breasting

act iii of henry the fifthby william shakespeare act iii prologue [enter chorus] chorus. thus with imagined wing our swiftscene flies in motion of no less celeritythan that of thought. suppose that you have seenthe well-appointed king at hampton pier embark his royalty; and his brave fleetwith silken streamers the young phoebus fanning: play with your fancies, and in them beholdupon the hempen tackle ship-boys climbing;

hear the shrill whistle which doth order giveto sounds confused; behold the threaden sails, borne with the invisible and creeping wind,draw the huge bottoms through the furrow'd sea,breasting the lofty surge: o, do but think you stand upon the ravage and beholda city on the inconstant billows dancing; for so appears this fleet majestical,holding due course to harfleur. follow, follow: grapple your minds to sternage of this navy,and leave your england, as dead midnight still, guarded with grandsires, babies and old women,either past or not arrived to pith and puissance; for who is he, whose chin is but enrich'dwith one appearing hair, that will not follow these cull'd and choice-drawn cavaliers tofrance?

work, work your thoughts, and therein seea siege; behold the ordnance on their carriages,with fatal mouths gaping on girded harfleur. suppose the ambassador from the french comesback; tells harry that the king doth offer himkatharine his daughter, and with her, to dowry, some petty and unprofitable dukedoms.the offer likes not: and the nimble gunner with linstock now the devilish cannon touches,[alarum, and chambers go off] and down goes all before them. still be kind,and eke out our performance with your mind. [exit] scene 1france. before harfleur.

[alarum. enter king henry, exeter, bedford,][p]gloucester, and soldiers, with scaling-ladders] henry v. once more unto the breach, dear friends,once more; or close the wall up with our english dead.in peace there's nothing so becomes a man as modest stillness and humility:but when the blast of war blows in our ears, then imitate the action of the tiger;stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood, disguise fair nature with hard-favour'd rage;then lend the eye a terrible aspect; let pry through the portage of the headlike the brass cannon; let the brow o'erwhelm itas fearfully as doth a galled rock o'erhang and jutty his confounded base,swill'd with the wild and wasteful ocean.

now set the teeth and stretch the nostrilwide, hold hard the breath and bend up every spiritto his full height. on, on, you noblest english. whose blood is fet from fathers of war-proof!fathers that, like so many alexanders, have in these parts from morn till even foughtand sheathed their swords for lack of argument: dishonour not your mothers; now attestthat those whom you call'd fathers did beget you.be copy now to men of grosser blood, and teach them how to war. and you, good yeoman,whose limbs were made in england, show us herethe mettle of your pasture; let us swear that you are worth your breeding; which idoubt not;

for there is none of you so mean and base,that hath not noble lustre in your eyes. i see you stand like greyhounds in the slips,straining upon the start. the game's afoot: follow your spirit, and upon this chargecry 'god for harry, england, and saint george!' [exeunt. alarum, and chambers go off] act iii, scene 1 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 knocksare too hot;

and, for mine own part, i have not a caseof lives: the humour of it is too hot, that is the veryplain-song of it. pistol. the plain-song is most just: for humoursdo abound: knocks go and come; god's vassals drop anddie; and sword and shield,in bloody field, doth win immortal fame.boy. would i were in an alehouse in london! i would giveall my fame for a pot of ale and safety. pistol. and i:if wishes would prevail with me, 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! [driving them forward] pistol. be merciful, great duke, to men ofmould. abate thy rage, abate thy manly rage,abate thy rage, great duke! good bawcock, bate thy rage; use lenity, sweetchuck! nym. these be good humours! your honour winsbad humours. [exeunt all but boy]

boy. as young as i am, i have observed thesethree swashers. i am boy to them all three: butall they three, though they would serve me, could notbe man to me; for indeed three such antics do notamount to a man. for bardolph, he is white-livered andred-faced; by the means whereof a' faces it out, butfights not. for pistol, he hath a killing tongueand a quiet sword; by the means whereof a' breakswords, and keeps whole weapons. for nym, he hathheard that men of few words are the best men;

andtherefore he scorns to say his prayers, lest a'should be thought a coward: but his few bad wordsare matched with as few good deeds; for a' neverbroke any man's head but his own, and that wasagainst a post when he was drunk. they will stealany thing, and call it purchase. bardolph stole alute-case, bore it twelve leagues, and sold it forthree half pence. nym and bardolph are sworn brothers in filching, and in calais they stolea

fire-shovel: i knew by that piece of servicethe men would carry coals. they would have meas familiar with men's pockets as their glovesor their handkerchers: which makes much against mymanhood, if i should take from another's pocket toput into mine; for it is plain pocketing up of wrongs.i must leave them, and seek some better service:their villany goes against my weak stomach, andtherefore i must cast it up. [re-enter fluellen, gower following]

gower. captain fluellen, you must come presentlyto the mines; the duke of gloucester would speakwith you. fluellen. to the mines! tell you the duke,it is not so good to come to the mines; for, look you, the minesis 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 you, is digt himself four yard under thecountermines: by cheshu, i think a' will plough upall, if there is not better directions.

