Gow.

How now, captain Fluellen, come you from the bridge?

Flu.

I assure you, there is very excellent services committed at the pridge.

Gow.

Is the Duke of Exeter safe?

Flu.

The Duke of Exeter is as magnanimous as Agamemnon, and a man that I love and honour with my soul, and my heart, and my duty, and my life, and my living, and my uttermost power. He is not, God be praised and plessed, any hurt in the world; he is maintain the pridge most valiantly, with excellent discipline. There is an Antient lieutenant there at the pridge, I think, in my very conscience, he is as valiant a man as Mark Antony, and he is a man of no estimation in the world, but I did see him do gallant services.

Gow.

What do you call him?

Flu.

He is call'd Antient Pistol.

Gow.

I know him not.

Flu.

Here is the man.

Pist.
Captain, I thee beseech to do me favours:
The Duke of Exeter doth love thee well.

Flu.

I, I praise God, and I have merited some love at his hands.

Pist.
Bardolph, a soldier firm and sound of heart,
And buxom valour, hath by cruel fate,
And giddy fortune's furious fickle wheel,

That Goddess blind that stands upon the rolling restless stone—

Flu.

By your patience, Antient Pistol: Fortune is painted plind, with a muffler before her eyes, to signifie to you that fortune is plind; and she is painted also with a wheel, to signifie to you, which is the moral of it, that she is turning and inconstant, and mutabilities and variations; and her foot, look you, is fixed upon a spherical stone, which rowles, and rowles, and rowles; in good truth, the Poet makes a most excellent description of it: fortune is an excellent moral.

Pist.
Fortune is Bardolph's foe, and frowns on him;
For he hath stoln a Pix, and hanged must a' be; damned death!(26) ^note
Let gallows gape for dog, let man go free,
And let not hemp his wind-pipe suffocate;
But Exeter hath given the doom of death,
For Pix of little price. Therefore go speak,
The Duke will hear thy voice;
And let not Bardolph's vital thread be cut

With edge of penny-cord, and vile reproach.
Speak, captain, for his life, and I will thee requite.

Flu.

Antient Pistol, I do partly understand your meaning.

Pist.

Why then rejoice therefore.

Flu.

Certainly, Antient, it is not a thing to rejoice at; for if, look you, he were my brother, I would desire the Duke to use his good pleasure, and put him to executions; for disciplines ought to be used.

Pist.

Die and be damn'd, and Figo for thy friendship!

Flu.

It is well.

Pist.

The fig of Spain—

Flu.

Very good.

Gow.

Why, this is an arrant counterfeit rascal, I remember him now; a bawd, a cut-purse.

Flu.

I'll assure you, he utt'red as prave words at the pridge, as you shall see in a summer's day: but it is very well; what he has spoke to me, that is well, I warrant you, when time is serve.

Gow.

Why 'tis a gull, a fool, a rogue, that now and then goes to the wars, to grace himself at his return into London, under the form of a soldier. Such fellows are perfect in the great commanders names, and they will learn you by rote where services were done; at such and such a sconce, at such a breach, at such a convoy; who came off bravely, who was shot, who disgrac'd, what terms the enemy stood on; and this they con perfectly in the phrase of war, which they trick up with new-turned oaths: And what a beard of the general's cut, and a horrid sute of the camp, will do among foaming bottles and ale-wash'd wits, is wonderful to be thought on! But you must learn to know such slanders of the age, or else you may be marvelously mistook.

Flu.

I tell you what, captain Gower; I do perceive, he is not the man that he would gladly make shew to the world he is; if I find a hole in his coat, I will tell him my mind; hear you, the King is coming, and I must speak with him from the pridge.(27) ^note

Drum and Colours. Enter the King, and his poor soldiers.

Flu.

God pless your Majesty.

K. Henry.

How now, Fluellen, cam'st thou from the bridge?

Flu.

I, so please your Majesty: the Duke of Exeter has very gallantly maintain'd the pridge; the French is gone off, look you, and there is gallant and most prave passages; marry, th' athversary was have possession of the pridge, but he is enforced to retire, and the Duke of Exeter is master of the pridge: I can tell your Majesty, the Duke is a prave man.

K. Henry.

What men have you lost, Fluellen?

Flu.

The perdition of th' athversary hath been very great, very reasonable great; marry, for my part, I think, the Duke hath lost never a man but one that is like to be executed for robbing a church, one Bardolph, if your Majesty know the man: his face is all bubukles, and whelks, and knobs, and flames of fire; and his lips blows at his nose, and it is like a coal of fire, sometimes plue, and sometimes red; but his nose is executed, and his fire's out.

K. Henry.
We would have such offenders so cut off;
And give express charge, that in all our march
There shall be nothing taken from the villages,
But shall be paid for; and no French upbraided,
Or yet abused in disdainful language;
When lenity and cruelty play for kingdoms,
The gentler gamester is the soonest winner.

Tucket sounds. Enter Mountjoy.

Mount.

You know me by my habit.

K. Henry.

Well then, I know thee; what shall I know of thee?

Mount.

My master's mind.

K. Henry.

Unfold it.

Mount.
Thus says my King: say thou to Harry England,
Although we seemed dead, we did but sleep:
Advantage is a better soldier than rashness.
Tell him, we could at Harfleur have rebuk'd him;
But that we thought not good to bruise an injury,
Till it were ripe. Now speak we on our cue,
With voice imperial: England shall repent
His folly, see his weakness, and admire
Our suff'rance. Bid him therefore to consider,
What must the ransom be, which must proportion
The losses we have born, the subjects we
Have lost, and the disgrace we have digested;
To answer which, his pettiness would bow under.
First for our loss, too poor is his Exchequer;
For the effusion of our blood, his army
Too faint a number; and for our disgrace,
Ev'n his own person kneeling at our feet
A weak and worthless satisfaction.
To this, defiance add; and for conclusion,
Tell him he hath betray'd his followers,
Whose condemnation is pronounc'd. So far
My King and master; and so much my office.

K. Henry.
What is thy name? I know thy quality.

Mount.
Mountjoy.

K. Henry.
Thou do'st thy office fairly. Turn thee back,
And tell thy King, I do not seek him now;
But could be willing to march on to Calais
Without impeachment; for, to say the sooth,
(Though 'tis no wisdom to confess so much
Unto an enemy of craft and vantage)
My people are with sickness much enfeebled,
My numbers lessen'd; and those few I have,
Almost no better than so many French;

Who when they were in health, I tell thee, herald,
I thought, upon one pair of English legs
Did march three Frenchmen. Yet, forgive me, God,
That I do brag thus; this your air of France
Hath blown that vice in me; I must repent.
Go, therefore, tell thy master, here I am;
My ransom is this frail and worthless trunk;
My army but a weak and sickly guard:
Yet, God before, tell him we will come on,
Though France himself, and such another neighbour,
Stand in our way. There's for thy labour, Mountjoy.
Go, bid thy master well advise himself:
If we may pass, we will; if we be hinder'd,
We shall your tawny ground with your red blood
Discolour; and so, Mountjoy, fare you well.
The sum of all our answer is but this;
We would not seek a battle as we are,
Yet, as we are, we say, we will not shun it:
So tell your master.

Mount.
I shall deliver so: thanks to your highness. [Exit.

Glou.
I hope, they will not come upon us now.

K. Henry.
We are in God's hand, brother, not in theirs:
March to the bridge; it now draws toward night;
Beyond the river we'll encamp our selves;
And on to morrow bid them march away. [Exeunt.

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