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Never sees horrid night, the child of hell;
But, like a lacquey, from the rise to set,
Sweats in the eye of Phoebus, and all night
Sleeps in Elysium; next day, after dawn,
Doth rise, and help Hyperion to his horse;
And follows so the ever-running year
With profitable labour, to his grave:

And, but for ceremony, such a wretch,
Winding up days with toil, and nights with sleep,
Had the fore-hand and vantage of a king.

The slave, a member of the country's peace,
Enjoys it; but in gross brain little wots,

What watch the king keeps to maintain the peace,
Whose hours the peasant best advantages.

Enter ERPINGHAM.

Erp. My lord, your nobles, jealous of your ab

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K. Hen. O God of battles! steel my soldiers'

hearts!

Possess them not with fear; take from them now The sense of reckoning, if the opposed numbers Pluck their hearts from them!-Not to day, O Lord,

O not to-day, think not upon the fault

My father made in compassing the crown!
I Richard's body have interred new;
And on it have bestow'd more contrite tears,
Than from it issued forced drops of blood.
Five hundred poor I have in yearly pay,
Who twice a day their wither'd hands hold up
Toward heaven, to pardon blood; and I have built
Two chantries, where the sad and solemn priests
Sing still for Richard's soul. More will I do:
Though all that I can do, is nothing worth;
Since that my penitence comes after all,
Imploring pardon 48,

Glo. My liege!

K. Hen.

Enter GLOSTer.

My brother Gloster's voice?-Ay;

I know thy errand, I will go with thee:

The day, my friends, and all things stay for me.

[Exeunt.

SCENE II.

The French Camp.

Enter Dauphin, ORLEANS, RAMBURES, and others.

Orl. The sun doth gild our armour; up, my lords. Dau. Montex a cheval:-My horse! valet! lacquay! ha!

Orl. O brave spirit!

Dau. Via 49!-les eaux et la terre

Orl. Rien puis? l'air et le feu
Dau. Ciel! cousin Orleans.-

Enter Constable.

Now, my lord Constable!

Con. Hark, how our steeds for present service

neigh.

Dau. Mount them, and make incision in their

hides;

That their hot blood may spin in English eyes, And dout them 50 with superfluous courage: Ha!

Ram. What, will you have them weep our horses' blood?

How shall we then behold their natural tears?

Enter a Messenger.

Mess. The English are embattled, you French

peers.

Con. To horse, you gallant princes! straight to
horse!

Do but behold yon poor and starved band,
And your fair show shall suck away their souls,
Leaving them but the shales and husks of men.
There is not work enough for all our hands;
Scarce blood enough in all their sickly veins,
To give each naked curtle-ax a stain,

That our French gallants shall to-day draw out,
And sheath for lack of sport: let us but blow on them,
The
vapour of our valour will o'erturn them.

'Tis positive 'gainst all exceptions, lords,

That our superfluous lackeys, and our peasants,—
Who, in unnecessary action, swarm
About our squares of battle,—were enough
To purge this field of such a hilding foe "';
Though we, upon this mountain's basis by
Took stand for idle speculation:

But that our honours must not. What's to say?
A very little little let us do,

And all is done. Then let the trumpets sound The tucket-sonuance 52, and the note to mount: For our approach shall so much dare the field, That England shall couch down in fear, and yield.

Enter GRANDpre'.

Grand. Why do you stay so long, my lords of
France?

Yon island carrions, desperate of their bones,
I'll-favour'dly become the morning field:
Their ragged curtains poorly are let loose,
And our air shakes them passing scornfully.
Big Mars seems bankrupt in their beggar'd host,
And faintly through a rusty beaver peeps.
Their horsemen sit like fixed candlesticks,

With torch-staves in their hand 53: and their poor jades

Lob down their heads, dropping the hides and hips; The gum down-roping from their pale dead eyes; And in their pale dull mouths the gimmal bit 54 Lies foul with chew'd grass, still and motionless; And their executors, the knavish crows,

Fly o'er them all, impatient for their hour.
Description cannot suit itself in words,
To demonstrate the life of such a battle
In life so lifeless as it shows itself.

Con. They have said their prayers, and they stay for death.

Dau. Shall we go send them dinners, and fresh

suits,

And give their fasting horses provender,

And after fight with them?

Con. I stay but for my guard; On, to the field: I will the banner from a trumpet take,

And use it for my haste. Come, come away!

The sun is high, and we outwear the day. [Exeunt.

SCENE III.

The English Camp.

Enter the English Host; GLOSTER, BEDFORD, EXETER, SALISBURY, and WESTMORELAND.

Glo. Where is the king?

Bed. The king himself is rode to view their battle. West. Of fighting men they have full threescore thousand.

Exe. There's five to one; besides, they all are

fresh.

Sal. God's arm strike with us! 'tis a fearful odds. God be wi' you, princes all; I'll to my charge: If we no more meet, till we meet in heaven,

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