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