Cho. Thus with imagin'd wing our swift scene flies, In motion of no less celerity Than that of thought. Suppose, that you have seen With silken streamers the young Phoebus fanning, Holding due course to Harfleur. Follow, follow! C Guarded with grandsires, babies, and old women, With one appearing hair, that will not follow With fatal mouths gaping on girded Harfleur. [Alarum: and Chambers go off. And down goes all before them. Still be kind, And eke out our performance with your mind. [Exit. SCENE I. The same. Before HARFLEUR. Alarums. Enter KING HENRY, EXETER, BEDFORD, GLOSTER, and Soldiers, with scaling Ladders. K. Hen. Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more; Or close the wall up with our English dead! But when the blast of war blows in our ears, Let it pry through the portage of the head, O'erhang and jutty his confounded base, Now set the teeth, and stretch the nostril wide; Whose blood is set from fathers of war-proof! Have, in these parts, from morn till even fought, That those, whom you call'd fathers, did beget you! And teach them how to war!-And you, good yeomen, That you are worth your breeding: which I doubt not; [Exeunt. Alarum: and Chambers go off. SCENE II. The same. Forces pass over; then enter NYM, BARDOLPH, Bard. On, on, on, on, on! to the breach, to the breach! Nym. 'Pray thee, corporal, stay; the knocks are too hot; and, for mine own part, I have not a case of lives: the humour of it is too hot, that is the very plain song of it. Pist. The plain song is most just; for humours do abound; Knocks go and come; God's vassals drop and die: Doth win immortal fame. Boy. 'Would I were in an alehouse in London! I would give all my fame for a pot of ale, and safety. Pist. And I: If wishes would prevail with me, Boy. As duly, but not as truly, as bird doth sing on bough. Enter FLUELLEN. Flu. Got's plood!-Up to the preaches, you rascals! will you not up to the preaches? [Driving them forward. Pist. Be merciful, great duke, to men of mould! Abate thy rage, abate thy manly rage! Abate thy rage, great duke! Good bawcock, bate thy rage! use lenity, sweet chuck! Nym. These be good humours!-your honour wins bad humours. [Exeunt Nym. Pist. and Bard. followed by Flu. Boy. As young as I am, I have observed these three swashers. I am boy to them all three: but all they three, though they would serve me, could not be man to me; for, indeed, three such antics do not amount to a man. For Bardolph,-he is white-liver'd, and red-faced; by the means whereof, 'a faces it out, but fights not. For Pistol, he hath a killing tongue, and a quiet sword; by the means whereof 'a breaks words, and keeps whole weapons. For Nym, he hath heard, that men of few words are the best men; and therefore he scorns to say his prayers, lest 'a should be thought a coward; but his few bad words are match'd with as few good deeds; for 'a never broke any man's head but his own; and that was against a post, when he was drunk. They will steal any thing, and call it,-purchase. Bardolph stole a lute-case; bore it twelve leagues, and sold it for three-halfpence. Nym and Bardolph, are sworn brothers in filching; and in Calais they stole a fireshovel: I knew, by that piece of service, the men would carry coals. They would have me as familiar with mens' pockets, as their gloves or their handkerchiefs: which makes much against my manhood, if I should take from another's pocket, to put into mine; for it is plain pocketing up of wrongs. I must leave them, and seek some better service: their villany goes against my weak stomach, and therefore I must cast it up. [Exit Boy. Re-enter FLUELLEN, GOWER following. Gow. Captain Fluellen, you must come presently to the mines; the duke of Gloster would speak with you. Flu. To the mines! tell you the duke, it is not so good to come to the mines: For, look you, the mines is not according to the disciplines of the war; the concavities of it is not sufficient; for, look you, th' athversary (you may discuss unto the duke, look you), is dight himself four yards under the countermines: by Cheshu, I think, 'a will plow up all, if there is not petter directions. Gow. The duke of Gloster, to whom the order of the siege is given, is altogether directed by an Irishman; a very valiant gentleman, i'faith.. Flu. It is captain Macmorris, is it not? Gow. I think it be. Ftu. By Cheshu he is an ass, as in the 'orld: I will verify as much in his peard: he has no more directions in the true disciplines of the wars, look you, of the Roman disciplines, than is a puppy-dog. Enter MACMORRIS and JAMY, at a distance. Gow. Here 'a comes; and the Scots captain, captain Jamy, with him, Flu. Captain Jamy is a marvellous falorous gentleman, that is certain; and of great expedition, and knowledge, in the ancient wars, upon my particular knowledge of his directions: by Cheshu, he will maintain his argument as well as any military man in the 'orld, in the disciplines of the pristine wars of the Romans. Jamy. I say, gud-day, captain Fluellen. Flu. God-den to your worship, goot captain Jamy. Gow. How now, captain Macmorris? have you quit the mines? have the pioneers given o'er? Mac. By Chrish la, tish ill done: the work ish give over, the trumpet sound the retreat. By my hand, I swear, and by my father's soul, the work ish ill done; it ish give over: I would have blowed up the town, so Chrish save me, la, in an hour. O, tish ill done, tish ill done; by my hand, tish ill done! will |