Between the promise of his greener days, And these he masters now; now he weighs time, In your own losses, if he stay in France. Fr. King. To-morrow shall you know our mind at full. Exe. Despatch us with all speed, lest that our king Come here himself to question our delay; For he is footed in this land already. Fr. King. You shall be soon despatch'd, with fair conditions : A night is but small breath, and little pause, To answer matters of this consequence. [Exeunt. ACT III. Enter CHORUs. Chor. THUS with imagin'd wing our swift scene flies, In motion of no less celerity Than that of thought. Suppose, that you have seen With silken streamers the young Phoebus fanning. Holding due course to Harfleur. Follow, follow! [5] Rivage-the bank or shore. JOHNSON. 6) The stern being the hinder part of the ship, the meaning is let your minds follow close after the navy. Stern, however, seems to have been anciently synony mous to rudder. ANON Work, work, your thoughts, and therein see a siege : With fatal mouths gaping on girded Harfleur. Suppose, th' ambassador from the French comes back ; The offer likes not: and the nimble gunner [Alarum; and chambers go off And down goes all before them. Still be kind, And eke out our performance with your mind. SCENE I [Exit. The same. Before Harfleur. Alarums 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! But when the blast of war blows in our ears, Like the brass cannon; let the brow o'erwhelm it, O'erhang and jutty, his confounded base, Swill'd with the wild and wasteful ocean. JOHNSON. [8] The staff to which the match is fixed when ordnance is fired. [9] Chambers-small pieces of ordnance. STEEVENS. [1] Portage-open space, from port, a gate. Let the eye appear in the head as cannon through the battlements or embrasures, of a fortification. JOHNSON, [2] The force of the word jutty, when applied to a rock projecting lato the sea, is not felt by those who are unaware that this word anciently signified a role raised to withstand the encroachment of the tide. WHITE. Jutty-heads, in sea-language, are platforms standing on piles, nearthe docks, and projecting without the wharves, for the more convenenient docking and undocking ships. STEEVENS. [3] His worn or wasted base. [4] A metaphor from the bow. JOHNS. Fathers, that, like so many Alexanders, Have, in these parts, from morn till even fought, That those, whom you call'd fathers, did beget you! And teach them how to war!--And you, good yeomen, That you are worth your breeding: which I doubt not; [Exeunt. Alarum, and chambers go off. SCENE II. The same. Forces pass over; then enter NYM, Bardolph, PISTOL, and Boy. Bard. 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 of lives: the humour of it is too hot, that is the very plain-song of it. Pist. The plain-song is most just; for humours do abound; Knocks go and come; God's vassals drop and die ; And sword and shield, In bloody field, Doth win immortal fame. Boy. 'Would I were in an alehouse in London! I would give all my fame for a pot of ale, and safety. Pist. And I: If my wishes would prevail with me, But thither would I hie. Boy. As duly, but not as truly, as bird doth sing on bough. Argument-matter, or subject. JOHNSON. [4] Slips are a contrivance of leather, to start two dogs at one time. C. [5] A case of pistols, which was the current phrase for a pair or brace of pistols. in our author's time, is at this day the term always used in Ireland, where much of the language of the age of Elizabeth is yet retained. MALONE. Enter FLUELlen. Flu. Got's plood! 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 !-your honour wins bad humours. [Exeunt NYM, PIST. and BARD. followed by FLU. Boy. As young as I am, I have observ'd 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 antics do not amount to a man. For Bardolph, he is white-liver'd, 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 lutecase, 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 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 villany goes against my weak stomach, and therefore I must cast it up. [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 [6] To men of earth, to poor mortal men. JOHNSON. It appears that, in Shakespeare's age, to carry coals, was, I know not why, tè endure affronts JOHNSON 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 by Cheshu, 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. By Cheshu, 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 by Cheshu, 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. By Chrish la, 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, so Chrish save me, la, 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 leave, as I may pick occa-. sion; that sall I, marry. [8] Fluellen means, that the enemy had digged himself countermines four yards under the mines. [9] That is, he will blow up all. JOHNSON. |