The Life Of King Henry The Fifth

1 Enter Fluellen and Gower.
2 FLUELLEN.
3 Kill the poys and the luggage! ’Tis expressly against the law of arms.
4 ’Tis as arrant a piece of knavery, mark you now, as can be offer’t; in
5 your conscience, now, is it not?
6 GOWER.
7 ’Tis certain there’s not a boy left alive; and the cowardly rascals
8 that ran from the battle ha’ done this slaughter. Besides, they have
9 burned and carried away all that was in the King’s tent; wherefore the
10 King, most worthily, hath caus’d every soldier to cut his prisoner’s
11 throat. O, ’tis a gallant king!
12 FLUELLEN.
13 Ay, he was porn at Monmouth, Captain Gower. What call you the town’s
14 name where Alexander the Pig was born?
15 GOWER.
16 Alexander the Great.
17 FLUELLEN.
18 Why, I pray you, is not pig great? The pig, or the great, or the
19 mighty, or the huge, or the magnanimous, are all one reckonings, save
20 the phrase is a little variations.
21 GOWER.
22 I think Alexander the Great was born in Macedon. His father was called
23 Philip of Macedon, as I take it.
24 FLUELLEN.
25 I think it is in Macedon where Alexander is porn. I tell you, Captain,
26 if you look in the maps of the ’orld, I warrant you sall find, in the
27 comparisons between Macedon and Monmouth, that the situations, look
28 you, is both alike. There is a river in Macedon; and there is also
29 moreover a river at Monmouth; it is call’d Wye at Monmouth; but it is
30 out of my prains what is the name of the other river; but ’tis all one,
31 ’tis alike as my fingers is to my fingers, and there is salmons in
32 both. If you mark Alexander’s life well, Harry of Monmouth’s life is
33 come after it indifferent well; for there is figures in all things.
34 Alexander, God knows, and you know, in his rages, and his furies, and
35 his wraths, and his cholers, and his moods, and his displeasures, and
36 his indignations, and also being a little intoxicates in his prains,
37 did, in his ales and his angers, look you, kill his best friend,
38 Cleitus.
39 GOWER.
40 Our King is not like him in that. He never kill’d any of his friends.
41 FLUELLEN.
42 It is not well done, mark you now, to take the tales out of my mouth,
43 ere it is made and finished. I speak but in the figures and comparisons
44 of it. As Alexander kill’d his friend Cleitus, being in his ales and
45 his cups; so also Harry Monmouth, being in his right wits and his good
46 judgements, turn’d away the fat knight with the great belly doublet. He
47 was full of jests, and gipes, and knaveries, and mocks; I have forgot
48 his name.
49 GOWER.
50 Sir John Falstaff.
51 FLUELLEN.
52 That is he. I’ll tell you there is good men porn at Monmouth.
53 GOWER.
54 Here comes his Majesty.
55 Alarum. Enter King Henry and forces; Warwick, Gloucester, Exeter with
56 prisoners. Flourish.
57 KING HENRY.
58 I was not angry since I came to France
59 Until this instant. Take a trumpet, herald;
60 Ride thou unto the horsemen on yond hill.
61 If they will fight with us, bid them come down,
62 Or void the field; they do offend our sight.
63 If they’ll do neither, we will come to them,
64 And make them skirr away, as swift as stones
65 Enforced from the old Assyrian slings.
66 Besides, we’ll cut the throats of those we have,
67 And not a man of them that we shall take
68 Shall taste our mercy. Go and tell them so.
69 Enter Montjoy.
70 EXETER.
71 Here comes the herald of the French, my liege.
72 GLOUCESTER.
73 His eyes are humbler than they us’d to be.
74 KING HENRY.
75 How now! what means this, herald? Know’st thou not
76 That I have fin’d these bones of mine for ransom?
77 Com’st thou again for ransom?
78 MONTJOY.
79 No, great King;
80 I come to thee for charitable license,
81 That we may wander o’er this bloody field
82 To book our dead, and then to bury them;
83 To sort our nobles from our common men.
84 For many of our princes—woe the while!—
85 Lie drown’d and soak’d in mercenary blood;
86 So do our vulgar drench their peasant limbs
87 In blood of princes; and their wounded steeds
88 Fret fetlock deep in gore, and with wild rage
89 Yerk out their armed heels at their dead masters,
90 Killing them twice. O, give us leave, great King,
91 To view the field in safety, and dispose
92 Of their dead bodies!
93 KING HENRY.
94 I tell thee truly, herald,
95 I know not if the day be ours or no;
96 For yet a many of your horsemen peer
97 And gallop o’er the field.
98 MONTJOY.
99 The day is yours.
100 KING HENRY.
101 Praised be God, and not our strength, for it!
102 What is this castle call’d that stands hard by?
103 MONTJOY.
104 They call it Agincourt.
105 KING HENRY.
106 Then call we this the field of Agincourt,
107 Fought on the day of Crispin Crispianus.
108 FLUELLEN.
109 Your grandfather of famous memory, an’t please your Majesty, and your
110 great-uncle Edward the Plack Prince of Wales, as I have read in the
111 chronicles, fought a most prave pattle here in France.
