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1-1

CANTERBURY

1My lord, I'll tell you; that self bill is urged,

2Which in the eleventh year of the last king's reign

3Was like, and had indeed against us pass'd,

4But that the scambling and unquiet time

5Did push it out of farther question.

ELY

6But how, my lord, shall we resist it now?

CANTERBURY

7It must be thought on. If it pass against us,

8We lose the better half of our possession:

9For all the temporal lands which men devout

10By testament have given to the church

11Would they strip from us; being valued thus:

12As much as would maintain, to the king's honour,

13Full fifteen earls and fifteen hundred knights,

14Six thousand and two hundred good esquires;

15And, to relief of lazars and weak age,

16Of indigent faint souls past corporal toil.

17A hundred almshouses right well supplied;

18And to the coffers of the king beside,

19A thousand pounds by the year: thus runs the bill.

ELY

20This would drink deep.

CANTERBURY

21'Twould drink the cup and all.

ELY

22But what prevention?

CANTERBURY

23The king is full of grace and fair regard.

ELY

24And a true lover of the holy church.

CANTERBURY

25The courses of his youth promised it not.

26The breath no sooner left his father's body,

27But that his wildness, mortified in him,

28Seem'd to die too; yea, at that very moment

29Consideration, like an angel, came

30And whipp'd the offending Adam out of him,

31Leaving his body as a paradise,

32To envelop and contain celestial spirits.

33Never was such a sudden scholar made;

34Never came reformation in a flood,

35With such a heady currance, scouring faults

36Nor never Hydra-headed wilfulness

37So soon did lose his seat and all at once

38As in this king.

ELY

39We are blessed in the change.

CANTERBURY

40Hear him but reason in divinity,

41And all-admiring with an inward wish

42You would desire the king were made a prelate:

43Hear him debate of commonwealth affairs,

44You would say it hath been all in all his study:

45List his discourse of war, and you shall hear

46A fearful battle render'd you in music:

47Turn him to any cause of policy,

48The Gordian knot of it he will unloose,

49Familiar as his garter: that, when he speaks,

50The air, a charter'd libertine, is still,

51And the mute wonder lurketh in men's ears,

52To steal his sweet and honey'd sentences;

53So that the art and practic part of life

54Must be the mistress to this theoric:

55Which is a wonder how his grace should glean it,

56Since his addiction was to courses vain,

57His companies unletter'd, rude and shallow,

58His hours fill'd up with riots, banquets, sports,

59And never noted in him any study,

60Any retirement, any sequestration

61From open haunts and popularity.

ELY

73How now for mitigation of this bill

74Urged by the commons? Doth his majesty

75Incline to it, or no?

CANTERBURY

76He seems indifferent,

77Or rather swaying more upon our part

78Than cherishing the exhibiters against us;

79For I have made an offer to his majesty,

80Upon our spiritual convocation

81And in regard of causes now in hand,

82Which I have open'd to his grace at large,

83As touching France, to give a greater sum

84Than ever at one time the clergy yet

85Did to his predecessors part withal.

ELY

86How did this offer seem received, my lord?

CANTERBURY

87With good acceptance of his majesty;

88Save that there was not time enough to hear,

89As I perceived his grace would fain have done,

90The severals and unhidden passages

91Of his true titles to some certain dukedoms

92And generally to the crown and seat of France

93Derived from Edward, his great-grandfather.

ELY

94What was the impediment that broke this off?

CANTERBURY

95The French ambassador upon that instant

96Craved audience; and the hour, I think, is come

97To give him hearing: is it four o'clock?

ELY

98It is.

CANTERBURY

99Then go we in, to know his embassy;

1-2

CANTERBURY

8God and his angels guard your sacred throne

9And make you long become it!

KING HENRY V

10Sure, we thank you.

11My learned lord, we pray you to proceed

12And justly and religiously unfold

13Why the law Salique that they have in France

14Or should, or should not, bar us in our claim:

15And God forbid, my dear and faithful lord,

16That you should fashion, wrest, or bow your reading,

17Or nicely charge your understanding soul

18With opening titles miscreate, whose right

19Suits not in native colours with the truth;

20For God doth know how many now in health

21Shall drop their blood in approbation

22Of what your reverence shall incite us to.

23Therefore take heed how you impawn our person,

24How you awake our sleeping sword of war:

CANTERBURY

35Then hear me, gracious sovereign, and you peers,

36That owe yourselves, your lives and services

37To this imperial throne. There is no bar

38To make against your highness' claim to France

39But this, which they produce from Pharamond,

40'In terram Salicam mulieres ne succedant:'

41'No woman shall succeed in Salique land:'

42Which Salique land the French unjustly gloze

43To be the realm of France, and Pharamond

44The founder of this law and female bar.

45Yet their own authors faithfully affirm

46That the land Salique is in Germany,

47Between the floods of Sala and of Elbe;

48Where Charles the Great, having subdued the Saxons,

49There left behind and settled certain French;

50Who, holding in disdain the German women

51For some dishonest manners of their life,

52Establish'd then this law; to wit, no female

53Should be inheritrix in Salique land:

54Which Salique, as I said, 'twixt Elbe and Sala,

55Is at this day in Germany call'd Meisen.

56Then doth it well appear that Salique law

57Was not devised for the realm of France:

93Howbeit they would hold up this Salique law

94To bar your highness claiming from the female,

95And rather choose to hide them in a net

96Than amply to imbar their crooked titles

97Usurp'd from you and your progenitors.

KING HENRY V

98May I with right and conscience make this claim?

CANTERBURY

99The sin upon my head, dread sovereign!

100For in the book of Numbers is it writ,

101When the man dies, let the inheritance

102Descend unto the daughter. Gracious lord,

103Stand for your own; unwind your bloody flag;

104Look back into your mighty ancestors:

105Go, my dread lord, to your great-grandsire's tomb,

106From whom you claim; invoke his warlike spirit,

107And your great-uncle's, Edward the Black Prince,

ELY

117Awake remembrance of these valiant dead

118And with your puissant arm renew their feats:

EXETER

124Your brother kings and monarchs of the earth

125Do all expect that you should rouse yourself,

126As did the former lions of your blood.

WESTMORELAND

127They know your grace hath cause and means and might;

128So hath your highness; never king of England

129Had nobles richer and more loyal subjects,

130Whose hearts have left their bodies here in England

131And lie pavilion'd in the fields of France.

CANTERBURY

132O, let their bodies follow, my dear liege,

133With blood and sword and fire to win your right;

134In aid whereof we of the spiritualty

135Will raise your highness such a mighty sum

136As never did the clergy at one time

137Bring in to any of your ancestors.

KING HENRY V

138We must not only arm to invade the French,

139But lay down our proportions to defend

140Against the Scot, who will make road upon us

141With all advantages.

WESTMORELAND

168But there's a saying very old and true,

169'If that you will France win,

170Then with Scotland first begin:'

171For once the eagle England being in prey,

172To her unguarded nest the weasel Scot

173Comes sneaking and so sucks her princely eggs,

174Playing the mouse in absence of the cat,

175To tear and havoc more than she can eat.

EXETER

176It follows then the cat must stay at home:

177Yet that is but a crush'd necessity,

178Since we have locks to safeguard necessaries,

179And pretty traps to catch the petty thieves.

180While that the armed hand doth fight abroad,

181The advised head defends itself at home;

182For government, though high and low and lower,

183Put into parts, doth keep in one consent,

184Congreeing in a full and natural close,

185Like music.

CANTERBURY

186Therefore doth heaven divide

187The state of man in divers functions,

188Setting endeavour in continual motion;

189To which is fixed, as an aim or butt,

190Obedience: for so work the honey-bees,

191Creatures that by a rule in nature teach

192The act of order to a peopled kingdom.

193They have a king and officers of sorts;

194Where some, like magistrates, correct at home,

195Others, like merchants, venture trade abroad,

196Others, like soldiers, armed in their stings,

197Make boot upon the summer's velvet buds,

198Which pillage they with merry march bring home

199To the tent-royal of their emperor;

200Who, busied in his majesty, surveys

201The singing masons building roofs of gold,

202The civil citizens kneading up the honey,

203The poor mechanic porters crowding in

204Their heavy burdens at his narrow gate,

205The sad-eyed justice, with his surly hum,

206Delivering o'er to executors pale

207The lazy yawning drone. I this infer,

208That many things, having full reference

209To one consent, may work contrariously:

214So may a thousand actions, once afoot.

215End in one purpose, and be all well borne

216Without defeat. Therefore to France, my liege.

217Divide your happy England into four;

218Whereof take you one quarter into France,

219And you withal shall make all Gallia shake.

220If we, with thrice such powers left at home,

221Cannot defend our own doors from the dog,

222Let us be worried and our nation lose

223The name of hardiness and policy.

KING HENRY V

224Call in the messengers sent from the Dauphin.

225Now are we well resolved; and, by God's help,

226And yours, the noble sinews of our power,

227France being ours, we'll bend it to our awe,

228Or break it all to pieces

237Now are we well prepared to know the pleasure

238Of our fair cousin Dauphin; for we hear

239Your greeting is from him, not from the king.

FIRST AMBASSADOR

240May't please your majesty to give us leave

241Freely to render what we have in charge;

242Or shall we sparingly show you far off

243The Dauphin's meaning and our embassy?

KING HENRY V

244We are no tyrant, but a Christian king;

245Unto whose grace our passion is as subject

246As are our wretches fetter'd in our prisons:

247Therefore with frank and with uncurbed plainness

248Tell us the Dauphin's mind.

FIRST AMBASSADOR

249Thus, then, in few.

250Your highness, lately sending into France,

251Did claim some certain dukedoms, in the right

252Of your great predecessor, King Edward the Third.

253In answer of which claim, the prince our master

254Says that you savour too much of your youth,

255And bids you be advised there's nought in France

256That can be with a nimble galliard won;

257You cannot revel into dukedoms there.

258He therefore sends you, meeter for your spirit,

259This tun of treasure; and, in lieu of this,

260Desires you let the dukedoms that you claim

261Hear no more of you. This the Dauphin speaks.

KING HENRY V

262What treasure, uncle?

EXETER

263Tennis-balls, my liege.

KING HENRY V

264We are glad the Dauphin is so pleasant with us;

265His present and your pains we thank you for:

266When we have march'd our rackets to these balls,

267We will, in France, by God's grace, play a set

268Shall strike his father's crown into the hazard.

269Tell him he hath made a match with such a wrangler

270That all the courts of France will be disturb'd

271With chaces. And we understand him well,

272How he comes o'er us with our wilder days,

273Not measuring what use we made of them.

274We never valued this poor seat of England;

275And therefore, living hence, did give ourself

276To barbarous licence; as 'tis ever common

277That men are merriest when they are from home.

278But tell the Dauphin I will keep my state,

279Be like a king and show my sail of greatness

280When I do rouse me in my throne of France:

281For that I have laid by my majesty

282And plodded like a man for working-days,

283But I will rise there with so full a glory

284That I will dazzle all the eyes of France,

285Yea, strike the Dauphin blind to look on us.

286And tell the pleasant prince this mock of his

287Hath turn'd his balls to gun-stones; and his soul

288Shall stand sore charged for the wasteful vengeance

289That shall fly with them: for many a thousand widows

290Shall this his mock mock out of their dear husbands;

291Mock mothers from their sons, mock castles down;

292And some are yet ungotten and unborn

293That shall have cause to curse the Dauphin's scorn.

294But this lies all within the will of God,

295To whom I do appeal; and in whose name

296Tell you the Dauphin I am coming on,

297To venge me as I may and to put forth

298My rightful hand in a well-hallow'd cause.

299So get you hence in peace; and tell the Dauphin

300His jest will savour but of shallow wit,

301When thousands weep more than did laugh at it.

302Convey them with safe conduct. Fare you well.

EXETER

303This was a merry message.

KING HENRY V

304We hope to make the sender blush at it.

305Therefore, my lords, omit no happy hour

306That may give furtherance to our expedition;

307For we have now no thought in us but France,

308Save those to God, that run before our business.

309Therefore let our proportions for these wars

310Be soon collected and all things thought upon

311That may with reasonable swiftness add

312More feathers to our wings; for, God before,

313We'll chide this Dauphin at his father's door.

2-1

BARDOLPH

1Well met, Corporal Nym.

BARDOLPH

3What, are Ancient Pistol and you friends yet?

NYM

4For my part, I care not: I say little; but when

5time shall serve, there shall be smiles; but that

6shall be as it may. I dare not fight; but I will

7wink and hold out mine iron: it is a simple one; but

8what though? it will toast cheese, and it will

9endure cold as another man's sword will: and

10there's an end.

BARDOLPH

11I will bestow a breakfast to make you friends; and

12we'll be all three sworn brothers to France: let it

13be so, good Corporal Nym.

NYM

14Faith, I will live so long as I may, that's the

15certain of it; and when I cannot live any longer, I

16will do as I may: that is my rest, that is the

17rendezvous of it.

BARDOLPH

18It is certainthat he is married to Nell

19Quickly: and certainly she did you wrong; for you

20were troth-plight to her.

NYM

21I cannot tell: things must be as they may: men may

22sleep, and they may have their throats about them at

23that time; and some say knives have edges. It must

24be as it may: though patience be a tired mare, yet

25she will plod. There must be conclusions. Well, I

26cannot tell.

NYM

29How now, mine host Pistol!

PISTOL

30Base tike, call'st thou me host? Now, by this hand,

31I swear, I scorn the term; Nor shall my Nell keep lodgers.

HOSTESS

32No, by my troth, not long; for we cannot lodge and

33board a dozen or fourteen gentlewomen that live

34honestly by the prick of their needles, but it will

35be thought we keep a bawdy house straight.

36O well a day, Lady, if he be not drawn now! we

37shall see wilful adultery and murder committed.

BARDOLPH

38Good lieutenant! good corporal! offer nothing here.

NYM

39Pish!

PISTOL

40Pish for thee, Iceland dog! thou prick-ear'd cur of Iceland!

HOSTESS

41Good Corporal Nym, show thy valour, and put up your sword.

BARDOLPH

60Hear me, hear me what I say: he that strikes the

61first stroke, I'll run him up to the hilts, as I am a soldier.

PISTOL

62An oath of mickle might; and fury shall abate.

BOY

76Mine host Pistol, you must come to my master, and

77you, hostess: he is very sick, and would to bed.

