Henry V
ACT III SCENE II | The same. | |
Enter NYM, BARDOLPH, PISTOL, and Boy | ||
BARDOLPH | On, on, on, on, on! to the breach, to the breach! | |
NYM | Pray thee, corporal, stay: the knocks are too hot; | |
and, for mine own part, I have not a case of lives: | ||
the humour of it is too hot, that is the very | 5 | |
plain-song of it. | ||
PISTOL | The plain-song is most just: for humours do abound: | |
Knocks go and come; God’s vassals drop and die; | ||
And sword and shield, | ||
In bloody field, | 10 | |
Doth win immortal fame. | ||
Boy | Would I were in an alehouse in London! I would give | |
all my fame for a pot of ale and safety. | ||
PISTOL | And I: | |
If wishes would prevail with me, | 15 | |
My purpose should not fail with me, | ||
But thither would I hie. | ||
Boy | As duly, but not as truly, | |
As bird doth sing on bough. | ||
Enter FLUELLEN | ||
FLUELLEN | Up to the breach, you dogs! avaunt, you cullions! | 20 |
Driving them forward | ||
PISTOL | Be merciful, great duke, to men of mould. | |
Abate thy rage, abate thy manly rage, | ||
Abate thy rage, great duke! | ||
Good bawcock, bate thy rage; use lenity, sweet chuck! | ||
NYM | These be good humours! your honour wins bad humours. | 25 |
Exeunt all but Boy | ||
Boy | As young as I am, I have observed these three | |
swashers. I am boy to them all three: but all they | ||
three, though they would serve me, could not be man | ||
to me; for indeed three such antics do not amount to | ||
a man. For Bardolph, he is white-livered and | 30 | |
red-faced; by the means whereof a’ faces it out, but | ||
fights not. For Pistol, he hath a killing tongue | ||
and a quiet sword; by the means whereof a’ breaks | ||
words, and keeps whole weapons. For Nym, he hath | ||
heard that men of few words are the best men; and | 35 | |
therefore he scorns to say his prayers, lest a’ | ||
should be thought a coward: but his few bad words | ||
are matched with as few good deeds; for a’ never | ||
broke any man’s head but his own, and that was | ||
against a post when he was drunk. They will steal | 40 | |
any thing, and call it purchase. Bardolph stole a | ||
lute-case, bore it twelve leagues, and sold it for | ||
three half pence. Nym and Bardolph are sworn | ||
brothers in filching, and in Calais they stole a | ||
fire-shovel: I knew by that piece of service the | 45 | |
men would carry coals. They would have me as | ||
familiar with men’s pockets as their gloves or their | ||
handkerchers: which makes much against my manhood, | ||
if I should take from another’s pocket to put into | ||
mine; for it is plain pocketing up of wrongs. I | 50 | |
must leave them, and seek some better service: | ||
their villany goes against my weak stomach, and | ||
therefore I must cast it up. | ||
Exit | ||
Re-enter FLUELLEN, GOWER following | ||
GOWER | Captain Fluellen, you must come presently to the | |
mines; the Duke of Gloucester would speak with you. | 55 | |
FLUELLEN | To the mines! tell you the duke, it is not so good | |
to come to the mines; for, look you, the mines is | ||
not according to the disciplines of the war: the | ||
concavities of it is not sufficient; for, look you, | ||
the athversary, you may discuss unto the duke, look | 60 | |
you, is digt himself four yard under the | ||
countermines: by Cheshu, I think a’ will plough up | ||
all, if there is not better directions. | ||
GOWER | The Duke of Gloucester, to whom the order of the | |
siege is given, is altogether directed by an | 65 | |
Irishman, a very valiant gentleman, i’ faith. | ||
FLUELLEN | It is Captain Macmorris, is it not? | |
GOWER | I think it be. | |
FLUELLEN | By Cheshu, he is an ass, as in the world: I will | |
verify as much in his beard: be has no more | 70 | |
