Fare you well.
Exeunt Ambassadors [and Attendants].
Exeter. This was a merry message.
King. We hope to make the sender blush at it.
Therefore, my lords, omit no happy hour°
That may give furth‘rance to our expedition;°
For we have now no thought in us but France,
Save those to. God, that run before° our business.
Therefore let our proportions° for these wars
Be soon collected, and all things thought upon
That may with reasonable swiftness add
More feathers to our wings; for, God before,°
We’ll chide this Dauphin at his father’s door.
Therefore let every man now task his thought
That this fair action may on foot° be brought.
Exeunt.
289 lies all within depends wholly upon
300 omit no happy hour lose no favorable occasion
301 expedition enterprise
303 run before i.e., as prayers precede
304 proportions forces and supplies
307 God before God leading. us
310 on foot in active operation
[ACT 2]
Flourish. ° Enter Chorus.
Now all the youth of England are on fire,
And silken dalliance in the wardrobe lies;°
Now thrive the armorers, and honor’s thought
Reigns solely° in the breast of every man.
They sell the pasture now, to buy the horse;
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
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.
O England, model° to thy inward greatness,
Like little body with a mighty heart,
What mightst thou do, that honor would thee do,
Were all thy children kind and natural!°
2 Prologue s.d. Flourish trumpet fanfare
2 silken dalliance in the wardrobe lies i.e., pastimes and luxuries are laid aside like clothes
4 solely alone
6 mirror model
7 Mercuries (in classical mythology Mercury, or Hermes, was the gods’ messenger: he was pictured as wearing winged helmet and sandals)
9 hilts hilt (plural for singular, as frequently)
12 advised by good intelligence informed by efficient espionage
14 pate policy contrivance inspired by fear
16 model form
19 kind and natural loving and naturally affectionate
But see, thy fault° France° hath in thee found
out—
A nest of hollow° bosoms—which he fills
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—
Have, for the gilt° of France (O guilt indeed!),
Confirmed conspiracy with fearful France,
And by their hands this grace° of kings must die,
If hell and treason hold their promises,
Ere he take ship for France, and in Southampton.
Linger your patience on, and we’ll digest
Th’ abuse of distance;° force° a play:—
The sum is paid; the traitors are agreed;
The King is set from London; and the scene
Is now transported, gentles, to Southampton.
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.
But, till the King come forth, and not till then,
Unto Southampton do we shift our scene. Exit.
20 fault imperfection
20 France the King of France
21 hollow (1) false (2) empty
22 crowns coins
26 gilt i.e., golden crowns
28 grace ornament
31-32 digest/Th’ abuse of distance dispose of the wrong done to fact in moving from place to place in the play’s action
32 force cram full
38 charming the narrow seas laying spells on the English Channel
39 pass passage
40 offend one stomach (1) displease anyone (2) make anyone seasick
[Scene 1. London. A street.]
Enter Corporal Nym and Lieutenant Bardolph.
Bardolph. Well met, Corporal Nym.
Nym. Good morrow, Lieutenant° Bardolph.
Bardolph. 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 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.°
Bardolph. I will bestow° a breakfast to make you friends, and we’ll be all three sworn brothers° to France. Let ’t be 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° of it.
Bardolph. It is certain, Corporal, that he is married
2.1.2 Lieutenant (Bardolph was a Corporal in
2 Henry IV and Nym calls him so again at 3.2.3, below)
3 Ancient Ensign, Standard Bearer
6 serve be opportune
7 wink (1) shut my eyes (2) give a meaningful look
8 iron sword
9-10 will endure cold does not mind being naked
10-11 there’s an end that’s all there is to it
12 bestow treat you to
13 sworn brothers comrades pledged to share each other’s fortunes (cf. 3.2.45-46)
17 I will do as I may (cf. the proverb, “He that cannot do as he would must do as he may”)
17 rest when I stand to win or lose (the stakes in a game of primero, the loss of which brings about the end of the game)
18 rendezvous last resort
to Nell Quickly, and certainly she did you wrong, for you were troth-plighto to her.
Nym. I cannot tell. Things must be as they may; men may sleep, and they may have their throats about them at that time, and some say knives have edges. It must be as it may; though patience be a tired mare, yet she will plod;° .there must be conclusions. Well, I cannot tell.
Enter Pistol and [Hostess] Quickly.
Bardolph. Here comes Ancient Pistol and his wife. Good Corporal, be patient here. How now, mine host Pistol?
Pistol. Base tyke, call‘st thou me host?
Now by this hand I swear I scorn the term;
Nor shall my Nell keep lodgers!
Hostess. No, by my troth, not long; for we cannot lodge and board a dozen or fourteen gentlewomen that live honesdyo by the prick of their needles, but it will be thought we keep a bawdy house straight. [Nym draws his sword.] O well-a-day, Lady, if he be not hewn now! We shall see willful adultery and murder committed.
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