78Good Bardolph, put thy face between his sheets, and

79do the office of a warming-pan. Faith, he's very ill.

BARDOLPH

80Away, you rogue!

HOSTESS

81By my troth, he'll yield the crow a pudding one of

82these days. The king has killed his heart. Good

83husband, come home presently.

BARDOLPH

84Come, shall I make you two friends? We must to

85France together: why the devil should we keep

86knives to cut one another's throats?

PISTOL

87Let floods o'erswell, and fiends for food howl on!

NYM

88You'll pay me the eight shillings I won of you at betting?

PISTOL

89Base is the slave that pays.

NYM

90That now I will have: that's the humour of it.

PISTOL

91As manhood shall compound: push home.

BARDOLPH

92By this sword, he that makes the first thrust, I'll

93kill him; by this sword, I will.

PISTOL

94Sword is an oath, and oaths must have their course.

BARDOLPH

95Corporal Nym, an thou wilt be friends, be friends:

96an thou wilt not, why, then, be enemies with me too.

97Prithee, put up.

NYM

98I shall have my eight shillings I won of you at betting?

PISTOL

99A noble shalt thou have, and present pay;

100And liquor likewise will I give to thee,

101And friendship shall combine, and brotherhood:

102I'll live by Nym, and Nym shall live by me;

103Is not this just? for I shall sutler be

104Unto the camp, and profits will accrue.

105Give me thy hand.

NYM

106I shall have my noble?

PISTOL

107In cash most justly paid.

NYM

108Well, then, that's the humour of't.

HOSTESS

109As ever you came of women, come in quickly to Sir

110John. Ah, poor heart! he is so shaked of a burning

111quotidian tertian, that it is most lamentable to

112behold. Sweet men, come to him.

NYM

113The king hath run bad humours on the knight; that's

114the even of it.

PISTOL

115Nym, thou hast spoke the right;

116His heart is fracted and corroborate.

NYM

117The king is a good king: but it must be as it may;

118he passes some humours and careers.

PISTOL

119Let us condole the knight; for, lambkins we will live.

2-2

BEDFORD

1'Fore God, his grace is bold, to trust these traitors.

EXETER

2They shall be apprehended by and by.

WESTMORELAND

3How smooth and even they do bear themselves!

4As if allegiance in their bosoms sat,

5Crowned with faith and constant loyalty.

BEDFORD

6The king hath note of all that they intend,

7By interception which they dream not of.

EXETER

8Nay, but the man that was his bedfellow,

9Whom he hath dull'd and cloy'd with gracious favours,

10That he should, for a foreign purse, so sell

11His sovereign's life to death and treachery.

KING HENRY V

12Now sits the wind fair, and we will aboard.

13My Lord of Cambridge, and my kind Lord of Masham,

14And you, my gentle knight, give me your thoughts:

15Think you not that the powers we bear with us

16Will cut their passage through the force of France,

17Doing the execution and the act

18For which we have in head assembled them?

SCROOP

19No doubt, my liege, if each man do his best.

KING HENRY V

20I doubt not that; since we are well persuaded

21We carry not a heart with us from hence

22That grows not in a fair consent with ours,

23Nor leave not one behind that doth not wish

24Success and conquest to attend on us.

CAMBRIDGE

25Never was monarch better fear'd and loved

26Than is your majesty: there's not, I think, a subject

27That sits in heart-grief and uneasiness

28Under the sweet shade of your government.

GREY

29True: those that were your father's enemies

30Have steep'd their galls in honey and do serve you

31With hearts create of duty and of zeal.

KING HENRY V

32We therefore have great cause of thankfulness;

33And shall forget the office of our hand,

34Sooner than quittance of desert and merit

35According to the weight and worthiness.

SCROOP

36So service shall with steeled sinews toil,

37And labour shall refresh itself with hope,

38To do your grace incessant services.

KING HENRY V

39We judge no less. Uncle of Exeter,

40Enlarge the man committed yesterday,

41That rail'd against our person: we consider

42it was excess of wine that set him on;

43And on his more advice we pardon him.

SCROOP

44That's mercy, but too much security:

45Let him be punish'd, sovereign, lest example

46Breed, by his sufferance, more of such a kind.

KING HENRY V

47O, let us yet be merciful.

CAMBRIDGE

48So may your highness, and yet punish too.

GREY

49Sir,

50You show great mercy, if you give him life,

51After the taste of much correction.

KING HENRY V

52Alas, your too much love and care of me

53Are heavy orisons 'gainst this poor wretch!

54If little faults, proceeding on distemper,

55Shall not be wink'd at, how shall we stretch our eye

56When capital crimes, chew'd, swallow'd and digested,

57Appear before us? We'll yet enlarge that man,

58Though Cambridge, Scroop and Grey, in their dear care

59And tender preservation of our person,

60Would have him punished. And now to our French causes:

61Who are the late commissioners?

CAMBRIDGE

62I one, my lord:

63Your highness bade me ask for it to-day.

SCROOP

64So did you me, my liege.

GREY

65And I, my royal sovereign.

KING HENRY V

66Then, Richard Earl of Cambridge, there is yours;

67There yours, Lord Scroop of Masham; and, sir knight,

68Grey of Northumberland, this same is yours:

69Read them; and know, I know your worthiness.

70My Lord of Westmoreland, and uncle Exeter,

71We will aboard to night. Why, how now, gentlemen!

72What see you in those papers that you lose

73So much complexion? Look ye, how they change!

74Their cheeks are paper. Why, what read you there

75That hath so cowarded and chased your blood

76Out of appearance?

CAMBRIDGE

77I do confess my fault;

78And do submit me to your highness' mercy.

GREY, SCROOP

79To which we all appeal.

KING HENRY V

80The mercy that was quick in us but late,

81By your own counsel is suppress'd and kill'd:

82You must not dare, for shame, to talk of mercy;

83For your own reasons turn into your bosoms,

84As dogs upon their masters, worrying you.

85See you, my princes, and my noble peers,

86These English monsters! My Lord of Cambridge here,

87You know how apt our love was to accord

88To furnish him with all appertinents

89Belonging to his honour; and this man

90Hath, for a few light crowns, lightly conspired,

91And sworn unto the practises of France,

92To kill us here in Hampton: to the which

93This knight, no less for bounty bound to us

94Than Cambridge is, hath likewise sworn. But, O,

95What shall I say to thee, Lord Scroop? thou cruel,

96Ingrateful, savage and inhuman creature!

97Thou that didst bear the key of all my counsels,

98That knew'st the very bottom of my soul,

99That almost mightst have coin'd me into gold,

100Wouldst thou have practised on me for thy use,

101May it be possible, that foreign hire

102Could out of thee extract one spark of evil

103That might annoy my finger? 'tis so strange,

104That, though the truth of it stands off as gross

105As black and white, my eye will scarcely see it.

127O, how hast thou with 'jealousy infected

128The sweetness of affiance! Show men dutiful?

129Why, so didst thou: seem they grave and learned?

130Why, so didst thou: come they of noble family?

131Why, so didst thou: seem they religious?

132Why, so didst thou

139And thus thy fall hath left a kind of blot,

140To mark the full-fraught man and best indued

141With some suspicion. I will weep for thee;

142For this revolt of thine, methinks, is like

143Another fall of man. Their faults are open:

144Arrest them to the answer of the law;

145And God acquit them of their practises!

SCROOP

152Our purposes God justly hath discover'd;

153And I repent my fault more than my death;

154Which I beseech your highness to forgive,

155Although my body pay the price of it.

CAMBRIDGE

156For me, the gold of France did not seduce;

157Although I did admit it as a motive

158The sooner to effect what I intended:

159But God be thanked for prevention;

160Which I in sufferance heartily will rejoice,

161Beseeching God and you to pardon me.

GREY

162Never did faithful subject more rejoice

163At the discovery of most dangerous treason

164Than I do at this hour joy o'er myself.

165Prevented from a damned enterprise:

166My fault, but not my body, pardon, sovereign.

KING HENRY V

167God quit you in his mercy! Hear your sentence.

168You have conspired against our royal person,

169Join'd with an enemy proclaim'd and from his coffers

170Received the golden earnest of our death;

171Wherein you would have sold your king to slaughter,

172His princes and his peers to servitude,

173His subjects to oppression and contempt

174And his whole kingdom into desolation.

175Touching our person seek we no revenge;

176But we our kingdom's safety must so tender,

177Whose ruin you have sought, that to her laws

178We do deliver you. Get you therefore hence,

179Poor miserable wretches, to your death:

180The taste whereof, God of his mercy give

181You patience to endure, and true repentance

182Of all your dear offences! Bear them hence.

183Now, lords, for France; the enterprise whereof

184Shall be to you, as us, like glorious.

185We doubt not of a fair and lucky war,

186Since God so graciously hath brought to light

187This dangerous treason lurking in our way

188To hinder our beginnings. We doubt not now

189But every rub is smoothed on our way.

190Then forth, dear countrymen: let us deliver

191Our puissance into the hand of God,

192Putting it straight in expedition.

193Cheerly to sea; the signs of war advance:

194No king of England, if not king of France.

2-3

HOSTESS

1Prithee, honey-sweet husband, let me bring thee to Staines.

PISTOL

2No; for my manly heart doth yearn.

3Bardolph, be blithe: Nym, rouse thy vaunting veins:

4Boy, bristle thy courage up; for Falstaff he is dead,

5And we must yearn therefore.

BARDOLPH

6Would I were with him, wheresome'er he is, either in

7heaven or in hell!

HOSTESS

8Nay, sure, he's not in hell: he's in Arthur's

9bosom, if ever man went to Arthur's bosom. A' made

10a finer end and went away an it had been any

11christom child; a' parted even just between twelve

12and one, even at the turning o' the tide: for after

13I saw him fumble with the sheets and play with

14flowers and smile upon his fingers' ends, I knew

15there was but one way; for his nose was as sharp as

16a pen, and a' babbled of green fields. 'How now,

17sir John!' quoth I 'what, man! be o' good

18cheer.' So a' cried out 'God, God, God!' three or

19four times. Now I, to comfort him, bid him a'

20should not think of God; I hoped there was no need

21to trouble himself with any such thoughts yet. So

22a' bade me lay more clothes on his feet: I put my

23hand into the bed and felt them, and they were as

24cold as any stone; then I felt to his knees, and

25they were as cold as any stone, and so upward and

26upward, and all was as cold as any stone.

NYM

27They say he cried out of sack.

HOSTESS

28Ay, that a' did.

BARDOLPH

29And of women.

HOSTESS

30Nay, that a' did not.

BOY

31Yes, that a' did; and said they were devils

32incarnate.

HOSTESS

33A' could never abide carnation; 'twas a colour he

34never liked.

BOY

35A' said once, the devil would have him about women.

HOSTESS

36A' did in some sort, indeed, handle women; but then

37he was rheumatic, and talked of the whore of Babylon.

BOY

38Do you not remember, a' saw a flea stick upon

39Bardolph's nose, and a' said it was a black soul

40burning in hell-fire?

BARDOLPH

41Well, the fuel is gone that maintained that fire:

42that's all the riches I got in his service.

NYM

43Shall we shog? the king will be gone from

44Southampton.

PISTOL

45Come, let's away. My love, give me thy lips.

46Look to my chattels and my movables:

52Go, clear thy crystals. Yoke-fellows in arms,

53Let us to France; like horse-leeches, my boys,

54To suck, to suck, the very blood to suck!

BOY

55And that's but unwholesome food they say.

PISTOL

56Touch her soft mouth, and march.

BARDOLPH

57Farewell, hostess.

NYM

58I cannot kiss, that is the humour of it; but, adieu.

PISTOL

59Let housewifery appear: keep close, I thee command.

HOSTESS

60Farewell; adieu.

2-4

FRENCH KING

1Thus comes the English with full power upon us;

2And more than carefully it us concerns

3To answer royally in our defences.

4Therefore the Dukes of Berri and of Bretagne,

5Of Brabant and of Orleans, shall make forth,

6And you, Prince Dauphin, with all swift dispatch,

7To line and new repair our towns of war

8With men of courage and with means defendant;

DAUPHIN

15My most redoubted father,

16It is most meet we arm us 'gainst the foe;

17For peace itself should not so dull a kingdom,

18Though war nor no known quarrel were in question,

19But that defences, musters, preparations,

20Should be maintain'd, assembled and collected,

21As were a war in expectation.

22Therefore, I say 'tis meet we all go forth

23To view the sick and feeble parts of France:

24And let us do it with no show of fear;

25No, with no more than if we heard that England

26Were busied with a Whitsun morris-dance:

27For, my good liege, she is so idly king'd,

28Her sceptre so fantastically borne

29By a vain, giddy, shallow, humorous youth,

30That fear attends her not.

CONSTABLE

31O peace, Prince Dauphin!

32You are too much mistaken in this king:

33Question your grace the late ambassadors,

34With what great state he heard their embassy,

35How well supplied with noble counsellors,

36How modest in exception, and withal

37How terrible in constant resolution,

38And you shall find his vanities forespent

39Were but the outside of the Roman Brutus,

40Covering discretion with a coat of folly;

41As gardeners do with ordure hide those roots

42That shall first spring and be most delicate.

DAUPHIN

43Well, 'tis not so, my lord high constable;

44But though we think it so, it is no matter:

45In cases of defence 'tis best to weigh

46The enemy more mighty than he seems:

47So the proportions of defence are fill'd;

48Which of a weak or niggardly projection

49Doth, like a miser, spoil his coat with scanting

50A little cloth.

FRENCH KING

51Think we King Harry strong;

52And, princes, look you strongly arm to meet him.

53The kindred of him hath been flesh'd upon us;

54And he is bred out of that bloody strain

55That haunted us in our familiar paths:

56Witness our too much memorable shame

57When Cressy battle fatally was struck,

58And all our princes captiv'd by the hand

59Of that black name, Edward, Black Prince of Wales;

65This is a stem

66Of that victorious stock; and let us fear

67The native mightiness and fate of him.

MESSENGER

68Ambassadors from Harry King of England

69Do crave admittance to your majesty.

FRENCH KING

70We'll give them present audience. Go, and bring them.

71You see this chase is hotly follow'd, friends.