gower. the duke of gloucester, to whom theorder of the siege is given, is altogether directed byan 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 willverify as much in his beard: be has no more directions in the true disciplines of thewars, 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 falourousgentleman,

that is certain; and of great expedition andknowledge in th' aunchient wars, upon my particular knowledge of his directions: by cheshu, hewill maintain his argument as well as any militaryman in the world, in the disciplines of the pristinewars of the romans.jamy. i say gud-day, captain fluellen. fluellen. god-den to your worship, good captainjames. gower. how now, captain macmorris! have youquit the mines? have the pioneers given o'er?macmorris. by chrish, la! tish ill done: the work ish giveover, the trompet sound the retreat. by my

hand, iswear, and my father's soul, the work ish ill done;it ish give over: i would have blowed up the town, sochrish save me, la! in an hour: o, tish ill done,tish ill done; by my hand, tish ill done! fluellen. captain macmorris, i beseech younow, will you voutsafe me, look you, a few disputationswith you, as partly touching or concerning the disciplinesof the war, the roman wars, in the way of argument,look you, and friendly communication; partly tosatisfy my opinion, and partly for the satisfaction,

look you, of my mind, as touching the directionof 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 pickoccasion; that sall i, marry. macmorris. it is no time to discourse, sochrish 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 usto the breach; and we talk, and, be chrish, do nothing:'tis shame for us all: so god sa' me, 'tis

shame tostand still; it is shame, by my hand: and there isthroats to be cut, and works to be done; and thereish nothing done, so chrish sa' me, la! jamy. by the mess, ere theise eyes of minetake themselves to slomber, ay'll de gud service, or ay'lllig i' the grund for it; ay, or go to death; anday'll pay 't as valourously as i may, that sall i suerlydo, that is the breff and the long. marry, i wadfull fain hear some question 'tween you tway.fluellen. captain macmorris, i think, look

you, under yourcorrection, 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 my nation? who talks of my nation?fluellen. look you, if you take the matter otherwise than ismeant, captain macmorris, peradventure i shall thinkyou do not use me with that affability as indiscretion you ought to use me, look you: being asgood a man as yourself, both in the disciplines ofwar, and in the derivation of my birth, and

inother particularities. macmorris. i do not know you so good a manas myself: so chrish save me, i will cut off your head.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 betteropportunity to be required, look you, i will be sobold as to tell you i know the disciplines of war;and there is an end.

[exeunt] scene 3 the same. before the gates. [the governor and some citizens on the walls;the english forces below. enter king henry and his train] henry v. how yet resolves the governor ofthe town? this is the latest parle we will admit;therefore to our best mercy give yourselves; or like to men proud of destructiondefy us to our worst: for, as i am a soldier, a name that in my thoughts becomes me best,if i begin the battery once again,

i will not leave the half-achieved harfleurtill in her ashes she lie buried. the gates of mercy shall be all shut up,and the flesh'd soldier, rough and hard of heart,in liberty of bloody hand shall range with conscience wide as hell, mowing likegrass your fresh-fair virgins and your floweringinfants. what is it then to me, if impious war,array'd in flames like to the prince of fiends, do, with his smirch'd complexion, all fellfeats enlink'd to waste and desolation?what is't to me, when you yourselves are cause, if your pure maidens fall into the handof hot and forcing violation?

what rein can hold licentious wickednesswhen down the hill he holds his fierce career? we may as bootless spend our vain commandupon the enraged soldiers in their spoil as send precepts to the leviathanto come ashore. therefore, you men of harfleur, take pity of your town and of your people,whiles yet my soldiers are in my command; whiles yet the cool and temperate wind ofgrace o'erblows the filthy and contagious cloudsof heady murder, spoil and villany. if not, why, in a moment look to seethe blind and bloody soldier with foul hand defile the locks of your shrill-shriekingdaughters; your fathers taken by the silver beards,and their most reverend heads dash'd to the

walls,your naked infants spitted upon pikes, whiles the mad mothers with their howls confuseddo break the clouds, as did the wives of jewry at herod's bloody-hunting slaughtermen.what say you? will you yield, and this avoid, or, guilty in defence, be thus destroy'd?governor of harfleur. our expectation hath this day an end:the dauphin, whom of succors we entreated, returns us that his powers are yet not readyto raise so great a siege. therefore, great king,we yield our town and lives to thy soft mercy. enter our gates; dispose of us and ours;for we no longer are defensible. henry v. open your gates. come, uncle exeter,go you and enter harfleur; there remain,

and fortify it strongly 'gainst the french:use mercy to them all. for us, dear uncle, the winter coming on and sickness growingupon our soldiers, we will retire to calais. to-night in harfleur we will be your guest;to-morrow for the march are we addrest. [flourish. the king and his train enter thetown] scene 4 the french king’s palace. [enter katharine and alice] katharine. alice, tu as ete en angleterre,et tu parles bien le langage. alice. un peu, madame.katharine. je te prie, m'enseignez: il faut

que j'apprenne aparler. comment appelez-vous la main en anglois? alice. la main? elle est appelee de hand.katharine. de hand. et les doigts? alice. les doigts? ma foi, j'oublie les doigts;mais je me souviendrai. les doigts? je pense qu'ils sontappeles de fingres; oui, de fingres. katharine. la main, de hand; les doigts, defingres. je pense que je suis le bon ecolier; j'ai gagne deuxmots d'anglois vitement. comment appelez-vous lesongles? alice. les ongles? nous les appelons de nails.katharine. de nails. ecoutez; dites-moi, si je parle bien: dehand, de fingres, et de nails.

