Henry V Read online

  KING HENRY V It was ourself thou didst abuse.44

  WILLIAMS Your majesty came not like yourself: you appeared

  to me but as a common man; witness the night, your

  garments, your lowliness.47 And what your highness suffered

  under that shape, I beseech you take it for your own fault

  and not mine, for had you been as I took you for, I made no

  offence: therefore, I beseech your highness, pardon me.

  KING HENRY V Here, uncle Exeter, fill this glove with crowns,

  And give it to this fellow.-- Keep it, fellow,

  And wear it for an honour in thy cap

  Till I do challenge it.-- Give him the crowns.--

  Exeter gives Williams money

  And captain, you must needs be friends with him.

  FLUELLEN By this day and this light, the fellow has mettle56

  enough in his belly.--

  Offers Williams money

  Hold, there is twelve-pence for you, and I pray you to serve God, and keep

  you out of prawls and prabbles59 and quarrels and dissensions

  and, I warrant you, it is the better for you.

  WILLIAMS I will61 none of your money.

  FLUELLEN It is with a good will. I can tell you, it will serve you

  to mend your shoes. Come, wherefore should you be so

  pashful? Your shoes is not so good.64 'Tis a good silling, I

  warrant you, or I will change it.

  Enter Herald

  KING HENRY V Now, herald, are the dead numbered?

  Gives a paper

  HERALD Here is the number of the slaughtered French.

  KING HENRY V What prisoners of good sort68 are taken, uncle?

  Reads

  EXETER 'Charles Duke of Orleans, nephew to the king,

  John Duke of Bourbon, and Lord Bouciqualt.

  Of other lords and barons, knights and squires,

  Full fifteen hundred, besides common men.'

  KING HENRY V This note doth tell me of ten thousand French

  That in the field lie slain: of princes, in this number,

  And nobles bearing banners, there lie dead

  One hundred twenty six: added to these,

  Of knights, esquires, and gallant gentlemen,

  Eight thousand and four hundred, of the which,

  Five hundred were but yesterday dubbed knights.

  So that in these ten thousand they have lost,

  There are but sixteen hundred mercenaries:

  The rest are princes, barons, lords, knights, squires,

  And gentlemen of blood83 and quality.

  The names of those their nobles that lie dead:

  Charles Delabreth, High Constable of France,

  Jaques of Chatillion, Admiral86 of France,

  The master of the cross-bows, Lord Rambures,

  Great Master88 of France, the brave Sir Guichard Dolphin,

  John Duke of Alencon, Anthony Duke of Brabant,

  The brother to the Duke of Burgundy,

  And Edward Duke of Bar. Of lusty91 earls,

  Grandpre and Roussi, Fauconbridge and Foix,

  Beaumont and Marle, Vaudemont and Lestrale.

  Here was a royal fellowship of death.--

  Herald gives him another paper

  Where is the number of our English dead?--

  Reads

  'Edward the Duke of York, the Earl of Suffolk,

  Sir Richard Ketly, Davy Gam, Esquire';

  None else of name98, and of all other men

  But five-and-twenty. O God, thy arm99 was here.

  And not to us, but to thy arm alone,

  Ascribe we all! When, without stratagem101,

  But in plain shock102 and even play of battle,

  Was ever known so great and little loss

  On one part and on th'other? Take it, God,

  For it is none but thine.

  EXETER 'Tis wonderful.106

  KING HENRY V Come, go we in procession to the village.

  And be it death proclaimed through our host

  To boast of this or take that praise from God

  Which is his only.

  FLUELLEN Is it not lawful, an please your majesty, to tell how

  many is killed?

  KING HENRY V Yes, captain, but with this acknowledgement:

  That God fought for us.

  FLUELLEN Yes, my conscience, he did us great good.

  KING HENRY V Do we all holy rites.

  Let there be sung Non nobis117 and Te Deum,

  The dead with charity enclosed in clay118,

  And then to Calais, and to England then,

  Where ne'er from France arrived more happy men.

