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

Orl. It is now two o'clock: but, let me see,—by ten We shall have each a hundred Englishmen.

[Exeunt.

ACT IV.

Enter Chorus.

Chor. Now entertain conjecture of a time

When creeping murmur and the poring1 dark
Fills the wide vessel of the Universe.

From camp to camp, through the foul womb of night,
The hum of either army stilly sounds,

That the fix'd sentinels2 almost receive

The secret whispers of each other's watch:
Fire answers fire; and through their paly flames
Each battle sees the other's umber'd3 face:
Steed threatens steed, in high and boastful neighs
Piercing the night's dull ear; and from the tents,

1 To pore is to look intently, heedfully, or with strained vision; and poring is here, no doubt, an instance of what is called transferred epithet: the darkness in which we look as aforesaid, or grope.

2 That is, the sentinels stationed, or remaining at their posts. - That has the force of so that; a very frequent usage.

3 It has been said that the distant visages of the soldiers would appear of an umber colour when beheld through the light of midnight fires. I suspect that nothing more is meant than shadow'd face. The epithet paly flames is against the other interpretation. Umbre for shadow is common in our elder writers.

The armourers, accomplishing the knights,
With busy hammers closing rivets up,*
Give dreadful note of preparation :

The country cocks do crow, the clocks do toll,
And the third hour of drowsy morning name.
Proud of their numbers, and secure in soul,
The confident and over-lusty French
Do the low-rated English play at dice ;5
And chide the cripple tardy-gaited night,
Who, like a foul and ugly witch, doth limp
So tediously away. The poor condemnèd English,
Like sacrifices, by their watchful fires

Sit patiently, and inly ruminate

The morning's danger; and their gesture sad
Investing lank-lean cheeks, and war-worn coats,
Presenteth them unto the gazing Moon

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

4 This does not solely refer to the riveting the plate armour before it was put on, but also to a part when it was on. The top of the cuirass had a little projecting bit of iron that passed through a hole in the bottom of the When both were put on, the armourer presented himself, with his riveting hammer, to close the rivet up.

casque.

5 The Poet took this from Holinshed: "The Frenchmen in the meane while, as though they had beene sure of victorie, made great triumph; for the capteins had determined how to divide the spoile, and the soldiers the night before had plaid the Englishmen at dice."

6 The metaphor of a gesture investing cheeks seems rather harsh and strained. But gesture, in the sense of the Latin original, may very well be used of a look, or any form of expression addressed to the eye. And to speak of a look as overspreading or covering the face, is legitimate enough. We have a like figure in Much Ado, iv. 1: "I am so attired in wonder." Also, in Sidney's Astrophel: “Anger invests the face with a lovely grace." - Perhaps it should be added that and connects coats to gesture, not to checks: "and their war-worn coats." See Critical Notes.

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 host;
Bids them good morrow with a modest smile,
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-watchèd night;
But freshly looks, and over-bears attaint7
With cheerful semblance and sweet majesty ;
That every wretch, pining and pale before,
Beholding him, plucks comfort from his looks:
A largess universal, like the Sun,

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

A little touch of Harry in the night.8
And so our scene must to the battle fly;

Where O for pity!-we shall much disgrace

With four or five most vile and ragged foils,
Right ill-disposed in brawl ridiculous,

The name of Agincourt. Yet, sit and see;
Minding true things by what their mockeries be.

[Exit.

Attaint, or taint, was often used for attainture or attainder, in the sense of impeachment or accusation. The meaning is, that the King by his brave and cheerful look overcomes all disposition on the part of the soldiers to blame or reproach him for the plight they are in.

8 The meaning, as I take it, is, "so that, to describe the thing inadequately, men of all ranks in the army get a little glimpse or taste of Harry in the night." See Critical Notes.

9 Minding, here, is the same as calling to mind.

SCENE I. France. The English Camp at Agincourt.

Enter King HENRY, BEDFORD, and GLOSTER. King. Gloster, 'tis true that we are in great danger; The greater therefore should our courage be.

Good morrow, brother Bedford. — God Almighty!
There is some soul of goodness in things evil,
Would men observingly distil it out;

For our bad neighbour makes us early stirrers,
Which is both healthful and good husbandry:
Besides, they are our outward consciences,
And preachers to us all; admonishing

That we should 'dress1 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 soft pillow for that good white head.
Were better than a churlish turf of France.

Erp. Not so, my liege: this lodging likes me better,
Since I may say, Now lie I like a king.

King. 'Tis good for men to love their present pains
Upon example; so the spirit is eased:

And, when the mind is quicken'd, out of doubt
The organs, though defunct and dead before,
Break up their drowsy grave, and newly move

1 Here 'dress is a contraction of address, which the Poet often uses for make ready or prepare. So in Macbeth, i. 7: “Was the hope drunk wherein you 'dress'd yourself?" See, also, As You Like It, page 139, note 24.

With casted slough and fresh legerity.2

Lend me thy cloak, Sir Thomas. Brothers both,
Commend me to the princes in our camp;

Do my good morrow to them; and anon
Desire them all to my pavilion.

Glo. We shall, my liege.

Erp. Shall I attend your Grace?

King.

No, my good knight;

Go with my brothers to my lords of England:

I and my bosom must debate awhile,

And then I would no other company.

Erp. The Lord in Heaven bless thee, noble Harry! [Exeunt GLOSTER, BEDFORD, and ERPINGHAM. King. God-a-mercy, old heart! thou speak'st cheerfully.

Pist. Qui va là ?

King. A friend.

Enter PISTOL.

Pist. Discuss unto me; art thou officer? Or art thou base, common, and popular? King. I am a gentleman of a company. Pist. Trail'st thou the puissant pike? King. Even so. What are you?

Pist. As good a gentleman as the Emperor.

King. Then you are a better than the King.

Pist. The King's a bawcock, and a heart of gold,

A lad of life, an imp3 of fame;

Of parents good, of fist most valiant:

2 The allusion is to the casting of the slough or skin of the snake annually, by which act he is supposed to regain new vigour and fresh youth. Legerity is lightness, nimbleness. Légèreté, French.

3 The original meaning of imp is graff, scion, or sprout. See 2 Henry the Fourth, page 275, note I.