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Henry V (Quarto 1, 1600)

Author: William Shakespeare
Editor: James D. Mardock
Peer Reviewed
Enter the King disguised, to him Pistoll.
Pist. Ke ve la?
King. A friend.
1885Pist. Discus vnto me, art thou Gentleman?
Or art thou common, base, and popeler?
King. No sir, I am a Gentleman of a Company.
Pist. Trailes thou the puissant pike?
King. Euen so sir. What are you?
1890Pist. As good a gentleman as the Emperour.
King. O then thou art better then the King?
Pist. The kings a bago, and a hart of gold.
Pist. A lad of life, an impe of fame:
Of parents good, of fist most valiant:
I kis his durtie shoe: and from my hart strings
1895I love the louely bully. What is thy name?
King. Harry le Roy.
Pist. Le Roy, a Cornish man:
Art thou of Cornish crew?
Kin. No sir, I am a Wealchman.
Pist. A Wealchman: knowst thou Flewellen?
1900Kin. I sir, he is my kinsman.
1905Pist. Art thou his friend?
1905.1Kin. I sir.
Pist. Figa for thee then: my name is Pistoll.
1910Kin. It sorts well with your fiercenesse.
Pist. Pistoll is my name.
Exit Pistoll.
Enter Gower and Flewellen.
Gour. Captaine Flewellen.
Flew. In the name of Iesu speake lewer.
It is the greatest folly in the worell, when the auncient
Prerogatiues of the warres be not kept.
1920I warrant you, if you looke into the warres of the Romanes,
You shall finde no tittle tattle, nor bible bable there:
But you shall finde the cares, and the feares,
And the ceremonies, to be otherwise.
Gour. Why the enemy is loud: you heard him all night.
Flew. Godes sollud, if the enemy be an Asse & a Foole,
And a prating cocks-come, is it meet that we be also a foole,
And a prating cocks-come, in your conscience now?
1930Gour. Ile speake lower.
Flew. I beseech you do, good Captaine Gower.
1931.1
Exit Gower, and Flewellen.
Kin. Tho it appeare a litle out of fashion,
Yet theres much care in this.
Enter three Souldiers.
1. Soul. Is not that the morning yonder?
19402. Soul. I we see the beginning,
God knowes whether we shall see the end or no.
3. Soul. Well I thinke the king could wish himselfe
1965Vp to the necke in the middle of the Thames,
And so I would he were, at all aduentures, and I with him.
1941.1Kin. Now masters god morrow, what cheare?
3. S. Ifaith small cheer some of vs is like to haue,
Ere this day ende.
Kin. Why fear nothing man, the king is frolike.
.52. S. I he may be, for he hath no such cause as we
Kin. Nay say not so, he is a man as we are.
The Violet smels to him as to vs:
Therefore if he see reasons, he feares as we do.
2. Sol. But the king hath a heauy reckoning to make,
If his cause be not good: when all those soules
Whose bodies shall be slaughtered here,
1985Shall ioyne together at the latter day,
And say I dyed at such a place. Some swearing:
Some their wiues rawly left:
Some leauing their children poore behind them.
Now if his cause be bad, I think it will be a greeuous matter
King. Why so you may say, if a man send his seruant
1998.1As Factor into another Countrey,
And he by any meanes miscarry,
You may say the businesse of the maister,
Was the author of his seruants misfortune.
1995Or if a sonne be imployd by his father,
1995.1And he fall into any leaud action, you may say the father
Was the author of his sonnes damnation.
But the master is not to answere for his seruants,
The father for his sonne, nor the king for his subiects:
2005For they purpose not their deaths, whē they craue their ser-
Some there are that haue the gift of premeditated
2010Murder on them:
Others the broken seale of Forgery, in beguiling maydens.
Now if these outstrip the lawe,
Yet they cannot excape Gods punishment.
War is Gods Beadel. War is Gods vengeance:
Euery mans seruice is the kings:
But euery mans soule is his owne.
2025Therfore I would haue euery soldier examine himselfe,
And wash euery moath out of his conscience:
That in so doing, he may be the readier for death:
Or not dying, why the time was well spent,
Wherein such preparation was made.
3. Lord. Yfaith he saies true:
2035Euery mans fault on his owne head,
I would not haue the king answere for me.
Yet I intend to fight lustily for him.
King. Well, I heard the king, he wold not be ransomde.
20402. L. I he said so, to make vs fight:
But when our throates be cut, he may be ransomde,
And we neuer the wiser.
King. If I liue to see that, Ile neuer trust his word againe.
20452. Sol. Mas youle pay him then, tis a great displeasure
That an elder gun, can do against a cannon,
Or a subiect against a monarke.
Youle nere take his word again, your a nasse goe.
King. Your reproofe is somewhat too bitter:
Were it not at this time I could be angry.
2. Sol. Why let it be a quarrell if thou wilt.
King. How shall I know thee?
20602. Sol. Here is my gloue, which if euer I see in thy hat,
Ile challenge thee, and strike thee.
2066.1Kin. Here is likewise another of mine,
And assure thee ile weare it.
2. Sol. Thou dar'st as well be hangd.
3. Sol. Be friends you fooles,
We haue French quarrels anow in hand:
2071.1We haue no need of English broyles.
Kin. Tis no treason to cut French crownes,
For to morrow the king himselfe wil be a clipper.
Exit the Souldiers.
2073.1
Enter the King, Gloster, Epingam, and
Attendants.
K. O God of battels steele my souldiers harts,
Take from them now the sence of rekconing,
That the apposed multitudes which stand before them,
2143.1May not appall their courage.
O not to day, not to day ô God,
2145Thinke on the fault my father made,
In compassing the crowne.
I Richards bodie haue interred new,
And on it hath bestowd more contrite teares,
Then from it issued forced drops of blood:
2150A hundred men haue I in yearly pay,
Which euery day their withered hands hold vp
To heauen to pardon blood,
And I haue built two chanceries, more wil I do:
Tho all that I can do, is all too litle.
Enter Gloster.
2160Glost. My Lord.
King. My brother Glosters voyce.
2161.1Glost. My Lord, the Army stayes vpon your presence.
King. Stay Gloster, stay, and I will go with thee,
The day my friends, and all things stayes for me.