First folio
| Modern text
| Definitions
| Key line
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Enter the King, Exeter, Bedford, and Gloucester. | Alarum. Enter the King, Exeter, Bedford, Gloucester, | | H5 III.i.1.1 | |
Alarum: Scaling Ladders at Harflew. | other lords, and soldiers, with scaling-ladders | | H5 III.i.1.2 | |
King. | KING HENRY | | | |
Once more vnto the Breach, / Deare friends, once more; | Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more, | | H5 III.i.1 | |
Or close the Wall vp with our English dead: | Or close the wall up with our English dead! | | H5 III.i.2 | |
In Peace, there's nothing so becomes a man, | In peace there's nothing so becomes a man | become (v.) grace, honour, dignify | H5 III.i.3 | |
As modest stillnesse, and humilitie: | As modest stillness and humility: | stillness (n.) restraint, sobriety, quietness of behaviour | H5 III.i.4 | |
But when the blast of Warre blowes in our eares, | But when the blast of war blows in our ears, | | H5 III.i.5 | |
Then imitate the action of the Tyger: | Then imitate the action of the tiger; | action (n.) movement, demeanour, gesture | H5 III.i.6 | |
Stiffen the sinewes, commune vp the blood, | Stiffen the sinews, conjure up the blood, | sinew (n.) nerve | H5 III.i.7 | |
Disguise faire Nature with hard-fauour'd Rage: | Disguise fair nature with hard-favoured rage; | hard-favoured (adj.) ugly, unattractive, unsightly, hideous | H5 III.i.8 | |
Then lend the Eye a terrible aspect: | Then lend the eye a terrible aspect; | aspect (n.) gaze, look | H5 III.i.9 | |
Let it pry through the portage of the Head, | Let it pry through the portage of the head | portage (n.) portholes, openings | H5 III.i.10 | |
Like the Brasse Cannon: let the Brow o'rewhelme it, | Like the brass cannon; let the brow o'erwhelm it | brow (n.) eyebrow | H5 III.i.11 | |
As fearefully, as doth a galled Rocke | As fearfully as doth a galled rock | galled (adj.) fretted, chafed, battered | H5 III.i.12 | |
O're-hang and iutty his confounded Base, | O'erhang and jutty his confounded base, | jutty (v.) jut out over, project over | H5 III.i.13 | |
| | confounded (adj.) destroyed, ruined, wrecked | | |
Swill'd with the wild and wastfull Ocean. | Swilled with the wild and wasteful ocean. | swill (v.) wash, bathe, drench | H5 III.i.14 | |
| | wasteful (adj.) destructive, devastating, ruinous | | |
Now set the Teeth, and stretch the Nosthrill wide, | Now set the teeth, and stretch the nostril wide, | stretch (v.) open wide, extend | H5 III.i.15 | |
Hold hard the Breath, and bend vp euery Spirit | Hold hard the breath, and bend up every spirit | bend up (v.) exert, strain, wind up | H5 III.i.16 | |
To his full height. On, on, you Noblish English, | To his full height! On, on, you noblest English, | | H5 III.i.17 | |
Whose blood is fet from Fathers of Warre-proofe: | Whose blood is fet from fathers of war-proof! – | fet (v.) derive, draw | H5 III.i.18 | |
| | war-proof (n.) valour tested in war | | |
Fathers, that like so many Alexanders, | Fathers that, like so many Alexanders, | Alexander (n.) Alexander the Great; Macedonian king in 4th-c BC, known for his extensive empire | H5 III.i.19 | |
Haue in these parts from Morne till Euen fought, | Have in these parts from morn till even fought, | even (n.) evening | H5 III.i.20 | |
| | morn (n.) morning, dawn | | |
And sheath'd their Swords, for lack of argument. | And sheathed their swords for lack of argument. | argument (n.) quarrel, dispute, point of contention | H5 III.i.21 | |
Dishonour not your Mothers: now attest, | Dishonour not your mothers; now attest | | H5 III.i.22 | |
That those whom you call'd Fathers, did beget you. | That those whom you called fathers did beget you! | beget (v.), past form begot give birth to, father, conceive | H5 III.i.23 | |
Be Coppy now to men of grosser blood, | Be copy now to men of grosser blood, | gross (adj.) bad, inferior, poor | H5 III.i.24 | |
| | copy (n.) example, model, pattern | | |
And teach them how to Warre. And you good Yeomen, | And teach them how to war. And you, good yeomen, | war (v.) make war, fight, do battle | H5 III.i.25 | |
| | yeoman (n.) man who owns property but is not a gentleman; land-holding farmer | | |
Whose Lyms were made in England; shew vs here | Whose limbs were made in England, show us here | | H5 III.i.26 | |
The mettell of your Pasture: let vs sweare, | The mettle of your pasture; let us swear | mettle, mettell (n.) spirit, vigour, zest | H5 III.i.27 | |
| | pasture (n.) nurture, rearing, upbringing | | |
That you are worth your breeding: which I doubt not: | That you are worth your breeding – which I doubt not; | | H5 III.i.28 | |
For there is none of you so meane and base, | For there is none of you so mean and base | mean (adj.) of low rank, inferior in position, less important | H5 III.i.29 | |
| | base (adj.) low-born, lowly, plebeian, of lower rank | | |
That hath not Noble luster in your eyes. | That hath not noble lustre in your eyes. | | H5 III.i.30 | |
I see you stand like Grey-hounds in the slips, | I see you stand like greyhounds in the slips, | slip (n.) leash, lead, tether | H5 III.i.31 | |
Straying vpon the Start. The Game's afoot: | Straining upon the start. The game's afoot! | | H5 III.i.32 | |
Follow your Spirit; and vpon this Charge, | Follow your spirit, and upon this charge | | H5 III.i.33 | |
Cry, God for Harry, England, and S. George. | Cry ‘ God for Harry, England, and Saint George!’ | George, Saint in Christian tradition, the patron saint of England, 3rd-c | H5 III.i.34 | |
Alarum, and Chambers goe off. | Exeunt. Alarum, and chambers go off | chamber (n.) piece of ordnance, cannon, gun | H5 III.i.34.1 | |