Ufurp'd from you and your progenitors.

Fclaim?

K. Henry. May I with right and confcience make this Cant. The fin upon my head, dread Sovereign!

For in the book of Numbers it is writ,

When the fon * dies, let the inheritance
Defcend unto the daughter. Gracious Lord,
Stand for your own, unwind your bloody flag:
Look back into your mighty ancestors;

Go, my dread Lord, to your great grandfire's tomb,
From whom you claim; invoke his warlike fpirit;
And your great uncle Edward the Black Prince;
Who on the French ground play'd a tragedy,
Making defeat on the full pow'r of France;
While his moft mighty father, on a hill,
Stood fmiling, to behold his lion's whelp
Forage in blood of French Nobility.
O noble English, that could entertain
With half their forces the full pow'r of France;
And let another half stand laughing by,
All cut of work, and cold for action!

Ely. Awake remembrance of these valiant dead,
And with your puiffant 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-puiffant Liege.
Is in the very May-morn of his youth,

Ripe for exploits and mighty enterprises.

Exe. Your brother kings and monarchs of the earth Do all expect that you fhould roufe yourself; As did the former lions of your blood.

Weft. They know, your race had caufe, and means, and might:

So hath your Highnefs; never King of England
Had nobles richer, and more loyal fubjects;
Whofe 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 fword, and fire, to win your right.
Cant. In aid whereof, we of the fpirituality
Will raise your Highnefs fuch a mighty fum,

As never did the clergy at one time.

*Man. See Hall, luc. cit. Mr. Pope.

Bring in to any of your ancestors.

K. Henry. We must not only arm t'invade the French, But lay down our proportions to defend

Against the Scot, who will make road upon us
With all advantages.

Cant. They of thofe marches, gracious Sovereign, Shall be a wall fufficient to defend

Our inland from the pilfering borderers.

K. Henry. We do not mean the courfing snatchers But fear the main intendment of the Scot, [only, Who hath been ftill a giddy neighbour to us : For you fhall read, that my great-grandfather Ne'er went with his full forces into France, But that the Scot on his unfurnish'd kingdom Came pouring, like a tide into a breach, With ample and brim fulness of his force; Galling the gleaned land with hot affays; Girding with grievous fiege caftles and towns; That England, being empty of defence,

Hath fhook, and trembled, at th' ill neighbourhood. Cant. She hath been then more fear'd than harm'd, For hear her beft exampled by herself;

[my Liege:

When all her chivalry hath been in France,
And she a mourning widow of her Nobles,
She hath herfelf not only well defended,
But taken and impounded as a stray

The King of Scots; whom she did fend to France,
To fill King Edward's fame with prifoner-kings;
And make his chronicle as rich with prize,

As is the ouzy bottom of the fea

With funken wreck and fumless treasuries.

Exe. But there's a faying very old and true,

If that you will France win, then with Scotland firft begin*.
For once the eagle England being in prey,
To her unguarded neft the weazel Scot,

Comes fneaking, and fo fucks her princely eggs;
Playing the moufe in abfence of the cat,
To taint, and havock, more than fhe can eat.
Ely. It follows then, the cat must stay at home,
Yet that is but a 'fcus'd + neceflity;

*Hall's chronicle. Hen. V. year 2. fol. 7 p. 2. x.
ti. c. excufed.

Mr. Pope.

Since we have locks to fafeguard neceffaries,
And pretty traps to catch the petty thieves.
While that the armed hand doth fight abroad,
Th' advised head defends itself at home:

For government, though high, and low, and lower,
Put into parts, doth keep in one confent;
Congreeing in a full and natural close,
Like mufic.

Cant. Therefore Heaven doth divide The state of man in divers functions, 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 ruling nature teach The art of order to a peopled kingdom. They have a king, and officers of fort: "Where fome, like magiftrates, correct at home; "Others, like, merchant-venturers, trade abroad; "Others, like foldiers, armed in their stings, "Make boot upon the fummer's velvet-buds; "Which pillage they with merry march bring home "To the tent-royal of their emperor : "Who, bufied in his majefty, furveys

"The finging mafon building roofs of gold; "The civil citizens heading up the honey; "The poor mechanic porters crouding 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 contrariously:
As many arrows, loofed feveral ways,

Come to one mark: as many ways meet in one town
As many fresh ftreams meet in one falt fea;

As many lines clofe in the dial's centre;
So may a thousand actions, 't once a-foot,
End in one purpofe, and be all well borne

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 Gallia fhake:

If we, with thrice fuch powers left at home,
Cannot defend our own doors from the dog,
Let us be worried; and our nation lose
The name of hardinefs and policy.

K. Henry. Call in the meffengers fent from the Dau
Now are we well refolv'd; and by God's help [phin.
And yours, the noble finews of our power,
France being ours, we'll bend it to our awe,
Or break it all to pieces. There we'll fit,
Ruling in large and ample empery,

O'er France, and all her almolt kingly dukedoms;
Or lay these bones in an unworthy urn,
Tomblefs, with no remembrance over them.
Either our history shall with full mouth
Speak freely of our acts; or elfe our grave,
Like Turkish mute, fhall have a tonguelefs mouth,
Not worshipp'd with a waxen epitaph.

SCENE III. Enter Ambassadors of France.
Now are we well prepar'd to know the pleasure.
Of our fair coufin Dauphin; for we hear,
Your greeting is from him, not from the King.
Amb. May't please your Majefty, to give us leave
Freely to render what we have in charge:
Or fhall we fparingly fhew you far off

The Dauphin's meaning, and our embassy?

K. Henry. We are no tyrant, but a Christian King, Unto whofe grace our paffion is as fubject,

*

As are our wretches fetter'd in our pritons : Therefore, with frank and with uncurbed plainnefs, Tell us the Dauphin's mind.

Amb. Thus then, in few.

Your Highness, lately fending into France,
Did claim fome certain dukedoms in the right
Of y

your great predeceffor, Edward the Third.

In answer of which claim, the Prince our master 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 spirit)

.* i. The Chriftian grace.

VOL. IV.

This tun of treasure; and in lieu of this,

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

Exe. Tennis-balls, my Liege.

K. Henry. We're glad the Dauphin is so pleasant with
His prefent, and your pains, we thank you for. [us.
When we have match'd our rackets to these balls,
We will in France, by God's grace, play a fet,
Shall ftrike his father's crown into the hazard.
Tell him, h'ath made a match with fuch a wrangler,
That all the courts of France will be disturb'd
With chaces. And we understand him well,
How he comes o'er us with our wilder days;
Not measuring what ufe we made of them.
We never valu'd this poor feat of England;
And therefore, living hence; did give ourself
To barb'rous licence; as 'tis ever common,
That men are merriest when they are from home.
But tell the Dauphin, I will keep my ftate,
Be like a King, and fhew my fail of greatness,
When I do roufe me in my throne of France.
For that I have laid by my majesty,
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, ftrike the Dauphin blind to look on us.
And tell the pleafant Prince, this mock of his
Hath turn'd his balls to gun-ftones; and his foul
Shall ftand fore charged for the wafteful vengeance
That fhall fly with them. Many thousand widows
Shall this his mock mock out of their dear husbands;
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 cause.

So get you hence in peace, and tell the Dauphin,
His jeft will favour but of fhallow wit,

When