Enter Chorus. CHORUS
Thus with imagined wing our swift scene flies
In motion of no less celerity
Than that of thought. Suppose that you have seen
The well-appointed king at Dover pier
Embark his royalty, and his brave fleet 5
With silken streamers the young Phoebus
fanning.
Play with your fancies and in them behold,
Upon the hempen tackle, shipboys climbing.
Hear the shrill whistle, which doth order give 10
To sounds confused. Behold the threaden sails,
Borne with th’ invisible and creeping wind,
Draw the huge bottoms through the furrowed sea,
Breasting the lofty surge. O, do but think
You stand upon the rivage and behold 15
A city on th’ inconstant billows dancing,
For so appears this fleet majestical,
Holding due course to Harfleur. Follow, follow!
Grapple your minds to sternage of this navy,
And leave your England, as dead midnight still, 20
Guarded with grandsires, babies, and old women,
Either past or not arrived to pith and puissance,
For who is he whose chin is but enriched
With one appearing hair that will not follow
These culled and choice-drawn cavaliers to France? 25
Work, work your thoughts, and therein see a siege;
Behold the ordnance on their carriages,
With fatal mouths gaping on girded Harfleur.
Suppose th’ Ambassador from the French comes
back, 30
Tells Harry that the King doth offer him
Katherine his daughter and with her, to dowry,
Some petty and unprofitable dukedoms.
The offer likes not, and the nimble gunner
With linstock now the devilish cannon touches, 35
Alarum, and chambers go off.
And down goes all before them. Still be kind,
And eke out our performance with your mind.
He exits. | The Chorus appears on stage and asks us to imagine that we've just watched Henry leave Dover, England and arrive on the shores of Harfleur, France. In fact, we should imagine we were on the ship with Henry and could hear the sounds of the crew, feel the wind on our faces, and smell the salty sea air. While we're at it, we should also imagine that we've witnessed King Henry reject France's peace offering (Charles' daughter Catherine and some small, petty dukedoms). |