directions in the true disciplines of the wars, look | ||
you, of the Roman disciplines, than is a puppy-dog. | ||
Enter MACMORRIS and Captain JAMY | ||
GOWER | Here a’ comes; and the Scots captain, Captain Jamy, with him. | |
FLUELLEN | Captain Jamy is a marvellous falourous gentleman, | |
that is certain; and of great expedition and | 75 | |
knowledge in th’ aunchient wars, upon my particular | ||
knowledge of his directions: by Cheshu, he will | ||
maintain his argument as well as any military man in | ||
the world, in the disciplines of the pristine wars | ||
of the Romans. | 80 | |
JAMY | I say gud-day, Captain Fluellen. | |
FLUELLEN | God-den to your worship, good Captain James. | |
GOWER | How now, Captain Macmorris! have you quit the | |
mines? have the pioneers given o’er? | ||
MACMORRIS | By Chrish, la! tish ill done: the work ish give | 85 |
over, the trompet sound the retreat. By my hand, I | ||
swear, and my father’s soul, the work ish ill done; | ||
it ish give over: I would have blowed up the town, so | ||
Chrish save me, la! in an hour: O, tish ill done, | ||
tish ill done; by my hand, tish ill done! | 90 | |
FLUELLEN | Captain Macmorris, I beseech you now, will you | |
voutsafe me, look you, a few disputations with you, | ||
as partly touching or concerning the disciplines of | ||
the war, the Roman wars, in the way of argument, | ||
look you, and friendly communication; partly to | 95 | |
satisfy my opinion, and partly for the satisfaction, | ||
look you, of my mind, as touching the direction of | ||
the military discipline; that is the point. | ||
JAMY | It sall be vary gud, gud feith, gud captains bath: | |
and I sall quit you with gud leve, as I may pick | 100 | |
occasion; that sall I, marry. | ||
MACMORRIS | It is no time to discourse, so Chrish save me: the | |
day is hot, and the weather, and the wars, and the | ||
king, and the dukes: it is no time to discourse. The | ||
town is beseeched, and the trumpet call us to the | 105 | |
breach; and we talk, and, be Chrish, do nothing: | ||
’tis shame for us all: so God sa’ me, ’tis shame to | ||
stand still; it is shame, by my hand: and there is | ||
throats to be cut, and works to be done; and there | ||
ish nothing done, so Chrish sa’ me, la! | 110 | |
JAMY | By the mess, ere theise eyes of mine take themselves | |
to slomber, ay’ll de gud service, or ay’ll lig i’ | ||
the grund for it; ay, or go to death; and ay’ll pay | ||
‘t as valourously as I may, that sall I suerly do, | ||
that is the breff and the long. Marry, I wad full | 115 | |
fain hear some question ‘tween you tway. | ||
FLUELLEN | Captain Macmorris, I think, look you, under your | |
correction, there is not many of your nation– | ||
MACMORRIS | Of my nation! What ish my nation? Ish a villain, | |
and a bastard, and a knave, and a rascal. What ish | 120 | |
my nation? Who talks of my nation? | ||
FLUELLEN | Look you, if you take the matter otherwise than is | |
meant, Captain Macmorris, peradventure I shall think | ||
you do not use me with that affability as in | ||
discretion you ought to use me, look you: being as | 125 | |
good a man as yourself, both in the disciplines of | ||
war, and in the derivation of my birth, and in | ||
other particularities. | ||
MACMORRIS | I do not know you so good a man as myself: so | |
Chrish save me, I will cut off your head. | 130 | |
GOWER | Gentlemen both, you will mistake each other. | |
JAMY | A! that’s a foul fault. | |
A parley sounded | ||
GOWER | The town sounds a parley. | |
FLUELLEN | Captain Macmorris, when there is more better | |
opportunity to be required, look you, I will be so | 135 | |
bold as to tell you I know the disciplines of war; | ||
and there is an end. | ||
Exeunt |
Henry V, Act 3, Scene 3