King Henry the Fifth Part 5

_Grey._ (_R. kneeling._) Never did faithful subject more rejoice At the discovery of most dangerous treason Than I do at this hour joy o'er myself, Prevented from a d.a.m.ned enterprize: My fault, but not my body, pardon, sovereign.

_K. Hen._ (C.) Heaven quit you in its mercy! Hear your sentence.

You have conspir'd against our royal person, Join'd with an enemy proclaim'd, and from his coffers Receiv'd the golden earnest of our death; Wherein you would have sold your king to slaughter, His princes and his peers to servitude, His subjects to oppression and contempt, And his whole kingdom into desolation.

Touching our person, seek we no revenge;(C) But we our kingdom's safety must so tender,[12]

Whose ruin you three sought, that to her laws We do deliver you. Get you, therefore, hence, Poor miserable wretches, to your death: The taste whereof, Heaven of its mercy give you Patience to endure, and true repentance Of all your dear offences![13]--Bear them hence.

[_Conspirators rise and exeunt guarded, with EXETER._

Now, Lords, for France; the enterprize whereof Shall be to you, as us, like glorious.

We doubt not of a fair and lucky war, Since Heaven so graciously hath brought to light This dangerous treason, lurking in our way.

Then, forth, dear countrymen: let us deliver Our puissance[14] into the hand of Heaven, Putting it straight in expedition.

Cheerly to sea; the signs of war advance:(D) No king of England, if not king of France.

[_Exeunt, U.E.L.H._

[Footnote II.1: _----in a fair consent with ours,_] i.e., in friendly concord; in unison with ours.]

[Footnote II.2: _----hearts +create+_] Hearts _compounded_ or _made up_ of duty and zeal.]

[Footnote II.3: _----more advice,_] On his return to more _coolness of mind_.]

[Footnote II.4: _Are heavy orisons 'gainst, &c._] i.e., are weighty supplications against this poor wretch.]

[Footnote II.5: _----proceeding on +distemper+,_] _Distemper'd in liquor_ was a common expression. We read in Holinshed, vol. iii., page 626:-- "gave him wine and strong drink in such excessive sort, that he was therewith _distempered_, and reeled as he went."]

[Footnote II.6: _----how shall we stretch our eye_] If we may not _wink_ at small faults, _how wide must we open our eyes_ at great.]

[Footnote II.7: _Who are the late commissioners?_] That is, who are the persons lately appointed commissioners.]

[Footnote II.8: _----quick_] That is, _living_.]

[Footnote II.9: _----as gross_] As palpable.]

[Footnote II.10: _----though the truth of it stands off as gross As black from white,_]

Though the truth be as apparent and visible as black and white contiguous to each other. To _stand off_ is _etre releve_, to be prominent to the eye, as the strong parts of a picture.

--JOHNSON.]

[Footnote II.11: _Which I in sufferance heartily will rejoice,_]

Cambridge means to say, _at_ which prevention, or, which intended scheme that it was prevented, I shall rejoice. Shakespeare has many such elliptical expressions. The intended scheme that he alludes to was the taking off Henry, to make room for his brother-in-law. --MALONE.]

[Footnote II.12: _----our kingdom's safety must so tender,_] i.e., must so regard.]

[Footnote II.13: _----dear offences!----_] _To dere_, in ancient language, was _to hurt_; the meaning, therefore, is hurtful-- pernicious offences.]

[Footnote II.14: _Our puissance_] i.e., our power, our force.]

SCENE II.--FRANCE. A ROOM IN THE FRENCH KING'S PALACE.

_Trumpets sound._

_Enter the FRENCH KING,[15] attended; the DAUPHIN, the DUKE OF BURGUNDY, the CONSTABLE, and Others,(E) L.H._

_Fr. King._ (C.) Thus come the English with full power upon us; And more than carefully it us concerns[16]

To answer royally in our defences.

Therefore the Dukes of Berry and of Bretagne, Of Brabant and of Orleans, shall make forth,-- And you, Prince Dauphin,--with all swift despatch, To line and new repair our towns of war With men of courage and with means defendant.

_Dau._ (R.C.) My most redoubted father, It is most meet we arm us 'gainst the foe: And let us do it with no show of fear; No, with no more than if we heard that England Were busied with a Whitsun morris-dance: For, my good liege, she is so idly king'd, Her sceptre so fantastically borne By a vain, giddy, shallow, humorous youth, That fear attends her not.

_Con._ (L.C.) O peace, prince Dauphin You are too much mistaken in this king: With what great state he heard our emba.s.sy, How well supplied with n.o.ble counsellors, How modest in exception,[17] and withal How terrible in constant resolution, And you shall find his vanities fore-spent Were but the outside of the Roman Brutus, Covering discretion with a coat of folly.

_Dau._ Well, 'tis not so, my lord high constable; But though we think it so, it is no matter: In cases of defence 'tis best to weigh The enemy more mighty than he seems: So the proportions of defence are fill'd.

_Fr. King._ Think we King Harry strong; And, princes, look you strongly arm to meet him.

The kindred of him hath been flesh'd upon us; And he is bred out of that b.l.o.o.d.y strain[18]

That haunted us[19] in our familiar paths: Witness our too much memorable shame When Cressy battle fatally was struck, And all our princes captiv'd by the hand Of that black name, Edward, black prince of Wales; Whiles that his mountain sire,--on mountain standing, Up in the air, crown'd with the golden sun,--[20]

Saw his heroical seed, and smil'd to see him Mangle the work of nature, and deface The patterns that by Heaven and by French fathers Had twenty years been made. This is a stem Of that victorious stock; and let us fear The native mightiness and fate of him.[21]

_Enter MONTJOY,[22] L.H., and kneels C. to the KING._

_Mont._ Amba.s.sadors from Henry King of England Do crave admittance to your majesty.

_Fr. King._ We'll give them present audience.

(_MONTJOY rises from his knee._)

Go, and bring them.

[_Exeunt MONTJOY, and certain LORDS, L.H._

You see this chase is hotly follow'd, friends.

_Dau._ Turn head, and stop pursuit; for coward dogs Most spend their mouths,[23] when what they seem to threaten Runs far before them. Good my sovereign, Take up the English short; and let them know Of what a monarchy you are the head: Self-love, my liege, is not so vile a sin As self-neglecting.

[_FRENCH KING takes his seat on Throne, R._

_Re-enter MONTJOY, LORDS, with EXETER and Train, L.H._

_Fr. King._ From our brother England?

_Exe._ (L.C.) From him; and thus he greets your majesty.

He wills you, in the awful name of Heaven, That you divest yourself, and lay apart The borrow'd glories, that, by gift of heaven, By law of nature and of nations, 'long To him and to his heirs; namely, the crown, And all wide-stretched honours that pertain, By custom and the ordinance of times Unto the crown of France. That you may know 'Tis no sinister nor no awkward claim, Pick'd from the worm-holes of long-vanish'd days, Nor from the dust of old oblivion rak'd, He sends you this most memorable line,[24]

[_Gives a paper to MONTJOY, who delivers it kneeling to the KING._

In every branch truly demonstrative; Willing you overlook this pedigree: And when you find him evenly deriv'd From his most fam'd of famous ancestors, Edward the Third, he bids you then resign Your crown and kingdom, indirectly held From him the native and true challenger.

_Fr. King._ Or else what follows?