByRTON.
44 RING HENRY V.
Scroop. No doubt, my liege, if each man do his
bed.
K. Henry. I doubt not that : fince we are well per-
fuaded,
We carry not a heart with us from hence,
That grows not in a fair confent with ours ;
Nor leave not one behind, that doth not wifh
Succefs and conqueft to attend on us.
Cam. Never was monarch better fear'd, and lov'd,
Than is your majefty ; there's not, I think, a fubjed:,
That fits in heart-grief and uneafinefs
Under the fweet fhade of your government.
Grey. Even thofe, that were your father's enemies,
Have fteep'd their galls in honey ; and do ferve you
With 7 hearts create of duty and of zeal.
K. Henry. We therefore have great caufe of thanks
fulnefs ;
And fhall forget the office of our hand,
Sooner than quittance of defert and merit,
According to the weight and worthinefs.
Scroop. So fervice fhall with fleeled finews toil j
And labour fhall refrefh itfelf with hope,
To do your grace inceflant fervices.
K. Henry. We judge no lefs. Uncle of Exetei'j
Enlarge the man committed yeflerday,
That rail'd againfl our perfon : we confider,
It was excefs of wine that fet him on ;
And, on his 8 more advice, we pardon him.
Scroop. That's mercy, but too much fecurity :
Let him be punifh'd, fovereign ; left example
Breed, by his fufTerance, more of luch a kind,
K. Henry. O, let us yet be merciful.
It is ftrange that the commentator fhould forget a word fo
eminently obfervable in this writer, as bead, tor an army formed.
JOHNSON.
7 hearts create ] Hearts compounded or made up of duty and.
zeal. JOHNSON.
* more advice^ ] On bis return to more coolnefs of mind.
JOHNSON.
Cam.
K I N G H E N R Y V. 45
Cam. So may your highnefs, and yet punilh too.
Grey. Sir, you fliew great mercy, if you give him
life,
After the tafte of much correction.
K. Henry. Alas, your too much love and care of
me
Are heavy orifons 'gainft this poor wretch.
If little faults, 9 proceeding on diftemper,
Shall not be winkM at, ' how lhall we ftretch our eye,
When capital crimes, chew'd, fwallovv'd,aad digefted,
Appear before us ? We'll yet enlarge that man,
Though Cambridge, Scroop, and Grey, in their
dear care
And tender prefervation of our perfon,
Would have him punifh'd. And now to our French
caufcs ;
Who are the late commiffioners ?
Cam. I one, my lord ;
Your highnefs bade me afk for it to-day.
Scroop. So did you me, my liege.
Grey. And me, my royal fovereign.
9 proceeding on diflemfer ] i. e. fudden paffions.
WAR BUR TOY.
Perturbation of mind. Temper is equality or calmncfs of
mind, from an equipoife or due mixture of paffions. Diftemper
of mind is the predominance of a paffion, as dijiemper of body is
the predominance of a. humour. JOHNSON.
It has been juil faid by the king that it was exccfs of wine that
Jet him on, and dljiemper may therefore mean intoxication. D:f-
tcmper\l in //'//.wr, is ftiil a common exprellion. Chapman in his
epicedium on the Death of Prince Henry, t6l2, has perfonified
this difiemper:
" Frantick dljlcmper, and hare-ey'd unreft."
And Brabantio fays, that Roderigo is :
" Full of fupper and dijlemp'rin^r draughts."
Again, Hoiinihed, Vol. III. p. 626, tc gave him wine and
ilrong drink in fuch exceffive fort, that he was therewith dijlem-
perciJ, and reel'd as he went." STEEVENS.
1 hovj Jball ive Jtretch our eve, ] If we may not ivink at
fmall faults,, ko-iv iviae niujl ive open our yes at great. JOHNSON.
#. Hetty.
46 KING HENRY V.
K. Henry. Then, Richard, earl of Cambridge, there
is yours ;
There yours, lord Scroop of Mafharn ; and, fir
knight,
Grey of Northumberland, this fame is yours :
Read them ; and know, I know your vvorthinefs.
My lord of Weftmoreland, and uncle Exeter,
We will aboard to-night. Why, how now, gentle-
men ?
What fee you in thofe papers, that you lofe
So much complexion ? look ye, how they change 1
Their cheeks are paper. Why, what read you there,
That hath fo cowarded and chas'd your blood
Out of appearance ?
Cam. I do confefs my fault ;
And do fubmit me to your highnefs' mercy.
Grey. Scroop. To which we all appeal.
K. Henry. The mercy, that was * quick in us but
late,
By your own counfel is fupprefs'd and kill'd :
You muft not dare, for fhame, to talk of mercy ;
For your own reafons turn into your bofoms,
As dogs upon their matters, worrying them.
See you, my princes, and my noble peers,
Thefe Englifh monfters ! My lord Cambridge here,
You know, how apt our love was, to accord
To furnifli him with all appertinents
Belonging to his honour ; and this man
Hath, for a few light crowns, lightly confpir'd,
And fworn unto the practices of France,
To kill us here in Hampton : to the which,
This knight, no lefs for bounty bound to us
Than Cambridge is, hath likewife fworn. But O I
What fhall I fay to thee, lord Scroop ; thou cruel,
Ingrateful, favage, and inhuman creature !
Thou, that didil bear the key of all my counfels,
That knew'ft the very bottom of my foul,
* "quick i ] That is, living. JOHNSON.
That
I N G HENRY V. 4?
That almoft might'ft have coin'd me into gold,
Would'ft thou have pradtis'd on me for thy ufe ?
May it be poffible, that foreign hire
Could out of thee extradt one fpark of evil,
That might annoy my finger ? 'tis fo flrange,
That, ' though the truth of it {lands off as grofs
As black from white, my eye will fcarcely fee it.
4 Treafon, and murder, ever kept together,
As two yoke-devils fworn to cither's purpofe,
5 Working fo grofsly in a natural caufe,
That admiration did not whoop at them :
But thou, 'gainft all proportion, didft bring inr
Wonder, to wait on treafon, and on murder :
And whatfoever cunning fiend it was,
That wrought upon thee fo prepofteroufly,
He hath got the voice in hell for excellence :
And other devils, that fuggeft by treafons,
Do botch and bungle up damnation
With patches, colours, and with forms being fetched
From glittering femblances of piety ;
But 6 he, that temper'd thee, bade thee ftand up,
Gave thee no inftance why thou Ihouldft do treafon,
Unlefs to dub thee with the name of traitor.
If that fame daemon, that hath gull'd thee thus,.
3 though the truth fiand off as grofs
As black and ivhite , ]
Though the truth be as apparent and vifibJe as black and white
contiguous to each other. To Jland off is etre rekve, to be pro-
minent to the eye. as the ftrong parts of a picture. JOHNSON.
+ Treafon and murder y j What follows to the end of this
fpeech is additional fuice the firit edition. POPE.
5 Working fo grofsly ] Grofsly for commonly ^ which the Ox-
ford editor not underitanding, alters it to dofdy.
WARBURTXW.
Grofly is neither clofely nor commonly, but palpably ; with a
plain and vifible connexion of caufe and effect. JOHNSON.
he that temper'd thee,} Though temper'd may ftand for
formed or moulded, yet I fancy tempted was the author's word, for
it anfwers better tofuggcji in the oppofition. JOHNSON.
Temper* d) I believe, is the true reading. Falftaff fays of Shal-
low, that he has him " tempering between his thumb and finger."
STEEVENS.
Should
4 3 KING HENRY V.
Should with his lion gait walk the whole world^
He might return to vafly Tartar back 7 ,
And tell the legions I ean never win
A foul fo eafy as that Englishman's.
8 Oh, how haft thou with jealoufy infefted
The fweetnefs of affiance ! Shew men dutiful ?
Why, fo didft thou : Seem they grave and learned ?
Why, fo didft thou : Come they of noble family ?
Why, fo didft thou : Seem they religious ?
Why, fo didft thou : Or are they fpare in diet ;,
Free from grofs paflion, or of mirth, or anger ;
Conftant in fpirit, not fwerving with the blood ;
9 Garnifh'd and deck'd in modeft complement ;
* Not working with the eye, without the ear,
And,
1 vajly Tartar] i.e. Tartarus, the fabled place of future
puniftiment. So, in Hey wood's Brazen Age , 1613:
" With Aconitum that in Tartar Iprings." STEEVENS.
8 Ob, how haft thou with jealoufy infcfled
The fwcetnefs cf affiance /]
Shakefpeare urges this aggravation of the guilt of treachery with
great judgment. One of the worft confequences of breach of
truil is the diminution of that confidence which makes the happi-
nefs of life, and the diflemination of fufpicion, which is the poi-
fon of fociety. JOHNSON.
9 Garni/b'd and deck'd in modcjl complement ; ] Modeft comple-
ment, that is, fulnefs. WAR BURTON.
This note will not much help the reader, unlefs he knows to
what fulnefs is to be applied. I take the meaning to be this^
The king, having mentioned Scroop's temperance in diet,
pafles on to his decency in drefs, and fays, that he was decked
in mtdeft complement', that is, he was decorated with ornaments,
but fuch as might be worn without vain oltentation. Comple-
ment means fomething more than is necefiary ; fo complement in
language is what we fay ad condliandam gratiam t more than is
ilri&ly or literally meant. JOHNSON.
Complement has in this inftance the fame fenfe as in Love's
"Labour's Loft, Ac"t I. Complements, in the age of Shakefpeare,
meant the fame as acfomplijbments :n the prcfcnt one. STEE VENS*
1- Not working with the eye without the ear, ] He is here
giving the character of a complete gentleman, and fays, he did
not truft the eye without the confirmation of his ear. But when
men have eye-light proof, they think they have fufficient evi-
dence,
KING HENRY V. 49
And, but in purged judgment, trailing neither ?
Such, * and fo finely bbulted, didft thou feem :
And thus thy fall hath left a kind of blot,
3 To mark the full-fraught man, the beft endu'd,
With fome fufpicion. I will weep for thee ;
For this revolt/of thine, methinks, is like
Another fall of man. Their faults are open,
Arreft them to the anfwer pf the law ;
And God acquit them of their practices !
Exe. I arreft thee of high treafon, by the name of
Richard earl of Cambridge.
I arreft thee of high treafon, by the name of Henry
lord Scroop of Mafham.
I arreft thee of high treafon, by the name of Tho-
mas Grey, knight of Northumberland.
Scroop. Our purpofes God juftly hath difcover'd ;
And I repent my fault, more than my death ;
Which I befeech your highnefs to forgive,
Although my body pay the price of it.
dence, and do not flay for the confirmation of an hear-fay.
Prudent men, on the contrary, won't trull the credit of the ear,
till it be confirmed by the demonflration of the eye. And this
is that conduit for which the king would here commend him. So
that we mufl read :
Not wording with the ear, but with the eye.
WAR BUR TON-.
The author's meaning I fhould have thought not fo difficult
to find, as that an emendation fhould have been propofed. The
king means to fay of Scroop, that he was a cautious man, who
knew that fronti nulla fides, that a fpecious appearance was de-
ceitful, and therefore did not work with the eye without the ear,
did not trufl the air or look of any man till [he had tried him by
enquiry and converfation. Surely this is the character of a pru-
dent man. JOHNSON,
* andfo finely boulted, dldjl thou f cent :~\ i.e. refined or
purged from all faults. POPE.
Boithed\$ the fame with Jifted, and has confequently the mean-
ing of refined. JOHNSON.
3 To make the full-fraught man,'} We fhould read :
To mark lie full-fraught maa,
\. e. marked by the blot he fpeaks of in the preceding line.
WAR BUR TON-.
VOL. VI. E Cam.
f o KING HENRY V.
Cam. * For me, the gold of France did not feduce;
Although I did admit it as a motive,
The fooner to effeft what I intended :
But God be thanked for prevention ;
Which I in fufferance heartily will rejoice,
Befeeching God, and you, to pardon me.
Grey. Never did faithful fubjedt more rejoicp
At the difcovery of moft dangerous treafon,
Than I do at this hour joy o'er myfelf,
Prevented from a damned enterprize :
J My fault, but not my body, pardon, fovereign.
K. Henry. God quit you in his mercy ! Hear your
lentence.
You have confpir'd againft our royal perfon,
Join'd with an enemy prociaim'd, and Irom his coffers
Keceiv'd the golden earned of our death ;
Wherein you would have fold your king to flaughterj
His prince^ and his peers to fervitude,
4 For me, t}x gold of France did not feduce ;] Hojinflied, p. 549,
ofcferves from Hull, that " diverfe write that Richard earle or*
Cambridge did not confpire wirh the lord Scroope and Thoma^
jGraie for the murthering of king Henrie to pleafe the French
king wirhall, but onlie to the intent to exalt to the crowne his
brother-in-law Edmunde E. of March as heire to Lionell duke
cf Clarence : after the death of which earle of March, for di-
yetfe fecret impediments not able to have iflue, the E. of Cam-
bridge was fure that the crowne fhould come to him by his wife,
and to his children of her begotten. And therefore (as was
thought) he rather confeffed himfelfe for ueede of monie to be
corrupted by the French king, than he would declare his inward
Tnind, &c. which if it were efpied, he faw plainlie that the earle
of March fhould have tailed of the fame cuppe that he had
drunken, and what Ihould hare come to his owne children, he
much doubted, Sec." STEEVE^S.
5 My fault, ] One of the confpirators againft queen Eliza-
beth, I think Parry, concludes his letter to her with thcfc words,
a culpa, but not a pocna, a'ifolve me, n;ojl d\ar lady. This
letter was much read at that time, and the author doubtlefs co-
pied it.
This whole fcene was much enlarged and improved after the
firft edition ; the particular iafertkma it would be tedious to men-
tion, ind tediouc without much ufe. JOHNSON.
His
K I N G H E N R Y V. 51
His fuhj.ed:s to oppreflion and contempt,
And his whole kingdom unto defolation.
Touching our pcrfon, feck \ve no revenge ;
But we our kingdom's fafety muft fo tender,
Whofe ruin you three fought, that to her laws
We do deliver you. 6 Get you. therefore he ace,
Poor miferable wretches, to your death :
The tafte whereof, God, of his mercy, give you
Patience to endure, and true repentance
Of all your dear offences ! Bear them hence.
Now, lords, for France ; the enterprizc w hereof
Shall be to you, as us, like glorious.
We doubt not of a fair and lucky war;
Since God fo gracioufly hath brought to ligtjt
This dangerous treafon, lurking in our way,
To hinder our beginnings, we doubt not now,
But every rub is fmoothed in our way.
Then, forth, dear countrymen j let us deliver
Our puiflance into the hand of God,
Putting it ftraight in expedition.
Chearly to fea ; the ligns of war advance :
3 No king of England, if not king of France.
[Bicamt,
SCENE III.
)v.ickly\s boitfe in Eaftcleap.
Enter Pijlol, fym, Bardotyb, Boy, and Quid'fy.
Qu'ukly. Pr'ythee, honcy-fwee.t Jiufband, let me
bripg thee to Staines.
6 Get you therefore hence,] So, in Holinflied ; " Get ye
Jience therefore, ye poor raiierable wretches, to the receiving
of your juft reward : wherein God's jua'iefty give you grace,
fe"c-." STEEVENS.
7 No king of EnglaiiJi if not k'ng of France.] So in the old
play before that ot Shakelpcarct
** If not king of France,
then of nothing mutt I he king."
STEEVENB.
K 2 Pijl.
52 KING HENRY V.
Pi/I. No ; for my manly heart doth yern.
Bardolph, be blith; Nym,roufe thy vaunting veins ;
Boy, brittle thy courage up ; for Falftaff he is dead,
And we muft yern therefore.
^ Sard. Would, I were with him, wherefome'er he is,
either in heaven, or in hell !
Quick. Nay, fure, he's not in hell ; he's in Arthur's
bofom, if ever man went to Arthur's bolbm. 'A
made a 8 finer end, and went away, 9 an it had been
any
8 finer end,] for final. JOHNSON.
9 an it bad been any chrifom'd child: ] The old quarto
has it crifomV d child.
" The chryfom was no more than the white cloth put on the
w baptifed child." .See Johnfon^s Canons of Ecclef. Lavj y
new
1720.
I have fomewhere (but cannot recollect where) met with this
further account of it ; that the chryfom was allowed to be car-
ried out of the church, to enwrap inch children as were in too
weak a condition to be borne thither ; the chryfom being fup-
pofed to make every place holy. This cuftom would rather
ftrengthen the allufion to the weak condition of FalftafF.
The child itfelf was fometimes called a chryfom^ as appears from
the following paflage in The Fancies, 1638: " the boy furely
I ever faid was a very chrifome in the thing you wot."
Again, in The Wits, by Sir W. Davenant, 1637 :
** - and would'tl not join thy halfpenny
* To fend for milk for the poor chryfome"
Again, in fir W. Davenant's Juft Italian, 1630 :
- and they do awe
" The chryfome babe."
Again, in his Albovine, 1629 : " Sir, I would fain depart in
quiet like other young cbryfomes." Again, in Tour Five Gal-
lants, by Middleton : ** a fine old man to his father, it
would kill his heart i' faith : he'd away like a chryfom."
STEEVENS.
In the Liturgie, 2 E. 6. Form of private Baptifm, is this di-
rection. " Then the minifter mail put the white vefture,
" commonly called the chrifome, upon the child," feV. The
explains this ceremony
>tizatorum, ftatiin atque
<ia dejlucret, capita pannn
canJido obvolvebantur, qui oftava demum die ab iis auterebatur."
During the time therefore of their wearing this vefture, the chil-
dren were, I fuppofe, called cbrifoms. One is regiflered under
this
' commonly called tne cbnjome, upon
Gloflary of Du Cange, vide Chrifmale, <
thus : ** Quippe olim ut et hodie, bapt
chrifmate in fronte ungebantur, ne chrifmc,
KING HENRY V. 53
any chrifom'd child ; 'a parted even juft between
twelve and one, e'en at ' turning o'the tide : for
after I faw him l fumble with the fheets, and play
with flowers, and fmile upon his fingers' ends, I knew
there was but one way 5 ; 4 for his nofe was as lharp as
a pen,
this defer! ption in the regifter of Tbatcbam, Berks, 160^.
[Hearne's Append, to the Hiftory of Glajlonbury, p. 275.] *' A
younge crifome being a man child, beinge found drowned," &c.
TYRWHITT.
1 turning o'tbe tide ] It has been a very old opinion,
which Mead, de imperio foils, quotes, as if he believed it, that
nobody dies but in the time of ebb : half the deaths in London
confute the notion ; but we find that it was common among the
women of the poet's time. JOHNSON.
* fumble ivitb thejheets, ] This paflage is burlefqued by
Beaumont and Fletcher, in The Captain :
** i. How does my mailer ?
"2. Faith, he lies drawing on apace*
" i. That's an ill fign.
" 2. And fumbles with the pots too.
*' i. Then there's no -way but one with him."
In the fpurious play of King John, 161 1, when Faulconbridge
fees that prince at the point ot deith, he lays :
" O piercing fight ! he fumbletb in the mouth,
" His Ipeech doth fail."
and Pliny in his chapter on Tie Signcs of Death, makes mention
of " Q. fumbling and pleiting or the bed-cloths." See P. Holland's
Tranjlation, chap. li. STEEVENS.
The fame indication of approaching death is enumerated by
Celfus, Lommius, Hippocrates, and Galen. The teftimony of
the latter is fuffident to fliew that fuch a fymptom is by no means
imaginary. " Manus ante faciem attoliere, mufcas quafi venari
inani opera, floccos carpere de veftibus, vel pariete. Et in fe-
ipfo hoc expertus fuit Galenus. Quum enim, &c." Van Swieten
Comm. t. ii. fed. 708. COLLINS.
3 / knew there ivas but one 'May ; ] I believe this phrafe is pro-
verbial. I meet with it again in, If you know not me, you know
Nobody, 1613 :
" I heard the do&ors whifper it in fecret
" There is no way but one." STEEVENS.
4 for his nofe was as Jliarp as a fen, and a table of green
folds.] Thefe words, and a table of green-fields, are not to be
found in the old editions of 1600 and 1608. This nonfenfe
got into all the tallowing editions by a plealant n\iilake of the
E 3 %e
54 K I N G H E N R V V.
a pen, and 'a babbled of green fields. How now, Sir-
John ? quoth I : \vhat r man ! be of good cheer. So
'a cried
ffoge editors, vrho printed from the common piece-meal writ-'
ten p.irts in the play-houfe. A table was here directed to be
brought in (it being a fcene in a tavern where they drink at
parting) and this direction crept into the text from the margin.
Greenfield was the name of the property-man in that time, who
.furniihed implements,' &c. for the actors, A table of Greenfields.
Po re.
So reafonable nn account of this blunder Mr. Theobald
vrould not accjuiefce in. He thought a tnble of Greenfield'' s part
of the text, only corrupted, and that it fhould be read, be
lalblcd of green fields, bfcaufe men do Ib in the ravings of a ca-
lenture. But be did not confider how ill this agrees with the
ntuure of the knight's illnefs, who was now in no babbling hu-
jhour ; and fa far from wanting cooling in green fields, that his
feet were cpld, and he juft expiring. WAR BUR TON.
Upon this paflage Mr. Theobald has a note that fills a page,
which I omit in pity to my readers, lince he only endeavours
to prove, xvhat I think every reader perceives to be true, that*
at this time no table could be wanted. Mr. Pope, in an appen-
dix to his own edition in i zmo, feems to admit Theobald's emen-
dation, which we would have- allowed to be uncommonly happy,
had we not been prejudiced againit it by Mr. Pope's firft note,
with which, as it excites merriment, we are loath to part.
JbHNbON.
Had the former editors been apprized, that table, in our au-
thor, iignifies a pocket-book, I believe they would have re-
tained it, with the following alteration; for tils ?wfe was as
Jbarp as a pen upon a table of grew fe!!s*>Qn tallt-books, filver
or ileel pens, very fliarp pointed, were formerly and are Hill-
fixed to the backs or covers. Mother Quickly compares Fal-
IfofPs nofe (which in dying perfons grows thin and* fharp) to'
<",.e of thofe pens, very properly, and ilie meant probably to
have faid, on a table-book with a JJwgreen cover 1 , or Jbagreen-
/'/,; bur, in her ufual blundering way, fhe calls it a table of
grrtn fells, or a table covered with green-jkiu, which the blun-
dering tranfcriber turned into green fields, and our editors have
turned the prettieft blunder in Snakefpeare quite out of doors.
SMITH.
Green fe/h and green ficlh might anciently have had the fame
meaning. So, in the countcfs of Pembroke's fragile of Auto*
/>, 1593, izmo:
' As juice of Tynan fhe!L
" When clarified well,.
" To
KING HENRY V. 55
*a cried out God, God, God ! three or four times :
now I, to comfort him, bid him 'afhould not think
tef God J ; I hop'd, there was no need to trouble him-
felf with any fuch thoughts yet : So 'a bade me lay
more cloaths OR his feet : I put my hand into the
bed, and felt them, and they were as cold as any Hone ;
then I felt to his knees, and fo upward, and upward,
arid all was as 6 cold as any (lone.
' To wolleof fineit>/</f
" A purple glofle it yields." STEEVE?TS<
$ no-iv I y to comfort him, bade him * a Jbould not thin
Perhaps Shakefpeare Was indebted to the following flory \\\ //'//.,
Fits, and Fancies, &c. 1595, for this very charadteriitic exhor-
tation : ** A gentlewoman fearing to be drovvneJ, faid, now Jefu
receive our foules ! Soft, rrtiilrefsj anfa'ered the waterman. I trow
ivr are not come to that pajfi yet." MALONE.
6 cold at any fione.\ Such is the end of FalftafF, from
whom Shakefpeare had promiied us in his epilogue to Henry W.
that we fhould receive more entertainment. It happened to
Shakefpeare as to other writers, to have his imagination
crowded with a tumultuary confufioo of images, which, while
they were yet unforted and unexamined, teemed fufficient to
furnifh a long train of incidents, and a new variety of merriment ;
but which, when he was to produce them to view, fhrunk fud-
denly from him, or could not be accommodated to his general
defign. That he once defigned to have brought Falftaff on the
fcene again, we know from himfelf ; but whether he could con-
trive no train of adventures fuitable to his character, or could
match him with no companions likely to quicken his humour,
of could open no new vein of pleafantry, and was afraid to conti-
nue the fame ftrain left it ihould not find the fame reception, h
has here for ever difcarded him, and made hade to difpatch him,
perhaps for the fame reafon for which Addilbn killed Sir Roger,
that no other hand might attempt to exhibit him.
Let meaner authors learn from this example, that it is dan-
gerous to fell the bear which is yet not hunted ; to promife to
the public what they have not written.
This difappointment probably inclined queen Elizabeth to
command the poet to produce him once again, and to (hew
him in love or courtfhip. This was indeed a new fource of hu-
mour, and produced a new play irom the former characters.
JOHNSON.
E 4 Nym.
56 KING H E N R Y V.
Nytn. They fay, he cried out of fack.
Quick. Ay, that 'a did.
Bard* And of women. ,
Quick. Nay, that 'a did not.
Boy. Yes, that 'a did ; and faid, they were devils
incarnate.
>uick t 'A could never abide carnation ; 'twas a
colour he never lik'd.
Boy. 'A faid once, the devil would have him about
women.
)uick. 'A did in fome fort, indeed, handle wo-
men : but then he was rheumatic ; and talk'd of the
whore of Babylon.
Boy. Do you not remember, 'a faw a flea flick
upon Bardolph's nofe ; and 'a faid, it was a black foul
burning in hell-fire ?
Bard. Well, the fuel is gone, that maintain'd that
fire : that's all the riches I got in his fervice.
Nym. Shall we fliog ? the king will be gone from
Southampton.
Pift. Come, let's away. My love, give me thy lips.
Look to my chattels, and my moveables :
7 Let fenfes rule ; the word is, 8 Pitch and pay,
Trufl
7 Let fenfes rule ; ] I think this is wrong, but how to re-
form it I do not well fee. Perhaps we may read :
Let fenfe us rule.
Piftol is taking leave of his wife, and giving her advice as hekifles
her ; he fees her rather weeping than attending, and fuppofing
that in her heart fhe is ftill longing to go with him part of the
way, he cries, Let fenfe us rule y that is, let us not give way to
foolifhfondnefS) but be ruled by our better underjtanding. He then
continues his directions for her conduct in his abience.
JOHNSOK.
Let fenfes rule."] TfuYevidently means, let prudence govern you :
conduft yourfelf fenfibly ; and it agrees with what precedes and
what follows. STEEVENS.
* Pitch and pay ;] The caution was a very proper one to
Mrs. Quickly, who had fuffered before, by letting Falflaff run
ia
KING HENRY V. 5?
Truft none ;
For oaths are ftraws, men's faiths are wafer-cakes,
And hold-fail is the only dog, my duck ;
s Therefore, caveto be thy counfellor.
Go, " clear thy cryftals. Yoke-fellows in arms,
Let us to France ! like horfe-leeches, my boys ;
To fuck, to fuck, the very blood to fuck !
in her debt. The fame expreffion occurs in Blurt Mafler Con-
flable, 1602 :
" I will commit you, fignior, to my houfe; but will you
pitch and pay, or will your vvorfliip run"
So, again, in Herod and Antipater, 1622:
" he that will purchafe this,
" Mutt, pitch and pay"
Again, in 7 he Majlive, an ancient collection of epigrams :
' Sufan when fhe firft bore fway,
" Had for one night a French crown, pitch and pay"
STEEVENS,
Old Tufler, in his defcription of Norwich, tells us it is
*' A city trim
" Where Grangers well, may feeme to dwell,
" That pitch andpaie, or keepe their daye."
John Florio fays, " Pitch and paie, and goe your waie."
One of the old laws of Blackwell-hall, was, that, " a penny
le paid by the owner of every bale of cloth for pitching"
FARMER.
9 Therefore, caveto be thy counfellor. The old quartos read :
Therefore Cophetua be thy councillor. STEEVENS.
1 clear thy cryjlah. ] Dry thine eyes : but I think it may
better mean in this place, ivajh thy glafjes. JOHNSON.
The firft explanation is certainly the true one. So, in Tie
Gentkman Ufier, by Chapman, 1602 :
'* an old wife's eye
" Is a blue chryjlal full of forcery."
Again, in A Match at Midnight, 1633 :
'* ten thouiand Cupids
*' Methought fat playing on that pair of chryftah?*
Again, in The Double Marriage, by B. and Fletcher :
" ileep, you fweet glafles,
" An everlafting {lumber dole thofe cbryftah"
Again, in Coriolanus, act III. fc. 2 :
" the glaffes of my fight."
The old quartos 1600 and 1608, read :
dear up thy chr/Jfals. SrEEVKxs.
58 K I N G H E N R V V.
Boy. And that is but unwholefome food, th'ey fay.
Pift. Touch her foft mouth, and march.
Bard. Fa re we 1, beliefs.
Nym. I cannot kifs, that is the humour of it ; but
adieu.
Pift. Let houfewifry appear ; * keep clofe, I thee'
command.
<%uick. Farewel ; adieu. [Exeunt.
SCENE iV.
The French kings paldce;
Enter the French king, the Dauphin, the duke of Bar-
gundy, and the Conjlable.
Fr. King. Thus come the Englilh with full power
upon us ;
3 And more than carefully it us concerns,
4 keep clofe, ] The quartos 1600 and 1608 read :
keep faft thy baggie boe,
which certainly is not nonfenfe, as the fame expreflioa is tried by
Shirky in his 'Gentleman of Venice :
'* -the courtifans of Venice,
" Shall keep their bugle bowcs for thee, dear uticle."
Perhaps, indeed, it is a Scotch term ; for in Ane vsrle excellent
anddeltSlainiTreailfeintitulit Philotus, &i: printed at Edinburgh,
1603, I find it again :
" What reck to tak the %///-&>,
** My bonieburd, for anes."
The reader may fuppofe bungle bot to be juft what he pleafes.
STEEVENS.
3 And more than carefully it us concerns,] This was a bulincfs
indeed, that required more than care to dilcharge it. I am per-
fuaded Shakefpeare wrote :
more than carelefly
The king is fuppoied to hint here at the Dauphin's wanton affront
in fending over tennis-balls to Henry ; which arifing from over-
great confidence of their own power, or contempt of their ene-
mies, would naturally breed carele/Jnefe. WARBURTO.V,
I do not fee any defect in the prefent reading : more than care-
fully is with more than common care ; a phrafe of the fame kind
with letter than cw//, JOHNSON.
To
KING HENRY V. 5$
*f 6 anfwer royally in our defences.
Therefore the dukes of Berry, and of Bretagne,
Of Brabant, and of Orleans; fhall make forth,
And you, prince Dauphin, with all fwiftdifpatch,
To line,' and new repair, our towns of war,
With men of courage, and with means defendant :
For England his approaches makes as fierce,
As waters to the fucking of a gulph.
It fits us then, to be as provident
As fear may teach us, out of late examples
Left by the fatal arid neglected EnglriK
Upon our fields.
Dau. My moft redoubted father,
It is moft meet we arm us 'gainft the foe :
For peace itfelf fiiould not to dull a kingdom,
(Though war, nor no known quarrel, were in quef-
tion)
But that defences, muf!ers> preparations,
Should be fnaintain'd, affembled, and collected,
As were -a war in expectation.
Therefore; I fay, 'tis meet we all go forth,
To view the (rck and feeble parts of France :
And let us do it with no fhew of fear ;
No, with no more, than- if we heard that England
Were bulled * with a Whitfun morris-dance :
For, my good liege, fhe is fo idly king'd s ,
Her fcepter fo fantaftically borne
By a vain, giddy, (hallow, humourous youth,
That fear attends her not.
Con. O peace, prince Dauphin \
I You are too much miilaken in this king :
* Were bufied ] The 410 1608 reack, were tn*l>ltd
s - -fa idly king'd,] Shakefpeare is not fingular in his ufe of
this verb to king. I find it in YVarner's^/4/os'jjEa^/a/^, B. VIII.
chap, xlii :
" and k'myfd his lifter's Con." STEEVENS.
6 You are too much mljlaken in this king :] This part is mucl)
enlarged fince the firft writing, POPE,
Queltion
60 KING HENRY V.
Queftion your grace the late ambaffadors,
With what great ftate he heard their embafly,
How well fupply'd with noble counfellors,
7 How modeft in exception, and, withal,
How terrible in conftant refolution,
And you lhall find, his vanities fore-fpent
8 Were but the out-fide of the Roman Brutus,
Covering difcretion with a coat of folly ;
As gardeners do with ordure hide thofe roots
That ftiall firft fpring, and be moft delicate.
Dau. Well, 'tis not fo, my lord high conftable,
But though we think it fo, it is no matter ;
In cafes of defence, 'tis belt to weigh
The enemy more mighty than he feems,
So the proportions of defence are fill'd ;
Which, of a weak and niggardly projection,
Doth, like a mifer, fpoil his coat, with fcanting
A little cloth,
Fr. King. Think we king Harry flrong ;
And, princes, look, you ftrongly arm to meet him,
The kindred of him hath been flefh'd upon us ;
And he is bred out of that bloody {train,
7 HOVJ modeft in exception, ] How diffident and decent m
making objections. JOHNSON.
8 Were but the out-fide of the Roman Brutus,] Shakefpeare not
having given us, in the Firft or Second Part of Henry IV. or in
any other place but this, the remoteft hint of the circumftance
here alluded to, the comparifon muft needs be a little obfcure to
thofe who do not know or reflect that fome hiftorians have told
us, that Henry IV. had entertained a deep jeuloufy of his fon's
afpiring fuperior genius. Therefore to prevent all umbrage, the
prince withdrew from public affairs, and amufed himfelf in con-
forting with a diflblute crew of robbers. It feems to me, that
Shakelpeare was ignorant of this circumftance when he wrote the
two parts of Henry IV. for it might have been fo managed as to
have given new beauties to the character of Hal, and great im-
provements to the plot. And with regard to thefe matters,
Shakefpeare generally tells us all he knew, and as foon as he
knew it. WARBURTON.
That
KING HENRY V. 61
* That haunted us in our familiar paths :
Witnefs our too much memorable fhame,
When Creffy battle fatally was ftruck,
And all our princes captiv'd, by the hand
Of that black name, Edward black prince of Wales ;
1 Whiles that his mountain fire, on mountain ftand-
ing>
Up in the air, crown'd with the golden fun %
Saw his heroical feed, and fmil'd to fee him
Mangle the work of nature, and deface
The patterns that by God and by French fathers
Had twenty years been made. This is a ftem
9 Wat haunted j <] We fhould afluredly read bunted: the
integrity of the metaphor requires it. So, foon after, the king
again fays :
Toufte this chafe is hotly followed. WAR BURTON.
The emendation weakens the paflage. To haunt is a word of
the utmoft horror, which (hews that they dreaded the Englilh as
goblins and fpirits. JOHNSON.
1 While that his mountain fire, on mountain ftanding, ] We fhould
read, mounting, ambitious, afpiring. WAR BUR TON.
Thus, in Love's Labour's Loft, aft IV :
" Whoe'er he was, he fliew'd a mounting mind."
Dr. Warburton's emendation may be right, and yet I believe
the poet meant to give an idea of more than human proportion in
the figure of the king :
" Quantus Athos, aut quantus Eryx, &c." Virg.
" Like Tenerifte or Atlas unremov'd." Milton.
Drayton, in the i8th fong of his Polyolbion, has a fimilar thought :
" Then he, above them all, himfelf that fought to raife,
" Upon fome mountain top, like a pyramides."
Again, in Spenier's Faerie Queen, B. I. c. si :
** Where ftretch'd he lay upon the funny fide
" Of a great hill, bimfef like a great hill."
agmcn agens, magnique ipfe agminis injtar.
Mr. Toilet thinks this paflage may be explained by another in
aft I. fc. i :
his moft mighty father on a hill. STEEVENS.
a Up in the air, cr0<ivn'd ivifh the golden fun, ] Dr. Warbur-
ton calls this " the nonfenfical line of fome player." The idea,
however, might have been taken from Chaucer's Legende of good
Women :
" Her gilt here wzsjcrownid with afon." STEEVENS.
Of
62 KING HENRY V.
Of that victorious flock ; and let us fer
The native mightineis and * fate of him.
Enter a Mejfcngcr.
Me$. AmbafTadors from Henry king of England
Do crave admittance to your majefly.
Fr. King. We'll give them prefeut audience. Go,
and bring them.
You fee, this chafe is hotly follow'd, friends,
Dau. Turn head, and ftop puriuit : for coward dogs
4 fpend their mouths, when what they fecm tq
threaten,
Runs far before them. Good my fovereign,
Take up the Englifh ihort; and let them know
Of what a monarchy you are the head :
Self-love, my liege, is not fo vile a fin,
As felf-negjecting.
Enter Exeter.
Fr. King. From our brother England ?
Exe. From him ; and thus he greets your majefty,
He wills you, in the name of God Almighty,
That yqu diveft yourfclf, and lay apart
The borrow'd glories, that, by gift of heaven,
By law of nature, and of nations, 'long
To him, and to his heirs ; namely, the crown,
And all wide-ftretched honours that pertain
By cuftom, and the ordinance of times,
Unto the crown of France. That you may know,
'Tis no finifter, nor no aukward claim,
3 fate of him.] His fate is what is allotted him by deftiny,
or what he is fated to perform. JOHN-SOX.
So Virgil, fpeaking of the future deeds of the defcendants of
jneas : " Attollens humeris lamamque et fata nepotum."
STEEVEKS.
* ftend their mouths t ] That is, lark ; the fportfman's term .
JOHNSON.
'Pick'd
K I N G H E N R Y V. 65
Pick'd from the worm-holes of long-vaniih'd days,
Nor from the duft of old oblivion rak'd,
He fends you this mofl * memorable line,
Jn every branch truly demonftrative ;
[Gives the French king a paper,
Willing you, overlook this pedigree :
And, when you find him evenly cleriv'd
From his moft fam'd of famous anceftors,
JLdward the third, he bids you then refign
Your crown and kingdom, indirectly held
From him the native and true challenger.
jpr. King. Or elfe what follows ?
Exe. Bloody constraint ; for if you hide the crown
Even in your hearts, there will he rake for it :
And therefore in fierce tempeft is he coming,
In thunder, and in earthquake, like a Jove,
That, if requiring fail, he will compel.
He bi(]s you, in the bowels of the Lord,
Deliver up the crown ; and to take mercy
On the poor fouls, for whpm this hungry war
Opens his vafty jaws : and on your head
Turns he the widows' tears, the orphans' cr jes,
r 6 The dead mens' blood, the pining maidens' groans,
s memorable line,'} This genealogy; thl$ deduction of his
lineage. JOHNSON.
' 6 The dead mem'' Hood, ] The difpofition of the images were
more regular if \ve were to read thus :
upon your bead
Turning the dead men? blood, tie ^vido-ivs* tears,
The orphan? cries, the pining maidens' groans, JoHKSoy.
The quartos 1600 and i6c8, exhibit the pafiage thus :
And on your treads turns he the widows' tears 9
The orphans 1 cries, the dead mens* bones,
The pining maidens* groans,
for hujbands, fathers, and d'JireJJed lovers,
Which, c\'c.
Thefe quartos of 1600 and )6c8, agree in all but the mereft tri-
-fles ; and therefore tor the future I fhall content myfelf in general
to quote the tonner of them, which is the more correct of the two.
STEiiVENS.
For
64 K I N G H E N R Y V.
For hufbands, fathers, and betrothed lovers,
That fhall be fwallow'd in this controverfy.
This is his claim, his threatning, and my mefiage ;
Unlefs the Dauphin be in prefencc here,
To whom exprefsly I bring greeting too.
Pr. King. For us, we will confider of this further :
To-morrow fhall you bear our full intent
Back to our brother of England.
Dau. For the Dauphin,
I ftand here for him ; What to him from England ?
Rxe. Scorn, and defiance; flight regard, contempt,
And any thing that may not mifbecome
The mighty fender, doth he prize you at.
Thus fays my king : and, if your father's highnefs
Do not, in grant of all demands at large,
Sweeten the bitter mock you fent his majefty,
He'll call you to fo hot an anfwer for it,
That caves and womby vaultages of France
4 Shall chide your trefpafs, and return your mock
In fecond accent of his ordinance.
Dau. Say, if my father render fair reply,
It is againft my will : for I defire
Nothing but odds with England ; to that end,
As matching to his youth and vanity,
I did prefent him with thofe Paris balls.
Exe. He'll make your Paris Louvre lhake for it.
Were it the miftrefs court of mighty Europe :
* Shall hide^or tre/pafs, ] Mr. Pope rightly corrected it,
Shall chide WARBURTON.
I doubt whether it be rightly corrected. The meaning is,
that the authors of this infult fhall fly to caves for refuge.
JOHNSON.
Mr. Pope reflored chide from the quarto. I have therefore in-
ferted it in the text. To chide is to rcJounJ t to echo. So, in,
The Midfummcr Night's Dream :
never did I hear
" Such gallant chiding."
So, in Henry VIII :
" As doth a rock aga'.nft the chiding flood." STEEVENS.
And,
KINGHENRYV. <^
And, be affur'd, you'll find a difference,
(As we, his fubje&s, have in wonder found)
Between the promife of his greener days,
And thefe he matters now s ; now he weighs time,
Even to the utmoft grain ; which you fhall read
lii your own lotTes, if he (lay in France.
Fr> King. To-morrow you fnall know our mind at
full. [Flourifi.
Exe. Difpatch us with all fpeed, left that our king
Come here himfelf to queilion our delay ;
For he is footed in this land already.
Fr. King. You ftiall be foon difpatch'd, with fair
conditions :
A night is but fmall breath, and little paufe,
To anfwer matters of this confequence. [Exeunt t
ACT III.
Enter Chorus.
Cbor. Thus with imagin'd wing our fwiftfcene flies,
In motion of no lefs celerity
Than that of thought. Suppofe, that you have feea
* The well-appointed king at Hampton pier
Embark
s fa matters MOW ;] Thus the folio. The quartos r6co and
1608, read luujlers. STEEVENS.
6 The well-appointed king at Dover pier
Emlark his royalty ; ] _
Thus all the editions downwards, implicitly, after the firft folio.
But could the poet potfibly be fo difcordant from himfelf (and
the Chronicles, which he copied) to make the king here embark
at Dover ; when he has before told us fo precifely, and that fo
often over, that he embarked at Southampton ? I dare acquit the
poet from fo flagrant a variation. The indolence of a tranfcriber,
or a compofitor at prefc, ruuft give rife to luch an error. They,
VOL. VI. F feeing
66 K I N G H E N R Y V*
Embark his royalty ; and his brave fleet
With filkcn ttreamers the young Phoebus fanning.
Play with your fancies ; and in them behold,
Upon the hempen tackle, Ihip-boys climbing :
Hear the Ihrill whittle, which doth order give
To founds confns'd : behold the threaden fails,
Borne with the invifible and creeping wind,
Draw 7 the huge bottoms through the furrow'd fea y
Breafting the lofty furge : O, do but think,.
You ftand upon the 7 rivage, and behold
A city on the inconftant billows dancing ;
For fo appears this fleet rnajeftical,
Holding due courfe to Harfleur. Follow, follow ?
Grapple your minds s to tternage of this navy ;
And leave your England, as dead midnight, ttill,
Guarded with grandfires, babies, and old women,
Or paft, or not arriv'd to, pith and puiflance :
For who is he, whofe chin is but enriclTd
With one appearing hair, that will not follow
Thefe cull u and choice-drawn cavaliers to France ?
Work, w ork, your thoughts, and therein fee a fiege ;
feeing pier at the end of the verfe, unluckily thought of Dover
//*, as the beft known to them ; and fo unawares corrupted the
text. THEOBALD.
Hampton pitr] It is obvious, that this, and not Dover pier ac-
cording to the folios, was the true reading. Among the records
of the town ofr Southampton, they have a minute and aurhentic
account (drawn up at that time) of the encampment of Henry
the fifth near the town, befure this embarkment for France. It
is remarkable, that the place where the army was encamped,
then a low level plain ur a down, is now entirely covered with
fea, and called Wefiport. WARTON.
1 rivage, ] T.ne lai.k or fhore. JOHNSON.
Rivage: French. So, in Spenfer's Fairy >uecn y B. IV. c. i.
" Paclolus with his waters (here
" Throws forth upon the rivage round about him nere."
Again, in Gower, Dt Conj'ejjione Amantis, lib. viii. fol. 186:
" Upon the ftronde at r/trarr." STEEVENS.
8 to fternage of tbis navy ;] 1 he ftern being the hinder part
of the Ihip, the meaning is, let your minds follow dofe after the-
navy. STEEVEXS.
Behold
K I N G H E N R Y V. 67
Behold the ordnance on their carriages,
With fatal mouths gaping on girded Harfleur.
Suppofc, the ambaflador 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 9 linftock now the devilifti cannon touches,
[Alarum ; and chambers go off*
And down goes all before him. Still be kind,
And eke out our performance with your mind. [Exit t
SCENE I.
Before Harfleur*
\_Alar um^
Enter king Henry, Exeter, Bedford, Glofter, and foldiers>
with fooling ladders.
K. Henry. Once more unto the breach, dear friends,
once more ;
* Or clofe the wall up with the Englim dead !
In peace, there's nothing fo becomes a man,
linjlock ] The ftaff to which the match is fixed
when ordnance is fired. JOHNSON.
So, in Middleton's comedy of Blurt Mafter Conftable, 1602 t
. " O Cupid, grant that my blufhing prove not a linjlocke^
and give fire too fuddenly, &c"
Again, in the Jew of Malta, by Marlow, 1633 :
" Till you fhall hear a culverin difcharg'd
" By him that bears the linjlock kindled thus/'
STEEVENSi
1 Or clofe the wall ] Here is apparently a chaftn. One
line at leaft is loft, which contained the other part of a disjunc-"
tive proportion. The king's fpeech is, dear friends, either win
the town, or c lofe up the wall with dead. The old quarto gives
no help. JOHNSON.
This fpeech was added after the quartos 1600 and 1608.
^S.
As
68 KING HENRY V.
As modeft flillnefs, and humility :
But when the blaft of war bldws in our ears %
Then imitate the aftion of the tyger ;
Stiffen the finews, iummon up the blood,
Difguife fair nature with hard-favour'd rage :
Then lend the eye a terrible afped: ;
Let it pry through the 3 portage of the head,
Like the brafs cannon ; let the brow o'erwhelm it,
As fearfully, as doth a galled rock
O'er-hang and jutty 4 his confounded bafe,
S'.vill'd with the wild and wafteful ocean.
Now fet the teeth, and ftretch the noftril wide ;
Hold hard the breath, and 'bend up every fpirit
To his full height ! On, on, you nobleft Englifh,
Whofe blood is fet from fathers of war-proof 6 !
Fa*
* '<wben the Haft of war Hows in our ears t
Then im:taie the aflion of the tyger ; ]
Sir Tho. Hanmer has obferved on the following paflage in 7'roilus
and CrejjiJa, that in Jlorms and bigb winds tbs tyger roars and
rages moft furioufly.
even fo
Doth valour's fiiew and valour's worth divide
In florms of fortune : for, in her ray and brightnefs,
The herd hath more annoyance by the brize
Than by the tyger : but when iplitting winds
Make flexible the knees of knotted oaks, '
And flies flee under fhadej why then the thing of
courage,
*' As rouz'd with rage, with rage doth fympathize, &c."
STEEVHXS.
3 portage of the bead, ] Portage, open fpace, fit>mjr/,
a gate. Let the eye appear in the head as cannon through the
buttlements, or ernbraiures, of a fortification. JOHNSON.
* bis confounded u^fc, ] His worn or wafted bafe.
JOHNSON.
5 " bend up every fpirit ] A metaphor from the bow.
JOHNSOK.
6 Wl:of<: blond is feifiom fathers of war-proof !~\ Thus the folio
l6zj, ud rightly. So Spcnfer's Faery Queen, o. Ill':
" Whom ftrauge adventure did from Britain^/.'*
Again, in the Prologue to Ben Jonfon's Silent Woman :
*' Though there be none tariff, there will dear bought."
Again,
.KING HENRY V. 69
Fathers, that, like fo many Alexanders,
Have, in thefe parts, from morn 'till even fought,
And fheath'd their fvvords for lack of 7 argument.
Difhonour not your mothers ; now atteft,
That thofe, whom you call'd fathers, did beget you !
Be copy now to men of grofler blood,
And teach them how to war ! And you, good yeo-
men,
Whofe limbs were made in England, fhew us here
The mettle of your pafture ; let us fwear
That you are worth your breeding : which I doubt not;
For there is none of you fo mean and bafe,
That hath not noble luftre in your eyes.
I fee you ftand like greyhounds in the flips,
Straining upon the ftart. The game's afoot ;
Follow your fpirit : and, upon this charge,
Cry God for Harry ! England ! and faint George !
[Exctint King and train.
[Alarm, and chambers go off.
SCENE II.
Enter Njm, Bardolpk, Plflol, and Boy.
Bard. On, on, on, on, on ! to the breach, to the
breach !
Nym. Tray thee, 8 corporal, flay ; the knocks are
too hot ; and, for mine own part, I have not 9 a cafe
Again, in Lord Surrey's Tranflation of the fecond book of Vir-
gil's JEneld :
" And with that winde had/^ the land of Grece."
The facred writings afford many inftances to the fame purpofe.
Mr. Pope firll made the change, which I, among others, had in-
advertently followed. STEEVENS.
7 argument.} Is matter, orfubjetf. JOHNSON.
8 corporal, ] We fliould read lieutenant. It is Bardolph
to whom he fpeaks. STEEVENS.
9 a cafe of lives : ] A fet of lives, of which, when one
is worn out, another may ferve. JOHNSON.
F 3 of
70 KINGHENRYV.
of lives : the humour of it is too hot, that is the
very plain-fong ot it.
Pift. The plain-fong is mofi juft : for humours do.
abound ;
Knocks go and come ; God's vaflals drop and die ;
And fword and Jhiekl,
In bloody field,
Doth win immortal, fame.
Boy. 'Would I were in an ale-houfe in London-! I
tvould give all my fame for a pot of ale, and fafety,
Pift. And I :
1 If wifhes would prevail with me,
My purpofe ihould not fail with me,
But thither would I hye.
Soy. * As duly, but not as truly, as bird doth fing
On bough.
Enter Fluellen.
Flu. 'Splood ! Up to the preaches ; , you rafcals !
will you not up to the preaches ?
P'lft. Be merciful, great duke, 4 to men of mould !
Abate thy rage, abate thy manly rage !
Good bawcock, bate thy rage ! ufe lenity, fvveet
chuck !
Nym. Thefe be good humours ! your honour wins
bad humours. [Exeunt.
* If wlfics &c.] This pafiage I have replaced from the firft
folio, which is the only Authentic copy ot this play. Thefe
lines, which perhaps are part of a fong, Mr. Pope did not like,
and therefore changed them in conformity to the imperfect play
in quarto, and was followed by the fucceeding editors, for pre-
vail I (hould read avail. JOHNSON.
* A3 duly, &c.J This fpeech I have reftored from the folio.
STEEVENS.
3 up to the preaches, feV.] Thus the 410, with only the
difference of breaches inftead of preaches. Modern editors have
been very liberal of their Welch dialed!. The folio reads, Up
to the breach you dogges, avaunt you cullions. STEEVENS.
+ to men / mould! ] To men of earth^ to poor mortaj
men. JOHNSON,
Boy.
K I N G H E N R JT V. ?l
Eoy. As young as I am, I have obferv'd thcfc three
fw?fhcrs. 1 am boy to them all three : but all they
three, though they would ferve me, could not be man
to me ; for, indeed, three fuch anticks do not amount
to a man. For Bardolph, he is white-liver'd, and
red-fac'd ; by the means whereof, 'a faces it out, but
fights not. For Piflol, he hath a kill ing tongue, and
a quiet fword ; by the means whereof J a breaks words,
and keeps whole weapons. For Nym, he hath heard,
that men of few words are the 5 beft men ; and there-
fore he fcorns to fay his prayers, left 'a fhould 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 againft a poft, when
he was drunk. They will fteal any thing, and call it
pur chafe. Bardolph ftole a lute-cafe ; bore it twelve
leagues, and fold it for three half-pence. Nym, and
Bardolph, are fworn brothers in filching; and in Calais
they ftole a fire-fhovel : I knew, by that piece of fer-
vice, 6 the men would carry coals. They would have
me as familiar with men's pockets, as their gloves or
their handkerchiefs : which makes much againftmy
manhood, if I (Iiould take from another's pocket, to
put into mine ; for it is plain pocketing up of
wrongs. I muft leave them, and leek fome better
fervice : their villainy goes againft my weak ftomach,
and therefore I muft caft it up. [Exit Boy.
5 left men; ] That is, Ira-'cft ; fo in the next lines,
good deeds are brave aflions. JOHNSON.
6 the men would carry coaL. ] It appears that in Shake-
fpeare's age, to cany coals was, I know not why, tf> endure af-
fronts. So, in Romeo and Juliet, one fervinginan aflcs another
whether he will carry coals. JOHXSON.
Cant phral'es are the ephemerons of literature. In the quartos
1600 and 1608, the pafTage Itands thus :
I knew by that they meant to carry coales. STEEVENS.
F 4 R<-
72 K I N G PI E N R Y V.
Re-enter Fluclkn^ Go^cr following*
Gvwer. Captain Fluellen, you mutt conic prcfently'
to the mines ; the duke of Gloiler would (peak;
with you.
Flu. To the mines ! tell you the duke, it is not fa
good to come to the mines t For, look you, the mines
are not according to the difciplines of the war ; the
concavities of it is not fufficient ; for, look you, th"
athverfary (you may difcufs unto the duke, look you j.
17 is digt himfclf 'four yards under the countermines :
by Chelhu, I think, 'a, 8 will plow up all, if there is
not better directions.
Cower. The duke of Glofter, to whom the order
of the fiege is given, is altogether directed by an Irilh-
man ; a very valiant gentleman, i'faith.
Flu. It is captain Macmorris, is it not ?
Goiuer. I think, it be.
Flu. By Chelhu, he is an afs, as in the 'orld : I
will verify as much in his peard : he has no more
directions in the true difciplines of the wars, look you.
of the Reman difciplines, than is a puppy-dog.
Enter Macmorris, and captain Jamy.
G ( :;YT. Here 'a comes ; and the Scots captain, cap-
tain Jamy, with him.
Flu. Captain Jamy is a marvellous falorous gentle-
man, that is certain ; and of great expedition, and
knowledge, in the ancient wars, upon my particular
knowledge of his directions : by Cheihu, he will main-
tain his argument as well as any military man in the
'orld, in the difciplines of the priftine wars of the
Romans.
