The Arden Shakespeare Complete Works

Home > Fiction > The Arden Shakespeare Complete Works > Page 192
The Arden Shakespeare Complete Works Page 192

by William Shakespeare


  70

  in your tent tonight, are those stars or suns upon it?

  CONSTABLE Stars, my lord.

  DAUPHIN Some of them will fall tomorrow, I hope.

  CONSTABLE And yet my sky shall not want.

  DAUPHIN That may be, for you bear a many

  75

  superfluously, and ’twere more honour some were

  away.

  CONSTABLE Even as your horse bears your praises, who

  would trot as well were some of your brags

  dismounted.

  80

  DAUPHIN Would I were able to load him with his desert!

  Will it never be day? I will trot tomorrow a mile, and

  my way shall be paved with English faces.

  CONSTABLE I will not say so, for fear I should be faced

  out of my way. But I would it were morning, for I

  85

  would fain be about the ears of the English.

  RAMBURES Who will go to hazard with me for twenty

  prisoners?

  CONSTABLE You must first go yourself to hazard ere you

  have them.

  90

  DAUPHIN ’Tis midnight; I’ll go arm myself. Exit.

  ORLEANS The Dauphin longs for morning.

  RAMBURES He longs to eat the English.

  CONSTABLE I think he will eat all he kills.

  ORLEANS By the white hand of my lady, he’s a gallant

  95

  prince.

  CONSTABLE Swear by her foot, that she may tread out

  the oath.

  ORLEANS He is simply the most active gentleman of

  France.

  100

  CONSTABLE Doing is activity, and he will still be doing.

  ORLEANS He never did harm that I heard of.

  CONSTABLE Nor will do none tomorrow; he will keep

  that good name still.

  ORLEANS I know him to be valiant.

  105

  CONSTABLE I was told that by one that knows him

  better than you.

  ORLEANS What’s he?

  CONSTABLE Marry, he told me so himself, and he said

  he cared not who knew it.

  110

  ORLEANS He needs not, it is no hidden virtue in him.

  CONSTABLE By my faith, sir, but it is: never anybody

  saw it but his lackey. ’Tis a hooded valour, and when it

  appears it will bate.

  ORLEANS ‘Ill will never said well.’

  115

  CONSTABLE I will cap that proverb with ‘There is

  flattery in friendship.’

  ORLEANS And I will take up that with ‘Give the devil

  his due.’

  CONSTABLE Well placed: there stands your friend for

  120

  the devil. Have at the very eye of that proverb with ‘A

  pox of the devil.’

  ORLEANS You are the better at proverbs by how much

  ‘A fool’s bolt is soon shot.’

  CONSTABLE You have shot over.

  125

  ORLEANS ’Tis not the first time you were overshot.

  Enter a Messenger.

  MESSENGER My lord High Constable, the English lie

  within fifteen hundred paces of your tents.

  CONSTABLE Who hath measured the ground?

  MESSENGER The Lord Grandpré.

  130

  CONSTABLE A valiant and most expert gentleman.

  Exit Messenger.

  Would it were day! Alas, poor Harry of England! He

  longs not for the dawning as we do.

  ORLEANS What a wretched and peevish fellow is this

  King of England, to mope with his fat-brained

  135

  followers so far out of his knowledge!

  CONSTABLE If the English had any apprehension they

  would run away.

  ORLEANS That they lack, for if their heads had any

  intellectual armour they could never wear such heavy

  140

  headpieces.

  RAMBURES That island of England breeds very valiant

  creatures: their mastiffs are of unmatchable courage.

  ORLEANS Foolish curs, that run winking into the mouth

  of a Russian bear and have their heads crushed like

  145

  rotten apples. You may as well say that’s a valiant flea

  that dare eat his breakfast on the lip of a lion.

  CONSTABLE Just, just; and the men do sympathize with

  the mastiffs in robustious and rough coming on,

  leaving their wits with their wives. And then give them

  150

  great meals of beef and iron and steel, they will eat like

  wolves and fight like devils.

  ORLEANS Ay, but these English are shrewdly out of beef.

  CONSTABLE Then shall we find tomorrow they have

  only stomachs to eat and none to fight. Now is it time

  155

  to arm; come, shall we about it?

  ORLEANS It is now two o’clock; but, let me see, by ten

  We shall have each a hundred Englishmen. Exeunt.

  4.0 Enter CHORUS.

  CHORUS Now entertain conjecture of a time

  When creeping murmur and the poring dark

  Fills the wide vessel of the universe.

  From camp to camp through the foul womb of night

  The hum of either army stilly sounds,

  5

  That the fixed sentinels almost receive

  The secret whispers of each other’s watch.

  Fire answers fire, and through their paly flames

  Each battle sees the other’s umbered face.

  Steed threatens steed, in high and boastful neighs

  10

  Piercing the night’s dull ear; and from the tents

  The armourers accomplishing the knights,

  With busy hammers closing rivets up,

  Give dreadful note of preparation.

  The country cocks do crow, the clocks do toll,

  15

  And the third hour of drowsy morning name.

