England fhall give him office, honour, might: "For the Fifth Harry from curb'd licence plucks "The muzzle of restraint; and the wild dog *Shall flesh his tooth on every innocent. O my poor kingdom, fick with civil blows! When that my care could not withhold thy riots, What wilt thou do when riot is thy care? O, thou wilt be a wilderness again,

Peopled with wolves, thy old inhabitants.

P. Henry. O pardon me, my Liege ! but for my

tears,

(The moist impediments unto my speech),

[Kneeling.

I had forestall'd this dear and deep rebuke,
Ere you with grief had spoke, and I had heard
The courie of it so far. There is your crown;
And he that wears the crown.immortally,
Long guard it your's! If I affect it more,.
Than as your honour, and as your renown,
Let me no more from this obedience rife,
Which my moft true and inward-duteous fpirit
Teacheth this proftrate and exterior bending.
Heav'n witness with me, when I here came in,
And found no courfe of breath within your Majesty,
How cold it ftruck my heart! If I do feign,
O let me in my prefent wildness die,

And never live to fhew th' incredulous world
The noble change that I have purposed.
Coming to look on you, thinking you dead,
(And dead almot, my Liege, to think you were),
I fpake unto the crown, as having sente,

And thus upbraided it. The care on thee depending
Hath fed upon the body of my father,

Therefore thou belt of gold art worst of gold;

Other, leis fine in carret, is more precious,

Preferving life in med'cine potable:

But thou, most fine, most honour'd, most renown'd,

Haft eat thy bearer up. Thus, Royal Liege,

Accufing it, I put it on my head,

To try with it (as with an enemy,

That had before my face murder'd my father)
The quarrel of a true inheritor.

But if it did infect my blood with joy,

Or

Or fwell my thoughts to any ftrain of pride,
If any rebel or vain fpirit of mine

Did with the leaft affection of a welcome
Give entertainment to the might of it;
Let heav'n for ever keep it from my head,
And make me as the pooreft vaffal is,.

That doth with awe and terror kneel to it!

K. Henry. O my fon!

Heav'n put it in thy mind to take it hence,

That thou might'ft win the more thy father's love,
Pleading fo wifely in excufe of it.

Come hither, Harry, fit thou by my bed;
And hear, I think, the very latest counsel
That ever I fhall breathe. Heav'n knows; my
By what by-paths and indirect crook'd ways
I met this crown; and I myself know well,
How troublesome it fat upon my head.
To thee it fhall defcend with better quiet,
Better opinion, better confirmation :
For all the foil of the atchievement goes
With me into the earth. It feem'd in me
But as an honour fnatch'd with boit'rous hand,
And I had many living to upbraid

My gain of it by their affiftances;

fon,

Which daily grew to quarrel and to bloodshed,
Wounding fuppofed * peace. All their bold feats,
Thou feeft, with peril I have answered.

For all my reign hath been but as a scene
Acting that argument: and now my death
Changes the mode †; for what in me was purchas'd,
Falls upon thee in a much fairer fort;

For thou the garland wear'ft fucceffively.

Yet though thou stand'st more fure than I could do,
Thou art not firm enough, fince griefs are green;
And all thy friends, which thou must make thy friends,
Have but their ftings and teeth newly ta'en out;
By whofe fell working I was first advance'd,
And by whofe pow'r I well might lodge a fear,
To be again difplace'd: which to avoid

* Suppofed, for undermined.

Mode, here, does not fignify fashion; but time and measure in fing ng, or the pitch in fpeaking. Mr. W.

I cut them off, and had a purpose now

To lead our many to the holy land;

Left reft and lying ftill might make them look
Too near into my ftate. Therefore, my Harry,
Be it thy courfe to busy giddy minds

With foreign quarrels; that action, hence, borne out,
May waste the memory of former days.

More would I, but my lungs are wafted fo,
That ftrength of fpeech is utterly deny'd me.
How I came by the crown, O God, forgive!

And grant it may with thee in true peace live!

P. Henry. My gracious Liege,

You won it, wore it, kept it, gave it me;
Then plain and right muft my poffeffion be;
Which I with more than with a common pain,
'Gainft all the world will rightfully maintain.

Enter Lord John of Lancaster, and Warwick. K. Henry. Look, look, here comes my John of Lancafter.

