Con. By my faith, Sir, but it is; never any body faw it, but his lacquey: "'tis a hooded valour; and, when it appears, it will bate.

Orl. Ill will never faid well.

Con. I will cap that proverb with-There is flattery in friendship.

Orl. And I will take up that with-Give the Devil his due.

Con. Well plac'd; there ftands your friend for the devil have at the very eye of that proverb, with-A pox of the devil.

Orl. You are the better at proverbs, by how much-A fool's bolt is foon fhot.

Con. You have shot over.

Orl. 'Tis not the first time you were over-fhot.

Enter a Meffenger.

Mej. My lord high conftable, the English lie within fifteen hundred paces of your tent.

Con. Who hath measured the ground?

Meff. The lord Grandpré.

Con. A valiant and moft expert gentleman.'Would it were day!-Alas, poor Harry of England! he longs not for the dawning, as we do.

Orl. What a wretched and 'peevish fellow is this king of England, to 'mope with his fat-brain'd followers fo far out of his knowledge!

Con. If the English had any apprehenfion, they would

run away.

faw it,]-experienced it.

'tis a booded valour; &c.]-Falcons, which are kept hooded, till let fly at the game, bait, or flap the wing upon the hood being taken off; fo the Dauphin will flutter, when he makes his first onfet. to mope]-to roam, ramble, wan

peevish]-empty.

der without defign.

Orl.

Orl. That they lack; for if their heads had any intellectual armour, they could never wear fuch heavy headpieces.

Ram. That ifland of England breeds very valiant creatures; their mastiffs are of unmatchable courage.

Orl. Foolish 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 breakfast on the lip of a lion.

Con. Juft, juft; and the men do fympathize with the mastiffs, in robustious and rough coming on, leaving their wits with their wives: and then give them great meals of beef, and iron and steel, they will eat like wolves, and fight like devils,

Orl. Ay, but these English are shrewdly out of beef.

Con. Then we fhall find to-morrow-they have only ftomachs to eat, and none to fight. Now it is time to arm; Come, fhall we about it?

Orl. 'Tis two o'clock; but, let me fee,-by ten, We fhall have each a hundred Englishmen.

Chorus. Now "entertain conjecture of a time, When creeping murmur, and the poring dark, Fills the wide veffel of the universe.

W

From camp to camp, through the foul womb of night,

entertain conjecture]-supppose, imagine.

the universe.]-this hemisphere, horizon-the whole for a part.

F 2

The

The hum of either army ftilly founds,

That the fix'd centinels almoft receive
The fecret whispers of each other's watch :
Fire answers fire; and through their paly flames
Each battle fees the other's umber'd face :
Steed threatens steed, in high and boastful neighs
Piercing the night's dull ear; and from the tents,
The armourers accomplishing the knights,
With busy hammers clofing rivets up,
Give dreadful note of preparation.

The country cocks do crow, the clocks do toll,
And the third hour of drowsy morning's nam'd.
Proud of their numbers, and fecure in soul,
The confident and over lufty French
Do the low-rated English play at dice;
And chide the cripple tardy-gaited night,

Who, like a foul and ugly witch, doth limp

So tediously away. The poor condemned English,
Like facrifices, by their watchful fires

Sit patiently, and inly ruminate

The morning's danger; and their gesture fad,
*Investing lank-lean cheeks, and war-worn coats,
Prefenteth them unto the gazing moon

So many horrid ghofts. O, now, who will behold
The royal captain of this ruin'd band,

Walking from watch to watch, from tent to tent,
Let him cry-Praise and glory on his head!
For forth he goes, and visits all his hoft;

Bids them good morrow, with a modest smile;

x

Each battle, &c.]-The forces on either fide may catch a glim of each others faces, dufky, or clouded, by their helmets, or from medium through which they were beheld.

y morning nam'd—name.

play]-play for.

• Investing]—Infafting,—lean cheeks—the effect of long fasting.

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 freshly looks, and over-bears attaint,
With cheerful semblance, and sweet majesty;
That every wretch, pining and pale before,
Beholding him, plucks comfort from his looks:
A largess univerfal, like the fun,

His liberal eye doth give to every one,
Thawing cold fear. Then, mean and gentle all,
Behold, as may unworthiness define,

A little touch of Harry in the night:
And fo our scene muft to the battle fly;

Where, (O for pity!) we shall much disgrace—
With four or five most vile and ragged foils,
Right ill difpos'd, in brawl ridiculous,-
The name of Agincourt: Yet, fit and fee;
"Minding true things by what their mockeries be. [Exit.

The English camp, at Agincourt.

Enter King Henry, Bedford, and Glofter.

K. Henry. Glofter, 'tis true, that we are in great danger; The greater therefore should our courage be.

Good morrow, brother Bedford.-God Almighty!
There is some foul of goodness in things evil,
Would men obfervingly diftil it out;

attaint,]-impair, blemish.

as may unworthiness define,]—as well as my feeble pen can
Minding]-Calling to mind, recollecting.
F 3

defcribe

For

For our bad neighbour makes us early stirrers,
Which is both healthful, and good husbandry :
Befides, they are our outward confciences,
And preachers to us all; admonishing,
That we fhould drefs us fairly for our end.

Thus may we gather honey from the weed,

And make a moral of the devil himself.

Enter Erpingham.

Good morrow, old Sir Thomas Erpingham:
A good foft pillow for that good white head
Were better than a churlish turf of France.

Erping. Not fo, my liege; this lodging likes me better, Since I may fay-now lie I like a king.

f

K. Henry. 'Tis good for men to love their prefent

pains,

Upon example; fo the fpirit is eased:

And, when the mind is quicken'd, out of doubt,
The organs, though defunct and dead before,
Break up their drowfy grave, and newly move
* With cafted flough and fresh 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.

Erping. Shall I attend your grace?

K. Henry. No, my good knight;

Go with my brothers to my lords of England;

drefs-dress-addrefs, prepare ourselves.

fto love their prefent pains, upon example;]-to be reconciled to them, from a confideration of what others fuffer.

With cafted flough and free legerity.]-With new vigour, like the

ferpent after cafting his fkin, which he does annually.