Henry V
Act III, Prologue
- Flourish. Enter Chorus.
Chorus
1 - 35- Thus with imagin’d 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 Hampton pier
- Embark his royalty; and his brave fleet
- With silken streamers the young Phoebus fanning.
- Play with your fancies: and in them behold
- Upon the hempen tackle ship-boys climbing;
- Hear the shrill whistle which doth order give
- To sounds confus’d; 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
- 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,
- Guarded with grandsires, babies, and old women,
- Either past or not arriv’d to pith and puissance;
- For who is he, whose chin is but enrich’d
- With one appearing hair, that will not follow
- These cull’d and choice-drawn cavaliers to France?
- Work, work your thoughts, and therein see a siege;
- Behold the ordinance on their carriages,
- With fatal mouths gaping on girded Harfleur.
- Suppose th’ ambassador from the French comes back,
- 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,
- Alarum, and chambers go off.
- And down goes all before them. Still be kind,
- And eche out our performance with your mind.
- Exit.