Lan. Health, peace and happiness to my Royal father. K. Henry. Thou bring'ft me happinefs and peace, fon But health, alack, with youthful wings is flown [John; From this bare, wither'd trunk. Upon thy fight My worldly business makes a period. Where is my Lord of Warwick?

P. Henry. My Lord of Warwick.

my

life muft

K. Henry. Doth any name particular belong
Unto the lodging where I firft did fwoon?
War. 'Tis call'd Jerufalem, my Noble Lord.
K. Henry. Laud be to God! even there
It hath been prophefy'd to me many years,
I fhould not die but in Jerufalem:
Which vainly I fuppos'd the holy land.
But bear me to that chamber, there I'll lie:
In that Jerufalem fhall Harry die.

[end.

[Exeunt.

ACT

SCENE I.

ACT V.

Shallow's feat in Gloftershire.

Enter Shallow, Silence, Falstaff, Bardolph, and Page. Shal. Y cock and pye, Sir, you fhall not away tonight. What! Davy, I fay.

B'night.

Fal. You must excufe me, Master Robert Sallow. Shal. I will not excufe you; you shall not be excufed. Excufes fhall not be admitted: there is no excufe fhall ferve: you fhall not be excus'd. Why, Davy,

Davy. Here, Sir,

Enter Davy.

Shal. Davy, Davy, Davy, let me fee; Davy, let me fee; yea, marry, William Cook, bid him come hither. Sir John, you fhall not be excus'd.

Davy. Marry, Sir, thus: thofe precepts cannot be ferv'd; and, again, Sir, fhall we fow the head-land with wheat?

Shal. With red wheat, Davy But, for William Cook, are there no young pidgeons?

Davy. Yea, Sir-Here is now the fmith's note for fhooing, and plough-irons.

Shal. Let it be caft and paid

fhall not be excus'd,

Sir John, you

Davy. Now, Sir, a new link to the bucket must needs be had. And, Sir, do you mean to stop any of William's wages about the fack he loft the other day at Hinckly fair?

Shal. He fhall anfwer it. Some pidgeons, Davy, a couple of fhort-legg'd hens, a joint of mutton, and any pretty little tiny kickshaws: tell William Cook.

Davy. Doth the man of war stay all night, Sir? Shal. Yes, Davy. I will ufe him well. A friend i' th' court is better than a penny in purfe. Ufe his men well, Davy; for they are arrent knaves, and will backbite.

Davy. No worfe than they are backbitten, Sir; for they have marvellous foul linen.

I

Shal.

Shal. Well conceited, Davy. About thy business, Davy.

Davy. I befeech you, Sir, to countenance William Vifor of Woncot against Clement Perkes of the hill. Shal. There are many complaints, Davy, against that Visor; that Vifor is an arrant knave, on my knowledge.

Davy. "I grant your Worship, that he is a knave, "Sir; but yet God forbid, Sir, but a knave fhould "have fome countenance at his friend's request. An. "honest man, Sir, is able to speak for himself, when 66 a knave is not. I have ferv'd your Worship truly,

66

Sir, thefe eight years; and if I cannot once or twice “in a quarter bear out a knave against an honest man, "I have but very little credit with your Worthip. The "knave is mine honeft friend, Sir; therefore, I be"feech your Worthip, let him be countenance'd.

Shal. Go to, I fay, he fhall have no wrong. Look about, Davy. Where are you, Sir John? come, off with your boots. Give me your hand, Master Bardolph. Bard. I am glad to fee your Worship.

Shal. I thank thee with all my heart, kind Master Bardolph; and welcome, my tall fellow. [To the Page.] Come, Sir John.

Fal. I'll follow you, good Mafter Robert Shallow. [Exeunt Shallow, Silence, &c.] Bardolph, look to our horfes.- -If I were faw'd into quantities, I should make four dozen of fuch bearded hermits-ftaves as Mafter Shallow." It is a wonderful thing to see the sem"blable coherence of his mens' spirits and his : they, "by obferving of him, do bear themfelves like foolish juftices; he, by converfing with them, is turn'd into "a juftice-like fervingman. Their fpirits are fo mar"ried in conjunction, with the participation of fociety, "that they flock together in confent, like fo many wild

geefe. If I had a fuit to Master Shallow, I would "humour his men with the imputation of being near "their mafter: if to his men, I would curry with Ma"fter Shallow, that no man could better command his "fervants. It is certain, that either wife bearing or "ignorant carriage is caught, as men take difeafes one "of another: therefore let men take heed of their VOL. IV. "company."

G g