7 ' is digt blmfelf four y arils unfar the countermines : ]
Fluellen means, that the enemy had digged himfclf countermines
four yards under the mines. JOHNSON,
willffau up all) ] That is, kt will blow up till.
JOHNSON.
Jamy.
K I N G H E N R Y V. 7 j
Jamy. I fay, gud-day, captain Fluellen.
flu. God-den to your worfhip, goot captain Jamy.
Govuer. How now, captain Macmorris ? have you
quit the mines ? have the pioneers given o'er ?
Mac. By Chrifh la, tifh ill done : the work ifh give
over, the trumpet found the retreat. By my hand,
I fwear, and by my father's foul, the work ilh ill
done ; it iili give over : I would have blowed up the
town, fo Chrifh fave me, la, in an hour. O tifh ill
done, tifh ill done ; by my hand, tifh ill done !
Flu. Captain Macmorris, I pefeech you now, will
you voutfafe me, look you, a few difputations with
you, as partly touching or concerning the difciplines
of the war, the Roman wars, in the way of argument,
look you, and friendly communication ; partly, to fa-
tisfy my opinion, and partly, for the fatisfa&ion, look
you, of my mind, as touching the direction of the
military discipline ; that is the point.
Jamy. It fall be very gud, gud feith, gud captains
bath : and 9 1 fall quit you with gud leve, as I may
pick occafion ; that fall I, marry.
Mac. It is no time to difcourfe, fo Chrifh fave me;
|heday is hot, and the weather, and the wars, and the
king, and the dukes ; it is no time to difcourfe. The
town is befeech'd, and the trumpet calls us to the
breach ; and we talk, and, by Chrifh, do nothing ; 'tis
lhame for us all : fo God fa' me, 'tis fhame to ftand
flill ; it is fhame, by my hand : and there is throats
to be cut, and works to be done ; and there ish nothing
done, fo Chrifh fa' me, la.
Jamy. By the mefs, ere theife eyes of mine take
themfelves to flumber, aile do gud fervice,or aile liggc
i'the grund for it ; ay, or go to death ; and aile pay
it as valoroufly as I may, that fal I furelydo, that is
9 I fall- quit you"] That is, I (hall, with your permiflion,
requite you, that is, anfiver you y or interpofe with my arguments,
as I lhall find opportunity. JoHNsow.
the
74 K I N G H E N R Y V.
the breff and the long : Mary, I wad full fain heard
fome queflion 'tween you tway.
Flu. Captain Macmorris, I think, look you, under
your correction, there is not many of your nation
Mac. Of my nation ? What ifh my nation ? ilh a
villain, and a baftard, and a knave, and a rafcal ?
What ilh my nation ? Who talks of my nation ?
Flu. Look you, if you take the matter otherwife
than is meant, captain Macmorris, peradventure, I
ihall think you do not ufe me with that affability as in
difcretion you ought to ufe me, look you ; being as
goot a man as yourfelf, both in the difciplines of wars,
and in the derivation of my birth, and in other par-
ticularities.
Mac. I do not know you fo good a man as myfelf :
fo Chriih fave me, I will cut off your head.
Gffwer. Gentlemen both, you will miflake each
other.
Jamy. Au ! that's a foul fault. [_A parley founded.
Gffiver. The town founds a parley.
Flu. Captain Macmorris, when there is more better
opportunity to be requir'd, look you, I will be fobold
as to tell you, I know the difciplines of war ; and
there's an end T .
SCENE III.
Before the gates of Harfleur.
Enter King Henry and bis train.
K. Henry. How yet refolves the governor of the
town ?
This is the4ateft parle we will admit :
Therefore, to our beft mercy give yourfelves ;
' there's an end.} It were to be wiflied that the poor merri-
ment of this dialogue had not been purchaled with fo much
profanenefs. JOHNSON.
Or,
KING HENRY V. 75
Or, like to men proud of deftrudticn.
Defy us to our worft : for, as I am a foldier,
(A name, that, in my thoughts, becomes me beft)
If I begin the battery once again,
I will not leave the half-atchieved Harfleur,
'Till in her allies fhe He buried.
The gates of mercy lhall be all fhut up a ;
And the flcfh'd foldier, rough and hard of heart,
In liberty of bloody hand, fhall range
With confcience wide as hell ; mowing like grafs
Your frefli fair virgins,' and your flowering infants.
What is it then to me, if impious war,
Array 'd in flames, like to the prince of fiends,
Do, with his fmirch'd complexion, all 3 fell feats
Enlink'd to wafte and defolation ?
What is't to me, when you yourfelves are caufe,
If your pure maidens fall into the hand
Of hot and forcing violation ?
What rein can hold licentious wickednefs,
When down the hill he holds his fierce career ?
We may as bootlefs fpend our vain command
Upon the enraged foldiers in their fpoil,
As fend precepts to the Leviathan
To come afliore. Therefore, you men of Harfleur,
Take pity of your town, and of your people,
Whiles yet my foldiers are in my command ;
4 Whiles yet the cool and temperate wind of grace
O'er-blows the filthy and contagious clouds
a The gates of mercy Jhall le all Jhut up ;] Mr. Gray has bor-
rowed this thought in his -Elegy :
*' And fhut the gates of mercy on mankind." STEEVEXS.
3 f ell f fats,
Enlink'd to waftc and defolation ? ]
All the favage pra&ices naturally concomitant to the fack of ci-
ties. JOHNSON.
* Whiles yet the cool and temp* rate wind of grace
O er-Uowt the fitly and contagious doudi\
This is a very harfli metaphor. To gver-llovj is to drive aivay %
or to keep off. JOHNSON.
Of
76 K I N G H E N R Y V.
Of heady murder, fpoil, and villainy.
If not, why, in a moment, look to fee
The blind and bloody foldier with foul hand
5 Defile the locks of your fhrill-ihriek ing daughters;
Your fathers taken by the filver beards,
And their moft reverend heads dafh'd to the walls ;
Your naked infants fpitted upon pikes ;
Whiles the rriad mothers with their howls confus'd
Do break the clouds, as did the wives of Jewry
At Herod's bloody-hunting flaughtermen.
What fay you ? will you yield, and this avoid ?
Or, guilty in defence, be thus deflroy'd ?
Enter Governor, upon the 'walls.
Gov. Our expectation hath this day an end :
The Dauphin, whom of fuccour we entreated,
Returns us that his powers are not yet ready
To raife fo great a liege. Therefore, dread king,
We yield our town, and lives, to thy foff mercy :
Enter our gates ; difpofc of us, and ours ;
For we no longer are defenfible.
K* Henry. Open your gates. Come, uncle Exeter,
Go you and enter Harfleur ; there remain,
And fortify it ftrongly 'gainfl the French :
Ufe mercy to them all. For us, dear uncle,-
The winter coming on, and ficknefs growing
Upon our foldiers, we'll retire to Calais.
To-night in Harfleur will we be your guefl ;
To-morrow for the march arc we addreft 6 .
[Flourifh, and enter the town.
SCEN E
* Defile ffa locks &:c.] The folio reads :
De/ire the locks, ?r. STEEVENS.
8 "Me are addreft.] i. e. prepared. So, in Heywood's Rapt
*f Lucrecc, 1630 :
" . ourfliidd
** We muft addreff next, for tomorrow's field."
Again,
KINGHENRYV. 77
I S C E N E IV.
The French camp.
Enter Katharine, and an old gentlewoman.
8 Kath. Alice, tu as efts en AngkUne, &f tu parks
lien le language.
Alice.
Again, in the Brazen dge, 1613 :
" . clamours from afar,
" Tell us thefe champions are addreft for war." -
Again :
" See I am addrejl
" With this, to thunder on thy captive creft."
STEEVENS.
7 Scene IV. ] I have left this ridiculous fcene as I found it ;
and am lorry to have no colour left, from any of the editions, to
imagine it interpolated. WARBURTON.
Sir T. Hanmer has rejected it. The fcene is indeed mean
enough, when it is read ; but the grimaces of two French wo-
men, and the odd accent with which they uttered the Knglifii,
made it divert upon the ftage. It may be obferv'd, that there
is in it not only the French language, but the French fpirit.
Alice compliments the princefs upon her knowledge of four
words, and tells her that Ihe pronounces like the Englifli them-
ielves. The princefs fufpe&s no deficiency in her inflrudlrefs,
nor the inftruclrefs in herfelf. Throughout the whole fcene
there may be found French fervility, and French vanity.
I cannot forbear to tranfcribe the firft fentence of this dialogue
from the edition of 1608, that the reader who has not looked
into the old copies may judge of the flrange negligence with
which they are printed.
" Kate. Alice venecia, vous aves cates en, vou parte fort bon
Angloys englatara, comau fae palla vou la main en francoy."
JOHNSON.
We may obferve in general, that the early editions have not
halt" the quantity ; and every fentence, or rather every word,
woft ridiculoufly blundered. Thefe, for feveral reafons, could
not poflibly be published by the author , and it is extremely pro-
bable, that the French ribaldry was at firil inferted by a different
hand, as the many additions moft certainly were after he had left
the ftage. Indeed, every friend to his memory will not eafily
believe, that he was acquainted with the fcene between Katharine
and the old Gentlewoman : or furely he would not have admitted
fuch obfcenity and nonfenfe. FARMER.
It
78 K I N G H E N R Y V.
Alice. Unpeu, madam?.
Kath. Je te prie, nttnfsigne&i il font quefapprenni
aparler. Comment appellezvom la main, en Anglois?
Alice. 1x3- main ? elle eft appellee, de hand.
Kath. De hand. Et les doigts ?
Alice. Les doigts f mayfoy, je oublie les doigts ; maisje
mefouviendray. Les doigts ? je penfe, qifilsfont appelle de
fingres ; ony, de fingers ; out de fingers.
Kath. La main, de hand ; les doigts, de fingres. je
penfe, que je fuis k bon efcolier. J*ay gagnee deux mots
Anglais inftancnt. Comment appellez vous les angles ?
Alice. Les ongks ? les appellons, de nails.
It is very certain, that authors in the time of Shakefpeare, did
not correct the prefs tor themfelves. I hardly ever faw in one
of the old plays a fentence of either Latin, Italian, or French,
without the moll ridiculous blunders. In the Hift. of Clyomon,
Knight of the Golden Shield, i 599, a tragedy which I have often
quoted, a warrior afks a lady difguifed like a page, what her name
is. She anfwers, " Cur Daceer" i. e. Cceur d Acier, Heart of
Steel. STEEVENS.
8 Kath. Alice, tu as efte ] I have regulated feveral fpeeches
in this French fcene ; fome whereof were given to Alice, and
yet evidently belonged to Katharine : and fo, vice verfa. It is
not material to diftinguifh the particular tranfpolitions I have
made. Mr. Gildon has left no bad remark, I think, with re-
gard to our poet's condudl in the character of this princefs :
*' For why he fhould not allow her," fays he, " to fpeak in Eng-
lifli as well as all the other French, I can't imagine : fince it adds
no beauty, but gives a patch'd and pye-bald dialogue of no beauty
or force." THEOBALD.
In the collection of Cbcjter Wliitfun. "Myjlcrles, among theHar-
leian MSS. No. 1013, I find French fpeeches introduced. In
the Vintner's Play, p. 65, the three kings who come to worfhip
our infant Saviour, addrefs themfelves to Herod in that lan-
guage, and Herod very politely anfwers them in the fame. At
firft, I fuppofed the author to have appropriated a foreign tongue
to them, becaufe they were ftrangers ; but in the Sinner's Play,
p. 144, I found Pilate talking French, when no fuch reafon
could be offered to juftiry a change of language. Thefe myfteries
are faid to have been written in 1328. It is hardly neceflary to
mention that in this MS. the French is as much corrupted as in
the paflage quoted by Dr. Johnfou from the 410 edition of
King Henry V. STELVENS.
Kath.
K I N G H E N R Y V. 79
Kath. De nails. Efcoutez : dites mcy, fi je park
blen : de hand, de fingres, de nails.
Alice. Cejl bien dit, madame ; // eft fort bon Anghh*
Kath. Dites moy en Anglois, le bras.
Alice. DC arm, madame.
Kath. Etlecov.de.
Alice. De elbow.
Kath. De elbow. Je m*en faitz la repetition de tout
les mots, que vous m'avcz appris des a prefent.
Alice. II eft trop difficile, madame, commejepenfe.
Kath. Excufez moy, Alice ; efcoutcz: De hand, dc
fingre, de nails, de arm, de bilbow.
Alice. De elbow, madame.
Kath. Seigneur Dieu ! je nien oublie ; De elbow*
Comment appellez vous lecol?
Alice. De neck, madame.
Kath. De neck : Et le menton ?
Alice. De chin.
Kath. De fin. Le col, de neck : le menton, defln."
Alice. Ouy. Saiifvoftrekonneur;enverite,vouspro-
tioncez ks mots avjji droicl que les natifs d* Angktene.
Kath. Je ne doute point d"apprendre par la grace ds
Dieu ; & en peu de temps.
Alice. N'avez vous pas deja oublie ce que je vous ay
cnfeignee ?
Kath. Non,je reciter ay a vouspromptement. De hand,
de fingre, de mails *.
Alice. De nails, madame.
Kath. De nails, de arme, de ilbow.
Alice. Sauf, vojlre honneur, de elbow.
Kath, Ainft disje ; de elbow, de neck, et de fin :
Comment appellez vous les pieds, cff la robe ?
Alice. De foot, madame ; & de con.
Kath. De foot, & de con ? Seigneur Dieu i ces
De band, de fingre, de nayle, de arme.] The firft folio hag
this paflage thus d'band, de fingre, de mattes without de arm.'"
...And fo it fliould be printed. TYRWHITT,
VOL. VI, f Qnl
So K I N G H E N R Y V.
font mots de fon mauvais, corruptible, grofle, ct impudiquc, &
non pour les dames ifkonncur d'ufer : Je m vcudrois pro-
nonccr ces mots devant les Seigneurs de France, pour tout le
monde. II faut de foot, 5* de con, neant-moins. Je red-
terai une autrefois ma lefon enfemble : De hand, de 9 fin-
gre, de nails, de arm, de elbow, de neck, de fin,
de foot, de con.
Alice. Excellent, madame !
Kath. C eft ajj'cz pour une fois i alkns nous a difner.
[Exeunt*
SCENE V.
Prefence-cJoambcr in the French court.
Enter tie king of France, the Dauphin, duke of Bourbon,
the Conjlable of France, and others.
Fr. King. 'Tis certain, he hath pafs'd the river
Some.
Con. And if he be not fought withal, my lord,
Let us not live in France; let us quit all,
And give our vineyards to a barbarous people.
Dau. O Dicui'ivant ! fhall a few fprays of us,
The emptying of ' our father's luxury,
Our fyens, put in wild * and favage ftock,
Sprout up fo fuddenly into the clouds,
And over-grow their grafters ?
our. Normans, but baftard Normans, Norman
baftards !
Afort de ma vie ! if thus they march along
Unfought withal, but I will fell my dukedom,
To buy a flobbery and a dirty farm
9 Jejingre, . ] It is apparent by the correction of Alice,
that the princefs forgot the neits, and therefore it (hoald be left out
in her part. JOHNSON.
1 our father* i luxury,] In this place^ as in others, luxury
means luft. JOHNSON.
* favagc ] Is here ufed in the French original fenfc, for
Jilvan t uncultivated, the lame with wild. JOHNSON*
KING HENRY V. 81
4 In that nook-fhotten ifle of Albion.
COM. Dieu de batailles ! where have they this mettle ?
Is not their climate foggy, raw, and dull ?
On whom, as in defpignt, the fun looks pale,
Killing their fruit with frowns ? s Can iodden water,
A drench for fur-reyn'd jades, their barley broth,
Decot their cold blood to fuch valiant heat ?
And lhall our quick blood, fpirited with wine,
Seem frofty ? Oh, for honour of our land,
Let us not hang like roping icicles
Upon the houfes' thatch, whiles a more frofly people
Sweat drops of gallant youth 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 fay,
Our mettle is bred out ; and they will give
Their bodies to the luft of Englifli youth,
To new ftore France with bailard warriors.
Bom: They bid us to the Englifli dancing-fchools,
And teach 6 lavoltas high, and fwift corantos
. Say-
* In that nook fhot ten [fie of Albion.'} Sbottcn fignifies anything
projtSed: lo nook-Jbotten i/le, is an iile that fhoots out into capes,
promontories, and necks of land, the very figure of Great Bri-
tain. WAR BUR TON.
5 Can fodder, -water,
A drench for fur-reyn'd jades,* ]
The exad 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 majb. To this he alludes. JOHNSON.
The word fur-rcln d occurs more than once in the old plays.
So, in Jack Drum'' 3 Entertainment, 1601 :
" Writes he not a good cordial fappy ftile ?
** Afur-rein'djaded wit, but he rubs on."
It fliould be obferv'd that the quartos 1600 and 1608 read :
A drench hrfivolne jades. STEEVENS.
6 lavoltas high, ] Hanmer obferves that in this dance
there was much turning and much capering. Shakefpeare men-
tions it more than once, but never fo particularly as the author
of MukaJJes the Turk, a tragedy 1610 :
" Be pleas'd, ye powers of night," and 'bout me flcip
** Your antick mcafures ; like to coal-black moors
VOL. VI. G " Dane*
82 K I N G H E tf R Y V.
Saying, our grace is only in our heels,
And that we are moft lofty run-awa) s.
Fr. Kin?. Where is Montjoy, the herald ? fpeetJ
him hence;
Let him greet England with our fharp defiance.
Up, princes ; and, with fpirit of honour edg'd,
More iharper than your fwords, hie to the field :
7 Charles De-la-bret, high conftable of France ;
You dukes of Orleans, Bourbon, and of Berry ^
Alen?on, Brabant, Bar, and Burgundy ;
Jaques ChatilHon, Rambures, Vaudemont,
Beaumont, Grandpre, Rouffi, and Fauconberg,
Foix, Letlrale, Bouciqualt, and Charolois ;
High dukes, great princes, barons, lords, and
knights,
For your great feats, now quit you of great fhames,
Bar Harry England, that fwe-cps through our land
8 With pennons painted iu the blood of Harfieur :
Rufe
*' Dancing cheir high lavohoes to t'he fun,
tl Circle me round : and in the midit I'll ftand,
'* And crack my iides with laughter at your fports."
Again, in Chapman's May -day ^ i6c6:
" let the Bourdeaux grape
" Skip like la volta's in their iwelling veins.'*
Again :
" Where love doth dance la volta* '* STESVEKS.
7 Cbarle s Dclabretb, ] Milton fomewhere bids the EngHiTv
take notice how their names are mifpelt by foreigners, and
feems to think that we may law hilly treat foreign names in re-
turn with the fame neglect. This privilege feems to be e.xer-'
cifed in this catalogue of French names, which, lince the fenfc
of the author is not affected,. I have left as I- found it.
J&HNSOK.
I have changed the fpelh'ug ; for I know not why we fhouktf
leave blunders or antiquated orthography in the proper names,
when we have been fo careful to remove them both from all other
parts of the text. Inltead of Charles 'Dc-la-brct, we fhould read
Cka>-L-5 D*Albrt) but the metre will not allow of it. STEEVENS..
- Jfitb pennons ] Ptnnons armorial were fmall flags, on which.
the arms, device and motto of a knight were painted.
Pennon is the fame as pendant* So, in The Stately Moral of tbA
( Ibrte Lorih of Ltmtkn^ 1 590 ;
" I*.
KING HENRY V. 83
on his hoft, as doth the 9 melted fnow
Upon the vallies ; vvhofc low vaifal feat
The Alps doth fpit and void his rheum upon ' :
Go down Upon him, you have power enough,*
And in a captive chariot^ into lioan
Bring him our pfilbner.
Con: This becomes the great*
Sorry am 1$ his numbers are fo few,-
His foldiers fick, and famim'd in their march j
JFor, I am fure, when he ihall fee our army,
He'll drop his heart into the fink of fear,
Arid, for atchievementj oiler us his ranfom.
In gtittring gold and particolour'd plumes,
With curious pendants on their launces fix'd, &c."
Again, n Gower, DC Confejjlone An-.cMtis, lib. vi. fol. 136. fa
Of his eontrei the figne was
True tiihes, vvhiche he fhulde beare
Upon the//a" of a fpeafe>"
Again, n Chaucer's Knvgbtcs Tale, v; 980; late edit i
4d by his banner borne is his/j?o
Of gold ful riche, in Which there was ybete
The Minotaure which that he flew in <2rete. yi
!n MS. Harl. No. 24 1^, is the following note;
Pennn.
*' A pc7ton mufl bee tow y<<rdes and a half longe, fhide
i-ound att the end, and conteyneth the anncs of the owner^ and
fervith tor thfc conduct of flttie men."
' { E^crye knight may have his pennon if hee bee cheefe cap-
taine, and in it fett his armes : and if hee bee made banne-
rett, the kinge of the liettenant (hall make a futt in the end of
the pennon^ and the heralds fhall raiie it outj
Pern-elks.
" Pencells or flagges for horfemen mufl bee a yarde and a halfe.
longe, with the croiles of St. George, &e." STEKVENS.
9 milled fn&ui ] The poet has here defeated himfelf
by paffing too fooh from one image to another. To bid the
French ruih upon the Englifh as the torrents formed from melted
fnow ftream from the Alps, was at once vehement and proper, but
its force is deftroyed by the grofliiefs of the thought in the next
line. JOHNSON.
1 The Jllps ilotb fp;t and void bis rbtitm upon :J
4i Jupiter hybernas cana nive coHjpait Alpes."
Fur.- Bibac/ap Hur* STEBVENS.
G % Fr. King.
S 4 K I N G II E N R Y V.
Ft: King. Therefore, lord conftable, hafle on Mont-
joy ;
And let him lay to England, that we fend
To- know what willing ranfom he will give.
Prince Dauphin, you fhall ftay with us in Roan.
Dan. Not fo, I do befeech yottr majefty.
Fr. King,. Be patient, for you fhall remain with
us.
Now, forth, lord conflable, and princes all ;
And quickly bring us word of England's fall.
SCENE VL
camp.
Enter Cower, and Fluellen.
Gow. How now, captain Fluellen ? come you from
the bridge ?
Flu. I allure you, there is very excellent fervicc
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 livings, and myuttermoft powers : he is not,
(Got be prailed and plefied !) any hurt in the 'odd;
but keeps the pridge moft valiantly, with excellent
difcipline. There is an ancient lieutenant there at the
pridge, I think, in my very confcience, he is as va-
liant a man as Mark Antony ; and he is a man of no
eftimation in the 'odd ; but I did fee him do gallant
fervices.
Gow. What do you call him ?
Flu. He is call'd ancient Piflol.
Gow* I know him not.
Enter
K I N G H E N R Y V. 85
Enter PiftoL
Flu. Do you not know him ? Here comes the
man,
Pijl. Captain, I thee befeech to do me favours :
The duke of Exeter doth love thee well.
Flu. Ay, I praife Grot ; and I have merited fome
love at his hands.
Pift. Bardolph, a foldier, firm and found of heart,
Of buxom valour ', hath, by cruel fate,
And giddy fortune's furious fickle "wheel,
That goddefs blind,
That hands upon the rolling reftlefs ftone,
Fit:. By your patience, ancient Piftol. * Fortune is
painted plind, with a muffler before her eyes, to fig-
1 Of buxom valour,] i.e. valour under good command, obe-
dient to its fuperiours. So, in Spenfer's Faery >uecn :
" Love tyrnnnizeth in the bitter frnarts
*' Of them that to him are buxom and prone."
STEEVENS. .
a Fortune is painted plind, with a muffle r before her eyes, to fg-
vify to you that fortune is plind: ] Here the fool of a player was
for making a joke, as Hamlet fays, not Jet down for him, and
jbe-iving a mojl 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^//W, by his ufe of it, he could never
have faid that Fortune was painted plind, tojignify Jbc ii'as plind.
He might as well have laid afterwards, that Jhe was painted in-
conftaut, to jtgnify fie 'was inconjlant. But there he fpeaks fenfe,
and io, unqueftionably, he did here. We mould therefore flrikc
out the firft plind, and read :
Fortune is painted with a muffler, &c. WARBURTOK.
The old reading is the true one. Fortune, the Godde/'i, is repre-
fcnted blind, to fhew iivAt fortune, or the chance of_ life, is without
<ii(cernment. STEEVENS.
This picture of Fortune is taken from the old hiftory of For-
tunatus ; where (lie is defcribed to be a fair woman, muffled over
the eyes. FARMER.
A muffler appears to have been part of a lady's drefs. So, in
Monf. Thomas, 1639 :
" On with my muffler."
G 3 nify
86 KINGtHENRYV.
nify to you, that fortune is plind : And fhe is paint-?
ed alfo with a wheel ; to fignify to yon, which is
the moral of it, that ihe is turning, and inconftant,
and mutabilities, and variations ; and her foot, look
you, is fixed upon a fphcrical ftone, which rolls, and
rolls, and rolls ; In good truth, the poet makes a
moft excellent defcripticn of fortune : fortune, look
you, is an excellent moral.
Pift. Fortune is Bardolph's foe, and frowns on him;
* For he hath ftpl'ii a p;x t and hanged mull 'a be.
Parnn'd death !
Let
3 The old editions,
For he bathjiofn a pax, ] " And this is conformable to hif-
tory." fays Mr. Pope, " a foldier (as Hall. tells us) being hang'd
at this time for fuch a fad."- Both Hall and Holinftied
agree as to the point of the theft ; but as to the thing Jlolen^
there is not that conformity betwixt them and Mr. Pope. It
was an cncient cultcm, at the celebration of inafs, that when
the prieft pronounced thele words, fax Domini fit fcniper voi'f-
cum ! both clergy and people kifs'd onp another. And this was
palled Ofcvlitm Pacts, the Kifs of Peace. But that cu$om being
abrogated, a certain image is now prefented to be killed, which
is called a Pax, But it \vas not this image which Bardolph rtole ;
it was //>, or little cheft (from the L^tjn word, pix'u, a box) ;
in which the confecrated baft was ufed to be kept. ' A foolifh
foldier," fays Hall expn/sly, and Hclinflied after him, Hole a
fix out of a church." THEOBALD.
What Theobald fays is true, but might have been told iii fewer
>vords: I have examined the pafThge in Hall. Yet Dr. Warbur-
ton rejected that emendation, and continued Pope's note without
^nimncjverlion.
It \sfax in the folio 1625, but altered to//.v by Theobald and
fir T. Hanmer. They fignified the fame thing. See Pax at
Mafs, Minfie'iv's G:iidc in:o the 7'osgne*. Fix or fax was a little
box in which were kept the confecrated waters. JOHNSON.
So, in May I>ay, a comedy, by Chapman, ifei j ; " Kifs
the/fl-v, and be quiet, like your other neighbours/' So, in lh
Dc-rnfall of Rolert JEfrrl of Huntingtnn, \6i\ :
'* Then with this hallovv'J crucifix,
" This holy wafer, and this^/>."
That a fix and a pax were different things, may be feen from the
following paflage in the Hiftory of our Eltjjcd La<iy of Loretto^
1608, p. 505?
" a cup,
KING HENRY V. 87
Let gallows gape for dog, let man go free,
And let not hemp his wind-pipe fuffocatc :
But Exeter hath given the doom of death,
for pix of little price.
Therefore, go fpeak, 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 Iwillthee requite..
Flu. Ancient Piitol, I do partly vmderfland your
meaning.
Pift. 4 Why then rejoice therefore.
Flu. Certainly, ancient, it is not a thing to re-
joice at : for if, look you, he were my brother, I
would defire the duke to ufe his goot plea lure, and
put him to executions ; for difciplines ought to be
ufed.
Pift. Die and be damn'd ; andj^jo for thy friend*
ihip * !
Flfi. It is well.
fift. 6 The fig of Spain ! [Exit Pifol.
Flu.
t* a cup, acd a fp'rinkle for holy water, A fix and a pax t
all of excellent chryftal, gold and amber."
Again, in Store's Chronicle, p. 677 : '* palmes, chalices,
crclles, veftments, pixfs^ paxes, and fuch like." STEEVENS.
4 Why then rejoice therefore.'} This pafFage, with feveral others,
in the character of Pidol, is ridiculed by Ben Jonlbn, in Tbf
Pettafler, as follows :
" Why then lament therefore ; damn'd be thy gut$
*' Unco king Pluto's hell, and princely Erebus ;
" For fparrmvs muft have food." STEF.VENS.
' Figo/cr thy fricndfilp !} This exprcifiou occurs likewife
ill Ra>H-All>y, or Merry Tricks, 1610:
water at the dock,
" \fico lor her deck."
Again :
" Kfi-n for the fun and moon. STEEVEKS.
' T'hf fig of Spain!"} This is no alluiion to \\iefico alrca^r
explained in T/iv Merry Wives of lilndfor ; but to the CUuo;n of
giving poifouM figs to'thofe who were the objefts either -ot Spa-
nilh or Italian revenge. The quartos 1600 and 1608 read : "
G firf
88 KING H E N R Y V;
Flu. Very good 7 .
Gow. Why, this is an arrant counterfeit rafcal ; I
remember him now ; a bawd, a cut-purfe.
Flu. I'll aflure you, 'a utter'd as pravc 'ords at the
pridge, as you lhall fee in a fummer's day : But it is
very well ; what he has fpoke to me, thatjs well, I
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 himfelf, at his re-
turn into London, under the form of a foldier. And
fuch fellows are perfect in the great commanders'
names : and they will learn you by rote, where fer-
vices were done; at fuch and fuch 8 a fconce, at fuch
abreach,
fig of Spain ivithin thy jaw :" and afterwards : " The fig within thy
bowels an J thy dirty maw." So, in The FIeire t 1610, a comedy ;
44 Pel. Give them a fig.
" Flo. Make them drink their laft.
** Pel. Poifon them."
Again, in Tic Brothers, by Shirley, 1652:
^0^0/7 him ; one fig fends hi
I mult ^0^0/7 him ; one fig fends him to Erebus."
Again, in Ben Jonfon's Every Man in his Humour :
' The Ive to a man of my coat, is as ominous a fruit as
Again, in one of Gafcoigne's Poems:
" It may fall out that thou flialt be entic'd
" To fup fometimes with a magnifico,
" And have a fico foilted in thy difli," feV.
Again, in Decker's Match me in Landim^ 1631 ;
** Cor. Now do I look for z.fig.
" Gaz. Chew none, fear nothing:
and the fcene of this play lies at Seville.
Again, in The NoMc Soldier, 1634 :
" - Is it (poifon) fpeeding?
'* As all our Spanijhjigs are."
Again, in Viltoria Corombona, 1612:
" I look now for a Spanrjbfg, or an Italian fallad daily."
STEEVENS.
7 Flu- Very good.~\ Inftead of thefe two words, the quartos
read : -
*' Captain Gower, cannot you hear it lighten and thunder ?"
STEEVENS.
* a fconce, ] Appears to have been fome hafty, rude,
inconfi-
K I N G H E N R Y V. 8 9
a breach, at fuch a convoy ; who came off bravely,
who was fhot, who difgrac'd, what terms the enemy
flood on ; and this they con perfectly in the phrafe of
war, which they trick up with new-tuned oaths : And
what a beard of the general's cut, and a horrid fuit
of the camp 9 , will do among foaming bottles, and ale-
walh'd wits, is wonderful to be thought on ! But you
muft learn to know ' fuch flanders of the age, or elfe
you may be marvelloufly miftook.
Flu. I tell you what, captain Gower; I do perceive,
he is not the man that he would gladly make Ihew to
the 'orld he is ; if I find a hole in his coat, I will tell
him my mind. Hear you, the king is coming ; and
z I muft fpeak with him from the pridge.
inconfiderable kind of fortification. Sir Thomas Smythe, in
one of his Difcourfes on the Art Military, 1589, mentions them
in the following manner : " and that certen fconces by them
devifed, without anie bulwarks, flanekers, travalfes, mounts,
plattormes, wet or drie ditches, in forme, with counterfcarps,
or any other good forme of fortification, but only raifed and
formed with earth, turfe, trench, and certen poynts, angles,
and indents, fliould be able to hold out the enemie, feV.
STEEVENS.
9 a horrid fuit of the camp,] Thus the folio. The 4103
l6co, &c. read a horrid Jhout of the camp. STEEVENS.
1 -JucbJUndcri of the age,~\ This was a character very trou-
blefome to \viie men in our author's time. " It is the practice
with him," faysAfcham, " to be warlike, though he never looked
enemy in the face, yet fome warlike fign muft be ufed, as a flo-
venly bulkin, or an over-ftaring frownced head, as though out
of every hair's top mould fuddenly {tart a good big oath."
JOHNSON.
z I muft fyeak ivitk him from the pridge.] " Speak with him
from the bridge, Mr. Pope tells us, is added to the latter edi-
tions ; but that it is plain from the fequel, that the fcene here
continues, and the affair of the bridge is over." This is a molt
inaccurate criticifm. Though the affair of the bridge be over,
is that a reafon, that the king muft receive no intelligence from
thence ? Fluellen, who comes from the bridge, wants to acquaint
the king with the tranfaftions that had happened there. This
Jie cz\\sfpeaking to the king from the bridge. THEOBALD.
With this Dr. Warburton concurs. JOHNSO.V.
Drum
9 o KING HENRY V.
Drum and colours. Eater the king, Glofter, and foldiers.
Fin. Got plefs you majefty !
A". Henry. How now, Fluellen ? cam'ft thou from
the bridge ?
Flu. Ay, fo pleafe your majefty. The duke of
Exeter has very gallantly maintain'd the pridge : the
French is gone off, look you ; and there is gallant
and moft prave paffages : Marry, th'athverfary was
have polleffion of the pridge ; but he is enforced to
fetire, and the duke of Exeter is mafter of the pridge :
I can tell your majefty, the duke is a prave man.
K. Henry. What men have you loft, Fluellen ?
Flu. The perdition of th'athverfary hath been very
great, very reafonable great : marry, for my part, I
think the duke hath loft never a man, but one that
is like to be executed for robbing a church, one Bar-
dolph, if your majefty know the man : his face is all
bubukles, and whelks, and knobs ? , and flames of
fire ; and his lips plows at his nofe, and it is like a
coal of fire, fometimes plue, and fometimes red ; but
his nofe is executed, and * his fire's out.
K. Henry.
3 a d whelks, and knobs,] So, in Chaucer's charafter of a
Sompnou from which, perhaps, Shakefpeare took forae hiut|
for his efcription of Bardolph's face :
A Sompnour was ther with us in that place
That hadde a fire-red cherubiunes face, &c.
Ther n'as quickfilver, litarge, ne brimilon,
Boras, cerufe, ne oile of tartre non,
Ne oinement that wolde clenfe or bite,
That might him helpcn of his r .\:he!J;cs white,
Ne of the knobbes fitting on his chekes."
See the Prologue to the Canterbury Tales, late edit. v. 628, &c.
&TIKVEM.
* hisjire'i tut."] This is the laft time that any fport can be
made with the red face of Bardolph, which, to coiifefs the truth,
feems to have taken more hold on Shakefpeare's imagination than
on any other. The conception is very cold to the Iblitary mi-
dcr,
KING HENRY V. 9l
K. Henry. We would have all fuch offenders fo cut
off : and we give exprefs charge, that, in ourmarches
through the country, there be nothing compelled
from the villages, nothing taken but paid for ; none
of the French upbraided, or abufed in difdainful
Janguage ; For when lenity and cruelty play for a
Jdngdom, the gentleft gamefter is the fooneft winner,
Bucket founds* s Enter Montjoy.
Mont. You know me 6 by my habit.
'K. Henry. Well then, I know thee ; What fliall I
Jcnow of thee ?
Mont. My matter's mind,
K. Henry. Unfold it.
Mont. Thus fays my king : Say thou to Harry of
England, Though we feemed dead, we did but Deep;
Advantage is a better foldier, than raflmefs. Tell him,
we could have rcbuk'd him at Harfleur ; but that we
thought not good to bruife an injury, 'till it were full
ripe : now we fpeak 7 upon our cue, and our voice
is imperial : England lhall repent his folly, fee his
weaknefs, and admire our fufferance. Bid him, there-
fore, coniider of his ranfom ; which muft proportion
the loffes we have borne, the fubjects we have loft,
the difgrace we have digeflcd ; which, in weight to
re-anfwer, his pettinefs would bow under. For our
Joffes, his exchequer is too poor ; for the effufion of
der, thoxigh it may be fomewhat invigorated by the exhibition
pn the ftage. This poet is always more careful about the pre-
lent than the future, about hb audience than his readers.
JOHNSON.
5 Enter Mo-,/tj<;y.~\ 'Mont-joie Is the title of the firft king at arms
in France, as Garter is in our own country. STEEVENS.
6 ly my habit.} That is, by his herald's coat. The perfon
of a herald being inviolable, was diftinguifhed in thofe times of
formality by a peculiar urels, which is likewife yet worn on par-
ticular occafions. JOHNSON.
7 f>cn our cue, ] In our turn. This phrafe the author
Jearned among players, and has imported it to kings. JOHNSON.
our
92 KING HENRY V.
our blood, the mufter of his kingdom too faint a
number; and for our difgrace, his own perfon, kneel-
ing at our feet, but a weak and worthlefs fatisfacftion.
To this add defiance : and tell him, for c -nclufion,
hehathbetray'd his followers, whofe condemnation is
'pronounced. So iar my king and matter ; 8 fo much
my office.
K. Henry. What is thy name ? I know thy quality.
Mont. Montjoy.
K. Henry. Thou dofl thy office fairly. Turn thec
back,
And tell thy king, I do not feek him now ;
But could be willing to march on to Calais
Without impeachment * : for, to fay the footh,
(Though 'tis no wifdom to confefs fo much
Unto an enemy of craft and vantage)
My people are with ficknefs much enfeebled ;
My numbers leflen'd ; and thofe few I have,
Almoft no better than fo many French ;
Who when they were in health, I tell thee, herald,
I thought, upon one pair of Englifh legs
Did march three Frenchmen. Yet, forgive me
God,
That I do brag thus ! this your air of France
Hath blown that vice in me ; I muft repent.
Go, therefore, tell thy mailer, here I am ;
My ranfom, is this frail and worthlefs trunk;
My army, but a weak and fickly guard ;
Yet, 9 God before, tell him we will come on,
Though
8 fo much my office.] This fpeech, as well as another pre-
ceding it, was firft compreis'd into verle by Mr. Pope. Where
he wanted a fyllable, he lupplied it, and where there were too
many for his purpofe, he made i'uitable omifiions. Shikeipeare
(if we may believe fome of the old copies) meant both fpeeches
for profe, and as fuch I have printed them. SJEEVENS,
* Without impeachment.] i. e. hindrance. hm^ccbc .-.
French. STEEVENS.
9 God before, -^ ] This was an expre lion in that age
ior
K I N G H E N R Y V. 93
Though France himfelf, and fuch another neighbour,
Stand in our way. There's for thy labour, Montjoy *.
Go, bid thy matter well advife himfelf :
It \\e may pafs, we will ; if we be hinder'd,
We fliail your tawny ground with your red blood
Difcclour : and fo, Montjoy, fare you well.
The fum of all our anfwer is but this :
We would not feek a battle, as we are ;
Nor, as \ve are, we fay, we will not Hum it ;
So tell your mafter.'
Mont. I ihall deliver fo. Thanks to your high-
nefs. \_Exit.
Glo. I hope, they will not come upon us now.
K. Henry. We are in God's hand, brother, not in
theirs.
March to the bridge ; it now draws toward night :
Beyond the river we'll encamp ourfelves ;
And on to-morro T .v bid them march away. [Exeunt.
for God being my guide, or when ufed to another, Godle thy guide.
So, in an old dialogue between a herdfman and a maiden going on
pilgrimage to Walfingham, the herdfman takes his leave in thefe
words :
" Now, go thy ways, and God before."
To prevent was uled m the fame fenfe. JOHNSOX.
1 There's for thy labour, Montjoy. ~\ It appears from many an-
cient books that it was always cuftomary to reward a herald, whe-
ther he brought defiance or congratulation. So, in the ancient
metrical hiflory of the Battle of Floddon :
" Then gave he to the herald's hand,
** Befides, with it, a rich reward;
** Who haften'd to his native land
*' To fee how with his king it far'd." STEEVENS.
SCENE
94 fc I N G H E N R Y V<
3 S C E N E Vil.
% French camp near Agincourt.
Enter the conjlable of France, the lord Rambures, the Ditke
of Orleans, Dauphin, with others.
Con. Tut ! I have the beft armour of the world.
Would, it were day !
Orl. You have an excellent armour ; but let my
horfe have his due.
Con. It is the beft horfe of Europe.
Orl. Will it never be morning ?
Dau* My lord of Orleans, and my lord high con-
liable, you talk of horfe and armour,
Orl. You are as well provided of both, as any
prince in the world.
Dau. What a long night is this ! I will not change
my horfe with any that treads but on four patterns.
ga, ha ! 4 He bounds from the earth, as if his en-
trails were hairs ; le cheval volant, the Pegafus, qui a
les narines de feu ! When I beftridc him, I foar, I am
a hawk : he trots the air ; the earth lings when he
touches it ; the bafeft horn of his hoof is more nun
fical than the pipe of Hermes.
Orl. He's of the colour of the nutmeg.
Dau. And of the heat of the ginger. It is a
beafl foT Perfeus : he is pure air and fire 5 ; and the
3 Scene VII.] This fcene is fhorter, and I think better, in the
firft editions of 1600 and i6o8v But as the enlargements appear
to be the author's own, I would not omit them. POPE.
* fie bounds from the earth, as if his entrails were hairs J J
Alluding to the bounding of tennis-balls, which were iUifted
with hair, as appears from Much Ado about Nothing^ " And the
old ornament of his cheek hath already ilufPd tennis-balls."
WAREURTON'.
5 he is part air and fire ; anil the dull elements itf earth and
water jtei'cr appear in />/>/,] Thus Cleopatra fpeaking ot herfeli
'* I am air and fire ; ray other elements
41 I etve to bafer life." STEEVENS.
dull
KING HENRY V. "^
dull elements of earth and water never appear in him,
but only in patient ftillnefs, while his rider mounts
him : he is^ indeed, a horfe ; 6 and all other jades you
may call bearta
Con. Indeed, my lord, it is a moil abfolute and
excellent horfe.
Dau. It is the prince of palfreys ; his neigh is
like the bidding of a monarch, and his countenance
enforces homage.
OrL No more, coufin.
Dau. Nay, the man hath no wit, that cannot, from
the rifing of the lark to the lodging of the lamb, vary
deferred praife on my palfrey : it is a theme as fluent
as the fea ; turn the fands into eloquent tongues, and
my horfe is argument for them all : 'tis a fubject for
a fovereign to reafon on, and for a fovereign's fove-
reign to ride on ; and for the world (familiar to us,
and unknown) to lay apart their particular functions,
and wonder at him. I once writ a fonnet in his praife,
and began thus, 7 Wonder of nature,
OrL
6 and" all other jades you May call -Itafts,'} It is plain that
jades and beafts fliould change places, it being the firft word and
ftot the laft, which is the term of reproach ; as afterwards it is
faid:
I had as !!e<ve have my mtflrifi a jade. WAR BURTON.
There is no occalum lor this change. In the Second Part of
King Henry IV. fcene i :
" he gave his all: bcrfe the head,
** And, bending forward, ilruck his armed heels
*' Againft the panting fides of the poor jade"
Jade is fomctimes ufed for a poll -horfe. lieajl is always em-
ployed as a contemptuous diftindion. So, in Macbeth :
' what lea/1 was't then
" That made you break this enterprise to me ?
Again, in Timon : " what a wicked leaf, was I to disfurniJh
myfelf againft ib good a time ?" STEEVENS,
7 Wonder of nature ] Here, I fnppofe, fome foolifh
poem of our authors time is ridiculed ; which indeed partly ap-
pears from the aufwcr. WAR BURTON.
la
9 K I N G H E N R Y V.
Or/. I have heard a fonnet begin fo to one's mu'~
trcfs.
Dau. Then did they imitate that which I compos'd
to my courfer ; for my horfe is my. miftrefs.
Or/. Your miftrefs bears well.
Dau. Me well ; which is the prefcript praife and
perfection of a good and particular miftrefs.
Con. Ma foy ! the other day, mcthought, your mif-
trefs fhrewdly ihook your back.
Dau. So, perhaps, did yours.
Con. Mine was not bridled.
Dau. O ! then, belike, fhe was old and gentle ; and
you rode, 8 like a kerne of Ireland, your French v hofc
off, and in your ftrait troflers.
Con.
In the firft Part of K. Henry VI. aft V. fc. iv. Shakefpeare
himfelf ufes the phrafe which he here feems to ridicule :
" Be not offended, nature's miracle!" MALONE.
The phrafe is only reprehenlible through its mifapplication. It
is furely proper when applied to a woman, but ridiculous indeed
when addrefled to a borfc. STEEVENS.
8 like a kerne of Ireland, your French hofe off, and in your
Jlrait flrolfers.] Thus all the editions have miftaken this word,
which fliould be trojjers ; and fignifies a pair of breeches.
THEOBALD.
This word very frequently occurs in the old dramatic writers.
A man in The Coxcomb of Beaumont and Fletcher, fpeaking to
an Irifh fervant, fays, " I'll have thee flcad, and trojfirs made
of thy (kin, to tumble in." Trojjers appear to have been tight
breeches. The kerns of Ireland anciently rode without breeches,
and therefore firait troffers, 1 believe, means only in their naked
Ikin, which fits clofe to them. The word is ftill preferved, but
now written trenvfers. STEEVENS.
" T'ronfes," fays the explanatory Index to Cox's Hiflory oflre-
land, " are breeches and ftockings made to fit as clofe to the body
as can be." Several of the morris-dancers repreiented upon the
print of my window, have fuch hofe or ftrait troulers ; but the
poet feems by the waggifh context to have a further meaning.
ToLLET.
The following paflage in Heyvvood's Challenge for Beauty^
1636, proves, that the ancient Irifli troufen were fomewhat more
than mere buff.
KING-HENRYV. 97
Con. You have good judgment in horfemanfhip.
Dau. Be warn'd by me then : they that ride Ib, and
ride not warily, fall into foul bogs ; I had rather have
my horfe to rr\y miflrefs.
Con. I had as lief have my miflrefs a jade.
Dau. I tell thee, conflable, my miftrefs wears her
own hair.
Con. I could make as true a boafl as that, if I had
a fow to my miflrefs.
Dau. Le chien eft retourne a Jon propre vomiffement 9
y la trule lavee au bourbier : thou mak'ft ufe of any
thing.
Con* Yet do I not ufe my horfe for my miflrefs ; or
any fuch proverb, fo little kin to the purpofe.
Ram. My lord conflable, the armour, that I faw
in your tent to-night, are thofe flars, or funs, upon it ?
Con. Stars, my lord.
Dan. Some of them will fall to-morrow, I hope.
Con. And yet my iky lhall not want.
Dau. That may be, for you bear many fuperfiu-
oufly ; and 'twere more honour, fome were away.
Con. Even as your horfe bears your praifes ; who
would trot as well, were fome of your brags dif-
mounted.
Dau. Would I were able to load him with h is deferti
" Manburft. No, for my money give me your fubftantial
En.glifli hofe, round, and fomewhat full afore.
" Maid. Now they are, methinks, a little too great.
*' Manb. The more the difcretion ot the landlord that builds
them he makes room enough for his tenant to iland upright m
them he may walk in and out at eafe without Hooping : but of
all the reft I am clean out of love with your Iriih tropes ; they
are for all the world like a jealous wife, always clofe at a man's
tayle." The fpeaker is here circumftantially defcribing the fa-
fliions of different countries. So, again, in Bulwer's Pedigree of
the Englijb Gallant, 1653 :"" Bombafted and paned hofe were,
fmce I can remember, in fafliion ; but now our hofe are made fo
clofe to our breeches, that, like lnft\tr<n.vfes, they too manifestly
difcover the dimeulion of every part." lu Sir John Oldtaftle^
the word is fpelt jlrouc COLICS*
VOL. VI. H Will
9 S K I N G H E N R Y V.
Will it never be day ? I will trot to-morrow a mile,'
and my way fhall be paved with Englilh faces.
Con. I will not fay fo, for fear I fhould be fac'd out
of my way : But I would it were morning, for I would
fain be about the ears of the Englifh.
Ram. Who will go to hazard with me for twenty
Englilh prifoners 9 ?
Con. You muft firfl go yourfelf to hazard, ere you
have them.
Diiu. 'Tis midnight, I'll go arm myfelf. \_Exit.
Orl. The Dauphin longs for morning.
Ram. He longs to eat the Englifh.
Con. I think, he will eat all he kills.
Orl. By the white hand of my lady, he's a gallant
prince.
Con. Swear by her foot, that fhe may tread out the
oath.
Orl. He is, fimply, the moft active gentleman of
France.
Con. Doing is activity ; and he will flill be doing.
Orl. He never did harm, that I heard of.
Con. Nor will do none to-morrow ; he will keep
that good name ftill.
Orl. I know him to be valiant.
Con. I was told that^ by one that knows him better
than you.
Orl. What's he ?
Con. Marry, he told me fo himfelf ; and he faid, &e
car'd not who knew it.
Orl. He needs not, it is no hidden virtue in him*-
Con. By my faith, Sir, but it is ; never any body
9 W7jo will go to hazard ivit/j me for twenty EngllJJ: prifoners ?j|
So, in the old anonymous Henry V :
** Come and you fee what me tro at the kind's drummer audl
fife."
" Faith me will tro nt the earl of Northumberland and, no\Ti
I will tro at the king himfelf, Sec."
This incident, however, might hve been furnifl:ed by the ch?o-i
side. STEEVENS,
fawl
K I N G H E N R Y V. $ g
nw it, but ' his lacquey : * 'tis a hooded valour ; and,
whim it appears, it will bate.
Or/. Ill will never faid wcjl.
Con. J I will cap that proverb with There is flat*
tery in friendlhip.
Or/. And I will take up that withi Give the devil
his due.
Con. Well plac'd ; there (lands your friend for the
devil.: have at the very eye of that proverb, 4 with
A pox of the devil.
Or. You are the better at proverbs, by how much
A fool's bolt is foon (hot.
"Con. You have (hot over.
Or/. 'Tis not the firft time you were over-ihot*
Enter a Meffenger.
Mtff. My lord high conftablc, the Engliih lie witH-
in fifteen hundred paces of your tent.
Con. Who hath meafnr'd the ground ?
Mef The lord Grandpre.
Co/i. A valiant and mod expert gentleman.
* 'Would it were day ! Alas, poor Harry of Eng-
land ! he longs not for the dawning, as we do.
fas lacquey : ] He has beaten nobody yet but his footboy.
JoHNSOJC.
* V/j a hooded valour, andvoken it appears, it will bat?.]
This is faid with allufion to falcons which are kept /W/Wwhen
they are not to fly at game, and as foon as the hood is oiT, bait
or flap the wing. The meaning is, the Dauphin's valour has
never been let loofe upon an enemy, yet, when he makes his tirit
tll?y, we ihall fee how he will flutter. JOHNSON-.
3 / 1 v/// cap that proverb ] Alluding to the practice or cap-
ping verlcs. JOHNSON.
+ ^Itb^A pox of tbe devil!^ The qunrtcs 1600, and 1608
read, <zu//, Ajogge of the devil. STEEVENS.
5 'irouM it were day / ] Inikad of this and the fucceeding
fpeeches, the 4108 1600 and i6o3 conclude this icene, witH
a couplet :
Come, cone <r:i'."y,
The fun is bigb^ and we ivear out tie day, STEEVENS.
H 2 Or/.
loo KING HENRY T,
Or/. What a wretched and peevifh* fellow is this
king of England, to mope with his fat-brain'd fol-
lowers fo far out of his knowledge !
Con. If the Englifh had any apprehenfion, they
would run away.
Or/. That they lack ; for if their heads had any in-
tellectual armour, they could never wear fuch heavy
head-pieces.
Ram. That ifland of England breeds very valiant
creatures ; their maftiffs are of unmatchable courage.
Or/. Fodlifh curs ! that run winking into the mouth
of a Ruffian bear, and have their heads crufh'd like
rotten apples : You may as well fay, that's a valiant
flea, that dare eat his breakfaft on the lip of a lion.
Con. Juft, juft ; and the men do fympathize with
the maftiffs, in robuftious and rough coming on,
leaving their wits with their wives : and then give
them .great meals of beef 6 , and iron and fleel, they
will eat like wolves, and fight like devils.
Or/. Ay, but thefe Englifh are fhrewdly out of
beef.
Con. Then we fliall find to-morrow they have only
ftomachs to eat, and none to fight. Now it is time
to arm ; Come, fliall we about it ?
Or/. Tis two o'clock : but, let me fee, by
ten,
We fliali have each a hundred Englifhmen.
* Peevffi, in ancient language, figmfied foolifh, filly. Many
examples of this are given in a note on Cymbeline, A&. I. fc. 7 :
'* He's ftrange and peevijh" STEEVENS.
6 give them great meals of beefy] So, in K. Edw. III.
1599:
" but fcant them of their chines of leef,
" And takeaway their downy featherbeds, &c."
STEEVEKS.
ACT
KING HENRY V. L0 i
ACT IV.
Enter Chorus.
Ckorus. Now entertain conjecture of a time,
%Vhen creeping murmur, and the poring dark,
7 Fills the wide veflel of the univerfe.
From camp to camp, through the foul womb of
night,
The hum of either army flilly founds,
That the fix'd centinels almoft receive
The fecret whifpers of each other's watch :
Fire ajifwers fire ; and through their paly flames
Each battle fees * the other's umber'd face :
Steed
7 Fills the ivide vejjcl of the univerfe. ,] Univerfe for horizon :
for we are not to think Shakefpeare fo ignorant as to imagine it
was night over the whole globe at once. He intimates he knew
otherwife, by that fine line in the Midfummer Night's Dream :
following darknefs like a dream,
Befides, the image he employs (hews he meant but half the
globe ; the horizon round, which has the lhape of a veflel or
goblet. WAR BUR TON.
There is a better proof that Shakefpeare knew the order of
night and day, in Macbeth :
.** Nff-w o'er one half the world
" Nature fe-ems dead."
But there was no great need of any juftification. The univerfe ^
in its original fenfe, -no more means this globe fingly than the
circuit of the horizon ; but, however large in its philofophical
fenfe, it may be poetically ufed for as much of the world as falls
under obfervation. Let me remark further, that ignorance can-
not be certainly inferred from inaccuracy. Knowledge is not al-
ways prefent. JOHNSON.
