You are their heir; you sit upon their throne;
The blood and courage that renowned them,
Runs in your veins; and my thrice puissant liege
Is in the very May-morn of his youth,

Ripe for exploits and mighty enterprises.

Bed. Your brother kings and monarchs of the earth Do all expect that you should rouse yourself, As did the former lions of your blood.

Exe. They know your grace hath cause, and means,
and might;

So hath your highness; never king of England
Had nobles richer, and more loyal subjects;

Whose hearts have left their bodies here in England,
And lie pavilion'd in the field of France;

O, let their bodies follow, my dear liege,

With blood and sword and fire to win your right!
Can. In aid whereof, we of the spiritualty
Will raise your highness such a mighty sum,
As never did the clergy at one time
Bring in to any of your ancestors.
Therefore, to France, my liege,

Divide your happy England into four :
Whereof take you one quarter into France,
And you withal shall make all Gallia shake.
If we, with thrice such power left at home,
Cannot defend our own door from the dog,
Let us be worried, and our nation lose
The name of hardiness and policy.

phin.

K. Hen. Call in the messengers sent from the Dau[Exit a HERALD, L. Now are we resolved; and, by Heaven's help, And yours, the noble sinews of our power, France being ours, we'll bend it to our awe, Or break it all to pieces.

[Flourish.

Enter HERALD, with the CONSTABLE of FRANCE,
MONTJOY, and two French Lords, with chest, L.
Now are we well prepared to know the pleasure
Of our fair cousin Dauphin; for, we hear,
Your greeting is from him, not from the king.
Const. May it please your majesty to give us leave
Freely to render what we have in charge;
Or shall we sparingly show you far off

The Dauphin's meaning, and our embassy?

K. Hen. We are no tyrant, but a christian king; Therefore, with frank and with uncurbed plainness,

B

Tell us the Dauphin's mind.

Const. Thus then, in few:

Your highness, lately sending into France,
Did claim some certain dukedoms, in the right
Of your great predecessor, king Edward the Third.
In answer of which claim, the prince our master
Says, that you savour too much of your youth;
And bids you be advised, there's nought in France,
That can be with a nimble galliard won;
You cannot revel into dukedoms there."

He therefore sends you, meeter for your spirit,
A tun of treasure: and, in lieu of this,

Desires you, let the dukedoms that you claim
Hear no more of you. This the Dauphin speaks.
K. Hen. What treasure, uncle?

Exe. Tennis-balls, my liege.

K. Hen. We're glad the Dauphin is so pleasant with

us.

His present, and your pains, we thank you for:
When we have match'd our rackets to these balls,
We will, in France, by Heaven's grace, play a set,
Shall strike his father's crown into the hazard.
And we understand him well,

[Rises.

How he comes o'er us with our wilder days,
Not measuring what use we made of them.
We never valued this poor seat of England:
But tell the Dauphin, I will keep my state,
Be like a king, and show my sail of greatness,
When I do rouse me in my throne of France:
For I will rise there with so full a glory,
That I will dazzle all the eyes of France,
Yea, strike the Dauphin blind to look on us.
But this lies all within the will of Heaven,
To whom I do appeal; and in whose 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 cause.-
So, get you hence in peace,-and tell the Dauphin,
His jest will savour but of shallow wit,

When thousands weep more than did laugh at it.-
Convey them with safe conduct.-Fare you well.

[Exeunt HERALD, CONSTABLE, MONTJOY, and
the two Lords, L.

Exe. This was a merry message.

K. Hen. We hope to make the sender blush at it. Therefore, my lords, omit no happy hour,

That may give furtherance to our expedition.
For we have now no thought in us, but France;
Save those to Heaven, that run before our business.
Therefore let our proportion for these wars
Be soon collected; and all things thought upon
That may, with reasonable swiftness, add
More feathers to our wings; for, Heaven before,
We'll chide this Dauphin at his father's door.

[Flourish of drums and trumpets.—Exeunt, L.

SCENE III.-Before the Boar's Head Tavern, in Eastcheap.

Enter NYM, L., and BARDOLPH, R.

Bard. Well met, corporal Nym.

Nym. Good morrow, lieutenant Bardolph.

