1905Pist. Art thou his friend?
1906King. And his Kin
sman too
. 1907Pist. The
Figo for thee then.
1908King. I thanke you: God be with you.
1909Pist. My name is
Pistol call'd.
Exit. 1910King. It
sorts well with your
fiercene
sse.
1912Enter Fluellen and Gower. 1913Gower. Captaine
Fluellen.
1914Flu. 'So, in the Name of Ie
su Chri
st,
speake fewer: it
1915is the greate
st admiration in the vniuer
sall World, when
1916the true and aunchient Prerogatifes and Lawes of the
1917Warres is not kept: if you would take the paines but to
1918examine the Warres of
Pompey the Great, you
shall
finde,
1919I warrant you, that there is no tiddle tadle nor pibble ba
- 1920ble in
Pompeyes Campe: I warrant you, you
shall
finde
1921the Ceremonies of the Warres, and the Cares of it, and
1922the Formes of it, and the Sobrietie of it, and the Mode
stie
1923of it, to be otherwi
se.
1924Gower. Why the Enemie is lowd, you heare him all
1926Flu. If the Enemie is an A
sse and a Foole, and a pra
- 1927ting Coxcombe; is it meet, thinke you, that wee
should
1928al
so, looke you, be an A
sse and a Foole, and a prating Cox
- 1929combe, in your owne con
science now?
1930Gow. I will
speake lower.
1931Flu. I pray you, and be
seech you, that you will.
Exit. 1932King. Though it appeare a little out of fa
shion,
1933There is much care and valour in this Welchman.
1934Enter three Souldiers, Iohn Bates, Alexander Court, 1935and Michael Williams.
1936Court. Brother
Iohn Bates, is not that the Morning
1937which breakes yonder?
1938Bates. I thinke it be: but wee haue no great cau
se to
1939de
sire the approach of day.
1940Williams. Wee
see yonder the beginning of the day,
1941but I thinke wee
shall neuer
see the end of it. Who goes
1944Williams. Vnder what Captaine
serue you
? 1945King. Vnder Sir
Iohn Erpingham.
1946Williams. A good old Commander, and a mo
st kinde
1947Gentleman: I pray you, what thinkes he of our e
state?
1948King. Euen as men wrackt vpon a Sand, that looke to
1949be wa
sht o
ff the next Tyde.
1950Bates. He hath not told his thought to the King?
1951King. No: nor it is not meet he
should: for though I
1952speake it to you, I thinke the King is but a man, as I am:
1953the Violet
smells to him, as it doth to me; the Element
1954shewes to him, as it doth to me; all his Sences haue but
1955humane Conditions: his Ceremonies layd by, in his Na
- 1956kedne
sse he appeares but a man; and though his a
ffe
cti
- 1957ons are higher mounted then ours, yet when they
stoupe,
1958they
stoupe with the like wing: therefore, when he
sees
1959rea
son of feares, as we doe; his feares, out of doubt, be of
1960the
same relli
sh as ours are: yet in rea
son, no man
should
1961po
sse
sse him with any appearance of feare; lea
st hee, by
1962shewing it,
should dis-hearten his Army.
1963Bates. He may
shew what outward courage he will:
1964but I beleeue, as cold a Night as 'tis, hee could wi
sh him
- 1965selfe in Thames vp to the Neck; and
so I would he were,
1966and I by him, at all aduentures,
so we were quit here.
1967King. By my troth, I will
speake my con
science of the
1968King: I thinke hee would not wi
sh him
selfe any where,
1970Bates. Then I would he were here alone;
so
should he be
1971sure to be ran
somed, and a many poore mens liues
saued.
1972King. I dare
say, you loue him not
so ill, to wi
sh him
1973here alone: how
soeuer you
speake this to feele other
1974mens minds, me thinks I could not dye any where
so con
- 1975tented, as in the Kings company; his Cau
se being iu
st, and
1976his Quarrell honorable.
1977Williams. That's more then we know.
1978Bates. I, or more then wee
should
seeke after; for wee
1979know enough, if wee know wee are the Kings Subie
cts:
1980if his Cau
se be wrong, our obedience to the King wipes
1981the Cryme of it out of vs.
1982Williams. But if the Cau
se be not good, the King him
- 1983selfe hath a heauie Reckoning to make, when all tho
se
1984Legges, and Armes, and Heads, chopt o
ff in a Battaile,
1985shall ioyne together at the latter day, and cry all, Wee dy
- 1986ed at
such a place,
some
swearing,
some crying for a Sur
- 1987gean;
some vpon their Wiues, left poore behind them;
1988some vpon the Debts they owe,
some vpon their Children
1989rawly left: I am afear'd, there are few dye well, that dye
1990in a Battaile: for how can they charitably di
spo
se of any
1991thing, when Blood is their argument? Now, if the
se men
1992doe not dye well, it will be a black matter for the King,
1993that led them to it; who to di
sobey, were again
st all pro
- 1994portion of
subie
ction.
1995King. So, if a Sonne that is by his Father
sent about
1996Merchandize, doe
sinfully mi
scarry vpon the Sea; the im
- 1997putation of his wickedne
sse, by your rule,
should be im
- 1998po
sed vpon his Father that
sent him: or if a Seruant, vn
- 1999der his Ma
sters command, tran
sporting a
summe of Mo
- 2000ney, be a
ssayled by Robbers, and dye in many irreconcil'd
2001Iniquities; you may call the bu
sine
sse of the Ma
ster the
2002author of the Seruants damnation: but this is not
so:
2003The King is not bound to an
swer the particular endings
2004of his Souldiers, the Father of his Sonne, nor the Ma
ster
2005of his Seruant; for they purpo
se not their death, when
2006they purpo
se their
seruices. Be
sides, there is no King, be
2007his Cau
se neuer
so
spotle
sse, if it come to the arbitre
- 2008ment of Swords, can trye it out with all vn
spotted Soul
- 2009diers:
some (peraduenture) haue on them the guilt of
2010premeditated and contriued Murther;
some, of begui
- 2011ling Virgins with the broken Seales of Periurie;
some,
2012making the Warres their Bulwarke, that haue before go
- 2013red the gentle Bo
some of Peace with Pillage and Robbe
- 2014rie. Now, if the
se men haue defeated the Law, and out
- 2015runne Natiue puni
shment; though they can out-
strip
2016men, they haue no wings to
flye from God. Warre is
2017his Beadle, Warre is his Vengeance:
so that here men
2018are puni
sht, for before breach of the Kings Lawes, in
2019now the Kings Quarrell: where they feared the death,
2020they haue borne life away; and where they would bee
2021safe, they peri
sh. Then if they dye vnprouided, no more
2022is the King guiltie of their damnation, then hee was be
- 2023fore guiltie of tho
se Impieties, for the which they are
2024now vi
sited. Euery Subie
cts Dutie is the Kings, but
2025euery Subie
cts Soule is his owne. Therefore
should
2026euery Souldier in the Warres doe as euery
sicke man in
2027his Bed, wa
sh euery Moth out of his Con
science: and
2028dying
so, Death is to him aduantage; or not dying,
2029the time was ble
ssedly lo
st, wherein
such preparation was
2030gayned: and in him that e
scapes, it were not
sinne to
2031thinke, that making God
so free an o
ffer, he let him out
- 2032liue that day, to
see his Greatne
sse, and to teach others
2033how they
should prepare.
Will. 'Tis