West. Of fighting men they have full threescore thousand.

[fresh. 10

Ere. There's five to one; besides, they all are
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,-
Mydear lordGloster-and my good lord Exeter,-
And my kind kinsman,-warriors all, adieu!

Enter King Henry. West. O, that we now had here

But one ten thousand of those men in England,
That do no work to-day!

Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot,
But they'll remember, with advantages,
What feats they did that day: Then shall our

Bed. Farewel, good Salisbury; and good luck go with thee!

Exe. to Sal. Farewell, kind lord! fight valiantly|20|That
to-day:

And yet I do thee wrong, to mind thee of it,
For thou are fram'd of the firm truth of valour.
[Exit Salisbury.
Bed. He is as full of valour as of kindness;
Princely in both.

names,

Familiar in their mouth as houshold words,-
Harry the king, Bedford, and Exeter,
Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloster,-
Be in their flowing cups freshly remember'd:
This story shall the good man teach his son,
And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remembered:

We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me,
15 Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition 2:
And gentlemen in England, now a-bed,
Shall think themselves accursed, theywere not here;
And hold their manhoods cheap, while any speaks,
fought with us upon saint Crispin's day.
Enter Salisbury.

Sal. My sovereign lord, bestow yourself with
speed:

The French are 'bravely in their battles set, 25 And will with all expedience charge on us. K. Henry. All things are ready, if our minds be so. West. Perish the man, whose mind is backward

now!

K. Henry. Thou dost not wish more help from
England, cousin!

West. God's will, my liege, would you and I
alone,

35

Without more help, might fight this battle out!
K. Henry. Why, now thou hast unwish'd five
thousand men;
Which likes me better, than to wish us one.-
You know your places: God be with you all!
Tucket. Enter Montjoy.
Mont. Once more I come to know of thee,
king Harry,

1401

30

K. Henry. What's he, that wishes so?
My cousin Westmoreland?—No, my fair cousin :
If we are mark'd 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 peace! I would not lose so great an honour,
As one man more, methinks, would share from me, 45
For the best hope I have. O, do not wish one more:
Rather proclaim it, Westmoreland, through my
That he which hath no stomach to this fight, [host,
Let him depart; his passport shall be made,
And crowns for convoy put into his purse:
We would not die in that man's company,
That fears his fellowship to die with us.
This day is called-the feast of Crispian :'
He, that out-lives this day, and comes safe home,
Will stand a-tip-toe when this day is nam'd,
And rouse him at the name of Crispian.
He, that shall live this day, and see old age,
Will yearly on the vigil feast his friends,
And say-To-morrow is saint Crispian:

K. Henry. I pray thee, bear my former answer
back;

155

Bid them atchieve me, and then sell my bones. Good God! why should they mock poor fellows thus?

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

Then will he strip his sleeve, and shew his scars. 60 While the beast liv'd, was kill'd with hunting him.

If for thy ransom thou wilt now compound,
Before thy most assured over-throw:
For, certainly, thou art so near the gulf,
Thou needs must be englutted. Besides, in mercy,
The Constable desires thee-thou wilt mind
Thy followers of repentance; that their souls
May make a peaceful and a sweet retire
Froin off these fields, where (wretches) their poor
bodies

50

Must lie and fester.

K. Henry. Who hath sent thee now?

Mont. The Constable of France.

The battle of Agincourt was fought upon the 25th of October, St. Crispin's day. day shall advance him to the rank of a gentleman. i. e. splendidly, ostentatiously. dition.

Mm 2

2 i. e. this

i. e. expe

A mapy

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 dy'st on point of fox3,
Except, O signieur, thou do give to me
Egregious ransom.

5

Fr. Sol. O, prennez misericorde! ayez pitié de

moy!

KING HENRY V.

32

A many of our bodies shall, no doubt,
Find native graves; upon the which. I trust,
Shall witness live in brass of this day's work:
And those that leave their valiant bones in France,
Dying like men, though buried in your dunghills,
They shall be fam'd: for there the sun shall greet
them,

And draw their honours reeking up to heaven;
Leaving their earthly parts to choak your clime,
The smell whereof shall breed a plague in France.
Mark then a bounding valour in our English;
That, being dead, like to the bullet's grazing,
Breaks out into a second course of mischief,
Killing in relapse of mortality'.