DAUPHIN

72Turn head, and stop pursuit; for coward dogs

73Most spend their mouths when what they seem to threaten

74Runs far before them. Good my sovereign,

75Take up the English short, and let them know

76Of what a monarchy you are the head:

77Self-love, my liege, is not so vile a sin

78As self-neglecting.

FRENCH KING

79From our brother England?

EXETER

80From him; and thus he greets your majesty.

81He wills you, in the name of God Almighty,

82That you divest yourself, and lay apart

83The borrow'd glories that by gift of heaven,

84By law of nature and of nations, 'long

85To him and to his heirs; namely, the crown

86And all wide-stretched honours that pertain

87By custom and the ordinance of times

88Unto the crown of France.

FRENCH KING

100Or else what follows?

EXETER

101Bloody constraint; for if you hide the crown

102Even in your hearts, there will he rake for it:

103Therefore in fierce tempest is he coming,

104In thunder and in earthquake, like a Jove,

105That, if requiring fail, he will compel;

106And bids you, in the bowels of the Lord,

107Deliver up the crown, and to take mercy

108On the poor souls for whom this hungry war

109Opens his vasty jaws; and on your head

110Turning the widows' tears, the orphans' cries

111The dead men's blood, the pining maidens groans,

112For husbands, fathers and betrothed lovers,

113That shall be swallow'd in this controversy.

114This is his claim, his threatening and my message;

115Unless the Dauphin be in presence here,

116To whom expressly I bring greeting too.

FRENCH KING

117For us, we will consider of this further:

118To-morrow shall you bear our full intent

119Back to our brother England.

DAUPHIN

120For the Dauphin,

121I stand here for him: what to him from England?

EXETER

122Scorn and defiance; slight regard, contempt,

123And any thing that may not misbecome

124The mighty sender, doth he prize you at.

DAUPHIN

132Say, if my father render fair return,

133It is against my will; for I desire

134Nothing but odds with England: to that end,

135As matching to his youth and vanity,

136I did present him with the Paris balls.

EXETER

137He'll make your Paris Louvre shake for it,

138Were it the mistress-court of mighty Europe:

139And, be assured, you'll find a difference,

140As we his subjects have in wonder found,

141Between the promise of his greener days

142And these he masters now: now he weighs time

143Even to the utmost grain: that you shall read

144In your own losses, if he stay in France.

FRENCH KING

145To-morrow shall you know our mind at full.

EXETER

146Dispatch us with all speed, lest that our king

147Come here himself to question our delay;

148For he is footed in this land already.

FRENCH KING

149You shall be soon dispatch's with fair conditions:

150A night is but small breath and little pause

151To answer matters of this consequence.

3-1

KING HENRY V

1Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more;

2Or close the wall up with our English dead.

3In peace there's nothing so becomes a man

4As modest stillness and humility:

5But when the blast of war blows in our ears,

6Then imitate the action of the tiger;

7Stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood,

8Disguise fair nature with hard-favour'd rage;

9Then lend the eye a terrible aspect;

10Let pry through the portage of the head

11Like the brass cannon; let the brow o'erwhelm it

12As fearfully as doth a galled rock

13O'erhang and jutty his confounded base,

14Swill'd with the wild and wasteful ocean.

15Now set the teeth and stretch the nostril wide,

16Hold hard the breath and bend up every spirit

17To his full height. On, on, you noblest English.

18Whose blood is fet from fathers of war-proof!

19Fathers that, like so many Alexanders,

20Have in these parts from morn till even fought

21And sheathed their swords for lack of argument:

22Dishonour not your mothers; now attest

23That those whom you call'd fathers did beget you.

24Be copy now to men of grosser blood,

25And teach them how to war. And you, good yeoman,

26Whose limbs were made in England, show us here

27The mettle of your pasture; let us swear

28That you are worth your breeding; which I doubt not;

29For there is none of you so mean and base,

30That hath not noble lustre in your eyes.

31I see you stand like greyhounds in the slips,

32Straining upon the start. The game's afoot:

33Follow your spirit, and upon this charge

34Cry 'God for Harry, England, and Saint George!'

3-2

BARDOLPH

1On, on, on, on, on! to the breach, to the breach!

NYM

2Pray thee, corporal, stay: the knocks are too hot;

3and, for mine own part, I have not a case of lives:

4the humour of it is too hot, that is the very

5plain-song of it.

PISTOL

6The plain-song is most just: for humours do abound:

7Knocks go and come; God's vassals drop and die;

8And sword and shield,

9In bloody field,

10Doth win immortal fame.

BOY

11Would I were in an alehouse in London! I would give

12all my fame for a pot of ale and safety.

PISTOL

13And I:

14If wishes would prevail with me,

15My purpose should not fail with me,

16But thither would I hie.

BOY

17As duly, but not as truly,

18As bird doth sing on bough.

FLUELLEN

19Up to the breach, you dogs! avaunt, you cullions!

PISTOL

20Be merciful, great duke, to men of mould.

21Abate thy rage, abate thy manly rage,

22Abate thy rage, great duke!

23Good bawcock, bate thy rage; use lenity, sweet chuck!

NYM

24These be good humours! your honour wins bad humours.

BOY

25As young as I am, I have observed these three

26swashers. I am boy to them all three: but all they

27three, though they would serve me, could not be man

28to me; for indeed three such antics do not amount to

29a man. For Bardolph, he is white-livered and

30red-faced; by the means whereof a' faces it out, but

31fights not. For Pistol, he hath a killing tongue

32and a quiet sword; by the means whereof a' breaks

33words, and keeps whole weapons. For Nym, he hath

34heard that men of few words are the best men; and

35therefore he scorns to say his prayers, lest a'

36should be thought a coward: but his few bad words

37are matched with as few good deeds; for a' never

38broke any man's head but his own, and that was

39against a post when he was drunk. They will steal

40any thing, and call it purchase. Bardolph stole a

41lute-case, bore it twelve leagues, and sold it for

42three half pence. Nym and Bardolph are sworn

43brothers in filching, and in Calais they stole a

44fire-shovel: I knew by that piece of service the

45men would carry coals. They would have me as

46familiar with men's pockets as their gloves or their

47handkerchers: which makes much against my manhood,

48if I should take from another's pocket to put into

49mine; for it is plain pocketing up of wrongs. I

50must leave them, and seek some better service:

51their villany goes against my weak stomach, and

52therefore I must cast it up.

GOWER

53Captain Fluellen, you must come presently to the

54mines; the Duke of Gloucester would speak with you.

FLUELLEN

55To the mines! tell you the duke, it is not so good

56to come to the mines; for, look you, the mines is

57not according to the disciplines of the war: the

58concavities of it is not sufficient; for, look you,

59the athversary, you may discuss unto the duke, look

60you, is digt himself four yard under the

61countermines: by Cheshu, I think a' will plough up

62all, if there is not better directions.

GOWER

63The Duke of Gloucester, to whom the order of the

64siege is given, is altogether directed by an

65Irishman, a very valiant gentleman, i' faith.

FLUELLEN

66It is Captain Macmorris, is it not?

GOWER

67I think it be.

FLUELLEN

68By Cheshu, he is an ass, as in the world: I will

69verify as much in his beard: he has no more

70directions in the true disciplines of the wars, look

71you, of the Roman disciplines, than is a puppy-dog.

GOWER

72Here a' comes; and the Scots captain, Captain Jamy, with him.

FLUELLEN

73Captain Jamy is a marvellous falourous gentleman,

74that is certain;

75knowledge in th' aunchient wars, upon my particular

76knowledge of his directions: by Cheshu, he will

77maintain his argument as well as any military man in

78the world, in the disciplines of the pristine wars

79of the Romans.

JAMY

80I say gud-day, Captain Fluellen.

FLUELLEN

81God-den to your worship, good Captain James.

GOWER

82How now, Captain Macmorris! have you quit the

83mines? have the pioneers given o'er?

MACMORRIS

84By Chrish, la! tish ill done:

85over, the trompet sound the retreat. By my hand, I

86swear, and my father's soul, the work ish ill done;

87it ish give over: I would have blowed up the town, so

88Chrish save me, la! in an hour: O, tish ill done,

89tish ill done; by my hand, tish ill done!

FLUELLEN

90Captain Macmorris, I beseech you now, will you

91voutsafe me, look you, a few disputations with you,

92as partly touching or concerning the disciplines of

93the war, the Roman wars, in the way of argument,

94look you, and friendly communication; partly to

95satisfy my opinion, and partly for the satisfaction,

96look you, of my mind, as touching the direction of

97the military discipline; that is the point.

JAMY

98It sall be vary gud, gud feith, gud captains bath:

99and I sall quit you with gud leve, as I may pick

100occasion; that sall I, marry.

MACMORRIS

101It is no time to discourse, so Chrish save me: the

102day is hot, and the weather, and the wars, and the

103king, and the dukes: it is no time to discourse. The

104town is beseeched, and the trumpet call us to the

105breach; and we talk, and, be Chrish, do nothing:

106'tis shame for us all: so God sa' me, 'tis shame to

107stand still; it is shame, by my hand: and there is

108throats to be cut, and works to be done; and there

109ish nothing done, so Chrish sa' me, la!

JAMY

110By the mess, ere theise eyes of mine take themselves

111to slomber, ay'll de gud service, or ay'll lig i'

112the grund for it; ay, or go to death; and ay'll pay

113't as valourously as I may, that sall I suerly do,

114that is the breff and the long. Marry, I wad full

115fain hear some question 'tween you tway.

FLUELLEN

116I think, look you, under your

117correction, there is not many of your nation--

MACMORRIS

118Of my nation! What ish my nation? Ish a villain,

119and a bastard, and a knave, and a rascal. What ish

120my nation? Who talks of my nation?

FLUELLEN

121Look you, if you take the matter otherwise than is

122meant, Captain Macmorris, peradventure I shall think

123you do not use me with that affability as in

124discretion you ought to use me, look you: being as

125good a man as yourself, both in the disciplines of

126war, and in the derivation of my birth, and in

127other particularities.

MACMORRIS

128I do not know you so good a man as myself: so

129Chrish save me, I will cut off your head.

GOWER

130Gentlemen both, you will mistake each other.

JAMY

131A! that's a foul fault.

GOWER

132The town sounds a parley.

FLUELLEN

133Captain Macmorris, when there is more better

134opportunity to be required, look you, I will be so

135bold as to tell you I know the disciplines of war;

136and there is an end.

3-3

KING HENRY V

1How yet resolves the governor of the town?

2This is the latest parle we will admit;

3Therefore to our best mercy give yourselves;

4Or like to men proud of destruction

5Defy us to our worst: for, as I am a soldier,

6A name that in my thoughts becomes me best,

7If I begin the battery once again,

8I will not leave the half-achieved Harfleur

9Till in her ashes she lie buried.

10The gates of mercy shall be all shut up,

11And the flesh'd soldier, rough and hard of heart,

12In liberty of bloody hand shall range

13With conscience wide as hell, mowing like grass

14Your fresh-fair virgins and your flowering infants.

42What say you? will you yield, and this avoid,

43Or, guilty in defence, be thus destroy'd?

GOVERNOR

44Our expectation hath this day an end:

45The Dauphin, whom of succors we entreated,

46Returns us that his powers are yet not ready

47To raise so great a siege. Therefore, great king,

48We yield our town and lives to thy soft mercy.

49Enter our gates; dispose of us and ours;

50For we no longer are defensible.

KING HENRY V

51Open your gates. Come, uncle Exeter,

52Go you and enter Harfleur; there remain,

53And fortify it strongly 'gainst the French:

54Use mercy to them all. For us, dear uncle,

55The winter coming on and sickness growing

56Upon our soldiers, we will retire to Calais.

57To-night in Harfleur we will be your guest;

58To-morrow for the march are we addrest.

3-4

KATHARINE

1Alice, tu as ete en Angleterre, et tu parles bien le langage.

ALICE

2Un peu, madame.

KATHARINE

3Je te prie, m'enseignez: il faut que j'apprenne a

4parler. Comment appelez-vous la main en Anglois?

ALICE

5La main? elle est appelee de hand.

KATHARINE

6De hand. Et les doigts?

ALICE

7Les doigts? ma foi, j'oublie les doigts; mais je me

8souviendrai. Les doigts? je pense qu'ils sont

9appeles de fingres; oui, de fingres.

KATHARINE

10La main, de hand; les doigts, de fingres. Je pense

11que je suis le bon ecolier; j'ai gagne deux mots

12d'Anglois vitement. Comment appelez-vous les ongles?

ALICE

13Les ongles? nous les appelons de nails.

KATHARINE

14De nails. Ecoutez; dites-moi, si je parle bien: de

15hand, de fingres, et de nails.

ALICE

16C'est bien dit, madame; il est fort bon Anglois.

KATHARINE

17Dites-moi l'Anglois pour le bras.

ALICE

18De arm, madame.

KATHARINE

19Et le coude?

ALICE

20De elbow.

KATHARINE

21De elbow. Je m'en fais la repetition de tous les

22mots que vous m'avez appris des a present.

ALICE

23Il est trop difficile, madame, comme je pense.

KATHARINE

24Excusez-moi, Alice; ecoutez: de hand, de fingres,

25de nails, de arma, de bilbow.

ALICE

26De elbow, madame.

KATHARINE

27O Seigneur Dieu, je m'en oublie! de elbow. Comment

28appelez-vous le col?

ALICE

29De neck, madame.

KATHARINE

30De nick. Et le menton?

ALICE

31De chin.

KATHARINE

32De sin. Le col, de nick; de menton, de sin.

ALICE

33Oui. Sauf votre honneur, en verite, vous prononcez

34les mots aussi droit que les natifs d'Angleterre.

KATHARINE

35Je ne doute point d'apprendre, par la grace de Dieu,

36et en peu de temps.

ALICE

37N'avez vous pas deja oublie ce que je vous ai enseigne?

KATHARINE

38Non, je reciterai a vous promptement: de hand, de

39fingres, de mails--

ALICE

40De nails, madame.

KATHARINE

41De nails, de arm, de ilbow.

ALICE

42Sauf votre honneur, de elbow.

KATHARINE

43Ainsi dis-je; de elbow, de nick, et de sin. Comment

44appelez-vous le pied et la robe?

ALICE

45De foot, madame; et de coun.

KATHARINE

46De foot et de coun! O Seigneur Dieu! ce sont mots

47de son mauvais, corruptible, gros, et impudique, et

48non pour les dames d'honneur d'user: je ne voudrais

49prononcer ces mots devant les seigneurs de France

50pour tout le monde. Foh! le foot et le coun!

