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Brothers to the King.

T

Duke of Clarence,

Duke of York, Unkles to the King (1 L

Duke of Exeter,

Earl of Salisbury.

Earl of Weftmorland.
Earl of Warwick.

Arch Bishop of Canterbury.
Bishop of Ely.

Earl of Cambridge,
Lord Scroop,
Sir Thomas Grey,

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Confpirators against the King.

Formerly Servants to Falstaff, now Soldiers in the King's Army,

Soldiers.

O Charles

The Dauphin.
Duke of Burgundy.
Conftable,

Grandpree,

Governor of Harfleur.

Mountjoy, a Herald.

Ambassadors to the King of England.

Ifabel, Queen of France.

Catharine, Daughter to the King of France.
Alice, a Lady attending on the Princefs Catharine.
Hoftefs.

Lords, Meffengers, French and English Soldiers,
with other Attendants.

The Scene at the beginning of the Play lyes in England, but afterwards wholly in France.

PRO

PROLOGUE.

O

For a Mufe of fire, that would afcend
The brightest heaven of invention,

A kingdom for a flage, Princes to act,
And Monarchs to behold the fwelling Scene!
Then fhould the warlike Harry, like himself,
Affume the port of Mars, and at his heels
Leafht in like hounds, fhould famine, sword and fire
Crouch for employments. Pardon, gentles all,
The flat unraifed fpirit that hath dar'd
On this unworthy fcaffold to bring forth
So great an object. Can this Cock-pit hold
The vafty field of France? or may we cram
Within this wooden O, the very caskes
That did affright the air, at Agincourt?
O pardon fince a crooked figure may
Atteft in little place a million ;

And let us, cyphers to this great accompt,
On your imaginary forces work.
Suppofe within the girdle of thefe walls
Are now confin'd two mighty monarchies;
Whofe high up-reared, and abutting fronts
The perillous narrow ocean parts afunder.
Piece out our imperfections with your thoughts:
Into a thousand parts divide one man,
And make imaginary puissance :

Think, when we talk of horses, that you fee them

Printing their proud hoofs i'th receiving earth.

For 'tis your thoughts that now muft deck our Kings,
Carry them here and there, jumping o'er times,
Turning th'accomplishment of many years
Into an hour-glass; for the which supply,
Admit me Chorus to this hiftory;

Who prologue-like, your bumble patience pray,
Gently to hear, kindly to judge, our Play.

The

Enter the Arch-Bishop of Canterbury, and Bishop of Ely:

M

1

Arch-Bishop of CANTERBURY.

Y lord, I'll tell you, that felf bill is urg'd,
Which in th'eleventh year o'th' laft King's

reign

Was like, and had indeed against us past,
But that the scambling and unquiet time
Did put it out of farther question.

Ely. But how, my lord, fhall we refift it now?

Cant.

This Play was writ (as appears from a paffage in the Chorus to the fifth act) at the time of the Earl of Effex's commanding the forces in Ireland, in the reign of 2. Elizabeth; and not till after Henry the Sixth had been play'd ; as may be seen by the conclusion of this Play.

This firft Scene was added fince the edition of 1608, which is much short of the prefent editions, wherein the Speeches are generally enlarg'd and raised: feveral whole Scenes befides, and all the Chorus's alfo were fince added by Shakespear.