8 the other* s umber* d face :] Umber* d or umlred is a term in
blazonry, and fignifies fhadowed. WAR BURTON.
the other's umber'd face :]
Of this epithet ufed by Shakefpeare in his defcription of fires
reflected by night, Mr. Pope knew the value, and has tranfplant-
^d it into the Iliad on a like occafion :
** Whofe umber' d arms by turns thick flalhes fend."
H 3 Umltr
to* K I N G H E N R Y V.
Steed threatens fteed, in high and boaftful neighs
Piercing the night's dull ear ; 9 and from the tents^
The armourers, accomplifning the knights,
With bufy hammers clofing rivets up,
Give dreadful note of preparation.
1 The country cocks do crow, the clocks do toll ;
And
Umler is a brown colour. So, in As Tou Like It :
" And with a kind of nmftr fmirch ray race.' 4
The diilant vifages of the foldiers would certainly appear of this
hue when beheld through the light of midnight fires. Blazonry,
I believe, does not acknowledge the word ymlx-r'd. Adumbra-
tion^ indeed, fays Guillim, is ^Jkad.r ::-. &c. and I meet with
the fame word in Warner's Albion's li^n^land, 1602. B. X.
chap. Ivi :
" Sweet adumbrations of her zeale, Sec." STEEVENS.
Another interpretation occurs, evpreiFve. of the preparation of
both armies for an engagement. In Hamlet, aft III. Mr. Stee-
vens gives the following quotation from Sto-ve's Chronicle, " He
brail up his umbci' three times," Where umler means the vizor
of the helmet, as mnbricre doth in Spaifer, from the French om-
bre, ombriere, or ombrairc, a fliadow, an umbrella, or a,ny thing
that hides o- rovers the face. Hence umbered f-ice may denote 4
face armed with a hehnet, a^ in K. Henry IV :
41 I law young Harry with his bever on."
and in the prefcnt play :
" Big Mars fecms bankrupt in their beggard hoil,
" And faintly through a ruuy heaver preps."
Beaver here means exactly the fame'with wnber in Stowe.
TOLI.ET.
nnd from the tents , ] See the preparation for the battle be
tween 1 alamon and Arcite in Chaucer :
' And on the morwe, when the clay 'gan fpring,
' Of horfe and barneis noife and clattering,
* There was in the hoflelirics all about :
' The foamy fteues on the golden bridel
' Gnavving, .and fttft the armureres alfo
' With fik and hammer priking to and fro," &c.
WAR TDK.
1 77r country cocks do crow, the clocks do toll ;
And (the third hour of dro*vfy morning nam'd)
Pr nil d of their number!, and facurr infmtl,
7 he confident, and over-lujly French
Do the low-rated Englijh play at dice ; ]
I be.
K I N G H E N R Y V. I03
.And the third hour of drowfy morning name.
Proud of their numbers, and fecurc in fpul,
The confident and over-lufty French
5 Do the low-rated Englilh play at dice ;
And chide the cripple tardy-gaited night,
Who, like a foul and ugly witch, doth limp
So tediouily away. The poor condemned Englilh,
jLike facriiices, by their watchful fires
Sit patiently, and inly ruminate
The morning's danger ; and their gefture fad,
3 Inverting lank-lean cheeks, and war-worn coats,
Prefcnted them unto the gazing moon
So many horrid ghofts. O, now, who will behold
J believe every reader of tafte muft be hurt by that heavy paren?
thefis in the fecond line. How much better might we read thus ?
1'be country cocks do croiv, the clocks do toll,
And the third hour of drovcfy morning name.
Then begin another fentence. TYRWHITT.
J have admitted this very neceflary and elegant emendation.
STEEVENS.
1 Do the low-rated Englffi play at dice ;] i.e. do play them
away at dice. WAR BUR TON.
3 Inverting lank-lean cheeks, ] A gefture infuejling checks and
foats is nonfenfe. We mould read :
Invert in lank-lean cheeks
which is fenfe, /. c. their fad gefture was cloath'd, or fet off, in
lean checks and worn coats. The jmage is ftrong and pictu-
refque. WAR BUR TON.
Yet perhaps even this change is unneceflary. The harfhnefs
of the metaphor is what offends, which means only, that their,
looks are inverted in mournful gertures.
Such another harfh metaphor occurs in Much Ado about "Nothing;
" For my part, I am fo attired in wonder,
" I know not what to fay." STEEVENS.
Gefture only relates to their checks, after which word there
faould be a comma, as in the firll folio. In the fecond fong of
Sidney's AJlrophcl and Stella :
" Anger invefts the face with a lovely grace." TOLLET.
The prefent time runs throughout the whole of the defcription,
except in this inftance, where the change feems very improper,
\ believe we fliould read, prrfent$th. STEEVENS.
lave/ling, perhaps we mould read, in fajlln^ &c. ANON.
H 4 The
io4 KING HENRY V.
Thejroyal captain of this ruin'd band,
Walking from watch to watch, from tent to tent,
Let him cry Praife and glory on his head !
For forth he goes, and vifits all his hoft ;
Bids them good morrow, with a modeft fmile ;
And calls them brothers, friends, and countrymen*
Upon his royal face there is no note,
How dread an army hath enrounded him ;
Nor doth he Dedicate one jot of colour
Unto the weary and all-watched night :
But freihly looks, and over-bears attaint,
With cheerful femblance, and fweet majefty ;
That every wretch, pining and pale before,
Beholding him, plucks comfort from his looks :
A largefs univerfal, like the fun,
His liberal eye doth give to every one,
Thawing, cold 4 fear. Then, mean and gentle all,
Behold, as may unworthinefs define,
A little touch of Harry in the night :
Apd fo our fcene muft to the battle fly ;
Wliere, (O for pity !) we Ilia 11 much difgrace
With four or five moft vile and ragged foils,
Right ill difpos'd, in brawl ridiculous,
The name of Agincourt : Yet, fit and fee ;
5 Minding true things by what their mockeries be.
[Exit.
* fear, that mean and gentle all,
Behold (as may, &c.]
As this flood, it was a moft perplex'd and nonfenfical paflage :
and could not be intelligible, but as I have cbrre<fted it. The
poet, then addreffing himfelf to every degree of his audience,
tells them, he'll {hew (as well as his unworthy pen and powers
can defcribe it) a little touch or Iketch of this hero in the night.
THEOBALD.
5 Minding true things ] To mind is the fame as to call to re-
membrance. JOHNSON.
SCENE
KING HENRY V. 105
SCENE I.
The EngtiJJ] camp, at Ag'mcourt.
Enter King Henry, Bedford, and Glofter.
K. Henry. Glofter, 'tis true, that we are in great
danger ;
The greater therefore fhould our courage be.
Good morrow, brother Bedford. God Almighty !
There is fome foul of goodnefs in things evil,
Would men obfervingly diftil it out ;
For our bad neighbour makes us early flirrers,
Which is both healthful, and good hufbandry :
Befides, they are our outward confciences,
And preachers to us all ; admonifhing,
That we ihould drefs us fairly for our end.
Thus may we gather honey from the weed,
And make a moral of the devil himfelf.
Rnter Erpingham.
Good morrow, 6 old Sir Thomas Erpingham :
A good foft pillow for that good white head
Were better than a churlim turf of France.
Erplng. Not fo, my liege ; this lodging likes me
better,
Since I may fay now lie I like a king.
K. Henry. 'Tis good for men to love their prefent
pains,
Upon example ; fo the fpirit is eafed :
And, when the mind is quicken'd, out of doubt,
6 old Sir T"bomas Erfingbam :] Sir Thomas Erpingham cam*
over with Bolingbroke from Bretagne, and was one of the com-
milBoners to receive king Richard's abdication.
EDWARD'S MS.
Sir Thomas Erpingham was in Henry V.'s time warden of
Dover caftle. His arms are ftill vifible on one fide of the Ro-
;nan pharos. SrEEvtis's.
The
io6 KING HENRY V.
The organs, though defunct and dead before,
Break up their drowfy grave, and newly move
7 With eafted flough and frefh legerity.
Lend me thy cloak, Sir Thomas. Brothers both,
Commend me to the princes in our camp ;
Do my good morrow to them ; and, anon,
Defire them all to my pavilion.
Glo. We fhall, my liege.
Ei-ping. Shall I attend your grace ?
A'. Henry. No, my good knight ;
Go with my brothers to my lords of England :
I and my bofom muft debate a while,
And then I would no other company.
Erping. The Lord in heaven bids thee, noble
Harry !
K. Henry. God-a-mercy, old heart \ thou fpeak'ft
cheerful iy. [Qxtunt*
Enter piftol*
Pift. Qui va la ?
K. Henry. A friend.
Pift. Diicufs unto me ; Art thou officer ?
Or art thou bafc, common, and popular ?
K. Henry. I am a gentleman of a company,
Pift. Trail'ft thou the puiffant pike ?
K. Henry. Even fo : What are you ?
Pift. As good a gentleman as the emperor.
K. Henry. Then you are a better than the king.
Pift. The king's a bawcock, and a heart of gold ;
7 W1.-iicb cafled .ficngh ] Slongb is the {kin which the ferpent
annually throws oft", and by the change of which he is iuppoicd
to regain new vigour and frefh youth. Legerity is lightnelg,
himblenefs. JOHNSON.
So, itj Stanyhurft's tranflation of A7;y/7, B. IV. 1582 :
" His Jloiigb uncafing himfelf now youthfully bleacheth."
legerity is a word ufed by Ben Jonlbn in JEvny 31an out of I-ls
Humour. STEEVENS.
A lad
K I N G H E N R Y V. I0?
A lad of life, an imp of fame 8 ;
Of parents good, of fift moft valiant :
1 kils his dirty fhoc, and from my heart-ftrings
I love the lovely bully. What's thy name ?
K. Henry. Harry le Roy.
Pi/I. Le Roy ! a Corniih name : art thou of Corniflj
crew ?
K. Henry. No, I am a Welfnman.
Pift. Know'ft thou Fluellen ?
K. Henry. Yes.
Pift. Tell him, I'll knock his leek about his pate
Upon faint David's day.
K. Henry. Do not you wear your dagger in your cap
that day, left he knock that about yours.
Pift. Art thou his friend ?
K. Henry. And his kinfman too.
Pift. The figo for thee then !
K. Henry. 1 thank you : God be with you !
Pift. My name is Piftol call'd. [Exit,
K. Henry. It forts 9 well with your fiercenefs.
Enter F'luellen, and Gozver, federally,
Gow. Captain Fluellen,
Flu. So ! in the name of Chelhu Chrift, fpeak fewer.
It is the greatcft admiration in the univerfal 'odd,
when the true and auncient prerogatifes and laws of
the wars is not kept : if you would take the pains
but to examine the wars of Pompey the great, you
fhall find, I warrant you, that there is no tittle tattle,
8 an imp of fame ;] An imp is zjijoot in its primitive fenfe,
but means a Jon in Shakefpeare. In Holinfhed, p. 951, the laft
words of lord Cromwell are preferved, who fays, " and after
him that his fonne prince Edward, that goodlie impe, may long
rcigne over you." STEEVEXS.
9 //forts] i.e. it agrees. So, in Chapman's verfion of the
j;th book of the OJfffey :
" His faire lon^; lance wellyir/:;?^ with his hand."
STEEVEXS.
nor
roS K I N G H E N R Y V.
nor pibble pabble, in Pompey's camp ; I warrant
you, you fhall find the ceremonies of the wars, and
the cares of it, and the forms of it, and the fobriety
of it, and the modefty of it, to be otherwife.
Gaii\ Why, the enemy is loud ; you heard him all
night.
Flu. If the enemy is an afs and a fool, and a prat-
ing coxcomb, is it meet, think you, that we fhould
alib, look you, be an afs, and a fool, and a prating
coxcomb ; in your own confidence now ?
Gozv. I will fpeak lower.
Flu. I pray you, and befeech you, that you will.
[Exeunt.
K. Henry. Though it appear a little out of fafhion,
There is much care and valour in this Welfhman.
Enter three foldiers, John Bates, Alexander Court, and
Michael Williams.
Court. Brother John Bates, is not that the morning
xvhich breaks yonder ?
Bates. I think it be : but we have no great caufe
to defire the approach of day.
Will. We fee yonder the beginning of the day, but,
1 think, we fhall never fee the end of it. Who goes
there ?
K. Henry. A friend.
Will* Under what captain ferve you ?
K. Henry. Under Sir Thomas Erpingham.
Will. A good old commander, and a mofl kind
gentleman : I pray you, what thinks he of oureftate ?
K. Henry. Even as men wreck'd upon a land, that
)ook to be wafh'd off the next tide.
Bates. He hath not told his thought to the king ?
K. Henry. No ; nor it is not meet he fhould. For,
though I fpeak it to you, I think, the king is but a
man, as I am : the violet fmells to him, as it doth to
me ; the element fhews to him, as it doth to me ; all
his
K I N G H E N R Y V. 109
his fenfes have but human f conditions : his ceremo-
nies laid by, in his nakednefs he appears but a man;
and though hisaffe&ionsarehighermountedthanours,
yet, when they ftoop, they Hoop with the like wiag ;
therefore when he fees reafon of fears, as we do, his
fears, out of doubt, be of the fame relifh as ours are :
Yet, in reafon, no man Ihould poflefs him with any
appearance of fear, left he, by ihewing it, ihould dif-
hearten his army.
Bates. He may fhew what outward courage he
will : but, I believe, as cold a night as 'tis, he could
wifh himfelf in the Thames up to the neck.; and fo
I would he were, and I by him, at all adventures, fo
we were quit here.
K. Henry. By my troth, I will fpeak my confcience
of the king; I think, he would not wiih himfelf any
where but where he is.
Bates. Then, 'would he wjere here alone; fo Ihould
he be fure to be ranfom'd, and a many poor men's
lives fav'd.
A'. Henry. I dare fay, you love him not fo ill, to
\\illi him here alone; howfoever you fpeak this, to
feel other men's minds : Methinks, I could not die
any where fo contented, as in the king's company ;
his caufe being juft, and his quarrel honourable.
Will. That's more than we know.
Bates. Ay, or more than we Ihould feek after ; for
we know enough, if we know we are the king's fub-
jedts : if his caufe be wrong, our obedience to the
king wipes the crime of it out of us.
Witt. But, if the caufe be not good, the king him-
felf hath a heavy reckoning to make ; when all thofe
1 conditions :] Are qualities. The meaning is, that objects
are reprefented by his fenfes to him, as to other men by theirs.
What is danger to another is danger likewile to him, and when
he feds fear it is like the fear oi meaner mortals. JOHXSOX.
legs,
no KING HENRY V,
legs, and arms, and heads, chop'd off in a battle;
lhall join together at the latter day, and cry all \Vo
dy'd at fuch a place ; fome, fwearing ; fome, crying
for a furgeon ; fome, upon their wives left poor be-
hind them ; fome, upon the debts they owe ; fome,
upon 4 their children rawly left. I am afeard there
are few die well, that die in a battle ; for how can they
charitably difpofe of any thing, when blood is their
argument ? Now, if thefe men do not diewell, it will
be a black matter for the king that led them to it ;
whom to difobey, were againft all proportion of fub-
jeclion.
K. Henry. So, if a fon, that is by his father fent
about merchandize, do finfully mifcarry upon the
fea, the imputation of his wickednefs, by your rule,
Ihould be impofed upon his father that fent him : or
if a fervant, under his matter's command, tranfport-
ing a fum of money, be affail'd by robbers, and die'
in many irreconcird iniquities, you may call the buli-
nefs of the mafter the author of the fervant's damna-
tion : But this is not fo : the king is not bound to an-
fwer the particular endings of his foldiers, the father
of his fon, nor the mailer of his fervant ; for they
purpofe not their death, when they purpofe their fcr-
vices. Befides, there is no king, be his caufe never
fo fpotlefs, if it come to the arbitrement of fwords,
can try it out with all unipotted foldiers. Some, pcr-
adventure, have on them the guilt of premeditated
and contrived murder ; fome, of beguiling virgins
with the broken feals of perjury ; fome, making the
wars their bulwark, that have before gored the gentle
bofam of peace with pillage and robbery. Now if
thefe men have defeated the law, and out-run native
their children rawly left*] That is, without preparation,
fudtlenly. What is not matured is raiv. So, in Macbeth;
" Why in this rawaefs. left he wife and children."
JOHNSON.
punifh-
KING HENRY V. .,
Jmnifhment ', though they can out-drip men, they
have no wings to fly from God : war is his beadle,
war is his vengeance ; fo that here men arepunimed,.
lor bcfore-breach of the king's laws, in now th*
king's quarrel : where they feared the death, they have
borne life away ; and where they would be fafe, the^
perifh : Then if they die unprovided, no more is'the
king guilty of their damnation, than he was before
guilty of thofe impieties for the which they are now
vifited. 4 Every fubjecl's duty is the king's ; but every
fubjecYs foul is his own. Therefore mould every fol-
dicr in the wars do as every fick man in his bed, walh
every moth out of his confcience : and dying fo, death
is to him advantage ; or not dying, th-e time was blef-
fedly loft, wherein fuch preparation was gained : and,
in him that efcapes, it were not fin to think, that,
making God fo free an offer, he let him out-live that
day to fee his greatnefs, and to teach others how they
fhould prepare.
Will. 'Tis certain, that every man that dies ill, the
ill is upon his own head, the king is not to anfwer
for it.
Bates. I do not deiire he mould anfwer for me; and
yet I determine to fight luftily for him.
K. Henry* I myfelf heard the king fay, he would
not be ranfom'cl.
Will. Ay, he faid fo, to make us fight cheerfully :
but, when our throats are cut, he may be ranfom'd,
and we ne'er the wifer.
K. Henry. If I live to fee it, I will never truft his
word after.
3 i native pnnijhme /, ] That is, pimifhrnent In their na-
tive country. REVISAL. i.e. fuch as they are born to if they
offend. STEEVENS.
* Every fulycft's duty ] This is a very juft diftinftion, and
the whole argument is well followed, and properly concluded.
JOHSSOX.
H2 K I N G H E N R Y V.
Will. You pay him then ! 5 that's a perilous Ihot out
of an elder gun, that a poor and private difpleafure
can do againft a monarch ! you may as well go about
to turn the fun to ice, with fanning in his face with a
peacock's feather. You'll never truft his word after !
come, 'tis a foolilh faying.
K. Henry. Your reproof is fomething too round ;
I ihould be angry with you, if the time were con-
venient.
Will. Let it be a quarrel between us, if you live.
K. Henry. I embrace it.
Will. How fhall I know thee again ?
K. Henry. Give me any gage of thine, and I will
wear it in my bonnet : then, if ever thou dar'ft ac-
knowledge it, I will make it my quarrel.
Will. Here's my glove ; give me another of thine.
K. Henry. There.
Will. This will I alfo wear in my cap : if ever
thou come to me and fay, after to-morrow, This h
my glove, by this hand, I will take thee a box on
the ear.
K. Henry. If ever I live to fee it, I will challenge
it.
Will. Thou dar'ft as well be hang'd.
K. Henry. Well, I will do it, though I take thce
in the king's company.
Will. Keep thy word : fare thee well.
Bates. Be friends, you Englilh foojs, be friends ; we
have French quarrels enough, if you could tell how to
reckon,
K, Henry. Indeed, the French may lay 6 twenty
French
5 tba? s a perilous Jhot out of an elder-gun, ] In the old play
the thought is more opened. // is a great difpleafure that an elder
gun can do again/I a cannon. JOHNSON.
6 twenty French crowns ] This conceit, rather too low
for a king, has been already explained, as alluding to the vene-
real difeafe. JOHNSON.
There
K I N G H E N R Y V. 1,3
French crowns toone, they will beat us ; for they bear
them on their fhoulders : But it is no Englifh treafon,
to cut French crowns ; and, to-morrow, the king him-
felf will be a clipper. [Exeunt foldiers.
4 Upon the king ! let us our lives, our fouls,
Our debts, our careful wives, our children, and
Our fins, lay on the king ; we mufl bear all.
O hard condition ! twin-born with greatnefs,
Subjected to the breath of every fool,
Whofe fenfe no more can feel but his own wringing !
What infinite heart's eafe muft kings neglect,
That private men enjoy ? and what have kings,
That privates have not too, fave ceremony ?
Save general ceremony ?
And what art thou, thou idol ceremony ?
What kind of god art thou, that fuffer'ft more
Of mortal griefs, than do thy worfhippers ?
J What are thy rents ? what are thy comings-m ?
O cere-
There is furely no neceflity for fuppofing any allufion In this
pajjage to the venereal difeafe. The conceit here feems to turn
jnerely upon the equivocal fenfe of frown, which fignifies either
a coin ', or a bead. TYRWHITT.
7 Upon the king ! &c.] This beautiful fpeech was added after
the full edition. POPE.
There is fomething very ftriking and folemn in this foliloquy,
into which the king breaks immediately as foon as he is left alone.
Something like this, on lefs occa lions, every breait has felr.
Reflection and ferioufnefs rufli upon the mind upon the feparation
of a gay company, and efpecially after forced and unwilling
merriment. JOHNSON.
8 What are thy rents ? What are thy comings in? .
O ceremony, Jhe*LV me but thy worth ;
What ! is thy foul of adoration ?~\
Thus is the laft line given us, and the nonfenfe of it made worfe
by the ridiculous pointing. We fliould read, WJjat Is thy toll,
O adoration ! Let us examine how the context {rands with my
emendation. What are thy rents ? What are thy com ings -in ?
What is thy worth ? What is thy toll ? (/. e . the duties and im-
pojls, thou receive!! :) all is here confonant, and agreeable to a
ienfible exclamation. So King John : *' No Italian prieft Jhall
tithe or toll in our dominions," But the Oxford editor, now he find*
VOL. VJ. I th<r
H4 KING HENRY V.
ceremony, fliew me but thy worth !
What is thy foul, O adoration ?
Art thou aught elfe but place, degree, and form,
Creating awe and fear in other men ?
Wherein thou art lefs happy being fear'd,
Than they in fearing.
What drink'ft thou oft, inftead of homage fvveet,
But poifon'd flattery ? O, be fick, great greatnefs,
And bid thy ceremony give thee cure !
Think'ft thou, the fiery fever will go out
With titles blown from adulation ?
Will it give place to flexure and low bending ?
Can'ft thou, when thou command'ft the beggar's knee,
Command the health of it ? No, thou proud dream,
That play'ft fo fubtly with a king's repofe,
1 am a king, that find thee : and I know,
'Tis not the balm, the fcepter, and the ball,
The fword, the mace, the crown imperial,
the way open for alteration, reads, Wfjat is thy (hew nf asfrra-
tion ? By which happy emendation, what is about to be enquir*
cd into, is firfl taken for granted ; namely, that ceremony is but
a (hew. And to make room for this word here, which is found
in the immediate preceding line, he degrades it there, but puts
as good a word indeed in its ftead, that is to fay, tell.
WAR BUR TON.
This emendation is not ill conceived, yet I believe it is erro-
neous. The firfl copy reads, What? is the foul of adoration.
This is incorrect, but I think we may difcover the true reading
eafily enough to be, What is thy foul, O adoration ? That is, O
reverence paid to kings, 'what art thou -within ? What are thy
real qualities ? What is thy intrinjtc value? JOHNSON.
The quarto has not this fpeech. The folio reads What ? is
thy foul of adoration ? STEEVENS.
I do not fee any neceffity for departing from the old reading :
W T hat is the foul of adoration ?
The fame expreffion is found in many of Shakefpeare's plays. So,
in Troilus and Crejjlda :
'* my very foul of counfel."
Again, in K. Henry IV. Part I :
" The very bottom and the foul of hope."
Again, in the Midfummer Night's Dream:
' the/)*/*/ love." MALONE,
The
KING HENRY V. 115
The enter-tiflued robe of gold and pearl,
The 9 farfed title running 'fore the king,'
The throne he fits on, nor the tide of pomp
That beats upon the high fhore of the world,
No, not all thefe, thrice-gorgeous ceremony,
Not all thefe, laid in bed majeftical,
1 Can fleep fo foundly as the wretched Have ;
Who, with a body fill'd, and vacant mind,
Gets him to reft, cramm'd with diitrefsful bread,
Never fees horrid night, the child of hell ;
But, like a lacquey, from the rife to fet,
Sweats in the eye of Phoebus, and all night
Sleeps in Elyfium ; next day, after dawn,
Doth rife, and help Hyperion to his horfe ;
And follows fo the ever-running year
With profitable labour, to his grave :
And, but for ceremony, fuch a wretch,
Winding up days with toil, and nights with fleep,
Had the fore-hand and vantage of a king.
The flave, a member of the country's peace,
Enjoys it ; but in grofs brain little wots,
What watch the king keeps to maintain the peace,
Whofe hours the peafant belt advantages.
9 farfed title running &c.] Farfed is Jtujfcd. The tumid
puffy titles with which a king's name is always introduced. This
I think is the fenfe. JOHNSON.
So, in All for Money, by T. Lupton, 1574 :
" -- belly-gods fo fwarm,
" Farced, and flowing with all kind of gall."
Again :
" And like a greedy cormorant with belly full farced."
Again, in Jacob and Efan, 1568:
To make both broth and farcing, and that full deinty."
of the firft book of F'iril :
Again, in Stanyhurfl's verfion of
" Or eels VK farcing with dulce and delicat hoonny."
Again, in Every Man out of bis Humour :
" - farce thy lean ribs with it too." STEEVENS.
1 Canjleepfo foundly , &c.] Thefe lines are exquilitely pleaf-
ing. To fiveaf in the eye of fhoelus, and to Jleep in Elyfium, are
expreffions very poetical. JOHNSON.
I 2 Enter
>i6 K I N G H E N R Y V.
Enter Erpinghatn.
Erp. My lord, your nobles, jealous of your ab-
fence,
Seek through your camp to find you.
K. Henry, Good old knight,
Colled: them all together at my tent :
I'll be before thee.
Erp. I fliall do't, my lord. [Exit.
K. Henry. O God of battles ! Heel my foldiers'
hearts !
Poflefs them not with fear ; * take from them now
The fenfe of reckoning, if the oppofed numbers
Pluck their hearts from them ! Not to-day, O Lord 3
not to-day, think not upon the fault
My father made in compafling the crown !
1 Richard's body have interred new ;
Jn former editions :
" take from them *<KV
The fenfe of reclining of tV oppofed numbers:
Pluck their hearts from them ! ]
Thus the firft folio. The poet might intend, " Take from them
the fenfe of reckoning thofe oppofed numbers ; which might
pluck their courage from them." But the relative not being ex-
prefs'd, the fenfe is very obfcure. THEOBALD.
The change is admitted by Dr. Warburton, and rightly. Sir
T. Hanmer reads :
' the oppofed numbers
Which Jl and before them.
This reading he borrowed from the old quarto, which gives the
pafiage thus :
Take from them now the fenfe of reckoning ,
That the oppofed multitudes thatjiand before them
May not appall their courage, JOHNSON.
Theobald's alteration certainly makes a very good fenfe ; but,
I think, we might read, with lefs deviation from the prefent
text :
if tV oppofed numbers
Pluck their hearts from them.
In conjectural criticifm, as in mechanics, the perfe&ion of the
art, I apprehend, confifts in producing a given effect with the
Icail poffible force. TYRWHITT.
And
K I N G H E N R Y V. n 7
And on it have beftow'd more contrite tears,
Than from it iffu'd forced drops of blood.
Five hundred poor I have in yearly pay,
Who twice a day their wither'd hands hold up
Toward heaven, to pardon blood ; and I have built
Two chantries, where the fad and folerrm priefts
Sing flill for Richard's foul. More will I do :
Though all that I can do, is nothing worth ;
3 Since that my penitence comes after all,
Imploring pardon.
Enter Glofter.
Glo. My liege !
K. Henry. My brother Glofter's voice ? Ay ;
I know thy errand, I will go with thee :
The day, my friends, and all things ftay for me.
[Exeunt,
3 Since that my penitence comes after all,
Imploring pardon. ]
"VVe muft obferve, that Henry IV. had committed an injuftice,
of which he, and his fan reap'd the fruits. But reafon tells us,
juftice demands that they who (hare the profits of iniquity, fhali
/hare alfo in the punifhment. Scripture again tells us, that when
men have finned, the grace of God gives frequent invitations to
repentance : which, in the language or divines, are filled calls.
Thefe, if neglected, or carelelly dallied with, are, at length, ir-
recoverably withdrawn, and then repentance comes too late. All
this fliews that the unintelligible reading of the text fhould be
corrected thus :
comes after call. WAR BUR TON.
I wifli the commentator had explained his meaning a little
better ; for his comment is to me lefs intelligible than the text.
I know not what he thinks of the king's penitence, whether
coming in confequence of call, it is fufficicnt 5 or whether coming
when calls have ceafcJ, it is ineffectual. The firft fenfe will fuit
but ill with the pofition, that all ivhich be can do is nothing
worth ; and the latter as ill with the intention of Shakefpeare,
who certainly does not mean to reprefent the king as abandpned
and reprobate.
The old reading is in my opinion eafy and right. / do all
jhis, fays the king, though all that I can do is nothing worth^ is fo
far from an adequate expiation of the crimej tiat penitence comes
after all) imploring par Jon both for the crime and the expiation,
JOHNSON.
I 3 SCENE
nS K I N G H E N R Y V,
SCENE II.
fhe French camp.
Enter tie Dauphin, Orleans, Rambures, and Beaumont*
OrL The fun doth gild our armour ; up, my lords.
Dau. Montez acheval: My horfe ! valet! lacquay !
ha !
OrL O brave fpirit !
Dau. 4 Via ! les eaux & la terre.'
Or 1. Rienplus? I* air tele feu.
Dau. del! coufin Orleans.
Enter Conftable.
Now, my lord Conftable !
Con. Hark, how our fteeds for prefent fervice neigh.
Dau. Mount them, and make incifion in their hides ;
That their hot blood may fpin in Englifh eyes,
And daunt them s with fuperfluous courage : Ha !
4 jr ia i leg eaux & l a terre. ] The Revlfal reads :
Dan. Voyez les eaux & la terre.
OrL Bienpuis 1'air & le feu ?
Dau. Le ciel coufin Orleans.
This is well conjeftured ; nor does the paflage deferve that more
fhould be done : yet I know not whether it might not (land
thus :
Dau. Voytz lei eaux fe* la terre,
Orl. IS air & le feu Rienpuis?
Duu. Le del.
yia is an old hortatory exclamation, as attons ! JOHNSON.
Dr. Johnfon is right. So, in K. Edward III. 1 599 :
" Then yia ! for the fpacious bounds of France !"
Again, in the Fa-ivne, by John Marfton, 1606 :
" Come Pia ! to this feaftful entertainment !"
Again, in Marfton's What you Will^ 1607 :
" Tut, Fia ! let all run glib and fquare !" STEEVENS.
4 And Jaunt tbani\ The firft folio reads doubt, which, per-
haps, may have been ufcd for to make to doubt ; to terrific.
TYRWHITT.
Rant.
K I N G H E N R Y V. II9
&am. What, will you have them weep our horfes*
blood ?
How fliall we then behold their natural tears ?
Enter a Me/finger*
Mejf. The Englifh. are embattled, you French
peers*
Con. To horfe, you gallant princes ! flrait to horfe !
Do but behold yon poor and flarved band,
And your fair mew mall fuck away their fouls,
Leaving them but the lhales and hufks of men.
There is not work enough for all our hands ;
Scarce blood enough in all their fickly veins,
To give each naked curtle-ax a ftain,
That our French gallants mall to-day draw out,
And meath for lack of fport : let us but blow on
them,
The vapour of our valour will o'erturn them.
'Tis pofitive 'gainft all exceptions, lords,
That our fuperfiuous lacqueys, and our peafants/-
Who, in unneceflary adtion, fwarm
About our fquares of battle, were enough
To purge this field of fuch a hilding foe ;
Though we, upon this mountain's bafis by
Took ftand for idle fpeeiilation :
But that our honours muft not. What's to fay ?
A very little little let us do,
And all is done. Then let the trumpets found
6 The tucket-fonuance, and the note to mount :
For
6 The tucht-fonuanc?, &c.] He ufes terms of the field as if they
were going out only to the chafe for fport. To dare the field is
a phrafe in falconry. Birds are dared when by the falcon in the
air they are terrified from rifing, fo that they will be fometimes
taken by the hand.
Such an eafy capture the lords expected to make of the Eng-
lifli. JOHNSON.
The titcket-fonuance was, I believe, the name of an introduc-
bry floutiih on the trumpet, as toccata in Italian is the prelude
I, of
f 20 KING HENRY V.
For our approach fhall fo much dare the field,
That England ftiall couch down in fear, and yield,
Enter Grandpre.
Grand. Why do you flay fo long, my lords of
France ?
Yon ifland carrions, defperate of their bones,
lll-favour'dty become the morning field :
Their ragged curtains poorly are let loofe,
And our air lhakes them patting fcornfully.
Big Mars feems bankrupt in their beggar'd hoft,
And faintly through a rufty beaver peeps.
7 Their horfemen fit like fixed candleflicks,
Withtorch-ftavesin their hand : and their poor jades
Lob down their heads, dropping the hide and hips ;
The gum down-roping from their pale-dead eyes ;
And in their pale dull mouths the " gimmal bit
Lies
of a fonata on the harpfichord, and toccar la tromla> is to blow
the trumpet.
In the Spanifh tragedy, (no date) " a tucket afar off."
Again, m the Devil's Lav.'cafe, 1623:
" 2 tuckets by feveral trumpets."
Sonance is a word ufed by Heywood, in his Rape of Lucrece,
1630:
" Or, if he chance to endure our tongues fo much
11 As but to hear their finance. STEEVENS.
7 Their horfemen jit like fixed candlefiicks,
With torch Jiavei in their hand \ ]
Grandpre alludes to the form of the ancient candlefticks, which
frequently reprefented human figures holding the fockets for the
lights in their extended hands.
A fimilar image occurs in Vittoria Coromlona, 1612: *' he
fhew'd like a pewter candleftick, fafhioned like a man in armour,
holding a tilting ftaff in his hand little bigger than a candle."
STEEVENS.,
gimmal lit ] Gimmal is in the weftern counties, a ring;
a gimmal bit is therefore a bit of which the parts play'd one
within another. JOHNSON.
I meet with theovord, though differently fpelt, in the old play
of The Raigne of Ainr Edward the Third, \ 596 :
44 Nor lay afiue their jacks of gymold mail."
Gymild
KING H E N R Y^V. J2l
Lies foul with chew'd grafs, ftill and motidnlefs;
And 9 their executors, the knavifh crows,
Fly o'er them all, impatient for their hour.
Defcription cannot fuit itfelf in words,
To demonftrate the life of fuch a battle
In life fo lifelefs as it fhews itfelf.
Con. They have faid their prayers, and they flay
for death.
Dau. Shall we go fend them dinners, and frelh fuits,
And give their fafting horfes provender,
And after fight with them ?
Con. ' I ftay but for my guard ; On, to the field :
I will the banner from a trumpet take,
Gymold or gimmaFd mail means armour compofed of links like
thofe of a chain, which by its flexibility fitted itfelf to the fhape
of the body more exactly than defenfive covering of any other con-
trivance. There was a fuit of it to be feen in the Tower. Spen-
fer, in his Faerie Queen, B. I. cap. v. calls it woven mail:
" In woven mail all armed warily."
In Lingua, &c. 1607, is mentioned :
*' a gimmal ring with one link hanging."
STEEVENS,
9 their executors, the knavijjj rnwur, - ] The crows who
are to have the difpolal of what they ftiall leave, their hides and
their flefh. JOHNSON.
1 I ftay lut for my guard', ] It feems, by what follows, that
guard in this place means rather fomething of ornament or of
djftindtion than a body of attendants. JOHNSON.
The following quotation from Holinflied, p. $54, will bell elu-
cidate this paflage. " The duke of Brabant, when his
ilandard was not come, caufed a banner to be taken from a trum-
pet and fattened upon a fpear, the which he commanded to be
borne before him inftxjad of a ftandafd."
In the fecond part of Heywood's Iron Age, 1632, Menelaus
after having enumerated to Pyrrhus the treafures of his father
Achilles, as his myrmidons, &c. adds :
'" His fword, fpurs, armour, guard, pavilion."
From this paflage it fhould appear that the guard was part of the
defenfive armour; perhaps what we call at prelenc the gorget.
Again, in Holinfhed, p 820 :
" The one bare his helmet, the fecond his granpW, &c."
STEJEVE.VS.
And
i2 K I N G H E N R Y V.
And ufe it for my hafte. Come, come away !
The fun is high, and we out-wear the day.
SCENE III.
The Englifo camp.
'Untcf Glofter, Bedford, Exeter ', Erpingbarrt, with all
the Englifo hoft ; Salt/bury and Wejimor eland.
Glo. Where is the king ?
Bed. The king himfelf is rode to view their battle.
Weft. Of righting men they have full threefcore
thoufand.
Exe. There's five to one ; befides, they all are frefh.
Sal. God's arm ftrike with us ! 'tis a fearful odds.
God be wi' you, princes all ; I'll to my charge :
If we no more meet, 'till we meet in heaven,
Then, joyfully, my noble lord of Bedford,
My dear lord Glofter, and my good lord Exeter,
And my kind kinfman, warriors all, adieu !
Bed. * Farewel, good Salifbury ; and good luck
go with thee !
'Exe. to Sal. Farewel, kind lord ; fight valiantly
to-day :
a In the old edition :
Bed. Farpivell) good Salijbury^ and good luck go with thee i
And yet I do tbce wrong to mind thee of it y
For thou art fram'tl of the firm truth of <valour.
Exe. Farewell, kind lord : fight valiantly to-day.
What ! does he do Saliibury wrong to wifli him good luck ? The
ingenious Dr. Thirlby prefcribed to me the tranfpofition of the
verfes, which I have made in the text : and the old quartos
plainly lead to fuch a regulation. THEOBALD.
I believe Mr. Theobald's tranfpofition to be perfeftly right,
for it was already made in the quartos 1600 and 1608, as ibl-
lows :
Farewell kind lord ; fight valiantly to-day,
And yet in truth I do thee wrong,
For thou art made on the true fparkes of honour,
STHEVENS,
And
KINGHENRYV. 123
And yet I do thee wrong, to mind thee of it,
For thou art fram'd of the firm truth of valour.
[Exit Salisbury.
Bed. He is as full of valour, as of kindnefs ;
Princely in both.
Enter king Henry.
Weft* O, that we now had here
But one ten thoufand of thofe men in England,
That do no work to-day !
K. Henry. What's he, that wifhes fo ?
3 My coufin Weftmoreland ? No, my fair coufin :
If we are mark'd to die, we are enough
To do our country lofs ; and if to live,
The fewer men, the greater fhare of honour.
God's will ! I pray thee, wifli not one man more.
4 By Jove, I .am not covetous for gold ;
Nor care I, who doth feed upon my coft ;
It yerns me not, if men my garments wear ;
Such outward things dwell not in my defires :
But, if it be a fin to covet honour,
J am the moft offending foul alive.
No, 'faith, my coz, wifh not a man from England :
God's peace ! I would not lofe fo great an honour,
As one man more, methinks, would lhare from me,
For the belt hope I have. O, do not wifli one more :
Rather proclaim it, Weftmoreland, through my hoft,
That he, which hath no ftomach to this fight,
Let him depart ; his paflfport fliall be made,
And crowns for convoy put into his purfe :
We would not die in that man's company,
That fears his fellowfhip to die with us.
3 My coufin Wejlmor eland? ] In the quartos i6ooand 1 60?,
this fpecch is addrefled ro Warwick. STEEVENS.
4 By Jove, ] The king prays like a chriflian, and fvvears
like a heathen. JOHNSON.
This
ii4 KING HENRY V.
This day is call'd the feaft of * Crifpian :
He, that out-lives this day, and comes fafe
Will fland a tip-toe when this day is nam'd,
And rouzc him at the name of Crifpian.
He, that mall live this day, and fee old age,
Will yearly on the vigil feaft his friends,
And fay to-morrow is faint Crifpian :
Then will he ftrip his fleeve, and mew his fears.
Old men forget ; yet all fhall be forgot,
But they'll remember, 6 with advantages,
What feats they did that day : Then fliall our names r
Familiar in their mouth as houfhold words,
Harry the king, Bedford, and Exeter,
Warwick and Talbot, Salifbury and Glofter,
Be in their flowing cups frelhly remember'd :
This ftory mall the good man teach his fon ;
And Crifpin Crifpian mall ne'er go by,
7 From this day to the ending of the world,
5 of Crifpian: } The battle of Agincourt was fought ujjofl
the z^th of October, St. Crifpin's day ; the legend upon which
this is founded, follows. " Crifpinus and Crifpianus were bre-
thren, born at Rome ; from whence they travelled to Soiflbns in
France, about the year 303, to propagate the chriitian religion ;
but becaufe they would not be chargeable to others for their main-
tenance, they exercifed the trade of ihoemakers ; but the gover-
nor of the town difcovering them to be chriftians, ordered them to
b$ beheaded about the year 303. From which time, the flioe-
makers made choice of them for their tutelar faints." Wlxatley's
Rational Illujlratlon^ folio edit. p. 76. See Hall's Chronicle^
folio 47. GRAY.
6 -with advantages ] Old men, notwithftanding the natu-
ral forgettulnefs of age, (hall remember their feats of this day y
and remember to tell them with advantage. Age is commonly
boaftful, and inclined to magnify paft adts and paft times.
JOHNSON.
7 From this day to the ending ] It may be obferved that we
are apt to promifc to ourlelves a more lafting memory than the
changing uate of human things admits. This prediction Is not
verified ; the feaft of Crifpin pafles by without any mention of
Agincourt. Late events obliterate the former : the civil wars
have left in this nation fcarcely any tradition of more ancient
biftory. JOHNSON.
Bin
KING HENRY V. 125
But we in it fhall be remembered :
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers ;
For he, to-day that fheds his blood with me,
Shall be my brother ; be he ne'er fo vile,,
This day iliall 8 gentle his condition :
And gentlemen in England, now a-bed,
Shall think themfelves accurs'd, they were not here;
And hold their manhoods cheap, while any fpeaks,
That fought with us 9 upon faint Crifpin's day.
Enter Salifbury,
Sal. My fovereign lord, beftow yourfelf with fpeed :
The French are ' bravely in their battles fet,
And will with all expedience * charge on us.
K. Henry. All things are ready, if our minds be fo.
Weft. Perilh the man, whofe mind is backward
now !
K. Henry. Thou doft not wifh more help from Eng-
land, coufin ?
Weft. God's will, my liege, Vould you and I
alone,
Without more help, might fight this battle out !
K. Henry. Why, now J thou haft unwilh'd five
thoufand men ;
Which
8 gentle bis condition.'] This day (hall advance him to the
rank of a gentleman. JOHNSON.
King Henry V. inhibited any perfon but fuch as had a right
by inheritance, or grant, to afluine coats or" arms, except thofe
who fought with him at the battle of Agincourt ; and, I think,
thefe lalt were allowed the chief feats of honour at all fcafts and
public meetings. TOLLET.
9 upon St. Cri/pin's day-] This fpeech, like mnny others of
the declamatory kind, is too long. Had it been contracted to
about half the number of lines, it might have gained force, and
loll pone of the fentiments. JOHNSON,
1 bravely ] Is fplendidly, oftentatioujly. JOHNSON.
a expedience} i.e. expedition. STEEVENS.
3 thou baft unwiflfd five tboufand men, ] By wilhing only
thyfelf and me, thou haft wiflied five thoufand men away. Shake-
fpeare
126 K I N G H E N R Y V.
Which likes me better, than to wilh us one.
You know your places : God be with you all I
Tucket. Enter Montjoy.
Mont. Once more I come to know of thee, king
Harry,
If for thy ranfom thou wilt now compound,
Before thy moft afiiired over-throw :
For, certainly, thou art fo near the gulf,
Thou needs muft be englutted. Betides, in mercy,
The Conftable delires thee thou wilt mind
Thy followers of repentance ; that their fouls
May make a peaceful and a fweet retire
From off thefe fields, where (wretches) their poor
bodies
Muft lie and fefter.
K. Henry. Who hath fent thee now ?
Mont. The Conftable of France.
K. Henry. I pray thee, bear my former anfwer back ;
Bid them atchieve me, and then fell my bones.
Good God ! why ihould they mock poor fellows thus ?
The man, that once did fell the lion's fkin
While the beaft liv'd, was kill'd with hunting him.
A many * of our bodies fhall, no doubt,
Find native graves; upon the which, I truft,
Shall witnefs live in brafs of this day's work :
And thofe that leave their valiant bones in France,
Dying like men, though buried in your dunghills,
fpeare never thinks on fuch trifles as numbers. In the laft fcene
the French are faid to be ///// ttjreefcore tboiifand, which Exeter
declares to, be jive to one ; but, by the king's account they are
twelve to one. JOHNSON.
Holinflied makes the Englifli army confift of 15,000, and the
French of 60,000 horfe, belides foot, &c. in all 100,000 ; while
Walfingham and Harding reprefent the Englifli as but 9000 ;
and other authors fay that the number of French amounted to
ijO,oco. STEEVENS.
4 A many ] Thus the folio ; the quarto <Wmany
STEEVENS.
They
KING HENRY V. I2?
They fliall be fam'd ; for there the fun fhall greet
them,
And draw their honours reeking up to heaven ;
Leaving their earthly parts to choak your clime^
The fmell whereof ihall breed a plague in France,
5 Mark then a bounding valour in our Englilh ;
That, being dead, like to the bullet's grazing,
Breaks out into a fecond courfe of mifchief,
6 Killing in relapfe of mortality.
Let
5 Mark then abounding valour in our Englijl\\ Thus the old
folios. The quartos, more erroneoufly ftill :
Mark then aboundant
Mr. Pope degraded the paflage in both his editions, becaufe, I
prefume, he did not underftand it. I have reformed the text,
and the allufion is exceedingly beautiful ; comparing the revi-
val of the Englifh valour to the rebounding of a cannon-ball.
THEOBALD.
6 Killing in relapfe of mortality.} What it is to kill in relapfe of
mortality , I do not know. I iufpeft that it fiiould be read :
Killing in reliques of mortality.
That is, continuing to kill when they are the reliques that death
has left behind it.
That the allufion is, as Mr. Theobald thinks, exceedingly beau-
tiful, I am afraid few readers will difcover. The valour of a
putrid body, that deilroys by the flench, is one of the thoughts
that do no great honour to the poet. Perhaps from this putrid
valour Dryden might borrow the pofthumous empire of Don Se-
baftian, \vho was to reign wherefoever his atoms fhould be fcat-
tered. JOHNSON.
By this phrafe, however uncouth, Shakefpeare feems to mesn
the lame as in the preceding line. Mortality is death. So, in
K. Henry VI. Part I :
" 1 beg mortality
" Rather than lite
RJapfe may be ufed for rebound. Shakefpeare has given mind of
honour, for honourable mind; and by the fame rule might write
relapfe of mortality for fatal or mortal rebound ; or by relapfe of
mortality, he may mean after they had relapfed into inanimzt'ut:.
STHEVEXS.
This putrid- valour is common to the defcriptions of other
poets as well as Shakefpeare and Dryden, and is predicated to
be no lefs viftorious by Lucan, lib. vii. v. 821.
*' Quid fugis hanc cladem, quid olentes deferis agros ?
" Has trahe Cscfar, aquas ; hoc, fi potesj utere coeio,
*' Scd
KING HENRY V.
Let me fpeak proudly ; Tell the conflable,
We are but 7 warriors for the working-day :
Our gaynefs, and our gilt 8 , are all befmirch'd
With rainy marching in the painful field ;
There's not a piece of feather in our hoft,
(Good argument, I hope, we fhall not fly)
And time hath worn us into ilovenry :
But, by the mafs, our hearts are in the trim :
And my poor foldiers tell me yet ere night
They'll be in frefher robes j or they will pluck
The gay new coats o'er the French foldiers' heads,
And turn them out of fervice. If they do this,
(As, if God pleafe, they lhall) my ranfom then
Will foon be levy'd. Herald, fave thy labour ;
Come thou no more for ranfom, gentle herald ;
They fhall have none, I fwear, but thefe my joints :
Which if they have as I will leave 'em to them,
Shall yield them little, tell the Conftable.
Mont. I lhall, king Harry. And fo fare thee well :
*' Sed tibi tabentes populi Pharfalica rura
" Eripiunt, campofque tenent vidore fugato."
Corneille has imitated this paflhge in the firfl fpeech in hi*
fompee :
" de chars,
" Sur fes champs empeftes cpnfufement epars,
" Ces montagnes de morts prives d'honneurs fupremes,
*' Que la nature force a fe venger eux-memes,
*' Et de leurs troncs pourris exhale dans les vents
" De quoi faire la guerre au relte des vivans."
Voltaire, in his letter to the academy of Belles Lettres at Paris,
oppofes the preceding part of this fpeech to a quotation from
Shakefpeare. The Frenchman, however, very prudently flopped
before he came to the lines which are here quoted. STEEVENS.
7 ivarrlorsfor the working day :] We are foldiers but courfely
drefled ; we have not on our holiday apparel. JOHNSON.
8 our gilt ] 5. e. Golden fhow, fuperficial gilding. Ob-
folete. So, in Timon :
** When thou waft in thy gilt and thy perfume, &c."
Again, in another of our author's plays :
" The double /'// of this opportunity you let time walh off."
Again, in Arden of Fevcrjbam, t$92 :
" And now the rain hath beaten off thy gilt" STEEVEVS.
Thou
I N G HENRY V. 129
Triou never lhalt hear herald any more* [AV>.
&. Henry. I fear, thou'lt once more come again
for ranfom.
Enter the Duke of Yfrk.
Tork. My lord, moll humbly on my knee I beg
The leading of the vaward.
K. Henry. Take itj brave York. Now, foldiers,
march away :
Ai\d how thou pleafeft, God> difpofe the day !
[Exev.nt
SCENE IV.
The field of battle.
Alarum, excurfions: Enter Piftol French folctier, andBoy t
Pift. Yield, cur.
Fr. Sol. Je penfe, que vous ejies le gmtilbomme dt
bonne qualite.
Prft. 9 Quality^ call you me ? Conflrue me, art
thou a gentleman ? What is thy name ? difcufs '.
Fr. Sol. Ofeigneur Dieu !
Pift. O, fignieur Dew fhould be a gentleman * :-*u
9 >ualitj, calmly, cuflure me, art thou a gentleman ?] We
fliould read this nonfenfe thus :
>naL'fy, cality conftrue me, art then a gentleman ?
i. e. tell me, let me underffcmd whether thou be'll a gentleman.
WAR BUR TON*
Mr. Edwards, in his MS. notes, propofes to read :
Duality, call you me? conftrue me, &c. STEEVENS.
1 difcufs.] This aftefted word is ufed by Lylly in his Wd-
man in the Moon, 1 597 :
44 But firft I muft aifcufs this heavenly cloud." SrfcEVENS.
* -jignititr Dc~v (hould be a gentleman :] I cannot help think-
ing, that Shakefpeare intended here a Itroke at a pailage in a fa-
mous old book, call'd, Tf.'C G-entlcrian* s Academic in Hawking^
Hunting, and Armor ie, written originally by Juliana Barnes, and
re-pubiifhed by Gervafe Markham, 1^95. The firft chapter of
the Booke of Armorie, is, ** the difference 'twixt Churles and
Gentlemen ;" and it ends thus : ** From the of-fpring si gentlemanly
Japhet came Abraham, Moyfes, Aaron, and the Prophets ; and
alfo the king of the right line of Mary, of whom that only abfo-
lute gentleman, Jifus, was borne '.gentleman, by his mother
Mary, princcfle of coat armor*" FARMER*
VOL. VI. K Per-
130 KING HENRY V.
Perpend my words, O fignieur Dew, and mark;
fignieur Dew, 5 thou dy'it on point of fox,
Except, O fignieur, thou do give to me
Jigregious ranfom.
Fr. Sol. O, prcnncz wifcrlcorde ! ajez pitie de moy f
P//1. Moy fruill not ferve, I will have forty moys ;
4 For I will fetch thy rim out at thy throat,
In drops of ci imfon blood.
Fr.
3 thou (Heft on foint of fo\'^\ Point of fox is an exprefTio;'?
which, if the editors underfteod it, they (hould have explained.
1 fuppofe we may better read :
on point of faulchion, feV. JOHXSOX.
Fox is no more than an old cant word for a fword :
" I made my father's o\df>x fly about his ears."
Beaumont and Fletcher's Philajler*
The fame expreffion occurs in The two angry Women of Abiug-
ton, 1599:
" I had a fword, ay the flower of Smithflcld for a fword ;
a right fox i'faith." .
Again, in The Devil's Charter, 1607:
" And by this awful crofs upon my blade,
*' And by \\\\sfox which ftinks of Pagan blood,"
Again, in The Wedding, by Shirley, 1626:
*' My fox (hall fcratch your guts out."
Again, not lefs than three times in The Hi/lay of tie Life' find
Death of Captain Thomas Stid-e!y, 1 605 :
" old hack'd f words, as foxef, bilbo's, and horn-
buckles."
Again :
44 .This is as right a fox as e'er you faw."
Again :
" for/^, bilbo's, and Toledo blades."
Again, in Beaumont and Fletcher's King and no Kin* :
" I wear as fliarp fteel, and my fox bites as dc-rp."
Sn KVENS.
4 For ' I "jaill fetch thy rym } \V r e fliould read :
Or, Iivillfeich thy ranfom out of thy. throat, WAR BURTO>f.
I know not what to do with r\m. The meafure gives realbn
to fuppofe that it ftands for {ome monofyllable ; niut beiidcs, ran-
fome is a word not likely to have been corrupted. JOHNSON.
This line is wanting in the quartos 1600 and 1608. The folio
reads: thyrymme. It appears, however, trom lir Arthur Gorgcs's
Tranflation of I,ncftJi, 1614, that fome part of the intepines was
anciently called the r:t/;me* Lucan. 15. i :
* The
KINGHNRYV. I3I
Fr. Sol. Eft-il impo/ibk fefckapptr la force de ton
fcw f
pfft. 'Brafs, cur!
Thou damned and luxurious mountain goat,
Offer'ft me brafs ?
Fr. Sol. O, pardonnez moy!
Pi/I. Say'ft thou me fo ? is that 6 a ton of moys ?
Come hither, boy ; Afk me this flave in French,
What is his name.
" The flender rhumc too weaike to part
*' The boyling liver from the heart "
parvufqne Jccat vitdlia limes* L. 62?*
" Parvus limes (lays one of the fcholiafts) prcecordia indicat;
membrana ilia qua: cor et pulrriones a jccore et Hehe dirimit." I
believe it is now called the diaphragm in human creatures, and
the Ikirt or midriff in beaits ; but frill in fome places, the rim.