112 KING HENRY.
113 They did, Fluellen.
114 FLUELLEN.
115 Your Majesty says very true. If your Majesties is rememb’red of it, the
116 Welshmen did good service in garden where leeks did grow, wearing leeks
117 in their Monmouth caps; which, your Majesty know, to this hour is an
118 honourable badge of the service; and I do believe your Majesty takes no
119 scorn to wear the leek upon Saint Tavy’s day.
120 KING HENRY.
121 I wear it for a memorable honour;
122 For I am Welsh, you know, good countryman.
123 FLUELLEN.
124 All the water in Wye cannot wash your Majesty’s Welsh plood out of your
125 pody, I can tell you that. Got pless it and preserve it, as long as it
126 pleases His grace, and His majesty too!
127 KING HENRY.
128 Thanks, good my countryman.
129 FLUELLEN.
130 By Jeshu, I am your Majesty’s countryman, I care not who know it. I
131 will confess it to all the ’orld. I need not be asham’d of your
132 Majesty, praised be God, so long as your Majesty is an honest man.
133 KING HENRY.
134 God keep me so!
135 Enter Williams.
136 Our heralds go with him;
137 Bring me just notice of the numbers dead
138 On both our parts. Call yonder fellow hither.
139 [_Exeunt Heralds with Montjoy._]
140 EXETER.
141 Soldier, you must come to the King.
142 KING HENRY.
143 Soldier, why wear’st thou that glove in thy cap?
144 WILLIAMS.
145 An’t please your Majesty, ’tis the gage of one that I should fight
146 withal, if he be alive.
147 KING HENRY.
148 An Englishman?
149 WILLIAMS.
150 An’t please your Majesty, a rascal that swagger’d with me last night;
151 who, if alive and ever dare to challenge this glove, I have sworn to
152 take him a box o’ the ear; or if I can see my glove in his cap, which
153 he swore, as he was a soldier, he would wear if alive, I will strike it
154 out soundly.
155 KING HENRY.
156 What think you, Captain Fluellen, is it fit this soldier keep his oath?
157 FLUELLEN.
158 He is a craven and a villain else, an’t please your Majesty, in my
159 conscience.
160 KING HENRY.
161 It may be his enemy is a gentlemen of great sort, quite from the answer
162 of his degree.
163 FLUELLEN.
164 Though he be as good a gentleman as the devil is, as Lucifier and
165 Belzebub himself, it is necessary, look your Grace, that he keep his
166 vow and his oath. If he be perjur’d, see you now, his reputation is as
167 arrant a villain and a Jacksauce, as ever his black shoe trod upon
168 God’s ground and His earth, in my conscience, la!
169 KING HENRY.
170 Then keep thy vow, sirrah, when thou meet’st the fellow.
171 WILLIAMS.
172 So I will, my liege, as I live.
173 KING HENRY.
174 Who serv’st thou under?
175 WILLIAMS.
176 Under Captain Gower, my liege.
177 FLUELLEN.
178 Gower is a good captain, and is good knowledge and literatured in the
179 wars.
180 KING HENRY.
181 Call him hither to me, soldier.
182 WILLIAMS.
183 I will, my liege.
184 [_Exit._]
185 KING HENRY.
186 Here, Fluellen; wear thou this favour for me and stick it in thy cap.
187 When Alençon and myself were down together, I pluck’d this glove from
188 his helm. If any man challenge this, he is a friend to Alençon, and an
189 enemy to our person. If thou encounter any such, apprehend him, an thou
190 dost me love.
191 FLUELLEN.
192 Your Grace does me as great honours as can be desir’d in the hearts of
193 his subjects. I would fain see the man, that has but two legs, that
194 shall find himself aggrief’d at this glove; that is all. But I would
195 fain see it once, an please God of His grace that I might see.
196 KING HENRY.
197 Know’st thou Gower?
198 FLUELLEN.
199 He is my dear friend, an please you.
200 KING HENRY.
201 Pray thee, go seek him, and bring him to my tent.
202 FLUELLEN.
203 I will fetch him.
204 [_Exit._]
205 KING HENRY.
206 My Lord of Warwick, and my brother Gloucester,
207 Follow Fluellen closely at the heels.
208 The glove which I have given him for a favour
209 May haply purchase him a box o’ the ear.
210 It is the soldier’s; I by bargain should
211 Wear it myself. Follow, good cousin Warwick.
212 If that the soldier strike him, as I judge
213 By his blunt bearing he will keep his word,
214 Some sudden mischief may arise of it;
215 For I do know Fluellen valiant
216 And, touch’d with choler, hot as gunpowder,
217 And quickly will return an injury.
218 Follow, and see there be no harm between them.
219 Go you with me, uncle of Exeter.
220 [_Exeunt._]