51Neanmoins, je reciterai une autre fois ma lecon

52ensemble: de hand, de fingres, de nails, de arm, de

53elbow, de nick, de sin, de foot, de coun.

ALICE

54Excellent, madame!

KATHARINE

55C'est assez pour une fois: allons-nous a diner.

3-5

FRENCH KING

1'Tis certain he hath pass'd the river Somme.

CONSTABLE

2And if he be not fought withal, my lord,

3Let us not live in France; let us quit all

4And give our vineyards to a barbarous people.

DAUPHIN

5O Dieu vivant! shall a few sprays of us,

6The emptying of our fathers' luxury,

7Our scions, put in wild and savage stock,

8Spirt up so suddenly into the clouds,

9And overlook their grafters?

BOURBON

10Normans, but bastard Normans, Norman bastards!

11Mort de ma vie! if they march along

12Unfought withal, but I will sell my dukedom,

13To buy a slobbery and a dirty farm

14In that nook-shotten isle of Albion.

DAUPHIN

27By faith and honour,

28Our madams mock at us, and plainly say

29Our mettle is bred out and they will give

30Their bodies to the lust of English youth

31To new-store France with bastard warriors.

FRENCH KING

36Where is Montjoy the herald? speed him hence:

37Let him greet England with our sharp defiance.

38Up, princes! and, with spirit of honour edged

39More sharper than your swords, hie to the field:

48Bar Harry England, that sweeps through our land

49With pennons painted in the blood of Harfleur:

53Go down upon him, you have power enough,

54And in a captive chariot into Rouen

55Bring him our prisoner.

CONSTABLE

56This becomes the great.

57Sorry am I his numbers are so few,

58His soldiers sick and famish'd in their march,

59For I am sure, when he shall see our army,

60He'll drop his heart into the sink of fear

61And for achievement offer us his ransom.

FRENCH KING

62Therefore, lord constable, haste on Montjoy.

63And let him say to England that we send

64To know what willing ransom he will give.

65Prince Dauphin, you shall stay with us in Rouen.

DAUPHIN

66Not so, I do beseech your majesty.

FRENCH KING

67Be patient, for you shall remain with us.

68Now forth, lord constable and princes all,

69And quickly bring us word of England's fall.

3-6

GOWER

1How now, Captain Fluellen! come you from the bridge?

FLUELLEN

2I assure you, there is very excellent services

3committed at the bridge.

GOWER

4Is the Duke of Exeter safe?

FLUELLEN

5The Duke of Exeter is as magnanimous as Agamemnon;

6and a man that I love and honour with my soul, and my

7heart, and my duty, and my life, and my living, and

8my uttermost power: he is not-God be praised and

9blessed!--any hurt in the world; but keeps the

10bridge most valiantly, with excellent discipline.

11There is an aunchient lieutenant there at the

12pridge, I think in my very conscience he is as

13valiant a man as Mark Antony; and he is a man of no

14estimation in the world; but did see him do as

15gallant service.

GOWER

16What do you call him?

FLUELLEN

17He is called Aunchient Pistol.

GOWER

18I know him not.

FLUELLEN

19Here is the man.

PISTOL

20Captain, I thee beseech to do me favours:

21The Duke of Exeter doth love thee well.

FLUELLEN

22Ay, I praise God; and I have merited some love at

23his hands.

PISTOL

24Bardolph, a soldier, firm and sound of heart,

25And of buxom valour, hath, by cruel fate,

26And giddy Fortune's furious fickle wheel,

27That goddess blind,

28That stands upon the rolling restless stone--

FLUELLEN

29By your patience, Aunchient Pistol. Fortune is

30painted blind, with a muffler afore her eyes, to

31signify to you that Fortune is blind; and she is

32painted also with a wheel, to signify to you, which

33is the moral of it, that she is turning, and

34inconstant, and mutability, and variation: and her

35foot, look you, is fixed upon a spherical stone,

36which rolls, and rolls, and rolls: in good truth,

37the poet makes a most excellent description of it:

38Fortune is an excellent moral.

PISTOL

39Fortune is Bardolph's foe, and frowns on him;

40For he hath stolen a pax, and hanged must a' be:

41A damned death!

42Let gallows gape for dog; let man go free

43And let not hemp his wind-pipe suffocate:

44But Exeter hath given the doom of death

45For pax of little price.

46Therefore, go speak: the duke will hear thy voice:

47And let not Bardolph's vital thread be cut

48With edge of penny cord and vile reproach:

49Speak, captain, for his life, and I will thee requite.

FLUELLEN

50Aunchient Pistol, I do partly understand your meaning.

PISTOL

51Why then, rejoice therefore.

FLUELLEN

52Certainly, aunchient, it is not a thing to rejoice

53at: for if, look you, he were my brother, I would

54desire the duke to use his good pleasure, and put

55him to execution; for discipline ought to be used.

PISTOL

56Die and be damn'd! and figo for thy friendship!

GOWER

60Why, this is an arrant counterfeit rascal; I

61remember him now; a bawd, a cutpurse.

FLUELLEN

81I tell you what, Captain Gower; I do perceive he is

82not the man that he would gladly make show to the

83world he is: if I find a hole in his coat, I will

84tell him my mind.

85Hark you, the king is coming, and I must speak with

86him from the pridge.

87God pless your majesty!

KING HENRY V

88How now, Fluellen! camest thou from the bridge?

FLUELLEN

89Ay, so please your majesty. The Duke of Exeter has

90very gallantly maintained the pridge: the French is

91gone off, look you; and there is gallant and most

92prave passages; marry, th' athversary was have

93possession of the pridge; but he is enforced to

94retire, and the Duke of Exeter is master of the

95pridge: I can tell your majesty, the duke is a

96prave man.

KING HENRY V

97What men have you lost, Fluellen?

FLUELLEN

98The perdition of th' athversary hath been very

99great, reasonable great: marry, for my part, I

100think the duke hath lost never a man, but one that

101is like to be executed for robbing a church, one

102Bardolph, if your majesty know the man: his face is

103all bubukles, and whelks, and knobs, and flames o'

104fire: and his lips blows at his nose, and it is like

105a coal of fire, sometimes plue and sometimes red;

106but his nose is executed and his fire's out.

KING HENRY V

107We would have all such offenders so cut off: and we

108give express charge, that in our marches through the

109country, there be nothing compelled from the

110villages, nothing taken but paid for, none of the

111French upbraided or abused in disdainful language;

112for when lenity and cruelty play for a kingdom, the

113gentler gamester is the soonest winner.

MONTJOY

114You know me by my habit.

KING HENRY V

115Well then I know thee: what shall I know of thee?

MONTJOY

116My master's mind.

KING HENRY V

117Unfold it.

MONTJOY

118Thus says my king: Say thou to Harry of England:

119Though we seemed dead, we did but sleep: advantage

120is a better soldier than rashness. Tell him we

121could have rebuked him at Harfleur, but that we

122thought not good to bruise an injury till it were

123full ripe: now we speak upon our cue, and our voice

124is imperial: England shall repent his folly, see

125his weakness, and admire our sufferance. Bid him

126therefore consider of his ransom; which must

127proportion the losses we have borne, the subjects we

128have lost, the disgrace we have digested; which in

129weight to re-answer, his pettiness would bow under.

134To this add defiance: and

135tell him, for conclusion, he hath betrayed his

136followers, whose condemnation is pronounced. So far

137my king and master; so much my office.

KING HENRY V

138What is thy name? I know thy quality.

MONTJOY

139Montjoy.

KING HENRY V

140Thou dost thy office fairly. Turn thee back.

141And tell thy king I do not seek him now;

142But could be willing to march on to Calais

143Without impeachment: for, to say the sooth,

144Though 'tis no wisdom to confess so much

145Unto an enemy of craft and vantage,

146My people are with sickness much enfeebled,

147My numbers lessened, and those few I have

148Almost no better than so many French;

149Who when they were in health, I tell thee, herald,

150I thought upon one pair of English legs

151Did march three Frenchmen. Yet, forgive me, God,

152That I do brag thus! This your air of France

153Hath blown that vice in me: I must repent.

154Go therefore, tell thy master here I am;

155My ransom is this frail and worthless trunk,

156My army but a weak and sickly guard;

157Yet, God before, tell him we will come on,

158Though France himself and such another neighbour

159Stand in our way. There's for thy labour, Montjoy.

160Go bid thy master well advise himself:

161If we may pass, we will; if we be hinder'd,

162We shall your tawny ground with your red blood

163Discolour: and so Montjoy, fare you well.

164The sum of all our answer is but this:

165We would not seek a battle, as we are;

166Nor, as we are, we say we will not shun it:

167So tell your master.

MONTJOY

168I shall deliver so. Thanks to your highness.

GLOUCESTER

169I hope they will not come upon us now.

KING HENRY V

170We are in God's hand, brother, not in theirs.

171March to the bridge; it now draws toward night:

172Beyond the river we'll encamp ourselves,

173And on to-morrow, bid them march away.

3-7

CONSTABLE

1Tut! I have the best armour of the world. Would it were day!

ORLEANS

2You have an excellent armour; but let my horse have his due.

CONSTABLE

3It is the best horse of Europe.

ORLEANS

4Will it never be morning?

DAUPHIN

5My lord of Orleans, and my lord high constable, you

6talk of horse and armour?

ORLEANS

7You are as well provided of both as any prince in the world.

DAUPHIN

8What a long night is this! I will not change my

9horse with any that treads but on four pasterns.

10Ca, ha! he bounds from the earth, as if his

11entrails were hairs; le cheval volant, the Pegasus,

12chez les narines de feu! When I bestride him, I

13soar, I am a hawk: he trots the air; the earth

14sings when he touches it; the basest horn of his

15hoof is more musical than the pipe of Hermes.

ORLEANS

16He's of the colour of the nutmeg.

DAUPHIN

17And of the heat of the ginger. It is a beast for

18Perseus: he is pure air and fire; and the dull

19elements of earth and water never appear in him, but

20only in Patient stillness while his rider mounts

21him: he is indeed a horse; and all other jades you

22may call beasts.

CONSTABLE

23Indeed, my lord, it is a most absolute and excellent horse.

DAUPHIN

24It is the prince of palfreys; his neigh is like the

25bidding of a monarch and his countenance enforces homage.

ORLEANS

26No more, cousin.

DAUPHIN

27Nay, the man hath no wit that cannot, from the

28rising of the lark to the lodging of the lamb, vary

29deserved praise on my palfrey: it is a theme as

30fluent as the sea: turn the sands into eloquent

31tongues, and my horse is argument for them all:

32'tis a subject for a sovereign to reason on, and for

33a sovereign's sovereign to ride on; and for the

34world, familiar to us and unknown to lay apart

35their particular functions and wonder at him. I

36once writ a sonnet in his praise and began thus:

37'Wonder of nature,'--

ORLEANS

38I have heard a sonnet begin so to one's mistress.

DAUPHIN

39Then did they imitate that which I composed to my

40courser, for my horse is my mistress.

RAMBURES

63My lord constable, the armour that I saw in your tent

64to-night, are those stars or suns upon it?

CONSTABLE

65Stars, my lord.

DAUPHIN

66Some of them will fall to-morrow, I hope.

CONSTABLE

67And yet my sky shall not want.

DAUPHIN

68That may be, for you bear a many superfluously, and

69'twere more honour some were away.

CONSTABLE

70Even as your horse bears your praises; who would

71trot as well, were some of your brags dismounted.

DAUPHIN

72Would I were able to load him with his desert! Will

73it never be day? I will trot to-morrow a mile, and

74my way shall be paved with English faces.

CONSTABLE

75I will not say so, for fear I should be faced out of

76my way: but I would it were morning; for I would

77fain be about the ears of the English.

RAMBURES

78Who will go to hazard with me for twenty prisoners?

CONSTABLE

79You must first go yourself to hazard, ere you have them.

DAUPHIN

80'Tis midnight; I'll go arm myself.

ORLEANS

81The Dauphin longs for morning.

RAMBURES

82He longs to eat the English.

CONSTABLE

83I think he will eat all he kills.

ORLEANS

84By the white hand of my lady, he's a gallant prince.

CONSTABLE

85Swear by her foot, that she may tread out the oath.

ORLEANS

86He is simply the most active gentleman of France.

CONSTABLE

87Doing is activity; and he will still be doing.

ORLEANS

88He never did harm, that I heard of.

CONSTABLE

89Nor will do none to-morrow: he will keep that good name still.

ORLEANS

90I know him to be valiant.

CONSTABLE

91I was told that by one that knows him better than

92you.

ORLEANS

93What's he?

CONSTABLE

94Marry, he told me so himself; and he said he cared

95not who knew it

MESSENGER

110My lord high constable, the English lie within

111fifteen hundred paces of your tents.

CONSTABLE

112Who hath measured the ground?

MESSENGER

113The Lord Grandpre.

CONSTABLE

114A valiant and most expert gentleman. Would it were

115day! Alas, poor Harry of England! he longs not for

116the dawning as we do.

ORLEANS

117What a wretched and peevish fellow is this king of

118England, to mope with his fat-brained followers so

119far out of his knowledge!

CONSTABLE

120If the English had any apprehension, they would run away.

ORLEANS

121That they lack; for if their heads had any

122intellectual armour, they could never wear such heavy

123head-pieces.

RAMBURES

124That island of England breeds very valiant

125creatures; their mastiffs are of unmatchable courage.

CONSTABLE

136Then shall we find to-morrow they have only stomachs

137to eat and none to fight. Now is it time to arm:

138come, shall we about it?

ORLEANS

139It is now two o'clock: but, let me see, by ten

140We shall have each a hundred Englishmen.

4-1

KING HENRY V

1we are in great danger;

2The greater therefore should our courage be.

3Good morrow, brother Bedford. God Almighty!

4There is some soul of goodness in things evil,

5Would men observingly distil it out.

6For our bad neighbour makes us early stirrers,

7Which is both healthful and good husbandry:

8Besides, they are our outward consciences,

9And preachers to us all, admonishing

10That we should dress us fairly for our end.

11Thus may we gather honey from the weed,

12And make a moral of the devil himself.

13Good morrow, old Sir Thomas Erpingham:

14A good soft pillow for that good white head

15Were better than a churlish turf of France.

