ELEGANT EXTRACTS,

Stuffing the ears of men with falfe reports.
I fpeak of peace, while covert enmity,
Under the fmile of fafety,wounds the world:
And who but Rumour, who but only I,
Make fearful mufters, and prepar'd defence,
Whilft the big year, fwoln with fome other
grief,

Is thought with child by the stern tyrant war.
And no fuch matter? Rumour is a pipe
Blown by furmifes, jealoufies, conjectures;
And of fo eafy and fo plain a stop,
That the blunt monfter with uncounted heads,
The ftill difcordant wavering multitude,
Can play upon it.

Contention.

Contention, like a horfe
Full of high feeding, madly hath broke loose,
And bears down all before him.

Poft-Meffenger.

After him, came, fpurring hard,

A gentleman almost forefpent with speed,
That stopp'd by me to breathe his bloodied
horfe:

He afk'd the way to Chefter; and of him
I did demand what news from Shrewsbury.
He told me, that rebellion had ill luck,
And that young Harry Percy's fpur was cold:
With that, he gave his able horse the head,
And, bending forward, ftruck his armed heels
Against the panting fides of his poor jade
Up to the rowel head; and, starting so,
He feem'd in running to devour the way,
Staying no longer question.

Melenger with ill News.

Yea, this man's brow, like to a title-leaf,
Foretels the nature of a tragic volume:
So looks the ftrondwhereon th'imperious flood
Hath left a witnefs'd ufurpation. [cheek

Thou trembleft: and the whitenefs in thy
Is apter than thy tongue to tell thy errand.
Even fuch a man, fo faint, fo fpiritless,
So dull, fo dead in look, fo woe-begone,
Drew Priam's curtain in the dead of night,
And would have told him half his Troy was
burn'd:

I fee a strange confeffion in thine eye: [fin,
Thou fhak' thy head; and hold'ft it fear or
To fpeak a truth. If he be flain, fay fo:
The tongue offends not that reports his death:
And he doth fin, that doth belie the dead;
Not he, which fays the dead is not alive.
Yet the first bringer of unwelcome news
Hath but a lofing office; and his tongue
Sounds ever after as a fullen bell,
Remember'd knolling a departing friend.
Greater griefs deftroy the lefs.
As the wretch, whofe fever-weaken'd joints,
Like ftrengthlefs hinges, buckle under life,
Impatient of his fit, breaks like a fire
Out of his keeper's arms; even fo my limbs,
Weakened with grief, being now enrag'd with
grief,
Are thrice themfelves: Hence therefore thou
nice crutch;
A fcaly gauntlet now, with joints of steel,
Muft glove his hand : and hence, thon fickly
quoif;

Book III.

Thou art a guard too wanton for the head,
Now bind my brows with iron, and approach
Whichprinces, flesh'dwith conqueft,aim to hit,
The rugged'ft hour that time and spite dar
bring

To frown upon th'enrag'd Northumberland
Let heaven kifs earth! now letnot Natures
hand

And let this world no longer be a ftage
Keep the wild flood confin'd! Let order die!
But let one spirit of the first-born Cain
To feed contention in a ling'ring act;
Reign in all bofoms, that, each heart being
On bloody courfes, the rude fcene may end,
And darkness be the burier of the dead;
The Fickleness of the Vulgar.

An habitation giddy and unfure
Hath he that buildeth on the vulgar heart.
O thou fond many; with what loud applaufe
Didfl thou beat heaven with bleffing Balag
broke,

Before he was what thou wouldst have him be
And, being now trimm'd in thine own defire,
Thou, beaftly feeder, art fo full of him,
That thou provok'ft thyself to caft him up.
On Sleep.