10

Pist. Moyshall 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. Brass, cur!

15 Thou damned and luxurious mountain goat,
Offer'st me brass?

Fr. Sol. 9, pardonnez moi!

Pist. Say'st thou me so is that a ton of moys"? -Come hither, boy; Ask me this slave in French, 20 What is his name.

Let me speak proudly;-Tell the Constable,
We are but warriors for the working-day:
Our gayness, and our gilt, are all besmirch'd
With rainy marching in the painful field;
There's not a piece of feather in our host,
(Good argument, I hope, we shall not fly)
And time hath worn us into slovenry:
But, by the mass, our hearts are in the trim:
And my poor soldiers tell me-yet ere night
They'll be in fresher robes; or they will pluck
The gay new coats o'er the French soldiers' heads,
And turn them out of service. If they do this,
(As, if God please, they shall) my ransom then
Will soon be levy'd. Herald, save thy labour;
Come thou no more for ransom, gentle herald;
They shall have none, I swear, but these my 30

Boy. He says, his name is-master Fer.

25

Pist. Master Fer! I'll fer hin, and firk him, him. and ferret him;-discuss the same in French unto

Boy. Escoutez; Comment estes vous appellé ?
Fr. Sol. Monsieur le Fer.

joints:

Which if they have as I will leave 'em to them,
Shall yield them little, tell the Constable.

Mont. I shall, king Harry. And so fare thee
well:
Thou never shalt hear herald any more. [Exit.
K. Henry, I fear, thou❜lt once more come again
for ransom.

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

Pist. Bid him prepare, for I will cut his throat.
Fr. Sol. Que dit-il, monsieur ?~

Boy. It me commande de vous dire que vous rous teniez prest; car ce soldat icy est disposé tout à cette heure de couper vostre gorge.

35

Pist. Ouy, couper gorge, par ma foy, pesant, Unless thou give me crowns, brave crowns; Or mangled shalt thou be by this my sword. Fr.Sol. O, je vous supplie, pour l'amour de Dieu, me pardonner! Je suis gentilhomme de bonne maison; gardez ma vie, & je vous donneray deux [cents escus. Boy. He prays you to save his life: he is a Pist. What are his words? gentleman of a good house; and, for his ransom, he will give you two hundred crowns.

Pist. Tell him,-my fury shall abate, and I [Exeunt. 45 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 promettez, il est content 50 de vous donner la liberté, le franchisement.

Fr. Sol. Sur mes genoux je vous donne mille remercimens: & je m'estime heureux que je suis tombé entre les mains d'un chevalier, je pense, le plus brave, valiant, & tres distingué seigneur Pist. Expound unto me, boy. [d'Angleterre.

Enter the Duke of York.
York. My lord, most humbly on my knee I beg 40
The leading of the vaward.

K. Henry. Take it, brave York.-Now, sol-
diers, march away:

And how thou pleasest, God, dispose the day!

IV.
SCENE
The Field of Battle.

larum, excursions. Enter Pistol, French Sol-
dier, and Boy.

Pist. Yield, cur.
Fr. Sol. Je pense, que vous estes le gentilhomme
de bonne qualité.

Pist. Quality, call you me-Construeme, art
thou a gentleman? What is thy name? discuss. [55]

▾ Mr. Steevens observes, that by this phrase, however uncouth, Shakspeare seems to mean the
same as in the preceding line. Mortality is death. Relapse may be used for rebound. Shakspeare
3 For is an old cant word for a
has given mind of honour, for honourable mind; and by the same rule might write relapse of mortality,
for fatal or mortal rebound; or by relapse of mortality, he may mean-after they had relapsed into
2i. e. golden show, superficial gilding. Obsolete.
inanimation.
4 The rim means what is now called the diaphragm in human creatures, and the skirt or
sword.
Moys is a piece of money; whence moi d'or, or moi of gold. To firk is used
midriff in beasts.
in a variety of senses by different old authors: in this place it would seem to mean, to chastise.

5

Boy.

Boy. He gives you, upon his knees, a thousand thanks; and esteems himself happy that he hath fallen into the hands of one (as he thinks), the most brave, valorous, and thrice-worthy signieur of England.