ERPINGHAM

16Not so, my liege: this lodging likes me better,

17Since I may say 'Now lie I like a king.'

KING HENRY V

18'Tis good for men to love their present pains

19Upon example; so the spirit is eased:

24Lend me thy cloak, Sir Thomas. Brothers both,

25Commend me to the princes in our camp;

26Do my good morrow to them, and anon

27Desire them an to my pavilion.

GLOUCESTER

28We shall, my liege.

ERPINGHAM

29Shall I attend your grace?

KING HENRY V

30No, my good knight;

31Go with my brothers to my lords of England:

32I and my bosom must debate awhile,

33And then I would no other company.

ERPINGHAM

34The Lord in heaven bless thee, noble Harry!

KING HENRY V

35God-a-mercy, old heart! thou speak'st cheerfully.

PISTOL

36Qui va la?

KING HENRY V

37A friend.

PISTOL

38Discuss unto me; art thou officer?

39Or art thou base, common and popular?

KING HENRY V

40I am a gentleman of a company.

PISTOL

41Trail'st thou the puissant pike?

KING HENRY V

42Even so. What are you?

PISTOL

43As good a gentleman as the emperor.

KING HENRY V

44Then you are a better than the king.

PISTOL

45The king's a bawcock, and a heart of gold,

46A lad of life, an imp of fame;

47Of parents good, of fist most valiant.

48I kiss his dirty shoe, and from heart-string

49I love the lovely bully. What is thy name?

KING HENRY V

50Harry le Roy.

PISTOL

51Le Roy! a Cornish name: art thou of Cornish crew?

KING HENRY V

52No, I am a Welshman.

PISTOL

53Know'st thou Fluellen?

KING HENRY V

54Yes.

PISTOL

55Tell him, I'll knock his leek about his pate

56Upon Saint Davy's day.

KING HENRY V

57Do not you wear your dagger in your cap that day,

58lest he knock that about yours.

PISTOL

59Art thou his friend?

KING HENRY V

60And his kinsman too.

PISTOL

61The figo for thee, then!

KING HENRY V

62I thank you: God be with you!

PISTOL

63My name is Pistol call'd.

KING HENRY V

64It sorts well with your fierceness.

GOWER

65Captain Fluellen!

FLUELLEN

66So! in the name of Jesu Christ, speak lower. It is

67the greatest admiration of the universal world, when

68the true and aunchient prerogatifes and laws of the

69wars is not kept: if you would take the pains but to

70examine the wars of Pompey the Great, you shall

71find, I warrant you, that there is no tiddle toddle

72nor pibble pabble in Pompey's camp; I warrant you,

73you shall find the ceremonies of the wars, and the

74cares of it, and the forms of it, and the sobriety

75of it, and the modesty of it, to be otherwise.

GOWER

76Why, the enemy is loud; you hear him all night.

FLUELLEN

77If the enemy is an ass and a fool and a prating

78coxcomb, is it meet, think you, that we should also,

79look you, be an ass and a fool and a prating

80coxcomb? in your own conscience, now?

GOWER

81I will speak lower.

FLUELLEN

82I pray you and beseech you that you will.

KING HENRY V

83Though it appear a little out of fashion,

84There is much care and valour in this Welshman.

COURT

85Brother John Bates, is not that the morning which

86breaks yonder?

BATES

87I think it be: but we have no great cause to desire

88the approach of day.

WILLIAMS

89We see yonder the beginning of the day, but I think

90we shall never see the end of it. Who goes there?

KING HENRY V

91A friend.

WILLIAMS

92Under what captain serve you?

KING HENRY V

93Under Sir Thomas Erpingham.

WILLIAMS

94A good old commander and a most kind gentleman: I

95pray you, what thinks he of our estate?

KING HENRY V

96Even as men wrecked upon a sand, that look to be

97washed off the next tide.

BATES

98He hath not told his thought to the king?

KING HENRY V

99No; nor it is not meet he should. For, though I

100speak it to you, I think the king is but a man, as I

101am: the violet smells to him as it doth to me: the

102element shows to him as it doth to me; all his

103senses have but human conditions: his ceremonies

104laid by, in his nakedness he appears but a man; and

105though his affections are higher mounted than ours,

106yet, when they stoop, they stoop with the like

107wing. Therefore when he sees reason of fears, as we

108do, his fears, out of doubt, be of the same relish

109as ours are: yet, in reason, no man should possess

110him with any appearance of fear, lest he, by showing

111it, should dishearten his army.

BATES

112He may show what outward courage he will; but I

113believe, as cold a night as 'tis, he could wish

114himself in Thames up to the neck; and so I would he

115were, and I by him, at all adventures, so we were quit here.

KING HENRY V

116By my troth, I will speak my conscience of the king:

117I think he would not wish himself any where but

118where he is.

BATES

119Then I would he were here alone; so should he be

120sure to be ransomed, and a many poor men's lives saved.

KING HENRY V

121I dare say you love him not so ill, to wish him here

122alone, howsoever you speak this to feel other men's

123minds: methinks I could not die any where so

124contented as in the king's company; his cause being

125just and his quarrel honourable.

WILLIAMS

126That's more than we know.

BATES

127Ay, or more than we should seek after; for we know

128enough, if we know we are the kings subjects: if

129his cause be wrong, our obedience to the king wipes

130the crime of it out of us.

WILLIAMS

131But if the cause be not good, the king himself hath

132a heavy reckoning to make, when all those legs and

133arms and heads, chopped off in battle, shall join

134together at the latter day and cry all 'We died at

135such a place;' some swearing, some crying for a

136surgeon, some upon their wives left poor behind

137them, some upon the debts they owe, some upon their

138children rawly left. I am afeard there are few die

139well that die in a battle; for how can they

140charitably dispose of any thing, when blood is their

141argument? Now, if these men do not die well, it

142will be a black matter for the king that led them to

143it; whom to disobey were against all proportion of

144subjection.

KING HENRY V

145So, if a son that is by his father sent about

146merchandise do sinfully miscarry upon the sea, the

147imputation of his wickedness by your rule, should be

148imposed upon his father that sent him: or if a

149servant, under his master's command transporting a

150sum of money, be assailed by robbers and die in

151many irreconciled iniquities, you may call the

152business of the master the author of the servant's

153damnation: but this is not so: the king is not

154bound to answer the particular endings of his

155soldiers, the father of his son, nor the master of

156his servant; for they purpose not their death, when

157they purpose their services. Besides, there is no

158king, be his cause never so spotless, if it come to

159the arbitrement of swords, can try it out with all

160unspotted soldiers: some peradventure have on them

161the guilt of premeditated and contrived murder;

162some, of beguiling virgins with the broken seals of

163perjury; some, making the wars their bulwark, that

164have before gored the gentle bosom of peace with

165pillage and robbery. Now, if these men have

166defeated the law and outrun native punishment,

167though they can outstrip men, they have no wings to

168fly from God: war is his beadle, war is vengeance;

169so that here men are punished for before-breach of

170the king's laws in now the king's quarrel: where

171they feared the death, they have borne life away;

172and where they would be safe, they perish: then if

173they die unprovided, no more is the king guilty of

174their damnation than he was before guilty of those

175impieties for the which they are now visited. Every

176subject's duty is the king's; but every subject's

177soul is his own. Therefore should every soldier in

178the wars do as every sick man in his bed, wash every

179mote out of his conscience: and dying so, death

180is to him advantage; or not dying, the time was

181blessedly lost wherein such preparation was gained:

182and in him that escapes, it were not sin to think

183that, making God so free an offer, He let him

184outlive that day to see His greatness and to teach

185others how they should prepare.

WILLIAMS

186'Tis certain, every man that dies ill, the ill upon

187his own head, the king is not to answer it.

BATES

188But I do not desire he should answer for me; and

189yet I determine to fight lustily for him.

KING HENRY V

190I myself heard the king say he would not be ransomed.

WILLIAMS

191Ay, he said so, to make us fight cheerfully: but

192when our throats are cut, he may be ransomed, and we

193ne'er the wiser.

KING HENRY V

194If I live to see it, I will never trust his word after.

WILLIAMS

195You pay him then. That's a perilous shot out of an

196elder-gun, that a poor and private displeasure can

197do against a monarch! you may as well go about to

198turn the sun to ice with fanning in his face with a

199peacock's feather. You'll never trust his word

200after! come, 'tis a foolish saying.

KING HENRY V

201Your reproof is something too round: I should be

202angry with you, if the time were convenient.

WILLIAMS

203Let it be a quarrel between us, if you live.

KING HENRY V

204I embrace it.

WILLIAMS

205How shall I know thee again?

KING HENRY V

206Give me any gage of thine, and I will wear it in my

207bonnet: then, if ever thou darest acknowledge it, I

208will make it my quarrel.

WILLIAMS

209Here's my glove: give me another of thine.

KING HENRY V

210There.

WILLIAMS

211This will I also wear in my cap: if ever thou come

212to me and say, after to-morrow, 'This is my glove,'

213by this hand, I will take thee a box on the ear.

KING HENRY V

214If ever I live to see it, I will challenge it.

WILLIAMS

215Thou darest as well be hanged.

KING HENRY V

216Well. I will do it, though I take thee in the

217king's company.

WILLIAMS

218Keep thy word: fare thee well.

BATES

219Be friends, you English fools, be friends: we have

220French quarrels enow, if you could tell how to reckon.

KING HENRY V

221Indeed, the French may lay twenty French crowns to

222one, they will beat us; for they bear them on their

223shoulders: but it is no English treason to cut

224French crowns, and to-morrow the king himself will

225be a clipper.

226Upon the king! let us our lives, our souls,

227Our debts, our careful wives,

228Our children and our sins lay on the king!

229We must bear all. O hard condition,

230Twin-born with greatness, subject to the breath

231Of every fool, whose sense no more can feel

232But his own wringing! What infinite heart's-ease

233Must kings neglect, that private men enjoy!

234And what have kings, that privates have not too,

235Save ceremony, save general ceremony?

236And what art thou, thou idle ceremony?

237What kind of god art thou, that suffer'st more

238Of mortal griefs than do thy worshippers?

239What are thy rents? what are thy comings in?

240O ceremony, show me but thy worth!

241What is thy soul of adoration?

242Art thou aught else but place, degree and form,

243Creating awe and fear in other men?

244Wherein thou art less happy being fear'd

245Than they in fearing.

246What drink'st thou oft, instead of homage sweet,

247But poison'd flattery? O, be sick, great greatness,

248And bid thy ceremony give thee cure!

249Think'st thou the fiery fever will go out

250With titles blown from adulation?

251Will it give place to flexure and low bending?

252Canst thou, when thou command'st the beggar's knee,

253Command the health of it? No, thou proud dream,

254That play'st so subtly with a king's repose;

255I am a king that find thee, and I know

256'Tis not the balm, the sceptre and the ball,'Tis not the balm, the sceptre

257The sword, the mace, the crown imperial,

258The intertissued robe of gold and pearl,

259The farced title running 'fore the king,

260The throne he sits on, nor the tide of pomp

261That beats upon the high shore of this world,

262No, not all these, thrice-gorgeous ceremony,

263Not all these, laid in bed majestical,

264Can sleep so soundly as the wretched slave,

265Who with a body fill'd and vacant mind

266Gets him to rest, cramm'd with distressful bread;

267Never sees horrid night, the child of hell,

268But, like a lackey, from the rise to set

269Sweats in the eye of Phoebus and all night

270Sleeps in Elysium; next day after dawn,

271Doth rise and help Hyperion to his horse,

272And follows so the ever-running year,

273With profitable labour, to his grave:

274And, but for ceremony, such a wretch,

275Winding up days with toil and nights with sleep,

276Had the fore-hand and vantage of a king.

277The slave, a member of the country's peace,

278Enjoys it; but in gross brain little wots

279What watch the king keeps to maintain the peace,

280Whose hours the peasant best advantages.

ERPINGHAM

281My lord, your nobles, jealous of your absence,

282Seek through your camp to find you.

KING HENRY V

283Good old knight,

284Collect them all together at my tent:

285I'll be before thee.

ERPINGHAM

286I shall do't, my lord.

KING HENRY V

287O God of battles! steel my soldiers' hearts;

288Possess them not with fear; take from them now

289The sense of reckoning, if the opposed numbers

290Pluck their hearts from them. Not to-day, O Lord,

291O, not to-day, think not upon the fault

292My father made in compassing the crown!

293I Richard's body have interred anew;

294And on it have bestow'd more contrite tears

295Than from it issued forced drops of blood:

296Five hundred poor I have in yearly pay,

297Who twice a-day their wither'd hands hold up

298Toward heaven, to pardon blood; and I have built

299Two chantries, where the sad and solemn priests

300Sing still for Richard's soul. More will I do;

301Though all that I can do is nothing worth,

302Since that my penitence comes after all,

303Imploring pardon.

GLOUCESTER

304My liege!

KING HENRY V

305My brother Gloucester's voice? Ay;

306I know thy errand, I will go with thee:

307The day, my friends and all things stay for me.

4-2

ORLEANS

1The sun doth gild our armour; up, my lords!

DAUPHIN

2Montez A cheval! My horse! varlet! laquais! ha!

ORLEANS

3O brave spirit!

DAUPHIN

4Via! les eaux et la terre.

ORLEANS

5Rien puis? L'air et la feu.

DAUPHIN

6Ciel, cousin Orleans.

7Now, my lord constable!

CONSTABLE

8Hark, how our steeds for present service neigh!

DAUPHIN

9Mount them, and make incision in their hides,

10That their hot blood may spin in English eyes,

11And dout them with superfluous courage, ha!

RAMBURES

12What, will you have them weep our horses' blood?

13How shall we, then, behold their natural tears?

MESSENGER

14The English are embattled, you French peers.

CONSTABLE

15To horse, you gallant princes! straight to horse!

16Do but behold yon poor and starved band,

17And your fair show shall suck away their souls,

18Leaving them but the shales and husks of men.

19There is not work enough for all our hands;

20Scarce blood enough in all their sickly veins

21To give each naked curtle-axe a stain,

22That our French gallants shall to-day draw out,

23And sheathe for lack of sport: let us but blow on them,

24The vapour of our valour will o'erturn them.

GRANDPRE

38Why do you stay so long, my lords of France?