Phil. Holland, in his tranflation of Pliny's Nat. Hijl. feveral
times mentions the rim of the paunch. See B. XXVIII. ch. ix
p. 321, &c. STEEVENS.
3 Brafs, curf] Either Shakefpeare had very little knowledge
in the French language, or his over-fondnefs for punning led
him in this place, contrary to his own judgment, into an error.
Almoft every one knows that the French word bras is pronounced
brau ; and what relemblance of found does this bear to brafs t
that Piflol fhould reply Brafs, cur ? The joke would appear to a
reader, but could icarce be dlfcovered in the performance of the
play. Sir W. RAWI.INSON.
If the pronunciation of the French language be not changed
fmce Shakelpeare's time, which is not unlikely, it may be fuf-
pe&ed Ibme other man wrote the French fcenes. JOHNSON.
Dr. Johnfon makes a doubt, whether the pronunciation of the
French language may not be changed fmce Shakefpeare's
time ; "if not, fays he, " it may be fufpeded that fome other
man wrote the French fcenes :" but this does not appear to he
the cafe, at leafl in this termination, from the rules of the gram-
rnarians, or the practice of the poets. I am certain of the for-
mer from the French Alpbabcth of De la Mothe, and the Qrthoe*
pia Gallica of John Eliot } and of the latter from the rhymes of
Marot, Ronfard, and Du Bartas. Connections of this kind were
very common. Shakefpeare himfelf affifted Ben Jonfon in his
Sfjanus, as it was originally written j and Fletcher in his Tivo
Nolle Kinfmen. FAR MER .
6 , a ton of mays ?] Mays is a piece of money ; whence
moi d'or, or moi of gold. JOHNSON.
K 2 Boy.
132 KING H E N R Y V.
Boy. Efcoutez ; Comment eftes vous appeltt f
Fr. Sol. Monfieur k Per.
Boy. He lays, his name is matter Fer.
Pijl. Matter Fer! I'll fer him, and firkhim \ ami
ferret him :- difcufs the fame in French unto him.
Boy. I do not know the French for fer, and ferret,
and tirk.
Pi/I. Bid him prepare, for I will cut his throat.
Fr. Sol. Que dif-il, monfleur ?
Boy. // me commands de vous dire que vous vous tenlez
preft ; car ce foldat icy eft dijpofe tout a cette heure de
cov.per voftre gorge.
Pijl. Ouy, couper gorge, par ma foy, pefant,
Unlcfs thou give me crowns, brave crowns ;
Or mangled {halt thou be by this my fword.
Fr. Sol. 0, je vous fupplie pour V amour de Dieu, me
pardonner ! Je Juts gentilhomme de bonne maifon ; garJt z
ma vie, & je vous donneray deux cents efcus.
Pift. What are his words ?
Boy. He prays you to fave his life : he is a gentle-
man of a good houfe ; and, for his ranfom, he will
give you two hundred crowns.
Pift. Tell him, my fury fhall abate, and I
The crowns will take.
7 and firk him^\ The word^r/J- Is fo varioufly ufed by the
old writers, that it is almoft impoffible to alcertain its precifc
meaning. On this occafion it may mean to cbaftife. So, in
Ram- Alley, or Merry-Tricks, i6n :
" nay, I will/r
' My filly^ novice, as he wns never firlftl
" Since midwives bound his noddle."
In Beaumont and Fletcher's Rule a Wife^ &c. it means to col-
lect by low and dilhoneft induftry :
thefe five years Hie has/r*V
" A pretty living."
Again, in Ram-Alley, &c. it feems to be employed in the fenfe
of quiblle :
* Sir, leave this /r* of law, or by this liyhr, &c."
In the Alcbcmift) it 13 obfcenely ufed. STKEVLNS.
Fr.
KING HENRY V. 133
Fr. Sol. Petit monjieur, que dit-ilf
Boy. Encore qu'll eft contre fon jurement, de pardonner
aucun prijbnnier ; ncanimoins, pour ks efcus que vous I'a-
vez prometteZy il eft content de vous donner la liberte t le
franchijcment.
Fr. Sol. Sur mes genoux, je vous donne milk remercie-
mens : & je nfejlime heureux que je fuis tombs entre les
mains d'un chevalier, je penfe, le plus brave, valiant ,
fcf tres diftiague feigmur d' Angleterre.
Pijl. Expound unto me, boy.
Boy. He gives you, upon his knees, a thoufand
thanks : and efleems himfelf happy that he hath fallen
into the hands of one, (as he thinks) the moil brave,
valorous, and thrice-worthy fignieur of England.
P/ft. As I fuck blood, I will fome mercy ihew.
Follow me, cur.
Boy. Sulvez vous le grand capltaine.
[Exit Piftol, and French Soldier.
I did never know fo full a voice ifliie from ib empty a
heart : but the faying is true, The empty veffel
makes the greateft found. Bardojph, and Nym, had
ten times more valour than * this roaring devil i'the
old
8 this roaring devil in the old play ; ] In modern puppet-
jfhows, which feem to be copied from the oldrarces, punch foine-
times fights the devil, and always overcomes him. I fuppofe
the vice of the old farce, to whom punch iucceeds, ufed to fight
the devil with a wooden dagger. JOHNSON.
like this rearing devil in tbe old play ; ] This is perhaps a fneer
at the old play of Henry the Fifth, which I have mentioned be-
fore. There is in it a character called Derick, who behaves to a
Frenchman taken in battle juft as Piftol does in the Icene before
us. The firft time Dcrick makes his appearance, he enters roar-
;e, (one of the editions reads rotting) and, throughout the piece,
utters an oath with almoil every line he fpeaks,
The devil, however, in the old mylteries, is as turbulent and
vainglorious as Piftol. So, in one of the Coventry Whitfun Plays^
prcferved in the Britifh Mufeum, Vefpajian. & VIII. p. 136:
*' I am your lord Lucifer that out of belle cam,
** Prince of this world, and gret duke of helle j
K " Wher-
i 3 4 K I N G H E N R Y V.
old play, that every one may pare his nails with a
\vooden dagger ; yet they are both hang'd ; and fo
would this be, if he duril iteal any thing advcn-
t'roufly. I mult flay with the lacqueys, with the
luggage of our camp : the French might have a
good prey of us, if he knew of it ; for there is none
to guard it, but boys. [n/*
SCENE V.
Another part of the field of battle.
Enter Conftabk, Orleans, Bombon, Daupkin^ an$
Rambures.
Con. O dlable !
Orl. Ofeigneur ! le jour eft perdu, tout eft perdu *
Pau. Mort de ma vie / all is confounded, all !
Reproach and everlafling lhame
Sits mocking in our plumes. [A fiort alarm*
mefchante fortune !* Do not rim away.
Con. Why, all our ranks are broke.
Dau. O perdurable lhame 9 ! let's flab ourfelves*
Be thefe the wretches that we play'd at dice for ?
Orl. Is this the king we fent to for his ranfom ?
JBour. Shame, and eternal lhame, nothing but
lhame !
1 Let us die, inftant : Once more back again ;
" Wherfore my name is clepyd fer Satan,
*' Whech apery th among you a mater to fpelle."
And perhaps the character was always performed in the molt
clamorous manner. STEEVENS.
9 O perdu ruble Jbame ! ] Perd-urable is lafting, long to conti-
nue. So, in Daniel's Civil Wars, &c :
" Triumphant arcs of perdurable might." STEEVENS.
1 Let us die, injlant : Once more back again',] This verfc,
which is quite left out in Mr. Pope's editions, ihmds imperfect
in the firft folio. By the addition of a fyllable, I think, I have
retrieved the poet's fenfe. It is thus in the old copy :
Let us die in once more back again, THEOBALD*
And
K I N G H E N R Y V. 135
And he that will not follow Bourbon no\v,
Let him go hence, and, with his cjp in hand,
* Like a bale pander, hold the chamber-door,
\Vhilfl: by a ilave, no gentler than my dog,
His faircit daughter is contaminated.
Con. Dilbrder, that hath fpoil'd us, friend us now !
Let us, in heaps, go offer up our lives
J Unto thefc Englifh, or elfe die with fame.
Orl. We are enough, yet living in the field,
To fmother up the h nglim in our throngs,
If any order might be thought upon.
Bour. The devil take order now ! I'll to the throng ;
Let life be fhort ; elfe, fhame will be too long.
[Exeunt.
SCENE VI.
Alarum* Enter king Henry and his train) with prlfoners.
K. Henry. Well have we done, thrice-valiant coun-
trymen :
But all's not done, yet keep the French the field.
Exc. The duke of York commends him to your
majefty.
A'. Henry Lives he, good uncle ? thrice, within this
hour,
I fa\v him down ; thrice up again, and fighting;
From helmet to the fpur, all blood he was.
Exe. In which array, (brave foldier,) doth he lie,
Larding the plain : and by his bloody fide,
(Yoak-felfow to his honour-owing wounds,)
The noble earl of Suffolk ahb lies.
* JLi&e a lafe pander ^ ] The qunrtos read:
Like a bafe leno, STEEVENS.
3 Unto thefe Engl(lb, or elfe die with fame.] This line I have
reitored from the quartos 1 600 and 1 608. The Conftable of
France is throughout the play repflefented as a brave and generous
enemy, and therefore we fhould not deprive him of a refolutioa
which agrees fo well with his character. STEEVKNS.
K 4 Suf-.
136 K I N G H E N R Y V.
Suffolk firft dy'd : and York, all haggled over^
Comes to him, where in gore he lay infteep'd,
And takes him by the beard ; kiffes the gafhes.
That bloodily did yawn upon his face ;
And cries aloud, Tarry, "dear coufin Suffolk !
My foul foall thine keep company to heaven :
Tarry i Jweet foul, for mine, then fly a-breaft ;
As, in this glorious and well-fought in field,
We kept together in our chivalry !
Upon theie words I came, and cheer xl him up ;
Jie fmil'd me in the face, raught me his hand, '
And, with a feeble gripe, fays, Dear my lora\
Coinmend my fervice to wy fovereign.
So did he turn, and over Suffolk's neck
He threw his wounded arm, and kifs'd his lips ^
And fo, efpous'd to death, with blood he feal'd
A teflament of noble-ending love.
The pretty and fweet manner of it forc'd
Thofe waters from me, which Lwould have ilopp'd:
But I had not fo much of man in me,
* But all my mother came into mine eyes,
And gave me up to tears.
K. Henry. I blame you not ;
5 For, hearing this, I muft perforce compound
With miftful eyes, or they will iflue too. [Alarm*
But, hark ! what new alarum is this fame ?
The French haye re-inforc'd their fcatter'd men ,
* But all my mother came into mine eyes.
And gave me up to tears."]
This thought is apparently copied by Milton, Par. Loft, b. xi ;
*' . companion quell'd
*' His beft of man, and gave him up to tears"
STEEVENS.
5 Fnr, bearing this, I mujl perforce compound
With mixtful eyes,]
The poet muft have wrote, miffiil: \. e. juft ready to over-run
with tears. The word he took from his obfervation of nature :
for juft before the burfting out of tears the eyes grow dim as if ia
a miit WARBURTON.
Then
KING HENRY V. 137
Then every fbldier kill his prifoners ;
* Give the word through. [Exeunt,
* S C E N E VII.
Alarums continued ; after 'which, Enter Fluellen and
Gower.
Flu. 8 Kill the poys and the luggage ! 'tisexprefsly
againit the law of arms : 'tis as arrant a piece of
knar-
6 Give tb? ward through.] Here the quartos 1600 and 1608 add:
Pitt. Couper gorge. STEEVENS.
7 Scene VII.] Here, in the other editions, they begin the
fourth ad, very abfurdly, lince both the place and time evidently
Continue, and the words of Fluellen immediately follow thofe of
the king jult before. POPE.
8 Kill the~poyes and the luggage / 'tis exprefsly agaitift the law of
arms : ] In the old folios, the 4th at is made to begin here.
But as the matter of the Chorus, which is to come betwixt the
4th and th ads, will by no means fort with thefcenery that here
follows, I have chofe to fall in with the other regulation. Mr.
Pope gives a reaibn why this fcene fhould be connective to the
preceding fcene ; but his reafon, according to cuftom, is a mif-
Itaken one. " The words of Fluellen," fays he, " immediately
follow thole of the king juil before.'' The king's laft words, at
Jlis going oft', were :
Then ev'ry foldier kill his prifoners :
Give the iuord through.
Now Mr. Pope muft very accurately fuppofe, that Fluellen over-
hears this ; and that by replying, Kill the poyes and the luggage /
'tis e xprefty againft the law of arms ; he is condemning the
king's order, as againil martial difcipline. But this is a molt ab-
furd fuppofnion. Fluellen neither overhears, nor replies to,
What the king had iaid j nor has kill the poyes and the luggage, any
reference to the foldiers killing theitr prifoners. Nay, on the
contrary (as there is no interval of an aft here) there muft be
fome little paufe betwixt the king's going otf, and Fluellen's
entering : (and therefore I have faid, Alarms continued \} for we
find by Gower's firit fpeech, that the ioldiers had already cut
their prifoners throats, which required fome time to do. The
matter is this. The baggage, during the battle (as king Henry
had no men to fpare) was guarded only by boys and lacqueys ;
which fome French run-aways getting notice of, they came
tlgwn upon the Englifh camp-boys, whom they kill'd, and plun-
dered,
j 3 8 K I N G H E N R Y V.
knavery, mark you now, as can be offcr'd, in the 'orld :
In your conference now, is it not ?
Gixv. 'Tis certain, there's not a boy left alive ; and
the cowardly rafcals, that ran away from the battle,
have done this (laughter : befides, they have burn'd
or carried away all that was in the king's tent ; where-
fore the king, moil worthily, has caus'd every foldier
to cut his prifoner's throat. O, 'tis a gallant king !
flu. I, he was porn at Monmouth, captain Gower :
What call you the town's name, where Alexander the
pig was born ?
Gozv. Alexander the great.
Flu. Why, I pray you, is not pig, great ? the pig,
or the great, or the mighty, or the huge, or the mag-
nanimous, are all one reckonings, fave the phraie is
a little variations.
Gffiv. I think, Alexander the great was born in
Maccdon, his father was called Philip of Mace-
don, as I take it.
Flu. I think, it is in Macedon, where Alexander is
porn. I tell you, captain, If you look in the maps
of the 'orld, I warrant, you lhall find, in the compa-
nions between Macedon and Monmouth, that the
fituations, look you, is both alike. There is a river
in Macedon ; ana there is alfo moreover a river at Mon-
mouth : it is call'd Wye, at Monmouth ; but it is out
dered, and burn'd the baggage : in refentment of which villainy
it was, that the king, contrary to his wonted lenity, order'd all
prifoners' throats to be cut. And to this villainy of the French
run-aways Fluellen is alluding, when he fays, Kill the poyes and
the luggage! The fa6t is fet out (as Mr. Pope might have ob-
ferved) both by Hall and Holinlhed. THEOBALD.
Unhappily the king gives one mifon for his order to kill the
prifoners, and Gower "another. The king killed his prifoners
becaufe he expected another bartle, and he had not men fuffi-
cient to guard one army and fight another. Gower declares
that the gallant king has worthily ordered the prifoners to be de-
flroyed, becaufe the luggage was plundered, and the boys were
fain, JOHNSON.
Of
K I N G H E N R Y V. 139
of my prains, what is the name of the other river;
but 'tis all one, 'tis fo like as my fingers is to my fin-
gers, and there is falmons in both. If you mark
Alexander's life well, Harry of Monmouth's life is
come after it indifferent well ; for there is figures in
all things. Alexander (Got knows, and you know)
in his rages, and his furies, and his wraths, and his
choiers, and his moods, and his difpleafures, and his
indignations, and alfo being a little intoxicates in his
prains, did, in his ales and his angers, look you, kill
his pcft friend Clytus,
Gozi'. Our king is not like him in that j he never
kill'd any of his friends.
Flu. It is not well done, mark you now, to take
the tales out of my mouth, ere it is made an end and
rmiih'd. I fpeak but in figures and comparifons of
it : 9 As Alexander is kill his friend Clytus, being in
his ales and his cups i fo alfo Harry Monmouth,
being in his right wits and his goot judgments, is
turn away ' the fat knight with the great pelly-doublet :
he was full of jefls, and gypes, and knaveries, and
mocks ; I am forget his name,
GVv. Sir John Falflaff.
Flit. That is he : I tell you, there is goot men
porn at Monmouth.
Goiv, Here comes his majefty.
9 As Alexander &c,] I fhould fufpeft that Shakefpeare, who
was well read in Sir Thomas North's tranflation of Plutarch,
meant thefe Ipeeches of Fluellen as a ridicule on the parallels of
the Greek author, in which, circumftances common to all men
are aflembled in oppofition, and one great action is forced into
comparifon with another, though as totally different in them-
lelves, as was the behaviour of Harry Monmouth, from that of
Alexander the Great. STEEVENS.
* the fat knight ] This is the laft time that Falftaff can
make fport. The poet was loath to part with him, and has con*
tinucd his memory as long as he could. JOHNSON,
Alarm.
i 4 o K I N G H E N R Y V.
Alarum. Enter */,/; Herny, irwlck, GLfar, 1
/Vr, cVc. j
K. Henry. I was not angry (nice I came to France,
Until this inftaut. Take a trumpet, her:ld ;
Ride thou unto the horfemen on yon hill :
If they will fight with us, bid them come down,
Or void the field ; they do offend our fight :
If they'll dp neither, we will come to them ;
And make them fkir away *, as fwift as itones
Enforced from the old Affyrian flings :
* Befides, we'll cut the throats of thofe we have ;
And not a man of them, that we fhall take,
phall tafte our mercy : Go ? and tell them fo.
Enter
* And make them fkir <ravn',i ] I meet with this word in Ben
Tonfon's Nev:sfrom the Moon, a Mafque : " -- bimv l.im atore
pirn as far as he can fee him ; or Jkir over him with his bi.t/s
wings, &c-" The word has already occurr'd in Macbeth.
STEEVENS.
3 Befides, ive'll cut the throats &c,] Th e king " 1S i" a very
bloody difpofition. He has already cut the throats of his pri-
foners, and threatens now to cut them again. No halte of com-
pofition could produce fuch negligence ; neither was this play,
which is the fecond draught of the larr.e deign, written in hafle,
There muft be fome dillocation of the fcencjs. It we place thefe
lines at the beginning of the twelfth fcene, the abfurdity will
be removed, and the acYion will proceed in a regular fcries.
This tranfpofition might eafily happen in copies written for the
players. Yet it muft not be concealed, that in the imperfect
play of 1608 the order of the fcenes is the fame as here.
JOHNSON'.
The difference of the two copies may be thus accounted for.
The elder was, perhaps, taken down, during the representation,
by the contrivance of fome bookfeller who was in hafte to p-ihlifli
it ; or it might, with equal probability, have been collected from
the repetitions of aftors invited to a tavern for that purpofe.
The manner in which many of the fcenes arc printed, adds
flrength to the fuppofition ; for in thefe, a fingle line is generally
divided into two, that the quantity of the play might be feem-
ingly encreafed. The fecond and more ample edition may be
that which regularly belonged) to the playhoufe ; and yet with
[equal
K I N G & E N R Y V. 141
Enter Montjoy.
Exe. Here comes the herald of the French, my
liege.
G/0. His eyes are humbler than they us'd to be.
K. Henry. How now ! what means their herald ?
know'fl thou not,
ThatJ have fin'd thefe bones of mine for ranfom ?
Com'il thou again for ranfom ?
Mont. No, great king : -
I come to thee for charitable licence,
That we may wander o'er this Bloody field,
To book our dead, and then to bury them ;
To fort our nobles from our common men ;
For many of our princes (woe the while !)
Lie drown'd and foak'd in mercenary blood :
So do our vulgar drench their peafant limbs
In blood of princes ; while their wounded deeds
Fret fetlock deep in gore, and, with wild rage,
Yerk out their armed heels 4 at their dead matters,
Killing them twice, O, give us leave, great king^
To view the field in fafety, and difpofe
Of their dead bodies.
K. Henry. 1 tell thee truly, herald,
I know not, if the day be ours, or no ;
For yet a many of your horiemen peer,
And gallop o'er the field.
Mont. The day is yours.
K. Henry. Praifed be God, and not our ftrength,
for it !
equal confidence \ve may pronounce, that every dramatic compofi-
tion would materially fuffer, if only tranfmitted to the publick
through the medium of ignorance, prefumptjon, and caprice,
thofe common attendants on a theatre. ST^EVENS.
* Yerk out ihcir armed bccls\ So. in Tie IVeakell goes to the
/fall, 1618:
' Their neighing gennets, armed to the field,
" Do;.,-X' and fling, and beat the fullen ground."
STEEVENS.
What
i& K I N G H E N R Y V.
What is this caftle call'd, that ftands hard by ?
Mont. They call it Agincourt.
K. Henry. Then call we this the field of Agincourt,
Fought on the day of Crifpin Crifpianus.
Flu* Your grandfather of famous memory, an't
plealeyour majefty, and your great-uncle Edward the
plack prince of Wales, as I have read in the chroni-
cles, fought a moft prave pattle here in France.
K.Henry. They did, Fluellen.
Flu. Your majefty fays very true : If your majefties
is remember'd of it, the Welshmen did goot fervice
in a garden where leeks did grow, wearing leeks in
their Monmouth caps; which, your majefty knows, to
this hour is an honourable padge of the fervice : and,
3 do believe, your majefty takes no fcorn to wear the
leek upon faint Tavy's day.
K. Henry. I wear it for a memorable honour :
For I am Wellh, you know, good countryman.
Flu. All the water in Wye cannot walh your ma-
jefty's Welfh plood out of your pody, I can tell you
that : Got plefs and preferve it, as long as it pleafes
his grace and his majefty too !
K. Henry. Thanks, good my countryman.
Flu. By Cheflm, I am your majefty's countryman,
I care not who know it ; I will confefs it to all the
'orld : I need not tobe aihamed of your majefty, praifed
be God, fo long as your majefty is an honeft man.
K. Henry. God keep me fo ! Our heralds go
with him ;
Enter Williams.
Bring me juft notice of the numbers dead
On both our parts. -"Call yonder fellow hither.
{Exeunt Montjoy and others.
Exe. Soldier, you muft come to the king.
K. Henry. Soldier, why wear'ft thou that glove in
thy cap ?
Will
KING H K N R Y V. 143
Will An't pleafe your majcfty, 'tis the gage of one
that I fhould fight withal, it" he be alive.
X. Henry. An Englifhman ?
Will. An't pleafe your majefty, a rafcal, thatfwag-
ger'd with me laft night : who, if 'a live, and if ever
dare to challenge this glove, I have fworn to take
him a box o'the ear : or, if I can fee my glove in his
cap (which, he fworc, as he \vas a foldier, he would
wear, if alive) I will ftrike it out foundly.
A'. Henry. What think yon, captain Fluellen ? is it
fit this foldier keep his oath ?
Flu. He is a craven and a villain elfe, an't pleafe-
your majefty, in my confcicncc.
K. Henry. It may be, his enemy is a gentleman of
5 great fort, 6 quite from the anfwcr of his degree.
Flu. Though he be as goot a gentleman as the te-
vil is, as Lucifer and Belzebub himfelf, it is necefiary,
look your grace, that he keep his vow and his oath :
if he be perjur'd, fee you now, his reputation is as
arrant a villain, and a jack-fawce, as ever his plack fhoc
trod upon Got's ground and his earth, in my con-
fcience, la.
K. Henry. Then keep thy vow, firrah, when thou
meetTt the fellow.
Will So I will, my liege, as I live.
K. Henry. Who ferveft thou under ?
Will. Under captain Gower, my liege.
Flu. Gower is a goot captain ; and is good know-
ledge and literature in the wars.
K. Henry. Call him hither to me, foldier.
Will I will, my liege. {Exit.
5 great fort, ] High rank. So, in the ballad of Jane
SJ.we :
*' Lords and ladies of great fort" JoHN'SON'.
The quartos 1600 and 1608 read :
bis enemy may be a gentleman of worth. SrEEVENS.
6 quite from the anfa-er of bis degree.] A man of fuch fta-
tlon as is not bound to ha/.ard his pcrfon to anfiver to a challenge
from one of the foldier's lo-iv degree. JOHNSON.
K. Henry.
KING HENRY V.
K. Henry. Here Fluellen ; wear thou this favour
for me, and flick it in thy cap : When Alencon arid
myfelf were down together, I pluck'd this glove froni
his helm : if any man challenge this, he is a friend
to Alencon and an en?my to our perfon ; if thou en-
counter any luch, apprehend him, an thou do.fl love
me.
Flui, Your grace does me as great honours, as can
be denYd in the hearts of his fubje&s : I would" fain
fee the man^ that has but two legs, that ftiall find
himfelf aggrief'd at this glove, that is all ; but I
would fain fee it once ; an pleafe Got of his grace,
that I might fee it.
K. Henry. Know'ft thou Gower ?
Flu. He is my dear friend, an pleafe you.
K. Henry. Pray thee, go feek him, and bring him
to -my tent.
Flu. I will fetch him. [Exit a
K. Henry. My lord of Warwick, and my brother
Glofler,
Follow Fluellen clofely at the heels :
The glove, which I have given him for a favour,
May, haply, purchafe him a box o'the ear ;
It is the foldier's ; I, by bargain, fhould
Wear it myfelf. Follow, good coufin Warwick i
If that the foldier ftrike him, (as, I judge
By his blunt bearing, he will keep his word)
Some fudden mifchief may arife of it ;
For I do know Fluellen valiant,
And, touch'd with choler, hot as gun-powder,
And quickly he'll return an injury :
Follow, and fee there be no harm between them. -
(jo you with me, uncle of Exeter. [Exeunt*
SCENE
KING HENRY V. 145
SCENE VIII.
Before king Henrys pavilion.
Enter Cower, and Williams.
Will. I warrant, it is to knight you, captain,
Enter Fluelkn.
Flu. Got's will and his pleafure, captain, I pe-
feech you now, come apace to the king : there is
more goot toward you, peradventure, than is in your
knowledge to dream of.
Will. Sir, know you this glove ?
Flu. Know the glove ? I know, the glove is a glove.
Will. I know this ; and thus I challenge it.
[Strikes him.
Flu. 'Sblud, an arrant traitor, as any's in the univer-
fal 'orld, or in France, or in England.
Gow. How now, Sir ? you villain !
Will. Do you think I'll be forfworn ?
Flu. Stand away, captain Gowcr ; I will give trea-
fon his payment 7 into plows, I warrant you.
Will. I am no traitor.
Flu. That's a lye in thy throat. I charge you in his
majefly's name, apprehend him ; he's a friend of the
duke Alenfon's.
Enter Warwick^ and Glofter.
War. How now, how now ! what's the matter ?
Flu. My lord of Warwick, here is (praiied be Got
7 into /taw, ] The Rtvlfal reads, very plaufibly :
** in two plows." JOHNSON'.
The quarto reads, / will givt trtafon Ih &\\z prefently. We might
therefore read in due plows, i.e. in the beutiiig that is fo well
his due. STEEVENS.
VOL. VI. L for
M-6 K I N G H E N R Y V.
for it) a mofl contagious treafon come to light, look
you, as you fhall defire in a fummer's day. Here is
his majefty.
Enter king Henry, and Exeter.
K. Henry. How now ! what's the matter ?
Flu. My liege, here is a villain and a traitor, that,
look your grace, has ftruck the glove which your
majefty is take out of the helmet of Alencon.
Will My liege, this was my glove ; here is the fel-
low of it : and he, that I gave it to in change, pro-
mis'd to wear it in his cap ; I promised to ftrike him,
if he did : I met this man with my glove in his cap,
and I have been as good as my word.
Flu. Your majefty hear now, (favingyour majefly's
manhood) what an arrant, rafcally, beggarly, lowfy
knave it is : I hope, your majefty is pear me teftimo-
nies, and witnefles, and avouchments, that this is the:
glove of Alenfon, that your majefty is give me, in;
your conscience now.
K. Henry.* Give me thy glove, foldier ; Look, here.
is the fellow of it. 'Twas I, indeed, thou promifed'ft'
to ftrike ; and thou haft given me moft bitter terms.,
Flu. An pleafe your majefty, let his neck anfwen
for it, if there is any martial law in the 'orld.
K. Henry. How canft thou make me fatisfadion W
IVilL All offences, my liege, come from the heart ::
never came any from mine, that might offend your:
majefty.
K. Henry. It was ourfelf thou didft abufe.
Will. Your majefty came not like yourfelf : you
appear'd to me but as a common man ; witnefs the
night, your garments, your lowlinefs; and what youn
highnefs fuffer'd under that lhape, I befeech you*
Give me thy glove- Look, here is the fellow of it.] It mufl
be, give we my glove ; for of the foldier's glove the king had.
uot the fellow. JOHNSON,
take
K I N G H E N R Y V. i 47
take it for your own fault, and not mine : for had you
been as I took you for, I made no offence ; therefore,
I befeech your highnefs, pardon me.
K. Henry. Here, uncle Exeter, fill this glove with
crowns,
And give it to this fellow. Keep it, fellow ;
And wear it for an honour in thy cap,
Till I do challenge it. Give him the crowns :
And, captain, you mult needs be friends with him.'
Flu. By this day and this light, the fellow has
mettle enough in his pelly : Hold, there is twelve
pence for you, and I pray you to ferve Got, and keep
you out of prawls, and prabbles, and quarrels, and dii-
fenlions, and, I warrant you, it is the petter for you.
Will. I will none of your money.
Flu. It is with a goot will ; I can tell you, it will
ferve you to mend your fhocs : Come, wherefore
Ihould you be fo painful ? your Ihoes is not fo goot :
'tis a goot filling, I warrant you, or I will change it.
Enter Herald.
K. Henry. Now, herald ; are the dead number'd ?
Her. Here is the number of the ilaughter'd French.
A^. Henry. What prifoners of good fort are taken,
uncle ?
Exe. 9 Charles duke of Orleans, nephew to the
king ;
John duke of Bourbon, and lord Bouciqualt :
Of other lords, and barons, knights, and 'fquires,
Full fifteen hundred, befides common men.
K. Hcury. This note doth tell me of ten thoufand
French,
That in the field lie {lain : of princes, in this number.
And nobles bearing banners, there lie dead
One hundred twenty -fix : added to thefe,
9 Charles duke of Orleans, &c.] This lift is copied from Hall.
POPE.
L 2 O
i 4 8 KING HENRY V.
Of knights, efquires, and gallant gentlemen,
Eight thoufand and four hundred ; of the which,
Five hundred were but yefterday dubb'd knights ;
So that, in thefe ten thoufand they have loft,
There are but ' fixteen hundred mercenaries ;
The reft are princes, barons, lords, knights, Yquires,
And gentlemen of blood and quality.
The names of thofe their nobles that lie dead,
Charles De-la-bret *, high conftable of France;
Jaques of Chatillon, admiral of France ;
The mafter of the crofs-bows, lord Rambures ;
Great-mafter of France, the brave Sir Guifchard
Dauphin ;
John duke of Alencon ; Anthony duke of Brabant,
The brother to the duke of Burgundy ;
And Edward duke of Bar : of lufty earls,
Grandpre, and Roufli, Fauconberg, and Foix,
Beaumont, and Marie, Vaudemont, and Leftrale.
Here was a royal fellowlhip of death !
Where is the number of our Englifti dead ?
Exe. ' Edward the duke of York, the earl of Suf-
folk,
Sir Richard Ketly, Davy Gam efquirc :
None elfe of name ; and, of all other men,
But five and twenty.
K. Henry. O God, thy arm was here !
And not to us, but to thy arm alone,
1 Jixteen hundred mercenaries : ] Mercenaries are in this place
common foldicr 3 1 or hired foldiers. The gentlemen ferved at their
own charge in confequence of their tenures. JOHNSON.
* Charles De-la-bret,] De-la-brct, as is already obferved, fliould
be Charles D'Aibret, would the meafure permit of fuch a change.
Holinftied fometimes apologizes for the omiffion of foreign names,
on account of his inability to fpeli them, but always calls this
nobleman "the lord dc la Breth, conftable of France." See
p. 549 and p. 555, &c. STEEVENS,
3 Edward the duke ofTork,] This fpeech, which in the 410$
is given to Exeter, appears iu the folio as part of the king's
Afcribc
K I N G H E N R Y V. I49
Afcribe we all. When, without flratagem,
But in plain fhock and even play of battle,
Was ever known fo great and little lofs,
On one part and on the other ? Take it, God,
For it is only thine !
Exe. 'Tis wonderful !
K. Henry. Come, go we in proceffion to the village :
And be it death proclaimed through our holt,
To boaft of this, or take that praife from God,
Which is his only.
Flu. Is it not lawful, an pleafe your majefly, to tell
how many is kilPd ?
K. Henry. Yes, captain ; but with this acknowledg-
ment,
That God fought for us.
Flu. Yes, my confcience, he did us great goot.
K. Henry. 4 Do we all holy rites ;
Let there be fung Non nobis, and Te Deum.
The dead with charity enclos'd in clay,
We'll then to Calais ; and to England then ;
Where ne'er from France arriv'd more happy men.
[Exeunt.
ACT v.
Enter Chorus.
Chorus. Vouchfafe, to thofe that have not read the
flory,
That I may prompt them : and for fuch as have,
I humbly pray them to admit the excufe
* Do ive all holy rites ;~\ The king (fay the Chronicles) caufed
the Pfalm, In exitu Ifrael de JEgypto (in which, according to the
vulgate, is included the Pfalm, Non nolis t Dom'inc, &c.) to be
ung after the victory. POPE.
L 3 Of
150 KING HENRY V.
Of time, of numbers, and due courfe of things,
Which cannot in their huge and proper life
Be here presented. Now we bear the king
Toward Calais : grant him there ; and there being
feen, ,.
' Heave him away upon your winged thoughts "
Athwart the fea : Behold, the Englifh beach
Pales in the flood with men, with wives, and boys,
\Vhofe fhouts and claps out-voice the deep-mouth'c
fea,
Which, like s a mighty whiffler 'fore the king,
Seems to prepare his way : fo let him land ;
And, folemnly, fee him fet on to London.
So fwift a pace hath thought, that even now
You may imagine him upon Black-heath :
Where that his lords delire him, to have borne
5 a mighty <iuhlfflcr ] An officer who walks firft in procef
fions, or betore perlbns in high ftations, on otcafions of cere
roony. The name is ftill retained in London, and there is ai
officer fo called that walks before their companies at times o
public folemnity. It feems a corruption from the French \vor
buijficr. HANMER.
a mighty whiffler ] See Mr. Warton's note to the traged
of OtMk, Aft HI. fc. ii.
In the play of Clyomon, Knight of the Golden ShieM, &c. 1 59^
\ : cr makes his appearance at a tournament, clearing th
way before the king. In Weftward Hoe, by Decker and Web
iter, 1612, the term is often mentioned.
Again, in Monfieur D'Olive, 1606 :
** I can go into no corner, but I meet with fome of my ivh:j
Jlen in their accoutrements ; you may hear them half a mile er
they come at you."
" I am afraid of nothing but that I fliall be balladed,
and all my ivbifflers."
Again, in I' 'ffiwaril Hoe, 1607 :
" The torch-men and wb'-fflers had an item to receive him."
Again, in TEXNOFAMIA, 1618 :
" Tobacco is a iub[ffler
" And cries huff fnufF with furie :
" His pipe's his club and linke, &c."
Again, in The Ifle of Gulh, 1633:
' And Manafles fhall go before like a ivbifftr, and make wa
with his horns," STEEVENS.
Hi
KING HENRY V. I5I
His bruifed helmet, and his bended fword,
Before him, through the city : he forbids it,
Being free from vainnefs and felf-glorious pride ;
6 Giving full trophy, fignal, and oilent,
Quite from himfelf, to God. But now behold,
In the quick forge and working-houfe of thought, *
How London doth pour out her citizens !
The mayor, and all his brethren, in bell fort,
7 Like to the fenators of antique Rome,
With the plebeians fwarming at their heels,
Go forth, and fetch their conquering Caefar in :
As, by a lower but by loving * likelihood,
9 Were now the general of our graciouscmprefs
(As, in good time, he may) from Ireland coming,
* Bringing rebellion broached on his fword,
6 Giving full trophy, ] Transferring all the honours of con-
tjueft, all trophies, tokens, and (hews, from himfelf to God.
JOHNSON.
7 Like to the fenators of antique Rome,] This is a very extra-
ordinary compliment to the city. But he ever declines a'll gene-
ral fatire on them ; and in the epilogue to Henry VIII. he hints
with difapprobation on his contemporary poets, who were accuf-
tomed to abufe them. Indeed his fatire is very rarely partial
and licentious. WAR BUR TON.
8 likdihooJ,] Likelihood for fimilitude. WARBURTON.
The later editors, in hope of mending the meafure of this
line, have injured the ienfe. The folio reads as I have printed ;
but all the books, lince revifal became fafhionable, and editors
have been more diligent to difplay themielves than to illuflrate
their author, have given the line thus :
dis ly a low, but loving likelihood*
Thus they have deitroyed the praife which the poet defigned for
Eflex ; for who would think himfelf honoured by the epithet
low f The poet, defirous to celebrate that great man, whole po-
pularity was then his boaft, and afterwards his deftruftion, com-
pares him to king Harry; but being afraid to offend the rival
courtiers, or perhaps the queen herfelf, he confefles that he is
AKIYT than a king, but would never have reprefented him abfo-
lutely as 7o<a>. JOHNSON.
y U\-rc now the general &c.] The earl of Eflex in the reign
of queen Elizabeth. POPE.
* Bringing rebellion broached] Spitted, transfixed. JOHNSON.
L A How
I 5 2 K I N G H E N R Y V.
How many would the peaceful city quit,
To welcome him ? much more, and much more
caufe,
Did they this Harry. Now in London place him ;
(As yet the lamentation of the French
Invites the king of England's flay at home :
The emperor's coming in behalf of France,
To order peace between them) and omit
All the occurences, whatever chanc'd,
'Till Harry's back-return again to France ;
There muft we bring him ; and myfelf have play'd
The interim, by remembring you 'tis paft.
Then brook , abridgment ; and your eyes advance
After your thoughts, flraight back again to France.
SCENE I.
"The Engli/J} camp in France.
* Enter Fluelkn^ and Goiver.
Gow, Nay, that's right ; But why wear you your
leek to-day ? faint Davy's day is paft.
Flu. There is occaiions and caufes why and where"
fore in all things : I will tell you, as my friend, captain
Gower ; The rafcally, fcald, beggarly, lowfy, prag-
ging knave, Piftol, which you and yourfelf, and
all the 'orld, know to be no petter than a fellow,
look you now, of no merits, he is come to me, and
* Enter Fluellcn^ and Gtnver.] This fcene ought, in my opi-
nion, to conclude the fourth act, and be placed before the laft
chorus. There is no Englifh camp in this ad ; the quarrel, ap-
parently happened before the return of the army to England,
and not after fo long an interval as the chorus has fupplied.
JOHNSON.
Fluellen prefently fays that he wore his leek in conlequence of
an affront he had received but the day before from Piftol. Their
prelent quarrel has therefore no reference to that begun in the
fixth fcene of the third aft. STEEVENS.
prings
KING HENRY V. i 53
prings me pread and fait yefterday, look yon, and
bid me eat my leek : it was in a place where I could
not breed no contentions with him ; but I will be fo
pold as to wear it in my cap 'till I fee him once again,
and then I will tell him a little piece of my defires.
Enter Ptftol.
Gffiv. Why, here he comes, fwelling like a turkey
cock.
Flit. Tis no matter for his fwellings, nor his turkey-
cocks. Got plefs you, antient Piftol ! you fcurvy,
lowfy knave, Got plefs you !
Pift. Ha ! art thou Bedlam ? doft thou thirft, bafe
Trojan,
3 To have me fold up Parca's fatal web ?
Hence ! I am qualmilh at the fmell of leek.
Flu. I pefeech you heartily, fcurvy lowfy knave, at
my defires, and my requefts, and my petitions, to eat,
look you, this leek ; becaufe, look you, you do not
love it, nor your affections, and your appetites, and
your digeflions, does not agree with it, I would de-
iire you to eat it.
Pift. Not for Cadwalladcr, and all his goats.
Flu. There is one goat for you. Will [Strikes him,
you be fo goot, fcald knave, as eat it ?
Pift. Bale Trojan, thou flialt die.
Flu. You fay very true, fcald knave, when Got's
will is : I will defire you to live in the mean time, and
eat your victuals ; come, there is fauce for it.
[Strikes /;.] You call'd me yeflerday, mountain-
fquire ; but I will make you to-day a 4 fquixe of low
degree.
3 To have me fold up &c.] Doft thou defire to have me put
thee to death. JOHNSON.
4 f quire of IO--M degree.'} That is, / civ'// bring tbee to tie
ground. JOHNSON.
The Squire of Low Degree is the tide of an old romance, enu-
merated among other becks in a letter concerning .^ucen FJiza
' ertainment at Kei.ekv.rth. STEEVEVS.
a f quire
154 KING HENRY V.
degree. I pray yon, fall to ; if you can mock a leek,
you can eat a leek.
Gmv. Enough, captain ; you have 5 nftonifiYd him.
Flu. I fay, I will make him eat fome part of my
leek, or I will peat his pate four days : Pite, I pray
you ; it is goot for your green wound, and your
ploody coxcomb.
Pi/}. Muft I bite ?
Flu. Yes, certainly ; and out of doubt, and out
of queftions too, and ambiguities.
Pift. By this leek, I will moft horribly revenge ; 6 1
eat, and eat, I fwear.
Flu. Eat, I pray you : Will you have fome more
fauce to your leek ? there is not enough leek to fwear
by.
Pift. Quiet thy cudgel ; thou doft fee, I eat.
Flu. Much goot do you, fcald knave, heartily.
Nay, pray you, throw none away ; the fkin is goot for
your proken coxcomb. When you take occaiions to
fee leeks hereafter, I pray you, mock at them ; that
is all.
Pift. Good.
Flu. Ay, leeks is goot : Hold you, there is a groat
to heal your pate.
Pijl. Me a groat !
Flu. Yes, verily, and in truth, you ihall take it ;
a f quire of lo\u degree .
This alludes to an old metrical romance, which was very popular
among our countrymen in ancient times, intided, The Squire of
IWM Degree. It was burlefqued by Chaucer in his rhime of Sir
Thopai, and begins thus :
" It was ajyuyre of lowe dcgre
" That loved the king's daughter of Hungrc."
See Rcliques of Engltfb Poetry, Vol. III. p. 30. act edit. PRCY.
5 oftonijb V/6/w.] That is, you have ilunned him with
the blow. JOHNSON.
6 leaf, ar.d cat, If'jiear ] Thus the firit folio, for which
the later editors have put, I eat and f wear. We fliould read, I
fuppofc, in the frigid tumour of Piitol's dialect :
1 eat and eke Ifwc ar. JOHNSON.
or
KING HEN PvYV. , S5
or I have another leek in my pocket, which you fhall
ear.
Pift. I take thy groat, in earneft of revenge.
Flu. If I owe you any thing, I will pay you in cud-
gels ; you fhall be a woodmonger, and buy nothing
of me but cudgels. Got be wi* you, and keep 'you,
and heal your pate. [.v:7.
Pift. All hell fhall ftir for this.
Gow Go, go ; you are a counterfeit cowardly knave.
Will you mock at an ancient tradition, begun upon
an honourable refpect, and worn as a memorable
trophy of predeceas'd valour, and dare not avouch
in your deeds any of your words ? I have feen you
gleeking 7 and galling at this gentleman twice or
thrice. You thought, becaufe he could not fpcak
Englilh in the native garb, he could not therefore
handle an Englifh cudgel : you find it otherwiie ;
and, henceforth, let a Welih correction teach you a
good Englilh condition. Fare ye well. [*//.
Pift. * Doth fortune play the hufwife with me now ?
9 News have I, that my Nell is dead i'the fpital
Of
1
7 gleeking] i. e. fcoffing, fneering. Gleek was a game at
cards. So, injGreene's Tu Quoquc, 1599:
' Why gleek, that's your only game.
" Gkek let it be ; for I am perfuaded I ftiallgleek fome of you."
Again, in Tom Tyler and bis ll r ife\ i >,8 :
" I fuddenly gleek, or men be aware." RTEEVENS.
* Doth fortune flay the bufivife ] That is, they/7/. Hufivife
is here in an ill fenie. JOHNSON.
9 News have I, that my Dol is dead ] We muft read, my
Nell is dead. Dol Teiirfheet was fo little the favourite of Piftol
th;.t he offered her in contempt to Nym. Nor would her death,
have c ut off fjis rendezvous ; that is, deprived him of a borne. Per-
haps the poet forgot his plan. JOHNSON.
In the quartos of 1600 and 1608, thele lines are read thus :
" Doth fortune play the hulwye with me now ?
" Is honour cudgel'd from my warlike lines ?
" Well, France farewell. News have I certainly,
" That Doll is fick on mallydie of France.
* The warres affordeth nought, home will I trug,
Bawd
i 5 6 K I N G H E N R Y V.
Of malady of France ;
And there my rendezvous is quite cut off.
Old I do wax ; and from my weary limbs
Honopr is cudgell'd. Well, bawd will I turn,
And fomething lean to cut-purfe of quick hand.
To England will I fleal, and there I'll fleal :
And patches will I get unto thefe cudgell'd fears,
And fwear, I got them in the Gallia wars '. [*//,
SCENE II.
he French court, at Trots in Champaigne.
Enter at one door king Henry, Exeter, Bedford, War-
wick, and other lords ; at another, the French king,
queen Ifabel, princefs Katharine, the duke of Bur-*
gundy, and other French.
K. Henry. * Peace to this meeting, wherefore we
are met !
Unto our brother France, and to our fifter,
Health and fair time of day ; -joy and good wifhes
To our moft fair and princely coufm Katharine ;
And (as a branch and member of this royalty,
By whom this great aflembly is contriv'd)
" Bawd will I turne, and ufe the flyte of hand.
" To England will I fteal, and there I'll Heal ;
" And patches will I get unto thefe Ikarres,
*' And Iwear I gat them in the Gallia warres." JOHNSON.
1 The comic fcenes of The Hiflory of Henry the Fourth and
Fifth are now at an end, and all the comic perfonages are now
difmifled. Falftaft" and Mrs. Quickly are dead ; Nym and Bar-
dolph are hanged ; Gads-hill was loft immediately after the rob-
bery ; Poins and Peto have vanifhed fince, one knows not how ;
and Piftol is now beaten into obfcurity, 1 believe every reader
regrets their departure. JOHNSON.
* Peace to ibis meeting, wherefore we are met!] Peace, for
which we are here met, be to this meeting.
Here, after the chorus, the fifth ad feems naturally to begin.
JOHNSON.
We
K I N G H E N R Y V. i 5?
We do falute you, duke of Burgundy ; .
And, princes French, and peers, health to you all !
Fr. King. Right joyous are we to behold your face,
Moll worthy brother England ; fairly met :
So are you, princes Englilh, every one.
<^. Ifa. So happy be the iflue, brother England,
Of this good day, and of this gracious meeting,
As we are now glad to behold your eyes ;
Your eyes, which hitherto have borne in them
Againft the French, that met them in their bent,
The fatal balls of murdering bafililks :
The venom of fuch looks, we fairly hope,
Have loft their quality ; and that this day
Shall change all griefs, and quarrels, into love.
K. Henry. To cry amen to that, thus we appear.
H^. Ifa. You Englilh princes all, I do falute you.
Bur. My duty to you both, on equal love,
Great kings of France and England ! That I have
labour'd
With all my wits, my pains, and ftrong endeavours,
To bring your moil imperial majefties
1 Unto this bar and royal interview,
Your mightinefs on both parts bell can witnefs.
Since then my office hath fo far prevail'd,
That, face to face, and royal eye to eye,
You have congreeted ; let it not difgrace me,
If I demand, before this royal view,
What rub, or what impediment, there is,
Why that the naked, poor, and mangled peace,
Dear nurfe of arts, plenties, and joyful births,
Should not, in this beft garden of the world,
Our fertile France, put up her lovely vifage ?
Alas ! Ihe hath from France too long been chas'd ;
And all her hulbandry doth lie on heaps,
Corrupting in its own fertility.
3 Unto this bar ] To this barrier ; to this place of con-
grefs. JOHNSON,
He i
158 KING HENRY V.
4 Her vine, the merry chearer of the heart,
Unpruncd dies : her hedges even-pleach 'd,
5 Like prifoncrs wildly over-grown with hair,
Put forth diibrder'd twigs : her fallow leas
The darnel, hemlock, and rank fumitory,
Doth root upon ; while that the coulter rufls,
That fhould deracinate 6 fuch favag'ry :
The even mead, that erfl brought fweetly forth
The freckled cowflip, burnet, and green clover,
Wanting the fcythe, all uncorreclred, rank,
Conceives by idlenefs ; and nothing teems,
But hateful docks, rough thiftles, keckfies, burs,
Lofing both beauty and utility.
And as our vineyards, fallows, meads, and hedges,
7 Defective in their natures, grow to wildnefs ;
Even fo our houies, and ourfelves, and children,
Have loft, or do not learn, for want of time,
The fciences that Ihould become our country;
But grow, like favages, as foldiers will,
Unpruned dies : ]
We rnuft read, lyes; for negleft of pruning does not kill the vine,
but caufes it to ramify immoderately, and grow wild ; by which
the requifite nourifhment is withdrawn from its fruit.
WAR EUR TON.
This emendation is phyfically right, but poetically the vine
may be well enough faid to die which ceafes to bear fruit.
JOHNSON.
3 Like prifoiurs] This image of prifoners is oddly introduced.
A hedge even pleach' 'd is more properly imprifoned than when it
luxuriates in unpruned exuberance. JOHNSON.
6 - deracinate - ] To deracinate is to force up by the
roots. So, in Troihts and Crejfida :
" - rend and deracinate
" The unity, c." STEEVENS.
7 Defective in their natures, ] Nature had been changed by
feme of the editors into nurture ; but, ns Mr. Upton obierves,
unneceffarily. Sua deficiiintitr na'vra. They were not defeftire
in their crtfcivt nature, for they gre.v to wildnefs ; but they
were defective in their proper and favourable nature, which was
to bring forth food for. man. STEEV:.
That
K I N G H E N R Y V. 159
That nothing do but meditate on blood,
To fwearing, and ftern looks, 8 diffus'd attire,
And every thing that feems unnatural.
Which to reduce into our 9 former favour,
You are afiembled : and my fpeech intreats,
That I may know the let, why gentle peace
Should not expel thefe inconveniencies,
And blefs us with her former qualities.
K. Henry. If, duke of Burgundy, you would the
peace,
Whofe want gives growth to the imperfections
Which you have cited, you mufl buy that peace
With full accord to all our juft demands ;
Whofe tenours and particular effedts
You have, enfchedul d briefly, in your hands.
Bur. The king hath heard them ; to the which 5
as yet,
There is no anfwer made.
K. Henry. Well then, the peace,
Which you before fo urg'd, lies in his anfwer.
Fr. King. I have but with a curforary eye
O'er-glanc'd the articles : pleafeth your grace
To appoint fome of your council prefently
To fit with us once more, with better heed
To re-furvey them, ' we will, fuddenly,
Pafs, or accept, and peremptory anfwer.
K. Henry.
s diffus'il attire, ~\ Diffus'd, for extravagant. The mill-
/fary habit of thofe times was extremely fo. Acl III. Govver
fays, And ivhat a beard of the general's cut, and a horrid fuit of
the camp, will do among/}, &c. is wonderful to be thought on.
WAR BUR TON.
Diffused is fo much ufed by our author for wild, irregular,
z.r\&Jl range, that in The Merry Wives of Wind/or he applies it to
a fong fuppofed to be fung by fairies. JOHNSON.
9 former favour,} Former appearance. JOHNSON.
1 -We will fuddenly
Pafs our accept, and peremptory anf-jcer. ]
As the French king defires more time to confider deliberately of
the articles, 'tis odd and abfurd for him to fay abfolutely, that
he
160 KING HENRY V.
A". Henry. Brother, we fhall. Go, uncle Exeter,
And brother Clarence^ and you, brother Glofter,
Warwick, and Huntington, go with the king :
And take with you free power, to ratify,
Augment, or alter, as your wifdoms beft
Shall fee advantageable for our dignity,
Any thing in, or out of, our demands ;
And we'll confign thereto. Will you, fair fifter,
Go with the princes, or flay here with us ?
<3>. Ifa.'Our gracious brother, I will go with them ;
Haply, a woman's voice may do fome good,
When articles, too nicely urg'd, be flood on.
K. Henry. Yet leave our coulin Katharine here
with us :
She is our capital demand, compris'd
Within the fore-rank of our articles.
^. Ifa. She hath good leave. [_Excunt.
Manent king Henry, Katharine, and a lady.
K. Henry. Fair Katharine, and moft fair * !
Will you vouchfafe to teach a foldier terms,
Such as will enter at a lady's ear,
And plead his love-fuit to her gentle heart ?
he would accept them all. He certainly muft mean, that he
would at once wave and decline what he diflik'd, and confign to
fuch as he approv'd of. Our author ufes pafs in this manner in
other places ; as in King John :
" But if you fondly pafs our proffer 1 J love" WARBURTON.
Pafs our accept, and peremptory anfwer : i. e. we will pafs our
acceptance of what we approve, ami we will pafs a peremptory
anfwer to the relh Politenefs might forbid his faying, we will
pafs a denial, but his own digniry required more time ror delibe-
ration. Befides, if we read pafs or accept, is not peremptory an-
faer fuperfluous, and plainly implied in the former words ?
TOLLET.
* Fair Katharine, and moft fair /] Shakefpeare might have taken
ihe hint for this fcene from the anonymous play of Henry V. fo
often quoted, where the king begins with greater bluntnefa, and
with an exordium moft truly Eng;li{h :
** How now, fair lady Katharine of France !
*' What news?" STEEVENS.
KatJ:.
K I N G tt E N R V V. ,$
Your majcfty Ihall mock at me ; I cannot
ipeak your England.
K. Henry. O fair Katharine, if you will love me
foundly with your French heart, I will be glad to hear
you confcfs it brokenly with your Englifli tongue. Do
you like me, Kate ?
Kath. PcrJ.onnez moy, I cannot tell vat is like me.
K. Henry. An angel is like you, Kate ; and you are
like an angel.
Kathf. >ite dit-ll? qiie je f.ds fsmblable a les anges ?
] ,ady. Ouy, vrayment, (fauf voftre grace) ainji dit //.
K. Henry. I faid fo, dear Katharine ; and I muft
not blufh to affirm it.
Kath. Ob on Dleu ! les langues des kommes font pleines
dss tromperies.