  Exeunt

  Act 5

  Enter Chorus

  CHORUS Vouchsafe1 to those that have not read the story,

  That I may prompt them2: and of such as have,

  I humbly pray them to admit th'excuse

  Of time4, of numbers and due course of things,

  Which cannot in their huge and proper life5

  Be here presented. Now we bear the king

  Toward Calais: grant7 him there; there seen,

  Heave him away upon your winged thoughts

  Athwart9 the sea. Behold, the English beach

  Pales10 in the flood with men, wives and boys,

  Whose shouts and claps11 out-voice the deep-mouthed sea,

  Which like a mighty whiffler12 'fore the king

  Seems to prepare his way. So let him land,

  And solemnly14 see him set on to London.

  So swift a pace hath thought that even now

  You may imagine him upon Blackheath16,

  Where that17 his lords desire him to have borne

  His bruised18 helmet and his bended sword

  Before him through the city. He forbids it,

  Being free from vainness20 and self-glorious pride;

  Giving full trophy21, signal and ostent

  Quite from himself to God. But now behold,

  In the quick forge and working-house23 of thought,

  How London doth pour out her citizens.

  The mayor and all his brethren25 in best sort,

  Like to the senators of th'antique26 Rome,

  With the plebeians swarming at their heels,

  Go forth and fetch their conqu'ring Caesar in:

  As by a lower but by loving likelihood29,

  Were now the general of our gracious empress30,

  As in good time he may, from Ireland coming,

  Bringing rebellion broached32 on his sword,

  How many would the peaceful city quit,

  To welcome him? Much34 more, and much more cause,

  Did they this Harry. Now in London place him,

  As yet the lamentation36 of the French

  Invites37 the King of England's stay at home:

  The emperor's coming38 in behalf of France,

  To order peace between them.39 And omit

  All the occurrences, whatever chanced,

  Till Harry's back return again to France:

  There must we bring him; and myself have played42

  The interim, by rememb'ring you 'tis past.

  Then brook44 abridgment, and your eyes advance,

  After your thoughts, straight back again to France.

  Exit

  [Act 5 Scene 1]

  running scene 14

  Enter Fluellen and Gower

  GOWER Nay, that's right. But why wear you your leek today?

  Saint Davy's day is past.

  FLUELLEN There is occasions and causes why and wherefore3 in

  all things. I will tell you, asse4 my friend, Captain Gower: the

  rascally, scald5, beggarly, lousy, pragging knave, Pistol, which

  you and yourself and all the world know to be no petter than

  a fellow, look you now, of no merits, he is come to me and

  prings me pread and salt yesterday, look you, and bid
me eat

  my leek. It was in a place where I could not breed no9

  contention with him, but I will be so bold as to wear it in my

  cap till I see him once again, and then I will tell him a little

  piece of my desires.

  Enter Pistol

  GOWER Why, here he comes, swelling like a turkey-cock.13

  FLUELLEN 'Tis no matter for his swellings nor his turkey—

  cocks.-- God pless you, aunchient Pistol. You scurvy15, lousy

  knave, God pless you!

  PISTOL Ha, art thou bedlam?17 Dost thou thirst, base Trojan,

  To have me fold up Parcas fatal web?18

  Hence, I am qualmish19 at the smell of leek.

  FLUELLEN I peseech you heartily, scurvy, lousy knave, at my

  desires, and my requests, and my petitions, to eat, look you,

  this leek; because, look you, you do not love it, nor your

  affections and your appetites and your disgestions23 doo's not

  agree with it, I would desire you to eat it.

  PISTOL Not for Cadwallader25 and all his goats.

  FLUELLEN There is one goat26 for you.

  Strikes him

  Will you be so good, scald27 knave, as eat it?

  PISTOL Base Trojan, thou shalt die.

  FLUELLEN You say very true, scald knave, when God's will is29: I

  will desire you to live in the meantime, and eat your victuals.30

  Strikes him

  Come, there is sauce31 for it. You called me

  yesterday 'mountain squire', but I will make you today a

  squire of low degree. I pray you fall to33: if you can mock a

  leek, you can eat a leek.