39Yon island carrions, desperate of their bones,

40Ill-favouredly become the morning field:

41Their ragged curtains poorly are let loose,

42And our air shakes them passing scornfully:

45The horsemen sit like fixed candlesticks,

46With torch-staves in their hand; and their poor jades

47Lob down their heads, dropping the hides and hips,

48The gum down-roping from their pale-dead eyes

49And in their pale dull mouths the gimmal bit

50Lies foul with chew'd grass, still and motionless;

51And their executors, the knavish crows,

52Fly o'er them, all impatient for their hour.

CONSTABLE

56They have said their prayers, and they stay for death.

DAUPHIN

57Shall we go send them dinners and fresh suits

58And give their fasting horses provender,

59And after fight with them?

CONSTABLE

60I stay but for my guidon

62come, away!

63The sun is high, and we outwear the day.

4-3

GLOUCESTER

1Where is the king?

BEDFORD

2The king himself is rode to view their battle.

WESTMORELAND

3Of fighting men they have full three score thousand.

EXETER

4There's five to one; besides, they all are fresh.

SALISBURY

5God's arm strike with us! 'tis a fearful odds.

6God be wi' you, princes all; I'll to my charge:

7If we no more meet till we meet in heaven,

8Then, joyfully, my noble Lord of Bedford,

9My dear Lord Gloucester, and my good Lord Exeter,

10And my kind kinsman, warriors all, adieu!

BEDFORD

11Farewell, good Salisbury; and good luck go with thee!

EXETER

12Farewell, kind lord; fight valiantly to-day:

13And yet I do thee wrong to mind thee of it,

14For thou art framed of the firm truth of valour.

BEDFORD

15He is full of valour as of kindness;

16Princely in both.

WESTMORELAND

17O that we now had here

18But one ten thousand of those men in England

19That do no work to-day!

KING HENRY V

20What's he that wishes so?

21My cousin Westmoreland? No, my fair cousin:

22If we are mark'd to die, we are enow

23To do our country loss; and if to live,

24The fewer men, the greater share of honour.

25God's will! I pray thee, wish not one man more.

26By Jove, I am not covetous for gold,

27Nor care I who doth feed upon my cost;

28It yearns me not if men my garments wear;

29Such outward things dwell not in my desires:

30But if it be a sin to covet honour,

31I am the most offending soul alive.

32No, faith, my coz, wish not a man from England:

33God's peace! I would not lose so great an honour

34As one man more, methinks, would share from me

35For the best hope I have. O, do not wish one more!

36Rather proclaim it, Westmoreland, through my host,

37That he which hath no stomach to this fight,

38Let him depart; his passport shall be made

39And crowns for convoy put into his purse:

40We would not die in that man's company

41That fears his fellowship to die with us.

42This day is called the feast of Crispian:

43He that outlives this day, and comes safe home,

44Will stand a tip-toe when the day is named,

45And rouse him at the name of Crispian.

46He that shall live this day, and see old age,

47Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,

48And say 'To-morrow is Saint Crispian:'

49Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars.

50And say 'These wounds I had on Crispin's day.'

51Old men forget: yet all shall be forgot,

52But he'll remember with advantages

53What feats he did that day: then shall our names.

54Familiar in his mouth as household words

55Harry the king, Bedford and Exeter,

56Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester,

57Be in their flowing cups freshly remember'd.

58This story shall the good man teach his son;

59And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,

60From this day to the ending of the world,

61But we in it shall be remember'd;

62We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;

63For he to-day that sheds his blood with me

64Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,

65This day shall gentle his condition:

66And gentlemen in England now a-bed

67Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,

68And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks

69That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.

SALISBURY

70My sovereign lord, bestow yourself with speed:

71The French are bravely in their battles set,

72And will with all expedience charge on us.

KING HENRY V

73All things are ready, if our minds be so.

WESTMORELAND

74Perish the man whose mind is backward now!

KING HENRY V

75Thou dost not wish more help from England, coz?

WESTMORELAND

76God's will! my liege, would you and I alone,

77Without more help, could fight this royal battle!

KING HENRY V

78Why, now thou hast unwish'd five thousand men;

79Which likes me better than to wish us one.

80You know your places: God be with you all!

MONTJOY

81Once more I come to know of thee, King Harry,

82If for thy ransom thou wilt now compound,

83Before thy most assured overthrow:

84For certainly thou art so near the gulf,

85Thou needs must be englutted. Besides, in mercy,

86The constable desires thee thou wilt mind

87Thy followers of repentance; that their souls

88May make a peaceful and a sweet retire

89From off these fields, where, wretches, their poor bodies

90Must lie and fester.

KING HENRY V

91Who hath sent thee now?

MONTJOY

92The Constable of France.

KING HENRY V

93I pray thee, bear my former answer back:

94Bid them achieve me and then sell my bones.

95Good God! why should they mock poor fellows thus?

96The man that once did sell the lion's skin

97While the beast lived, was killed with hunting him.

98A many of our bodies shall no doubt

99Find native graves; upon the which, I trust,

100Shall witness live in brass of this day's work:

101And those that leave their valiant bones in France,

102Dying like men, though buried in your dunghills,

103They shall be famed; for there the sun shall greet them,

104And draw their honours reeking up to heaven;

105Leaving their earthly parts to choke your clime,

106The smell whereof shall breed a plague in France.

111Let me speak proudly: tell the constable

112We are but warriors for the working-day;

113Our gayness and our gilt are all besmirch'd

114With rainy marching in the painful field;

115There's not a piece of feather in our host--

116Good argument, I hope, we will not fly--

117And time hath worn us into slovenry:

118But, by the mass, our hearts are in the trim;

119And my poor soldiers tell me, yet ere night

120They'll be in fresher robes, or they will pluck

121The gay new coats o'er the French soldiers' heads

122And turn them out of service. If they do this,--

123As, if God please, they shall,--my ransom then

124Will soon be levied. Herald, save thou thy labour;

125Come thou no more for ransom, gentle herald:

126They shall have none, I swear, but these my joints;

127Which if they have as I will leave 'em them,

128Shall yield them little, tell the constable.

MONTJOY

129I shall, King Harry. And so fare thee well:

130Thou never shalt hear herald any more.

KING HENRY V

131I fear thou'lt once more come again for ransom.

YORK

132My lord, most humbly on my knee I beg

133The leading of the vaward.

KING HENRY V

134Take it, brave York. Now, soldiers, march away:

135And how thou pleasest, God, dispose the day!

4-4

PISTOL

1Yield, cur!

FRENCH SOLDIER

2Je pense que vous etes gentilhomme de bonne qualite.

PISTOL

3Art thou a gentleman?

4What is thy name? discuss.

FRENCH SOLDIER

5O Seigneur Dieu!

PISTOL

6O, Signieur Dew should be a gentleman:

7Perpend my words, O Signieur Dew, and mark;

8O Signieur Dew, thou diest on point of fox,

9Except, O signieur, thou do give to me

10Egregious ransom.

FRENCH SOLDIER

11O, prenez misericorde! ayez pitie de moi!

PISTOL

12Moy shall not serve; I will have forty moys;

13Or I will fetch thy rim out at thy throat

14In drops of crimson blood.

FRENCH SOLDIER

15Est-il impossible d'echapper la force de ton bras?

PISTOL

16Brass, cur!

17Thou damned and luxurious mountain goat,

18Offer'st me brass?

FRENCH SOLDIER

19O pardonnez moi!

PISTOL

20Say'st thou me so? is that a ton of moys?

21Come hither, boy: ask me this slave in French

22What is his name.

BOY

23Ecoutez: comment etes-vous appele?

FRENCH SOLDIER

24Monsieur le Fer.

BOY

25He says his name is Master Fer.

PISTOL

26Master Fer! I'll fer him, and firk him, and ferret

27him: discuss the same in French unto him.

BOY

28I do not know the French for fer, and ferret, and firk.

PISTOL

29Bid him prepare; for I will cut his throat.

FRENCH SOLDIER

30Que dit-il, monsieur?

BOY

31Il me commande de vous dire que vous faites vous

32pret; car ce soldat ici est dispose tout a cette

33heure de couper votre gorge.

PISTOL

34Owy, cuppele gorge, permafoy,

35Peasant, unless thou give me crowns, brave crowns;

36Or mangled shalt thou be by this my sword.

FRENCH SOLDIER

37O, je vous supplie, pour l'amour de Dieu, me

38pardonner! Je suis gentilhomme de bonne maison:

39gardez ma vie, et je vous donnerai deux cents ecus.

PISTOL

40What are his words?

BOY

41He prays you to save his life: he is a gentleman of

42a good house; and for his ransom he will give you

43two hundred crowns.

PISTOL

44Tell him my fury shall abate, and I the crowns will take.

FRENCH SOLDIER

45Petit monsieur, que dit-il?

BOY

46Encore qu'il est contre son jurement de pardonner

47aucun prisonnier, neanmoins, pour les ecus que vous

48l'avez promis, il est content de vous donner la

49liberte, le franchisement.

FRENCH SOLDIER

50Sur mes genoux je vous donne mille remercimens; et

51je m'estime heureux que je suis tombe entre les

52mains d'un chevalier, je pense, le plus brave,

53vaillant, et tres distingue seigneur d'Angleterre.

PISTOL

54Expound unto me, boy.

BOY

55He gives you, upon his knees, a thousand thanks; and

56he esteems himself happy that he hath fallen into

57the hands of one, as he thinks, the most brave,

58valorous, and thrice-worthy signieur of England.

PISTOL

59As I suck blood, I will some mercy show.

60Follow me!

BOY

61Suivez-vous le grand capitaine.

62I did never know so full a voice issue from so

63empty a heart: but the saying is true 'The empty

64vessel makes the greatest sound.' Bardolph and Nym

65had ten times more valour than this roaring devil i'

66the old play, that every one may pare his nails with

67a wooden dagger; and they are both hanged; and so

68would this be, if he durst steal any thing

69adventurously. I must stay with the lackeys, with

70the luggage of our camp: the French might have a

71good prey of us, if he knew of it; for there is

72none to guard it but boys.

4-5

BOURBON

11Shame and eternal shame, nothing but shame!

12Let us die in honour: once more back again;

13And he that will not follow Bourbon now,

14Let him go hence, and with his cap in hand,

15Like a base pander, hold the chamber-door

16Whilst by a slave, no gentler than my dog,

17His fairest daughter is contaminated.

CONSTABLE

18Disorder, that hath spoil'd us, friend us now!

19Let us on heaps go offer up our lives.

ORLEANS

20We are enow yet living in the field

21To smother up the English in our throngs,

22If any order might be thought upon.

BOURBON

23The devil take order now! I'll to the throng:

24Let life be short; else shame will be too long.

4-6

KING HENRY V

1Well have we done, thrice valiant countrymen:

2But all's not done; yet keep the French the field.

EXETER

3The Duke of York commends him to your majesty.

KING HENRY V

4Lives he, good uncle? thrice within this hour

5I saw him down; thrice up again and fighting;

6From helmet to the spur all blood he was.

EXETER

7In which array, brave soldier, doth he lie,

8Larding the plain; and by his bloody side,

9Yoke-fellow to his honour-owing wounds,

10The noble Earl of Suffolk also lies.

11Suffolk first died: and York, all haggled over,

12Comes to him, where in gore he lay insteep'd,

13And takes him by the beard; kisses the gashes

14That bloodily did spawn upon his face;

15And cries aloud 'Tarry, dear cousin Suffolk!

16My soul shall thine keep company to heaven;

17Tarry, sweet soul, for mine, then fly abreast,

18As in this glorious and well-foughten field

19We kept together in our chivalry!'

20Upon these words I came and cheer'd him up:

21He smiled me in the face, raught me his hand,

22And, with a feeble gripe, says 'Dear my lord,

23Commend my service to me sovereign.'

24So did he turn and over Suffolk's neck

25He threw his wounded arm and kiss'd his lips;

26And so espoused to death, with blood he seal'd

27A testament of noble-ending love.

28The pretty and sweet manner of it forced

29Those waters from me which I would have stopp'd;

30But I had not so much of man in me,

31And all my mother came into mine eyes

32And gave me up to tears.

KING HENRY V

33I blame you not;

34For, hearing this, I must perforce compound

35With mistful eyes, or they will issue too.

36But, hark! what new alarum is this same?

37The French have reinforced their scatter'd men:

38Then every soldier kill his prisoners:

39Give the word through.

4-7

FLUELLEN

1Kill the poys and the luggage! 'tis expressly

2against the law of arms: 'tis as arrant a piece of

3knavery, mark you now, as can be offer't; in your

4conscience, now, is it not?

GOWER

5'Tis certain there's not a boy left alive; and the

6cowardly rascals that ran from the battle ha' done

7this slaughter: besides, they have burned and

8carried away all that was in the king's tent;

9wherefore the king, most worthily, hath caused every

10soldier to cut his prisoner's throat. O, 'tis a

11gallant king!

FLUELLEN

12Ay, he was porn at Monmouth, Captain Gower. What

13call you the town's name where Alexander the Pig was born!

GOWER

14Alexander the Great.

FLUELLEN

15Why, I pray you, is not pig great? the pig, or the

16great, or the mighty, or the huge, or the

17magnanimous, are all one reckonings, save the phrase

18is a little variations.

GOWER

19I think Alexander the Great was born in Macedon; his

20father was called Philip of Macedon, as I take it.

FLUELLEN

21I think it is in Macedon where Alexander is porn. I

22tell you, captain, if you look in the maps of the

23'orld, I warrant you sall find, in the comparisons

24between Macedon and Monmouth, that the situations,

25look you, is both alike. There is a river in

26Macedon; and there is also moreover a river at

27Monmouth: it is called Wye at Monmouth; but it is

28out of my prains what is the name of the other

29river; but 'tis all one, 'tis alike as my fingers is

30to my fingers, and there is salmons in both. If you

31mark Alexander's life well, Harry of Monmouth's life

32is come after it indifferent well; for there is

33figures in all things. Alexander, God knows, and

34you know, in his rages, and his furies, and his

35wraths, and his cholers, and his moods, and his

36displeasures, and his indignations, and also being a

37little intoxicates in his prains, did, in his ales and

38his angers, look you, kill his best friend, Cleitus.

GOWER

39Our king is not like him in that: he never killed

40any of his friends.

