History of King Henry the Fifth Author:William Shakespeare Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: NOTES. THE GLOBE THEATRE. INTRODUCTION. The following extracts from Holinshed (which we select from Halli- well's Introduction) contain the more importa... more »nt passages used by the poet in the play:— A.D. 1413.—" Whilest in the Lent season the king laie at Killingworth, there came to him from Charles Dolphin of France certeine ambassadors, that brought with them a barrell of Paris balles, which from their maister they presented to him for a token that was taken in verie ill part, as sent in scorne, to signifie that it was more meet for the king to passe the time with such childish exercise, than to attempt any worthie exploit. Wherfore the K. wrote to him that, yer ought long, he would tosse him some London balles that perchance should shake the walles of the best court in France." A.D. 1414.—" In the second yeare of his reigne, king Henrie called hi? high court of parlement, the last dale of April], in the towne of Leicester, in which parlement manie profitable lawes were concluded, and manie petitions mooved, were for that time deferred. Amongst which, one was, that a bill exhibited in the parlement holden at Westminster in the eleventh yeare of king Henrie the fourth (which, by reason the king was then troubled with civill discord, came to none effect) might now with good deliberation be pondered, and brought to some good conclusion. The effect of which supplication was, that the temporall lands devoutlie given, and disordinatelie spent by religious, and other spiritual! persons, should be seized into the kings hands, sitli the same might suffice to mainteine, to the honor of the king, and defense of the realme, fifteene earls, fifteene hundred knights, six thousand and two hundred esquiers, and a hundred almesse-houses, for reliefe onlie of the poore, impotent, and n...« less