The Arden Shakespeare Complete Works

Home > Fiction > The Arden Shakespeare Complete Works > Page 186
The Arden Shakespeare Complete Works Page 186

by William Shakespeare

265

  That all the courts of France shall be disturbed

  With chases. And we understand him well,

  How he comes o’er us with our wilder days,

  Not measuring what use we made of them.

  We never valued this poor seat of England,

  270

  And therefore living hence did give ourself

  To barbarous licence, as ’tis ever common

  That men are merriest when they are from home.

  But tell the Dauphin I will keep my state,

  Be like a king and show my sail of greatness,

  275

  When I do rouse me in my throne of France.

  For that have I laid by my majesty

  And plodded like a man for working-days,

  But I will rise there with so full a glory

  That I will dazzle all the eyes of France,

  280

  Yea, strike the Dauphin blind to look on us.

  And tell the pleasant Prince this mock of his

  Hath turned his balls to gun-stones, and his soul

  Shall stand sore charged for the wasteful vengeance

  That shall fly with them; for many a thousand widows

  285

  Shall this his mock mock out of their dear husbands,

  Mock mothers from their sons, mock castles down,

  And some are yet ungotten and unborn

  That shall have cause to curse the Dauphin’s scorn.

  But this lies all within the will of God,

  290

  To whom I do appeal, and in whose name

  Tell you the Dauphin I am coming on

  To venge me as I may, and to put forth

  My rightful hand in a well-hallowed cause.

  So get you hence in peace. And tell the Dauphin

  295

  His jest will savour but of shallow wit

  When thousands weep more than did laugh at it. –

  Convey them with safe conduct. – Fare you well.

  Exeunt Ambassadors and attendants.

  EXETER This was a merry message.

  KING We hope to make the sender blush at it.

  300

  Therefore, my lords, omit no happy hour

  That may give furtherance to our expedition,

  For we have now no thought in us but France,

  Save those to God that run before our business.

  Therefore let our proportions for these wars

  305

  Be soon collected and all things thought upon

  That may with reasonable swiftness add

  More feathers to our wings, for, God before,

  We’ll chide this Dauphin at his father’s door.

  Therefore let every man now task his thought,

  310

  That this fair action may on foot be brought.

  Flourish. Exeunt.

  2.0 Enter CHORUS.

  CHORUS Now all the youth of England are on fire,

  And silken dalliance in the wardrobe lies.

  Now thrive the armourers, and honour’s thought

  Reigns solely in the breast of every man.

  They sell the pasture now to buy the horse,

  5

  Following the mirror of all Christian kings

  With winged heels, as English Mercuries.

  For now sits expectation in the air

  And hides a sword from hilts unto the point

  With crowns imperial, crowns and coronets,

  10

  Promised to Harry and his followers.

  The French, advised by good intelligence

  Of this most dreadful preparation,

  Shake in their fear, and with pale policy

  Seek to divert the English purposes.

  15

  O England, model to thy inward greatness,

  Like little body with a mighty heart,

  What mightst thou do, that honour would thee do,

  Were all thy children kind and natural!

  But see, thy fault France hath in thee found out,

  20

  A nest of hollow bosoms, which he fills

  With treacherous crowns; and three corrupted men,

  One, Richard Earl of Cambridge, and the second,

  Henry Lord Scroop of Masham, and the third,

  Sir Thomas Grey, knight, of Northumberland,

  25

  Have, for the gilt of France, – O guilt indeed! –

  Confirmed conspiracy with fearful France,

  And by their hands this grace of kings must die,

  If hell and treason hold their promises,

  Ere he take ship for France, and in Southampton.

  30

  Linger your patience on and well digest

  Th’abuse of distance, and we’ll force our play.

  The sum is paid, the traitors are agreed,

  The King is set from London, and the scene

  Is now transported, gentles, to Southampton.

  35

  There is the playhouse now, there must you sit,

  And thence to France shall we convey you safe

  And bring you back, charming the narrow seas

  To give you gentle pass; for if we may,

  We’ll not offend one stomach with our play.

  40

  But till the King come forth and not till then

  Unto Southampton do we shift our scene. Exit.

  2.1 Enter Corporal NYM and Lieutenant BARDOLPH, meeting.

  BARDOLPH Well met, Corporal Nym.

  NYM Good morrow, Lieutenant Bardolph.

  BARDOLPH

  What, are Ancient Pistol and you friends yet?

  NYM For my part I care not. I say little; but when time

  shall serve there shall be smiles; but that shall be as it

  5

  may. I dare not fight, but I will wink and hold out mine

  iron. It is a simple one, but what though? It will toast

  cheese, and it will endure cold as another man’s sword

  will, and there’s an end.

  BARDOLPH I will bestow a breakfast to make you

  10

  friends, and we’ll be all three sworn brothers to

  France. Let’t be so, good Corporal Nym.

  NYM Faith, I will live so long as I may, that’s the certain

  of it, and when I cannot live any longer, I will do as I

  may. That is my rest, that is the rendezvous of it.

  15

  BARDOLPH It is certain, Corporal, that he is married to

  Nell Quickly, and certainly she did you wrong, for you

  were troth-plight to her.

