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  • Title: Edward III (Quarto 1, 1596)
  • Editor: Sonia Massai

    • Copyright Sonia Massai. This text may be freely used for educational, non-profit purposes; for all other uses contact the Editor.
    Author: William Shakespeare
    Editor: Sonia Massai
    Not Peer Reviewed

    Edward III (Quarto 1, 1596)

    1040Enter King Iohn of Fraunce, his
    two sonnes, Charles of Nor-
    mandie, and Phillip, and the
    Duke of Lorraine.
    King Iohn.
    1045Heere till our Nauie of a thousand saile,
    Haue made a breakfast to our foe by Sea,
    Let vs incampe to wait their happie speede:
    Lorraine what readines is Edward in?
    How hast thou heard that he prouided is
    1050Of marshiall furniture for this exployt.
    Lo: To lay aside vnnecessary soothing,
    And not to spend the time in circumstaunce,
    Tis bruted for a certenty my Lord,
    That hees exceeding strongly fortified,
    1055His subiects flocke as willingly to warre,
    As if vnto a tryumph they were led.
    Ch: England was wont to harbour malcontents,
    Blood thirsty, and seditious Catelynes,
    Spend thrifts, and such as gape for nothing else,
    1060But changing and alteration of the state,
    And is it possible,
    That they are now so loyall in them selues?
    Lo: All but the Scot, who sollemnly protests,
    As heeretofore I haue enformd his grace,
    1065Neuer to sheath his Sword, or take a truce.
    Io: Ah, thats the anchredge of some better hope,
    But on the other side, to thinke what friends,
    King Edward hath retaynd in Netherland,
    Among those euer-bibbing Epicures:
    Those
    Edward the third.
    1070Those frothy Dutch men, puft with double beere,
    That drinke and swill in euery place they come,
    Doth not a little aggrauate mine ire,
    Besides we heare the Emperor conioynes,
    And stalls him in his owne authoritie:
    1075But all the mightier that their number is,
    The greater glory reapes the victory,
    Some friends haue we beside drum stricke power,
    The sterne Polonian and the warlike Dane:
    The king of Bohemia, and of Cycelie.
    1080Are all become confederates with vs,
    And as I thinke are marching hither apace,
    But soft I heare the musicke of their drums.
    By which I gesse that their approch is neare.
    Enter the King of Bohemia with
    1085 Danes, and a Polonian Captaine
    with other soldiers another way.
    King of Boheme.
    King Iohn of Fraunce, as league and neighborhood,
    Requires when friends are any way distrest,
    1090I come to aide thee with my countries force,
    Pol. Cap. And from great Musco fearefull to the Turke,
    And lofty Poland, nurse of hardie men,
    I bring these seruitors to fight for thee,
    Who willingly will venture in thy cause.
    1095K. Io: Welcome Bohemian king, and welcome all,
    This your great kindnesse I will not forget.
    Besides your plentiful rewards in Crownes,
    That from our Treasory ye shall receiue,
    There comes a hare braind Nation deckt in pride,
    1100The spoyle of whome wiil be a trebble game,
    And now my hope is full, my ioy complete,
    2 At
    The Raigne of King
    At Sea we are as puissant as the force;
    Of Agamemnon in the Hauen of Troy:
    By land with Zerxes we compare of strength,
    1105Whose souldiers drancke vp riuers in their thirst:
    Then Bayardlike, blinde ouerweaning Ned,
    To reach at our imperiall dyadem,
    Is either to be swallowed of the waues,
    Or hackt a peeces when thou comest a shore.
    1110Enter.
    Mar. Neere to the cost I haue discribde my Lord,
    As I was busie in my watchfull charge.
    The proud Armado of king Edwards ships,
    Which at the first far off when I did ken,
    1115Seemd as it were a groue of withered pines,
    But drawing neere, their glorious bright aspect,
    Their streaming Ensignes wrought of coulloured silke,
    Like to a meddow full of sundry flowers,
    Adornes the naked bosome of the earth.
    1120Maiesticall the order of their course,
    Figuring the horned Circle of the Moone,
    And on the top gallant of the Admirall,
    And likewise all the handmaides of his trayne:
    The Armes of England and of Fraunce vnite,
    1125Are quartred equally by Heralds art;
    Thus titely carried with a merrie gale,
    They plough the Ocean hitherward amayne:
    Dare he already crop the Flewer de Luce:
    I hope the hony being gathered thence,
    1130He with the spider afterward approcht
    Shall sucke forth deadly venom from the leaues,
    But wheres out Nauy, how are they prepared,
    To wing them selues against this flight of Rauens.
    Ma. They hauing knowledge, brought them by the scouts,
    1135Did breake from Anchor straight, and puft with rage,
    No otherwise then were their sailes with winde,
    Made forth, as when the empty Eagle flies,
    To
    Edward the third.
    To satifie his hungrie griping mawe.
    Io: Thees for thy newes, returne vnto thy barke,
