You stand upon the rivage,1 and behold
A city on the inconstant billows dancing;
For so appears this fleet majestical,

Holding due course to Harfleur. Follow, follow!
Grapple your minds to sternage of this navy;
And leave your England, as dead midnight, still,
Guarded with grandsires, babies, and old women,
Either past or not arrived to pith and puissance :
For who is he, whose chin is but enrich'd
With one appearing hair, that will not follow
These cull'd and choice-drawn cavaliers to France?
Work, work your thoughts, and therein see a siege:
Behold the ordnance on their carriages,

With fatal mouths gaping on girded Harfleur :
Suppose, the ambassador 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.

3

The offer likes not; and the nimble gunner
With linstock 2 now the devilish cannon touches,
[alarum; and chambers 3 go off.
And down goes all before them. Still be kind,
And eke out our performance with your mind.

Bank or shore.

[Exit.

2 The staff to which the match is fixed when ordnance is

Sred.

3 Small pieces of ordnance.

Alarums.

SCENE I.

The same. Before Harfleur.

Enter KING HENRY, EXETER, BEDFORD, GLOSTER, and Soldiers, with scaling-ladders.

K. Hen. Once more unto the breach, dear friends,

once more;

Or close the wall up with our English dead!
In peace, there's nothing so becomes a man
As modest stillness and humility;

But when the blast of war blows in our ears,
Then imitate the action of the tiger;
Stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood,
Disguise fair nature with hard-favor'd rage:
Then lend the eye a terrible aspect;

Let it pry through the portage1 of the head,
Like the brass cannon; let the brow o'erwhelm it,
As fearfully, as doth a galled rock

3

O'erhang and jutty 2 his confounded 3 base,
Swill'd with the wild and wasteful ocean.

Now set the teeth, and stretch the nostril wide;
Hold hard the breath, and bend up every spirit
To his full height!-On, on, you noble English,
Whose blood is fet from fathers of war-proof!
Fathers, that, like so many Alexanders,

1 Open space, from porta, a gate.

tide.

A jutty is a mole to withstand the encroachments of the
3 Worn, wasted.
4 Fetched.

Have, in these parts, from morn till even fought, And sheathed their swords for lack of argument; 1 Dishonor not your mothers; now attest,

That those, whom you call'd fathers, did beget you! Be copy now to men of grosser blood,

And teach them how to war!-And you, good yeo

men,

Whose limbs were made in England, show us here The mettle of your pasture; let us swear

That you are worth your breeding, which I doubt

not;

For there is none of you so mean and base,
That hath not noble lustre in your eyes.
I see you stand like greyhounds in the slips,
Straining upon the start. The game's afoot:
Follow your spirit; and, upon this charge,

Cry-God for Harry! England! and saint George!
Alarum, and chambers go off.

[Exeunt.

Forces pass over;

SCENE II.

The same.

then enter NYM, BARDOLPH, PISTOL, and BOY.

Bar. On, on, on, on, on! to the breach, to the breach!

Nym. 'Pray thee, corporal, stay; the knocks are too hot; and, for mine own part, I have not a case?

Matter or subject.

2 A pair or brace.

of lives the humor of it is too hot, that is the very plain song of it.

Pis. The plain song is most just; for humors do abound;

Knocks go and come; God's vassals drop and die;

Boy. Would I were in an alehouse in London! I would give all my fame for a pot of ale, and safety.

Pis. And I:

If wishes would prevail with me,

My purpose should not fail with me;

But thither would I hie.'

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

Enter FLUEllen.

Flu. Got's plood!-Up to the preaches, you rascals! will you not up to the preaches ?

[driving them forward.

Pis. Be merciful, great duke,1 to men of mould ! 2 Abate thy rage, abate thy manly rage!

Abate thy rage, great duke!

Good bawcock,3 bate thy rage! use lenity, sweet chuck!

Commander.

2 To poor mortal men

A corruption of beau coq, jolly cock.

Nym. These be good humors!—your honor wins bad humors.

[Exeunt Nym, Pistol, and Bardolph, followed by Fluellen.

2

Boy. As young as I am, I have observed these three swashers.1 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 antics 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 matched 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 fire-shovel: I knew, by that piece of service, the 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

1 Braggarts.

2 Bravest.

3 Pocket affronts.