Enter Chorus.
Chor. Now all the youth of England are on fire,[4645]
And silken dalliance in the wardrobe lies:
Now thrive the armorers, and honour's thought[4646]
Reigns solely in the breast of every man:
They sell the pasture now to buy the horse,5
Following the mirror of all Christian kings,
With winged heels, as English Mercuries.
For now sits Expectation in the air,
And hides a sword from hilts unto the point
With crowns imperial, crowns and coronets,10
Promised to Harry and his followers.
The French, advised by good intelligence
Of this most dreadful preparation,
Shake in their fear and with pale policy
Seek to divert the English purposes.15
O England! model to thy inward greatness,
Like little body with a mighty heart,
What mightst thou do, that honour would thee do,
Were all thy children kind and natural!
But see thy fault! France hath in thee found out[4647]20
A nest of hollow bosoms, which he fills[4647][4648]
With treacherous crowns; and three corrupted men,
One, Richard Earl of Cambridge, and the second,
Henry Lord Scroop of Masham, and the third,
Sir Thomas Grey, knight, of Northumberland,25
Have, for the gilt of France,—O guilt indeed!—
Confirm'd conspiracy with fearful France;
And by their hands this grace of kings must die,[4649]
If hell and treason hold their promises,[4649]
Ere he take ship for France, and in Southampton.[4649][4650]30
Linger your patience on; and we'll digest[4649][4651][4652]
The abuse of distance; force a play:[4649][4651][4653]
The sum is paid; the traitors are agreed;[4649][4654]
The king is set from London; and the scene[4649]
Is now transported, gentles, to Southampton;[4649]35
There is the playhouse now, there must you sit:
And thence to France shall we convey you safe,
And bring you back, charming the narrow seas
To give you gentle pass; for, if we may,
We'll not offend one stomach with our play.40
But, till the king come forth, and not till then,[4655]
Unto Southampton do we shift our scene. [Exit.
Scene I. London. A street.[4656]
Enter Corporal Nym and Lieutenant Bardolph.
Bard. Well met, Corporal Nym.
Nym. Good morrow, Lieutenant Bardolph.
Bard. What, are Ancient Pistol and you friends yet?
Nym. For my part, I care not: I say little; but when
time shall serve, there shall be smiles; but that shall be as[4657]5
it may. I dare not fight; but I will wink and hold out
mine iron: it is a simple one; but what though? it will
toast cheese, and it will endure cold as another man's
sword will: and there's an end.[4658]
Bard. I will bestow a breakfast to make you friends;10
and we'll be all three sworn brothers to France: let it be[4659]
so, good Corporal Nym.
Nym. Faith, I will live so long as I may, that's the
certain of it; and when I cannot live any longer, I will
do as I may: that is my rest, that is the rendezvous[4660]15
of it.