    1140And if thou scape the bloody strooke of warre,
    And do suruiue the conflict, come againe,
    And let vs heare the manner of the fight, Exit.
    Meane space my Lords, tis best we be disperst,
    To seuerall places least they chaunce to land:
    1145First you my Lord, with your Bohemian Troupes,
    Shall pitch your battailes on the lower hand,
    My eldest sonne the Duke of Normandie,
    Togeither with this aide of Muscouites,
    Shall clyme the higher ground an other waye:
    1150Heere in the middle cost betwixt you both,
    Phillip my yongest boy and I will lodge,
    So Lords begon, and looke vnto your charge. Exunt.
    You stand for Fraunce, an Empire faire and large,
    Now tell me Phillip, what is their concept,
    1155Touching the challenge that the English make.
    Ph: I say my Lord, clayme Edward what he can,
    And bring he nere so playne a pedegree,
    Tis you are in possession of the Crowne,
    And thats the surest poynt of all the Law:
    1160But were it not, yet ere he should preuaile,
    Ile make a Conduit of my dearest blood,
    Or chase those stragling vpstarts home againe,
    King: Well said young Phillip, call for bread and Wine,
    That we may cheere our stomacks with repast,The battell hard a farre
    off.
    1165To looke our foes more sternely in the face.
    Now is begun the heauie day at Sea,
    Fight Frenchmen, fight, be like the fielde of Beares,
    When they defend their younglings in their Caues:
    Stir angry Nemesis the happie helme,
    1170That with the sulphur battels of your rage,
    The English Fleete may be disperst and sunke,
    Ph. O Father how this eckoing Cannon shot. Shot.
    Like sweete hermonie disgests my cates.
    3 K.Io.Now
    The Raigne of king
    Now boy thou hearest what thundring terror tis,
    1175To buckle for a kingdomes souerentie,
    The earth with giddie trembling when it shakes,
    Or when the exalations of the aire,
    Breakes in extremitie of lightning flash,
    Affrights not more then kings when they dispose,
    1180To shew the rancor of their high swolne harts,
    Retreae is sounded, one side hath the worse, Retreate.
    O if it be the French, sweete fortune turne,
    And in thy turning change the forward winds,
    That with aduantage of a sauoring skie,
    1185Our men may vanquish and thither flie.
    Enter Marriner.
    My hart misgiues, say mirror of pale death,
    To whome belongs the honor of this day,
    Relate I pray thee, if thy breath will serue,
    1190The sad discourse of this discomfiture.
    Mar. I will my Lord.
    My gratious soueraigne, Fraunce hath tane the foyle,
    And boasting Edward triumphs with successe;
    These Iron harted Nauies,
    1195When last I was reporter to your grace,
    Both full of angry spleene of hope and feare:
    Hasting to meete each other in the face,
    At last conioynd, and by their Admirall,
    Our Admirall encountred manie shot,
    1200By this the other that beheld these twaine,
    Giue earnest peny of a further wracke,
    Like fiery Dragons tooke their haughty flight,
    And likewise meeting, from their smoky wombes,
    Sent many grym Embassadors of death,
    1205Then gan the day to turne to gloomy night,
    And darkenes did aswel inclose the quicke,
    As those that were but newly reft of life,
    No leasure serud for friends to bid farewell,
    And if it had, the hideous noise was such,
    As
    Edward the third.
    1210As ech to other seemed deafe and dombe,
    Purple the Sea whose channel fild as fast,
    With streaming gore that from the maymed fell,
    As did her gushing moysture breake into,
    The cranny cleftures of the through shot planks,
    1215Heere flew a head dissuuered from the tronke,
    There mangled armes and legs were tost aloft,
    As when a wherle winde takes the Summer dust,
    And scatters it in midddle of the aire,
    Then might ye see the reeling vessels split,
    1220And tottering sink into the ruthlesse floud,
    Vntill their lofty tops were seene no more.
    All shifts were tried both for defence and hurt,
    And now the effect of vallor and of force,
    Of resolution and of a cowardize:
    1225We liuely pictured, how the one for fame;
    The other by compulsion laid about;
    Much did the Nom per illa, that braue ship
    So did the blacke snake of Bullen, then which
    A bonnier vessel neuer yet spred sayle,
    1230But all in vaine, both Sunne, the Wine and tyde,
    Reuolted all vnto our foe mens side,
    That we perforce were fayne to giue them way,
    And they are landed, thus my tale is donne,
    We haue vntimly lost, and they haue woone.
    1235K. Io: Then rests there nothing but with present speede,
    To ioyne our seueral forces al in one,
    And bid them battaile ere they rainge to farre,
    Come gentle Phillip, let vs hence depart,
    This souldiers words haue perst thy fathers hart. Exeunt
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