Pist. As I suck blood, I will some mercy shew.
-Follow me, cur.

Boy. Suivez vous le grand capitaine.
[Exe. Pistol, and French Soldier.

I did never know so full a voice issue from so 10 The noble earl of Suffolk also lies.
empty a heart: but the saying is true,- -The
empty vesselmakes the greatest sound. Bardolph,
and Nym, had ten times more valour than this
roaring devil' ' the old play, that every one may
pare his nails with a wooden dagger; yet they are
both hang'd; and so would this be, if he durst
steal any thing advent'rously. I must stay with
the lacqueys, with the luggage of our camp:
French might have a good prey of us, if he knew
of it; for there is none to guard it, but boys.

15

[Exit.

SCENE V.

Another part of the field of Buttle. Enter Constable, Orleans, Bourbon, Dauphin, 25 and Rambures.

Con. O diable!
[perdu!
Orl. O seigneur !—le jour est perdu, tout est
Dau. Mort de ma vie! all is confounded, all!
Reproach and everlasting shame
Sits mocking in our plumes. [A short alarm.
O meschante fortune!-Do not run away.

Con. Why, all our ranks are broke.

Dau.O perdurable' shame!-let's stab ourselves. Be these the wretches that we play'd at dice for Ort. Is this the king we sent to for his ransom? Bour. Shame, and eternal shame, nothing but shame!

Exe. The duke of York commends him to your majesty.

K. Henry. Lives he, good uncle? Thrice, within this hour,

5

I saw him down; thrice up again, and fighting;
From helmet to the spur, all blood he was.

Exe. In which array (brave soldier) doth he lie,
Larding the plain: and by his bloody side
(Yoak-fellow to his honour-owing wounds,)

Suffolk first dy'd: and York, all haggled over,
Comes to him, where in gore he lay insteep'd,
And takes him by the beard; kisses the gashes,
That bloodily did yawn upon his face;

And cries aloud,-Tarry, dear cousin Suffolk!
My soul shall thine keep company to heaven:
Turry, sweet soul, for mine, then fly a-breast;
thes, in this glorious and well-foughten field,
We kept together in our chivalry.

20 Upon these words I came, and cheer'd him up:
He smil'd me in the face, raught me in his hand,
And, with a feeble gripe, says,—Dear my lord,
Commend my service to my sovereign.
So did he turn, and over Suffolk's neck
He threw his wounded arm, and kiss'd his lips;
And so, espous'd to death, with blood he seaľu̸
A testament of noble-ending love.
The pretty and sweet manner of it forc'd
Those waters from me, which I would have stopp'd;
30 But I had not so much of man in me,

Orl. We are enough, yet living in the field, To smother up the English in our throngs,

But all my inother came into mine eyes,
And gave me up to tears.

K. Henry. I blame you not;

35

For, hearing this, I must perforce compound
With mistful eyes, or they will issue too.--[ Alarum.
But, hark! what new alarum is this same?-
The French have reinforc'd their scatter'd men:-
Then every soldier kill his prisoners;
Give the word through.

[Exeunt.

40

Let us die instant:-Once more back again;
And he that will not follow Bourbon now,
Let him go hence, and, with his cap in hand,
Like a base pander, hold the chamber-door,
Whilst by a slave, no gentler than my dog,
His fairest daughter is contaminated.

SCENE VII.
Alarums continued; after which, enter Fluellen
and Gower,

Flu. Kill the poys and the luggage! 'tis ex

Con. Disorder, that hath spoiled us, friend us now! 45 pressly against the law of arms: 'tis as arrant a Let us, in heaps, go offer up our lives piece of knavery, mark you how, as can be of Unto these English, or else die with fame. fer'd, in the 'orld: In your conscience now, is it

not?

SCENE VI.

Alarum. Enter King Henry and his Train, with
Prisoners.

Gow. 'Tis certain, there's not a boy left alive;

If any order might be thought upon. [throng; 50 and the cowardly rascals, that ran away from the

Bour. The devil take order now! I'll to the Let life be short; else shame will be too long.

[Exeunt.

battle, have done this slaughter: besides, they have burn'd or carried away all that was in the king's tent; wherefore the king, most worthily, has caus'd every soldier to cut his prisoner's throat. 550, 'tis a gallant king!

