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Author: William Shakespeare
Editor: James D. Mardock
Peer Reviewed

Henry V (Quarto 1, 1600)

The Chronicle Historie
0.15of Henry the fift: with his battel fought
at Agin Court in France. Togither with
Auncient Pistoll.
Enter King Henry, Exeter, 2. Bishops, Clarence, and other
143.1Attendants.
Exeter.
SHall I call in Thambassadors my Liege?
King. Not yet my Cousin, til we be resolude
149.1Of some serious matters touching vs and France.
Bi. God and his Angels guard your sacred throne,
And make you long become it.
155King. Shure we thank you. And good my Lord proceed
Why the Lawe Salicke which they haue in France,
Or should or should not, stop vs in our clayme:
160And God forbid my wise and learned Lord,
That you should fashion, frame, or wrest the same.
165For God doth know how many now in health,
Shall drop their blood in approbation,
Of what your reuerence shall incite vs too.
Therefore take heed how you impawne our person.
How you awake the sleeping sword of warre:
170We charge you in the name of God take heed.
After this coniuration, speake my Lord:
And we will iudge, note, and beleeue in heart,
That what you speake, is washt as pure
As sin in baptisme.
A 2
180Then heare me gracious soueraigne, and you peeres,
Which owe your liues, your faith and seruices
To this imperiall throne.
There is no bar to stay your highnesse claime to France
But one, which they produce from Faramount,
No female shall succeed in salicke land,
Which salicke land the French vniustly gloze
To be the realme of France:
And Faramont the founder of this law and female barre:
190Yet their owne writers faithfully affirme
That the land salicke lyes in Germany,
Betweene the flouds of Sabeck and of Elme,
Where Charles the fift hauing subdude the Saxons
There left behind, and setled certaine French,
195Who holding in disdaine the Germaine women,
For some dishonest maners of their liues,
Establisht there this lawe. To wit,
No female shall succeed in salicke land:
Which salicke land as I said before,
200Is at this time in Germany called Mesene:
Thus doth it well appeare the salicke lawe
Was not deuised for the realme of France,
Nor did the French possesse the salicke land,
Vntill 400. one and twentie yeares
205After the function of king Faramont,
Godly supposed the founder of this lawe:
Hugh Capet also that vsurpt the crowne,
To fine his title with some showe of truth,
220When in pure truth it was corrupt and naught:
Conuaid himselfe as heire to the Lady Inger,
Daughter to Charles, the foresaid Duke of Loraine,
So that as cleare as is the sommers Sun,
King Pippins title and Hugh Capets claime,
235King Charles his satisfaction all appeare,
To hold in right and title of the female:
So do the Lords of France vntil this day,
Howbeit they would hold vp this salick lawe
To
of Henry the fift.
To bar your highnesse claiming from the female,
240And rather choose to hide them in a net,
Then amply to imbace their crooked causes,
Vsurpt from you and your progenitors.
K. May we with right & conscience make this (claime?
Bi. The sin vpon my head dread soueraigne.
245For in the booke of Numbers is it writ,
When the sonne dies, let the inheritance
Descend vnto the daughter.
Noble Lord stand for your owne,
Vnwinde your bloody flagge,
250Go my dread Lord to your great graunsirs graue,
From whom you clayme:
And your great Vncle Edward the blacke Prince,
Who on the French ground playd a Tragedy
Making defeat on the full power of France,
255Whilest his most mighty father on a hill,
Stood smiling to behold his Lyons whelpe,
Foraging blood of French Nobilitie.
O Noble English that could entertaine
With halfe their Forces the full power of France:
260And let an other halfe stand laughing by,
All out of worke, and cold for action.
King. We must not onely arme vs against the French,
But lay downe our proportion for the Scot,
285Who will make rode vpon vs with all aduantgages.
Bi. The Marches gracious soueraigne, shalbe sufficient
To guard your England from the pilfering borderers.
290King. We do not meane the coursing sneakers onely,
But feare the mayne entendement of the Scot,
For you shall read, neuer my great grandfather
Vnmaskt his power for France,
295But that the Scot on his vnfurnisht Kingdome,
Came pouring like the Tide into a breach,
300That England being empty of defences,
Hath shooke and trembled at the brute hereof.
Bi. She hath bin then more feared then hurt my Lord:
A 3 For
The Chronicle Historie
For heare her but examplified by her selfe,
When all her chiualry hath bene in France
305And she a mourning widow of her Nobles,
She hath her selfe not only well defended,
But taken and impounded as a stray, the king of Scots,
Whom like a caytiffe she did leade to France,
310Filling your Chronicles as rich with praise
As is the owse and bottome of the sea
With sunken wrack and shiplesse treasurie.
Lord. There is a saying very old and true,
If you will France win,
Then with Scotland first begin:
315For once the Eagle, England being in pray,
To his vnfurnish nest the weazel Scot
Would suck her egs, playing the mouse in absence of the (cat:
To spoyle and hauock more than she can eat.
