ear. K. Hen. If ever I live to see it, I will challenge it. K. Hen. Well, I will do it, though I take thee in the king's company. Will. Keep thy word: fare thee well. Bates. Be friends, you English fools, be friends; we have French quarrels enough, if you could tell how to reckon. sea, the imputation of his wickedness, by your rule, | thou come to me and say, after to-morrow, This is should be imposed upon his father that sent him : my glove, by this hand, I will take thee a box on the or if a servant, under his master's command, transporting a sum of money, be assailed by robbers, and die in many irreconciled iniquities, you may call the business of the master the author of the servant's damnation: - But this is not so: the king is not bound to answer the particular endings of his soldiers, the father of his son, nor the master of his servant; for they purpose not their death, when they purpose their services. Besides, there is no king, be his cause never so spotless, if it come to the arbitrement of swords, can try it out with all unspotted soldiers. Some, peradventure, have on them the guilt of premeditated and contrived murJer; some, of beguiling virgins with the broken seals of perjury; some, making the wars their bulwark, that have before gored the gentle bosom of peace with pillage and robbery. Now, if these men have defeated the law, and outrun native punishment, though they can outstrip men, they have no wings to fly from God: war is his beadle, war is his vengeance; so that here men are punished, for before-breach of the king's laws, in now the king's quarrel where they feared the death, they have borne life away; and where they would be safe, they perish: Then if they die unprovided, no more is the king guilty of their damnation, than he was before guilty of those impieties for the which they are now visited. Every subject's duty is the king's; but every subject's soul is his own. Therefore should every soldier in the wars do as every sick man in his bed, wash every mote out of his conscience and dying so, death is to him advantage; or not dying, the time was blessedly lost, wherein such preparation was gained: and, in him that escapes, it were not sin to think, that making God so free an offer, he let him outlive that day to see his greatness, and to teach others how they should prepare. Will. 'Tis certain, every man that dies ill, the ill is upon his own head, the king is not to answer for it. Bates. I do not desire he should answer for me; and yet I determine to fight lustily for him. K. Hen. I myself heard the king say, he would not be ransomed. Will. Ay, he said so, to make us fight cheerfully: but, when our throats are cut, he may be ransomed, and we ne'er the wiser. K. Hen. If I live to see it, I will never trust his word after. Will. 'Mass, you'll pay him then! That's a perilous shot out of an elder gun, that a poor and private displeasure can do against a monarch! you may as well go about to turn the sun to ice, with fanning in his face with a peacock's feather. You'll never trust his word after! come, 'tis a foolish saying. K. Hen. Your reproof is something too round; I should be angry with you, if the time were convenient. Will. Let it be a quarrel between us, if you live. Will. How shall I know thee again? K. Hen. Give me any gage of thine, and I will wear it in my bonnet: then, if ever thou darest acknowledge it, I will make it my quarrel. Will. Here's my glove; give me another of thine. K. Hen. There. Will. This will I also wear in my cap: if ever K. Hen. Indeed, the French may lay twenty Art thou aught else but place, degree, and form, What drink'st thou oft, instead of homage sweet, Command the health of it? No, thou proud dream, Erp. I shall do't, my lord. [Exit. K. Hen. O God of battles! steel my soldiers' hearts! Possess them not with fear; take from them now To give each naked curtle-ax a stain, The vapour of our valour will o'erturn them. And all is done. Then let the trumpets sound Grand. Why do you stay so long, my lords of Yon island carrions, desperate of their bones, Lob down their heads, dropping the hides and hips; To démonstrate the life of such a battle Con. They have said their prayers, and they stay for death. Dau. Shall we go send them dinners, and fresh suits, Sal. God's arm strike with us! 