THE NEW YORK

PUBLIC LIBRARY

449372 A

ASTOR, LENOX AND

THDEN FOUNDATIONS

R

1929

L

1

KING HENRY V.

PERSONS REPRESENTED.

KING HENRY THE FIFTH.
DUKE OF GLOSTER, Brothers to
DUKE OF BEDFORD, the King.
DUKE OF EXETER, Uncle to the
King.

DUKE OF YORK, Cousin to the
King.

ZARLS OF SALISBURY, WEST-
MORELAND, and WARWICK.
ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY.
BISHOP OF ELY.

EARL OF CAMBRIDGE, Conspi-
LORD SCROOP,
rators

SIR THOMAS GREY, against
the King.

SIR THOMAS ERPINGHAM,
GOWER, FLUELLEN, MAC-
MORRIS, JAMY, Officers in King
Henry's Army.

BATES, COURT, WILLIAMS, Sol-
diers in the same.

NYM, BARDOLPH, PISTOL, formerly Servants to Falstaff, now Soldiers in the same.

BOY, Servant to them.

A HERALD.-CHORUS.

CHARLES THE SIXTH, King of
France.

LEWIS, the Dauphin.
DUKES OF BURGUNDY,

LEANS, and BOURBON.

THE CONSTABLE OF FRANCE.
RAMBURES, and GRANDPREE,
French Lords.

GOVERNOR OF HARFLEUR.
MONTJOY, a French Herald.
AMBASSADORS to the King of
England.

ISABEL, Queen of France.
KATHARINE, Daughter of Charles
and Isabel.

ALICE, a Lady attending on the
Princess Katharine.

QUICKLY, Pistol's Wife, a Hostess.

LORDS, LADIES, OFFICERS, French
and English SOLDIERS, MESSEN-
GERS, and ATTENDANTS.

The SCENE, at the beginning of the Play, lies in England; but afterwards wholly in France.

Enter CHORUS.

O, for a muse of fire, that would ascend

The brightest heaven of invention !

A kingdom for a stage, princes to act,

And monarchs to behold the swelling scene!

Then should the warlike Harry, like himself,

Assume the port of Mars; and, at his heels,

Leash'd in like hounds, should famine, sword, and fire
Crouch for employment. But pardon, gentles all,

TOL III.

B

The flat unraised spirit, that hath dared,
On this unworthy scaffold to bring forth
So great an object: Can this cockpit hold
The vasty fields of France? or may we cram
Within this wooden O,* the very casques,
That did affright the air at Agincourt?
O, pardon! since a crooked figure may
Attest, in little place, a million;
And let us, ciphers to this great accompt,
On your imaginary forcest work:
Suppose, within the girdle of these walls
Are now confined two mighty monarchies,
Whose high upreared and abutting fronts
The perilous, narrow ocean parts asunder.
Pierce out our imperfections with your thoughts;
Into a thousand parts divide one man,
And make imaginary puissance:

Think, when we talk of horses, that you see them
Printing their proud hoofs i' the receiving earth:
For 'tis your thoughts that now must deck our kings
Carry them here and there; jumping o'er times;
Turning the accomplishment of many years
Into an hour-glass; For the which supply,
Admit me chorus to this history;

Who, prologue-like, your humble patience pray,
Gently to hear, kindly to judge, our play.

SCENE I-London. An Antichamber in the King's Palace.

Enter the Archbishop of CANTERBURY, and Bishop of ELY

Cant. My lord, I'll tell you,-that self bill is urged,

Which, in the eleventh year o' the last king's reign

Was like, and had indeed against us pass'd,

But that the scambling and unquiet time

Did push it out of further question.‡

Ely. But how, my lord, shall we resist it now?

Cant. It must be thought on. If it pass against us,

We lose the better half of our possession:

For all the temporal lands, which men devout

By testament have given to the church,

Would they strip from us; being valued thus,-
As much as would maintain, to the king's honour,
Full fifteen earls, and fifteen hundred knights;
Six thousand and two hundred good esquires;
And to relief of lazars, and weak age,

An allusion to the circular form of the Globe Theatre.
+ Powers of fancy.
+ Debate.