Henry V by William Shakespeare

Act 3 - Scene 0

Prologue.

Chorus : Thus with imagined wing our swift scene flies [p]In motion of no less
celerity [p]Than that of thought. Suppose that you have seen [p]The
well-appointed king at Hampton pier [p]Embark his royalty; and his
brave fleet [p]With silken streamers the young Phoebus
fanning: [p]Play with your fancies, and in them behold [p]Upon the
hempen tackle ship-boys climbing; [p]Hear the shrill whistle which
doth order give [p]To sounds confused; behold the threaden
sails, [p]Borne with the invisible and creeping wind, [p]Draw the huge
bottoms through the furrow'd sea, [p]Breasting the lofty surge: O, do
but think [p]You stand upon the ravage and behold [p]A city on the
inconstant billows dancing; [p]For so appears this fleet
majestical, [p]Holding due course to Harfleur. Follow,
follow: [p]Grapple your minds to sternage of this navy, [p]And leave
your England, as dead midnight still, [p]Guarded with grandsires,
babies and old women, [p]Either past or not arrived to pith and
puissance; [p]For who is he, whose chin is but enrich'd [p]With one
appearing hair, that will not follow [p]These cull'd and choice-drawn
cavaliers to France? [p]Work, work your thoughts, and therein see a
siege; [p]Behold the ordnance on their carriages, [p]With fatal mouths
gaping on girded Harfleur. [p]Suppose the ambassador from the French
comes back; [p]Tells Harry that the king doth offer him [p]Katharine
his daughter, and with her, to dowry, [p]Some petty and unprofitable
dukedoms. [p]The offer likes not: and the nimble gunner [p]With
linstock now the devilish cannon touches, [p][Alarum, and chambers go
off] [p]And down goes all before them. Still be kind, [p]And eke out
our performance with your mind.

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