'tis a fearful odds. God be wi' you, princes all; I'll to my charge: If we no more meet, till we meet in heaven, Then, joyfully, my noble lord of Bedford, My dear lord Gloster, and my good lord Exeter, And my kind kinsman, -warriors, all adieu' Bed. Farewell, good Salisbury; and good luck go with thee! But one ten thousand of those men in England, That do no work to-day! K. Hen. What's he, that wishes so? My cousin Westmoreland?—No, my fair cousin : If we are marked to die, we are enough To do our country loss; and if to live, The fewer men, the greater share of honour. God's will! I pray thee, wish not one man more. By Jove, I am not covetous for gold; Nor care I, who doth feed upon my cost; It yearns me not, if men my garments wear; Such outward things dwell not in my desires : But, if it be a sin to covet honour, I am the most offending soul alive. No, 'faith, my coz, wish not a man from England: God's 's peace! I would not lose so great an honour, As one man more, methinks, would share from me, For the best hope I have. O, do not wish one more: Rather proclaim it, Westmoreland, through my host, That he, which hath no stomach to this fight, Shall think themselves accurs'd, they were not here; Enter SALISBURY. Sal. My sovereign lord, bestow yourself with speed: The French are bravely in their battles set, K. Hen. All things are ready, if our minds be so West. Perish the man, whose mind is backward now ! K. Hen. Thou dost not wish more help from England, cousin? West. God's will, my liege, 'would you and I alone, Without more help, might fight this battle out! K. Hen. Why, now thou hast unwish'd five thousand men ; Which likes me better, than to wish us one. — Mont. Once more I come to know of thee, king If for thy ransome thou wilt now compound, The man, that once did sell the lion's skin And draw their honours reeking up to heaven; Let me speak proudly;- Tell the Constable, Mont. I shall, king Harry. And so fare thee well: Enter the DUKE OF YORK. Boy. He gives you, upon his knees, a thousand thanks and he esteems himself happy that he hath York. My lord, most humbly on my knee I beg fallen into the hands of (as he thinks) the most brave The leading of the vaward. valorous, and thrice-worthy signieur of England. Pist. As I suck blood, I will some mercy show. Follow me, cur. - K. Hen. Take it, brave York. Now, soldiers, march away: — And how thou pleasest, God, dispose the day! [Exeunt. SCENE IV.-The Field of Battle. Alarums: Excursions. Enter French Soldier, PISTOL, and Boy. Pist. Yield cur. Fr. Sol. Je pense, que vous estes le gentilhomme de bonne qualité. Pist. Quality, call you me? Construe me, art thou a gentleman? What is thy name? discuss. Fr. Sol. O seigneur Dieu! Pist. O, signieur Dew should be a gentleman :Perpend my words, O signieur Dew, and mark; O signieur Dew, thou diest on point of fox, Except, O signieur, thou do give to me Egregious ransome. Fr. Sol. 0, prennez misericorde! ayez pitié de moy! Pist. Moy shall not serve, I will have forty moys; For I will fetch thy rim out at thy throat, In drops of crimson blood. Fr. Sol. Est il impossible d'eschapper la force de ton bras? Pist. Bid him prepare, for I will cut his throat. Boy. Il me commande de vous dire que vous faites vous prest; car ce soldat icy est disposé tout à cette heure de couper vostre gorge. Pist. Ouy, couper gorge, par ma foy, pesant, Fr. Sol. O, je vous supplie pour l'amour de Dieu, me pardonner! Je suis gentilhomme de bonne maison; gardez ma vie, et je vous donneray deux cent escus. Pist. What are his words? Boy. He prays you to save his life: he is a gentleman of a good house; and, for his ransome, he will give you two hundred crowns. Pist. Tell him, my fury shall abate, and I The crowns will take. Fr. Sol. Petit monsieur, que dit-il? Boy. Encore qu'il est contre son jurement, de pardonner aucun prisonnier; neantmoins, pour les escus que vous l'avez promis, il est content de vous donner la liberté, le franchisement. Fr. Sol. Sur mes genoux, je vous donne mille remerciemens et je m'estime heureux que je suis tombé entre les mains d'un chevalier, je pense, le plus brave, valiant, et tres distingué seigneur d'Angleterre. Pist. Expound unto me, boy. Boy. Suivez vous le grand capitaine. 7. [Exit PISTOL. [Exit French Soldier. I did never know so full a voice issue from so empty a heart but the saying is true, -the empty vesse makes the greatest sound. Bardolph, and Nym, had ten times more valour than this roaring devil i' the old play, that every one may pare his nails with a wooden dagger; and they are both hanged; and se would this be, if he durst steal any thing adventurously. I must stay with the lackeys, with the luggage of our camp: the French might have a good prey of us, if he knew of it; for there is none to guard it, but boys. [Exit. Orl. O seigneur ! - le jour est perdu, tout est perdu !' Dau. Mort de ma vie ! all is confounded, all! Reproach and everlasting shame Sits mocking in our plumes.