Fluellen.
Flu
Kill the poys, and the luggage! 'tis expresly
against the law of arms: 'tis as arrant a piece of knavery,
mark you now, as can be offer'd; In your conscience
now, is it not?
Gow.
'Tis certain, there's not a boy left alive; and
the cowardly rascals, that ran from the battle, ha' done
this slaughter: besides, they have burned, and carry'd
away, all that was in the king's tent; wherefore the
-- 84 --
king, most worthily, hath caus'd every soldier to cut his
prisoner's throat. O, 'tis a gallant king!
Flu.
Ay, he was born at Monmouth, captain Gower:
What call you the town's name, where Alexander the
pig was born?
Gow.
Alexander the great.
Flu.
Why, I pray you, is not, pig, great? the pig,
or the great, or the mighty, or the huge, or the magnanimous,
are all one reckonings, save the phrase is a
little variations.
Gow.
I think, Alexander the great was born in Macedon;
his father was call'd—Philip of Macedon, as I
take it.
Flu.
I think, it is in Macedon, where Alexander is
porn. I tell you, captain,—If you look in the maps
of the 'orld, I warrant, you shall find, in the comparisons
between Macedon and Monmouth, that the situations,
look you, is both alike: There is a river in Macedon;
and there is also moreover a river at Monmouth: it is
call'd Wye, at Monmouth; but it is out of my prains, what
is the name of the other river; but 'tis all one, 'tis so
like as note my fingers is to my fingers, and there is salmons
in both. If you mark Alexander's life well, Harry of
Monmouth's life is come after it indifferent well; for
there is figures in all things. Alexander, (Got knows, and
you know) in his rages, and his furies, and his wraths,
and his cholers, and his moods, and his displeasures,
and his indignations, and also being a little intoxicates
in his prains, did, in his ales and his angers, look you,
kill his pest friend Clytus.
Gow.
Our king is not like him in that; he never
kill'd any of his friends.
-- 85 --
Flu.
It is not well done, mark you now, to take the
tales out of my mouth, ere it is made an end note and finished.
I speak but in the figures and comparisons of it: As Alexander
is kill his note friend Clytus, being in his ales and his
cups; so also Harry Monmouth, being in his right wits
and his goot judgments, is turn away note the fat knight with
the great-pelly doublet; he was full of jests, and gypes,
and knaveries, and mocks, I am forget his name.
Gow.
Sir John Falstaff.
Flu.
That is he: I'll tell you, there is goot men
porn at Monmouth.
Gow.
Here comes his majesty.
Alarums. Enter King Henry, and Forces; Warwick,
Gloster, Exeter, and Others.
Kin.
I was not angry since I came to France,
Until this instant.—Take a trumpet, herald;
Ride thou unto note the horsemen on yon' hill:
If they will fight with us, bid them come down,
Or void the field; they do offend our sight:
If they'll do note neither, we will come to them;
And make them skir away, as swift as stones
Enforced from the old Assyrian slings:
Besides, we'll cut the throats of those we have;
And not a man of them, that we shall take,
Shall taste our mercy: Go, and tell them so.
[Exeunt a Herald, and Others.
Exe.
Here comes the herald of the French, my liege.
Enter Montjoy.
Glo.
His eyes are humbler than they us'd to be.
Kin.
How now! what means this herald note? know'st thou not,
That I have fin'd these bones of mine for ransom?
Com'st thou again for ransom?
-- 86 --
Mon.
No, great king:
I come to thee for charitable licence,
That we may wander o'er this bloody field,
To book our dead, and then to bury them;
To sort our nobles from our common men;
For many of our princes (woe the while!)
Lie drown'd and soak'd in mercenary blood:
So do our vulgar drench their peasant limbs
In blood of princes; and the wounded note steeds
Fret fetlock-deep in gore, and, with wild rage,
Yerk out their armed heels at their dead masters,
Killing them twice. O, give us leave, great king,
To view the field in safety, and dispose
Of their dead bodies.
Kin.
I tell thee truly, herald,
I know not, if the day be ours, or no;
For yet a many of your horse appear note,
And gallop o'er the field.
Mon.
The day is yours.
Kin.
Praised be God, and not our strength for note it.—
What is this castle call'd, that stands hard by?
Mon.
They call it—Agincourt.
Kin.
Then call we this—the field of Agincourt,
Fought on the day of Crispin Crispianus.
Flu.
Your grandfather of famous memory, an't
please your majesty, and your great-uncle Edward the
plack prince of Wales, as I have read in the chronicles,
fought a most prave pattle here in France.