FLUELLEN

41It is not well done, mark you now take the tales out

42of my mouth, ere it is made and finished. I speak

43but in the figures and comparisons of it: as

44Alexander killed his friend Cleitus, being in his

45ales and his cups; so also Harry Monmouth, being in

46his right wits and his good judgments, turned away

47the fat knight with the great belly-doublet: he

48was full of jests, and gipes, and knaveries, and

49mocks; I have forgot his name.

GOWER

50Sir John Falstaff.

FLUELLEN

51That is he: I'll tell you there is good men porn at Monmouth.

GOWER

52Here comes his majesty.

KING HENRY V

53I was not angry since I came to France

54Until this instant. Take a trumpet, herald;

55Ride thou unto the horsemen on yon hill:

56If they will fight with us, bid them come down,

57Or void the field; they do offend our sight:

58If they'll do neither, we will come to them,

59And make them skirr away, as swift as stones

60Enforced from the old Assyrian slings:

61Besides, we'll cut the throats of those we have,

62And not a man of them that we shall take

63Shall taste our mercy. Go and tell them so.

EXETER

64Here comes the herald of the French, my liege.

KING HENRY V

66How now! what means this, herald?

68Comest thou again for ransom?

MONTJOY

69No, great king:

70I come to thee for charitable licence,

71That we may wander o'er this bloody field

72To look our dead, and then to bury them;

73To sort our nobles from our common men.

74For many of our princes--woe the while!--

75Lie drown'd and soak'd in mercenary blood;

76So do our vulgar drench their peasant limbs

77In blood of princes; and their wounded steeds

78Fret fetlock deep in gore and with wild rage

79Yerk out their armed heels at their dead masters,

80Killing them twice. O, give us leave, great king,

81To view the field in safety and dispose

82Of their dead bodies!

KING HENRY V

83I tell thee truly, herald,

84I know not if the day be ours or no;

85For yet a many of your horsemen peer

86And gallop o'er the field.

MONTJOY

87The day is yours.

KING HENRY V

88Praised be God, and not our strength, for it!

89What is this castle call'd that stands hard by?

MONTJOY

90They call it Agincourt.

KING HENRY V

91Then call we this the field of Agincourt,

92Fought on the day of Crispin Crispianus.

FLUELLEN

93Your grandfather of famous memory, an't please your

94majesty, and your great-uncle Edward the Plack

95Prince of Wales, as I have read in the chronicles,

96fought a most prave pattle here in France.

KING HENRY V

97They did, Fluellen.

FLUELLEN

98Your majesty says very true: if your majesties is

99remembered of it, the Welshmen did good service in a

100garden where leeks did grow, wearing leeks in their

101Monmouth caps; which, your majesty know, to this

102hour is an honourable badge of the service; and I do

103believe your majesty takes no scorn to wear the leek

104upon Saint Tavy's day.

KING HENRY V

105I wear it for a memorable honour;

106For I am Welsh, you know, good countryman.

FLUELLEN

107All the water in Wye cannot wash your majesty's

108Welsh plood out of your pody, I can tell you that:

109God pless it and preserve it, as long as it pleases

110his grace, and his majesty too!

KING HENRY V

111Thanks, good my countryman.

FLUELLEN

112By Jeshu, I am your majesty's countryman, I care not

113who know it; I will confess it to all the 'orld: I

114need not to be ashamed of your majesty, praised be

115God, so long as your majesty is an honest man.

KING HENRY V

116God keep me so! Our heralds go with him:

117Bring me just notice of the numbers dead

118On both our parts. Call yonder fellow hither.

EXETER

119Soldier, you must come to the king.

KING HENRY V

120Soldier, why wearest thou that glove in thy cap?

WILLIAMS

121An't please your majesty, 'tis the gage of one that

122I should fight withal, if he be alive.

KING HENRY V

123An Englishman?

WILLIAMS

124An't please your majesty, a rascal that swaggered

125with me last night; who, if alive and ever dare to

126challenge this glove, I have sworn to take him a box

127o' th' ear: or if I can see my glove in his cap,

128which he swore, as he was a soldier, he would wear

129if alive, I will strike it out soundly.

KING HENRY V

130What think you, Captain Fluellen? is it fit this

131soldier keep his oath?

FLUELLEN

132He is a craven and a villain else, an't please your

133majesty, in my conscience.

KING HENRY V

143Then keep thy vow, sirrah, when thou meetest the fellow.

WILLIAMS

144So I will, my liege, as I live.

KING HENRY V

145Who servest thou under?

WILLIAMS

146Under Captain Gower, my liege.

KING HENRY V

149Call him hither to me, soldier.

WILLIAMS

150I will, my liege.

KING HENRY V

151Here, Fluellen; wear thou this favour for me and

152stick it in thy cap: when Alencon and myself were

153down together, I plucked this glove from his helm:

154if any man challenge this, he is a friend to

155Alencon, and an enemy to our person; if thou

156encounter any such, apprehend him, an thou dost me love.

FLUELLEN

157Your grace doo's me as great honours as can be

158desired in the hearts of his subjects: I would fain

159see the man, that has but two legs, that shall find

160himself aggrieved at this glove; that is all; but I

161would fain see it once, an please God of his grace

162that I might see.

KING HENRY V

163Knowest thou Gower?

FLUELLEN

164He is my dear friend, an please you.

KING HENRY V

165Pray thee, go seek him, and bring him to my tent.

FLUELLEN

166I will fetch him.

KING HENRY V

167My Lord of Warwick, and my brother Gloucester,

168Follow Fluellen closely at the heels:

180Go you with me, uncle of Exeter.

4-8

WILLIAMS

1I warrant it is to knight you, captain.

FLUELLEN

2God's will and his pleasure, captain, I beseech you

3now, come apace to the king: there is more good

4toward you peradventure than is in your knowledge to dream of.

WILLIAMS

5Sir, know you this glove?

FLUELLEN

6Know the glove! I know the glove is glove.

WILLIAMS

7I know this; and thus I challenge it.

FLUELLEN

8'Sblood! an arrant traitor as any is in the

9universal world, or in France, or in England!

GOWER

10How now, sir! you villain!

WILLIAMS

11Do you think I'll be forsworn?

FLUELLEN

12Stand away, Captain Gower; I will give treason his

13payment into ploughs, I warrant you.

WILLIAMS

14I am no traitor.

FLUELLEN

15That's a lie in thy throat. I charge you in his

16majesty's name, apprehend him: he's a friend of the

17Duke Alencon's.

WARWICK

18How now, how now! what's the matter?

FLUELLEN

19My Lord of Warwick, here is--praised be God for it!

20--a most contagious treason come to light, look

21you, as you shall desire in a summer's day. Here is

22his majesty.

KING HENRY V

23How now! what's the matter?

FLUELLEN

24My liege, here is a villain and a traitor, that,

25look your grace, has struck the glove which your

26majesty is take out of the helmet of Alencon.

WILLIAMS

27My liege, this was my glove; here is the fellow of

28it; and he that I gave it to in change promised to

29wear it in his cap: I promised to strike him, if he

30did: I met this man with my glove in his cap, and I

31have been as good as my word.

FLUELLEN

32Your majesty hear now, saving your majesty's

33manhood, what an arrant, rascally, beggarly, lousy

34knave it is: I hope your majesty is pear me

35testimony and witness, and will avouchment, that

36this is the glove of Alencon, that your majesty is

37give me; in your conscience, now?

KING HENRY V

38Give me thy glove, soldier: look, here is the

39fellow of it.

40'Twas I, indeed, thou promised'st to strike;

41And thou hast given me most bitter terms.

FLUELLEN

42An please your majesty, let his neck answer for it,

43if there is any martial law in the world.

KING HENRY V

44How canst thou make me satisfaction?

WILLIAMS

45All offences, my lord, come from the heart: never

46came any from mine that might offend your majesty.

KING HENRY V

47It was ourself thou didst abuse.

WILLIAMS

48Your majesty came not like yourself: you appeared to

49me but as a common man; witness the night, your

50garments, your lowliness; and what your highness

51suffered under that shape, I beseech you take it for

52your own fault and not mine: for had you been as I

53took you for, I made no offence; therefore, I

54beseech your highness, pardon me.

KING HENRY V

55Here, uncle Exeter, fill this glove with crowns,

56And give it to this fellow. Keep it, fellow;

57And wear it for an honour in thy cap

58Till I do challenge it. Give him the crowns:

59And, captain, you must needs be friends with him.

FLUELLEN

60By this day and this light, the fellow has mettle

61enough in his belly. Hold, there is twelve pence

62for you; and I pray you to serve Got, and keep you

63out of prawls, and prabbles' and quarrels, and

64dissensions, and, I warrant you, it is the better for you.

WILLIAMS

65I will none of your money.

FLUELLEN

66It is with a good will; I can tell you, it will

67serve you to mend your shoes: come, wherefore should

68you be so pashful? your shoes is not so good: 'tis

69a good silling, I warrant you, or I will change it.

KING HENRY V

70Now, herald, are the dead number'd?

HERALD

71Here is the number of the slaughter'd French.

KING HENRY V

72What prisoners of good sort are taken, uncle?

EXETER

73Charles Duke of Orleans, nephew to the king;

74John Duke of Bourbon, and Lord Bouciqualt:

75Of other lords and barons, knights and squires,

76Full fifteen hundred, besides common men.

KING HENRY V

77This note doth tell me of ten thousand French

78That in the field lie slain: of princes, in this number,

79And nobles bearing banners, there lie dead

80One hundred twenty six: added to these,

81Of knights, esquires, and gallant gentlemen,

82Eight thousand and four hundred; of the which,

83Five hundred were but yesterday dubb'd knights:

84So that, in these ten thousand they have lost,

85There are but sixteen hundred mercenaries;

86The rest are princes, barons, lords, knights, squires,

87And gentlemen of blood and quality.

88The names of those their nobles that lie dead:

89Charles Delabreth, high constable of France;

90Jaques of Chatillon, admiral of France;

91The master of the cross-bows, Lord Rambures;

92Great Master of France, the brave Sir Guichard Dolphin,

93John Duke of Alencon, Anthony Duke of Brabant,

94The brother of the Duke of Burgundy,

95And Edward Duke of Bar: of lusty earls,

96Grandpre and Roussi, Fauconberg and Foix,

97Beaumont and Marle, Vaudemont and Lestrale.

98Here was a royal fellowship of death!

99Where is the number of our English dead?

100Edward the Duke of York, the Earl of Suffolk,

101Sir Richard Ketly, Davy Gam, esquire:

102None else of name; and of all other men

103But five and twenty. O God, thy arm was here;

104And not to us, but to thy arm alone,

105Ascribe we all! When, without stratagem,

106But in plain shock and even play of battle,

107Was ever known so great and little loss

108On one part and on the other? Take it, God,

109For it is none but thine!

EXETER

110'Tis wonderful!

KING HENRY V

111Come, go we in procession to the village.

112And be it death proclaimed through our host

113To boast of this or take the praise from God

114Which is his only.

FLUELLEN

115Is it not lawful, an please your majesty, to tell

116how many is killed?

KING HENRY V

117Yes, captain; but with this acknowledgement,

118That God fought for us.

FLUELLEN

119Yes, my conscience, he did us great good.

KING HENRY V

120Do we all holy rites;

121Let there be sung 'Non nobis' and 'Te Deum;'

122The dead with charity enclosed in clay:

123And then to Calais; and to England then:

124Where ne'er from France arrived more happy men.

5-1

GOWER

1Nay, that's right; but why wear you your leek today?

2Saint Davy's day is past.

FLUELLEN

3There is occasions and causes why and wherefore in

4all things: I will tell you, asse my friend,

5Captain Gower: the rascally, scald, beggarly,

6lousy, pragging knave, Pistol, which you and

7yourself and all the world know to be no petter

8than a fellow, look you now, of no merits, he is

9come to me and prings me pread and salt yesterday,

10look you, and bid me eat my leek: it was in place

11where I could not breed no contention with him; but

12I will be so bold as to wear it in my cap till I see

13him once again, and then I will tell him a little

14piece of my desires.

GOWER

15Why, here he comes, swelling like a turkey-cock.

FLUELLEN

16'Tis no matter for his swellings nor his

17turkey-cocks. God pless you, Aunchient Pistol! You

18scurvy, lousy knave, God pless you!

PISTOL

19Ha! art thou bedlam? dost thou thirst, base Trojan,

20To have me fold up Parca's fatal web?

21Hence! I am qualmish at the smell of leek.

FLUELLEN

22I peseech you heartily, scurvy, lousy knave, at my

23desires, and my requests, and my petitions, to eat,

24look you, this leek: because, look you, you do not

25love it, nor your affections and your appetites and

26your digestions doo's not agree with it, I would

27desire you to eat it.

PISTOL

28Not for Cadwallader and all his goats.

FLUELLEN

29There is one goat for you.

30Will you be so good, scauld knave, as eat it?

PISTOL

31Base Trojan, thou shalt die.

FLUELLEN

32You say very true, scauld knave, when God's will is:

33I will desire you to live in the mean time, and eat

34your victuals: come, there is sauce for it.

FLUELLEN

40Bite, I pray you; it

41is good for your green wound and your ploody coxcomb.

PISTOL

42Must I bite?

FLUELLEN

43Yes, certainly, and out of doubt and out of question

44too, and ambiguities.

PISTOL

45By this leek, I will most horribly revenge: I eat

46and eat, I swear--

FLUELLEN

47Eat, I pray you: will you have some more sauce to

48your leek? there is not enough leek to swear by.

PISTOL

49Quiet thy cudgel; thou dost see I eat.

FLUELLEN

50Much good do you, scauld knave, heartily. Nay, pray

51you, throw none away; the skin is good for your

52broken coxcomb.

FLUELLEN

58I

59have another leek in my pocket, which you shall eat.

FLUELLEN

63God b' wi' you, and keep you, and heal your pate.

PISTOL

76Doth Fortune play the huswife with me now?

77News have I, that my Nell is dead i' the spital

78Of malady of France;

79And there my rendezvous is quite cut off.

80Old I do wax; and from my weary limbs

81Honour is cudgelled. Well, bawd I'll turn,

82And something lean to cutpurse of quick hand.

83To England will I steal, and there I'll steal:

84And patches will I get unto these cudgell'd scars,

85And swear I got them in the Gallia wars.

5-2

KING HENRY V

1Peace to this meeting, wherefore we are met!

