weakness and his weariness as part of the surrender of ease and strength and self which he makes on behalf of England. With a touch of his old love of frolic he enters on the quarrel with Williams, and exchanges gages with the soldier. When morning dawns he looks freshly, and "overbears attaint," with cheerful semblance and sweet majesty :

"A largess universal like the sun

His liberal eye doth give to every one,
Thawing cold fear."

With a prayer to God he sets to rights the heavenward side of his nature, and there leaves it. In the battle Henry does not, in the manner of his politic father, send into the field a number of counterfeit kings to attract away from himself the centre of the war. There is no stratagem at Agincourt; it is "plain shock and even play of battle." If Henry for a moment ceases to be the skilful wielder of resolute strength, it is only when he rises into the genius of the rage of battle:

"I was not angry since I came to France

Until this instant.-Take a trumpet, herald;
Ride thou unto the horsemen on yon hill:
If they will fight with us, bid them come down,
Or void the field; they do offend our sight.
If they'll do neither, we will come to them,
And make them skirr away as swift as stones
Enforced from the old Assyrian slings.

Besides, we 'll cut the throats of those we have,
And not a man of them that we shall take

Shall taste our mercy."

It is in harmony with the spirit of the play, and with the character of Henry, that it should close with no ostentatious heroics, but with the half jocular, whole earnest wooing of the French princess by the English king.

IC

KiNC HENRY

हैं

Chorus. O for a Muse of fire, that would ascend

The brightest heaven of invention,

A kingdom for a stage, princes to act,

And monarchs to behold the swelling scene!