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Author: Anonymous
Editors: Karen Sawyer Marsalek, Mathew Martin
Peer Reviewed

The Famous Victories of Henry the Fifth (Quarto, 1598)

Enter a Captaine, Iohn Cobler and his wife.
Cap. Come, come, there's no remedie,
Thou must needs serue the King.
990Iohn. Good maister Captaine let me go,
I am not able to go so farre.
Wife. I pray you good maister Captaine,
Be good to my husband.
Cap. Why I am sure he is not too goo d to serue y^e king?
995Iohn. Alasse no, but a greate deale toobad,
Therefore I pray you let me go.
Cap. No, no, thou shalt go.
Iohn.
The famous victories
Iohn. Oh sir, I haue a great many shooes at home to
Cobble.
1000Wife. I pray you let him go home againe.
Cap. Tush I care not, thou shalt go.
Iohn. Oh wife, and you had beene a louing wife to me,
This had not bene, forI haue said many times,
That I would go away, and now I must go
1005Against my will.
He weepeth.
Enters Dericke.
Der. How now ho, Busillus Manus, for an old codpeece,
Maister Captaine shall we away?
1010Sownds how now Iohn, what a crying?
What make you and my dame there?
I maruell whose head you will throw the stooles at,
Now we are gone.
Wife. Ile tell you, come ye cloghead,
1015What do you with my potlid? heare you,
Will you haue it rapt about your pate?
She beateth him with her potlid.
Der. Oh good dame, here he shakes her,
And I had my dagger here, I wold worie you al to peeces
1020That I would.
Wife. Would you so, Ile trie that.
She beateth him.
Der. Maister Captaine wil ye suffer her?
Go too dame, I will go backe as far as I can,
1025But and you come againe,
Ile clap the law on your backe thats flat:
Ile tell you maister Captaine what you shall do?
Presse her for a souldier, I warrant you,
She will do as much good as her husband and I too.
1030Enters the Theefe.
Sownes, who comes yonder?
Cap. How now good fellow, doest thou want a maister?
Theefe.
of Henry the fifth.
Theefe. I truly sir.
Cap. Hold thee then, I presse thee for a souldier,
1035To serue the King in France.
Der. How now Gads, what doest knowes thinkest?
Theefe. I, I knew thee long ago.
Der. Heare you maister Captaine?
Cap. What saist thou?
1040Der. I pray you let me go home againe.
Cap. Why what wouldst thou do at home?
Der. Marry I haue brought two shirts with me,
And I would carry one of them home againe,
For I am sure heele steale it from me,
1045He is such a filching fellow.
Cap. I warrant thee he wil not steale it from thee,
Come lets away.
Der. Come maister Captaine lets away,
Come follow me.
1050Iohn. Come wife, lets part louingly.
Wife. Farewell good husband.
Der. Fie what a kissing and crying is here?
Sownes, do ye thinke he wil neuer come againe?
Why Iohn come away, doest thinke that we are so base
1055Minded to die among French men?
Sownes, we know not whether they will laie
Us in their Church or no: Come M. Captain, lets away.
Cap. I cannot staie no longer, therefore come away.
Exeunt omnes.
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