Boy. As duly, but not as truly, as bird doth sing on bough.

Enter FlUELLEN.

- your honour

Flu. Up to the preaches, you rascals ! will you, not up to the preaches ? [Driving them forward.

Pist. Be merciful, great duke, to men of mould ! Abate thy rage, abate thy manly rage ! Abate thy rage, great duke ! Good bawcock, bate thy rage! use lenity, sweet

chuck ! Nym. These be good humours ! wins bad humours.

[Exeunt NYM, PISTOL, and BARDOLPH,

followed by Fluellen. Boy. As young as I' am, I have observed these three swashers. I am boy to them all three: but all they three, though they would serve me, could not be man to me; for, indeed, three such anticks do not amount to a man. For Bardolph,

he is whitelivered, and red-faced; by the means whereof, ''a faces it out, but fights not. For Pistol, - he hath a killing tongue, and a quiet sword; by the means whereof 'a breaks words, and keeps whole weapons. For Nym,

he hath heard that men of few words are the best? men; and therefore he scorns to say his prayers, lest 'a should be thought a coward : but his few bad words are match'd with as few good deeds; for 'a never broke any man's head but his own; and that was against a post, when he was drunk. They will steal any thing, and call it - purchase. Bardolph stole a lute-case; bore it twelve leagues, and sold it for three halfpence. Nym, and Bardolph, are sworn brothers in filching; and in Calais they stole a fireshovel : I knew, by that piece of service, the

8

men would

carry coals. They would have me as familiar with men's pockets, as their gloves or their handkerchiefs : which makes much against my manhood, if I should take from another's pocket, to put into mine ; for it is plain pocketing up of wrongs. I must leave them, and seek some better service : their villainy goes against my weak stomach.

[Exit Boy.

Re-enter FLUELLEN, GOWER following. Gow. Captain Fluellen, you must come presently to the mines; the duke of Gloster would speak with you.

Flu. To the mines ! tell you the duke, it is not so good to come to the mines : For, look you, the mines is not according to the disciplines of the war; the concavities of it is not sufficient; for, look you, th' athversary (you may discuss unto the duke, look you,) is dight' himself four yards under the countermines : I think, 'a will plow up all, if there is not better directions.

Gow. The duke of Gloster, to whom the order of the siege is given, is altogether directed by an Irishman; a very valiant gentleman, i'faith.

Flu. It is captain Macmorris, is it not?
Gow. I think, it be.

Flu. He is an ass, as in the 'orld: I will verify as much in his peard: he has no more directions in the true disciplines of the wars, look you, of the Roman disciplines, than is a puppy-dog.

Enter MACMORRIS and Jamy, at a distance.

Gow. Here 'a comes; and the Scots captain, captain Jamy, with him.

Flu. Captain Jamy is a marvellous falorous gentleman, that is certain ; and of great expedition, and knowledge, in the ancient wars, upon my particular knowledge of his directions: he will maintain his argument as well as any military man in the 'orld, in the disciplines of the pristine wars of the Romans.

Jamy. I say, gud-day, captain Fluellen.
Flu. God-den to your worship, goot captain Jamy.

Gow. How, now, captain Macmorris? have you quit the mines ? have the pioneers given o'er?

Mac. Tish ill done: the work ish give over, the trumpet sound the retreat. By my hand, I swear, and by my father's soul, the work ish ill done ; it ish give over : I would have blowed up the town in an hour. O, tish ill done, tish ill done; by my hand, tish ill done!

Flu. Captain Macmorris, I peseech you now, will you voutsafe me, look you, a few disputations with you, as partly touching or concerning the disciplines of the war, the Roman wars, in the way of argument, look you, and friendly communication ; partly, to satisfy my opinion, and partly, for the satisfaction, look you, of my mind, as touching the direction of the military discipline; that is the point.

Jamy. It sall be very gud, gud feith, gud captains bath : and I sall quit you with gud leve, as I may pick occasion ; that sall I, marry.

Mac. It is no time to discourse, the day is hot, and the weather, and the wars, and the king, and the dukes; it is no time to discourse. The town is beseeched, and the trumpet calls us to the breach; and we talk, and do nothing; 'tis shame for us all : 'tis shame to stand still ; it is shame, by my

hand : : and there is throats to be cut, and works to be done ; and there ish nothing done.

Jamy. By the mess, ere theise eyes of mine take themselves to slumber, aile do gude service, or aile ligge i' the grund for it; ay, or go to death ; and aile pay it as valorously as I may, that sal I surely

you, if

do, that is the breff and the long: Mary, I wad full fain heard some question '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 ish my nation ? ish a villain, and a bastard, and a knave, and a rascal ? What ish my nation? Who talks of my nation ? Flu. Look

you

take the matter otherwise than is meant, captain Macmorris, peradventure, I shall think you do not use me with that affability as in discretion you ought to use me, look you; being as goot a man as yourself, both in the disciplines of wars, and in the derivation of my birth, and in other particularities.

Mac. I do not know you so good a man as myself: I will cut off your head.

Gow. Gentlemen both, you will mistake each other. Jamy. Au! that's a foul fault.

[A Parley sounded. Gow. The town sounds a parley.

Flu. Captain Macmorris, when there is more better opportunity to be required, look you, I will be so bold as to tell you, I know the disciplines of war ; and there is an end.

[Exeunt.

SCENE III.'

Before the Gates of Harfleur.

The Governour and some Citizens on the Walls; the

English Forces below. Enter King HENRY and his Train. K. Hen. How yet resolves the governour of the

town? This is the latest parle we will admit:

Therefore, to our best mercy give yourselves ;
Or, like to men proud of destruction,
Defy us to our worst: for, as I am a soldier,
(A name, that, in my thoughts, becomes me best,)
If I begin the battery once again,
I will not leave the half-achieved Harfleur,
Till in her ashes she lie buried.
The gates of mercy shall be all shut up;
And the flesh'd soldier, -rough and hard of heart,
In liberty of bloody hand, shall range.
What is it then to me, if impious war,
Array'd in flames, like to the prince of fiends,-
Do, with his smirch'd complexion, all fell feats
Enlink'd to waste and desolation ?
What is't to me, when you yourselves are cause?
What rein can hold licentious wickedness,
When down the hill he holds his fierce career?
We may as bootless * spend our vain command
Upon the enraged soldiers in their spoil,
As send precépts to the Leviathan
To come ashore. Therefore, you men of Harfleur,
Take pity of your town, and of your people,
Whiles yet my soldiers are in my command;
Whiles yet the cool and temperate wind of grace
O'erblows the filthy and contagious clouds
Of deadly murder, spoil, and villainy.
If not, why, in a moment, look to see
The blind and bloody soldier with foul hand
Defile the locks of your shrill-shrieking daughters;
Your fathers taken by the silver beards,
And their most reverend heads dash'd to the walls ;
Your naked infants spitted upon pikes ;
Whiles the mad mothers with their howls confus'd
Do break the clouds, as did the wives of Jewry
At Herod's bloody-hunting slaughtermen.
What

say you ? will you yield, and this avoid ? Or, guilty in defence, be thus destroy'd ?