K. Henry. What fays me, fair one ? that the tongues
of men are full of deceits ?
Lady. Ouy ; dat de tongues of de mans is be full of
deceits : dat is de princefs.
K. Henry. The princefs is the better Engliih- woman.
I'faith, Kate, my wooing is lit for thy underilanding :
I am glad, thou canil fpeak no better Engiifh ; for, if
thou couldft, thou wouldlifind me J fuch a plain king,
that thou won Idil think, I had fold my farm to buy
my crown. I know no ways to mince it in love, but
direclly to fay 1 love you : then, if you urge me
3 fnch a plain king) ] I khow not why Shakefpeare now
gives the king nearly luch a character as he made him formerly
ridicule in Percy. This military groflhefs and unikilfulnefs in
all the fofter arts does not fuit very well with the gaieties of his
youth, with the general knowledge afcribed to him at his accef-
lion, or with the contemptuous meflage fent him by the dau-
phin, who reprefents him as fitter for the ball-room than the
field, and tells him that he is not to revel into dutchies, or win
provinces ^:tb a nimble galliard. The truth is, that the poet's
matter failed him in the fifth aft, and he was glad to fill it up
with whatever he could get ; and not even Shakefpeare can write
well without a proper iubject. It is a vain endeavour for the
moil Ikillul hand to cultivate barreuncfs, or to paint upon vacuity.
JOH'NSON.
VOL. VI. M fur-
i6i KING HENRY V.
further than to fay Do you in faith.? I wear out m*
fuit. Give me your anfvver; i'faith, do; and i'o
clap hands, and a bargain : How fay- you, lady ?
Kath. Saufvoflre bomeiir, me ynomtand well.
K. Henry. Marry, if you would put me to vcrfes,
or to dance for your fake, Kate, why you undid me :
for the one, I have neither words nor meafare; and for
the other, I have no ftrength in meafure, yet a reaibn-
able meafure in ftrength. If I could win a lady at
leap-frog, or by vaulting into my faddle with my ar-
rnour on my back, under the correction of bragging
be it fpoken, I fhould quickly leap into a wife. Or r
if I might buffet for my love, or bound my horfe for
her favours, I could lay on like a butcher, and fit like
a jack-a-napcs, never off : But, before God, Kate, I
cannot look greenly, nor gafp out my eloquence, nor
I have no cunning in proteftation ; only downright
oaths, which I never ufe 'till urg'd, nor never break
for urging. If thou canft love a fellow of this tem-
per, Kate, whofe face is not worth fun-burning, that
never looks in his glafi> for love of any thing he fees-
rhere, let thine eye be thy cook~ I fpeak to thee
plain foldier : If thou canft love me for this, take me :
if not, to fay to thee : that I ftvall die, 'tis true ;
but for thy love, by the Lord r no ; yet I love thee
too. And while thou iiv'ft, dear Kate, 4 take a fel-
low of plain and uncoined conftancy ; for he per-
force muft do thee right, bccaufe he hath not the
gift to "woo in other p'::c<?<5 : for thefe fellows of in-
finite tongue, that can rhime themfelyes into ladies*
favours, they do always reafon thcmfelvcs out again..
* take a felloe: of plain and uncoined conjlancy ; ] i.e. A
conftancy in the ingot, that hath fuffercd no alloy, as all coined
metal has. WAR BUR TON.
I believe this explanation is more ingenious than- true ; to coin
\% tojlamp and to counterfeit. He ufes it in both fenles ; unwind
conftancy fi^aifies rw/and trite conihincy, unrcfixcJ z\\& unadorned*
JQHNSON.
What
KING HENRY V. z ^
What ! a fpeaker is bur a prater ; a rhyme is but a
ballad. A good leg will fail ; a flraight back will
ftoop ; a black beard will turn white ; a curl'd pate
will grow balcT; a fair face will wither ; a full eye
will wax hollow : but a good heart, Kate, is the fun
and the moon ; r, rather, the fun, and not the moon ;
for it frillies bright, and never changes, but keeps his
courfe truly. If thou would have fuch a one, take
me: And "take me, take a" foldier ; take a foldier,
take a king : And what fay'fl thou then to my love ?
fpeak, my fair, and fairly, I pray thee.
Katk. Is it poffible dat I mould love the enemy of
France J ?
K. Henry. No ; it is not poffible, that you fhould
love the enemy of France, Kate : but, in loving me,
you mould love the friend of France ; for 1 love
France fo well, that I will not part with a X'iilage of
it ; I will have it all mine : and, Kate, when France
is mine, and I am yours, then yours is France, and
you are mine.
Katb. I cannot tell vat is dat.
K. Henry. No, Kate ? I will tell thee in French ;
which, I am fure, will hang upon my tongue 6 like a
new-married wife about her hufband's neck, hardly
to be fhook off. Qitand fay la pqfl'effion do France, &
quand vous avez le poffeffion de moi f (let me fee, what
then? Saint Dennis be rny fpeed !) done voftre eft
Franc?, &f vous eftes mlenne. It is as eafy for me, Kate,
to conquer the kingdom, as to fpeak fo much more
French : I mail never move thee in French, unlefs it
be to laugh at me.
5 Is it poff.ble dat I JlioulJ love de enemy of France?] So, in
the anonymovis play of the Famous J r ilory of fTexry the Fifth :
" Kate. How fliould I love thee, which is rny lather's cue*
rnie ? STEEVEKS.
6 like a married wife about her fjuflancTs neck, ] Every
ivife is a married ^uiff. I fuppofe we fliould read new-married ;
an epithet more expreilive of fondnefs. [OHNSOX.
The folio reads a new-married wife, and the quartos i 600 and
1608 llki a t/ritte tn her nev;-.'>iarried hujiand. STESVENS.
M % Kath,
i6 4 KING H E N R Y V.
KatV ''i/ic-tr, k Pra;i(ols que VQV.S par*
i je park.
K. Htfiyj. No, faith, is't nor, Kate : but thy {peak-
ing of my tongue, and I thine, moft truly falfely,
mult needs be granted to be much at one. But,
Kate, doft thou underftand thus much Englifh ?
Canil thou love me ?
Kath. I cannot telh
K. Henry. Can any of your neighbours tell, Kate?
I'll afk them. Come, I know, thou loveft me : and
at night when you come into your clofet, you'll quef-
tion this gentlewoman about me ; and I know, Kate,
you will, to her, difpraifc thofe- parts in me, that you
love with your heart : but, good Kate, mock me mer-
cifully ; the rather, gentle princefs, becaule I love
thee cruelly. If ever thou bc'ft mine, Kate, (as I
have faving faith within me, tells me thou flialt) I
get thee with fcambiing 7 , and thou muft therefore
needs prove a good foldier-breeder : Shall not thou
and I, between faint Dennis and faint George, com-
pound a boy, half French, half Engliih, that fhall
8 go to Conftantinople, and take the Turk by the
beard ? fhall we not ? what fay 'ft thou, my fair flower-
de-luce ?
Kaik. I do not know dat.
K. Henry. No ; 'tis hereafter to know, but now to
promife : do but now promile, Kate, you will endea-
vour for your French part of fuch a boy ; and, for
7 iviib fcambiing,] i. e. fcrambling. So, Mai low, iu
his Jew of Maita, 1033 .
" We hftTey&jMvAfa/np
*' More wealth by far, &c."
"See Dr. Percy's note in the firft fcene of this piny.
Again, in Sapljo a.id Pkao, 1591 : " ! urn driren to a mufe,
how this lent I i\\z\\ feasible in the court." SrtEVHNS.
8 S to CoKJiantincple ] Shukefpeare has here committed
.ui nnachronifm. '1'he Turks were not pofilfled of Conilantino-
ple before the year 14^3, \vhen Henry V. had been Jcad thirty-
one years. TULOUAJ-L>.
my:
K I N G H E N R Y V. 165
:->tety, take the word of a. king and a
r. How an liver you, la plus belle Katharine
,:\ <', won tres c'here & divine decjje ?
Your mcjefTg 'ave favjfe French enough to
e de mofty^-,? damoifelle clat is en France.
i . ilenry. Now, lie upon my falfe French! By
mine honour, in tiue Englifli, I love the?, Kate:
by which Honour- 1 dare not f..var, then k>veft me;
yet my blood begins to flatter me that thou doft,
notwithstanding the 9 poor and untempering eifect of
my vifage. Now befhrew my father's ambition ! he
was thinking of civil wars when he got me ; therefore"
was I created with a ftubborn outlide, with an afpefl
of iron, that, when I co'ne to woo ladies, I fright
them. But, in faith, Kate, the elder I wax, the
better I mall appear : my comfort is, that old age,
that ill layer-up of beauty, can do no more fpoil up-
on my face : thou haft me, if thou haft me, at the
worft; and thou fhalt wear me, if thou wear me,
better and better; And therefore tell rne, moft fair
Katharine, will you have me > Put off your maiden
bluihes ; avouch the thoughts of your heart with the
looks of an emprefs; take me by the hand, and
fay Harry of England, I am thine : which word
thou fhalt no fooner blefs mine ear withal, but I will
tell thee aloud England is thine, Ireland is thine,
France is thine, and Henry Plantagenet is thine ;
9 poor and untempering effect"} Certainly untempting.
WAR BUR roy.
Untempering I believe to have been the poet's word. The
fenfe is, I understand that you love me, notwithftanding my face
Jvas no power to temper, i. e. forten you to my purpofe :
** nature made you
" To temper man " Otway.
So, again in Titus Andronicus, which may, at leaft, be quoted
AS the^work of an author contemporary with Shakefpeare :
" " And temper him with all the arf'1 have." STEEVENS.
M 3 who,
KING HENRY V.
who, though I fpeak it before his face, if he be not
fellow with the beft king, thou ihalt find the beft king
nf good-fellows. Come, your anfwer in broken mu-
fic ; for thy voice is mufic, and thy Engliih broken :
therefore, queen of all, Katharine, break thy mind
to me in broken Engliih, Wilt thou have me ?
Kath. Dat is, as it ihall plcafe de rcy won pere.
K. Henry. Nay, it v-illpleafe him well, Kate ; it:
ihall pleaie him, Kate.
Katb. Den it ihall alfo content me.
K. Henry. Upon that I kiis your hand, and I call
you my queen.
Kath. Laifltz, monjeigneur, laiffcz^ laijjez : ma foy,
je ne veuv point que vats abbaiffez voftre grandeur, en.
half ant la main d'une voftre indigne ferviteure ; excufez
may, je vous fifpplle, mon tres puff/hut feigneur.
* K. Henrys Then I will kiis your lips, Kate.
Kath- Les dames, & damojelles, pour eflre b a; jess devant
leur nopces, il n'eft pas le coutume de France.
K. Henry. Madam my interpreter, what fays ihe ?
JLatfy. Dat it is not be de faihion pour de ladies ot"
France, I cannot tell what is, baijer, en Engliih.
K. Henry. To kifs.
Lady. Your majeily entendre bettre que moy.
K. Henry. It is not a faihiou for the maids in Franco
to kifs be'fore they are married, would ihe fay ?
Lady. Ouy, vraynh'nt.
K. Henry. O, Kate, nice cuftoms curt'fy to great
kings. Dear Kate, you and I cannot be confinM
within the weak lift of a country's faihion : we are
the makers of manners, Kate ; and the liberty, that
follows our places, flops the mouth of all find-rfaults;
As I will do yours, for upholding the nice faihiou
of your country, in denying me a kifs : therefore, pa-
tiently, and yielding [kiffing her."] You have witch-
craft in your lips, Kate : there is more eloquence in
a fugar touch of them, than in the tongues of the
French
K I N G H E N R Y V. 167
French council , and they fhould fooncr l perfuade
Harry of England, than a general petition of mo-
narchs. Here comes your father.
Enter tic Freud kiug and queen., i^itb French and Rug-
lifl) lords.
B'<r? t . God fave your majefty i my royal coufin,
teach you our princefs Englilh ?
K. Henry. I would have her learn, my fair coufin,
how perfectly I love her ; and that is good Englilh.
Burg. Is ihe not apt ?
X. Henry* Our tongue is rough, coz'; and my con-
dition is not fmooth * : fo that, having neither the
voice nor the heart of flattery about me, I cannot fo
conjure up the fpirit cf love in her, that he will ap-
pear in his true likenefs.
Burg. 3 Pardon the franknefs of my mirth, if I an-
fwcr you for that. If you would conjure in her, you
mnft make a circle : if conjure up love in her in his
true likenefs, he mud appear naked, and blind : Can
you blame her then, being a maid yet rofy'd over
with the virgin crimlbn of modcfty, if Ihe deny the
appearance of a naked blind boy in her naked feeing
felf ? It were, my lord, a hard condition for a maid
to confign to.
K- Plenry. Yet they do wink, and yield ; as love is
blind, and enforces.
1 Tour lipsjhonldf/ionerperfvnde Harry of England, tlan a gene-
ral petition of monarch*..] So, in the old anonymous Henry V :
*' . -TeU thy father frojn me, that none in the world fliould
fooner have perfuaded me, &c." STEEVENS.
* my condition is not fmootb :~\ Condition is temper. So, in
JC. Henry IV. Fart I. fc. in :
" my coKilitio?!,
" Which has been fmooth as oil, &c." STEEVF.XS.
s Pardon tht franknefs rf my mirth, ] We have here but a
mr.m dialogue for princes ; the merriment is very grois, and the
iemiments are very worthlefs. JOHNSON,
^I^ Burg.
x63 KING HENRY V.
Burg. They are then excus'd, my lord, when they
fee not what they do.
K. Henry* Then, good my lord, teach your coufm
to content to winking.
Burg. I will wink on her to confent, my lord, if
you will teach her to^know my meaning: for maids,
well fummer'd and warm kept, are like flies at Bartho-
lomew-tide, blind, though they have their eyes ; and
then they will endure handling, which before would
not abide looking on,
K. Henry. 4 This moral ties me over to time, and a
hot fummer ; and fo I lhall catch the fly, your coufin^
in the latter end, and Ihe muft be blind too.
Burg. As love is, my lord, before it loves.
K. Henry. It is fo : and you may, fome of you,
thank love for my blindnefs ; who cannot fee many
a fair French city, for one fair French maid that
Hands in my way.
Fr. King. Yes, my lord, you fee them perfpccYively,
the cities turn'd into a maid ; for they are all girdled
with maiden walls, that war hath never enter'd.
K. Henry. Shall Kate be my wife ?
Fr. King. So pleafe you.
K. Henry. I am content; fo the maiden cities you
talk of, may wait on her : fo the maid, that flood in
the way for my wifh, fhall Ihew me the way to my
will.
Fi\ King. We have confented to all terms of rcafon,
K. Henry. Is't fo, my lords of England ?
Weft. The king hath granted every article :
His daughter, firfl ; and then in fequel all,
According to their firm propofed natures.
Exe. Only, he hath not yet fubfcribed this : =
Where your majefty demands, That the king of
France, having any occafion to write for matter of
4 This moral ] That 5s, the application of this fable, the mo-
ral being the application of a fable, our author calls any appli-
cation a moral. JOHNSON.
grant,
K I N G H E N R Y V. !6 9
grant, fhall name your highnefs in this form, and
with this addition, in French : * Notre tres cber jilz
Henry roy cT Angleterre, heretier de France: and thus ia
Latin, Pr<eclarffimus fitius nojler Henrkus, rexAnglix,
5* hares Francis.
Fr. King. Yet this I have not, brother, fo deny'd,
Buf your requeit fhall make me let it pafs.
K. Henry. I pray you then, in love and dear alliance,
Let that one article rank with the reft :
And, thereupon, give me your daughter.
Fr. King. Take her, fair fon ; and from her blood
raife up
Iffue to me : that the contending kingdoms
Of France and England, whofe very fhores look pale
With envy of each other's happinefs,
May ceafe their hatred ; and this dear conjunction
Plant neighbourhood and chriftian-like accord
In their iweet bofoms, that never war advance
His bleeding fword 'twixt England and fair France.
All. Amen !
K. Henry. Now welcome, Kate : and bear me wit-
nefs all,
That here I kifs her as my fovereign queen. \JFlourijb.
<%. I/a. God, the beft maker of all marriages,
Combine your hearts in one, your realms in one J
As man and wife, being two, are one in love,
So be there 'twixt your kingdoms fuch a fpoufal,
That never may ill office, or fell jealoufy,
Which troubles oft the bed of blefled marriage,
6 Thruft in between the paftion of thefe kingdoms,
To
5 r.ojlre fres cherJHz and thus in Latin ; praclarffimus fillus. ]
What, is fres cber, in French, PradarlJJimus in Latin ? We fhould
read, precarijjimus. WAR BUR TON.
" This is exceeding true," lays Dr. Farmer, " but how came
the blunder? It is a typographical one in Holinftied, which
Shakefpeare copied ; but muft indifputably have been corrected,
had he been acquainted with the languages." STEEVENS.
6 llruft in between the pailion of thefe kingdoms^ The old fo-
lios
173 KING HENRY V.
To make divorce of their incorporate league ;
Thai Engli>h mav ?s Trench, French Engliftimea,
Receive each other ! God fpcak this Amen !
All. Amen!
jfiT. Henry. 7 Prepare we for ov.r marriage : 03
which dsv,
My lord of Burgundy, we'll take your oath,
And all the peers', for lurety of our leagues.
Then fhall I fwear to Kate, and you to me ;
And may our oaths well kept and profp'rous b
Enter Chorus.
Thus far, with rough, and all unable pen,
3 Our bending author hath purfu'd the ilory ;
In little room confining mightv men,
9 Mangling by Harts the fuil courfe of their glory.
iios have it, the patlon ; which makes me believe, the authors
word was patfion ; a word, more proper on the occafiou of a
peace flruck up. A pafTion of two kingdoms for one another is
an odd expreffion. An amity and political harmony may be tm-d
betwixt two countries, and yet either peopl be far from having
a palfton for the other. TKI-.OI.ALP.
7 Prepare ivc &c.j The quarto's 1600 and 1608 conclude with
the following fpeech :
Hen. Why then fair Katbarlne y
Come, give me t/.y hand:
Our marriage ivill -ive prrffnt foltr.inizf,
And end our hatred by a bond of lave,
Then -\vill I fwear to Kate, and Kate to me,
And may onr VIHVS once tttaJc, unbroken be. STEEVENS.
s Our bending author - ] We (houldread:
Onr blending author -
So he fays of him juft afterwards, mangling ly fnrt<.
WAREURTOK.
Why fhould we read Mending f By tending, our author meant
untqual to the weight of bisjubjefl, and bending beneath it ; or he
:nay mean, as in Hamlet: " Here Jiooping to jour clemency."
STEEVLVS.
9 3fan%l!tig iy Jlarts] By touching only on feled parts.
JOHNSON.
Small
K I N G H E N R Y V. 171
Small time, but, in that fmall, moft greatly liv'd
This ftar of England : fortune made his Ivvord ;
By which the world's beft garden he atchjev'd,
And of it left his fon imperial lord.
Henry the fixth, in infant bands crown'd king
Of France and England, did this king fucceed ;
Whofe ftate fo many had the managing,
That they loft France, and made his England bleed :
Which oft our flage hath ihown ; and, for their fake,
In your fair minds let this acceptance take T .
1 This play has many fcenes of high dignity, and many of eafy
merriment. The character of the king is well fupported, except
in his courtfliip, where he has neither the vivacity of Hal, nor
the grandeur pf Henry. The humour of Piitol is very happily
continued : his character has perhaps been the model of all the
bullies that have yet appeared on the Englifli ftage.
The lines given to the Chorus have many admirers ; but the
truth is, that in them a little may be praifed, and much muft be
torgiven ; nor cim it be ealily discovered why the intelligence
given by the Chorus is more necellary in this play than in many
others where it is omitted. The great defect of this play is the
emptinefs and narrownefs of the lafl aft, which a very little dili-
gence might have eafily avoided. JOHNSOX.
FIRST
HENRY VI
PART I,
Perfons Reprefeated.
King Henry the fixth.
Duke of Glofter, uncle to the king, and proteftor',
Duke of Bedford, uncle to the king, and regent of France.
Cardinal Beaufort, bijhop of Wincbtfcr^ and great
v.nck to tie king.
Duke of Exeter.
Duke of Somerfet.
Earl of Warwick.
Earl of Salifbury.
Earl of Suffolk.
Lord Talbot.
Young Talbot, bis fon.
Richard Plantagcnet, afterwards duke of Tork.
Mortimer, earl #f March.
Sir John Faftolfe. Woodvile, lieutenant of the Tower*
Lord Mayor of London. Sir Thomas Gargrave.
Sir William Glanfdale. Sir William Lucy.
Vcrnon, of the White Rofe, or Tork faft ion.
BafTet, of the Red Rofe, or Lancajhr faction.
Charles, dauphin, and afterwards king of France.
Reignier, duke of Anjou, and titular king of Naples*
Duke of Burgundy.
Duke of Alencon.
Baftardof Orleans.
Governor of Paris.
Mafter-Gunner of Orleans. Boy, his fon.
An old Shepherd, father to Joan la Pucellc.
Margaret, daughter to Reignier, and afterwards uuecn
to king Henry.
Countefs of Auvergne.
Joan la Pucelle, commonly called, Joan of Arc ; a maul
pretending to be infpir'd from heaven, and fating v.p
for the championefs of France.
..Fiends, attending her.
Lords, Captains, Soldiers, Mejjengcrs, and feveral At-
tendants both on the Englifo and French.
%be SCENE is partly in England, and partly in France.
'FIRST PART OF
KING HENRY VI.
ACT I. SCENE I.
WeJlmlnfter-Ably.
jfread march. Enter the funeral of king Henry the- Fifth t
attended on by the duke of Bedford^ regent of France ;
the duke of Glqfter, protestor ; the duke of Exeter,
and the wl of Warwick', the blfiop of IVinchejler,
and the duhe of Somerfet, &c.
Bed. Hung be the heavens with black, yield day
to night !
Comets,
1 Flrjl Part cf King Henry J '/,] The historical tranfacYion*
contained in this play, take in the compafs of above thirty ye'ars.
I mult obi'erve, however, that our author, in the thiee parts of
Henry VI* has not been very precife to the date and difpoiition or.
his tufts ; but fliuffled them, backwards and forwards, out of
time. For inftance ; the lord Talbot is kill'd at the end of the
fourth act of this play, who in reality did not fall till the i3th
of July 1453 : and The Second Part of Henry FL ope,ns with ther
marriage of the king, which was folemniz'd eight years before
Taibot's death, in the year 1445. Again, in the fecond part,
ilame Eleanor Cobham is introduced to infult queen Margaret ;
though her penance and bamfhment for forcery happened three
years before that princefs cair.c over to England. I could point
mt many other trarfgrt^il'-ns ugamit hillor}-, as far as the order
of time i:. concerned. Indeed, though there are ieveral mafter-
ftrokes in thde three plays, wlilch inronteilably betray the work-
manfhip of Shakefpeure ;' yet I am almoit doofetful, whether they
xvere entirely of his writing. And unleis they were wrote by
Jilin very early, I fliould rather imagine them to have "been
brought
176 FIRST PART OF*
Comets, importing change of times and
* Brandifh your cryftal treffes in the fky ;
And with them fcourge the bad revolting flars,
That have confcnted 5 unto Henry's death !
Henry the filth, too famous to live long !
England ne'er loft a king of fo much worth.
brought to him as a dire&or of the flage and fo have received
fome finifhing beauties at his hand. An accurate obferver wilt
eafily fee, the diction of them is more obfolete, and the numbers
more mean and profaical, than in the generality of his genuine
compofitions. THEOBALD.
1 Brandijb your cryftal treffes] We have heard of cryflal
heaven, but never of cryjlal comets before. We fhould read,
trifled or creftcd, i.e. trefles {landing an end, or mounted like a
creft. WARBURTON.
I believe cryjlal is right. JOHNSON.
Cryjlal is an epithet repeatedly bellowed on comets by our an-
cient writers. So, in a Soatietby Lord Sterline, 1604 :
" When ns thofe cbryjlal comets whiles appear."
Spenfer, in his Faery >ueert t Book I. c. x. applies it to a lady's
face :
" Like funny beams threw from her tbryJlal&ctJ*
*< There is alfo a -white comet with lilver haires," fays Pliny ,
as tranflated by P.Holland, 1601. STEEVENS.
3 That have confented ] It this exprefllon means no more
than that the liars gave a bare confcnt, or agreed to let king Henry
die, it does no great honour to its author. I believe to confent^
in this inftance, means to aft in concert. Conccntus, Lat. Thus
Erato the mufe applauding the fong of Apollo, in Lylly's Midas y
1592, cries out : " O fweet confent /" i. e. fweet union of founds.
Again, in Spenfer's Faery >ueen, B. IV. c. ii :
" Such mufick his wife words with time confented"
Again, in his tranfiation of Virgil's Cukx :
*' Chaunted their fundry notes with fweet concent."
and in many other places. Confentcd, or as it fhoirid be fpelt,
contented) means, have fhrtnvn themselves into a malignant configu-
ration, to promote the death of Henry. Spenfer, in more than one
inftance, fpells this word as it appears in the text of Shakefpeare ;
as does Ben Jonfon, in his Epitbalamion on Mr. Wefton. The
following lines :
" fhall we curie the planets of milhap,
" That plotted thus, &c."
feem to countenance my explanation ; and Falilaff fays of Shal-
low's fervants, that " they flock together in confent^ like fo
wild geefe." STEEVENS.
Glo.
KING HENRY VI. I7?
Glo. England ne'er had a king, until his time.
Virtue he had, deferving to command :
His brandifh'd fword did blind men with his beams ;
His arms fpread wider than a dragon's wings ;
His fparkling eyes, replete with wrathful fire,
More dazzled and drove back his enemies,
Than mid-day fun, fierce bent againfl their faces.
What mould I fay ? his deeds exceed all fpeech :
He ne'er lift up his hand, but conquered.
Exe. We mourn in black ; Why mourn we not in
blood ?
Henry is dead, and never lhall revive :
Upon a wooden coffin we attend ;
And death's difhonourable victory
We with our {lately prefence glorify,
Like captives bound to a triumphant car.
What ? lhall we curie the planets of mifliap,
That plotted thus our glory's overthrow ?
Or mail we think 4 the fubtle-witted French
Conjurers and forcerers, that, afraid of him,
By magic verfes have contriv'd his end ?
Win. He was a king bleft of the King of kings.
Unto the French the dreadful judgment-day
So dreadful will not be, as was his fight.
The battles of the Lord of hofls he fought :
The church's prayers made him fo profperous.
Glo. The church ! where is it ? Had not church-
men pray'd,
His thread of life had not fo foon decayed :
4 the fubtlc?vjittcd French &c.] There was a notion preva-
lent a long time, that life might be taken away by metrical
charms. As fuperftition grew weaker, thefe charms were ima- ,
gined only to have power on irrational animals. In our author's
time it was fuppofed that the Irifh could kill rats by a fong.
JOHNSON-.
So, in Reginald Scot's Difcoverie of Wltcbc raft, 1584: " The
Iriflimen addift themfelves, &c. yea they will not fticke to af-
firme that they can rime either man or beaft to death."
STEEVEXS.
VOL. VI. N None
178 FIRST PART OF
Ncne do you like but an effeminate prince,
Whom, like a ichool-boy, you may over-awe.
Win. Glofter, \vhate l er we like, thou art protector j
And lookeil to command the prince, and realm.
Thy wife is proud ; fhe holdeth thee in awe,
More than God, or religious church-men, may.
Glo. Name not religion, for thou lov'ft the flefh ; *
And ne'er throughout the year to church thou go'ft,
Except it be to pray againft thy foes.
Bed. Ceafe, ceafc thcfe jars, and reft your minds|
in peace !
Let's to the altar : Heralds, wait on us ;
Inftead of gold, well offer up our arms ;
Since arms avail not, now that Henry's dead.
Pofterity, await for wretched years,
When at their mothers' moil! eyes babes iliall fuck ; m
5 Our ifle be made a nourilh of fait tears,
5 Our iflele made amznfaoffalt tears,'] Thus it is in both
impreilions by Mr. Pope : upon what authority, I cnnnot uam
All the old copies read, a nourijh : and conlidenng it is laid m
the line immediately preceding, that babes fliall fuck at their
mothers moifl eyes, itfeems very probable that our author wrote!
a ncuricc ; 5. e. that the whole ifle fliould be one common ur/m
or nourijbcr, of tears : and thofe be the nourifhmcnt of its inifcnl
able iffue. THEOBALD.
Was there ever fuch nonfenfe ! But he did not know that
marlfl) is an old word tor marfli or ten ; and therefore very judi-
ioufly thus corrected by Mr. Pope. WAS BURTON.
I have been informed, that what we call at prefent a I
which fifh are preferred alive, was anciently called a no
Nourice., howerer, Fr. a nurfe, was anciently fpelt m:n
c:it ways, among which nourijb was one :
* Ot that chylde me was blyth,
*' After noryjba flie fent belive."
Syr Eglamour of Ai'tois, h3. 1. no date.
A, ncurijb therefore in this palFage of our author lignities a
'-, as it apparently does in the i2th chapter of the /lift book
of tie Tragedies of John Bocbas, by Lydgate :
** Athenes whan it was in his floures
*' Was called nourijb of philofophers wife."
c * ... i i Jubae tellus generat, leonum
*' Arida nufrix." STEEVENS.
And
KING H E N R Y- VI. i 79
none but women left to wail the dead.
Henry the fifth ! thy ghoit I invocatc ;
Profper this realm, keep it from civil broils !
Combat with adverfe planets in the heavens !
A far more glorious ftar thy foul will make,
e Than Julius Csefar, or bright
Enter a Mefpt!ger.
Mi'ff* My honourable lords, health, to you all !
Sad tidings bring I to you out of France,
Of lofs, of fl-iughter, and diicomfiturc :
7 Guienne, Champaigne, Rheims, Orleans,
Paris, Guyfors, Poidtieis, are ail quire loft.
Bed. What fay 'ft thou, man, before dead Henry's
corfe ?
Speak foftly ; or the lofs of thofe great towns
Will make him burft his lead, and rife from, death.
Glo. Is Paris loft ? is Roan yielded up ?
If Henry were recall'd to life again,
Thefe news would caufe him once more yield the
ghoft.
6 Than Julius Cafar, or bright ] I can't guefs the
occafion of the hemiftic and imperfect fenfe in this place ; 'tis
not impolTible it mi^ht have been filled up with Francis Drake >
though that were a terrible anachronifm (as bad as Hector's
quoting Ariftofl* in Trcllus and Crejfida) ; yet perhaps at the time
that brave Engliihrrun was in his glory, to an Englilh-hearted
audience, and pronounced by feme favourite ator, the thing
might be popular, though not judicious ; and therefore by fbme
critic in favour of the author afterwards {truck out. But. this is
a mere (light conjecture. POPE.
To confute the flight conjecture of pope, a whole page of ve-
hement oppoP.tion is annexed to this pallage by Theobald. Sir
T. Hanmer has flopped at Ctffar perhaps more judicioufly,
It might however have been written, or Irigbt Berenice.
JOHNSON.
" Guienn&t Champcignt) Rheims, Orleans,] This verfe might
be completed by the iniertion of Roan among the places loft, as
Glofler in his next fpeech infers that it had been mentioned with
the reiL STEEVENS.
N 2 Ext.
i8o FIRST PART OF
Exe. How were they loft ? what treachery was us'd?
Mejf. No treachery ; but want of men, and money.
Among the foldiers this is muttered,
That here you maintain feveral factions ;
And, whilft a field fhould be difpatch'd and fought,
You are difputing of your generals.
One would have ling'ring wars, with little coft ;
Another would fly fwift, but wanteth wings ;
A third man thinks, without expence at all,
By guileful fair words peace may be obtain'd.
Awake, awake, Englifh nobility !
Let not floth dim your honours, new-begot :
Crop'd are the flower-de-luces in your arms ;
Of England's coat one half is cut away.
Exe. Were our tears wanting to this funeral,
Thefe tidings would call forth their flowing tides.
Bed. Me they concern ; regent I am of France :
Give me my fteeled coat, I'll fight for France.
Away with thefe difgraceful wailing robes !
Wounds I will lend the French, inftead of eyes,
* To weep their intermiflive miferies.
Enter to them another Mejfenger.
l Meffl Lords, view thefe letters, full of bad mif-
chance.
France is revolted from the Englilh quite ;
Except fome petty towns of no import :
The Dauphin Charles is crowned king in Rheims ;
The baftard of Orleans with him is join'd ;
Reignier, duke of Anjou, doth take his part ;
The duke of Alenfon flieth to his fide. [Exit.
Exe. The Dauphin crowned king ! all fly to him ?
O, whither fhall we fly from this reproach ?
8 To weep their intermijjive miferies.'] \. e. their miferies, which
have had only a fiwrt inrermiilion from Henry the Fifth's death
to nay coming amongil them. WAS BUR TON.
Ck\
KING HENRY VI. 181
Gk. We will not fly, but to our enemies' throats :
Bedford, if thou be flack, I'll fight it out.
Bed. Glofter, why doubt'fl thou of my forward-
nefs ?
An army have I mufter'd in my thoughts,
Wherewith already France is over-run.
Enter a third Meflengcr.
3 Mejf. My gracious lords, to add to your laments,
Wherewith you now bedew king Henry's hearfe,
I muft inform you of a difmal fight,
Betwixt the flout lord Talbot and the French.
Win. What ! wherein Talbot overcame ? is't fo ?
3 Mejf. O, no ; wherein lord Talbot was o'er-
thrown :
The circumftance I'll tell you more at large.
The tenth of Auguft lafl, this dreadful lord,
Retiring from the fiege of Orleans,
Having full fcarce fix thoufand in his troop 9 ,
By three and twenty thoufand of the French
Was round encompaffed and fet upon :
No leifure had he to cnrank his men ;
He wanted pikes to fet before his archers ;
Inftead whereof, fharp (takes, pluck'd out of hedges,
They pitched in the ground confufedly,
To keep the horfemen off from breaking in.
More than three hours the fight continued ;
Where valiant Talbot, above human thought,
Enadtcd wonders with his fword and lance.
Hundreds he fent to hell, and none durft ftand him ;
Here, there, and every where, enrag'd he flew :
The French exclaim'd, The devil was in arms;
All the whole army flood agaz'd on him :
9 Having full fcarce &c.] The modern editors read, -/caret
full, but, I think unneceffarily . So, in the Tempejl :
" Profpero, matter of a full poor cell." STEEVENS.
N ? His
x8z FIRST PART OF
His foldiers, fpying his undaunted fpirit,
A Talbot ! a Talbot ! cried out amain,
And ruih'd into the bowels of the battle.
Here had the conqueft fully been feal'd up,
1 If Sir John Faflolfe had not play'd the coward :
*He being in the vaward (plac'd behind,
With pnrpofe to relieve and follow them)
Cowardly fled, not having ilruck o^c 1 ftroke.
Hence grew the general wreck and niaffacre ;
Enclofecl were they wifh their energies :
A bafe Walloon, to win the Dauphin's grace,
1 If Sir Jd-ii Fafolfe] Mr. Pope has taken notice, " That
Falftaffis here introduced again, who was dead in Henry V.
The occafion whereof is that this piny was written before Henry
IV. or Henry V." But Sir John Fafblfe (for fo he is called) ,
was a lieutenant general, deputy regent to the duke of Bedford
in Normandy, a^d a knight of the garter ; and not the comic
character afterwards introduced by our author. THEOBALD.
Mr. Theobald might have feen his notion contradicted in the ^
very line he quotes from. Faf.olfe, whether truely or not, is
faid by Hall and Holiuftied to have been degraded for cowardice.
Dr. Heylin in his St. George for England, tells us, that " he was
afterwards, upon good realbn by him alledged in his defence, re-
flored to his honour." " This Sir John Faljloff" continues he,
*' was without doubt, a valiant and wife captain, notwithstanding
the ftage hath made merry with him." FARMER.
In the j 8th fong of Drayton's Polyolblon is the following cha
rafter of this Sir John Pajtotpb :
' Strong Fajlolph with this man compare we juflly rruy ;
' By Sal{bury who ott being ferioufly imploy'd
' In many a brave attempt the general foe annoy'd ;
' With excellent fucceffe in Main and Anjou fought,
' And many a bulwarke there into our keeping brought j
' And chofen to go forth with Vadamont in wavre,
*' Moil refolutely tooke proud Renate duke of B;irre."
STEEVEKS.
* He lei fig vi the niaward (p!ac\l behind, ] Some of the editors
feem to have conlidered this as a comradiciion in terms, and have
propofed to read the rerewardy but without necefTity. Some
part of the van muft have been behind the foremolr, line of it.
We often fay the back front of a houfe. STEEVENS.
Thruft
KING HENRY VI. T 8 3
Thruft Talbot with a fpear into the back ;
Whom all France, with her chief alfembled ftrcngth,
Durft not prefume to look oitce in the face.
Bed. Is Talbot ilain ? then I will flay myfelf,
For living idly here, in pomp and eafe,
Whilft fuch a worthy leader, wanting aid,
Unto his daftard foe-men is betray'd.
3 Mcjf. O no, he lives ; but is took prifoner,
Ancl lord Scales with him, and lord Hun -erford :
Molt of the reft flaughter'd, or took, iikewife.
Bed. His ranfom there is none but I fhall pay :
I'll hale the Dauphin headlong from his throne,
His crown fhall be the ranfom of my friend ;
Four of their lords I'll change for one of ours. -
Farc-.vel, my matters ; to mv talk will I ;
Bon [ire s in Fn.nce forthwith I am to make,
To keep our great faint George's feaft withal :
Ten thoufand foldiers with me I will take,
Whofe bloody deeds mall make all Europe quake. .
3 Meffl So you hsd need ; for Orleans is belieg'd;'
The Englifh army is grown weak and faint :
The earl of Snlilbury craveth fupply ;
And hardly keeps his men from mutiny,
Since they, fo few, watch fuch a multitude.
Exe. Remember, lords, your oaths to Henry Avorn ;
Either to quell the Dauphin utterly,
Or bring him in obedience to your yoke.
Bed. I do remember it ; and here take leave,
To go about my preparation. [Exit*
Glo. I'll to the Tower with all the hafle I can,
To view the artillery and munition ;
And then I will proclaim young Henry king. [Exif.
Exe. To Eltham will I, where the young king is,
Being ordain'd his fpecial governor ;
And for his fafety there I'll beft devife. [.Y//.
IVlfi. Each hath his place and function to attend :
I am loft out ; for me nothing remains.
But long I will not be Jack-out-of-office ;
N 4 The
184 FIRST PART OF
The king from Eltham I intend to fend,
And fit at chiefeft ftern of public weal. [Exit.
\
SCENE II.
Before Orleans in France.
Enter Charles, Alen$on, and Reignier, marching with a
drum and foldiers.
Char. 'Mars his true moving, even as in the
heavens,
So in the earth, to this day is not known :
Late, did he thine upon the Englifli fide ;
Now we are vidtors, upon us he fmiles.
What towns of any moment, but we have ?
At pleafure here we lie, near Orleans ;
Otherwhiles, the famim'd Englilh, like pale ghofts,
Faintly befiege us one hour in a month.
AUn. They want their porridge, and their fat bull-
beeves :
Either they muft be dieted, like mules,
And have their provender ty'd to their mouths,
Or piteous they will look, like drowned mice.
Reig. Let's raife the fiege ; Why live w r e idly here ?
Talbot is taken, whom we wont to fear :
Remaineth none, but mad-brain'd Salifbury ;
And he may well in fretting fpend his gall,
Nor men, nor money, hath he to make war.
Char. Sound, found alarum ; we will rufh on them.
Now for the honour of the forlorn French :-
Him I forgive my death, that killeth me,
3 Mars bis true moving, &c.] So, Na(h in one of his prefaces
before Gabriel Harvey's Hunt is /, 1596. " You are as igno-
rant in the true movings of my mufe, as the aftronomers are in
the true movings of Mars, which to this day they could never at-
tain to." STEEYENS.
When
KING HENRY VI. i8 5
When he fees me go back one foot, or fly. [Exeunt.
[Here Alarum, they are beaten back by the Englifk,
with great lofs.
Re-enter Charles, Alen f on, and Relgnier.
Char. Who ever faw the like ? what men have I ?
Dogs ! cowards ! daftards ! I would ne'er have fled,
But that they left me 'midft my enemies.
Reig. Salifbury is a defperate homicide ;
He fighteth as one weary of his life.
The other lords, like lions wanting food,
Do rufh upon us 4 as their hungry prey.
Alen. Froifard, a countryman of ours, records,
5 England all Olivers and Rowlands bred,
During the time Edward the third did reign.
More truly now may this be verified ;
For none but Sampfons, and Goliafles,
It fendeth forth to fkirmifh. One to ten !
Lean raw-bon'd rafcals ! who would e'er fuppofe
They had fuch courage and audacity ?
Char. Let's leave this town ; for they are hair-
brain'd flaves,
And hunger will enforce them to be more eager :
Of old I know them ; rather with their teeth
The walls they'll tear down, than forfake the fiege.
Reig. I think, by fome odd 6 gimmals or device,
Their
* --As their hungry prey."\ I believe it fliould be read :
As their \\ungredfrty. JOHNSON.
s England all Olivers and Rowlands bred,~\ Thefe were two of
the moft famous in the lift of Charlemagne's twelve peers ; and
their exploits are render'd fo ridiculoufly and equally extravagant
by the old romancers, that from thence arofethat faying amonglr.
our plain and feniible anceftors, of giving one a Rowland for his
Oliver, to lignify the matching one incredible lye with another.
WAR BUR TON.
Rather, to oppofe one hero to another, i.e. to give a per/on as
good a one as he brings. STEEVENS.
6 gimmah] A gimmal is a piece of jointed work, where
i86 F I R S T P A R T O F
Their arms are fct, like clocks, flill to ftrike on ;
Elfe they could ne'er hold out fo, as they do.
By my confent, we'll e'en let them alone.
Men. Be it fo.
Enter ll-e Eajlard of Orleans.
Baft. Where's the prince Dauphin ? I have news for
him.
Dan. Buicard of Orleans, thrice welcome to us.
Baft. Methinks, your looks are iud, ~ your chear
appali'd ;
Hath the hte overthrow wrought this o.Tcnce ?
Be not difmay'd, for fuccour is at hand :
A holy maid hither with me I bring,
Which, by a vifion fent to her from heaven,
Ordained is to raife this tedious fiege,
And drive the Englifh forth the bounds of France.
The fpirit of deep prophecy fhe hath,
Exceeding the 8 nine fibyls of old Rome ;
What's pail, and what's to come, ihe can dcfcry.
cine piece moves within another, whence it is taken at large for
an engine. It is now by the vulgar called a glmeracl;, JOHNSON.
In the inventory ot the jewels, feV. belonging to Salilhury
cathedral taken in -153^, aKth of Henry VIII. is " A r'aire
cheil with gimmah and key." Again, " Three other chcits
with trlnimaU of lilver and gilt."
Again, in the ancient enterlude of the Repentance of Mary Mag-
dalent, 1567:
" Your nether garments muft go by gymma and joints"
Again, in B. and Fletcher's Beggar's Bufb :
** Sure I ftiould know tnatgymmaJ.
" 'Tis certain he : I had torgot my ring too.*'
Again, in the f r c<:v-l>'reater, or the Fa/re Maide ofCl'ftor., 1636:
*' My r.6tes arc like the motionall gynmah
*' FLxt in a watch." STEEVEVS.
7 -your ibca'r appzlFd; ] Chear is countenance, appearance.
STEEVENS.
9 nlr.ef.lyls of eld Rome ;~\ There were no nine ,
Rome; but he confounds things, and miftakes this for the nine
book? of Sibylline oracles, brought to one of the Tarquins.
WAR BUR TON.
Speak,
K I N G H E N R Y VI. 18;
Speak, fhall I call her in ? 9 Believe my words,
For they are certain and unfallible.
Dan. Go, call her in : But tirft, to try her fkill,
Reignier, ftand thou as Dauphin in my place :
Queftion her proudly, let thy looks be llern ;
By this means lhall we found what Ikill Ihe hath.
Enter Joan la Pucelle.
Reig. Fait- maid, is't thou wilt do thefe wond'rous
feats ?
Pucel. Reignier, is't thou that thinkeft to beguile
me ?
Where is the Dauphin ? come, come from behind ;
I know thee well, though never feen before.
Be not amaz'd, there's nothing hid from me :
In private will I talk with thee apart;
Stand back, you lords, and give us leave awhile.
Reig. She takes upon her bravely at firft dam.
Pucel. Dauphin, I cam by birth a mepherd's daugh-
ter,
My wit untrain'd in any kind of art.
Heaven, and our Lady gracious, hath it pleas'd
To ihine on my contemptible eftate :
Lo, whilit I waited on my tender lambs,
And to fun's parching heat difplay'd my cheeks,
God's mother deigned to appear to me ;
And, in a vifion full of majefty,
Will'd me to leave my bafe vocation,
And free my country from calamity :
Her aid me promis'd, and aflur'd fuccefs :
In compleat glory Ihe rcveal'd herfelf ;
And, \\hereas I was black and fwart before,
With thoie clear rays which Ihe infus'd on me,
That beauty am I bleft with, which you fee.
A Ik me what queftion thou canft poffible,
Believe ray wwvft,] It fhould be read :
belitvt her worth, JOHNSON!
And
i88 FIRST PART OF
And I will anfwer unpremeditated :
My courage try by combat, if thou dar'fl,
And thou malt find that I exceed my fex.
Refolve on this : Thou ihalt be fortunate,
If thou receive me for thy warlike mate.
Dau. Thou haft aftonifh'd me with thy high terms :
Only this proof I'll of thy valour make,
In fingle combat thou ihall buckle with me ;
And, if thou vanquifheft, thy words are true ;
Otherwife, I renounce all confidence.
Pucel. I am prepar'd : here is my keen-edg'd fword,
Deck'd with fine flower-de-luces on each fide ' ;
The which, at Touraine in faint Katharine's church-
yard,
Out of a deal of old iron I chofe forth.
Dau, Then come o'God's name, I fear no woman.
Pucel. And, while I live, I'll never fly no man.
[Here they fgbt, and Joan la Pucelle overcomes.
Dau. Stay, flay thy hands ; thou art an Amazon,
And fighteft with the fword of Debora.
Pucel. Chrift's mother helps me, elfe I were too
weak.
Dau. Whoe'er helps thee, 'tis thou that muft help
me :
Impatiently I burn with thy defire * ;
My heart and hands thou haft at once fubdu'd.
Excellent Pucelle, if thy name be fo,
Let me thy fervant, and not fovereign, be ;
'Tis the French Dauphin fueth to thee thus.
Pucel. I muft not yield to any rites of love,
For my profeflion's facred from above :
1 Deck' d with fine fiower-de-hcts &c.] We fhould read, ac-
cording to Holinflied, five flower-de-luces. " in a fecret
place there among old iron, appointed fhe hir fword to be fought
out and brought her, that with five floure delices was graven on
both fides, &c." STEEVENS.
a Impatiently Hum with thy dejire \\ The amorous conftitution
of the Dauphin has been mentioned in the preceding pby :
*' Doing is6Hvity and he will ftill be doing" COLLINS."
When
K I N G H E N R Y VI. jg 9
When I have chafed all thy foes from hence,
Then will I think upon a recompence.
2)au. Mean time, look gracious on thy proltratc
thrall.
Reig. My lord, methinks, is very long in talk.
Akn. Doubtlefs, he flirives this woman to her
fmock ;
Elfe ne'er could he fo long protract his fpeech.
Reig. Shall we difturb him, fince he keeps no mean ?
Alen. He may mean more than we poor men do
know :
Thefe women are fhrewd tempters with their tongues.
Reig. My lord, where are you? what devife you on?
Shall we give over Orleans, or no ?
Pucel. Why, no, I fay, diftruftful recreants !
Fight 'tilt the laft gafp ; I will be your guard.
Dau. What fhe fays, I'll confirm ; we'll fight it out,
Pucel. Afiign'd I am to be the Englifh fcourge.
This night the fiege aiTuredly I'll ra.iie :
3 Expert faint Martin's fummer, halcyon days,
Since I have enter'd thus into thefe wars.
Glory is like a circle in the water,
Which never ceafeth to enlarge itfelf,
'Till, by broad fpreading, it difperfe to nought.
With Henry's death, the Engliih circle ends ;
Difperfed are the glories it included.
Now am I like that proud infulting ihip 4 ,
Which Casfar and his fortune bare at once.
8 Expeft faint Martin's fummer^] That is, expe& profterity af-
ter misfortune, like lair weather at Martlemas, after winter has
begun. JOHNSON.
* like that proud infulting flip,
Which Ctffar and his fortune tore at ortce.~\
This alludes to a paifage in Plutarch's Life of Julius Catfar^
thus tranilated by fir T. North. " Cae far hearing that, ftraight
difcovered himfelfe unto the maifter of the pynnafe, who at the
flrft was amazed when he faw him, but Caelar, &c. faid unto
him, Good fellow, be of good cheere, &c. and fear not, for
thou baft Cafar and bit fortune with tbee," STEEVENS,
Dau.
i 9 o FIRST PART OF
Dau. Was Mahomet infpired with a dove * ?
Thou with an eagle art infpired then.
Helen, the mother of great Conftantine,
6 Nor yet faint Philip's daughters, were like thec.
Bright ftar of Venus, fall'n down on the earth,
How may I reverently worfhip thee enough ?
Akn. Leave off delays, and let us raife the fiege.
Reig. Woman, do what thou canft to fave our
honours ;
Drive them from Orleans, and be immortaliz'd.
Dau. Prefently we'll try : Come, let's away about
it:
No prophet will I truft, if fhe prove falfe. [Exeunt,
SCENE III.
Tower-gates^ In London.
Enter Glofter, with bis feru ing-men.
Glo. I am co'me to furvey the Tower this day ;
Since Henry's death, I fear, 7 there is conveyance.
Where be thefe warders, that they wait not here ?
Open the gates ; it is Glofter that calls.
i Ward. Who's there, that knocketh fo iinpc-
riouily ?
1 Man. It is the noble duke of Glofter.
2 Ward. Whoe'er he be, you may not be let in.
5 Dauph. Wa3 Mahomet inff ired with a dove?'] Mahomet had
a dove, " which he ufed to feed with wheat out of his ear;
which dove when it was hungry, lighted on Mahomet's fhoulder,
and thrull its hill in to find it's breakfait ; Mahomet perfuading
the rude and fimple Arabians, that it was the Holy Gholl that
gave him advice." See Sir Walter Raleigh's Hijlory of the World,
Book I. Part I. ch. vi. Life of Mahomet, by Dr. Prideaux.
GRAY.
' Nor yet fault Philip's daughters, ] Meaning the four daugh-
ters of Philip mentioned in the Afts. HANMER^
7 there is conveyance.] Conveyance means theft. HANMER.
i Man.
K I N G H E N R Y VI. I9I
i JVLv;. Villains, anfweryou fo the lord protedor ?
i Ward* The Lord protect him ! fo we anfwer
him :
We do no otherwife than we are wili'd.
Glo. Who willed you ? or whofe will Hands, but
mine ?
There's none protestor of the realm, but I.
Break up the gates 8 , I'll be your \\arrantize :
Shall I be flouted thus by dunghill grooms ?
Glqfer's men rvjh at ike Tower gates, and Wood-vile, i '. c
lieutenant, fpeaks within.
JJ'ocd. What noife is this ? what traitors have -we
here ?
Glo. Lieutenant, is it you, whofe voice I hear ?
Oprn the gates ; here's Glofter, that would enter.
Wood. Have patience, noble duke ; I may not
open ;
The cardinal of Winchefler forbids :
From him I have exprcfs commandement,
That thou, nor none of thine, lhall be let in.
Glo. Faint-hearted Woodvile, prizeft him 'fore
me ?
Arrogant Winchefler ? that haughty prelate,
Whom Henry, our late fovereign, ne'er could brook?
Thou art no friend to God, or to the king :
Open the gates, or I'll mut thee out ihortly.
Ser-v. Open the gates there to the lord protector ;
We'll built them open, if that you come not quickly.
8 Break up the gates,] I fuppofe to break up the gate ii to force
up the portcullis, or by the application of petards to blow up the
gates themfelves. STJ- EVENS.
i 9 z FIRST PART OF
Enter to the proteffor, at the Tower-gates, Wmchejler
and his men in tawny coats 9 .
Win. * How now, ambitious Humphry ? what
means this ?
Glo. * Piel'd prieft, doft thou command me to be
fhut out ?
Win. I do, thou moft ufurping proditor,
And not protestor of the king or realm.
Glo. Stand back, thou manifeit confpirator ;
Thou, that contriv'dft to murder our dead lord ;
3 Thou, that giv'ft whores indulgences to fin :
Pli
9 tawny coats. ] It appears from the following pafTage in a
comedy called, A Maidenhead well Loft-, 1634, that a taivry coat
was the drefs of zfumpner, i. e. an apparitor, an officer whole bu-
finefs it was to fummon offenders to an ecclefiaftical court :
*' Tho I was never a tawny-coat^ I have play'd t\\cj~umioner's
part."
Thefe are the proper attendants therefore on the bifhop of
Winchefter. So, in Stowe's Chronicle, p. 822 : ' and
by the way the bljhop of London met him, attended on by a
goodly company of gentlemen in tawny-coats, &c." STEEVENS.
1 Ho&itHV, ambitious umpire, what means tpisf] This read-
ing has obtained in all the editions fince the fecond folio. The
firft folio has it umpheir. In both the word is diftinguifhed in
italicks. But why, umpire f Or of what ? The traces of the
letters, and the words being printed in italicks, convince me,
that the duke's chriftian name lurk'd under this corruption.
THEOBALD.
a Pierd prieft, ] Alluding to his (haven crown. POPE.
In Skinner (to whofe dictionary I was directed by Mr. Ed-
wards) I find that it means more : Pilfd or peeFd garlick, cui
pellis, *vel pill omnes ex morbo aliquo, presfertim e lue vencrea, d:-
fluxerunt.
In Ben Jonfon's Bartholomew Fair the following inftance oc-
curs :
" I'll fee them p 'd firft, and//7W and double plfd."
STEEVENS.
In Weever's Funeral Monuments, p. 154. Robert Buldocke,
bifhop of London, is called a peeled prieft, pilide clerk, feemingly
in aHufion to his {haven crown alone. So, bald-bead was a term
of fcorn and mockery. TOILET.
3 Thoit) that giifjl whores indulgences to Jin: ] The public
flews
K I N G H E N R Y VI. i 93
4 1'Jl canvafs thee in thy broad cardinal's hat,
If thou proceed in this thy infolence.
Win* Nay, ftand thou back, I will not budge afoot;
5 This be Damafcus, be thou curfed Cain,
To flay thy brother Abel, if thou wilt.