  Proud of their numbers and secure in soul,

  The confident and over-lusty French

  Do the low-rated English play at dice,

  And chide the cripple tardy-gaited night

  20

  Who like a foul and ugly witch doth limp

  So tediously away. The poor condemned English,

  Like sacrifices, by their watchful fires

  Sit patiently and inly ruminate

  The morning’s danger; and their gesture sad,

  25

  Investing lank-lean cheeks and war-torn coats,

  Presenteth them unto the gazing moon

  So many horrid ghosts. O now, who will behold

  The royal captain of this ruined band

  Walking from watch to watch, from tent to tent,

  30

  Let him cry ‘Praise and glory on his head!’

  For forth he goes and visits all his host,

  Bids them good morrow with a modest smile,

  And calls them brothers, friends and countrymen.

  Upon his royal face there is no note

  35

  How dread an army hath enrounded him,

  Nor doth he dedicate one jot of colour

  Unto the weary and all-watched night,

  But freshly looks and overbears attaint

  With cheerful semblance and sweet majesty,

  40

  That every wretch, pining and pale before,

  Beholding him plucks comfort from his looks.

  A largess universal, like the sun,

  His liberal eye doth give to every one,

  Thawing cold fear, that mean and gentle all

  45

  Behold, as may unworthiness define,

  A little touch of Harry in the night.

  And so our scene must to the battle
fly,

  Where – oh for pity! – we shall much disgrace

  With four or five most vile and ragged foils

  50

  Right ill-disposed in brawl ridiculous

  The name of Agincourt. Yet sit and see,

  Minding true things by what their mockeries be.

  Exit.

  4.1 Enter the KING and GLOUCESTER, meeting BEDFORD.

  KING Gloucester, ’tis true that we are in great danger;

  The greater therefore should our courage be. –

  Good morrow, brother Bedford. God Almighty!

  There is some soul of goodness in things evil,

  Would men observingly distil it out:

  5

  For our bad neighbour makes us early stirrers,

  Which is both healthful and good husbandry.

  Besides, they are our outward consciences

  And preachers to us all, admonishing

  That we should dress us fairly for our end.

  10

  Thus may we gather honey from the weed

  And make a moral of the devil himself.

  Enter ERPINGHAM.

  Good morrow, old Sir Thomas Erpingham.

  A good soft pillow for that good white head

  Were better than a churlish turf of France.

  15

  ERPINGHAM

  Not so, my liege, this lodging likes me better,

  Since I may say ‘Now lie I like a king.’

  KING ’Tis good for men to love their present pains

  Upon example: so the spirit is eased,

  And when the mind is quickened, out of doubt

  20

  The organs, though defunct and dead before,

  Break up their drowsy grave and newly move

  With casted slough and fresh legerity.

  Lend me thy cloak, Sir Thomas. – Brothers both,

  Commend me to the princes in our camp;

  25

  Do my good morrow to them, and anon

  Desire them all to my pavilion.

  GLOUCESTER We shall, my liege.

  ERPINGHAM Shall I attend your grace?

  KING No, my good knight;

  Go with my brothers to my lords of England.

  30

  I and my bosom must debate awhile,

  And then I would no other company.

  ERPINGHAM

  The Lord in heaven bless thee, noble Harry!

  Exeunt all but the King.

  KING God-a-mercy, old heart, thou speak’st cheerfully.

  Enter PISTOL.

  PISTOL Che vous là?

  35

  KING A friend.

  PISTOL Discuss unto me, art thou officer,

  Or art thou base, common and popular?

  KING I am a gentleman of a company.

  PISTOL Trail’st thou the puissant pike?

  40

  KING Even so. What are you?

  PISTOL As good a gentleman as the Emperor.

  KING Then you are a better than the King.

  PISTOL The King’s a bawcock and a heart of gold,

  A lad of life, an imp of Fame,

  45

  Of parents good, of fist most valiant.

  I kiss his dirty shoe, and from heart-string

  I love the lovely bully. What is thy name?

  KING Harry le Roy.

  PISTOL Le Roy?

  50

  A Cornish name: art thou of Cornish crew?

  KING No, I am a Welshman.

  PISTOL Know’st thou Fluellen?

  KING Yes.

  PISTOL Tell him I’ll knock his leek about his pate

  55

  Upon Saint Davy’s day.

  KING Do not you wear your dagger in your cap that day,

  lest he knock that about yours.

  PISTOL Art thou his friend?

  KING And his kinsman too.

  60

  PISTOL The fico for thee then!

  KING I thank you. God be with you!

  PISTOL My name is Pistol called. Exit.

  KING It sorts well with your fierceness.

  Enter FLUELLEN and GOWER, separately.

  GOWER Captain Fluellen!

  65

  FLUELLEN ’So! In the name of Jesu Christ, speak fewer.

  It is the greatest admiration in the universal world

  when the true and anchient prerogatifs and laws of the

  wars is not kept. If you would take the pains but to

  examine the wars of Pompey the Great you shall find,

  70

  I warrant you, that there is no tiddle-taddle nor

  pibble-pabble in Pompey’s camp. I warrant you, you

  shall find the ceremonies of the wars, and the cares of

  it, and the forms of it, and the sobriety of it, and the

  modesty of it, to be otherwise.

 

‹ Prev