Bard. What, are ancient Pistol and you friends yet? Nym. For my part, I care not; I say little; but when time shall serve, there shall be smiles :-But that shall be as it may. I dare not fight; but I will wink, and hold out mine iron. It is a simple one; but what though? it will toast cheese; and it will endure cold as another man's sword will; and there's the humour of it. [Crosses to R.

Bard. I will bestow a breakfast, to make you friends and we'll be all three sworn brothers to France. Let it be so, good corporal Nym.

Nym. 'Faith, I will live so long as I may, that's the certain of it; and when I cannot live any longer, I will do as I may; that is my rest, that is the rendezvous of it. [Crosses to L. Bard. It is certain, corporal, that he is married to Nell Quickly; and certainly she did you wrong: for you were troth-plight to her.

Nym. I cannot tell; things must be as they may; men may sleep: and they may have their throats about them at that time; and some say, knives have edges. It must be as it may though patience be a tired mare, yet she will plod. There must be conclusions. Well, [Crosses to R.

I cannot tell.

Enter PISTOL and MRS. QUICKLY from the
Tavern, D. in F.

Bard. Here comes ancient Pistol, and his wife :Good corporal, be patient here.-How now, mine host, Pistol?

Pist. Base tike, call'st thou me-host? Now, by this hand I swear, I scorn the term: nor shall my Nell keep lodgers.

Quick. O welladay, lady, if he be not drawn now! We shall have wilful adultery and murder committed. Bard. Good ancient, good corporal, offer nothing here.

Nym. Pish!

Pist. Pish for thee, Iceland dog! thou prick-ear'd cur of Iceland!

Quick. Good corporal Nym, show the valour of a man, and put up thy sword.

Nym. Will you shog off? I would have you solus. Pist. Solus, egregious dog! O viper vile! The solus, in thy most marvellous face;

The solus in thy teeth, and in thy throat;

I do retort the solus in thy bowels.

Nym. I am not Barbason; you cannot conjure ine. I have a humour to knock you indifferently well; if you grow foul with me, Pistol, I will scour you with my rapier, as I may, in fair terms:-and that's the humour of it.

Pist. O, braggard vile, and damned furious wight! O hound of Crete, think'st thou my spouse to get? I have, and I will hold, the quondam Quickly For the only she; and-pauca, there's enough.

Enter Boy, from the Tavern, D. in F.

Boy. (c.) Mine host, Pistol, you must come to my master, and you, hostess ;-he is very sick, and would to bed. Good Bardolph, put thy nose between his sheets, and do the office of a warming-pan :-'Faith he's very ill.

Bard. Away, you rogue.

Quick. By my troth, he'll yield the crow a pudding one of these days; the king has kill'd his heart.-Good husband, come home presently.

[Exeunt MRS. QUICKLY and Boy, into the Tavern, D. in F.

Bard. Come, shall I make you two friends? We must to France together. Why, the devil, *should we keep knives to cut one another's throats?

on.

Pist. Let floods o'erswell, and fiends for food howl

Nym. You pay me the eight shillings I won of you at betting?

it.

Pist. Base is the slave that pays.

Nym. That now I will have;-that's the humour of

Pist. As manhood shall compound: push home.

Bard. By this sword, he that makes the first thrust I'll kill him: by this sword I will.

Pist. Sword is an oath, and oaths must have their

course.

Bard. Corporal Nym, an thou wilt be friends, be friends an thou wilt not, why then be enemies with me too. Pr'ythee, put up.

Pist. A noble shalt thou have, and present pay: And liquor likewise will I give to thee;

For I shall sutler be

Unto the camp, and profits will accrue.

Give me thy hand.

Nym. I shall have my noble.

Pist. In cash most justly paid.

Nym. Well then, that's the humour of it.

[Takes PISTOL's hand.

Enter MRS. QUICKLY from the Tavern, D. in F. Quick. (L. c.) As ever you came of women, come in quickly to Sir John: Ah, poor heart! he is so shaked of a burning quotidian tertian, that it is most lamentable to behold. Sweet men, come to him,

[Exit MRS. QUICKLY into the Tavern, D. in F. Nym. The king hath run bad humours on the knight; that's the even of it.

Pist. Nym, thou hast spoke the right; his heart is fracted and corroborate.

Nym. The king is a good king; but it must be as it may; he passes some humours and careers.

Pist. Let us condole the knight; for, lambkins, we will live.

[All taking hands.-Exeunt into the Tavern, D. in F.

END OF ACT 1.