Glo. I will not flay thee, but I'll drive thee back :
Thy fcarlet robes, as a child's bearing-cloth
I'll ufe, to carry thee out of this place.
Win. Do what thou dar'ft ; I beard thee to thy
face.
Glo. What ? am I dar'd, and bearded to my face ?
Draw, men, for all this privileged place ;
Blue-coats to tawny-coats. Prieft, beware thy beard ;
I mean to tug it, and to cuff you foundly :
Under my feet I'll ftamp thy cardinal's hat;
In fpite of pope, or dignities of church,
ftews were formerly under the diflrift of the bifhop of Win-
chefter. POPE.
There is now extant an old manufcript (formerly the office-
book of the court leet held, under the jurifdidion of the bifhop
of Winchefter in Southwark) in which are mentioned the feveral
fees ariling from the brothel-houfes allowed to be kept in the bi-
fhop's manor, with the cufloms and regulations of them. One
of the articles is,
' ' DC bis, (jui cujlodiunt mulleres bafientes nefandam injirmita*
tern."
" Item, That no ftewholder keep any woman within his houfe,
that hath any ficknefs of brenning, but that (he be put out upon
pain of making a fyne unto the lord of C fhillings." UPTON.
4 /'// canvafs thee in thy broad car dinar 5 bat,~\ This means, I
believe, /'// tumble tbee into thy great bat, and Jbake tbee, as Iran
and meal are foaken in a Jteve.
So, lir W. Davenant, in the Cruel Brother, 1630:
*' I'll litt and winnow him in an old hat."
To canvas was anciently ufed for tojift. So, ill Hans Beer-pot's
Invijlbk Comedy, 1618 :
" We'll canvas him.
" 1 am too big STEEVENS.
* Tins Ic Damafcus, be tbou curfed Cain,] N. B. About four
miles from Damafcus is a high hill, reported to be the fame on
which Cain flew his brother Abel. Maundrel's Travels, p. 131.
POPE.
VOL. VI. O Here
I 9 4 FIRST PART OF
Here by the cheeks I'll drag thee np and down.
Win. Glofler, thou'lt anfwer this before the pope, j
Glo. 6 Winchefter goofe ! I cry A rope ! a
rope !
Now beat them hence, Why do you let them flay ?
Thee I'll chafe hence, thou wolf in fheep's array.
Out, tawny coats ! out, fcarlet hypocrite !
Here Glofter's men beat out the Cardinars ; and enter, in \
the hurly-burly, the Mayor of London, and his officers.
Mayor. Fie, lords \ that you, being fupreme ma-
giftrates,
Thus contumelioufly ihould break the peace f
Glo. Peace, mayor ; for thou know'ft little of my
wrongs :
Here's Beaufort, that regards nor God nor king,
Hath here diftrain'd the Tower to his ufe.
Win, Here's Glofter too, a foe to citizens ;
One that frill motions war,, and never peace,
O'er-charging your free purfes with large fines ^
That feeks to overthrow religion,
Becaufe he is protector of the realm ;
And would have armour here out of the Tower,
To crown himfelf king, and fupprefs the prince.
Glo. I will not anfwer thee with words, but blows.
[Here they Jklrmijh again.
Mayor. Nought refls for me,, in this tumultuous-
ftrife,
But to make open proclamation :
Come, officer ; as loud as e'er thou canfl.
Off. All manner of men, ajfembled here in arms this day,
againft God's peace and the king's, we charge and com-
mand you, in his highnefs' name, to repair to your feveral
dwelling places-, and not wear, handle, or ufe, any
6 Winckejler goofe ! ] A ilrumpet, or the confluences of her
love, was a Winchefter goofe. JOHNSON.
/word,
KING HENRY VI. Ip5
fword, weapon, or dagger > henceforward, upon pain
of death.
Glo. Cardinal, I'll be no breaker of the law :
But we fliall meet, and break our minds at large.
Win. Glofter, we'll meet ; to thy coft, be thou lure :
*Thy heart-blood I will have for this day's work.
Mayor. I'll call for clubs, if you will not away :
This cardinal is more haughty than the devil.
Glo. Mayor, farewel : thou dofl but what thou
may'ft.
IVm. Abominable Glofter ! guard thy head ;
For I intend to have it, ere long. [Exeunt.
Mayor. See the coaft clear'd, and then we will de-
part.
Good God ! 7 that nobles ihould fuch ftomachs bear !
J myfclf fight not once in forty year. \Exewit*
SCENE IV.
Orleans in France.
Enter tie Mafter-Gunner of Orleans, and his Boy.
M. Gun. Sirrah, thou know'ft how Orleans is be-
fieg'd ;
And how the Engliih have the fuburbs won.
Boy. Father, I know ; and oft have fhot at them,
Howe'er, unfortunate, I mifs'd my aim.
7 that nobles jbould fuck Jlornacks bear !
I wyfilf fight not once in forty year ^\
The Mayor of London was not brought in to be laugh'd at, aa
is plain by his manner of interfering in the quarrel, where he all
along prelerves a lufficient dignity. In the line preceding thefe,
he direfts his officer, to whom without doubt thefe two lines fhould
be given. They fuit his character, and are very exprelfive of the
pacific temper of the city guards. WARBURTON.
I fee no reafon for this change. The Mayor fpeaka firft as a
jnagiftrate, and afterwards as a citizen. JOHNSON.
O a K Gun*
196 FIRST PART OF
M Gun. But now thou flialt not. Be thou
by me :
Chief mafler-gunner am I of this town ;
Something I muft do, to procure me grace.
The prince's 'fpials 8 have informed me,
How 9 the Englifh, in the fuburbs clofe entrench'd,
Went, through a fecret grate of iron bars
In yonder tower,, to over-peer the city ;
And thence difcover, how, with moft advantage,
They may vex us, with Ihot, or with affault.
To intercept this inconvenience,
A piece of ordinance 'gainft it I have plac'd ;
And fully even thefe three days have I watch'd,
If I could fee them : Now, boy, do thou watch ;
For I can ftay no longer.
If thou fpy'ft any, run and bring me word ;
And thou Ihalt find me at the governor's. [JEr/7..
Soy. Father, I warrant you ; take you no care ;
I'll never trouble you, if I may fpy them.
Enter tie lords Salisbury and. falbot l , with Sir W. Glanf-
dak and Sir Tho. Gargrave, on the turrets.
Sal Talbot, my life, my joy, again returned !
How wert thou handled, being prifoner ?
Or
8 The prince's *fpials] Efplah are fpies. So, in Chaucer's.
Freres Tale :
* For fubtilly he had his efpiaille" STEEVENS.
9 the Englijh
Went, through a fecret grate of iron lars
In yonder tower, to over -peer the city ;]
That is, the Englifh vjent y not through a fecret grate, but went-.
to over-peer the city through a fecret grate which is in yonder tower.
I did not know till of late that this paflage had been thought dif-
ficult. JOHNSON.
I believe, inftead of went, we fliould read wont, the third per-
fon plural of the old verb > ow/. " The Englijljwont, that is,
arc accujiomcd to overpeer the city." The word is ufed very tre-
<}uently by Spenfer, and feveral times by Milton. TYRWHITT.
* -Talbot,] Though the three parts of K> Henry VI. are-
de-
K I N G H E N R Y VI. i 97
Or by what means got'ft thou to be released ?
Uifcourfe, I pry'thee, on this turret's top.
Tal. The duke of Bedford had a prifoner,
Called the brave lord Ponton de Santrailles;
For him was I exchang'd and ranfomed.
But with a bafer man of arms by far,
Once, in contempt, they would have barter'd me :
Which I, difdaining, fcorn'd; and craved death
Rather than I would be * fo pill'd efteem'd. .
[n fine, redeem'd I was as I defir'd.
But, oh ! the treacherous FailolfTe wounds my heart!
Whom with my bare fifls I would execute,
[f I now had him brought into my power.
Sal. Yet teH*ft thou not, how thou wert enter-
tain'd.
al. With feoffs, and fcorns, and contumelious
taunts.
In open market-place produced they me,
To be a public fpedacle to all ;
! Here, faid they, is the terror of the French,
The fcare-crow that affrights our Children fo.
, iien broke I from the officers that led me ;
Am with my nails digg'd (tones out of the ground,
"JTo /nrl at the beholders of my ihame.
My grifly countenance made others fly ;
None durft come near, for fear of fudden death.
In iron walls they deem'd me not fecure ;
defervedly numbered among the feebleft performances of Shake-
fpeare, this firft of them appears to have been received with the
greatell applauie. So, in Pierce Pennilefs's Supplication to the De-
vil, by Nafh, 1595. " How would it have joyed brave Talbot
(the terror of the French) to thinke that after he had line two
hundred yeares in his tombe, he ihould triumph againe on the
ftage, and have his bones new embalmed with the teares of ten
thoufand fpeftators at leaft (at feveral times) who in the tragedian
that repreients his perfon, imagine they behold him frefli bleed-
ing." STEEVENS.
1 fo piWd ejleem'd,'\ Thus the old copy. The modern
editors read, but without authority " fo vile efteem'd." So
, fojirijp'd of honours. UTEEVENS.
So
I9 3 F I R S T P A R T O F
So great fear of my name 'mongft them was fpre;
That they fuppos'd, I could rend bars of (leel,
And fpurn in pieces pofts of adamant :
Wherefore a guard of chofen fliot I had,
That walk'd about me every minute while ;
And if I did but ftir out of my bed,
Ready they were to ihoot me to the heart.
Enter the j50y, with a llnftock.
Sal I grieve to hear what torments you endur'd
But we will be reveng'd fufficiently.
3S 7 ow it is fupper-time in Orleans :
Here, through this grate, I can count every one,
And view the Frenchmen how they fortify ;
Let us look in, the fight will much delight thee.
Sir Thomas Gargrave, and Sir William Glanfdale, I
Let me have your exprefs opinions,
Where is beft place to make our battery next.
Gar. I think, at the north gate : for there (land I
lords.
Glan. And I here, at the bulwark of the bridge.
Tal. For aught I fee, this city muflbe famifh'd, 7-
Or with light Ikirmilhes enfeebled.
[Shot from the town. Salisbury and Sir ffio. Ga'"- '
grave fall down.
Sal. O Lord, have mercy on us, wretched finners !
Gar. O Lord, have mercy on me, woful man !
<Ttf/. What chance is this, that fuddenly hath
crofs'd us ?
Speak, Salifbury ; at leaft, if thou canfl fpeak ;
How far'ft thou, mirror of all martial men ?
One of thy eyes, and thy cheek's fide ftruckoff!
Accurfed tower ! accurfed fatal hand,
That hath contriv'd this woeful tragedy !
In thirteen battles Salifbury o'ercame ;
Henry the fifth he firft train'd to the wars :
Whilfl any trump did found, or drum (truck up,
His fword did ne'er leave ftriking in the field.
Yet
K I N G H E N R Y VI. i 99
Yet Hv'ft thou, Salifbury ? though thy fpeech doth
fail,
3 One eye thou haft to look to heaven for grace :
The fun with one eye vieweth all the world.
Heaven, be thou gracious to none alive,
If Salifbury wants mercy at thy hands !
Bear hence his body, I will help to bury it.
Sir Thomas Gargrave, haft thou any life ?
Speak unto Talbot ; nay, look up to him.
Salifbury, chear thy fpirit with this comfort ;
Thou fhalt not die, whiles
He beckons with his hand, and fmiles on me ;
As who fhould lay, When I am dead and gone.
Remember to avenge me on the French.
Plantagenet, I will ; and Nero-like,
Play on the lute, beholding the towns bum :
Wretched fhall France be only in my name.
[ Here an alarum, and it thunders and lightens,
What ftir is this ? What tumult's in the heavens ?
Whence cometh this alarum, and this noife ?
Enter a Meffettger.
Me$. My lord, my lord, the French have gather'd
head :
The Dauphin, with one Joan la Pucelle join'd,
A holy prophetefs, new rifen up,
Is come with a great power to raife the fiege.
{Hen SaUJbury,. lifteth himfelf up, and groans.
TaL Hear, hear, how dying Salifbury doth groan !
It irks his heart, he cannot be reveng'd.
Frenchmen, I'll be a Salifbury to you :
4 Pucelle or puzzel, dolphin or dogfifh,
Your
3 One eye tbou baft &c.] A fimtlar thought occurs in King
Lear :
** tny lord, you have one eye left,
To fee fame mifchief on him." STEEVENS.
* Pucelle or Pujfil,] I know not what pujfel is : perhaps it
O 4 fhould
aoo FIRST PART OF
Your hearts I'll {lamp out with my horfe's heels,
And make a quagmire of your mingled brains.-
Convey me Salifbury into his tent,
And then we'll try what daftard Frenchmen dare.
\_Alarum. Exeunt, bearing out the bodies*
SCENE V.
Here an alarum again ; and Talbot purfueth the Dauphin,
and drheth h'.ni : then enter Joan la Pucelle, driving
Engli/hmen before her. Then enter Talbot.
Tal. Where is my flrength, my valour, and my
force ?
Our Englilh troops retire, I cannot flay them ;
A woman, clad in armour, chafeth them.
Enter La Pucelle.
Here, here Ihe comes : I'll have a bout with thee ;
Devil, or devil's dam, Til conjure thee :
{hould be pucclle or puzzle. Something with a meaning it fhould
be, but a very poor meaning will ferve. JOHNSON.
It fhould be remembered, that in Shakefpeare's time the word
dauphin, was always written dolphin. STEEVENS.
tujjel means a dirty wench or a drab, from pitzza, i. e. malus
faetor, fays Minfhew. In a tranflation from Stephens's Apology
for Herodotus, in 1607, p. 98, we read, '* Some filthy queans,
efpecially our puzzled of Paris, ufe this other theft." TOLLET.
So, Stubbs, in his Anatomic of Abufes, 1595. " ^ nor y e *
any droye nor fuzzel in the country but will carry a nofegay in
her hand."
Again, in Ben Jonfon's Commendatory ferfes, prefix'd to the works
of Beaumont and Fletcher :
" Lady or Pufill that wears mafk or fan."
As for the conceit, miferable as it is, it may be countenanced
by that of James I. who looking at the flatue of Sir Tho. Sod-
ley in the library at Oxford, " Pii Thomae Godly nomine in-
lignivit, eoque potius nom'ne quam Bodly, deinceps merito nomi-
nandum efle cenfuit." See Rex Platonicus &c. edit, quint. Oxon.
1635, p. 187. STEEVENS.
Blood
KING HENRY VI. * O1
s Blood will I draw on thee, thou art a witch,
And ftraightway give thy foul to him thou ferv'ft.,
PuceL Come, come, 'tis only I that muft difgrace
thee. [They fight.
Tal. Heavens, can you fuffer hell fo to prevail ?
My breaft I'll burft with draining of my courage,
And from my fhoulders crack my arms afunder,
But I will chaftife this high-minded {trumpet.
PuceL Talbot, farewel ; thy hour is not yet come :
I muft go victual Orleans forthwith.
\_AJhort alarum. Then enters the town with foldiers.
O'ertake me if thou canft ; I fcorn thy ftrength.
Go, go, cheer up thy hunger-ftarved men ;
Help Salifbury to make his teftament :
This day is ours, as many more ihall be. [Exit Pucelle.
Tal. My thoughts are whirled like a potter's wheel;
I know not where I am, nor what I do :
A witch, by fear, not force, like Hannibal,
Drives back our troops, and conquers as ftie lifts :
So bees with fmoke, and doves with noifome ftench,
Are from their hives, and houfes, driven away.
They call'd us, for our fiercenefs, Englilh dogs ;
Now, like their whelps, we crying run away.
\_Ajhort alarum.
Hark, countrymen ! either renew the fight,
Or tear the lions out ot England's coat ;
Renounce your foil, give iheep in lions' ftead :
Sheep run not half fo timorous from the wolf,
Or horfe, or oxen, from the leopard,
As you fly from your oft-fubdued flaves.
\_Alarum. Here another Jkirmi/k*
It will not be : Retire into your trenches :
You all confented unto Salisbury's death,
For none would ftrike a ftroke in his revenge.
Pucelle is enter'd into Orleans,
^ 5 Blood will I draw on thee, ] The fuperftition of t'lofe
times taught that he that could draw the witch's blood, was nee
from her power. JOHNSON.
In
202 FIRST PART OF
In fpight of us, or aught that we could do.
O, would I were to die with Salifbury !
The fhame hereof will make me hide my head.
[Exit fal&of.
\_Alarum, retreat, fouriJJ}.
SCENE VI.
Enter , on tke walls, Pucette, Dauphin, Rcignkr, Aknfon,
and foldiers.
Pucel. Advance our waving colours on the walls ;
Refcu'd is Orleans from the Englifh wolves :
Thus Joan la Pucelle hath perform'd her word.
Dan. Divineft creature, bright Afirsea's daughter,
How fhall I honour thee for this fuccefs ?
Thy promifes are 6 like Adonis* gardens,
That
* like Adonis' gar Jf"<,~\ It may not be impertinent to take
notice of a difpute between four critics, of very different orders,
upon, this very important point of the gardens of Adonis. Miltou
had faid :
** Spot more delicious flan theje gardens feigned)
" Or of reviled Adonis, or "
which Dr. Bentley pronounces ipurious ; for that the K^TTOI A&w&f ,
the gardens of Adonis, fo frequently mentioned by Greek writers,
Plato, Plutarch, &c. were nothing but portable earthen pots, with
fame left ice or fennel growing in them. On his yearly fejtival every
wo?nan carried one of them for Adonis's worjh'p : btcaufe Penus
had once laid him in a lettice bed. Tht' next day they were tbro-ivn
away, &c. To this Dr. Pcarce replies, That this account of the
gardens of Adonis is right, and yet Milton may be defended for what
he fays of them : for iviy (fays he) did the Grecians on Adonis*
ftjlival carry thejefmall gardens about in hotiour of him f It was,
becaufe they had a tradition, that, w&ca he was alive, he delighted
in gardens, and had a magnificent one : for pro? f of this, we have
Pliny's words, xix. 4. ** Antiquitas nihil priiis inirata eft quam
Hefperidum hortos, ac regum Adonidis & Alcinoi." One would
now think the queftion well decided : but Mr. Theobald comes,
and will needs be Dr. Bentley's feconJ. A learned and reverend
gcntlrman (fays he) having attempted to impeach Dr. Bentley of
error , for maintaining ib.it there never was cxiftent any magnificent
K I N G H E N R Y VI. 203
That one day bloom'd, and fruitful were the next.
France, triumph in thy glorious prophetefs !
Recover'd is the town of Orleans :
More blefled hap did ne'er befall our flate.
Reig. Why ring not out the bells throughout the
town ?
Dauphin, command the citizens make bonfires,
And feaft and banquet in the open flreets,
To celebrate the joy that God hath given us.
Akn. All France will be replete with mirth and
jy
When they lhall hear how we have play'd the men.
Dau. 'Tis Joan, not we, by whom the day is won;
For which, I will divide my crown with her :
And all the priefts and friars in my realm
Shall, in proceffion, ling her endlefs praife.
or fpacious gardens of Adonis, an opinion in ivbicb it bos been my
fortune to fee and the do ft or ^ I thought my f elf concerned in fame part ,
to iveigb thofc authorities alledged by the objeftor, sV. The reader
fees that Mr. Theobald miitakes the very queftion in difpute be-
tween thefe two truly learned men, which was not whether Adonis*
gardens were ever cxiftent^ but whether there was a tradition of
any celebrated gardens cultivated by Adonis. For this would fufti-
ciently juftify Milton's mention of them, together with the gar-
dens of Alcinous, confefled by the poet himielf to be fabulous.
But hear their own words. 1 'here ivas. nofuch garden (fays Dr.
Bentley) ever exijlent^ or even fcign'd. He adds the latter part,
as knowing that that would juftify the poet ; and it is on that af
fertion only that his advtrfary Dr. Pearce joins iffue with him.
Why (fays he) did they carry tbefmall earthen gardens ? It was be-
caufe they had a tradition, that ivben alive he delighted in gardens.
Mr. Theobald, therefore, miflaking the queftion, it is no won-
der that all he fays, in his long note at the end of the fourth vo-
lume, is nothing to the purpofe ; it being to fhew that Dr.
Pearce's quotations from Pliny and others, do not prove the real
exiftence of the gardens. After thefe, comes the Oxford editor ;
and he pronounces in favour of Dr. Bentley againft Dr. Pearce,
in thefe words, The gardens of Adonis were never rcprefented under
a;y local dtfcription. But whether this was faid at hazard, or to
contradift Dr. Pearce, or to reftify Mr. Theobald's miftake of
the queftion, it is fo obfcurely exprefled, that ooe can hardly de-
termine. WARBURTOM.
A ftate*
2 o4 FIRST PART OF
A ftatelier pyramis to her I'll rear,
r Than Rhodope's, or Memphis', ever was :
In memory of her,, when flie is dead,
Her afhes, in an urn more precious
Than the rich-jewel'd coffer of Darius %
Tranfported fhall be at high feflivals
Before the kings and queens of France.
No longer on faint Dennis will we cry,
But Joan la Pucelle lhall be France's faint.
Come in ; and let us banquet royally,
After this golden day of victory. \_FlouriJh. Exeunt.
7 Than Rhodope's, ] Rhodope was a famous {trumpet, who
acquired. great riches by her trade. The leaft but moft finished
of the Egyptian pyramids (fays Pliny in the 36th book of his
Natural Hiftory) was built by her. She is faid afterwards to have
married Pfammetichus, king of Egypt. Dr. Johnfon thinks that
the Dauphin means to call Joan of Arc a ftrumpet, all the while
he is making this loud praife of her.
Rhodope is mentioned in the play of The Coftly Whore^ 1633 :
a bafe Rbodope,
" Whofe body is as common as the fea
'* In the receipt of every luftful fpring."
I would read :
Than Rhodope's of Memphis, ever was. STEEVENS.
* coffer of Darius'] When Alexander the Great took the
city of Gaza, the metropolis of Syria, amidft the other fpoils
and wealth of Darius treafured up there, he found an exceeding
rich and beautiful little cheft or cafket, and afked thofe about
him what they thought fitteft to be laid up in it. When they had
feverally delivered their opinions, he told them, he efteemed no-
thing fo worthy to be preferred in it as Homer's Iliad. Vide
flutarcbum in Vita Altxandri Magni* THEOBALD*
ACT
K I N G H E N R Y VI. 20$
ACT II. SCENE I.
Before Orleans.
Enter a French Serjeant^ with two Centinels.
Serj. Sirs, take your places, and be vigilant ;
If any noife, or foldier, you perceive,
Near to the walls, by fome apparent fign,
Let us have knowledge at the court of guard.
Cent. Serjeant, you lhall. [Exit Serjeant.^ Thus arc
poor iervitors
(When others ileep upon their quiet beds)
Conftrain'd to watch in darknefs, rain, and cold.
Enter Talbot, Bedford, and Burgundy, with fcaling
ladders. Their drums beating a dead march.
Tal. Lord regent, and redoubted Burgundy,.
By whofe approach, the regions of Artois,
Walloon, and Picardy, are friends to us,
This happy night the Frenchmen are fecure,
Having all day carous'd and banqueted :
Embrace we then this opportunity ;
As fitting beft to quittance their deceit,
Contriv'd by art, and baleful forcery.
Bed. Coward of France ! how much he wrongs hi$
fame,
Defpairing of his own arm's fortitude,
To join with witches, and the help of hell.
Bur. Traitors have never other company.
But what's that Pucelle, whom they term fo pure ?
Tal. A maid, they fay.
Bed. A maid ! and be fo martial !
Bur. Pray God, ilie prove not mafculine ere long ;
If underneath the ftandard of the French,
She carry armour, as fhe hath begun.
Tal.
FIRST PART OF
?al. Well, let them pradtife and converfe with
fpirits :
God is our fortrefs ; in whofe conquering name,
Let us refolve to fcale their flinty bulwarks.
Bed. Afcend, brave Talbot ; we will follow thee,
Tal. Not all together : better far, I guefs,
That we do make our entrance feveral ways ;
That, if it chance the one of us do fail,
The other yet may rife againft their force.
Bed. Agreed ; I'll to yon corner.
Bur. And I to this.
5#/. And here will Talbot mount, or make hit
grave.
Now, Salifbury ! for thee, and for the right
Of Englifli Henry, lhall this night appear
How much in duty Pam bound to both.
[_The Englijh, f eating the walls, cry, St. George !
A Talbot !
Cent. [Within."] Arm, arm! the enemy doth make
aflault !
Yhe French hop over the walls in their farts. Enter,
feveral ways, Baftard, Alen$on^ Reignier, half ready,
and half unready.
Alen. How now, my lords ? what, all 9 unready fo ?
Baft.
9 -^unready fo ?] Unready was the current word in thofe times
for umlrefs^d. JOHNSON.
So, in Hey wood's Rape of Lucre ce, 1638 :
* Enter Sixtus, and Lucre ce unready, > H
Again, n Tbftwo Maids of More-clncke, 1609:
* Enter James unready In his night-cap, garterlefs," &V.
Again, n Decker's Match nie in London^ 1631 i
* Enter Prince John all unready , and Pacheco his page."
Again, in A Match at Midnight^ 1633, is this ftage direction.
" He makes himfelf unready."
'* Why what do you mean ? you will not be fo uncivil a to
unlrace you here ?"
Again, in Monjuur D'Olive, 1606;
You
K I N G H E N R Y Vt. 207
Baft. Unready ? ay, and glad we 'fcap'd fo well.
Ri'ig. 'Twas time, I trow, to wake, and leave our
beds,
Hearing alarums at our chamber doors.
Alen. Of all exploits, fince firft I follow'd arms,
Ne'er heard I of a warlike enterprize
More venturous, or defperate, than this.
Baft. I think, this Talbot is a fiend of hell.
Rei<r. If not of hell, the heavens, fure, favour him.
Alen. Here cometh Charles ; I marvel, how he fped.
Enter Charles, an d Pucelle.
Biift. Tut ! holy Joan was his dcfenfive guard.
Char. Is this thy cunning, thou deceitful dame?
Didft thou at firfl, to flatter us withal,
Make us partakers of a little gain,
That now our lofs might be ten times fo much ?
Pucel. Wherefore is Charles impatient with his
friend ?
At all times will you have my power alike ?
Sleeping, or waking, mufl I ftill prevail,
Or will you blame and lay the fault on me ?
Improvident foldiers ! had your watch been good,
This fudden mifchief never could have falTn.
Char. Duke of Alencon, this was your default ;
That, being captain of the watch to-night,
Did look no better to that weighty charge.
Alen. Had all your quarters been as fafely kept,
As that whereof I had the government,
We had not been thus fhamefully furpriz'd.
Baft. Mine was fecure.
Reig. And fo was mine, my lord.
" You are not going to bed, I fee you are not yet unready
Again, in Hey wood's Golden Age t 1611.
" Here Jupiter puts out the lights, and makes himfelf *nr
ready" STEEVENS.
Char.
2oS FIRST PART OF
Char. And, for myfelf, moft part of all this night,
Within her quarter, and mine own precinct,
I was employ'd in paffing to and fro,
About relieving of the centinels :
Then how, or which way, fhould they firft break in ?
Pucel. Queftion, my lords, no further of the cafe,
How, or which way ; 'tis fure, they found fome part
But weakly guarded, where the breach was made.
And now there refts no other Ihift but this,
To gather our foldiers, fcatter'd and difpers'd,
And lay new platforms to endamage them.
Alarum. Enter a Soldier crying, a Talbot ! a Talbot \
they fy, leaving their cbatbs behind.
Sol. I'll be fo bold to take what they have left.
The cry of Talbot ferves me for a fword ;
For I have loaden me with many fpoils,
Uiing no other weapon but his name. [Exit.
* " Enter a foldier crying " a Talbot ! a Tallot /] And after-
wards :
The cry of T'aVjot ferves me for a fword.
Here a popular tradition, exclufive of any chronicle-evidence,
was in Shakefpeare's mind. Edward Kerke, the old commenta-
tor on Spenfer's Paftorah, firft publiflied in 1579, obferves in his
notes on June, that lord Talbot's ** noblenefle bred fuch a ter-
rour in the hearts of the French, that oftimes greate armies were
defaited and put to flight, at the only bearing of bis name : info-
much that the French women, to affray their children, would
tell them, that the TALBOT cometb" See alfo the end of Sc. iii,
Aa II. WARTON.
The fame is faid in Drayton's Mfiries of Queen Margaret, of
.Lord Warwick :
" And flill fo fearful was great Warwick's name
" That being once cry'd on, put them oft to flight,
*' On the king's army till at length they light."
STEEVENS.
SCENE
KING HENRY VI. 209
SCENE II.
t/jg fame.
Enter Tatiot, Bedfinl, Burgundy, 6fo
Bed. The day begins to break, and night is fled,
\Vhofe pitchy mantle over-veil'd the earth.
Here found retreat, and ceafe our hot purfuit.
[Retreat.
Tal. Bring forth the body of old Salifbury ;
And here advance it in the market-place,
The middle centre of this curfed town,
Now have I pay'd my vow unto his foul ;
For every drop of blood was drawn from him,
There hath at leaft five Frenchmen dy'd to-night.
And, that hereafter ages may behold
What ruin happened in revenge of him,
Within their chiefeft temple I'll eredt
A tomb, wherein his corpfe fhall be interr'd :
Upon the which, that every one may read,
Shall be engrav'd the fack of Orleans ;
The treacherous manner of his mournful death,
And what a terror he had been to France.
But, lords, in all our bloody mafTacre,
I mufe, we met not with the Dauphin's grace ;
His new-come champion, virtuous Joan of Arc j
Nor any of his falfe confederates.
Bed. 'Tis thought, lord Talbot, when the fight
began,
Rous'd on the fudden from their drowfy beds,
They did, amongft the troops of armed men,
Leap o'er the walls for refuge in the field.
Bitr. Myfelf (as far as I could well difcern,
For fmoke, and dufky vapours of the nieht)
VOL. VI. P Am
2 io FIRST PART OF
Am Cure, I fcar'd the Dauphin, and his trull *;
When arm in arm they both came fwiftly running,
Like to a pair of loving turtle doves,
That could not live afunder day or night.
After that things are fet in order here,
We'll follow them with all the power we have.
Enter a Meffenger.
Me$. All hail, my lords ! which of this princely
train
Call ye the warlike Ta^ot, for his adts
So much applauded through the realm of France ?
2W. Here is the Talbot ; Who would fpeak witl
him ?
Meff. The virtuous lady, countefs of Auvergne,
With modefty admiring thy renown,
By me entreats, great lord, thou wouldft vouchfai
To vifit her poor caftle where fhe lies ;
That Ihe may boaft, fhe hath beheld the man
Whofe glory fills the world with loud report.
Bur. Is it even fo ? Nay, then, I fee, our wars
Will turn into a peaceful comic fport,
When ladies crave to be encounter'd with.
You may not, my lord, defpife her gentle fuit.
TaL Ne'ertruflme then ; for, when a world of mei
* bis trull ;] I believe trull did not anciently bear fo harfli
interpretation as at prefent. In the old black letter interlude
the Difobedient Child (no date) by Tho. Ingeland, is the followi
ftanza of a fong fung by a young man in the pretence of the
to whom he was inftantly to be married.
" This mynion here, this myncing trull,
** Doth pleafe me more a thoufande folde,
" Than all the earthe that is fo full
" Of precious ftoncs, lilver and golde," &c,
'* How lyke ye. this fonge my owne fwete Rofe ?
c ' Is it well made for our purpofe ?
"Toung lineman.
'* I never hard in all my lyfe a better,
*' More pleafaunte, more meete foi the matter." STEEVEM?.!
Could!
K I N G H E N R Y VI. 2II
Could not prevail with all their oratory,
Yet hath a woman's kindnefs over-rul'd :
And therefore tell her, I return great thanks ;
And in fubmiffion will attend on her.
Will not your honours bear me company ?
Bed. No, truly ; that is more than manners will :
And I have heard it faid, Unbidden guefls
Are often welcomefl when they are gone.
Tal. Well then, alone, (ince there's no remedy,'
I mean to prove this lady's courtefy.
Come hither, captain. \JVhifpers.~\ You perceive my'
mind.
Capt. I do, my lord ; and mean accordingly.
[Exeunt.
SCENE III.
tie countefs of Auvergne's caftle.
Enter the Countefs, and her Porter'.
Count. Porter, remember what I gave in charge ;
And, when you have done fo, bring the keys to me.
Port. Madam, I will. [Exit.
Count. The plot is laid : if all things fall out right,
I {hall as famous be by this exploit,
As Scythian Tomyris by Cyrus' death.
Great is the rumour of this dreadful knight.
And his atchievements of no lefs account:
Fain would mine eyes be witnefs with mine ears,
To give their cenfure of thefe rare reports.
Enter Mejfinger, and Talbot.
Mejf. Madam, according as your ladyfhip defir'd,
By meflage crav'd, fo is lord Talbot come.
Count. And he is welcome. What ! is this the man ?
Meff. Madam, it is.
Count, [as mujing.'] Is this the fcourge of France ?
P 2 IS
212 FIRST P A R T O F
Is this the Talbor, fo much fear'd abroad,
That with his name the mothers flill their babes ?
I fee, report is fabulous and falfe :
I thought, I ihould have feen fome Hercules,
A fecond Hedtor, for his grim afpedt,
And large proportion of his throng- knit limbs.
Alas I this is. a child,, a filly dwarf :
It cannot be, this weak and wrizled fhrimp
Should ftrike fueh terror to. his enemies.
Tal. Madam, I have been bold to trouble you :
But, fince your ladyfhip is nut at leifure,
I'll fort fome other time to vifit you.
Count. What means he now?- Go afk him, whither
he goes.
MeJf. Stay, my lord TalBot ;. for my lady crave:-
To know the caufe of your abrupt departure.
TtaL Marry, for that Ihe's in a wrong belkf r
I go to certify her, Talbot's here.
Re-enter Porter with- keys.
Count. If thou be he, then art thou prifoncr,
ftf/. Prifoner ! to whom ?
Count. To me, blood-thrifty lord ;
And for that caufe I train r d thee to my houfe.
Long time thy lhadow hath been thrall to me,
For in my gallery thy pidnre hangs :
But now the fubflance fhall endure the like;
And I will chain thefe legs and arms- of thine,.
That haft by tyranny, thefe many years,
Wafted our country, ilain our citizens,
And fent our fons and huibands captivate *.
fal. Ha, ha, ha!
Count. Laugheft thou, wretch? thy mirth fliall
turn to moan.
3 captivate.] So, in Soliman and PerfeJa :
44 If not deftroy'd and bound, and captivate,
" If captivate^ then forc'd from holy faith," STEEVENS
*
K I N G H E N R Y VI. 213
tfaL I laugh to fee your ladyfhip fo fond *,
To think that you have ought but Talbot's ihauow,
\Vhereon to pradtife your feverity.
Count. Why, art not thou the man ?
tfal. I am, indeed.
Count. Then hav-e I fubftance too.
Ta2. No, no, I am but fhadow of myfclf :
You are deceiv'd, my fubftance is not here;
For what you fee, is but the fmalleft part
And lead proportion of humanity :
I tell you, madam, were the whole frame here,
It is of fuch a fpacious lofty pitch,
Your roof were not fufficient to contain it.
Count. s This is a riddling merchant for the nonce;
He will be here, and yet he is not here :
How can thefc contrarieties agree ?
TaL That will I (hew you prefently..
Winds his fora ; drums jlr ike up : a peal of ordnance,
Enter Soldiers* '
How fay you, madam ? are you now perfuaded,
That Talbot is but fhadow of himfelf ?
Thefe are his fubftance, linews, arms, and ftrength,
With whiclHie yoketh your rebellious necks ;
Razeth your cities, and fubverts your towns,
And in a moment makes them defolate.
Count. Victorious Talbot ! pardon my abufe :
I find, thou art no lefs than fame hath bruited,
And more than may be gather'd by thy fhape.
Let my prcfumption not provoke thy wrath ;
For I am forry, that with reverence
4 - f a f ond j ;. e . f fcoiift. So, in K. Hen. IV. Part II :
** Fondly brought here, and foolilhly fent hence."
STEEVENS.
5 This ii a riddling merchant &c.] So, in Romeo and Juliet :
" What faucy merchant *.vas this."
See a note on this pa'fiaee, a& II. fc. iv STEEVEKS.
P 3 I did
214 FIRST PART OF
I did not entertain thee as them art.
Tal. Be not difmay'd, fair lady ; nor mifconftrue
The mind of Talbor, as you did miftake
The outward competition of his body.
What you have done, hath not offended me :
K or other fatisfa&ion do I crave,
But only (with your patience) that we may
Tafle of your wine, and fee what cates you have ;
For foldiers' ilomachs always ferve them well.
Count. With all my heart ; and think me honoured
To feafl fo great a warrior in my houfe. [Exeunt.
SCENE IV.
London. The Temple garden.
Enter the earls of Somerfet, Siffolk, and Warwick',
Richard Plantagenet, Vernon, and another Lawyer.
Plant. Great lords, and gentlemen, what means this
filence ?
Dare no man anfwer in a cafe of truth ?
Suf. Within the Temple hall we were too loud ;
The garden here is more convenient.
Plant. Then fay at once, If I maintained the truth ;
6 Or, elfe, was wrangling Somerfet in the error ?
' Suf. 'Faith, I have been a truant in the law ;
I never yet could frame my will to it ;
And, therefore, frame the law unto my will.
Sow. Judge you, my lord of Warwick, then be-
tween us.
War. Between two hawks, which flies the higher
pitch,
Between two dogs, which hath the deeper mouth,
6 All the editions read :
Or, e Ife, was wrangling Some rfet ? th* error ?~\ There is apparently
a want of oppofition between the two queftions. I once read,
Or elfe was 'wrangling Somerfet i'th' right ? JOHNSON.
Sir T. Hanmer would read :
And ivas not .. STEEVENS.
Be-
K I N G H E N R Y VI. 2ls
Between two blades, which bears the better temper,
Between two horfes, which doth bear him beft,
Between two girls, which hath the merriefl eye,
I have, perhaps, fome mallow fpirit of judgment :
But in thefe nice fliarp quillets of the law,
Good faith, I am no wifer than a daw.
Plant. Tut, tut, here is a mannerly forbearance :
The truth appears fo naked on my fide,
That any purblind eye may find it out.
Som. And on my fide it is fo well apparell'd,
So clear, fo fhining, and fo evident,
That it will glimmer through a blind man's eye.
Plant. Since you are tongue-ty'd, and fo loth to
fpeak,
In dumb fignificants proclaim your thoughts :
Let him, that is a true-born gentleman,
And {lands upon the honour of his birth,
If he fuppofe that I have pleaded truth,
7 From off this briar pluck a white rofe with me.
Som.
7 From off this Iriar pluck a white rofe with me.] This is given
as the original of the two badges of the houfes or York and Lan-
cafter, whether truly or not, is no great matter. But the pro-
verbial expreflion oi faying a thing under the rofe, I am perfuaded,
came from thence. When the nation had ranged itfelf into two
great factions, under the white and red rofe, and were perpetu-
ally plotting and counterplotting againlt one another, then, w hen
a matter of facYion was communicated by either party to his
friend in the fame quarrel, it was natural for him to add, that
Inefaid it under the fofe ; meaning that, as it concerned the fac-
tion, it was religioufly to be kept fecret. WARBURTON.
This is ingenious ! What pity, that it is not learned too?
The rofe (as the fables fay) was the fymbol of filence, and con-
fecrated by Cupid to Harpocrates, to conceal the lewd pranks of
his mother. So common a book as Lloyd's Difiimiary might
have inftru&ed Dr. W T arburton in this. " Huic Harpocrati Cu-
pidoVeneris filius parentis fuce rofam dedit in munus, utfcilicet fi
quid licentius dictum, vel aftum fit in convivio, fciant tacenda
efle omnia. Atque idcirco veteres ad finem convivii fub rflfa y
Anglice under the rofe, tranfacla efle omnia ante digreffum con-
teltabantur; cujus formae vis eadem effet, atque ifla, M^
P p*'-
216 FIRST PART OF
Som. Let him that is no coward, nor no flatterer^
But dare maintain the party of the truth,
Pluck a red rofe from off this thorn with me.
War. * I love no colours ; and, without ail colour
Of bafe insinuating flattery,
I pluck this white rofe, with Plantagenet. *+~^>
Suf. I pluck this red rofe, with young Somerfet;
And fay withal, I think h held the right.
Per. Stay, lords, and gentlemen ; and pluck no
more,
'Till you conclude that he, upon whofe fide
The feweft rofes are crop'd from the tree,
Shall yield the other in the right opinion.
Som. Good mailer Vernon, it is 9 well obje&ed ;
If I have feweft, I fubfcribe in lilence.
riant. And I.
Ver. Then, for the truth and plainnefs of the cafe,
I pluck this pale and maiden blofibm here,
Giving my verdict on the white rofe fide.
Som. Prick not your finger as you pluck it off;
Left, bleeding, you do paint the white rofe re j,
And fall on my fide fo agalnftyotit will.
Ver. If I, my lord, for my opinion bleed,
Opinion mail be furgeon to my hurt,
And keep me on the fide where ftill I am.
Som. Well, well, come on : Who elfe ?
fMKiiota, ervnvrrm. Probant hanc rem verfus cjui repcriuntur m
marmore :
" Ell rofa flos Veneris, cujus quo furta laterent
** Harpocrati matris dona dicavit amor.
*' Inde rofam menlis hofpes iufpendit aitiicis,
" Convivae ut fub ea di6ta tacenda fciant." UPTON.
8 I love no colours; ] Co!ws is here uied ambiguoufly for
tints and deceits. JOHNSON.
9 vttU ofytjbJi] 1'roperly thrown in our way, juftly pro-
pofed. JOHNSON.
So, in Chapman's Verfion of the aift Book of Homer's OJyJJey :
** Excites Penelope t' o6jefl the prize
*' (The bow and bright lleeles) to the woer's ftrength."
STEEVENS.
Law-
K I N G H E N R Y VI. ftly
Lawyer. Unlefs my ftudy and my books be falfe,
The argument you held, was wrong in you ;
[To Somerfet.
In fign whereof, I \ luck a white rofe too.
Plant. Now, Somerfet, where is your argument?
Som. Here, in my fcabbard ; meditating that,
Shall dye your white rofe to a bloody red.
Plan. Mean time, your cheeks do counterfeit our
roles ;
For pale they look with fear, as witnefling
The truth on our fide.
Som. No, Plantagenet,
'Tis not for fear ; but anger that thy cheeks
Blufh for pure lhame, to counterfeit our rofes ;
And yet thy tongue will not confefs thy error.
Plant. Hath not thy rofe a canker, Somerfet ?
Som. Hath not thv rofe a thorn, Plantagenet ?
Plant. Ay, lharp and piercing, to maintain his
truth ;
Whiles thy confuming canker eats his falfhood.
Som* Well, I'll find friends to wear my bleeding
rofes,
That mall maintain what I have faid is true,
W^here falfe Plantagenet dare not be feen.
Plant. Now, by this maiden bloflbm in my hand,
1 1 fcorn thee and thy falhion, peevilh boy.
Sttf. Turn not thy fcorns this way, Plantagenet.
Plant. Proud Poole, I will ; and fcorn both him
and thee.
1 I fcorn thee and thy fajhion, ] So, the old copies r '^ '"d
rightly. Mr. Theobald altered it tofaflitm, not confidering that
byfa/bion is meant the badge of the red rofe, which Somerfet
faid he and his friends fliould be diftinguuVd by. But Mr.
Theobald alks, If faftion was not the true reading, why Jlwuld
Suffolk immediately reply,
7 urn not thy fiorns this way, Plantagenet f
Why ? becaufe Plantagenet had called Somerfet, with whom
Suffolk fided, peevifh boy. WAR BUR TON.
Mr. Pope had altered fajblon to f often, JOHNSON.
ii8 FIRST PART OF
Sttf. I'll turn my part thereof into thy throat.
Sow. Away, away, good William De-la-Poole !
We grace the yeoman, by converting with him.
War. Now, by God's will, thou wrong'ft him,
Somerfet ;
His grandfather was Lionel duke of Clarence,
Third Ion to the third Edward king of England ;
* Spring creftlefs yeomen from fo deep a root ?
Plant. J He bears him on the place's privilege,
Or durft not, for his craven heart, fay thus.
Som. By him that made me, I'll maintain my
words
On any plot of ground in Chriflendom :
Was not thy father, Richard, earl of Cambridge,
For treafon executed in our late king's days ?
And, by his treafon, ftand'ft not thou attainted,
4 Corrupted, and exempt from ancient gentry ?
His trefpafs yet lives guilty in thy blood ;
And, 'till thou be reftor'd, thou art a yeoman.
Plant. My father was attached, not attainted ;
Condemn'd to die for treafon, but no traitor ;
And that I'll prove on better men than Somerfet,
Were growing time once ripen'd to my will.
For your partaker Poole, and you yourfelf,
Fll note you in my book of memory,
5 To fcourge you 6 for this apprehenfion :
* Spring creftlefs yeomen ] i.e. thofe who have no right to
arms. WARBURTOX.
3 He bear s him on the plac e's privilege, ] The Temple, being a
religious houfe, was an afylum, a place of exemption, from vio*
lence, revenge, and bloodfhed. JOHNSON.
* Corrupted^ and exempt ] Exempt , for excluded.
WAR BUR TON.
5 To fcourge you for this apprebenfion : ] Though this word
poflefles all the copies, I am perfuaded it did not come from the
author. I have ventur'd to read, rcprehenfion : and Plantagenet
means, that Somerfet had reprehended or reproach'd him with his
father, the earl of Cambridge's treafon. THEOBALD.
6 -for this apprehcnjion;'} Apprehenfion, i.e. opinion.
WAR BUR TON.
Look
K I N G H E N R Y VI. 2X9
Look to it well ; -and fay you are well warn'd.
Somi Ay, thou ihalt find us ready for thee ftill :
And know us, by thefe colours, for thy foes ;
For thefe my friends, in fpight of thee, lhall wear.
Plant. And, by my foul, this pale and angry rofe,
As cognizance of my blood-drinking hate 7 ,
Will I for ever, and my fadtion, wear ;
Until it wither with me to my grave,
Or flourim to the height of my degree.
Suf. Go forward, and be choak'd with thy am-
bition !
And fo farewell, until I meet thee next. [Exit.
Som. Have with thee, Poole. Farewell, ambiti-
ous Richard. [Exit.
Plant. How I am brav'd, and muft perforce en-
dure it !
War. This blot, that they object againfl your houfe,
Shall be wip'd out in the next parliament,
Call'd for the truce of Winchelter and Glofter :
And, if thou be not then created York,
I will not live to be accounted Warwick.
Mean time, in fignal of my love to thee,
Againft proud Somerfet, and William Poole,
Will I upon thy party wear this rofe :
And here I prophefy, This brawl to-day
Grown to this faction, in the Temple-garden,
7 this pale and angry rofe,
As cognizance of my blood-drinking bate,]
So, in Romeo and Juliet :
" Either my eye-fight fails, or thou look'ft//^. ,
" And, truft me, love, in mine eye to do you :
" Dry forrow drinks our blood." S TEE YENS.
A ladge is called a cognifance a cognofcendo, becaufe by it fuch
perfons as do wear it upon their lleeves, their fhoulders, or in
their hats, are manifeftly known whofe fervants they are. In he-
raldry the cognifance is feated upon the moil eminent part or the
helmet ; and by a defigned blunder in Ben Jonfon's works, 175(5,
.Vol. I. p. 160, and Vol. VII. p. 356, it is called a cullifen,
which Mr. Whalley's Di&ionaries, or the heralds he confulted,
could not explain. TOLLET.
Shall
FIRST PARTOF
Shall fend, between the red rofe and the white,
A thoufand fouls to death and deadly night.
Plant. Good mafter Vernon, I am bound to you,
That you on my behalf would pluck a flower.
Ver. In your behalf flill ill I wear the fame.
Lazu. And fo will I.
Plant. Thanks, gentle fir.
Come, let us four to dinner : I dare fay,
This quarrel will drink blood another day. [Exeunt*
SCENE V.
A room in the fozvcr.
8 Enter Afortimer, brought in a ckair^ and Jailors.
Mor. Kind keepers of my weak decaying age,
9 Let dying Mortimer here reft himfelf.
Even like a man new haled from the rack,
So fare my limbs with long imprifonment :
And thefe grey locks, the ' puduivants of death,
* Enter Mortimer, ] Mr. Edwards, in his MS. notes, ob-
ferves, that Shakefpeare has varied from the truth of hiftory, to
introduce this fcene between Mortimer and Richard Plantag'enet.
Edmund Mortimer ferved under Henry V. in 1422, and died
unconfined in Ireland in 1424. Holinfned lays, that Mortimer
was one of the mourners at the funeral of Henry V.
His uncle, fir John Mortimer, was indeed prifoner in the tower,
and was executed not long before the earl ot March's death, be-
ing charged with an attempt to make his efcape in order to ftir up
an infurredtion in Wales. STEEVENS.
9 Let dying Mortimer here rcfl. himfclf,} I know not whether
Milton did not take from this hint the lines with which he opens
his tragedy. JOHNSO:;.
Rather from the beginning of the laft fcene of the third aft
of the PhaenlJJte of Euripides :
7 ire/las. '
&C.
1 - purfulvants of death,] Furfuivants. The heralds that,
forerunning death, proclaim jjis approach. JOHNSON,
Neftor
KING HENRY VI. 22 x
Neftor-likc aged, in an age of care,
Argue the end of * Edmund Mortimer.
Thefe eyes like lamps whofc wafting oil is fpent -
Wax dim, J as drawing to their exigent :
Weak (boulders, over-borne with burth'ning grief;
4 And pithlefs arms, like to a wither'd vine
That droops his faplefs branches to the ground.
Yet are thefe feet whofe ftrengthlefs Hay is numb,
Unable to fupport this lump of clay,
Swift-winged with defire to get a grave,
As witting I no other comfort have.
But tell me, keeper, will my nephew come ?
Keep. Richard Pl-antagenet,. my lord, will come :
We fen't unto the Temple, to his chamber ;
And anfwer was retnrn'd, thct he will come.
Mor. Enough ; my foul then fliatt be fatisfy'd.
Poor gentleman I his wrong doth equal mine.
Since Henry Monmouth firft began to reign,
(Before whofe glory I was great in arms)
This loathforne feqireftration have I had ;
And even fince then hath Richard been obfcur'd y
Deprived of honour and inheritance :
But now, the arbitrator of defpairs,
5 Juft death, kind umpire of men's miferies,
With fwcet enlargement doth difmiis me hence;
I would, his troubles likewife were expir'd,
That fo he might recover what was loft.
a EiknunJ Mvrttnifr,'} This Edmund Mortimer, Tvhen king
Richard II. fet out upon his fatal Irifli expedition, was declared by
that prince heir apparent to the crown; for which reafon king
Henry IV. and V. took care to keep him in prifon during their
whole reigns. THEOBALD.
3 as drawing to the br exigtnt : ] Exigmt, end. JOHNSON.
So, in Doflor DoJypoll, a comedy, 1 600 :
" Hath driven her to fome defperate exigent." STEEVENS,
* Andpitblefs arms, ] Pith was ufed for marrow, and, fi-
guratively, fajlrength. JOHXSO.Y.
5 Jyft death, kind umpire of mcns 1 miferies,] That is, he that
terminates or concludes mifcry. The expreffion is harfli and
forced. JOHNSON,
Enter
222 F I R S T P A R T O F
Enter Richard Plantagenet.
Keep. My lord, your loving nephew now is come.
Mor. Richard Plantagenet, my friend? Is he come?
Plant. Ay, noble uncle, thus ignobly us'd,
Your nephew, late-dcfpifed Richard, comes.
Mor. Direct mine arms, I may embrace his neck,
And in his bofoni fpend my latter gafp :
Oh, tell me, when my lips do touch his cheeks,
That I may kindly give one fainting kifs.
And now declare, fweet ftem from York's great flock,
Why didft thou fay of late thou wert defpis'd ?
Plant. Firfl, lean thine aged back againft mine arm
And, in that eafe, 6 I'll tell thee my difeafe.
This day, in argument upon a cafe,
Some words there grew 'twixt Somerfet and me :
Among which terms, he us'd his lavilh tongue,
And did upbraid me with my father's death ;
Which obloquy fct bars before my tongue,
Elfe with the like I had requited him :
Therefore, good uncle, for my father's fake,
In honour of a true Plantagenet,
And for alliance' fake, declare the caufe
My father, earl of Cambridge, loft his head.
Mor. That caufe, fair nephew, that imprifon'd me,
And hath detain'd me, all my flow'ring youth,
Within a loathfome dungeon, there to pine,
6 /'// tell thee my difeafe.'] Difeafe feems to be here uneajinefe
or dlfcontent. JOHNSON.
It is fo ufed by other ancient writers, and by Shakefpeare elfe-
where. Thus likewife in Spenfer's Faery Queen, Book III. c. 5 :
" But labour'd long in that deep ford with vain difeafc"
That to difeafe is to difturb, may be known from the following paf-
fages in Chapman's verfion of the Iliad and OdyJJcy :
" But brother, hye thee to the (hips, andldomen d'Jcafc.^ i. e.
wake him. Book VI. edit. 1^98. Again, OdyfT. B. VI :
" with which he declin'd
" The eyes of any \vaker when he pleas'd,
*' And any fleepcr, when he wiih'd, difeafed"
Again, in the ancient metrical hiftory of the Battle of Floddon :
" He thought the Scots might him difeafe
" With conflitutcd captains meet." STEEVEXS.
KING HENRY VI. 223
Was curfed inftrument of his deceafe.
Plant. Difcover more at large what caufe that was ;
For I am ignorant, and cannot guefs.
Mor. I will ; if that my fading breath permit,
And death approach not ere my tale be done.
Henry the fourth, grandfather to this king,
Depos'd his nephew * Richard ; Edward's fon,
The firft-begotten, and the lawful heir
Of Edward king, the third of that defcent :
During whofe reign, the Percies of the north,
Finding his ufurpation mod unjuft,
Endeavour'd my advancement to the throne :
The reafon mov'd thefe warlike lords to this,
Was for that (young kind Richard thus remov'd,
Leaving no heir begotten of his body)
I was the next by birth and parentage ;
For by my mother I derived am
From Lionel duke of Clarence, the third fon
To king Edward the Third, whereas he,
From John of Gaunt doth bring his pedigree,
Being but the fourth of that heroic line.
But mark ; as, 7 in this haughty great attempt,
They laboured to plant the rightful heir,
I loft my liberty, and they their lives.