320Exe. It followes then, the cat must stay at home,
Yet that is but a curst necessitie,
Since we haue trappes to catch the petty theeues:
Whilste that the armed hand doth fight abroad
325The aduised head controlles at home:
For gouernment though high or lowe, being put into parts,
Congrueth with a mutuall content like musicke.
330Bi. True: therefore doth heauen diuide the fate of man
in diuers functions.
Whereto is added as an ayme or but, obedience:
For so liue the honey Bees, creatures that by awe
Ordaine an act of order to a peopeld Kingdome:
They haue a King and officers of sort,
Where some like Magistrates correct at home:
Others like Marchants venture trade abroad:
340Others like souldiers armed in their stings,
Make boote vpon the sommers veluet bud:
Which pillage they with mery march bring home
To the tent royall of their Emperour,
Who busied in his maiestie, behold
345The singing masons building roofes of gold:
The
of Henry the fifth.
The ciuell citizens lading vp the honey,
The sad eyde Iustice with his surly humme,
350Deliuering vp to executors pale, the lazy caning Drone.
This I infer, that 20. actions once a foote,
351.1May all end in one moment.
As many Arrowes losed seuerall wayes, flye to one marke:
355As many seuerall wayes meete in one towne:
As many fresh streames run in one selfe sea:
As many lines close in the dyall center:
So may a thousand actions once a foote,
End in one moment, and be all well borne without defect.
360Therefore my Liege to France,
Diuide your happy England into foure,
Of which take you one quarter into France,
And you withall, shall make all Gallia shake.
If we with thrice that power left at home,
365Cannot defend our owne doore from the dogge,
Let vs be beaten, and from henceforth lose
The name of pollicy and hardinesse.
Ki. Call in the messenger sent frō the Dolphin,
370And by your ayde, the noble sinewes of our land,
France being ours, weele bring it to our awe,
Or breake it all in peeces:
Eyther our Chronicles shal with full mouth speak
Freely of our acts,
Or else like toonglesse mutes
380Not worshipt with a paper Epitaph:
Enter Thambassadors from France.
Now are we well prepared to know the Dolphins pleasure,
For we heare your comming is from him.
385Ambassa. Pleaseth your Maiestie to giue vs leaue
Freely to render what we haue in charge:
Or shall I sparingly shew a farre off,
The Dolphins pleasure and our Embassage?
King. We are no tyrant, but a Christian King,
390To whom our spirit is as subiect,
As are our wretches fettered in our prisons.
There-
The Chronicle Historie
Therefore freely and with vncurbed boldnesse
Tell vs the Dolphins minde.
Ambas. Then this in fine the Dolphin saith,
395Whereas you clayme certaine Townes in France,
From your predecessor king Edward the third,
397.1This he returnes.
He saith, theres nought in France that can be with a nimble
Galliard wonne: you cannot reuel into Dukedomes there:
Therefore he sendeth meeter for your study,
This tunne of treasure: and in lieu of this,
405Desires to let the Dukedomes that you craue
Heare no more from you: This the Dolphin saith.
King. What treasure Vncle?
Exe. Tennis balles my Liege.
King. We are glad the Dolphin is so pleasant with vs,
410Your message and his present we accept:
When we haue matched our rackets to these balles,
We will by Gods grace play such a set,
Shall strike his fathers crowne into the hazard.
Tell him he hath made a match with such a wrangler,
415That all the Courts of France shall be disturbd with chases.
And we vnderstand him well, how he comes ore vs
With our wilder dayes, not measuring what vse we made
of them.
We neuer valued this poore seate of England.
420And therefore gaue our selues to barbarous licence:
As tis common seene that men are merriest when they are
from home.
But tell the Dolphin we will keepe our state,
Be like a King, mightie and commaund,
425When we do rowse vs in throne of France:
For this haue we laid by our Maiestie
And plodded lide a man for working dayes.
But we will rise there with so full of glory,
That we will dazell all the eyes of France,
430I strike the Dolphin blinde to looke on vs,
And tell him this, his mock hath turnd his balles to gun (stones,
And
of Henry the fift.
And his soule shall sit sore charged for the wastfull(vengeance
That shall flye from them. For this his mocke
435Shall mocke many a wife out of their deare husbands.
Mocke mothers from their sonnes, mocke Castles downe,
I some are yet vngotten and vnborne,
That shall haue cause to curse the Dolphins scorne.
But this lyes all within the will of God, to whom we doo (appeale,
440And in whose name tel you the Dolphin we are cōming on
To venge vs as we may, and to put forth our hand
In a rightfull cause: so get you hence, and tell your Prince,
445His Iest will sauour but of shallow wit,
When thousands weepe, more then did laugh at it.
Conuey them with safe conduct: see them hence.
Exe. This was a merry message.
450King. We hope to make the sender blush at it:
455Therefore let our collectiō for the wars be soone prouided:
For God before, weell check the Dolphin at his fathers (doore.
460Therefore let euery man now taske his thought,
That this faire action may on foote be brought.
Exeunt omnes.
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