That thou no more wilt weigh my eyedra
-O'gentle fleep,
Nature's foft nurfe, how have I frighted the
Andfteep my fenfes in forgetfulness! [dow
Why rather, fleep, lieft thou in fmoky cra
Upon uneafypallets ftretchingthee, [flu
And huth'd with buzzing night-flies to L
Than in the perfum'd chambers of the grea
Under the canopies of cottly flate,
O thou dull god, why lieft thou with the vile,
And lull'd with founds of sweetest melody;
A watch-cafe, or a common larum-bell
In loathfome beds;and leav'ft thekinglycouch,
Wilt thou upon the high and giddy mall,
Seal up the hip-boy's eyes, and rock histra
In cradle of the rude imperious furge;
Who take the ruffian billows by the top,
And in the vifitation of the winds,
Curling their monftrous heads, and hang
them

With deaf'ning clamours in the flippery cloud,
Canft thou, O partial fleep! give thy repax
That, with the hurly, death itself awakes
To the wet fea-boy in an hour fo rude;
And, in the calmeft and the stilleft night,
With all appliances and means to boot,
Deny it to a king?

The Character of King Henry V. by his Father,
He is gracious if he be obferv'd;
Open as day for melting charity:
He hath a tear for pity, and a hand
Yet notwithstanding, being incens'd, he's
As humourous as winter, and as fudden fint
His temper, therefore, must be well obferv'è
As flaws congeal'd in the fpring of day.
When you perceive his blood inclin'd to mirth
Chide him for faults, and do it reverently,
Till that his paffions, like a whale on ground,
But, being moody, give him line and fcope
Confound themselves with working.

Ca

On Fortune.

Will fortune never come with both hands
full,

But write her fair words still in fouleft letters?
She either gives a stomach, and no food-
Such are the poor in health; or else a feast,
And takes away the ftomach-fuch the rich,
That have abundance, and enjoy it not.
Dialogue between Prince Henry and his Father,
-Come hither to me, Harry :-
Depart the chamber, leave us here alone.
Exit Lords.
P.H.I never thought to hear you speak again.
K.Hen. Thy with was farther, Harry, to that
thought

I ft ay too long by thee, I weary thee.
Do it thou fo hungerfor myemptychair, [nours,
That thou wilt needs inveft thee with mine ho-
Before thy hour be ripe? O foolish youth!
Thou feek'ft the greatnefs that will overwhelm

thee.

Stay but a little: for my cloud of dignity
1s held from falling with fo weak a wind,
That it will quickly drop; my day is dim.
Thou haft ftolen that, which after some few

hours

tears,

P. H. O pardon me, my liege! but for my
[Kneeling.
The moift impediments unto my fpeech,
I had foreftall'd this dear and deep rebuke,
Ere you with grief had fpoke, and I had heard
The courfe of it so far. There is your crown;
And He that wears the crown immortally,
Long guard it yours! If I affect it more,
Than as your honour, and as your renown,
Let me no more from this obedience rife (rit
(Which my most true and inward duteous (pi.
Teacheth), this proftrate and exterior bend.
ing!

Heaven witnefs with me, when I here came in,
And found no courfe of breath within your
Majesty,

How cold it struck my heart! If I do feign,
O, let me in my prefent wildness die!
And never live to fhew the incredulous world
The noble change that I have purposed !
Coming to look on you, thinking you dead
(And dead almoft, my liege, to think you
were),

I fpake unto the crown, as having sense,
And thus upbraided it, "The care on thee
depending,

Were thine without offence; and, at my death"
Thou haft feal'd up my expectation:
Thy life did manifeft thou lov'dft me not,
And thou wilt have me die affur'd of it,
Thouhid't a thoufand daggers inthy thoughts,
Which thou haft whetted on thy tony heart,
To ftab at half an hour of my life. [hour
What! canft thou not forbear me half an
Then get thee gone, and dig my grave thy felf;
And bid the merry bells ring to thine ear
That thou art crowned, not that I am dead.
Let all the tears that should bedew my hearfe,
Be drops of balm, to fanctify thy head:
Only compound me with forgotten duft;
Give that, which gave thee life, unto the

worms.

Pluck down my officers, break mydecrees;
For now a time is come to mock at form,
Henry the Fifth is crown'd:-up, vanity;
Down, royal ftate! All you fage counsellors,

hence!