Long after this, when Henry the fifth,
Succeeding his father Bolingbroke, did reign,
Thy father, earl of Cambridge, then ueriv'd
From famous Edmund Langley, duke of York,
Marrying my filler, that thy mother was,
Again, in pity of my hard diflrefs,
Levied an army ; weening to redeem,
And have inftall'd me in the diadem :
But, as the reft, fo fell that noble earl,
* bis nephew Richard ; ] Thus the old copy. Modern editors
read his coujin but without neceffity. Nephew has fometimes
the power of the Latin nepos, and is uled with great laxity among
our ancient Engliih writers. Thus in Othello, lago tells Braban-
tio he fhall " have 'his nephews (i.e. the children of his own
daughter) neigh to him." STEEVENS.
7 in tbii haughty great attempt} Haughty is high. JOHNSON.
And
224 FIRST PART OF
And was beheaded. Thus the Mortimers,
In whom the title refled, were fupprefs'd.
Plan. Of which, my lord, your honour is the laft,
Mor* True j and thou feeft, that I no iflue have ;
And that my fainting words do warrant death :
8 Thou art my heir ; the reft, I wifh thee gather :
But yet be wary in thy ftudious care.
Plan. Thy grave admonilhments prevail with me ;
But yet, mcthinks, my father's execution
Was nothing lefs than bloody tyranny.
Mor. With filence, nephew, be thou politick ;
Strong-fixed is the houfe of Lancafter,
And, like a mountain, not to be remov'd.
But now thy uncle is removing hence ;
As princes do their courts, when they are cloy'd
With long continuance in a fettled place.
Plan. O, uncle, 'would fome part of my young years
Might but redeem the paffage of your age !
Mor. Thou dofl then wrong me ; as the flaught'rer
doth,
Which giveth many wounds, when one will kill.
Mourn not, except thou forrow for my good ;
Only, give order for my funeral ;
And fo farewel ; 9 and fair be all thy hopes !
And profperous be thy life, in peace, and war ! [Dies
Plan. And peace, no war, befall thy parting foul !
In prifon haft thou fpent a pilgrimage,
8 7hou art my beir ; the reft I ivijh thee gather .] The fenfe is,
I acknowledge thee to be my heir ; the conlequences which may
be colle&ed from thence, I recommend it to thee to draw.
REVISAL.
9 and fair It all thy bopes,~\ Mortimer knew Plantagenet's
hopes were fair, but that the etfablifhment of the Lancastrian line
difappointed them : fure, he would wifli, that his nephew's fair
hopes might have a fair iflue. I am perfuaded the poet wrote ;
and fair befal thy hopes ! THEOBALD.
This emendation is received by fir Thomas Hanmer and Dr,
Warburton. I do not fee how the readings differ in fenfe. Fair
is lucky , or froffcrcuf. So we fay, a fair wind, zndfair fortune.
JOHNSON.
And,
KING HENRY VI.
And like a hermit over-pafs'd thy days.
Well, I will lock his counfel in my bread ;
And what I do imagine, let that reft.
Keepers, convey him hence ; and I myfelf
Will fee his burial better than his life.
1 Here dies the dufky torch of Mortimer,
* Choak'd with ambition of the meaner fort :
And, for thofe wrongs, thofe bitter injuries,
Which Somerfet hath offer'd to my houfe, *
I doubt not, but with honour to redrefs :
And therefore hafte I to the parliament ;
Either to be reftored to my blood,
3 Or make my ill the advantage of my good. [Exit.
1 Here dies the dujky torch ] The image is of a torch juft
extinguifhed, and yet fmoaking. But we fliould read lies inftead
of dies. For when a dead man is reprefented by an extinguifhed
torch, we muft fay the torch lies : when an extinguilhed torch is
compared to a dead man, we muft fay the torch dies. The reafort
is plain, becaufe integrity of metaphor requires that the terms
proper to the thing illuftrating t not the thing illujlrated^ be em-
ployed. WAR BUR TON.
1 Choatfd with ambition of the meaner firt : ] We are to un*
derftand the fpeaker as reflecting on the ill fortune of Mortimer,
in being always made a tool of by the Percies of the North in
their rebellious intrigues ; rather than in aflerting his claim to the
crown, in fupport of his own princely ambition. WAR BURTON*
3 In the former editions :
Or make my will /// advantage of my good.
So all the printed copies ; but with very little regard to the poet's
meaning. I read :
Or make my ill th* advantage of my good.
Thus we recover the antitbefis of the expremon. THEOBALD*
Vol. VI. Q ACT
226 FIRST PART OF
ACT III. SCENE I.
The parliament.
Fkurlfh. Enter king Henry, Exeter, Glojler, Win-
chejler, Warwick, Somerfet, Suffolk, and Richard
Plant agenet. Glqfter offers to put up a bill; IPinchefter
fnatches it, and tears it.
Win. Com'ft thou with deep premeditated lines,
With written pamphlets ftudioufly devis'd,
Humphrey of Glofter ? if thou canft accufe,
Or ought intend'ft to lay unto my charge,
Do it without invention fuddenly ;
As I with fudden and extemporal fpeech
Purpofe to an fwer what thou canft objedt.
Gfa. Prefumptuous pri'eft f this place commands
my patience,
Or thou fhouldft find thou haft diihonour'd me.
Think not, although in writing I preferred
The manner of thy vile outrageous crimes,
That therefore I have forg'd, or am not able
Verbatim to rehearfe the method of my pen :
No, prelate ; fuch is thy audacious wickednefs,
Thy lewd, peftiferous, and dhTentious pranks,
As very infants prattle of thy pride.
Thou arfc a moft pernicious ufurer ;
Froward by nature, enemy to peace ;
Lafcivious, wanton, more than well befeems
A man of thy profeflion, and degree ;
And for thy treachery, What's more manifeft ?
In that thou laid'ft a trap to take my life,
As well at London bridge, as at the Tower ?
Befide, I fear me, if thy thoughts were fifted,
The king, thy fovereign, is not quite exempt
From envious malice of thy fwelling heart.
K I N G H E N R Y VI. 227
Win. Glofter, I do defy thee. Lords, vouchfafe
To give me hearing what I fliall reply.
If I were covetous, perverfe, ambitious,
As he will have me, How am I fo poor ?
Or how haps it, I feek not to advance
Or raife myfelf, but keep my wonted calling ?
And for difTention, Who preferreth peace
More than I do, except I be provok'd ?
No, my good lords, it is not that offends ;
It is not that, that hath incens'd the duke :
It is, becaufe no one fhould fway but he ;
No one, but he, fhould be about the king;
And that engenders thunder in his breaft,
And makes him roar thefe accufations forth.
But he fhall know, I am as good
Gk. As good ?
Thou baftard of my grandfather !
Win. Ay, lordly fir ; -For what are you, I pray^
But one imperious in another's throne ?
Gk. Am I not protestor, faucy prieft ?
Win. And am not I a prelate of the church ?
Gk. Yes, as an out-law in a caflle keeps,
And ufeth it to patronage his theft.
Win. Unreverent Glofter !
Gk. Thou art reverent
Touching thy fpiritual function, not thy life.
Win. Rome fhall remedy this.
War. 4 Roam thither then.
5 Som. My lord, it were your duty to forbear.
War:
* Roam thither then.'] Roam to Rome. To roam is fuppofed
to be derived from the cant of vagabonds, \vho often pretended a
pilgrimage to Rome. JOHNSON.
The jingle between roam and Rome is common to other writers.
So, in Nafh's Lenten Stuff\ &.c. 1599: " three hundred
thoufand people roamed to Rome for purgatorie pills, &c."
STEEVENS.
5 Som. My lord, it were your July ioforlcar.'} This line, in the
old copy, is joined to the former hemiflich fpoken by Warwick.
Q 3 The
2 2 8 FIRST PART Of
War. Ay, fee the bifhop be not over-borne.
Som. Methinks, my lord fhould be religious,
And know the office that belongs to inch.
War. Methinks, his lordlhip mould be humbler ;
It fitteth not a prelate fo to plead.
Som. Yes, when his holy iiate is touch'd fo near.
War. State holy, or unhallow'd, what of that ?
Is not his grace protector to the king ?
Rich. Plantagenet, I fee, muft hold his tongue ;
Left it be faid, Speak, firrah, when you Jhould >
Muft your bold verdlft enter talk with lords ?
Elfe would I have a fling at Winchefler. [Afide.
K. Henry. Uncles of Glofter, and of Winchefler,
The fpecial watchmen of our Englifh weal ;
I would prevail, if prayers might prevail,
To join your hearts in love and amity.
Oh, what a fcandal is it to our crown,
That two fuch noble peers as ye, Ihould jar !
Believe me, lords, my tender years can tell,
Civil diffention is a viperous worm,
That gnaws the bowels of the common-wealth.
[A noife within ; Down with the tawny coats !
What tumult's this ?
War. An uproar, I dare warrant,
Begun through malice of the bilhop's men.
[A noife again, Stones ! Stones t
Enter the Mayor of London, attended.
Mayor. Oh, my good lords, and virtuous Henry,
Pity the city of London, pity us !
The bilhop and the duke of Glofter's men,
Forbidden late to carry any weapon,
Have fill'd their pockets full of pebble-Hones ;
The modern editors have very properly given it to Somerfet, foi
whom it feems to have been meant.
Ay y fee^ the b(fhop be not over-borne^
was as erroneoufly given in the next fpeech to Somerfet inftcad
of Warwick, to whom it has been fince reftored. STEEVENS.
And,
K I N G H E N R Y VI. 2*9
And, banding themfelves in contrary parts,
Do pelt fo raft at one another's pate,
That many have their giddy brains knock'd out :
Our windows are broke down in every flreet,
And we, for fear, compelled to Ihut our fhops.
Enter men injkirmt/h, with bkody pates.
K. Henry. We charge you, on allegiance to ourfelf,
To hold your flaught'ring hands, and keep the peace.
Pray, uncle Glofter, mitigate this flrife,
Serv. Nay, if we be
Forbidden ftones, we'll fall to it with our teeth.
2 Serv. Do what ye dare, we are as refolute.
\j$kirmijh again.
Glo. You of my houfhold, leave this peevifh broil,
And fet this 6 unaccuftom'd fight afide.
3 Serv. My lord, we know your grace to be a man
Juft and upright ; and, for your royal birth,
Inferior to none, but to his majefty :
And, ere that we will fuffer fuch a prince.
So kind a father of the common-weal,
To be difgraced by 7 an, inkhorn mate,
We, and our wives, and children, all will fight,
And have our bodies flaughter'd by thy foes.
i Serv. Ay, and the very parings of our nails
Shalt pitch a field when we are dead. [Begin again.
Qlo. Stay, flay, I fay !
And, if you love me, as you fay you do.
Let me perfuade you to forbear a while.
K. Henry. Oh, 'how this difcord doth afflict my
foul !
Can you, my lord of Winchefler, behold
My fighs and tears, and will not once relent ?
Who fhould be pitiful, if you be not ?
6 unaccufton! d fight afide. ~\ Unaccuftom' > d\sufifcemly t inde-
Cnt. JOHNSON.
inkborn mate^] A bookman. JOHNSON,
0.3 Or
a 3 o FIRST PART OF
Or who Ihould ftudy to prefer a peace,
If holy churchmen take delight in broils ?
War. My lord protedtor, yield ; yield, Win-
chefter ;
Except you mean, with obftinate repulfe,
To flay your fovereign, and deflroy the realm.
You fee what mifchief, and what murder too,
Hath been enacted through your enmity ;
Then be at peace, except ye thirft for blood. '
Win. He fhall fubmit, or I will never yield.
Glo. Compaffion on the king commands me {loop;
Or, I would fee his heart out, ere the prieft
Should ever get that privilege of me.
War. Behold, my lord of Winchefter, the duke
Hath banifh'd moody difcontented fury,
As by his fmoothed brows it doth appear :
Why look you ftill fo ftern, and tragical ?
Glo. Here, Winchefter, I offer thee my hand.
K. Henry. Fie, uncle Beaufort ! I have heard yoir
preach,
That malice was a great and grievous fin :
And will not you maintain the thing you teach,
But prove a chief offender in the fame ?
War. Sweet king ! the bifliop 8 hath a kindly
gird.
For fhame, my lord of Winchefter ! relent ;
What, {hall a child inftruct you what to do ?
Win. Well, duke of Glofter, I will yield tothee;-
Love for thy love, and hand for hand I give.
Glo. Ay; but, I fear me, with, a hollow heart.
See here, my friends, and loving countrymen ;
8 hath a kindly gird. ] \. e. Feels an emotion of kind re-
morfe. JOHNSON.
A kindly gird is a gentle or friendly reproof. Falihff obferves,
that " men of all forts take a pride to gird at him :" and in
the Taming of a Shrew , Baptifla fays : *' ' "Tranio bits you
now ;" to which Lucentio anfwers :
'* I thank thee for that gird^ good Tranio." STEEVENS.'
This
K I N G H E N R Y VI. 231
This token ferveth for a flag of truce,
Betwixt ourfelves, and all our followers :
So help me God, as I diflemble not !
Win. [AfideJ] So help me God, as I intend it not !
K. Henry. O loving uncle, kind duke of Glofter,
How joyful am I made by this contract !
Away, my maflers ! trouble us no more ;
But join in friendfliip, as your lords have done.
i Serv. Content; I'll to the furgeon's.
2, Serv. So will I.
3 Serv. And I will fee what phyfic
The tavern affords. [Exeunt.
War. Accept this fcrowl, moft gracious fovereign;
Which in the right of Richard Plantagenet
We do exhibit to your majefty.
GIo. Well urg'd, my lord of Warwick; for, fweet
prince,
An if your grace mark every circumftance,
You have great reafon to do Richard right :
Efpecially, for thofe occafions
At Eltham-place I told your majefty.
K. Henry. And thofe occafions, uncle, were of force :
Therefore, my loving lords, our pleafure is,
That Richard be reftored to his blood ;
War. Let Richard be reftored to his blood ;
So fliall his father's wrongs be recompens'd.
Win. As will the reft, fo.willeth Winchefter.
K. Henry. If Richard will be true, not that alone,
But all the whole inheritance I give,
That doth belong unto the houfe of York,
From whence you fpring by lineal defcent.
Rich. Thy humble fervant vows obedience,
And humble fervice, 'till the point of death.
K. Henry. Stoop then, and fet your knee againft
my foot ;
9 And, in reguerdori of that duty done,
9 reguerdon ] Recompence, return. JOHNSON.
FIRST PART OF
I gird thee with the valiant fword of York :
Rile, Richard, like a true Plantagenet ;
And rile created princely duke of York.
Rich. And fo thrive Richard, as thy foes may fall J
And as my duty fprings, fo perifh they
That grudge one thought againfl your majefty !
All. Welcome, high prince, the mighty duke of
York !
Som. Perifh, bafe prince, ignoble duke of York !
[/jide.
Glo. Now will it beft avail your majefty,
To crofs the feas, and to be crown'd in France :
The prefence of a king engenders love
Amongft his fubjects, and his loyal friends ;
As it difanimates his enemies.
K. Henry. When Glofler fays the word, king Henry
goes;
For friendly counfel cuts off many foes.
Glo. Your mips already are in readinefs.
[Exeunt all but Exeter.
Exe. Ay, we may march in England, or in France^
Not feeing what is likely to enfue :
This late difiention, grown betwixt the peers,
Burns under feigned alhes of forg'd love,
And will at lalt break out into a flame :
As fefter'd members rot but by degrees,
'Till bones, and flelh, and finews, fall away,
1 So will this bafe and envious difcord breed.
And now I fear that fatal prophecy,
Which, in the time of Henry, nam'4 the fifth,
Was in the mouth of every fucking babe,
That Henry, born at Monmouth, mould win all ;
And Henry, born at Windfor, fliould lofe all :
Which is fo plain, that Exeter doth wifli
His days may finifh ere that haplefs time.
1 So vjitt this bafe and envious difcord lreed.~\ That is, fo will
the malignity of this difcord propagate itfclf y and advance.
JOHNSON.
SCENE
KING HENRY VI, 235
SCENE II.
Roan in France.
Enter Joan la Pucelle dijguis'd, and foldiers with facks
upon their backs, like countrymen.
Pucel. Thefe are the city gates, the gates of Roan,
Through which our policy muft make a breach :
Take heed, be wary how you place your words ;
Talk like the vulgar fort of market-men,
That come to gather money for their corn.
If we have entrance, (as, I hope, we ihall)
And that we find the flothful watch but weak,
J'll by a lign give notice to our friends,
That Charles the Dauphin may encounter them.'
i Sol. Our lacks fhall be a mean to fack the city %"
And we be lords and rulers over Roan ;
Therefore we'll knock, [Knocks.
Watch, tyvati?
Pucel. Paifans, pauvres gens de France :
Poor market-folks, that come to fell their corn.
Watch. Enter, go in ; the market-bell is rung.
fucel Now, Roan, I'll lhake thy bulwarks to the
ground. [Exeunt \
Enter Dauphin, Baftard, and Alenpn.
Dan. Saint Dennis blefs this happy flratagem \
And once again we'll fleep fecure in Roan.
Baft. J Here enter'd Pucelle, and her pradtifants :
* Our facks./W/ le the means to fack the c/Vy,] Falftaff has tljp
fame quibble, fhewing his bottle of Jack : " Here's that will fack
a city." STEEVENS.,
3 Here entered Pucelle, and her praftifants.'] PraSUce, in the
language of that time, was treachery, and perhaps in the fofter
fcnfejtratagem. Pratfifa/tts are therefore ccnfederates in JJrata-
gems. JOHNSON.
Now
F I R S T P A R T O F
Now fhe is there, how will ftie fpecify
Where is the befl and fafeft paflage in ?
Reig. By thrufting out a torch from yonder tower;
Which, once difcern'd, fhews, that her meaning is,
* No way to that, for weaknefs, which Ihe enter'd.
Enter Joan la Pucelk on a battlement, thrujiing out a
torch burning.
Pucel Behold, this is the happy wedding torch,
That joineth Roan unto her countrymen ;
But burning fatal to the Talbotites.
Baft. See, noble Charles ! the beacon of our friend,
The burning torch in yonder turret Hands.
Dau. Now fhine it like a comet of revenge,
A prophet to the fall of all our foes !
Reig. Defer no time, Delays have dangerous ends;
Enter, and cry The Dauphin ! prefently,
And then do execution on the watch.
[An alarum ; Talbot in an excwfion.
?al. France, thou fhalt rue this treafon with thy
tears,
If Talbot but furvive thy treachery.
Pucelle, that witch, that damned forcerefs,
Hath wrought this hellifh mifchief unawares,
That hardly we efcap'd the pride of France. [Exit.
* No way to that, ] That is, no way equal to tbat^ no way
fo fit as that. JOHNSON.
5 That hardly ive efcap'd the pride of France.] Pride fignifies
the haughty power. The fame Speaker fays afterwards, aft IV.
fceue vi :
And from the pride of Gallia refcu'd thee.
One would think this plain enough. But what won't a puzzling
critic obfcure ! Mr. Theobald fays, Pride of France is an abfurd
rize of France
'ARBURTON.
nd unmeaning cxprejjion, and therefore alters it to pri
*nd in this is followed by the Oxford editor. WAR
An
KING HENRY VI.
235
An alarum. : excurfions. Enter Bedford, brought in fick,
In a chair, with Talbot and Burgundy, without.
Within, Joan la Pucelle, Dauphin, Bajlard, and
6 Alenpn, on the walls.
Pucel. Good morrow, gallants ! want ye corn for
bread ?
I think, the duke of Burgundy will faft,
Before he'll buy again at fuch a rate :
'Twas full of darnel ; Do you like the tafle ?
Burg. Scoff on, vile fiend, and ihamelefs courtezan !
I truft, ere long to choak thee with thine own,
And make thee curfe the harvefl of that corn.
Dau. Your grace may ftarve, perhaps, before that
time.
Bed. Oh, let no words, but deeds, revenge this
treafon !
Pucel. What will you do, good grey-beard ? break
a lance,
And run a tilt at death within a chair ?
Tal. Foul fiend of France, and hag of all defpight,
Encompafs'd with thy luflful paramours !
Becomes it thee to taunt his valiant age,
And twit with cowardice a man half dead ?
Damfel, I'll have a bout with you again,
Or elfe let Talbot perifh with this fhame.
Pucel. Are you fo hot, fir ? Yet, Pucelle, hold
thy peace ;
If Talbot do but thunder, rain will follow.
[~Talbot, and the reft, whifper together in council.
God fpeed the parliament ! who lhallbe the fpeaker ?
Tal. Dare ye come forth, and meet us in the field ?
Pucel. Belike, you lordlhip takes us then for fools,
To try if that our own be ours, or no.
6 Alen$on, on the walls. ] Alen^on iir T. Hanmer has
replaced here, inftead of Reignier, becaufe Alen$on, not Reig-
Bier, appears in the enfuing Icenc. JOHNSON,
236 FIRST PART OK
Td. I fpeak not to that railing Hecate,,
Bat unto thee, Alencon, and the reft ;
Will ye, like foldiers, come and fight it out ?
Alen. Signior, no.
TJ/. Signior, hang ! bafe muleteers of France !
Like peafant foot-boys do they keep the walls,
And dare not take up arms like gentlemen.
PuceL Captains, away : let's get us from the walls 3
For Talbot means no goodnefs, by his looks.
God be wi' you, my lord ! we came, fir, but to tell
you
That we are here. [Exeunt from the walls \
Tal And there will we be too, ere it be long,
Or elfe reproach be Talbot's greatefl fame I-
Vow, Burgundy, by honour of thy houfe,
(Prick'd on by public wrongs, fufiain'd in France)
Either to get the town again, or die :
And I, as fure as Englilh Henry lives,
And as his father here was conqueror $
As fure as in this late-betrayed town
Great Coeur-de-lion's heart was buried 3
So fure I fvvear, to get the town, or die.
Burg. My vows are equal partners with thy vows.
TaL 'But, ere we go, regard this dying prince,
The valiant duke of Bedford : Come, my lord s
We will beftow you in fome better place,
Fitter for fickneis, and for crazy age.
Bed. Lord Talbot, do not fo difhonour me \
Here will I fit before the walls of Roan x
And will be partner of your weal, or woe.
L . Burg. Courageous Bedford, letusnowperfuadeyou^
Bed. Not to be gone from hence ; for once I read 7 ,
That
7 once I read,
Thatjiout Pendragon, in bis Utter, &c.]
This hero was Uther Pendragon, brother to Aurelius, and father
to king Arthur.
Shakefpeare, has imputed to Pendragon an exploit of Aurelius,
who, fays Holinfhed, *' even ficke of a flbie as he was, caufed
him-
K I Ii G H E N R Y VI. 237
That flout P'endragon, in his litter, fick,
Came to the field, and vanquifhed his foes :
Methinks, I ihould revive the foldiers' hearts,
Becaufe I ever found them as myfelf.
Tal. Undaunted fpirit in a dying breaft !
Then be it fo : Heavens keep old Bedford fafe I-
And now no more ado, brave Burgundy,
But gather we our forces out of hand,
And fet upon our boafting enemy.
[Exeunt Burgundy, Talbot, and forces.
An alarum : excurfions. Enter Sir John Faftolffe, and a
Captain*
Cap. Whither away, Sir John Faftolffe, in fuch
hafle ?
Fqft. Whither away ? to fave myfelf by flight ;
We are like to have the overthrow again.
Cap. What I will you fly, and leave lord Talbot ?
Fajl. Ay,
All the Talbots in the world, to fave my life. [Exit.
Cap. Cowardly knight ! ill fortune follow thee !
[Exit.
Retreat: excurfions. Pucelle, Alenfon, and Dauphin fy.
Bed. Now, quiet foul, depart when heaven lhall
pleafe ;
himfelfe to be carried forth in a litter : with whofe prefence his
people were fo incouraged, that encountering with the Saxons
they wan the victorie." Hift. of Scotland, p. 99.
Harding, however, in his Chronitle, (as I learn from Dr. Gray)
gives the Following account of Uther Pendragon :
" For which the king ordain'd a horle-litter
" To bear him fo then unto Verolame,
Where Ocea lay, and Oyfa alfo in fear,
" That faint Albonc's now hight of noble fame,
" Bet downe the wailes ; but to him forth they came,
" Where in battayie Ocea and Oyfa were flayn.
*' The fielde he had, and thereof was full fayne."
STEEVENS*
For
238 FIRST PART OF
For I have feen our enemies' overthrow.
What is the truft or ftrength of foolifli man ?
They, that of late were daring with their feoffs,
Are glad and fain by flight to fave themfelves.
[DieS, and is carried of in his chair.
An alarum : Enter Talbot, Burgundy > and the reft.
Tal Loft, and recovered in a day again !
This is a double honour, Burgundy :
Yet, heavens have glory for this victory !
Burg. Warlike and martial Talbot, Burgundy
Enflirines thee in his heart ; and there erects
Thy noble deeds, as valour's monument.
fal. Thanks, gentle duke. But where is Pucelle
now ?
I think, her old familiar is afleep :
Now where's the Baftard's braves, and Charles his
gleeks ?
What, all a-mort ? Roan hangs her head for grief,
That fuch a valiant company are fled.
Now will we take fome order in the town,
Placing therein fome export officers ;
And then depart to Paris, to the king ;
For there young Henry, with his nobles, lies.
Burg. What wills lord Talbot, pleafeth Burgundy.
Tal. But yet, before we go, let's not forget
The noble duke of Bedford, late deceas'd,
But fee his exequies fulfill'd in Roan ;
A braver foldier never couched lance,
A gentler heart did never fway in court :
But kings, and mightieft potentates, muft die ;
For that's the end of human mifery. [Exeunt.
SCENE
K I N G H E N R Y VI. 239
SCENE III.
Ybefame. The plain near tie city.
Enter tie Dauphin^ Bajlard, Alenfon, and Joan a Pucelk*
PuceL Difmay not, princes, at this accident,
Nor grieve that Roan is fo recovered :
Care is no cure, but rather corrofive,
For things that are not to be remedy'd.
Let frantic Talbot triumph for a while,
And like a peacock fweep along his tail ;
We'll pull his plumes, and take away his train,
If Dauphin, and the reft, will be but rul'd.
Dau. We have been guided by thee hitherto,
And of thy cunning had no diffidence ;
One fudden foil fhall never breed diftruft.
Baft. Search out thy wit for fecret policies,
And we will make thee famous through the world.
Alen. We'll fet thy ftatue in fome holy place,
And have thee reverenc'd like a blefled faint ;
Employ thee then, fweet virgin, for our good.
PuceL Then thus it muft be ; this doth Joan devife :
By fair perfuafions, mix'd with fugar'd words,
We will entice the duke of Burgundy
To leave the Talbot, and to follow us.
Dau. Ay, marry, fweeting, if we could do that,
France were no place for Henry's warriors ;
Nor ihould that nation boaft it fo with us,
But be extirped from our provinces 8 .
Aim. For ever Ihould they be expuls'd from France 9 ,
And
8 But le extirped from our provinces.] To extirf is to root
out. So, in Lord Sterline's Darius, 1603:
" The world lhall gather to extirf our name."
STEEVENS.
9 expuls'd from France,] i.e. expelled. So, in Ben Jon -
fon's Scjanus ;
" The
FIRST PART OF
And not have title of an earldom here.
Puce 1. Your honours fhall perceive how I will workj
To bring this matter to the wilted end.
[Drums beats afar of*
Hark ! by the found of drum, you may perceive
Their powers are marching unto Paris-ward.
[Here bedt an EngliJJi march.
There goes the Talbot, with his colours fpread ;
And all the troops of Englifli after him.
[French march.
Now, in the rereward, comes the duke, and his ;
Fortune, in favour, makes him lag behind.
Summon a parley, we will talk with him.
[Trumpets found a parley t
Enter the duke of Burgundy, marching*
Dau. A parley with the duke of Burgundy*
Burg. Who craves a parley with the Burgundy ?
Puce!. The princely Charles of France, thy coun-
tryman*
Burg. What fay'fl thou, Charles ? for I am march-
ing hence.
Dau. Speak, Pucelle ; and enchant him with thy
words.
Pucel. Brave Burgundy, undoubted hope of France !
Stay, let thy humble hand-maid fpeak to thee.
Burg. Speak on ; but be not over-tedious.
Pucel. Look on thy country, look on fertile France,
And fee the cities and the towns defac'd
By walling ruin of the cruel foe !
* As looks the mother on her lowly babe,
When
" The expulfed Apicata finds them there."
Again, in Dray ton's Mufes Elizium :
" And if you expulfe them there,
'* They'll hang upon your braided hair." STEEVENS.
1 As looks the mother on her lowly babe,] It is plain Shakefpeare
wrote, lovely babe, it anfwering to fertile France above, which
this domestic image is brought to illuflrate. WARBURTON.
K I N G H E N R Y VI. 241
When death doth clofe his tender dying eyes,
See, fee, the pining malady of France ;
Behold the wounds, the moft unnatural wounds,
Which thou thyfelf haft given her woful breaft !
Oh, turn thy edged fword another way ;
Strike thofe that hurt, and hurt not thofe that help !
One drop of blood, drawn from thy country's bo-
fom,
Should grieve thee more than ftreams of foreign
gore;
Return thec, therefore, with a flood of tears,
And waih away thy country's flained fpots !
Burg. Either ftie hath bewitch'd me with her words,
Or nature makes me fuddenly relent.
Pucel. Befides, all French and France exclaims on
thee,
Doubting thy birth and lawful progeny.
Whom join'It thou with, but with a lordly nation,
That will not trufl thee, but for profit's fake ?
When Talbot hath fet footing once in France,
And fafhion'd thee that inftrument of ill,
Who then, but English Henry, will be lord,
And thou be thruft out, like a fugitive ?
Call we to mind, and mark but this, for proof;
Was not the duke of Orleans thy foe ?
And was he not in England prifoner ?
But, when they heard he was thine enemy,
They fet him free, without his ranfom paid,
In fpight of Burgundy, and all his friends.
See then ! thou fight'ft againfl thy countrymen,
And join'ft with them will be thy flaughter-men.
Come, come, return ; return, thou wand'ring lord ;
Charles, and the reft, will take thee in their arms.
The alteration is eafy and probable, but perhaps the poet by
lowly babe meant the bale lying low in death. Lowly anfwersas
well to towns defaced and wafting ruin, as lovely to fertile.
JOHNSON.
VOL. VI. R Burg.
242 FIRST PART OF
Burg. I am vanquished ; 1 thefe haughty words of-
hers
Have batter'd me like roaring cannon-fhot,
And made me almofl yield upon my knees.
Forgive me, country, and fweet countrymen !
And, lords, accept this hearty kind embrace :
My forces and my power of men are yours ;
So, farewel, Talbot ; I'll no longer truft thee.
PitccL } Done like a Frenchman ; turn, and turn
again !
Dau. Welcome, brave duke ! thy friendfhip makes'
us frelh.
Baft. And doth beget new courage in our breads.
Alen. Pucelle hatlibravely play'd her part in this,,
And doth deferve a coronet of gold.
Dau. Now let us on, my lords, and join GUI
powers ;
And feck how we may prejudice the foe. [Exeunt)
* tbefe haughty ivorth of hers
Have latter'd me like roaring cannon-foot,]
How thefe lines came hither I know not ; there was nothing in the
fpeech of Joan haughty or violent, it was all foft entreaty and*
mild expoft ulation. JOHNSON.
3 Done like a Frenchman ; turn, and turn again /] This feenta
to be an offering of the poet to his royal miltrefs's refentment,i
tor Henry the Fourth's laft great turn in religion, in the yeap
1593. WAR BURTON.
The inconltancy of the French was always the fubject of fatirwj
I have read a difiertarion written to prove that the index of the
wind upon our free pies was made in form of a cock, to ridicul?
the French for their frequent changes. JOHNSON.
S C E N K
KING HENRY VI. 243
SCENE IV.
Paris. An apartment in the palace.
Eiiter king Henry, Glofter, Vernon, Baftf, &c. To
them Talbot, with Jobbers.
Tal. My gracious prince, and honourablepeers,
Hearing of your arrival in this realm,
I have a while given truce unto my wars,
To do my duty to my fovereign :
In fign whereof, this arm that hath reclaim'd
To your obedience fifty fortrefles,
Twelve cities, and feven walled towns of flrength,
Befidc five hundred prifoners of eftcem,
Lets fall his fw'ord before your high nets' feet ;
And, with fubmiflive loyalty of, heart,
Afcribes the glory of his conquefl got,
Firft to my God, and next unto your grace.
K. Henry. Is this the lord Talbot, uncle Glofter,
That hath fo long been refident in France ?
Glo. Yes, if it pleafe your majefty, my liege.
K. Henry. Welcome, brave captain, and victorious
lord!
When I was young, (as yet I am not old)
I do remember how my father fa id,
A ftouter champion never handled fxvord.
Long fince we were refolved of your truth,
Your faithful fervice, and your toil in war;
^et never have you tafted our reward,
Or been reguerdon'd 4 with fo much as thanks,
Becaufe 'till now we never faw your face :
Therefore, (land up ; and, for thefe good deferts,
4 Or leen reguerdon'd] i, e. rewarded. The word was obfo-
ete even in the tim-e ofShakcfpeare. Chaucer ufes it in \b&Boke
>f Boethius. STEEVENS.
R 2 We
244 FIRST PART OF
We here create you earl of Shrcwfbury ;
And in our coronation take your place.
[Exeunt King, Gb. Tat.
Ver. Now, Sir, to you, that were fo hot at fea,
Difgracing of thefe colours that I wear 5
In honour of my noble lord of York,
Dar'ft thou maintain the former words thou fpak'fl
Baf. Yes, fir ; as well as you dare patronage
The envious barking of your faucy tongue
Againft my lord, the duke of Somerfet.
Ver. Sirrah, thy lord I honour as he is.
Baf. Why, what is he ? as good a man as York.
Ver* Hark ye; not fo : in witnefs, take ye that.
[Strikes him*
Baf. Villain, thou know'fl, the law of arms is fuch
6 That, who fo draws a fword, *tis prefent death ;
Or elfe this blow Ihould broach thy dearefl blood.
But I'll unto his majefty, and crave
I may have liberty to venge this wrong ;
When thou fhalt fee, I'll meet thee to thy coft.
s tbefe colours tbat I wear'} This was the badge of a rofe t
and not an officer's fcarf. So, in Love's Labour's Lojt :
" And wear his colours like a tumbler's hoop."
Acl III. Scene the laft. TOLLET.
'' Tbaff ivhofo draws ajkvordy y tis prefent death i\ Shakefpeare
wrote :
> draws a fword i'th' prefence 't's death ;
*. e. in the court, or in the prefence chamber. WAR BUR TON.
This reading cannot be right, becaufe, as Mr. Edwards ob-
ferved, it cannot be pronounced. It is, however, a good com-
ment, as it fliews the author's meaning. JOHNSON.
I believe the line fliould be written as it is in the folio :
That, who fo Jra^ws a fword
i. t. (as Dr. Warburton has obferved) with a menace in the court^
or in the prefence-chamber. STEEVENS.
Johnfon, in his collection of Ecclcjiajlical JL<7-u'.y,'has preferred
am told that there are many other ancient canons to the fam&
purpofe. Grey, - STEEVENS.
K I N G H E N R Y VI. 245
Per. Well, mifcreant, I'll be there as foon as you;
And, after, meet you fooner than you would.
[Exe nt.
ACT IV. S C E N E I.
Parts. A room of fate.
Enter king Henry, Glofter, Wincloefter, Tork, Suffolk,
Somerfet, Warwick, 'Talbot, Exeter, and Governor of
Paris.
Glo. Lord bifhop, fet the crown upon his head.
Win. God fave king Henry, of that name the fixth !
Glo. Now, governor of Paris, take your oath,
That you elect no other king but him :
Efleem none friends, but fuch as are his friends ;
And none your foes, but 7 fuch as fhall pretend
Malicious practices againft his Hate :
This fhall ye do, fo help you righteous God !
Enter Sir John Fajlolfe.
Faft. My gracious fovereign, as I rode from Calais,
To hafte unto your coronation,
A letter was deliver'd to my hands,
Writ to your grace from the duke of Burgundy*
Tal. Shame to the duke of Burgundy, and thee !
I vow'd, bafe knight, when I did meet thee next,
To tear the garter from thy craven's leg. [plucking it off.
(Which I have done) becaufe unworthily
Though waft inftalled in that high degree..
Pardon me, princely Henry, and the reft :
7 -/we/* a f Jball pretend] To pretend is to dejigri, \nintend.
JOHNSON.
R Q This
246 FIRST PART OF
This daftard, at the battle of Poi&iers 8 ,
When but in all I was fix thoufand ftrong,
And that the French were almoft ten to one,
Before we met, or that a ftroke was given,
Like to a trufty fquire, did run away ;
In which affault we loft twelve hundred men ;
Myfelf, and divers gentlemen befide,
Were there furpriz'd, and taken prisoners.
Then judge, great lords, if I have done amifs ;
Or whether that fuch cowards ought to wear
This ornament of knighthood, yea, or no.
Glo. To fay the truth, this fad was infamous,
And ill befeeming any common man ;
Much more a knight, a captain, and a leader.
Tal. When firft this order was ordain'd, my lords,
Knights of the garter were of noble birth ;
Valiant, and virtuous, full of 9 haughty courage,
Such as were grown to credit by the wars ;
Not fearing death, nor fhrinking for diftrefs,
But always refolute in moft extremes.
He then, that is not furniih'd in this fort,
Doth but ufurp the facred name of knight,
Profaning this moft honourable order ;
And fhould (if 1 were worthy to be judge)
8 at tie battle of Poictiers.] The battle of Poicliers was
fought in the year 1357^ the 31 ft of king Edward III. and the
fcene now lies in the ;th year of the reign of king Henry VI
viz. 1428. This blunder may be juftly imputed to the players
or tranfcribers ; nor can we very well juitiiy ourfelves for
permitting it to continue fo long, as it was too glaring to have
efcaped an attentive reader. The acYion of which Shakefpeare is
noxv fpeakina:, happened (according to Holinfhed) " neere unto
a village in Beaufle called PataieJ' which we fhould read, inileac
of Poi fliers. " P'rom this battell departed without anie itroke
ftrikcn, Sir John Fa/iolfe, the lame yeere by his valiantneffe
elected into the order of the garter. But for doubt of mifdealinj
at this brunt, the duke of Bedford tooke from him the image o
St. George and his garter, &c." Holinfhed, Vol. II. p. 601.
STEEVEVS.
9 haughty c ouragc , ] Haughty is here in its original lenfe
for bigk. JOHN s ON,
Be
KING HENRY VI. 247
Be quite degraded, like a hedge-born fwain
That doth prefumc to boaft of gentle blood.
K. Henry. Stain to thy countrymen,! thou hear'ft
thy doom :
Be packing therefore, thou that waft a knight ;
Henceforth we banifh thce, on pain of death.
[Exit Fajlolfe.
And now, my lord protector, view the letter
Sent from our uncle duke of Burgundy.
Qlo. What means his grace, that he hath chang'd
his ftile ?
No more but, plain and bluntly, 'To the king ?
[Reading.
Hath he forgot, he is his fovereign ?
Or doth this churlifh fuperfcription
Pretend fome alteration in good will ' ?
What's here ? I have, upon efpedal caufe, [Reads.
Mov'd with compajjion of my country's wreck,
Together with the pitiful complaints
Of fuch as your opprejjion feeds upon,
Forfakcn your pernicious faction,
And join* d with Charles, the rightful king of France.
O monflrous treachery ! Can this be fo ;
That in alliance, amity, and oaths,
There fliould be found fuch falfe diflembling guile ?
K. Henry. What ! doth my uncle Burgundy revolt?
Glo. He doth, my lord ; and is become your foe.
K. Henry. Is that the worft, this letter doth contain ?
Glo. It is the worft, and all, my lord, he writes.
K. Henry. Why then, lord Talbot there fhall talk
with him,
And give him chaftifement for this abufe :
My lord, how fay you ? are you not content ?
Tal. Content, my liege ? Yes; but that I am pre-
vented,
In %ood will?] Thus the old copy. To
pretend feems to be here ufed in its Latin fenfe, i.e. to hold cut,
toflrctcbfcr-vard. Modern editors read portend, STEEVENS.
R 4 I fhould
248 FIRST PART OF
I fhould have begg'd I might have been employ'd.
K. Henry. Then gather flrength, and march unto
him ftraight :
Let him perceive, how ill we brook his treafon ;
And what offence it is, to flout his friends.
I'al. I go, my lord ; in heart defiring flill,
You may behold confuiion of your foes. [v// Tul.
Enter Vernon, and BaJJet.
Ver. Grant me the combat, gracious fovereign !
Baf. And me, my lord, grant me the combat too !
York. This is my iervant ; Hear him, noble prince !
Som. And this is mine ; Sweet Henry, favour him !
K. Henry. Be patient, lords, and give them leave
to fpeak.
Say, gentlemen, What makes you thus exclaim ?
And wherefore crave you combat ? or with whom ?
Ver. With him, my lord ; for he hath done me
wrong.
Baf. And I with him ; for he hath done me wrong.
K. Henry. W T hat is that wrong whereof you both
complain ?
Firft let me know, and then I'll anfwer you.
Baf. Croffing the fea from England into France,
This fellow here, with envious carping tongue,
Upbraided me about the rofe I wear ;
Saying the fanguine colour of the leaves
Did reprefent my mailer's bluihing cheeks,
When flubbornly he did repugn the truth %
About a certain qucftion in the law,
Argu'd betwixt the duke of York and him ;
With other vile and ignominious terms :
In confutation of which rude reproach,
And in defence of my lord's worthinefs,
I crave the benefit of law of arms.
* -did repugn tbe truth,"] To repugn is to refift.
word is ufed by Chaucer, STEEVENS,
Tbe
r<er.
K I N G H E N R Y VI. 249
Vcr. And that is my petition, noble lord :
For though he feem, with forged quaint conceit,
To fet a glofs upon his bold intent,
Yet know, my lord, I was provok'd by him ;
And he firft took exceptions, at this badge,
Pronouncing that the palenefs of this flower
Bewray'd the faintnefs of my mailer's heart.
York. Will not this malice, Somerfet, be left ?
Som. Your private grudge, my lord of York, will
out,
Though ne'er fo cunningly you fmother it.
K. Henry. Good Lord ! what madnefs rules in
brain-lick men ;
When, for fo flight and frivolous a caufe,
Such factious emulations fliall arife !
Good coufins both, of York and Somerfet,
Quiet yourfelves, I pray, and be at peace.
Tork. Let this diflention firft be try'd by fight,
And then your highncfslhall command a peace.
Som. The quarrel toucheth none but us alone ;
Betwixt ourfelves let us decide it then.
Tork. There is my pledge ; accept it, Somerfet.
Ver. Nay, let it reft where it began at firft.
Baf. Confirm it fo, mine honourable lord.
Glo. Confirm it fo ? Confounded be your ftrife !
And perifli ye, with your audacious prate !
Prefumptuous vaflals ! are you not afham'd,
With this immodeft clamorous outrage
To trouble and difturb the king and us ? -
And you, my lords, methinks, you do not well,
To bear with their perverfe objections ;
Much lefs, to take occafion from their mouths
To raife a mutiny betwixt yourfelves ;
Let me perfuade you take a better courfe.
Exe. It grieves his highnefs ; Good my lords, be
friends.
K. Henry. Come hither, you that would be com-
batants :
Hence-
250 F I R S T P A R T O F
Henceforth, I charge you, as you love our favour,
Quite to forget this quarrel, and the caufc.
And you, my lords, remember where we are ;
In France, amongft a fickle wavering nation :
If they perceive diifention in our looks,
And that within ourfelves we difagree,
How will their grudging ftomachs be provok'd
To wilful difobedience, and rebel ?
Betide, What infamy will there arife,
When foreign princes fnall be certify'd,
That, for a toy, a thing of no regard,
King Henry's peers, and chief nobility,
Peftroy'd themfelves, and loft the realm of France ?
O, think upon the conquest of my father,
My tender years ; and let us not forego
That for a trifle, which was bought with blood !
Let me be umpire in this doubtful flrife.
I fee no reafon, if I wear this rofe,
[Putting on a red rofe.
That any one fliould therefore be fulpicious
I more incline to Sornerfet, than York :
Both are my kinfmen, and I love them both :
As well they may upbraid me with my crown,
Becaufe, forfooth, the king of Scots is crown'd.
But your difcretions better can perfuade,
Than I am able to inftruct or teach :
And therefore, as we hither came in peace,
So let us flill continue peace and love.
Coufm of York, we inflitute your grace
To be our regent in thefe parts of France :
And good my lord of Somerfet, unite
Your troops of horfemen with his bands of foot ; -
And, like true fubjecls, fons of your progenitors,
Go cheerfully together, and digefl
Your angry choler on your enemies.
Ourfelf, my lord protestor, and the reft,
After fome refpite, will return to Calais ;
Trom thence to England ; where I hope ere lone;
^
KING HENRY VI. 251
To be prefented, by your victories,
With Charles, Alencon, and that traitorous rout.
\Ylourijh. Exeunt.
Manent Fork, Warwick, Exeter, and Vernon.
War. My lord of York, I promife you, the king
Prettily, methought, did play the orator.
Tork. And fo he did ; but yet I like it not,
In that he wears the badge of Somerfet.
War. Tufh ! that was but his fancy, blame him not;
I dare prefume, fweet prince, he thought no harm.
York. 3 And, if I wift, he did, But let it reft ;
Other affairs muft now be managed. [Exeunt.
Manet Exeter.
Exe. Well didft thou, Richard, to fupprefs thy
voice :
For, had the paffions of thy heart burfl out,
I fear, we fhould have feen decypher'd there
More rancorous fpight, more furious raging broils,
Than yet can be imagin'd or fuppos'd.
But howfoe'er, no fimple man that fees
This jarring difcord of nobility,
This ihould'ring of each other in the court,
This factious bandying of their favourites,
3 In the former editions,
And if I wilh be did ] By the pointing reform*d, and a
fingle letter expung'd, I have reftor'd the text to its purity. And,
if I iu", be did Warwick had faid, the king meant no harm in
wearing Somerfet's rofe : York teftily replies, " Nay, if I know
any thing, he did think harm." THEOBALD.
This is followed by the fucceeding editors, and is indeed plau-
fible enough ; but perhaps this fpeech may become fufliciently in-
telligible without any change, only fuppofing it broken.
And if I wijb he did.
or, perhaps :
And if be did, I wijb Jo H N S O N .
I read, I ivijl. The pret. of the old obfolete verb I *v/;,
which is ufed by Shakefpeare in The Merchant of Venice;
" There be fools alive, I w/V,
** Silver'd o'er, and fo was this." STEEVENS.
But
e52 - FIRST PART OF
But that he doth prefage fome ill event.
'Tis much, when fcepters are in children's hands ;
But r^ore, when envy breeds unkind divifion ;
There comes the ruin, there begins confuiion. [Exit.
SCENE II.
Before the walls of Bourdeaux.
Enter Talbof, with trumpets and drum.
TaL Go to the gates of Bourdeaux, trumpeter,
Summon their general unto the wall. [Sounds.
Enter General aloft.
Engliih John Talbot, captains, calls you forth,
Servant in arms to Harry king of England ;
And thus he would, Open your city gates,
Be humbled to us ; call my fovereign yours,
And do him homage as obedient fubjedts,
And I'll withdraw me and my bloody power :
But, if you frown upon this proffer'd peace,
You tempt the fury of my three attendants,
Lean famine, quartering fteel, and climbing fire ;
Who, in a moment, even with the earth
Shall lay your {lately and air-braving towers,
If you forfake 4 the offer of their love.
Gen. Thou ominous and fearful owl of death,
Our nation's terror, and their bloody fcourge !
The period of thy tyranny approacheth.
On us thou canft not enter, but by death :
For, I proteft, we are well fortify'd,
And flrong enough to iflue out and fight :
If thou retire, the Dauphin, well appointed,
Stands with the fnares of war to tangle thee :
On either hand thee there are fquadrons pitch'd,
4 fair love.] The old editions read : the offer of their love.
Sir T. Haamer altered it to our. JOHN^'OX.
To
K I N G H E N R Y VI.
To wall thee from the liberty of flight ;
And no way canft thou turn thee for redrefs,
,But death doth front thee with apparent fpoil.
And pale deftrudtion meets thee in the face.
Ten thoufand French have ta'eq the facrament,
5 To rive their dangerous artillery
Upon no chriilian foul but Engliih Talbot.
Lo ! there thou fland'ft, a breathing valiant man,
Of an invincible unconquer'd fpirit :
This is the lateft glory of thy praife,
That I, thy enemy, 6 due thee withal ;
For ere the glafs, that now begins to run,
Finifli the procefs of his fandy hour,
Thefe eyes, that fee thee now well coloured,
Shall fee thee wither'd, bloody, pale, and dead.
[T>rum afar off.
Hark ! hark ! the Dauphin's drum, a warning bell,
Sings heavy mufic to thy timorous foul ;
And mine lhall ring thy dire departure out.
[Exit from the walls.
5 To rive their dangerous artillery] I do not underftand the
phrafe to rive artillery, perhaps it might be to drive ; we fay to
drive a blow, and to drive at a man, when we mean to exprefs
furious aflault. JOHNSON.
To rive feems to be ufed with Come deviation from its common
meaning in Antony and Cleopatra, act iv. fc. ii :
** The foul and body rive not more at parting."
STEEVEXS.
Rive their artillery feems to mean charge their artillery fo much,
as to endanger their burfting. So, in Troilus and Crejfida, Ajax
bids the trumpeter blow fo loud, as to crack his lungs and jpiit
his brazen pipe. TOLLET.
6 due thee withal \\ To due is to endue ^ to deck, to grace.
JOHNSON.
The old copy reads, -dew tbee vjitbal ; and perhaps rightly. The
/kv of praife is an expreffion I have met with in other poets ;
Shakefpeare ufes the fame verb in Macbeth :
" To de-M the fovereign flow'r, and drown the weeds.'*
Again, in the fecond part of King Henry VI :
" give me thy hand,
14 That I may dew it with my mournful tears."
STEEVENS.
FIRST PART OF
Tal. 7 He fables not, I hear the enemy ;
Out, fome light horfemen, and perufe their wings.
O, negligent and heedlefs difcipline !
How are we park'd, and bounded in a pale ;
A little herd of England's timorous deer,
Maz'd with a yelping kennel of French curs !
If we be Englilh deer, 8 be then in blood :
9 Not raical-like, to fall down with a pinch ;
But rather moody-mad, and defperate flags,
Turn on the bloody hounds ' with heads of fleel,
And make the cowards fland aloof at bay :
Sell every man his life as dear as mine,
And they ihall find dear deer of *us, my friends.
God, and faint George ! Talbot, and England's right !
Profper our colours in this dangerous fight ! [Exeunt.
SCENE III.
Another part of France.
Enter a Mfffenger, meeting Tork^ who enters with a
trumpet, and many foldiers.
Tork. Arc not the fpeedy fcouts return'd again,
That dogg'd the mighty army of the Dauphin ?
7 He fables nof, ] This expreffion Milton has borrowed in
his Mafque at Ludlow Caflle :
" She fables not, I feel that I do fear."
It occurs again in the Pinner of Wakefield, \ 599 :
" good father fable not with him." STEETENS.
8 be then in blood ; ] Be in high fpirits, be of true mettle,
JOHNSON.
9 Not rafcal-like, ] A rafcal deer is the term of chafe for lean
poor deer. JOHNSON.
* with beads of Jleel,] Continuing the image of the Jeer t
he fuppofes the lances to be their horns. JOHNSON.
* dear deer of us,'] The fame quibble occurs in Kinr
Henry IV. Part I :
" Death hath not {truck fo fat a deer to-day,
** Though many a dearer , &c." STEEVENS
Mef
K I N G H E N R Y VI. 255
Meffl They are return'd, my lord ; and give it out,
That he is march'd to Bourdeaux with his power,
To fight with Talbot : As he march'd along,
By your efpials were difcovcred
Two mightier troops than that the Dauphin led ;
Which join'd with him, and made their march for
Bourdeaux.
Tork. A plague upon that villain Somerfet ;
That thus delays my promifed fupply
Of horfemen, that were levied for this fiege !
Renowned Talbot doth expect my aid ;
1 And I am lowted by a traitor villain,
And cannot help the noble chevalier :
God comfort him in this neceffity !
If he mifcarry, farewel wars in France.
Enter Sir JVdtiam Lucy.
Lucy. Thou princely leader of our Englilh flrength,
Never fo needfu'. on the earth of France,
Spur to the refcue of the noble Talbot ;
Who now is girdled with a waift of iron,
And hemm'd about with grim deflruction :
To Bourdeaux, warlike duke ! to Bourdeaux, York!
Elfe, farewel Talbot, France, and England's honour.
Tork. O God ! that Somerfet who in proud heart
Doth flop my cornets were in Talbot's place !
So ihould we fave a valiant gentleman,
By forfeiting a traitor, and a coward.
Mad ire, and wrathful fury, makes me weep,
That thus we die, while remifs traitors fleep.
3 And am I lovjtedt} To lowt may fignify to dtprefs, to
wers to dijbonour ; but I do not remember it fo ufed. We may
read, And I am flouted. / am mocktd^ and treated with con-
tempt. JOHNSON.
To lout) in Chaucer, fignifies lofubmit. To fubmit is to let
down. So, Dryden :
" Sometimes the \i\\\fubmits itfelf a while
" la fmall defcents, &c." STEEVENS.
Lucy.
256 FIRST PART OF
Lucy. O, fend fome fuccour to the diftrefs'd lord !
Tork, He dies, we lofe ; I break my warlike word :
We mourn, France fmiles ; we lofe, they daily get ;
All 'long of this vile traitor Somerfet.
Lucy. Then, God take mercy on brave Talbot's
foul!
And on his fon young John ; whom, two hours fincc,
I met in travel towards his warlike father !
This feven years did not Talbot fee his fon ;
And now they meet where both their lives are done.
York. Alas ! what joy lhall noble Talbot have,
To bid his young fon welcome to his grave ?
Away ! vexation almoft flops my breath,
That funder'd friends greet in the hour of death.
Lucy, farewel : no more my fortune can,
But curfe the caufe I cannot aid the man.
Maine, Bloys, Poictiers, and Tours, are won away,
'Long all of Somerfet, and his delay.
Lucy. Thus, while 4 the vulture of fedition
Feeds in the bofom of fuch great commanders,
Sleeping negledtion doth betray to lofs
The conqucft of our fcarce-cold conqueror,
That ever-living man of memory,
Henry the fifth : Whiles they each other crofs,
Lives, honours, lands, and all, hurry to lofs. [Exit*
SCENE IV.
Another part of France.
Enter Somerfet, with his army.