  GOWER Enough, captain, you have astonished35 him.

  FLUELLEN I say, I will make him eat some part of my leek, or I

  will peat his pate four days.-- Bite, I pray you, it is good for

  your green38 wound and your ploody coxcomb.

  PISTOL Must I bite?

  FLUELLEN Yes, certainly, and out of doubt and out of question

  too, and ambiguities.

  Eats

  PISTOL By this leek, I will most horribly revenge.42 I eat

  and eat, I swear--

  Fluellen threatens him or strikes him

  FLUELLEN Eat, I pray you. Will you have some

  more sauce to your leek? There is not enough

  leek to swear by.

  Eats

  PISTOL Quiet thy cudgel, thou dost see I eat.

  FLUELLEN Much good do you, scald knave, heartily. Nay, pray

  you throw none away, the skin is good for your broken

  coxcomb. When you take occasions50 to see leeks hereafter, I

  pray you mock at 'em, that is all.

  PISTOL Good.52

  Offers a coin

  FLUELLEN Ay, leeks is good. Hold you, there is a

  groat54 to heal your pate.

  PISTOL Me a groat?

  FLUELLEN Yes, verily and in truth, you shall take it, or I have

  another leek in my pocket, which you shall eat.

  PISTOL I take thy groat in earnest of58 revenge.

  FLUELLEN If I owe you anything, I will pay59 you in cudgels. You

  shall be a woodmonger60, and buy nothing of me but cudgels.

  Exit

  God buy61 you, and keep you, and heal your pate.

  PISTOL All hell shall stir for this.

  GOWER Go, go, you are a counterfeit63 cowardly knave. Will

  you mock at an ancient tradition, begun upon an

  honourable respect, and worn as a memorable trophy of

  predeceased66 valour and dare not avouch in your deeds any of

  your words? I have seen you gleeking67 and galling at this

  gentleman twice or thrice. You thought because he could

  not speak English in the native garb69, he could not therefore

  handle an English cudgel: you find it otherwise, and

  henceforth let a Welsh correction teach you a good English

  condition.72 Fare ye well.

  Exit

  PISTOL Doth Fortune play the hussy with me now?

  News have I, that my Doll74 is dead i'th'spital

  Of a malady of France75,

  And there my rendezvous76 is quite cut off.

  Old I do wax77, and from my weary limbs

  Honour is cudgelled. Well, bawd78 I'll turn,

  And something lean to cutpurse of quick hand.79

  To England will I steal80, and there I'll steal,

  And patches81 will I get unto these cudgelled scars,

  And swear I got them in the Gallia82 wars.

  Exit

  Act 5 [Scene 2]

  running scene 15

  Enter, at one door King Henry, Exeter, Bedford, Warwick, [Gloucester, Clarence, Westmorland] and other Lords: at another, Queen Isabel, the [French] King, the Duke of Burgundy and other French [including Katherine and Alice]

  KING HENRY V Peace to this meeting, wherefore1 we are met.

  Unto our brother2 France, and to our sister,

  Health and fair time of day3, joy and good wishes

  To our most fair and princely4 cousin Katherine,

  And, as a branch and member of this royalty5,

  By whom this great assembly is contrived,

  We do salute you, Duke of Burgundy,

  And princes French and peers, health to you all!

  FRENCH KING Right joyous are we to behold your face,

  Most worthy brother England, fairly met.

  So are you, princes English, every one.

  QUEEN ISABEL So happy be the issue12, brother England,

  Of this good day and of this gracious13 meeting,

  As we are now glad to behold your eyes --

  Your eyes, which hitherto have borne

  in them

  Against the French, that met them in their bent16,

  The fatal balls17 of murdering basilisks.

  The venom of such looks, we fairly hope,

  Have lost their quality19, and that this day

  Shall change all griefs and quarrels into love.

  KING HENRY V To cry amen to that, thus we appear.

  QUEEN ISABEL You English princes all, I do salute you.