Flu. I, he was porn at Monmouth, captain Gower: What call you the town's name, where Alexander the pig was born?

Gow. Alexander the Great.

Flu. Why, I pray you, is not pig, great? the

K. Henry. Well have we done, thrice-valiant
Countrymen :

But all's not done, yet keep the French the field. [60

'Dr. Johnson on this passage observes, that in modern puppet-shows, which seem to be copied from the old farces, Punch sometimes fights the Devil, and always overcomes him. I suppose the lice of the old farce, to whom Punch succeeds, used to fight the Devil with a wooden dagger. ? Perdurable means lasting. 4

pig,

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.

5

Flu. 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 shall find, in the comparisons between Macedon and Mon-10 mouth, that the situations, look you, is both alike. There is a river in Macedon: and there is also, inoreover, a river at Monmouth: it is call'd Wye, at Monmouth; but it is out of my prains, what is the name of the other river; but 'tis all one, 'tis 15 so like as my fingers is 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 (Got knows, and you know) in his 20 rages, and his furies, and his 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 pest friend Clytus.

25

Gow. Our king is not like him in that; he never kill'd any of his friends.

Flu. It is not well done, mark you now, to take the tales out of my mouth, ere it is made an end and finish'd. I speak but in figures and compa-30 risons of it: As Alexander is kill his friend Cly tus, 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 gypes, and knaveries, and mocks; I am forget his

35

name.

Gow. Sir John Falstaff.

Flu. That is he: I tell you, there is goot men porn at Monmouth.

Gow. Here comes his majesty.

Alarum. Enter King Henry, Warwick, Gloster,
Exeter, &c. Flourish.

-K. Henry. I was not angry since I came to
France,

That I have fin'd these bones of mine for ransom?
Com'st thou again for ransom?

Mont. No, great king:

I come to thee for charitable licence,
That we may wander o'er the bloody field,
To book our dead, and then to bury them;
To sort our nobles from our common men;
For many of our princes (woe the while!)
Lie drown'd and soak'd in mercenary blood:
So do our vulgar drench their peasant limbs
In blood of princes; while their wounded steeds
Fret fetlock deep in gore, and, with wild rage,
Yerk out their armed heels at their dead masters,
Killing them twice. O, give us leave, great king,
To view the field in safety, and dispose
Of their dead bodies.

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 skir' away, as swift as stones
Enforced from the old Assyrian slings:
Besides, we'll cut the throats of those we haye;
And not a man of them, that we shall take,
Shall taste our mercy :-Go, and tell them so.
Enter Montjoy.
Exc. Here comes the herald of the French, my
liege.

2

K. Henry. 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. Henry. Praised be God, and not our strength,
for it!-

What is this castle call'd, that stands hard by ?
Mont. They call it-Agincourt. [court,
K. Henry. Then call we this--the field of Agin-
Fought on the day of Crispin Crispianus.

Flu. Your grandfather of famous memory, an't please your majesty, and your great-uncle Edward the plack prince of Wales, as I have read in the chronicles, fought a most prave pattle here in France.

K. Henry. They did, Fluellen.

Fiu, Your majesty says very true: If your majesties is remember'd of it, the Welchmen did goot service in a garden where leeks did grow, wearing leeks in their Monmouth caps; which, your majesty knows, to this hour is an honourable padge of the service: and, I do believe, your majesty 40 takes no scorn to wear the leek upon saint Tavy's day,

K. Henry. I wear it for a memorable honour; For I am Welch, you know, good countryman.

Flu. All the water in Wye cannot wash your 45 majesty's Welsh plood out of your pody, I can tell you that: Got pless and preserve it, as long as it pleases his grace and his majesty too!

K. Henry. Thanks, good my countryman.
Flu. By Cheshu, I am your' majesty's country-
50 man, I care not who know it; I will confess it
to all the 'orld: I need not be ashamed of your
majesty, praised be Got, so long as your majesty
is an honest man.

K. Henry. God keep me so!—Our heralds go
with him;
Enter Williams.
Bring me just notice of the numbers dead
On both our parts.