Som. It is too late ; I cannot fend them now :
This expedition was by York, and Talbot,
Too rafhly plotted ; all our general force
4 the vulture } Alluding to the tale of Prometheus.
JOHNSON.
Might
KING HJE N R Y VI. 25?
Might with a Tally of the very town
Be buckled with : the over-daring Talbot
Hath fullied all his glofs of former honour
By this unheedful, defperate, wild adventure :
York fet him on to fight, and die in fhame.
That, Talbot dead, great York might bear the name;
Capt. Here is fir William Lucy, who with me
Set from our o'er-match'd forces forth for aid.
Enter Sir William Lucy.
Som. How now, fir William ? whither were you
fent ?
Lucy* Whither, my lord ? from bought and fold
lord Talbot ;
Who, * ring'd about with bold adverfity,
Cries out for noble York and Somerfet,
To beat afTailing death from his weak legions.
And whiles the honourable captain there
Drops bloody fweat from his war-wearied limbs,
And, 6 in advantage ling'ring, looks for refcue,
You, his falfe hopes, the truft of England's honour,
Keep off aloof with 7 worthlefs emulation.
Let not your private difcord keep away
The levied fuccours that fliould lend him aid,
While he, renowned noble gentleman,
Yields up his life unto a world of odds :
Orleans the Baftard, Charles, and Burgundy,
Alencon, Reignier, compafs him about,
And Talbot periflieth by your default.
Som. York fet him on, York ihould have fent
him aid.
Lucy. And York as faft upon your grace exclaims ;
5 ring d about ] Environed, encircled. JOHNSON.
* in advantage lingering, ] Protracting his relillance by the
advantage of a ftrong poft. JOHNSON.
7 worthlefs emulation.} In this line emulation fignifies merely
rivalry^, not ftruggle for iuperior excellence. JOHNSON.
..VOL. VL S Swear-
258 FIRST PART OF
Swearing, that you withhold his levied hofl,
Collected for this expedition.
Som. York lies ; he might have fent, and had the v
horfe :
I owe him little duty, and lefs love ;
And take foul fcorn, to fawn on him by fending.
Lucy* The fraud of England, not the force of
France,
Hath now entrapt the noble-minded Talbot :
Never to England fliall he bear his life ;
But dies, betray'd to fortune by your flrife.
Som. Come, go ; I will difpatch the horfemen flraight :
Within fix hours they will be at his aid.
Lucy. Too late comes refcue; he ista'en, or flam:
For fly he could not, if he would have fled ;
And fly would Talbot never, though he might.
Som. If he be dead, brave Talbot then adieu !
Lucy. His fame lives in the world, his fliame in
you. [Exeunt.
SCENE V.
A field of battle near Eourdeaux.
Enter Talbot, and his fin.
Tal. O young John Talbot ! I did fend for thee
To tutor thee in ftratagems of war ;
That Talbot's name might be in thee reviv'd,
When faplefs age, and weak unable limbs,
Should bring thy father to his drooping chair.
But, O malignant and ill-boding flars !
Now art thou come unto 8 a feaft of death,
A terrible and unavoided danger :
Therefore, dear boy, mount on my fwifteft horfe ;
And I'll dirett thee how thou flialt eicape
* afcafl of <///6,] To a field where death will
with [laughter. JOIINSO.V,
B
K I N G H E N R Y VI. 259
By fudden flight : come, dally not, begone.
John. Is my name Talbot ? and am I your fon ?
And lhall I fly ? O ! if you iove my mother,
Dilhonour not her honourable name,
To make a baflard, and a Have of me :
The world will lay He is not Talbot's blood,
That bafely fled, when 9 noble Talbot Hood.
Tal. Fly, to revenge my death, if I be ilain.
John. He, that flies fo, will ne'er return again.
y<s/. If we both flay, we both are fure to die.
John. Then, let me ftay ; and, father, do you fly :
Your lofs is great, fo ' your regard Ihould be ;
My worth unknown, no lofs is known in me.
Upon my death the French can little boaft ;
In yours they will, in you all hopes are loft.
Flight cannot ftain the honour you have won ;
But mine it will, that no exploit have done :
You fled for vantage, every one will fwear ;
But, if I bow, they'll fay it was for fear.
There is no hope that ever I will ftay,
If, the firft hour, I Ihrink, and run away.
Here, on my knee, I beg mortality,
Rather than life preferv'd with infamy.
3al. Shall all thy mother's hopes lie in one tomb ?
John* Ay, rather than I'll fhame my mother's
womb.
fal. Upon my blefling I command thee go.
John. To fight I will, but not to fly the foe.
Tal. Part of thy father may be fav'd in thee.
John. No part of him, but will be fhaine in me.
al. Thou never hadft renown, nor canil not lofe it.
9 nolle T allot flood.] For what reafon this fcene is written in
rhyme I cannot guefs. If Shakeipeare had not in other plays
mingled his rhymes and blank veries in the fame manner, I
fhould have fufpeded that this dialogue had been a part of Ibme
other poem which was never fiuiflied, and tuat being loath to rhroW
his labour away, he inferted it here. \ JOHXSO.V.
* your regard } Your care of your own iafety. JOHNSON.
S Z John.
*6o FIRST PART OF
John. Yes, your renowned name ; Shall flight"
abufe it ?
fal. Thy father's charge {hall clear thee from that
Rain,
John. You cannot witnefs for me, being (lain.
If death be fo apparent, then both fly.
Tal. And leave my followers here, to fight, and die ?
My age was never tainted wirh fuch fhame.
John. And fhall my youth be guilty of fuch blame ?
No more can I be fever'd from your fide,
"Than can yourfelf yourfelf in twain divide :
Stay, go, do what you will, the like do I ;
For live I will not, if my father die.
Tal. Then here I take my leave of thee, fair fon,
Born to eclipfe thy life this afternoon.
Come, fide by fide together live and die ;
And foul with foul from France to heaven fly.
\Exettnti
SCENE VI.
Alarum: excurfwns, wherein Talbsts fon is kemm 'd about,
and Talbot refcues him.
7'al. Saint George, and vidory! fight, foldiers, fight:
The regent hath with Talbot broke his word,
And left us to the rage of France's fword.
Where is John Talbot ? paufe, and take thy breath;
I gave thee life, and refcu'd thee from death.
Join. O twice my father ! twice am I thy fon :
The life, thou gav'ft me firft, was loft and done ;
'Till with thy warlike fword, defpight of fate,
To my determin'd time thou gav'ft new date.
Tal. When from the Dauphin's creft thy fword
ftruck fire,
It warm'd thy father's heart with proud defire
Of bold-fac'd victory. Then leaden age,
Quicken'd with youthful fpleen, and warlike rage,
Beat
KING HENRY VI. 26*
Beat down Alencon, Orleans, Burgundy,
And frorti the pride of Gallia refcu'd thee.
The ireful baflard Orleans that drew blood
From thee, my boy; and had the maidenhood
Of thy firfl fight I foon encountered ;
And, interchanging blows, I quickly Ihed
Some of his baflard blood ; and, in difgrace,
Befpoke him thus : Contaminated, bafe,
And mif-begotten blood I fpill of thine.
Mean and right poor ; for that pure blood of mine,
Which thou didjl force from 'Talbot, my brave boy :
Here, purposing the Baflard to. deflroy,
Came in flrong refcue. Speak, thy father's care ;
Art not thou weary, John ? How doft thou fare ?
Wilt thou yet leave the battle, boy, and fly,
Now thou art feal'd the fon of chivalry ?
Fly, to revenge my death, when I am dead ;
The help of one Hands me in little flead.
Oh, too much folly is it, well I wof,
To hazard all our lives in one fmall boat.
If I to-day die not with Frenchmen's rage,
To-morrow I fhall die with mickle age :
By me they nothing gain, an if I flay,
'Tis but the fhortning of my life one day :
In thee thy mother dies, our houfhold's name,
My death's revenge, thy youth, and England's fame :
All thefe, and more, we hazard by thy flay;
All thefe are fav'd, if thou wilt fly away.
John. The fword of Orleans hath not made me
(mart,
Thefe words of yours draw life-blood from my heart :
* Oh what advantage, bought with fuch a lhame,
To
* On tbat advantage, bought luitbfucb ajhame,
To faise a paltry life, andjlay Irigbt fame /]
This paflage feems to lie obfcure and disjointed. Neither the
grammar is to be juftified ; nor is the fentiment better. I have
ventur'd ;tt a flight alteration, which departs ib little from the read-
ing which hae obtain'd, but fo much raifes the fenfe, as well a
S 3 take*
a6z FIRST PART OF
To fave a paltry life, and flay bright fame !
Before young Talbot from old Talbot fly,
The coward horfe, that bears me, fall and die I
* And like me to the peafant boys of France ;
To be fliame's fcorn, and fubjedt of milchance !
Surely, by all the glory you have won,
An if I fly, I am not Talbot's fon :
Then talk no more of flight, it is no boot ;
If fon to Talbot, die at Talbot's foot.
TaL Then follow thou thy defperate fire of Crete,
Thou Icarus ; thy iite to me is fweet :
If thou wilt fight, fight by thy father's fide ;
And, commendable prov'd, let's die in pride. [Exeunt.
SCENE VII.
Alarum : excurfions. Enter old Talbot, led ly the French*
J'al. Where is my other life ? mine own is
gone ;
O, where's young Talbot ? where is valiant John ? -
* Triumphant death, fmear'd with captivity !
Young Talbot's valour makes me fmile at thee :
When he perceiv'd me ihrink, and on my knee,
takes away the obfcurity, that I am willing to think it reftore*
the author's meaning :
Out on that vantage. THEOBALD.
Sir T. Hanmer rends, O what advantage, which I have fol-
lowed, though Mr. Theobald's conje&ure may be well enough
admitted. JOHNSON.
3 And like me to the peafant loys of France ; ] To like one to the
pea/ants is, to compare, to level ly comparifon ; the line is there-
lore intelligible enough by itfelr, but in this fenfe it wants con-
nection. Sir T. Hanmer reads, J}nd leave me, which makes a
clear fenfe and juft conlequence. But as change is not to be al-
lowed without necerlity, I have fuffered like to fland, becaufe I
fuppofe the author meant the fame as make like, or reduce to a le-
vel with. JOHNSON.
4 Triumphant death, fmear'd ivilb captivity /] That is, death
ftained and dishonoured with captivity. JOK.VSON.
His
K I N G H E N R Y VI. 2 6j
His bloody fword he brand ifh'd over me,
And, like a hungry lion, did commence
Rough deeds of rage, and ftern impatience :
But when my angry guardant ftood alone,
J Tend'ring my ruin, and afiail'd of none,
Dizzy-ey'd fury, and great rage of heart,
Suddenly made him from my fide to flart
Into the clufl'ring battle of the French :
And in that fea of blood my boy did drench
His over-mounting fpirit ; and there dy'd
My Icarus, my bloffom, in his pride.
Enter John Talbot, borne.
Serv. O my dear lord ! lo, where your fon is borne !
Tal. 6 Thou antic death, which laugh'ftus here to
fcorn,
Anon, from thy infulting tyranny,
Coupled in bonds of perpetuity,
Two Talbots, 7 winged through the lither fky,
In
5 Tendering my ruin,-'} Watching me with tendernefs in my
fall. JOHNSON.
J would rather read, Tending my ruin, &c. TYRWHITT.
I adhere to the old reading. So, in Hamlet, Polonius fays to
Ophelia :
'* Tender yourfelf more dearly." STEEVENS.
6 Thou antic death, ] The foot, or antic of the play, made
fport by mocking the graver perfonages. JOHNSON.
7 winged through the litherjflj,] Lither is flexible or yield-
ing. In much the fame fenfe Milton fays :
*' He with broad fails ,
" Winnow'd the luxom air."
That is, the obfequious air. JOHNSON.
Lither is the comparative of the adjeclive lithe.
So, in Lylly's Endymion, i 591 :
" to breed numbnefs or litherntfs?*
Lithernffi is limber nefs or yielding ivcaknefs.
Again, in Look about Ton, 1600 :
" I'll bring his lither legs in better frame."
Milton might have borrow'd the exprefiion from Spenfer, or Gower,
who ufes it in the Prologue to his Confejjio An:antis :
84 That
FIRST PAR TOP
In thy defpight, fhall 'fcape mortality.
O thou whofe wounds become hard-favour'd death,
Speak to thy father, ere thou yield thy breath :
Brave death by fpeaking, whether he will, or no ;
Imagine him a Frenchman, and thy foe.
Poor boy ! he fmiles, methinks ; as who fhould fay-
Had death been French, then death had died to-
day.
Come, come, and lay him in his father's arms ;
My fpirit can no longer bear thefe harms.
Soldiers, adieu ! I have what I would have,
Now my old arms are young John Talbot's grave.
[Dies.
ACTV. SCENE I.
Continues near Bourdeaux.
Enter Charley Akn$on, Burgundy, Bqftard and Joan
la Pucelle.
Char* Had York and Somerfet brought refcue in,
'We ihould have found a bloody day of this.
Baft. How the young 8 whelp of Talbot's, raging-
wood,
Did
*' That unto him vvhiche the head is,
** The membres buxom lhall bowe."
In the old fervice of matrimony, the wife was enjoined to be
luxom both at bed and board. Buxom therefore anciently fig
nified obedient or yielding. Stubbs, in his Anatomic of Abufes^
1595, ufes the word in the fame fen fe : *' - are fo buxome to
their fhamelefs defires, &c." STEEVENS.
- .whelp of Talbofs, raging brood,] Thus the modern edi-
I have reftored the old reading. Raging-wood fignifies
raging mad.
So, Hey
Heywood in his Dialognes containing a number of effectual
" and
KING HENRY VI.
Did flelh his puny fword 9 in Frenchmen's blood !
Pucel. Once I encountered him, and thus I faid,
bou maiden youth) be vanquiJVd by a maid :
But with a proud, majeftical, high fcorn
He anfwer'd thus ; Toung T^albot was not born
2"0 be the pillage ' of a giglot wench :
So, rufhing in the bowels of the French ",
He left me proudly, as unworthy fight.
Bur. Doubtlefs, he would have made a noble knight;
See, where he lies inherfed in the arms
Of the moft bloody nurfer of his harms.
Baft. Hew them to pieces, hack their bones afun-
der;
Whofe life was England's glory, Gallia's wonder.
Char. Oh, no ; forbear : for that which we have fled
During the life, let us not wrong it dead.
" and God wot
** He is wWat a word, little pott foone hot."
again : ,
as good
" As {he gave him. She was, as they fay, horn-wood."
Again, in The longer tbou livejl the more Fool tbou art t 1570 :
" He will fight as he were wood."
Again, in the Myftery of Candlemas-Day, 1512:
" Like as a vjodman he gan to tray." STEEVENS.
9 in Frenchmen's blood!] The return of rhyme where young
Talbot is again mentioned, and in no other place, frrengthens
the fufpicion that thefe verfes were originally part of fome other
work, and were copied here only to fave the trouble of com-
pofing new. JOHNSON.
1 of a giglot <u)encb.~\ Giglot is a want on , or zjlrumpet*
JOHNSON.
The word is ufed by Gafcoigne and other authors, though
now quite obfolete.
So, in the play of Orlando Furiofo, \ 599 :
" Whofe choice is like that Greekifh gigtofs love,
" That left her lord, prince Menelaus. STEEVENS.
* in the bowels of the French^ So, in the firfl part of Je*
fonimo, .1605 :
" Meet, Don Andrea ! yes, in the tank's Itfiue h. n
STEEVEMS.
Enter
266 FIRST PART OF
Enter Sir William Luty.
Lucy. 3 Herald, conduct me to the Dauphin's tent ;
to know
Who hath obtain'd the glory of the day.
Char. On what fubmiffive meffage art thou fent ?
Lucy. Submiffion, Dauphin ? 'tis a meer French
word ;
We Englifh warriors wot not what it means.
I come to know what prifoners thou haft ta'en,
And to furvey the bodies of the dead.
Char. For prifoners afk'ft thou ? hell our prifon is*
But tell me whom thou feek'ft.
Lticy. Where is the great Alcides of the field,
Valiant lord Talbot, earl of Shrewfbury ?
Created, for his rare fuccefs in arms,
Great earl of Wafhford, Waterford, and Valence ;
Lord Talbot of Goodrig and Urchinfield,
Lord Strange of Blackmere, lord Verdun of Alton,
Lord Cromwell of Wingfield, lord Furnival of Shef-
field,
The thrice victorious lord of Falconbridgc ;
Knight of the noble order of faint George,
Worthy faint Michael, and the golden fleece ;
Great marelhal to Henry the fixth,
Of all his wars within the realm of France ?
Pucel Here is a filly ftately flile, indeed !
The Turk *, that two and fifty kingdoms hath,
Writes not fo tedious a flile as this.
3 Condufl me to the Dauphin 3 tent, to know
Who bath obtain'd ]
Lucy's meflage implied that he knew who had obtained the vic-
tory : therefore fir T. Hanmer reads :
Herald, conduit me to the Dauphin's tent. JOHNSON.
* The Turk, &c.] Alluding probably to the oftentatious letter
of Sultan Solyman the Magnificent, to the emperor Ferdinand,
1562; in which all the Grand Senior's titles are enumerated.
See Knolles's Hifti of the Turks, 5th edit. p. 789. GRAY.
Him,
K I N G H E N R Y VL 267
Him, that thou magnify'ft with all thefe titles,
Stinking, and fly-blown, lies here at our feet.
Lucy. Is Talbot Ham ; the Frenchmen's only
fcourge,
Your kingdom's terror and black Nemefis ?
Oh, were mine eye-balls into bullets turn'd,
That I, in rage, might fhoot them at your faces !
Oh, that I could but call thefe dead to life !
It were enough to fright the realm of France :
Were but his picture left among you here,
It would amaze the proudeft of you all.
Give me their bodies ; that I may bear them hence,
And give them burial as befeems their worth.
Pv.cel. I think, this upftart is old Talbot's ghoft,
He fpeaks with fuch a proud commanding fpirit.
For God's fake, let him have 'em ; to keep them here,
They would but flink, and putrefy the air.
Char, Go, take their bodies hence.
Lucy. I'll bear
Them hence : but from their aflies fliall be rear'd
A phoenix, that fhall make all France afeard.
Char. So we be rid of them, do with him what thou
wilt.
And now to Paris, in this conquering vein ;
All will be ours, now bloody Talbot's flain. [Exeunt*
SCENE II.
England.
Enter King Henry, Glofter, and Exeter.
K. Henry. Have you perus'd the letters from the
pope,
The emperor, and the earl of Armagnac ?
Glo. i have, my lord ; and their intent is this,
They humbly fue unto your excellence,
To have a godly peace concluded of,
Between the realms of England and of France:
K. Henry.
$6S FIRST PART OF
K. Henry. How doth your grace afFect their motion ?
G&. Well, my good lord ; and as the only means
To flop effufion of our Chriilian blood,
And ftablifti quietnefs on every fide.
K. Henry. Ay, marry, uncle ; for I always thought,
It was both impious and unnatural,
That fuch humanity * and bloody ftrife
Should reign among profefibrs of one faith.
Glo, Befide, my lord, the fooner to effecl:,
And furer bind, this knot of amity,
The earl of Armagnac near knit to Charles,
A man of great authority in France,
Proffers his only daughter to your grace
In marriage, with a large and fumptuous dowry.
K. Henry. Marriage ? uncle, alas ! my years are,
young;
And fitter is my fludy and my books,
Than wanton dalliance with a paramour.
Yet, call the ambafiadors ; and, as you pleafe,
So let them have their anfwers every one :
I fhall be well content with any choice,
Tends to God's glory, and my country's weal.
Enter a Legate, and two ambajfadors, with Wlnckefter
as cardinal.
Exe. 6 What ! is my lord of Winchefler inftall'd,
And call'd unto a cardinal's degree !
Then, I perceive, that will be verify'd,
Henry the fifth did fometime prophefy,
5 immanity'} i.e. barbarity, favagenefs. STEEVENS,
6 What ! ii my lord of Wincbejler inflalfd,
And call'd unto a cardinal's degree /]
This (as Mr. Edwards has obferved in his MS. notes) argues a
great forgetfulnefs in the poet. In the firft aft Glofter fays :
/ // canvafs tbee in thy broad cardinal'* bat ;
tnd it is ftrange that the duke of Exeter fhould not know of his
advancement. STEEVENS.
KING HENRY VI. $69
If once he come to be a cardinal,
, Hell make bis cap co-equal with the crown.
K. Henry. My lords ambaffadors, your feveral fuits
Have been confider'd and debated on.
Your purpofe is -both good and reafonable :
And, therefore, are we certainly refolv'd
To draw conditions of a friendly peace ;
Which, by my lord of Winchefter, we mean
Shall be tranfported prefently to France.
Gh. And for the proffer of my lord your matter,
I have inform'd his highnefs fo at large,
As liking of the lady's virtuous gifts,
Her beauty, and the value of her dower,
He doth intend Ihe lhall be England's queen.
K. Henry. In argument and proof of which contract,
Bear her this jewel, pledge of my affection.
And fo, my lord protector, fee them guarded,
And fafely brought to Dover ; where, inftiipp'd,
Commit them to the fortune of the fea.
[Exeunt king, and train.
Win. Stay, my lord legate ; you mall firft receive
The fum of money, which I promifed
Should be deliver'd to his holinefs
For cloathing me in thefe grave ornaments.
Legate. I will attend upon your lordfhip's leifure.
Win. Now Winchefter will not fubmit, I trow,
Or be inferior to the proudefl peer.
Humphrey of Glofter, thou malt well perceive,
7 That, nor in birth, nor for authority,
The bifhop will be over-borne by thee :
I'll either make thee ftoop, and bend thy knee,
Or fack this country with a mutiny. [Exeunt.
7 That, nor in lirtb,'} I would read/^r birth. That is, thou
flult not rule me though thy birth is legitimate and thy autho-
rity fupreme. JOHNSON.
The old copy reads, neither. STEEVENS,
SCENE
2701 FIRST PARTOF
SCENE III.
France.
Enter "Dauphin^ Burgundy, Alenfon, and Joan la
Pucelk.
Dau. Thefe news, my lords, may cheer our droop
ing fpirits :
*Tis faid, the flout Parifians do revolt,
And turn again unto the warlike French.
Alen. Then march to Paris, royal Charles o
France,
And keep not back your powers in dalliance.
Pucel. Peace be amongft them, if they turn to us
Elfe, ruin combat with their palaces !
Enter a Scout.
Scout. Succefs unto our valiant general,
And happinefs to his accomplices !
Dau. What tidings fend our fcouts ? I pr'ythec^
fpeak.
Scout. The Englifh army, that divided was
Into two parts, is now conjoin'd in one ;
And means to give you battle prefently.
Dau. Somewhat too fudden, firs, the warning is ;
But we will prefently provide for them.
Bur. I truft, the ghoft of Talbot is not there ;
Now he is gone, my lord, you need not fear.
Pucel. Of all bafe paflions, fear is moft accurs'd :
Command the conqueft, Charles, it fhall be thine ;
Let Henry fret, and all the world repine.
Dau. Then on, my lords ; And France be fortu-
nate ! [Exeunt*
SCENE
K I N G H E N R Y VI. 2 7 x
SCENE IV.
Alarum : excurfons. Enter Joan la Pucelle.
PuceL The regent conquers,' and the Frenchmen
fly.
Now help, 9 ye charming fpells, and periapts ;
And ye choice fpirits, that admonilh me,
And give me figns of future accidents ! {Thunder.
You fpeedy helpers, that are fubftitutes
Under the lordly ' monarch of the north,
Appear, and aid me in this cnterprize !
Enter Fiends.
This fpeedy and quick appearance argues proof
Of your accuftom'd diligence to me.
Now, ye familiar fpirits, that are cull'd
9 -ye charming f pells, and periapts ;] Charms fow*d up. Ezek.
xiii. 1 8. Woe to them that fo-vj pillows to all arm-boles^ to bunt
fouls. POPE.
Periapts were worn about the neck as prefervatives from dif-
eafe or danger. Of thefe, the firft chapter of St. John's Gofpel
was deemed the moil efficacious.
Whoever is defirous to know more about them, may confult
Reginald Scott's Difiovery of Witchcraft^ 1584, p. 230, &c.
STEEVENS.
The following ftory which is related in fflfs, Fits, and Fan-
cies^ 1595, proves what Mr. Steevens has aflerted. " A cardinal
feeing a prieft carrying a cudgel under his gown, reprimanded
him. His excuie was, that he only carried it to defend himfelf
againft the dogs of the town. Wherefore, I pray you, replied
the -cardinal, ferves St. John's Gofpel? Alas, my lord, faid the
prieft, thefe curs underftand no Latin." MALONE.
1 monarch of the nortb,~\ The north was always fuppofed to
be the particular habitation of bad fpirits. Milton therefore af-
fembles the rebel angels in the north. JOHNSON.
The boaft of Lucifer in the xivth chapter of Ifaiah is faid to
be, that he 'Mill Jit upon the mount of the congregation , in tbf Jtdes
ef tke north. STEEYENS.
Out
27* FIRST PART OF
* Out of the powerful regions under earth,
Help me this once, that France may get the field.
[They walk, andfpeak not*
Oh, hold me not with filence over-long !
Where I was wont to feed you with my blood,
I'll lop a member off, and give it you,
In earnefl of a further benefit ;
So you do condefcend to help me now.
[They hang their heads.
No hope to have redrefs ? My body lhall
Pay recompence, if you will grant my fuit.
[Tbeyjhake their heads.
Cannot my body, nor blood-facrifice,
Intreat you to your wonted furtherance ?
Then take my foul ; my body, foul, and all,
Before that England give the French the foil.
[They depart.
See ! they forfake me. Now the time is come,
That France muft vail her lofty-plumed creft,
And let her head fall into England's lap.
My ancient incantations are too weak,
And hell too flrong for me to buckle with :
Now, France, thy glory droopeth to the duft. [Exit
Excurfwns. Pucelk and York fight hand to hand.
Pucelle is taken. The French fy.
Tork. Damfel of France, I think, I have you faft :
Unchain your fpirits now with fpelling charms,
And try if they can gain your liberty.
A goodly prize, fit for the devil's grace !
See, how the ugly witch doth bend her brows,
As if, with Circe, Ihe would change my fhape.
Pucel. Chang'd to a worfer ihape thou canft not be.
Tork. Oh, Charles the Dauphin is a proper man ;
No Ihape but his can pleafe your dainty eye.
- Out of tie powerful regions under eartl,] I believe Shake-
Ipeare wrote legions* WAR BUR TON.
PuceU
KING HENRY VI. 273
Puccl. A plaguing mifchief light on Charles, and
thcc !
And may ye both be fuddenly furpriz'd
By bloody hands, in deeping O n your beds !
Tork. Fell, banning hag 3 ! enchantrefs, hold thy
tongue.
Pucel. I pr'ythee, give me leave to curfe a while.
Tork. Curie, mifcrcant, when thou comeft to the
flake. [Exeunt.
Alarum. Enter Suffolk, leading in lady Margaret.
Si'.f. Be what thou wilt, thou art my prifoner.
\_Gazcs on her.
! Oh faircfl beauty, do not fear, nor fly ;
For I will touch thee but with reverent hands.
I kit's thefe fingers for eternal peace,
And lay them gently on thy tender fide.
Who art thou ? lay, that I may honour thcc.
Mar. Margaret my name ; and daughter to a king,
The king of Naples, whofoc'er thou art. .
Suf. An earl I am, and Suffolk am I call'd.
Be not offended, nature's miracle,
Thou art allotted to be ta'en by me :
Sp cloth the fwan her downy cygnets fave,
Keeping them prifoners underneath her wings.
Yet, if this fervile ufage once offend,
Go, and be free again, as Suffolk's friend. [Sheisgoittg*
Oh, flay ! I have no power to let her pals ;
My hand would free her, but my heart fays no.
4 As plays the fun upon the glafly ftreams,
Twinkling another counterfeited beam,
So
3 fell banning bag /] To ban is to curfe. So, in the
y e ~M of Malta, 1633 :
*' I Ian their fouls to everlafting pains." STEEVENS.
4 Ai plays the fun ttfon the glajjy jireams, &c.] This comparl-
fon, made between things which feem fufficiently unlike, is in-
tended to exprefs the ibttnefs and delicacy of lady Margaret's
Vot. VI. T beauty,
274 FIRST PART OF
So feems this gorgeous beauty to mine eyes.
Fain would I woo her, yet I dare not fpeak ;
I'll call for pen and ink, and write my mind :
Fie, DC la Poole ! 5 difable not thyfelf ;
Haft not a tongue ? is fhe not here thy prifoner ?
Wilt thou be daunted at a woman's fighc ?
Ay ; beauty's princely majcfty is fuch,
Confounds the tongue, and makes the fenfcs rough.
Afar. Say, earl of Suffolk, if thy name be fo,
What ranfom muft I pay before I pafs ?
For, I perceive^ I am thy prifoner.
Suf. How can'ft thou tell, flic will deny thy fuit,
Before thou make a trial of her love ? \_Afidc.
Mar. Why fpeak'ft thou not ? what ranfom muft I
- pay ?
Suf. She's beautiful ; and therefore to be woo'd :
She is a woman ; therefore to be won. [Afide.
Mar. Wilt thou accept of ranfom, yea, or no ?
Suf. Fond man ! remember, that thou haft a wife;
Then how can Margaret be thy paramour ? \_Afide.
Mar. I were beft to leave him, for he will not hear.
Suf. There all is marr'd ; there lies a cooling card 6 .
Mar. He talks at random ; fure, the man is mad.
Suf. And yet a difpenfation may be had.
Mar. And yet I would that you would anfwer me.
' Suf. I'll win this lady Margaret. For whom ?
Why, for my king : Tufh ! that's 7 a wooden thing.
Mar,
beauty, which delighted, but did not dazzle : which was bright,
but gave no pain by its luftre. JOHNSON.
s . difable not thyfelf;] Do not reprefent thyfelf fo weak.
To difable the judgment of another was, in that age, the fame
as to deftroy its credit or authority. JOHNSON.
So, in A^ Tou Like. //, ad V : " If again, it was not well cur,
he difabled my judgment" STEEVENS.
6 ' a cooling card.] So, in Marias andSylla, 1594:
" I'll have a prefent cooling card for you." STEEVENS.
7 a yjoodcn thing.] Is an aukward bujinefs^ an undertaking
Siot likely tofucceed.
So, in Lylly's Galatbca, 1592: " Would I were out of thefe
tyoods, for I (hall have but wooden luck."
Again,
KING HENRY VI. 275
Mar. He talks of wood : It is fome carpenter.
Suf. Yet fo my fancy may be fatisfy'd,
And peace eftablifhed between thjefe realms.
But there remains a fcruple in that too i
For though her father be the king of Naples,
Duke of Anjou and Maine, yet is he poor,
And our nobility will fcorn the match. [Aftde.
Mar. Hear ye, captain ? Are you not at leilure ?
Suf. It fhall be fo, difdain they ne'er fo much :
Henry is youthful, and will quickly yield.
Madam, I have a fecret to reveal.
Mar. What though I be enthral I'd ? he feems a
knight,
And will not any way dishonour me. [dfide.
Suf. Lady, vouchfafe to liften what I fay.
Mar. Perhaps, I fhall be refcu'd by the French ;
And then I need not crave his courtcfy. \_AJide.
Suf. Sweet madam, give me hearing in a caufe
Mar. Tufh ! women have been captivate ere now.
[4/ide.
Suf. Lady, wherefore talk you fo ?
Mar. I cry you mercy, 'tis but quid for quo.
Suf. Say, gentle princefs, would you not fuppofe
Your bondage happy, to be made a queen ?
Mar. To be a queen in bondage, is more vile,
Than is a flave in bafe fervility ;
For princes Ihould be free.
Suf. And fo fhall you,
If happy England's royal king be free.
Mar. Why, what concerns his freedom unto me ?
Suf. Til undertake to make thee Henry's queen ;
To put a golden fcepter in thy hand,
And fet a precious crown upon thy head,
Again, in his Ma'uPs Mctamorpbojis, 1600 :
*' My mailer takes but wooden pains."
Again, in the Knave of Spades, &c. no date.
" To make an end of that fame wooden phrafe."
STEEVSXS.
T 2 If
276 FIRST PART OF
If thou wilt condefccnd to be my
Mar. What?
St<f. His love.
Mar. I am unworthy to be Henry's wife.
Suf. No, gentle madam ; I unworthy am
To woo fo fair a dame to be his wife,
And have no portion in the choice myfelf.
How fay you, madam ; are you fo content ?
Mar. An if my father pleafe, I am content.
Suf. Then call our captains, and our colours, forth : .
And, madam, at your father's caftle walls
We'll crave a parley, to confer with him.
Sound. Enter Relgnicr on the walls.
Suf. See, Reignicr, fee, thy daughter prifoncr.
Reig. To whom ?
Suf. To me.
Reig. Suffolk, what remedy ?
I am a foldier ; and unapt to weep,
Or to exclaim on fortune's ficklenefs.
Suf. Yes, there is remedy enough, my lord :
Confent, (and, for thy honour, give confcnt)
Thy daughter lhall be wedded to my king ;
Whom I with pain have woo'd and won thereto ;
And this her eafy-held imprifonment
Hath gain'd thy daughter princely liberty.
Reig. Speaks Suffolk as he thinks ?
Suf. Fair Margaret knows,
That Suffolk doth not flatter, face, or feign.
Reig. Upon thy princely warrant, I defcend,
To give thee anfvver of thy juft demand.
[Exit from the walls.
Suf. And here I will expect thy coming.
Trumpets found. Enter Reignier, below.
Reig. Welcome, brave earl, into our territories ;
Command in Anjou what your honour plcafes.
K I N G H E N R Y VI. 27y
Suf. Thanks, Reignier, happy for fo fweet a child,
Fit to be made companion with a king :
What anfwcr makes your grace unto my fuit ?
Rcig. Since thou doll deign to woo her little worth,
To be the princely bride of fuch a lord ;
Upon condition I may quietly
Fnjov mine own, the countries Maine and Anjou,
Free from opprcffion, or the ilrokc of war,
My daughter ih:-ill be Henry's, if he plcafe.
Suf. That is her ranfom, I deliver her ;
And thole two countries, I wi:l undertake,
Your grace iliall well and quietly enjoy.
Reig. And I again, in Henry's royal name,
As deputy unto that gracious king,
Give thce her hand, for fign of plighted faith.
Suf. Reignier of France, I give thee kingly thanks,
Becaufe this is in traffic of a king :
And yet, methinks, I could be well content
To be mine own attorney in this cafe. \_Aflde.
I'll over then to England with this news,
And make this marriage to be folemniz'd :
So, farewel, Reignier ! Set this diamond fafe '
In golden palaces, as it becomes.
Rcig. I do embrace thee, as I would embrace
The Chriftian prince, king Henry, were he here.
Mar. Farewel, my lord ! Goodwifhes, praife, and
prayers,
Shall Suffolk ever have of Margaret. [$be is going.
Sttf. Farewel, fweet madam ! But hark you, Mar-
garet ;
No princely commendations*to my king ?
MJ?-. Such commendations as become a maid,
A virgin, and his fervant, fay to him.
Suf. Words fweetly plac'd, and modeftly diredled.
But, madam, I ipuft trouble you again,
No loving token to his majefty ?
Mar. Yes, my good lord ; a pure unfpotted heart,
Never yet taint with love, I fend the kiner.
T 3 Srf.
278 FIRST PART OF
Sitf. And this withal. [Kijes her.
Mar. That for thyfelf ; I will not fo prefume,
8 To fend fuch peevifh tokens to a king.
. [Exetmt Reignler, and Margaret.
Saf. O, \vcrt thou for myfclf ! But, Suffolk, flay;
Thou may'fl not wander in that labyrinth ;
There Minotaurs, and ugly trealbns, lurk.
Sollicit Henry with her wond'rous praife :
Bethink thce on her virtues that furmounr,
9 Mad, natural graces that extinguilh art ;
Repeat their fcmblance often on the feas,
That, when thou com'ft to kneel at Henry's feet,
Thou may 'it bereave him of his wits with wonder.
[E.V/7.
SCENE V.
dimp of the duke of York in Anjou.
Enter Tork, Warwick ^ a Shepherd^ and fucelle.
Tork. Bring forth that forcerefs, condemn'd to
burn.
Shcp. Ah, Joan ! this kills thy father's heart out-
right !
Have I fought every country far and near,
And, now it is my chance to find thee out,
8 To fend fab peevifh tokens ] Pccvijb, for child ifli.
WARBURTO.V.
See a note on Cymbeline, aft 1. fc. vii : " He's ftrange and
pcevijh" STEKVENS.
9 Mad, natural graces ^J So the old copy. The modern
editors have been content to read her natural graces. By the
word maJ, however, I believe the poet only meant ivildor,
uncultivated. In the former of thefe iignilications he appears
to have ufed it in O/kcliv he jlc /0i\/y-<j<:'V mad. Which
Dr. Johnfon has properly interpreted. We call a wild girl, to
this day, a mad-cap.
Mail, in fome of the ancient books of gardening, is ufed as an
epithet to plants which grow rampant and wild. STEEVENS.
Muil
K I N G H E N R Y VL 279
Muft I behold thy timelefs ' cruel death ?
Ah, Joan, fweet daughter Joan, I'll die with thee !
Pucel. Decrepit mifer 4 ! bafe ignoble wretch !
I am defcended of a gentler blood ,
Thou art no father, nor no friend, of mine.
Shep. Out, out ! My lords, an pleafc you, 'tis
not fo ;
I did beget her, all the parifh knows :
Her mother liveth yet, can teftify
She was the firft-fruit of my batchelorfhip.
War. Gracelefs ! wilt thou deny thy parentage ?
Tork. This argues what her kind of life hath been ;
Wicked and vile ; and fo her death concludes.
Sbep. Fie, Joan ! 3 that thou wilt be fo obitacle !
God
1 timelefs] is untimely. So, in Dray ton's Legend of Robert
Duke of Normandy :
** Thy itrength was buried in his timelefs death."
STEEVENS.
* Decrepit mifer !] Mifer has no relation to avarice in this paf
fage, but fimply means a miferable creature. So, in the Inter-
lude of Jacob and Efau, i 568 :
" But as for thefe mifer 3 within my father's tent."
Again, in Lord Sterline's tragedy of Crdfus, 1604 :
" Or thinkit thou me of judgment too remifs,
*' A mifer that in miferie remains,
" The baftard child of fortune, barr'd from blifs,
" Whom heaven doth hate, and all the world difdains ?"
Again, in Holinihed, p. 760, where he is fpeaking of the death
of Richard III : " And fo this mifer, at the fame verie point, had
like chance and fortune, &c." Again, p. 951, among the lail
words of lord Cromwell: " for if I Ihould fo doo, I were
a very wretch and a mifer" Again, ibid: " and fo patiently
fuffered the ftroke of the ax, by a ragged and butcherlie mifer,
which ill-favouredlie performed the office." STEEVENS.
3 that tbou ivilt be fo objiacle !] A vulgar corruption of ol>
Jllnate, which I think has oddly lafled fince our author's time till
now. JOHNSON.
The fame corruption may be met with in other writers. Thus,
in Chapman's May-day, 1611 :
" An obftacle young thing it is."
Again, in The Tragedy of Hoffman, 1631 :
" Be not objlade, old duke."
T 4 Again,
280 FIRST PART OF
God knows, thou art a collop of my fleili j
And for thy fake have I fried many a tear :
Deny me not, I pr'ythee, gentle Joan.
Puce!, Peafant, a vaunt ! You have fuborn'd this
man,
Of purpofe to obfcure 4 my noble birth.
SJ:cp. 'Tis true, I gave a noble to the prieil,
The morn that I was wedded to her mother.
Kneel down and take my bleffing, good my girl.
Wilt thou not fioop ? Now curfed be the time
Of thy nativity ! I would, the milk
Thy mother gave thee, when thou luck'dft her breafl,
Had been a little ratfbane for thy fake !
Or elfe, when thou didil keep my lambs a-field,
I wifh fome ravenous wolf had eaten thee !
Dofl thou deny thy father, curfed drab ?
O, burn her, burn her ; hanging is too good. [Exit.
Tcrk. Take her away ; for me hath liv'd too long,
To fill the world with vicious qualities.
Pucel. Firft, let me tell you whom you have con-
demn'd :
Not me begotten of a Ihepherd fwain,
But iilu'd from the progeny of kings ;
Virtuous, and holy ; chofen from above,
By infpiration of celeftial grace,
To work exceeding miracles on earth.
I never had to do with wicked fpirits :
But you, that are polluted with your lulls,
Stain'd with the guiltlefs blood of innocents,
Corrupt and tainted with a thoufand vices,
Bccaule you want the grace that others have,
Again, in Goiver dc Confejjione Amantis, B. II :
" He thanked God of his miracle,
" To whofe might may be none objlacle" STKLVENS.
* wy noble birth.
'77. true, I gave a nolle ]
This pafTage Terms to corroborate an explanation, fomcwhnr far-
fetched, which I have, given in Henry IV. of the ncbleman* and
Royal man. JOHNSON.
You
KING HENRY VI. 2 8i
You judge it ftraight a thing impoffible
To compafs wonders, but by help of devils.
5 No, mifconceived ! Joan of Arc hath been
A virgin from her tender infancy,
Chafte and immaculate in very thought ;
Whofe maiden blood, thus rigoroufly effus'd,
Will cry for vengeance at the gates of heaven.
York. Ay, ay ; away with her to execution.
War. And hark ye, firs; becaufe ftie is a maid,
Spare for no faggots, let there be enough :
Place barrels of pitch upon the fatal ftake,
That fo her torture may be Ihortened.
Pucel. Will nothing turn your unrelenting hearts ?
Then, Joan, difcover thine infirmity ;
That warranted! by law to be thy privilege.-
I am with child, ye bloody homicides :
Murder not then the fruit within my womb,
Although ye hale me to a violent death.
Tork. Now heaven forefend ! the holy maid with
child ?
War. The greateft miracle that e'er ye wrought :
Is all your ftricl precifenefs come to this ?
York. She and the Dauphin have been juggling:
I did imagine what would be her refuge.
War. Well, go to ; we will have no baftards live ;
Efpecially, fince Charles muft father it.
Pucel. You are decciv'd ; my child is none of his ;
It was Alcncon, that enjoy 'd my love.
Tork. 6 Alencon ! that notorious Machiavel !
It dies, an if it had a thoufand lives.
Pucel
5 NJ, m ij conceived ! ] i.e. No\ ye m!fconce!<vers y ye who mif-
tnke me and my qualities. STEEVENS.
6 Alcncon! that notorious Machiavel /] Machiavel being
mentioned fomewhat before his time, this line is by fome of the
editors given to the players, and ejected from the text. JOHNSON.
The character of Machiavel feems to have made fo very deep
a# imprellion on the dramatic writers of this age, that he is many
82 F I R S T P A R T O F
Pucel. O, give me leave, I have deluded you ;
'Twas neither Charles, nor yet the duke I nam'd,
But Reignier, king of Naples, that prevail'd.
War. A marry 'd man ! that's moft intolerable.
Tork. Why, here's a girl ! I think, Ihe knows not
well,
There were fo many, whom Ihe may accufe.
War. It's fign, Ihe hath been liberal and free.
Tork. And, yet, forfooth, Ihe is a virgin pure.
Strumpet, thy words condemn thy brat, and thee :
Ufe no intreaty, for it is in vain.
Pucel. Then lead me hence ; with whom I leave
my curfe :
May never glorious fun reflex his beams
Upon the country where you m?.ke abode !
But darknefs, and the gloomy fliade of death 7
Environ you ; 8 'till mifchief, and defpair,
Drive you to break your necks, or hang yourfelves !
\_Rxlt guarded.
Tork. Break thou in pieces, and confume to afhes,
Thou foul accurfed minifter of hell !
times as prematurely fpoken of. So, in the fall ant
1615, one of the characters bids Caradoc, i. e. Caraftacus^
" i ... read Macbiavel :
" Princes that would "afpirc, muft mock at hell."
Again :
" " - my brain
" Italianates my barren faculties
*' To Macbiai'dian blacknefs - " STEEVEXS.
7 -^darknefs and the gloomy jbade of death ] The exprellion
is fcriptural : *' Whereby the day-fpring from on high hath
vifited us, to give light to them that fit in darknefs and tie fiafo-v
of death" MALONE.
8 - till mift biff and dcfpalr
Drive you to break, your necks, - ]
Perhaps Shakefpeare intended to remark in this execration, the
frequency of filicide among the Englifh, which has been com-
monly imputed to the gloominefs of their air. JOHNSON.
Enter
K I N G H E N R Y VI. 283
Enter Cardinal Beaufort, &c.
Car. Lord regent, I do greet your excellence
With letters of commiffion from the king.
For know, my lords, the ftates of Chriftendom,
Mov'd with remorfe at thcfe outrageous broils,
Have earnelily implor'd a general peace
9 Betwixt our nation and the afpiring French ;
And fee at hand the Dauphin, and his train,
Approacheth, to confer about fome matters.
Tork. Is all our travel turn'd to this effedt ?
After the Slaughter of fo many peers,
So many captains, gentlemen, and foldiers,
That in this quarrel have been overthrown,
And fold their bodies for their country's benefit,
Shall we at laft conclude effeminate peace ?
Have we not loft moft part of all the towns,
By treafon, fallhood, and by treachery,
Our great progenitors had conquered ?
Oh, Warwick, Warwick ! I forefee with grief
The utter lofs of all the realm of France.
War* Be patient, York ,* if we conclude a peace,
It lhall be with fuch ftridt and fevere covenants,
As little lhall the Frenchmen gain thereby.
Enter Charles, jflenfon, Baftard, and Reignler.
Char. Since, lords of England, it is thus agreed,
That peaceful truce lhall be proclaimM in France,
9 Betwixt our nation and th* afpiring French ;] But would an
ambaflador, who came to perfuade peace with France, ufe it as
an argument, that France was afpiring ? Shakefpeare without
doubt wrote :
. t)j> refpiring French ;
i.e. who had but juft got into breath again, after having been
almoil hunted down by the Englifh. WAR BUR TON.
The ambaflador yet ufes no argument, but if he did, refpir-
in* would not much help the caufe. Shakefpeare wrote what
might be pronounced, and therefore did not write //&' refpiring.
JOHNSON.
We
284 FIRST PART OF
We come to be informed by yourfelves
What the conditions of that league mnft be.
Tork. Speak, Winchcftcr; for boiling cholerchoaks
The hollow paflage of my ' poiibn'd voice,
By fight of thefe our - baleful enemies.
Win. Charles, and the reft, it is enacted thus :
That in regard king Henry gives confent,
Of meer compaffion, and of lenity,
To eafe your country of diftrefsful war,
And faffe r you to breathe in fruitful peace,
You ihall become true liegemen to his crown :
And, Charles, upon condition thou wilt fwear
To pay him tribute, and fubmit thyfelf,
Thou lhalt be plac'd as viceroy under him,
And flill enjoy thy regal dignity.
Alen. Mult he be then as lhadow of himfelf ?
Adorn his temples J with a coronet ;
And yet, in fubftance and authority,
Retain but privilege of a private man ?
This proffer is abiurd and reafonlefs."
Char. 'Tis known, already that I am poflefs'd
Of more than half the Gallian territories,
And therein rcvercnc'd for their lawful king :
Shall I, for lucre of the reft unvanquifli'd,
Detract fo much from that prerogative,
As to be call'd but viceroy of the whole ?
1 poifoji'dvoice,'] Poifond voice agrees well enough with
baneful enemies, or with baleful, if it can be ufed in the fame
fenfe. The modern editors read, prifond voice. JOHNSON.
z baleful cnarrcs.'] Baleful is forr awful ; I therefore rather
imagine that we flioulit read baneful, hurtful, or mifchievous.
JOHNSON-.
Baleful had anciently the fame meaning as baneful. It is an
epithet very frequently beftow'd en poiibnous plants and reptiles.
So, in Romeo and Juliet :
" With baleful weeds, and precious-juiced flowers."
STEEVENS.
3 with a coronet ;] Ccronet is here ufed for a cro-wn.
JOHNSON.
No,
KING HENRY VI. 285
No, lord embaflador ; I'll rather keep
That which I have, than, coveting for more,
Be caft from poifibility of all.
Tork. Infulting Charles ! hafl thou by fecret means
Us'd interceffion to obtain a league ;
And, now the matter grows to compromife,
Stand'fl thou aloof * upon comparifon ?
Either 5 accept the title thou uiurp'it,
Of benefit proceeding from our king,
And not of any challenge of defert,
Or we will plague thee with inceflant wars.
Reig. My lord, you do not well in obftinncy
To cavil in the courfe of this contract :
If once it be negledted, ten to one,
We ihall not find like opportunity.
Akn. To fay the truth, it is your policy,
To fave your fubjects from fuch maffacre,
And ruthlefs (laughters, as are daily feen
By our proceeding in hoftility :
And therefore take this compact of a truce,
Although you break it when your pleafure ferves.
\_Afide, to the Dauphin.
War. How fay'ft thou, Charles ? Ihall our condi-
tion ftand ?
Char. It ihall :
Only referv'd, you claim no intereft
Jn any of our towns of garrifon.
Tork. Then fwear allegiance to his majefty ;
As thou art knight, never to difobey,
Nor be rebellious to the crown of England,
Thou, nor thy nobles, vto the crown of England.
[Cherries, and the reft, give tokens of fealty.
4 upon cpmfarifon ?~\ Do you ftand to compare your prefent
ftate, a itate which you have neither rigjht or power to maintain,
with the terms which we offer ? JOHNSON.
5 accept the title tbou ufurp'/l.
Of benefit ]
Benefit is here a term of law. Be content to live as the lensf-
ciay of our -king. JOHNSON.
So,
286 FIRST PART OF
So, now difmifs your army when ye pleafe ;
Hang up your enfigns, let your drums be flill,
For here we entertain a folemn peace. [Exeunt.
SCENE VI.
England.
A room in the palace.
Enter Suffolk, in conference with king Henry ;
Glofter, and Exeter.
K. Henry. Your wond'rous rare defcription, noble
earl,
Of beauteous Margaret hath aftonifh'd me :
Her virtues, graced with external gifts,
Do breed love's fettled paffions in my heart :
And like as rigour of tempeftuous gufts
Provokes the mightieft hulk againft the tide ;
6 So am I driven, by breath of her renown,
Either to fuflTer fhipwreck, or arrive
Where I may have fruition of her love.
Suf. Tufli, my good lord ! this fuperficial tale
Is but a preface of her worthy praife :
The chief perfections of that lovely dame,
(Had I fufficient fkill to utter them)
Would make a volume of enticing lines,
Able to ravifh any dull conceit.
And, which is more, fhe is not fo divine,
So full replete with choice of all delights,
But, with as humble lowlinefs of mind,
She is content to be at your command ;
Command, I mean, of virtuous chafte intents,
6 So am I driven, ] This fimile is fomewhat obfcure ; he
feems to mean, that as a fliip is driven againft the tide by the
wind, fo.he is driven by love agaiuil the current of his intereft.
JOHNSON.
To
KING HENRY VI. 287
To love and honour Henry as her lord.
K. Hemy. And otherwife will Henry ne'er prefume.
Therefore, my lord protestor, give confent,
That Margaret may be England's royal queen.
Glo. So Ihould I give confent to flatter fin.
You know, my lord, your highnefs is betroth'd
Unto another lady of efteem ;
How fhall we then difpenfe with that contradr,
And not deface your honour with reproach ?
Suf. As doth a ruler with unlawful oaths ;
Or one, that, 7 at a triumph having vow'd
To try his ftrength, forfaketh yet the lifts
By reafon of his adverfary's odds :
A poor carl's daughter is unequal odds,
And therefore may be broke without offence.
Glo. Why, what, I pray, is Margaret more than
that ?
Her father is no better than an earl,
Although in glorious titles he excel.
Suf. Yes, my good lord, her father is a king,
The king of Naples, and Jerufalem ;
And of fuch great authority in France,
As his alliance will confirm our peace,
And keep the Frenchmen in allegiance.
Glo. And fo the earl of Armagnac may do,
Becauie he is near kinfman unto Charles.
Exe. Befide, his wealth doth warrant liberal dower j
While Reignier fooner will receive, than give.
Suf. A dower, my lords ! difgrace not fo your
king,
That he Ihould be fo abject, bafe, and poor,
To chufe for wealth, and not for perfect love.
Henry is able to enrich his queen,
And not. to feek a queen to make him rich :
So worthlefs peafants bargain for their wives,
7 at a triumph .] That is, at the fports by which a tri-
umph is celebrated. JOHNSON.
As
2 88 FIRST PART OF
As market-men for oxen, meep, or horfe.
But marriage is a matter of more worth,
Than to be dealt in 8 by attorneyfhip ;
Not whom we will, but whom his grace affe<fr.s,
Muft be companion of his nuptial bed :
And therefore, lords, fince he affects her moft,
It moft of all thefe realbns bindeth us,
In our opinions me mould be preferr'd.
For what is wedlock forced, but a hell,
An age of difcord and continual flrife ?
Whereas the contrary bringeth forth blifs,
And is a pattern of celeflial peace.
Whom mould we match with Henry, being a king,
But Margaret, that is daughter to a king ?
Her peerlefs feature, joined with her birth,
Approves her fit for none, but for a king :
Her valiant courage, and undaunted fpirit,
(More than in woman commonly is fccn) will
Anfwer our hope in iffue of a king ;
For Henry, fon unto a conqueror,
Is likely to beget more conquerors,
If with a lady of ib high refolvc,
As is fair Margaret, he be link'd in love.
Then yield, my lords ; and here conclude with me,
That Margaret (hall be queen, and none but me.
K. Henry. Whether it be through force of your
report,
My noble lord of Suffolk ; or for that
My tender youth was never yet attaint
With any paffion of inflaming love,
I cannot tell ; but this I am atfur'd,
I feel fuch fharp diffention in my breaft,
Such fierce alarums both of hope and fear,
As I am fick with working of my thoughts.
Take, therefore, /hipping ; poft, my lord, to France;,
* -7 attornty/bifii ] By the intervention of another man's
choice; or the diicretional agency of another, JOHNSOX.
Agree
KING HENRY VI. 289
Agree to any covenants ; and procure
That lady Margaret do vouchfafe to come
To crofs the Teas to England, and be crown'd
King Henry's faithful and anointed queen :
For your expences and fufficient charge,
Among the people gather up a tenth.
Be gone, I fay; for, 'till you do return,
I reit perplexed with a thoufand cares.
And you, good uncle, banrfh all offence :
9 If you do cenfure. me by what you were,
Not what you are, I know it will excufe
This fudden exe 
