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<tr><td class="play" align="center">The Life of King Henry the Fifth
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| <A href="/Shakespeare/henryv/">Henry V</A>
| Act 3, Prologue
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<H3>PROLOGUE</h3>
<p><blockquote>
<i>Enter Chorus</i>
</blockquote>
<A NAME=speech1><b>Chorus</b></a>
<blockquote>
<A NAME=1>Thus with imagined wing our swift scene flies</A><br>
<A NAME=2>In motion of no less celerity</A><br>
<A NAME=3>Than that of thought. Suppose that you have seen</A><br>
<A NAME=4>The well-appointed king at Hampton pier</A><br>
<A NAME=5>Embark his royalty; and his brave fleet</A><br>
<A NAME=6>With silken streamers the young Phoebus fanning:</A><br>
<A NAME=7>Play with your fancies, and in them behold</A><br>
<A NAME=8>Upon the hempen tackle ship-boys climbing;</A><br>
<A NAME=9>Hear the shrill whistle which doth order give</A><br>
<A NAME=10>To sounds confused; behold the threaden sails,</A><br>
<A NAME=11>Borne with the invisible and creeping wind,</A><br>
<A NAME=12>Draw the huge bottoms through the furrow'd sea,</A><br>
<A NAME=13>Breasting the lofty surge: O, do but think</A><br>
<A NAME=14>You stand upon the ravage and behold</A><br>
<A NAME=15>A city on the inconstant billows dancing;</A><br>
<A NAME=16>For so appears this fleet majestical,</A><br>
<A NAME=17>Holding due course to Harfleur. Follow, follow:</A><br>
<A NAME=18>Grapple your minds to sternage of this navy,</A><br>
<A NAME=19>And leave your England, as dead midnight still,</A><br>
<A NAME=20>Guarded with grandsires, babies and old women,</A><br>
<A NAME=21>Either past or not arrived to pith and puissance;</A><br>
<A NAME=22>For who is he, whose chin is but enrich'd</A><br>
<A NAME=23>With one appearing hair, that will not follow</A><br>
<A NAME=24>These cull'd and choice-drawn cavaliers to France?</A><br>
<A NAME=25>Work, work your thoughts, and therein see a siege;</A><br>
<A NAME=26>Behold the ordnance on their carriages,</A><br>
<A NAME=27>With fatal mouths gaping on girded Harfleur.</A><br>
<A NAME=28>Suppose the ambassador from the French comes back;</A><br>
<A NAME=29>Tells Harry that the king doth offer him</A><br>
<A NAME=30>Katharine his daughter, and with her, to dowry,</A><br>
<A NAME=31>Some petty and unprofitable dukedoms.</A><br>
<A NAME=32>The offer likes not: and the nimble gunner</A><br>
<A NAME=33>With linstock now the devilish cannon touches,</A><br>
<p><i>Alarum, and chambers go off</i></p>
<A NAME=34>And down goes all before them. Still be kind,</A><br>
<A NAME=35>And eke out our performance with your mind.</A><br>
<p><i>Exit</i></p>
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