Call yonder fellow hither.
[Exeunt Montjoy and others.
Exe. Soldier, you must come to the king.
K Henry. Soldier, why wear'st thou that glove
lin thy cap?

155

Glo. His eyes are humbler than they us'd to be. 60
K. Henry. How now! what means their herald:
Know'st thou not,

'See note, p. 384. Mercenary here means common or hired blood. The gentlemen of the army served at their own charge, in consequence of their tenures,

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

K. Henry. Who servest thou under?

140

Fla. Your grace does me as great honours, as can be desired in the hearts of his subj. cts: I would fain see the man, that has but two legs, that shall find himself aggrief'd at this glove, that is all; but I would fain see it once; an please Got of his grace, 45 that I might see it.

K. Henry, Know'st thou Gower?

Fu. He is my dear friend, an please you. K. Henry. Pray thee, go seek him, and bring him to my tent.

Flu. I will fetch him.

Some sudden mischief may arise of it;
For I do know Fluellen valiant,

[Exit.

K. Henry. My lord of Warwick,-and my brother Gloster,

Follow Fluellen closely at the heels:

The glove, which I have given him for a favour,
May, haply, purchase him a box o' the 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)

And, touch'd with choler, hot as gunpowder,
And quickly he'll return an injury:

Follow, and see there be no harm between them.—
Go you with me, uncle of Exeter.
SCENE VIII.

[Exeunt.

Will. Under Captain Gower, my liege.

Flu. That's a lie in thy throat.-I charge you

Fiu. Gower is a goot captain; and is goot 30 in his majesty's name, apprehend him; he's a knowledge and literature in the wars. friend of the duke Alençon's.

K. Henry. Call him hither to me, soldier.
Will. I will, my liege.

[Exit.
K. Henry. Here, Fluellen; wear thou this fa-
Your for me, and stick it in thy cap: When Alen-35
çon and inyself were down together, I pluck'd this
glove from his helm: if any man challenge this, he
is a friend to Alençon, and an enemy to our per-
son; if thou encounter any such, apprehend him,

as thou dost love me.

Before King Henry's Pavillion.
Enter Gower and Williams.

Will. I warrant, it is to knight you, captain.
Enter Fluellen.

Flu. Got's will and his pleasure, captain, I peseech you now, come apace to the king: there is more goot toward you, paradventure, than is in your knovledge to dream of.

Will. Sir, know you this glove?

Flu. Know the glove? I know, the glove is a glove.

Will. I know this; and thus I challenge it. [Strikes him. Flu. 'Sblud, an arrant traitor, as any's in the universal 'orld, or in France, or in England. Gow. How now, sir? you villain! Will. Do you think I'll be forsworn?

Flu. Stand away, captain Gower; I will give treason his payment into plows', I warrant you. Will. I am no traitor.

Enter Warwick, and Gloster.
War. How now, how now! what's the matter?
Flu. My lord of Warwick, here is (praised be
Got for it) a most contagious treason come to light,
look you, as you shall desire in a summer's day.
Here is his majesty.

Enter King Henry, and Exeter.

K. Henry. How now! what's the matter? Flu. My liege, here is a villain and a traitor, that, look your grace, has struck the glove which your majesty is take out of the helmet of Alençon.

Will. My liege, this is my glove; here is the fellow of it: and he, that I give it to in change, promis'd to wear it in his cap; I promis'd to Strike him, if he did: I met this man with my glove in his cap, and I have been as good as my word,

Flu. Your majesty hear now, (saving your ma50jesty's manhood) what anarrant,rascally, peggarly, lowsy knave it is: I hope, your majesty is pear me testimonies, and witnesses, and avouchments, that this is the glove of Alençon, that your majesty is give me, in your conscience now.

55

K. Henry, Give me thy glove, soldier; Look, here is the fellow of it. "Twas I, indeed, thou promisedst to strike; and thou hast given me most bitter terms.

Flu. An please your majesty, let his neck an 60swer for it, if there is any martial law in the 'orld.

'High rank. * Meaning, a man of such station as is not bound to hazard his person to answer to a challenge from one of the soldier's low degree. 'The Revisal reads, very plausibly, “in two plows." The quarto reads, I will give treason his due presently. * It must be, give me my glove; for of the soldier's glove the king had not the fellow.

K. Henry