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
Is held from falling with fo weak a wind,
That it will quickly drop. My day is dim.
Thou haft ftol'n that, which, after fome few hours,
Were thine without offence; and at my death,
Thou haft confirm'd my fearful expectations.
Thy life did manifest thou lov'dst me not,
And thou wilt have me die affur'd of it.

Thou hid'ft a thousand daggers in thy thoughts,
Which thou haft whetted on thy ftony heart,
To ftab at half an hour of my frail life.
What! canft thou not forbear me half an hour?
Then get thee gone, and dig my grave thyself,
And bid the merry bells ring to thine ear,
That thou art crown'd, yet not that I am dead.
Let all the tears, that fhould bedew my hearfe,
Be drops of balm, to fanctify thy head.
Only compound me with forgotten duft:
Give that, which gave thee being, to the worms.

Pluck down my officers, break my decrees:

For now a time is come to mock at form.

Harry the Fifth is crown'd! Up, vanity!

Down, royal state! All you fage Couns'llers, hence!

And to the English Court affemble now,

From ev'ry region, apes of idleness !

Now,

fcum:

Now, neighbour confines, purge you of your
Have you a ruffian, that will fwear, drink, dance,
Revel the night, rob, murder, and commit
The oldest fins the newest kind of ways?
Be happy, he will trouble you no more.
England shall give him office, honor, might;
For the Fifth Harry from curb'd licence plucks.
The muzzle of restraint, and the wild dog
Shall flesh his tooth in ev'ry innocent.
O my poor kingdom, fick with civil blows!
When all my care could not withhold thy riots,
What wilt thou do, when riot is thy care!

O thou wilt be a wilderness again,
Peopled with wolves, thy old inhabitants!

P. Hen. O pardon me,my liege! but for my
tears, (kneeling.)

The moift impediments unto my fpeech,
I had foreftall'd this dear and deep rebuke,
Ere you with grief had spoke, or I had heard
The course of it fo far.-There is your Crown:
And He, that wears the Crown immortally,
Long guard it yours! If I affect it more,
Than as your honor,, and as your renown,
Let me not from this proftrate bending rife!-
Heav'n witness with me, when I here, came in,
And found no breath within your Majefty,
How cold it ftruck my heart! If I do feign,
O let me in this present wildness die,
And never live to fhew th' incred'lous world

The

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 fenfe,
And thus upbraided it; " The care thou bring'ft
Hath fed upon the body of my Father,
And eat thy bearer up."-Thus, Royal liege,
Accufing it, I took it in my hand.

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

Gave it the least affection of a welcome,

Let Heav'n for ever keep it from my

head,

And make me as the poorest vaffal is,
Who doth with awe and terror kneel to it!

K. Hen. O my dear Harry!

Heav'n put it in thy mind to take it hence,
That thou might'ft win the more thy Father's love,
Pleading fo wifely in excufe of it.-

Hear, O my fon, the very latest counsel,

That ever I fhall breathe. Heav'n knows, my fon,
By what by-paths, and indirect crook'd ways,
I had this Crown: and I myself know well,
How troublesome it fat upon my head.
To thee it fhall defcend with better quiet,
Better opinion, better confirmation :
For the difgrace of the atchievement goes
With me into the earth. It feem'd in me

But as an honor fnatch'd with boift'rous hand.

And

And all my reign has been but as a fcene
Of wild contention and inteftine war.

Be it thy course to heal these bleeding wounds;
Or lead the bufy minds of giddy men

To foreign wars, that action, borne from hence,
May waste the memory of former days.-
More would I, but my lungs are wasted so,
That ftrength of speech is utterly denied me.—
How I came by the Crown, O' God forgive!
And grant it may with thee in true peace live!
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,
'Gainst all the world will rightfully maintain.

K. Hen.

Praise be to Heav'n! thou haft remov'd my fears,

And giv'n me happiness and peace-in death.
For life is flying from this wither'd trunk,
And all my worldly thoughts come to an end.
P. Hen. (kneeling)
Your bleffing, my dear Father!

K. Hen. O my Henry!

May God, in mercy, fhed his choiceft bleflings On my lov'd country!-and on thee, my child!

(He falls on the neck of the Prince, and the curtain descends slowly to soft music within.)

END OF THE FOURTH ACT.

ACT V.

1

SCENE I.

A Hall in JUSTICE SHALLOW'S House. Enter SHALLOW, SILENCE, FALSTAFF, BAR

DOLPH and PAGE.

Shallow.

BY cock and pye, Sir, you shall not away tonight. What, Davy, I fay!

Fal. You must excuse me, Master Shallow.

Shal. I will not excufe you; you shall not be excufed. Excufes fhall not be admitted: there is no excufe fhall ferve: you fhall not be excufed.Why, Davy!

Enter DAVY

Davy. Here, Sir !

Shal. Davy, Davy, Davy! Let me fee, Davy→ let me fee! yea, marry, William cook, bid him come hither. Sir John, you fhall not be excufed.

Davy. Marry, Sir, the warrants cannot be ferved--and again, Sir, fhall we fow the head-land with wheat?

Shal.