  NYM I cannot tell. Things must be as they may. Men

  may sleep, and they may have their throats about them

  20

  at that time, and some say knives have edges. It must

  be as it may. Though patience be a tired mare, yet she

  will plod. There must be conclusions. Well, I cannot

  tell.

  Enter PISTOL and Hostess.

  BARDOLPH Here comes Ancient Pistol and his wife.

  25

  Good Corporal, be patient here.

  NYM How now, mine host Pistol?

  PISTOL Base tyke, call’st thou me host?

  Now by this hand I swear I scorn the term;

  Nor shall my Nell keep lodgers.

  30

  HOSTESS No, by my troth, not long. For we cannot

  lodge and board a dozen or fourteen gentlewomen that

  live honestly by the prick of their needles but it will be

  thought we keep a bawdy-house straight. [Nym draws

  his sword.] O well-a-day, Lady, if he be not drawn!

  35

  Now we shall see wilful adultery and murder

  committed. [Pistol draws his sword.]

  BARDOLPH

  Good Lieutenant, good Corporal, offer nothing here.

  NYM Pish!

  PISTOL Pish for thee, Iceland dog, thou
prick-eared cur

  40

  of Iceland!

  HOSTESS Good Corporal Nym, show thy valour and

  put up your sword. [Nym and Pistol sheathe their swords]

  NYM [to Pistol] Will you shog off? I would have you

  solus.

  45

  PISTOL Solus, egregious dog? O viper vile!

  The solus in thy most marvailous face,

  The solus in thy teeth, and in thy throat,

  And in thy hateful lungs, yea, in thy maw, perdy,

  And, which is worse, within thy nasty mouth!

  50

  I do retort the solus in thy bowels,

  For I can take, and Pistol’s cock is up,

  And flashing fire will follow.

  NYM I am not Barbason, you cannot conjure me. I have

  an humour to knock you indifferently well. If you

  55

  grow foul with me, Pistol, I will scour you with my

  rapier, as I may, in fair terms. If you would walk off, I

  would prick your guts a little, in good terms, as I may,

  and that’s the humour of it.

  PISTOL O braggart vile and damned furious wight,

  60

  The grave doth gape, and doting death is near;

  Therefore exhale. [Pistol and Nym draw their swords.]

  BARDOLPH [Draws his sword.] Hear me, hear me what I

  say. He that strikes the first stroke, I’ll run him up to

  the hilts, as I am a soldier.

  65

  PISTOL An oath of mickle might, and fury shall abate.

  [All sheathe their swords.]

  Give me thy fist, thy fore-foot to me give.

  Thy spirits are most tall.

  NYM I will cut thy throat one time or other, in fair

  terms, that is the humour of it.

  70

  PISTOL ‘Couple a gorge’!

  That is the word. I thee defy again.

  O hound of Crete, think’st thou my spouse to get?

  No, to the spital go,

  And from the powdering-tub of infamy

  75

  Fetch forth the lazar kite of Cressid’s kind,

  Doll Tearsheet she by name, and her espouse.

  I have and I will hold the quondam Quickly

  For the only she; and pauca, there’s enough.

  Go to.

  80

  Enter the Boy.

  BOY Mine host Pistol, you must come to my master, and

  you, hostess. He is very sick and would to bed. Good

  Bardolph, put thy face between his sheets and do the

  office of a warming-pan. Faith, he’s very ill.

  BARDOLPH Away, you rogue!

  85

  HOSTESS By my troth, he’ll yield the crow a pudding

  one of these days. The King has killed his heart. Good

  husband, come home presently.

  Exeunt Hostess and Boy.

  BARDOLPH Come, shall I make you two friends? We

  must to France together. Why the devil should we

  90

  keep knives to cut one another’s throats?

  PISTOL

  Let floods o’erswell and fiends for food howl on!

  NYM You’ll pay me the eight shillings I won of you at

  betting?

  PISTOL Base is the slave that pays.

  95

  NYM That now I will have; that’s the humour of it.

  PISTOL As manhood shall compound: push home! [Pistol

  and Nym draw their swords.]

  BARDOLPH [Draws his sword.] By this sword, he that

  makes the first thrust, I’ll kill him. By this sword, I

  will.

  100

  PISTOL

  Sword is an oath, and oaths must have their course.

  [He sheathes his sword.]

  BARDOLPH Corporal Nym, an thou wilt be friends, be

  friends. An thou wilt not, why then, be enemies with

  me too. Prithee, put up.

  NYM I shall have my eight shillings?

  105

  PISTOL A noble shalt thou have, and present pay,

  And liquor likewise will I give to thee,

  And friendship shall combine and brotherhood.

  I’ll live by Nym and Nym shall live by me.

  Is not this just? For I shall sutler be

  110

  Unto the camp, and profits will accrue.

  Give me thy hand.

  NYM I shall have my noble?

  PISTOL In cash, most justly paid.

  NYM Well, then, that’s the humour of ’t. [Nym and

  115

  Bardolph sheathe their swords. Pistol and Nym shake

  hands.]

  Enter Hostess.

  HOSTESS As ever you come of women, come in quickly

  to Sir John. Ah, poor heart, he is so shaked of a

  burning quotidian tertian that it is most lamentable to

 

‹ Prev