foldier; if thou canst love me for this, take me; if not, to fay to thee that I fhall die, 'tis true; but for thy love, by the lord, no: yet I love thee too. And while

thou liv'ft, Kate, take a fellow of plain and uncoined conftancy, for he perforce muft do thee right, becaufe he hath not the gift to woo in other places: for these fellows of infinite tongue, that can rhime themfelves into ladies' favours, they do always reason themselves out again. What? a fpeaker is but a prater; a rhime is but a ballad; a good leg will fall, a straight back will ftoop, a black beard will turn white, à curl'd pate will grow bald, a fair face will wither, a full eye will wax hollow; but a good heart, Kate, is the fun and the moon; or rather the fun, and not the moon; for it fhines bright and never changes, but keeps his course, truly. If thou would't have fuch a one, take me; take a foldier; take a King: and what fay'ft thou then to my love? fpeak, my fair, and fairly, I pray

thee.

Cath. Is it poffible dat I fhould love de enemy of France ?

K. Henry. No, it is not poffible that you fhould love the enemy of France, Kate; but in loving me you should love the friend of France; for I love France fo well, that I will not part with a village of it: I will have it all mine; and Kate, when France is mine and I am yours, then yours is France, and you are mine.

Cath. I cannot tell vhat is dat.

K. Henry. No, Kate? I will tell thee in French, (which, I am fure, will hang upon my tongue like a married wife about her husband's neck, hardly to be fhook off) quand j' ay le poffeffion de France, & quand vous aves le poffeffion de moi let me fee, what then? St. Dennis be my fpeed!) donc voffre eft France, & vous eftes mienne. It is as eafy for me, Kate, to conquer the kingdom, as to speak so much more French: I shall never move thee in French, unless it be to laugh at me.

Cath. Sauf voftre honneur, le Francois que vous parlez, eft meilleur que Anglois lequel je parle.

P

K. Henry.

K. Henry. No, faith, is't not, Kate; but thy fpeaking of my tongue and I thine, moft truly falfly, muft needs be granted to be much at one. But, Kate, doft thou understand thus much English? canft thou love me? Cath. I cannot tell.

K.Henry. Can any of your neighbours tell, Kate? Pl afk them. Come, I know thou lovest me; and at night when you come into your closet, you'll queftion this gentlewoman about me; and I know, Kate, you will to her difpraise those parts in me, that you love with your heart; but, good Kate, mock me mercifully, the rather, gentle Princefs, because I love thee cruelly. If ever thou beest mine, Kate, (as I have faving faith within me, tells me, thou fhalt) I get thee with fcambling, and thou must therefore needs prove a good foldier breeder: fhall not thou and I, between St. Dennis and St. George, compound a boy half French, half English, that shall go to Conftan tinople and take the Turk by the beard? fhall we not? what fay'ft thou, my fair Flower-de-luce ?

Cath. I do not know dat.

K. Henry. No, 'tis hereafter to know, but now to promife; do but now promife, Kate, you will endeavour for your French part of fuch a boy; and for my English moiety, take the word of a King and a batchelor. How answer you, La plus belle Catharine du monde, mon tres chere & divine deeffe.

Cath. Your Majeftee ave faufe Frenche enough to de ceive de most fage damoifel dat is en France.

K. Henry. Now, fie upon my falfe French; by mine honour, in true English I love thee, Kate; by which honour I dare not fwear thou loveft me, yet my blood begins to flatter me that thou doft, notwithstanding the poor and untempering effect of my vifage. Now befhrew my father's ambition, he was thinking of civil wars when he got me; therefore was I created with a stubborn outside, with an afpect of iron, that when I come to woo ladies I fright them but in faith, Kate, the elder I wax, the better I shall appear. My comfort is, that old age (that ill layer up of beauty) can do no more Spoil upon my face. Thou haft me, if thou haft me, at

the

the worft; and thou fhalt wear me, if thou wear me, better and better; and therefore tell me, most fair Catharine, will you have me? Put off your maiden blushes, avouch the thoughts of your heart with the looks of an Emprefs, take me by the hand and fay, Harry of England, I am thine; which word thou fhalt no fooner blefs mine ear withal, but I will tell thee aloud, England is thine, Ireland is thine, France is thine, and Henry Plantagenet is thine; who, tho' I speak it before his face, if he be not fellow with the best King, thou shalt find the best King of good fellows. Come, your anfwer in broken mufick; for thy voice is mufick, and thy English broken; therefore Queen of all, Catharine, break thy mind to me in broken English, wilt thou have me?

Cath. Dat is, as it fhall please le roy mon pere.

