TPTT The Life of Henry the Fifth: ACT IV
Introduction
ACT I
ACT II
ACT III
ACT IV
PROLOGUE.
SCENE I. The English camp at Agincourt.
SCENE II. The French camp.
SCENE III. The English camp.
SCENE IV. The field of battle.
SCENE V. Another part of the field.
SCENE VI. Another part of the field.
SCENE VII. Another part of the field.
SCENE VIII. Before KING HENRY'S pavilion.
ACT V
About the Play
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SCENE VII. Another part of the field.
Enter FLUELLEN and GOWER
FLUELLEN
      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 offer't; in your
      conscience, now, is it not?
GOWER
5     'Tis certain there's not a boy left alive; and the
      cowardly rascals that ran from the battle ha' 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
10    soldier to cut his prisoner's throat. O, 'tis a
      gallant king!
FLUELLEN
      Ay, he was porn at Monmouth, Captain Gower. What
      call you the town's name where Alexander the Pig was born!
GOWER
      Alexander the Great.
FLUELLEN
15    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.
GOWER
      I think Alexander the Great was born in Macedon; his
20    father was called Philip of Macedon, as I take it.
FLUELLEN
      I think it is in Macedon where Alexander is porn. I
      tell you, captain, if you look in the maps of the
      'orld, I warrant you sall find, in the comparisons
      between Macedon and Monmouth, that the situations,
25    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 alike as my fingers is
30    to my fingers, and there is salmons in both. If you
      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
35    wraths, and his cholers, and his moods, and his
      displeasures, and his indignations, and also being a
      little intoxicates in his prains, did, in his ales and
      his angers, look you, kill his best friend, Cleitus.
GOWER
      Our king is not like him in that: he never killed
40    any of his friends.
FLUELLEN
      It is not well done, mark you now take the tales out
      of my mouth, ere it is made and finished. I speak
      but in the figures and comparisons of it: as
      Alexander killed his friend Cleitus, being in his
45    ales and his cups; so also Harry Monmouth, being in
      his right wits and his good judgments, turned away
      the fat knight with the great belly-doublet: he
      was full of jests, and gipes, and knaveries, and
      mocks; I have forgot his name.
GOWER
50    Sir John Falstaff.
FLUELLEN
      That is he: I'll tell you there is good men porn at Monmouth.
GOWER
      Here comes his majesty.
Alarum. Enter KING HENRY, and forces; WARWICK, GLOUCESTER, EXETER, and others
KING HENRY V
      I was not angry since I came to France
      Until this instant. Take a trumpet, herald;
55    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
60    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
EXETER
      Here comes the herald of the French, my liege.
GLOUCESTER
65    His eyes are humbler than they used to be.
KING HENRY V
      How now! what means this, herald? know'st thou not
      That I have fined these bones of mine for ransom?
      Comest thou again for ransom?
MONTJOY
      No, great king:
70    I come to thee for charitable licence,
      That we may wander o'er this bloody field
      To look our dead, and then to bury them;
      To sort our nobles from our common men.
      For many of our princes--woe the while!--
75    Lie drown'd and soak'd in mercenary blood;
      So do our vulgar drench their peasant limbs
      In blood of princes; and their wounded steeds
      Fret fetlock deep in gore and with wild rage
      Yerk out their armed heels at their dead masters,
80    Killing them twice. O, give us leave, great king,
      To view the field in safety and dispose
      Of their dead bodies!
KING HENRY V
      I tell thee truly, herald,
      I know not if the day be ours or no;
85    For yet a many of your horsemen peer
      And gallop o'er the field.
MONTJOY
      The day is yours.
KING HENRY V
      Praised be God, and not our strength, for it!
      What is this castle call'd that stands hard by?
MONTJOY
90    They call it Agincourt.
KING HENRY V
      Then call we this the field of Agincourt,
      Fought on the day of Crispin Crispianus.
FLUELLEN
      Your grandfather of famous memory, an't please your
      majesty, and your great-uncle Edward the Plack
95    Prince of Wales, as I have read in the chronicles,
      fought a most prave pattle here in France.
KING HENRY V
      They did, Fluellen.
