Enter SALISBURY. Sal. My sovereign lord, bestow yourself with speed: K.Hen. All things are ready, if our minds be so. West. God's will, my liege, 'would you and I alone, Without more help, might fight this battle out! K.Hen. Why, now thou hast unwish'd five thousand men ;* Which likes me better, than to wish us one.- Tucket. Enter MONTJOY. Mont. Once more I come to know of thee, king Harry, If for thy ransome thou wilt now compound, Before thy most assured overthrow : For, certainly, thou art so near the gulf, Thou needs must be englutted. Besides, in mercy, Thy followers of repentance; that their souls May make a peaceful and a sweet retire From off these fields, where (wretches) their poor bodies Must lie and fester. K.Hen. Who hath sent thee now? Mont. The constable of France. K.Hen. I pray thee, bear my former answer back ; Bid them achieve me, and then sell my bones. Good God! why should they mock poor fellows thus ? While the beast liv'd, was kill'd with hunting him. Find native graves; upon the which, I trust, And those that leave their valiant bones in France, Dying like men, though buried in your dunghills, [4] Holinshed makes the English army consist of 15,000, and the French of 60,000 horse, besides foot, &c. in all 100,000; while Walsingham and Harding represent the English as but 9000; and other authors say that the number of the French amouted to 150,000 STEEV. [5] That is, in brazen plates anciently let into tomb-stones. STEEV. Mark then abounding valour..in our English; Let me speak proudly ;- -Tell the constable, Mont. I shall, king Harry. And so fare thee well: Thou never shalt hear herald any more. [Exit. K.Hen. I fear, thou'lt once more come again for ran some. Enter the Duke of York." York. My lord, most humbly on my knee I beg The leading of the vaward. K.Hen. Take it, brave York.- -Now, soldiers, march away : And how thou pleasest, God, dispose the day! [Exeunt. SCENE IV. The Field of Battle. Alarums, excursions. Enter French Soldier, PISTOL, and Boy. Pist. Yield, cur. Fr. Sol. Je pense, que vous estes le gentilhomme de bonne qualité. Pist. Quality, call you me?—Construe me, art thou a gentleman? What is thy name? discuss. [7] This personage is the same who appears in our author's King Richard II. by the title of Duke of Aumerle. Richard Earl of Cambridge, who ap pears in the second act of this play, was a younger brother of this Edward Duke of York. MAL. Fr.Sol. O seigneur Dieu ! Pist. O, signeur Dew should be a gentleman :- Fr.Sol. O prennez misericorde! ayez pitié de moy Pist. Moy shall not serve, I will have forty moys; For I will fetch thy rym out at thy throat, 9 In drops of crimson blood. ! Fr.Sol. Est il impossible d'eschapper la force de ton bras ? Pist. Brass, cur!' Thou damned and luxurious mountain goat, Offer'st me brass? Fr.Sol. O pardonnez moy! Pist. Say'st thou me so? is that a ton of moys 2. Boy. Escoutez ; comment estes vous appellé ? Boy. He says, his name is-master Fer. Pist. Master Fer! I'll fer him, and firk him, and ferret him :-discuss the same in French unto him. Boy. I do not know the French for fer, and ferret, and firk. Pist. Bid him prepare, for I will cut his throat. Boy. Il me commande de vous dire que vous faites vous prest; car ce soldat icy est disposé tout à cette heure de couper vostre gorge. Pist. Ouy, couper gorge, par ma foy, pesant, Fr.Sol. O, je vous supplie pour l'amour de Dieu, me hardonner! Je suis gentilhomme de bonne maison; gardez ma vie. & je vous donneray deux cents escus. [8] Fox is an old cant word for sword. STEEV. [9] I should suppose ryno, instead of rym, to be the true reading. MASON. [] Either Shakspeare had very little knowledge in the French language, or his over-fondness for punning led him, in this place, contrary to his own judgment, into an error. Almost every one knows that the French word bras is pronounced brau; and what resemblance of sound does this bear to brass, that Pistol should reply, Brass, cur? The joke would appear to a reader, but could scarce be discovered in the performance of the play. SIR W. RAWLINSON.. [2] Moy is a piece of money; whence moi d'or or moi of gold. JOHNS. Pist. What are his words? Boy. He prays you to save his life: he is a gentleman of a good house; and, for his ransome, he will give you two hundred crowns. Pist. Tell him,-my fury shall abate, and I The crowns will take. Fr.Sol. Petit monsieur, que dit-il ? Boy. Encore qu'il est contre son jurement, de pardonner aucun prisonnier, neantmoins, pour les escus que vous l'avez promis, il est content de vous donner la liberté le franchisement. Fr.Sol. Sur mes genoux, je vous donne mille remerciemens et je m'estime heureux que je suis tombé entre les mains d'un chevalier, je pense, le plus brave, valiant, & tres distingué seigneur d'Angleterre. Pist. Expound unto me, boy. Boy. He gives you, upon his knees, a thousand thanks and he esteems himself happy, that he hath fallen into the hands of (as he thinks) the most brave, valorous, and thrice worthy signieur of England. Pist. As I suck blood, I will some mercy show.Follow me, cur. [Exit PISTOL. Boy. Suivez vous le grand capitaine. [Ex. Fr. Sol. I did never know so full a voice issue from so empty a heart: but the saying is true,-The empty vessel makes the greatest sound. Bardolph, and Nym, had ten times more valour than this roaring devil i' the old play, 3 that every one may pare his nails with a wooden dagger; and they are both hanged; and so would this be, if he durst steal any thing advent'rously. I must stay with the lackeys, with the luggage of our camp: the French might have a good prey of us, if he knew of it; for there is none to guard it, but boys.. [Exit: SCENE V. Another part of the Field of Battle. Alarums. Enter Dauphin, ORLEANS, BOURBON, Constable, RAMBURES, and others. Con. O diable! Orl. O seigneur !-le jour est perdu, tout est perdu !! Dau. Mort de ma vie ! all is confounded, all! Reproach and everlasting shame [3] In modern puppet-shows, which seem to be copied from the old farces. Punch sometimes fights the devil, and always overcomes him. I suppose the vice of the old farce to whom Punch succeeds, used to fight the devil with a wooden dagger. JOHNS. 36* VOL. IV.. Sits mocking in our plumes.-0 meschante fortune !— Do not run away. [A short alarum. Con. Why, all our ranks are broke. And he that will not follow Bourbon now, Con. Disorder, that hath spoil'd us, friend us now! Let us, in heaps, go offer up our lives Unto these English, or else die with fame. Orl. We are enough, yet living in the field, To smother up the English in our throngs, If any order might be thought upon. Bour. The devil take order now! I'll to the throng; Let life be short; else shame will be too long. [Exeunt. SCENE VI. Another Part of the Field. Alarums Enter King HENRY, and Forces; EXETER, and others. K.Hen. Well have we done, thrice valiant countrymen: But all's not done, yet keep the French the field. Exe.The duke of York commends him to your majesty. Exe. In which array (brave soldier,) doth he lie, Suffolk first died; and York, all haggled over, And cries aloud,-Tarry, dear cousin Suffolk ! [4] The Constable of France is throughout the play represented as a brave and generous enemy. STEEV. |