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Jamy,

Nym,

Officers in King Henry's Army.

Bardolph, Formerly Servants to Falstaff, now Soldiers in

Piftol,

Boy,

the King's Army.

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Conftable,

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Ifabel, Queen of France.

Catharine, Daughter to the King of France.
Alice, a Lady attending on the Princess Catharine.
Quickly, Piftol's Wife, an Hoftefs.

CHORUS.

Lords, Meffengers, French and English Soldiers,
with other Attendants.

The Scene, at the beginning of the Play, lies in England; but afterwards, wholly in France.

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For a Mufe of fire, that would afcend (1)
The brightest heaven of invention !

A kingdom for a stage, Princes to act,
And Monarchs to behold the fwelling scene!
Then Should the warlike Harry, like himself,
Affume the port of Mars; and, at his heels,
(Leafbt in, like bounds,) should famine, fword and fire
Crouch for employment. Pardon, gentles all,
The flat unraifed fpirit, that hath dar'd,
On this unworthy Scaffold, to bring forth
So great an object. Can this Cock-pit hold
The vafty field of France? or may we cram,
Within this wooden O, the very caskes
That did affright the air, at Agincourt?
O, pardon; fince a crooked figure may
Atteft in little place a million;

And let us, cyphers to this great accompt,
On your imaginary forces work.

Suppofe, within the girdle of thefe walls
Are now confin'd two mighty monarchies ;
Whose high-up-reared, and abutting, fronts
The perillous narrow ocean parts afunder.
Piece out our imperfections with your thoughts:
Into a thousand parts divide one man,
And make imaginary puiffance:

Think, when we talk of horses, that you see them
Printing their proud hoofs i'th' receiving earth.
For 'tis your thoughts that now muft deck our Kings,
Carry them here, and there; jumping o'er times;
Turning th' accomplishment of many years
Into an hour-glass: for the which Supply,
Admit me Chorus to this hiftory;

Who, prologue-like, your humble patience pray,
Gently to hear, kindly to judge, our Play.

(1) O for a Mufe of Fire,] MILTON, who was a zealous Admirer, and ftudious Imitator of our Author, feems to have had the fine opening of this Prologue in his Eye, when he began the 4th Book of his Paradife Loft.

O for that warning Voice, which he, who faw

Th' Apocalyps, heard cry in Heav'n aloud,
Then, when the Dragon, put to second Rout,
Came furious down to be reveng'd on Men,
Woe to th' Inhabitants on Earth!

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