-0 meschante fortune! Do not run away. Let us die instant: Once more back again; Con. Disorder, that hath spoil'd us, friend us now! Orl. We are enough, yet living in the field, Bour. The devil take order now! I'll to the throng; Let life be short; else shame will be too long. ; Suffolk first died: and York, all haggled over, SCENE VII. [Exeunt. Another Part of the Field. Alarums. Enter FLUELLEN and Gower. Flu. Kill the poys and the luggage! 'tis expressly against the law of arms: 'tis as arrant a piece of knavery, mark you now, as can be offered, in the 'orld: In your coi science now, is it not? Gow. 'Tis certain there's not a boy left alive; and the cowardly rascals, that ran from the battle, have done this slaughter: besides, they have burned and carried away all that was in the king's tent; wherefore the king, most worthily, hath caused every soldier to cut his prisoner's throat. O, 'tis a gallant king! Flu. Ay, he was porn at Monmouth, captain Gower: What call you the town's name, where Alexander the pig was porn. Gow. Alexander the great. Flu. Why, I pray you, is not pig, great? The pig, or the great, or the mighty, or the huge, or the magnanimous, are all one reckonings, save the phrase is a little variations. Gow. I think Alexander the great was born in Macedon; his father was called — Philip of Macedon, as I take it. Flu. I think it is in Macedon, where Alexander is porn. I tell you, captain, - If look in the maps you of the 'orld, I warrant, you shall find, in the comparisons between Macedon and Monmouth, that the situations, look you, is both alike. There is a river in Macedon; and there is also moreover a river at Monmouth it is called Wye, at Monmouth; but it is out of my prains, what is the name of the other river; but 'tis all one, 'tis so like as my fingers is to my fingers, and there is salmons in both. mark Alexander's life well, Harry of Monmouth's life is come after it indifferent well; for there is figures in all things. Alexander (God knows, and You know,) in his rages, and his furies, and his If you wraths, and his cholers, and his moods, and his displeasures, and his indignations, and also being little intoxicates in his prains, did, in his ales and his angers, look you, kill his pest friend, Clytus. Gow. Our king is not like him in that; he never killed any of his friends. Flu. It is not well done, mark you now, to take tales out of my mouth, ere it is made an end and finished. I speak but in the figures and comparisons of it: As Alexander is kill his friend Clytus, being in his ales and his cups; so also Harry Monmouth, being in his right wits and his goot judgments, is turn away the fat knight with the great pelly-doublet he was full of jests, and gipes, and knaveries, and mocks; I am forget his name. Gow. Sir John Falstaff. Flu. That is he: I can tell you, there is goot men porn at Monmouth. Gow. Here comes his majesty. Alarum. Enter KING HENRY with a part of the English Forces; WARWICK, GLOSTER, EXETER, and others. K. Hen. I was not angry since I came to France Until this instant.. Take a trumpet, herald; Ride thou unto the horsemen on yon hill; If they will fight with us, bid them come down, Or void the field; they do offend our sight: If they'll do neither, we will come to them; And make them skirr away, as swift as stones Enforced from the old Assyrian slings: Besides, we'll cut the throats of those we have ; And not a man of them, that we shall take, Shall taste our mercy : - Go, and tell them so. Enter MONTJOY. Exe. Here comes the herald of the French, my liege. Glo. His eyes are humbler than they us'd to be. K. Hen. How now! what means this, herald? know'st thou not, That I have fin'd these bones of mine for ransome? Com'st thou again for ransome? Mont. No, great king: I come to thee for charitable licence, K. Hen. I tell thee truly, herald, I know not, if the day be ours, or no; For yet a many of your horsemen peer, And gallop o'er the field. Mont. The day is yours. K. Hen. Praised be God, and not our strength, for it! What is this castle call'd, that stands hard by? Mont. They call it - Agincourt. K. Hen. Then call we this-the field of Agincourt, Fought on the day of Crispin Crispianus. Flu. Your grandfather of famous memory, an't please your majesty, and your great uncle Edward |