King Henry V

by William Shakespeare

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ACT IV - Scene VII.

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Another part of the field

Enter FLUELLEN and GOWER

Kill the poys and the luggage! 'Tis expressly against the
law of arms; 'tis as arrant a piece of knavery, mark you now, as
can be offert; in your conscience, now, is it not?

'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 carried away all that was in the
King's tent; wherefore the King most worthily hath caus'd every
soldier to cut his prisoner's throat. O, 'tis a gallant King!

Ay, he was porn at Monmouth, Captain Gower. What call you
the town's name where Alexander the Pig was born?

Alexander the Great.

Why, I pray you, is not 'pig' great? The pig, or great,
or the mighty, or the huge, or the magnanimous, are all one
reckonings, save the phrase is a little variations.

I think Alexander the Great was born in Macedon; his father
was called Philip of Macedon, as I take it.

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
sall 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 alike as 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- God 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 best friend, Cleitus.

Our king is not like him in that: he never kill'd any of his
friends.

It is not well done, mark you now, to take the tales out
of my mouth ere it is made and finished. I speak but in the
figures and comparisons of it; as Alexander kill'd his friend
Cleitus, being in his ales and his cups, so also Harry Monmouth,
being in his right wits and his good judgments, turn'd away the
fat knight with the great belly doublet; he was full of jests,
and gipes, and knaveries, and mocks; I have forgot his name.

Sir John Falstaff.

That is he. I'll tell you there is good men porn at
Monmouth.

Here comes his Majesty.

Alarum. Enter the KING, WARWICK, GLOUCESTER,
EXETER, and others, with prisoners. Flourish

I was not angry since I came to France
Until this instant. Take a trumpet, herald,
Ride thou unto the horsemen on yond hill;
If they will fight with us, bid them come down
Or void the field; they do offend our sight.
If they'll do neither, we will come to them
And make them skirr 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.

Enter MONTJOY

Here comes the herald of the French, my liege.

His eyes are humbler than they us'd to be.

How now! What means this, herald? know'st thou not
That I have fin'd these bones of mine for ransom?
Com'st thou again for ransom?

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 their wounded 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!

I tell thee truly, herald,
I know not if the day be ours or no;
For yet a many of your horsemen peer
And gallop o'er the field.

The day is yours.

Praised be God, and not our strength, for it!
What is this castle call'd that stands hard by?

They call it Agincourt.

Then call we this the field of Agincourt,
Fought on the day of Crispin Crispianus.

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.

They did, Fluellen.

Your Majesty says very true; if your Majesties is
rememb'red of it, the Welshmen did good service in garden where
leeks did grow, wearing leeks in their Monmouth caps; which your
Majesty know to this hour is an honourable badge of the service;
and I do believe your Majesty takes no scorn to wear the leek
upon Saint Tavy's day.

I wear it for a memorable honour;
For I am Welsh, you know, good countryman.

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!

Thanks, good my countryman.

By Jeshu, I am your Majesty's countryman, care not who
know it; I will confess it to all the 'orld: I need not be
asham'd of your Majesty, praised be Got, so long as your Majesty
is an honest man.

Enter WILLIAMS

God keep me so! Our heralds go with him:
Bring me just notice of the numbers dead
On both our parts. Call yonder fellow hither.

Exeunt heralds with MONTJOY

Soldier, you must come to the King.

Soldier, why wear'st thou that glove in thy cap?

An't please your Majesty, 'tis the gage of one that I
should fight withal, if he be alive.

An Englishman?

An't please your Majesty, a rascal that swagger'd with me
last night; who, if 'a live and ever dare to challenge this
glove, I have sworn to take him a box o' th' 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 will strike it out soundly.

What think you, Captain Fluellen, is it fit this
soldier keep his oath?

He is a craven and a villain else, an't please your
Majesty, in my conscience.

It may be his enemy is a gentlemen of great sort, quite
from the answer of his degree.

Though he be as good a gentleman as the Devil is, as
Lucifier 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 Jacksauce as
ever his black shoe trod upon God's ground and his earth, in my
conscience, la.

Then keep thy vow, sirrah, when thou meet'st the
fellow.

So I Will, my liege, as I live.

Who serv'st thou under?

Under Captain Gower, my liege.

Gower is a good captain, and is good knowledge and
literatured in the wars.

Call him hither to me, soldier.

I will, my liege.

Exit

Here, Fluellen; wear thou this favour for me, and stick
it in thy cap; when Alencon and myself were down together, I
pluck'd this glove from his helm. If any man challenge this, he
is a friend to Alencon and an enemy to our person; if thou
encounter any such, apprehend him, an thou dost me love.

Your Grace does me as great honours as can be desir'd in
the hearts of his subjects. I would fain see the man that has but
two legs that shall find himself aggrief'd at this glove, that is
all; but I would fain see it once, an please God of his grace
that I might see.

Know'st thou Gower?

He is my dear friend, an please you.

Pray thee, go seek him, and bring him to my tent.

I will fetch him.

Exit

My Lord of Warwick and my brother Gloucester,
Follow Fluellen closely at the heels;
The glove which I have given him for a favour
May haply purchase him a box o' th' 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 gunpowder,
And quickly will return an injury;
Follow, and see there be no harm between them.
Go you with me, uncle of Exeter.

Exeunt