And to the English court affemble now,
From ev'ry region apes of idleness; [fcum:
Now, neighbour-confines, purge you of your
Have you a ruffian thatwillfwear, drink, dance,
Revel the night; rob, murder, and commit
The oldeft fins the newest kind of ways?
Be happy, he will trouble you no more:
England fhall double gild his treble guilt:
England fhall give him office, honour, might:
For the fifth Harry from curb'd licenfe plucks
The muzzle of refraint, and the wild dog
Shall flesh his tooth in ev'ry innocent.
O my poor kingdom, fick with civil blows!
When that my care could not withold thy

riots,

What wilt thou do when riot is thy care?
O, thou wilt be a wilderness again,
Peopled with wolves, thy old inhabitants!

[liege,

"Hath fed upon the body of my father; [golds
Therefore, thou beft of gold, art worst of
"Other, lefs fine in carat, is more precious,
Preferving life in med'cine potable:[nown'd
"But thou most fine, most honour'd, most re-
Haft eat thybearer up." Thus, mymoft royal
Accufing it, I put it on my head;
To try with it as with an enemy
That had before myface murdered myfather-
The quarrel of a true inheritor.
But if it did infect my blood with joy,
Or fwell my thoughts to any ftrain of pride;
If any rebel or vain fpirit of mine
Did, with the leaft affection of a welcome,
Give entertainment to the might of it,
Let God for ever keep it from my head:
And make me as the pooreft vassal is,
That doth with awe and terror kneel to it!
K. Hen. O my fon!

Heaven put it in thy mind, to take it hence,
That thou might it win the more thy father's
Pleading fo wifely in excufe of it.
Come hither, Harry, fit thou by my bed;
[love,
And hear, I think, the very lateft counsel (fon,
That ever I fhall breathe. Heaven knows, my
By what by-paths, and indirect crook'd ways,
I met this crown; and I myselfknow well,
How troublefome it fat upon my head:
To thee it shall defcend with better quiet,
Better opinion, better confirmation;
For all the foil of the achievement goes
With me into the earth. It feem'd in me,
But as an honour fnatch'd with boisterous
And I had many living, to upbraid
My gain of it by their affiftances;
Which dailygrew to quarrel and to bloodshed.
Wounding fuppofed peace: All thefe bold
Thou feeft, with peril I have answered: [fears,
For all my reign hath been but as a fcene
Acting that argument; and now my death
Changes

[hand;

Changes the mode: for what in me was pur- [ See your most dreadful lawsfolooselyflighted,
Falls upon thee in a much fairer fort: [chas'd, Behold yourself fo by a fon difdain'd;
So thou the garland wear'ft fucceffively. [do, And then imagine me taking your part,
Yet tho' thou ftand' ft more fure than I could And, in your power, foft filencing your fon.
Thou art not firm enough, fince griefs are
green;
[thy friends,

And all thy friends, which thou must make
Have but their ftings and teeth newlyta'en.out.
whofe fell
I was firft advanc'd,

21. THE LIFE OF HENRY V.

Prologue.

SHAKSPEARE

that would afcend

And by whofe pow'r I might well lodge a fear, The brightest heaven of invention!
To be again difplac'd: which to avoid,
I cut them off; and had a purpose now
To lead out many to the Holy Land; [look
Left reft, and lying ftill, might make them
Too near unto my fate. Therefore, my Harry,
Be it thy courfe, to bufy giddy minds [out,
Withforeign quarrels; that action, hence borne
May waste the memory of the former days.
More would I, but my lungs are wafted fo,
That ftrength of fpeech is utterly denied me.
How I came by the crown, O God, forgive!
And grant it may with thee in true
P. Hen. My gracious liege,
You won it, wore it, kept it, gave it me;
Then plain and right muft my poffeffion be:
Which I,with more than with a common pain,
'Gainft all the world will rightfully maintain.

Reflections on a Crown.

peace live!

O polish'd perturbation! golden care!
That keeps the ports of flumber open wide
To many a watchful night-fleep with it now!
Yet not fo found, and half fo deeply fweet,
Ashe, whofe brow, with homelybiggen bound,
Snores out the watch of night. O Majefty!
When thou doft pinch thy bearer, thou doft fit
Like a rich armour worn in heat of day,
That fcalds with fafety.