2Unto our brother France, and to our sister,

3Health and fair time of day; joy and good wishes

4To our most fair and princely cousin Katharine;

5And, as a branch and member of this royalty,

6By whom this great assembly is contrived,

7We do salute you, Duke of Burgundy;

8And, princes French, and peers, health to you all!

FRENCH KING

9Right joyous are we to behold your face,

10Most worthy brother England; fairly met:

11So are you, princes English, every one.

QUEEN ISABEL

12So happy be the issue, brother England,

13Of this good day and of this gracious meeting,

14As we are now glad to behold your eyes;

15Your eyes, which hitherto have borne in them

16Against the French, that met them in their bent,

17The fatal balls of murdering basilisks:

18The venom of such looks, we fairly hope,

19Have lost their quality, and that this day

20Shall change all griefs and quarrels into love.

KING HENRY V

21To cry amen to that, thus we appear.

QUEEN ISABEL

22You English princes all, I do salute you.

BURGUNDY

23My duty to you both, on equal love,

24Great Kings of France and England! That I have labour'd,

25With all my wits, my pains and strong endeavours,

26To bring your most imperial majesties

27Unto this bar and royal interview,

28Your mightiness on both parts best can witness.

29Since then my office hath so far prevail'd

30That, face to face and royal eye to eye,

31You have congreeted, let it not disgrace me,

32If I demand, before this royal view,

33What rub or what impediment there is,

34Why that the naked, poor and mangled Peace,

35Dear nurse of arts and joyful births,

36Should not in this best garden of the world

37Our fertile France, put up her lovely visage?

38Alas, she hath from France too long been chased,

39And all her husbandry doth lie on heaps,

40Corrupting in its own fertility.

41Her vine, the merry cheerer of the heart,

42Unpruned dies; her hedges even-pleach'd,

43Like prisoners wildly overgrown with hair,

44Put forth disorder'd twigs; her fallow leas

45The darnel, hemlock and rank fumitory

46Doth root upon, while that the coulter rusts

47That should deracinate such savagery;

48The even mead, that erst brought sweetly forth

49The freckled cowslip, burnet and green clover,

50Wanting the scythe, all uncorrected, rank,

51Conceives by idleness and nothing teems

52But hateful docks, rough thistles, kecksies, burs,

53Losing both beauty and utility.

54And all our vineyards, fallows, meads and hedges,

55Defective in their natures, grow to wildness,

56Even so our houses and ourselves and children

57Have lost, or do not learn for want of time,

58The sciences that should become our country;

59But grow like savages,--as soldiers will

60That nothing do but meditate on blood,--

61To swearing and stern looks, diffused attire

62And every thing that seems unnatural.

63Which to reduce into our former favour

64You are assembled: and my speech entreats

65That I may know the let, why gentle Peace

66Should not expel these inconveniences

67And bless us with her former qualities.

KING HENRY V

68If, Duke of Burgundy, you would the peace,

69Whose want gives growth to the imperfections

70Which you have cited, you must buy that peace

71With full accord to all our just demands;

72Whose tenors and particular effects

73You have enscheduled briefly in your hands.

BURGUNDY

74The king hath heard them; to the which as yet

75There is no answer made.

KING HENRY V

76Well then the peace,

77Which you before so urged, lies in his answer.

FRENCH KING

78I have but with a cursorary eye

79O'erglanced the articles: pleaseth your grace

80To appoint some of your council presently

81To sit with us once more, with better heed

82To re-survey them, we will suddenly

83Pass our accept and peremptory answer.

KING HENRY V

84Brother, we shall. Go, uncle Exeter,

85And brother Clarence, and you, brother Gloucester,

86Warwick and Huntingdon, go with the king;

87And take with you free power to ratify,

88Augment, or alter, as your wisdoms best

89Shall see advantageable for our dignity,

90Any thing in or out of our demands,

91And we'll consign thereto. Will you, fair sister,

92Go with the princes, or stay here with us?

QUEEN ISABEL

93Our gracious brother, I will go with them:

94Haply a woman's voice may do some good,

95When articles too nicely urged be stood on.

KING HENRY V

96Yet leave our cousin Katharine here with us:

97She is our capital demand, comprised

98Within the fore-rank of our articles.

QUEEN ISABEL

99She hath good leave.

KING HENRY V

100Fair Katharine, and most fair,

101Will you vouchsafe to teach a soldier terms

102Such as will enter at a lady's ear

103And plead his love-suit to her gentle heart?

KATHARINE

104Your majesty shall mock at me; I cannot speak your England.

KING HENRY V

105O fair Katharine, if you will love me soundly with

106your French heart, I will be glad to hear you

107confess it brokenly with your English tongue. Do

108you like me, Kate?

KATHARINE

109Pardonnez-moi, I cannot tell vat is 'like me.'

KING HENRY V

110An angel is like you, Kate, and you are like an angel.

KATHARINE

111Que dit-il? que je suis semblable a les anges?

ALICE

112Oui, vraiment, sauf votre grace, ainsi dit-il.

KING HENRY V

113I said so, dear Katharine; and I must not blush to

114affirm it.

KATHARINE

115O bon Dieu! les langues des hommes sont pleines de

116tromperies.

KING HENRY V

117What says she, fair one? that the tongues of men

118are full of deceits?

ALICE

119Oui, dat de tongues of de mans is be full of

120deceits: dat is de princess.

KING HENRY V

121The princess is the better Englishwoman. I' faith,

122Kate, my wooing is fit for thy understanding: I am

123glad thou canst speak no better English; for, if

124thou couldst, thou wouldst find me such a plain king

125that thou wouldst think I had sold my farm to buy my

126crown. I know no ways to mince it in love, but

127directly to say 'I love you:' then if you urge me

128farther than to say 'do you in faith?' I wear out

129my suit. Give me your answer; i' faith, do: and so

130clap hands and a bargain: how say you, lady?

KATHARINE

131Sauf votre honneur, me understand vell.

KING HENRY V

132Marry, if you would put me to verses or to dance for

133your sake, Kate, why you undid me: for the one, I

134have neither words nor measure, and for the other, I

135have no strength in measure, yet a reasonable

136measure in strength. If I could win a lady at

137leap-frog, or by vaulting into my saddle with my

138armour on my back, under the correction of bragging

139be it spoken. I should quickly leap into a wife.

140Or if I might buffet for my love, or bound my horse

141for her favours, I could lay on like a butcher and

142sit like a jack-an-apes, never off. But, before God,

143Kate, I cannot look greenly nor gasp out my

144eloquence, nor I have no cunning in protestation;

145only downright oaths, which I never use till urged,

146nor never break for urging. If thou canst love a

147fellow of this temper, Kate, whose face is not worth

148sun-burning, that never looks in his glass for love

149of any thing he sees there, let thine eye be thy

150cook. I speak to thee plain soldier: If thou canst

151love me for this, take me: if not, to say to thee

152that I shall die, is true; but for thy love, by the

153Lord, no; yet I love thee too. And while thou

154livest, dear Kate, take a fellow of plain and

155uncoined constancy; for he perforce must do thee

156right, because he hath not the gift to woo in other

157places: for these fellows of infinite tongue, that

158can rhyme themselves into ladies' favours, they do

159always reason themselves out again. What! a

160speaker is but a prater; a rhyme is but a ballad. A

161good leg will fall; a straight back will stoop; a

162black beard will turn white; a curled pate will grow

163bald; a fair face will wither; a full eye will wax

164hollow: but a good heart, Kate, is the sun and the

165moon; or, rather, the sun, and not the moon; for it

166shines bright and never changes, but keeps his

167course truly. If thou would have such a one, take

168me; and take me, take a soldier; take a soldier,

169take a king. And what sayest thou then to my love?

170speak, my fair, and fairly, I pray thee.

KATHARINE

171Is it possible dat I sould love de enemy of France?

KING HENRY V

172No; it is not possible you should love the enemy of

173France, Kate: but, in loving me, you should love

174the friend of France; for I love France so well that

175I will not part with a village of it; I will have it

176all mine: and, Kate, when France is mine and I am

177yours, then yours is France and you are mine.

KATHARINE

178I cannot tell vat is dat.

KING HENRY V

179No, Kate? I will tell thee in French; which I am

180sure will hang upon my tongue like a new-married

181wife about her husband's neck, hardly to be shook

182off. Je quand sur le possession de France, et quand

183vous avez le possession de moi,--let me see, what

184then? Saint Denis be my speed!--donc votre est

185France et vous etes mienne. It is as easy for me,

186Kate, to conquer the kingdom as to speak so much

187more French: I shall never move thee in French,

188unless it be to laugh at me.

KING HENRY V

193dost thou

194understand thus much English, canst thou love me?

KATHARINE

195I cannot tell.

KING HENRY V

196Can any of your neighbours tell, Kate? I'll ask

197them. Come, I know thou lovest me: and at night,

198when you come into your closet, you'll question this

199gentlewoman about me; and I know, Kate, you will to

200her dispraise those parts in me that you love with

201your heart: but, good Kate, mock me mercifully; the

202rather, gentle princess, because I love thee

203cruelly. If ever thou beest mine, Kate, as I have a

204saving faith within me tells me thou shalt, I get

205thee with scambling, and thou must therefore needs

206prove a good soldier-breeder: shall not thou and I,

207between Saint Denis and Saint George, compound a

208boy, half French, half English, that shall go to

209Constantinople and take the Turk by the beard?

210shall we not? what sayest thou, my fair

211flower-de-luce?

KATHARINE

212I do not know dat

KING HENRY V

213No; 'tis hereafter to know, but now to promise: do

214but now promise, Kate, you will endeavour for your

215French part of such a boy; and for my English moiety

216take the word of a king and a bachelor. How answer

217you, la plus belle Katharine du monde, mon tres cher

218et devin deesse?

KATHARINE

219Your majestee ave fausse French enough to deceive de

220most sage demoiselle dat is en France.

KING HENRY V

221Now, fie upon my false French! By mine honour, in

222true English, I love thee, Kate: by which honour I

223dare not swear thou lovest me; yet my blood begins to

224flatter me that thou dost,

235tell me, most fair Katharine, will you

236have me?avouch the

237thoughts of your heart with the looks of an empress;

238take me by the hand, and say 'Harry of England I am

239thine:' which word thou shalt no sooner bless mine

240ear withal, but I will tell thee aloud 'England is

241thine, Ireland is thine, France is thine, and Harry

242Plantagenet is thine;' who though I speak it before

243his face, if he be not fellow with the best king,

244thou shalt find the best king of good fellows.

245Come, your answer in broken music; for thy voice is

246music and thy English broken; therefore, queen of

247all, Katharine, break thy mind to me in broken

248English; wilt thou have me?

KATHARINE

249Dat is as it sall please de roi mon pere.

KING HENRY V

250Nay, it will please him well, Kate it shall please

251him, Kate.

KATHARINE

252Den it sall also content me.

KING HENRY V

253Upon that I kiss your hand, and I call you my queen.

KATHARINE

254Laissez, mon seigneur, laissez, laissez: ma foi, je

255ne veux point que vous abaissiez votre grandeur en

256baisant la main d'une de votre seigeurie indigne

257serviteur; excusez-moi, je vous supplie, mon

258tres-puissant seigneur.

KING HENRY V

259Then I will kiss your lips, Kate.

KATHARINE

260Les dames et demoiselles pour etre baisees devant

261leur noces, il n'est pas la coutume de France.

KING HENRY V

262Madam my interpreter, what says she?

ALICE

263Dat it is not be de fashion pour les ladies of

264France,--I cannot tell vat is baiser en Anglish.

KING HENRY V

265To kiss.

ALICE

266Your majesty entendre bettre que moi.

KING HENRY V

267It is not a fashion for the maids in France to kiss

268before they are married, would she say?

ALICE

269Oui, vraiment.

KING HENRY V

270O Kate, nice customs curtsy to great kings. Dear

271Kate, you and I cannot be confined within the weak

272list of a country's fashion: we are the makers of

273manners, Kate; and the liberty that follows our

274places stops the mouth of all find-faults; as I will

275do yours, for upholding the nice fashion of your

276country in denying me a kiss: therefore, patiently

277and yielding.

278You have witchcraft in your lips, Kate: there is

279more eloquence in a sugar touch of them than in the

280tongues of the French council; and they should

281sooner persuade Harry of England than a general

282petition of monarchs. Here comes your father.

BURGUNDY

283God save your majesty! my royal cousin, teach you

284our princess English?

KING HENRY V

285I would have her learn, my fair cousin, how

286perfectly I love her; and that is good English.

FRENCH KING

327We have consented to all terms of reason.

KING HENRY V

328Is't so, my lords of England?

WESTMORELAND

329The king hath granted every article:

330His daughter first, and then in sequel all,

331According to their firm proposed natures.

FRENCH KING

345Take her, fair son, and from her blood raise up

346Issue to me; that the contending kingdoms

347Of France and England, whose very shores look pale

348With envy of each other's happiness,

349May cease their hatred, and this dear conjunction

350Plant neighbourhood and Christian-like accord

351In their sweet bosoms, that never war advance

352His bleeding sword 'twixt England and fair France.

BURGUNDY, CLARENCE, EXETER, FRENCH KING, GLOUCESTER, HUNTINGDON, FRENCH KING, QUEEN ISABEL, WARWICK, WESTMORELAND, KING HENRY V, KATHARINE, ALICE

353Amen!

KING HENRY V

354Now, welcome, Kate: and bear me witness all,

355That here I kiss her as my sovereign queen.

QUEEN ISABEL

356God, the best maker of all marriages,

357Combine your hearts in one, your realms in one!

358As man and wife, being two, are one in love,

359So be there 'twixt your kingdoms such a spousal,

360That never may ill office, or fell jealousy,

361Which troubles oft the bed of blessed marriage,

362Thrust in between the paction of these kingdoms,

363To make divorce of their incorporate league;

364That English may as French, French Englishmen,

365Receive each other. God speak this Amen!

FRENCH KING, KING HENRY V, EXETER, WESTMORELAND, BURGUNDY, QUEEN ISABEL, ALICE, KATHARINE, GLOUCESTER, WARWICK, CLARENCE, HUNTINGDON

366Amen!

KING HENRY V

367Prepare we for our marriage--on which day,

368My Lord of Burgundy, we'll take your oath,

369And all the peers', for surety of our leagues.

370Then shall I swear to Kate, and you to me;

371And may our oaths well kept and prosperous be!