K. Henry. Nay, it will please him well, Kate; it fhall please him, Kate.

Cath. Den it shall alfo content me.

K. Henry. Upon that I kifs your hand, and I call you my Queen.

Cath. Laiffex, mon feigneur, laissez, laissez: ma foy, je ne veux point que vous abbaissez voftre grandeur, en baifant la main d'une voftre indigne ferviteure; excufiz moy, je vous fupplie, mon tres puifant Seigneur.

K. Henry. Then I will kifs your lips, Kate.

Cath. Les dames & damoifels pour eftre baifées devant leur nopces, il n'eft pas le coutume de France.

K. Henry. Madam my interpreter, what fays fhe ? Lady, Dat it is not be de fashion pour les ladies of France; I cannot tell, what is bailler en English. K. Henry. To kiss.

Lady. Your Majefty entendre bettre que moy.

K. Henry. Is it not a fashion for the maids in France to kifs before they are married, would she say?

Lady. Ouy, vrayement.

K. Henry. O Kate, nice cuftoms curt'fie to great Kings. Dear Kate, you and I cannot be confin'd within the weak lift of a country's fashion; we are the makers of manners, Kate; and the liberty, that follows our places, ftops the mouth of all find-faults, as I will do

yours,

yours, for the upholding the nice fashion of your country in denying me a kifs; therefore, patiently and yielding. [Killing ber] You have witchcraft in your lips, Kate; there is more eloquence in a touch of them, than in the tongues of the French Council; and they should fooner perfuade Harry of England, than a general petition of monarchs. Here comes your father.

Enter the French King and Queen, with French and English Lords.

Burg. God fave your Majefty! my royal coufin, teach you our Princess English?

K. Henry. I would have her learn, my fair coufin, how perfectly I love her, and that is good English. Burg. Is the apt?

K. Henry. Our tongue is rough, and my condition is not smooth; fo that having neither the voice nor the heart of flattery about me, I cannot fo conjure up the fpirit of love in her, that he will appear in his true likeness.

Burg. Pardon the frankness of my mirth, if I answer you for that. If you would conjure in her, you must make a circle: if conjure up love in her in his true likenefs, he must appear naked and blind. Can you blame her then, being a maid yet ros'd over with the virgin crimson of modefty, if the deny the appearance of a naked blind boy, in her naked seeing felf? it were my lord, a hard condition for a maid to confign to.

K. Henry. Yet they do wink and yield, as love is blind and enforces.

Burg. They are then excus'd, my lord, when they fee not what they do.

K. Henry. Then, good my lord, teach your coufin to confent to winking.

Burg. I will wink on her to confent, my lord, if you will teach her to know my meaning. Maids, well fummer'd and warm kept, are like flies at Bartholomewtide, blind, though they have their eyes: and then they will endure handling, which before would not abide looking on.

K. Henry.

L

K. Henry, This moral ties me over to time, and a hot fummer; and fo I fhall catch the flie your coufin in the latter end, and the must be blind too.

Burg. As love is, my lord, before it loves.

K. Henry. It is fo; and you may fome of you thank love for my blindness, who cannot fee many a fair French city, for one fair French maid that stands in my way.

Fr. King. Yes, my lord, you fee them perspectively; the cities turn'd into a maid; for they are all girdled with maiden walls, that war hath never enter'd. K. Henry. Shall Kate be my wife?

Fr. King. So please you.

K. Henry. I am content, so the maiden cities you talk
of may wait on her; so the maid, that stood in the way
for
my wifh, fhall fhew me the way to my will.

Fr. King. We have confented to all terms of reason.
K. Henry. Is't fo, my lords of England?
Weft. The King hath granted every article:
His daughter firft; and then in fequel all,
According to their firm propofed nature,

Exe. Only he hath not yet fubfcribed this:
Where your Majesty demands, That the King of France,
having occafion to write for matter of
grant, fhall name
your Highness in this form, and with this addition in
French: noftre tres cher filz Henry Roy d'Angleterre,
beretier de France: and thus in Latin; Præclariffimus
filius nofter Henricus Rex Angliæ & hæres Francia.
Fr. King. Yet this I have not (brother) fo deny'd,
But your requeft fhall make me let it pafs.

K. Henry. I pray you then, in love and dear alliance, Let that one article rank with the rest,

And thereupon give me your daughter.

Fr. King. Take her, fair fon, and from her blood
raise up

Tffue to me; that these contending Kingdoms,
England and France, whofe very fhores look pale
With envy of each other's happiness,

May ceafe their hatred; and this dear conjunction
Plant neighbourhood and christian-like accord

In