Gold.

How quickly nature falls into revolt,
When gold becomes her object!
For this the foolish, over-careful fathers
Have broke their fleep with thoughts, their
Their bones with induftry; [brains with care,
For this they have engross'd and pil'd up
The canker'd heaps of ftrange atchieved gold;

For this they have been thoughtful to invest
Their fons with arts and martial exercifes:

When, like the bee, culling from ev'ry flow'r
The virtuous fweets,
[honey,
Our thighs packed with wax, our months with
We bring it to the hive; and, like the bees,
Are murder'd for our pains.
The Chief Juftice to King Henry V. whom he had
imprifoned.

-If the deed were ill,
Be you contented, wearing now the garland,
To have a fon fet your decrees at nought;
Topluck down jufticefrom your awful bench;
To trip the courfe of law, and blunt the fword
That guards the peace and fafetyof yourperfon;
Nay, more, to fpurn at your moft royal image,
And mock your workings in a fecond body.
Quftion your royal thoughts, make the cafe
Be row the father, and propofe a fon [yours,
Hear your own dignity fo much profan'd,

A kingdom for a ftage, princes to act,
And monarchs to behold the swelling feee!
Then fhould the warlike Harry, like himfe,
Aflume the port of Mars; and, at his he
Leafht in like hounds, fhould famine, fword,
Crouch for employment.
[and fire,
Confideration.
Confideration, like an angel, came,
And whipp'd th'offending Adam out of him,
Leaving his body as a paradife,
To envelop and contain celeftial fpirits.
King Henry V. his Perfections.
Hear him but reafon in divinity,
And, all-admiring, with an inward with
You would defire the king were made a prelate
Hear him debate of common-wealth affairs,
You would fay, it hath been all-in-all bå
study:

Lift his difcourfe of war, and you shall her
Turn him to any caufe of policy,
A fearful battle rendered you in mufic.
Familiar as his garter; that, when he speaks,
The gordian knot of it he will unloofe,
And the mute wonder lurketh in men's ears
The air, a chartered libertine, is ftill,
To steal his fweet and honey'd fentences.
The Commonwealth of Bees.
So work the honey-bees:
Creatures that, by a rule in nature, teach
The act of order to a peopled kingdom.
They have a king, and officers of forts:
Others, like merchants, venture trade abro
Where fome, like magiftrates,correct athon
Make boot upon the fummer's velvet bud
Others, like foldiers, armed in their fing,
Which pillage they with merry march br
To the tent.royal of their emperor: [ho
Whe, butied in his majefty, furveys
The finging mafons building roofs of gold;
The civil citizens kneading up the honey;
The poor mechanic porters crowding in
The fad-eyed juftice, with his furly hum,
Their heavy burthens at his narrow gate;
Delivering o'er to executors pale
The lazy yawning drone.

Warlike Spirit.
And filken dalliance in the wardrobe lies;
Now all the youth of England are on fire,
Now thrive the armourers, and honour
thought

Reigns folely in the breast of every man:
Following the mirror of all Chriftian kings,
They fell the pafture now to buy the horse;
With winged heels, as English Mercuries.
For now fits expectation in the air;

And

And hides a fword, from hilt unto the point, | Give dreadful note of preparation.
With crowns imperial, crowns, and coronets,
Promis'd to Harry, and his followers.

Her vine, the merry cheerer of the heart,
Unpruned dies: her hedges even pleach'd,
Like prifoners, wildly over-grown with hair,
Put forth diforder'd twigs: her fallow leas
The darnel, hemloc, and rank fumitory,
Doth root upon; while that the coulter rufts,
That thould deracinate such favagery:
The even mead, that erft brought fweetlyforth
The freckledcow flip,burnet, and greenclover,
Wanting the fcythe, withal uncorrected, rank,
Conceives by idleness; and nothing teems,
But hateful docks, rough thistles, keckfies,
Lofing both beauty and utility. [burs,

22. THE FIRST PART OF HENRY VI. SHAKSPEARL.