FLUELLEN
      Your majesty says very true: if your majesties is
      remembered of it, the Welshmen did good service in a
100   garden where leeks did grow, wearing leeks in their
      Monmouth caps; which, your majesty know, to this
      hour is an honourable badge of the service; and I do
      believe your majesty takes no scorn to wear the leek
      upon Saint Tavy's day.
KING HENRY V
105   I wear it for a memorable honour;
      For I am Welsh, you know, good countryman.
FLUELLEN
      All the water in Wye cannot wash your majesty's
      Welsh plood out of your pody, I can tell you that:
      God pless it and preserve it, as long as it pleases
110   his grace, and his majesty too!
KING HENRY V
      Thanks, good my countryman.
FLUELLEN
      By Jeshu, I am your majesty's countryman, I care not
      who know it; I will confess it to all the 'orld: I
      need not to be ashamed of your majesty, praised be
115   God, so long as your majesty is an honest man.
KING HENRY V
      God keep me so! Our heralds go with him:
      Bring me just notice of the numbers dead
      On both our parts. Call yonder fellow hither.
Points to WILLIAMS. Exeunt Heralds with Montjoy
EXETER
      Soldier, you must come to the king.
KING HENRY V
120   Soldier, why wearest thou that glove in thy cap?
WILLIAMS
      An't please your majesty, 'tis the gage of one that
      I should fight withal, if he be alive.
KING HENRY V
      An Englishman?
WILLIAMS
      An't please your majesty, a rascal that swaggered
125   with me last night; who, if alive and ever dare to
      challenge this glove, I have sworn to take him a box
      o' th' ear: or if I can see my glove in his cap,
      which he swore, as he was a soldier, he would wear
      if alive, I will strike it out soundly.
KING HENRY V
130   What think you, Captain Fluellen? is it fit this
      soldier keep his oath?
FLUELLEN
      He is a craven and a villain else, an't please your
      majesty, in my conscience.
KING HENRY V
      It may be his enemy is a gentleman of great sort,
135   quite from the answer of his degree.
FLUELLEN
      Though he be as good a gentleman as the devil is, as
      Lucifer and Belzebub himself, it is necessary, look
      your grace, that he keep his vow and his oath: if
      he be perjured, see you now, his reputation is as
140   arrant a villain and a Jacksauce, as ever his black
      shoe trod upon God's ground and his earth, in my
      conscience, la!
KING HENRY V
      Then keep thy vow, sirrah, when thou meetest the fellow.
WILLIAMS
      So I will, my liege, as I live.
KING HENRY V
145   Who servest thou under?
WILLIAMS
      Under Captain Gower, my liege.
FLUELLEN
      Gower is a good captain, and is good knowledge and
      literatured in the wars.
KING HENRY V
      Call him hither to me, soldier.
WILLIAMS
150   I will, my liege.
Exit
KING HENRY V
      Here, Fluellen; wear thou this favour for me and
      stick it in thy cap: when Alencon and myself were
      down together, I plucked this glove from his helm:
      if any man challenge this, he is a friend to
155   Alencon, and an enemy to our person; if thou
      encounter any such, apprehend him, an thou dost me love.
FLUELLEN
      Your grace doo's me as great honours as can be
      desired in the hearts of his subjects: I would fain
      see the man, that has but two legs, that shall find
160   himself aggrieved at this glove; that is all; but I
      would fain see it once, an please God of his grace
      that I might see.
KING HENRY V
      Knowest thou Gower?
FLUELLEN
      He is my dear friend, an please you.
KING HENRY V
165   Pray thee, go seek him, and bring him to my tent.
FLUELLEN
      I will fetch him.
Exit
KING HENRY V
      My Lord of Warwick, and my brother Gloucester,
      Follow Fluellen closely at the heels:
      The glove which I have given him for a favour
170   May haply purchase him a box o' th' ear;
      It is the soldier's; I by bargain should
      Wear it myself. Follow, good cousin Warwick:
      If that the soldier strike him, as I judge
      By his blunt bearing he will keep his word,
175   Some sudden mischief may arise of it;
      For I do know Fluellen valiant
      And, touched with choler, hot as gunpowder,
      And quickly will return an injury:
      Follow and see there be no harm between them.
180   Go you with me, uncle of Exeter.
Exeunt
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