Kin.
They did, Fluellen.
Flu.
Your majesty says very true: If your majesties
is remember'd of it, the Welshmen did goot note service in a
garden where leeks did grow, wearing leeks in their
-- 87 --
Monmouth caps; which, your majesty know, to this hour
is an honourable padge of the service: and, I do believe,
your majesty takes no scorn to wear the leek upon
saint Tavy's day.
Kin.
I wear it for a memorable honour:
For I am Welsh, you know, good countryman.
Flu.
All the water in Wye cannot wash your majesty's
Welsh plood out of your pody, I can tell you that:
Got pless it, and preserve it, as long as it pleases his
grace and his majesty too!
Kin.
Thanks, good my countryman note.
Flu.
By Cheshu, I am your majesty's countryman, I
care not who know it; I will confess it to all the 'orld:
I need not to be ashamed of your majesty, praised be
Got, so long as your majesty is an honest man.
Kin.
God note keep me so!—Our heralds note, go with him;
Bring me just notice of the numbers dead
On both our parts.—Call yonder fellow hither.
[seeing Williams among the Troops.
Exe.
Soldier, you must come to the king.
[Exeunt Montjoy, and Others.
Kin.
Soldier, why wear'st thou that glove in thy cap?
Wil.
An't please your majesty, 'tis the gage of one
that I should fight withal, if he be alive.
Kin.
An Englishman?
Wil.
An't please your majesty; a rascal, that swagger'd
with me last night: who if 'a live note, and ever dare
to challenge this glove, I have sworn to take him a box
o'the ear: or, if I can see my glove in his cap, (which,
he swore, as he was a soldier, he would wear, if alive)
I would strike it out soundly.
Kin.
What think you, captain Fluellen; is it fit, this
-- 88 --
soldier keep his oath?
Flu.
He is a craven and a villain else, an't please
your majesty, in my conscience.
Kin.
It may be, his enemy is a gentleman of great
sort, quite from the answer of his degree.
Flu.
Though he be as goot a gentleman as the tevil
is, as Lucifer and Belzebub himself, it is necessary, look
your grace, that he keep his vow and his oath: if he
be perjur'd, see you now, his reputation is as arrant a
villain and a jack-sauce, as ever his plack shoe trod
upon Got's ground and his earth, in my conscience, la.
Kin.
Then keep thy vow, sirrah, when thou meet'st
the fellow.
Wil.
So I will, my liege, as I live.
Kin.
Who serv'st thou under?
Wil.
Under captain Gower, my liege.
Flu.
Gower is a goot captain; and is goot knowledge
and literature note in the wars.
Kin.
Call him hither to me, soldier.
Wil.
I will, my liege.
[Exit.
Kin.
Here, Fluellen; wear thou this &dagger2; favour for me,
and stick it in thy cap: When Alenson and myself were
down together, I pluck'd this glove from his helm: if
any man challenge this, he is a friend to Alenson, and an
enemy to our person; if thou encounter any such, apprehend
him, an thou dost love me.
Flu.
Your grace does me as great honours, as can be
desired in the hearts of his subjects: I would fain see
the man, that has but two legs, that shall find himself
agrief'd note at this glove, that is all; but I would fain see
it once; an please Got of his grace, that I might see it.
Kin.
Know'st thou Gower?
-- 89 --
Flu.
He is my dear friend, an please you.
Kin.
Pray thee, go seek him, and bring him to my tent.
Flu.
I will fetch him.
[Exit.
Kin.
My lord of Warwick,—and my brother Gloster,—
Follow Fluellen closely at the heels:
The glove, which I have given him for a favour,
May, haply, purchase him a box o'the ear;
It is the soldier's; I, by bargain, should
Wear it myself. Follow, good cousin Warwick:
If that the soldier strike him, (as, I judge
By his blunt bearing, he will keep his word)
Some sudden mischief may arise of it;
For I do know Fluellen valiant,
And, touch'd with choler, hot as gun-powder,
And quickly will return an injury:
Follow, and see there be no harm between them.—
Go you with me, uncle of Exeter.
[Exeunt.
Edward Capell [1767], Mr William Shakespeare his comedies, histories, and tragedies, set out by himself in quarto, or by the Players his Fellows in folio, and now faithfully republish'd from those Editions in ten Volumes octavo; with an introduction: Whereunto will be added, in some other Volumes, notes, critical and explanatory, and a Body of Various Readings entire (Printed by Dryden Leach, for J. and R. Tonson [etc.], London) [word count] [S10601].