  BURGUNDY My duty to you both, on23 equal love,

  Great Kings of France and England! That I have laboured,

  With all my wits, my pains25 and strong endeavours,

  To bring your most imperial majesties

  Unto this bar27 and royal interview,

  Your mightiness on both parts best can witness.

  Since then my office hath so far prevailed

  That30, face to face and royal eye to eye,

  You have congreeted31, let it not disgrace me,

  If I demand, before this royal view32,

  What rub33 or what impediment there is,

  Why that the naked, poor and mangled Peace,

  Dear nurse35 of arts, plenties and joyful births,

  Should not in this best garden of the world,

  Our fertile France, put up37 her lovely visage?

  Alas, she hath from France too long been chased,

  And all her husbandry39 doth lie on heaps,

  Corrupting in40 it own fertility.

  Her vine, the merry cheerer of the heart,

  Unpruned dies: her hedges even-pleached42,

  Like prisoners wildly overgrown with hair,

  Put forth disordered twigs: her fallow leas44

  The darnel, hemlock and45 rank fumitory

  Doth root upon46, while that the coulter rusts

  That should deracinate47 such savagery.

  The even mead48, that erst brought sweetly forth

  The freckled cowslip, burnet and green clover49,

  Wanting50 the scythe, withal uncorrected, rank,

  Conceives51 by idleness and nothing teems

  But hateful docks, rough thistles52, kecksies, burs,

  L
osing both beauty and utility;

  And all our vineyards, fallows54, meads and hedges,

  Defective in their natures55, grow to wildness.

  Even so our houses and ourselves and children

  Have lost, or do not learn for want of time,

  The sciences58 that should become our country,

  But grow like savages -- as soldiers will

  That nothing do but meditate on blood --

  To swearing and stern looks, diffused61 attire

  And everything that seems unnatural.

  Which to reduce63 into our former favour

  You are assembled, and my speech entreats

  That I may know the let65, why gentle Peace

  Should not expel these inconveniences

  And bless us with her former qualities.

  KING HENRY V If, Duke of Burgundy, you would68 the peace,

  Whose want69 gives growth to th'imperfections

  Which you have cited, you must buy that peace

  With full accord71 to all our just demands,

  Whose tenors72 and particular effects

  You have enscheduled73 briefly in your hands.

  BURGUNDY The king hath heard them, to the which as yet

  There is no answer made.

  KING HENRY V Well then, the peace,

  Which you before so urged, lies in his answer.

  FRENCH KING I have but with a cursitory eye78

  O'erglanced79 the articles. Pleaseth your grace

  To appoint some of your council presently

  To sit with us once more, with better heed81

  To re-survey them, we will suddenly82

  Pass83 our accept and peremptory answer.

  KING HENRY V Brother, we shall.-- Go, uncle Exeter,

  And brother Clarence, and you, brother Gloucester,

  Warwick and Huntingdon, go with the king,

  And take with you free power to ratify87,

  Augment, or alter, as your wisdoms best

  Shall see advantageable for our dignity,

  Anything in or out of our demands,

  To Queen Isabel

  And we'll consign91 thereto.-- Will you, fair sister,

  Go with the princes, or stay here with us?

  QUEEN ISABEL Our gracious brother, I will go with them:

  Haply94 a woman's voice may do some good,

  When articles too nicely95 urged be stood on.

  KING HENRY V Yet leave our cousin Katherine here with us.

  She is our capital97 demand comprised

  Within the fore-rank98 of our articles.

  QUEEN ISABEL She hath good leave.

  Exeunt all. Henry,

  Katherine [and Alice] remain

  KING HENRY V Fair Katherine, and most fair,

  Will you vouchsafe to teach a soldier terms101

  Such as will enter at a lady's ear

  And plead his love-suit103 to her gentle heart?

  KATHERINE Your majesty shall mock at me: I cannot speak your

  England.

  KING HENRY V O fair Katherine, if you will love me soundly with

  your French heart, I will be glad to hear you confess it

  brokenly with your English tongue. Do you like me, Kate?