alice. c'est bien dit, madame; il est fortbon anglois. katharine. dites-moi l'anglois pour le bras.alice. de arm, madame. katharine. et le coude?alice. de elbow. katharine. de elbow. je m'en fais la repetitionde tous les mots que vous m'avez appris des a present.alice. il est trop difficile, madame, comme je pense.katharine. excusez-moi, alice; ecoutez: de hand, de fingres,de nails, de arma, de bilbow. alice. de elbow, madame.katharine. o seigneur dieu, je m'en oublie! de elbow. commentappelez-vous le col?

alice. de neck, madame.katharine. de nick. et le menton? alice. de chin.katharine. de sin. le col, de nick; de menton, de sin.alice. oui. sauf votre honneur, en verite, vous prononcezles mots aussi droit que les natifs d'angleterre. katharine. je ne doute point d'apprendre,par la grace de dieu, et en peu de temps.alice. n'avez vous pas deja oublie ce que je vous ai enseigne?katharine. non, je reciterai a vous promptement: de hand, defingres, de mails— alice. de nails, madame.katharine. de nails, de arm, de ilbow.

alice. sauf votre honneur, de elbow.katharine. ainsi dis-je; de elbow, de nick, et de sin. commentappelez-vous le pied et la robe? alice. de foot, madame; et de coun.katharine. de foot et de coun! o seigneur dieu! ce sont motsde son mauvais, corruptible, gros, et impudique, etnon pour les dames d'honneur d'user: je ne voudraisprononcer ces mots devant les seigneurs de francepour tout le monde. foh! le foot et le coun! neanmoins, je reciterai une autre fois malecon ensemble: de hand, de fingres, de nails, dearm, de

elbow, de nick, de sin, de foot, de coun.alice. excellent, madame! katharine. c'est assez pour une fois: allons-nousa diner. scene 5 [enter the king of france, the dauphin, theduke of] [p]bourbon, the constable of france, and others] king of france. 'tis certain he hath pass'dthe river somme. constable of france. and if he be not foughtwithal, my lord, let us not live in france; let us quit alland give our vineyards to a barbarous people. lewis the dauphin. o dieu vivant! shall afew sprays of us,

the emptying of our fathers' luxury,our scions, put in wild and savage stock, spirt up so suddenly into the clouds,and overlook their grafters? duke of bourbon. normans, but bastard normans,norman bastards! mort de ma vie! if they march alongunfought withal, but i will sell my dukedom, to buy a slobbery and a dirty farmin that nook-shotten isle of albion. constable of france. dieu de batailles! wherehave they this mettle? is not their climate foggy, raw and dull,on whom, as in despite, the sun looks pale, killing their fruit with frowns? can soddenwater, a drench for sur-rein'd jades, their barley-broth,decoct their cold blood to such valiant heat?

and shall our quick blood, spirited with wine,seem frosty? o, for honour of our land, let us not hang like roping iciclesupon our houses' thatch, whiles a more frosty peoplesweat drops of gallant youth in our rich fields! poor we may call them in their native lords.lewis the dauphin. by faith and honour, our madams mock at us, and plainly sayour mettle is bred out and they will give their bodies to the lust of english youthto new-store france with bastard warriors. duke of bourbon. they bid us to the englishdancing-schools, and teach lavoltas high and swift corantos;saying our grace is only in our heels, and that we are most lofty runaways.king of france. where is montjoy the herald?

speed him hence:let him greet england with our sharp defiance. up, princes! and, with spirit of honour edgedmore sharper than your swords, hie to the field:charles delabreth, high constable of france; you dukes of orleans, bourbon, and of berri,alencon, brabant, bar, and burgundy; jaques chatillon, rambures, vaudemont,beaumont, grandpre, roussi, and fauconberg, foix, lestrale, bouciqualt, and charolois;high dukes, great princes, barons, lords and knights,for your great seats now quit you of great shames.bar harry england, that sweeps through our landwith pennons painted in the blood of harfleur:

rush on his host, as doth the melted snowupon the valleys, whose low vassal seat the alps doth spit and void his rheum upon:go down upon him, you have power enough, and in a captive chariot into rouenbring him our prisoner. constable of france. this becomes the great.sorry am i his numbers are so few, his soldiers sick and famish'd in their march,for i am sure, when he shall see our army, he'll drop his heart into the sink of fearand for achievement offer us his ransom. king of france. therefore, lord constable,haste on montjoy. and let him say to england that we sendto know what willing ransom he will give. prince dauphin, you shall stay with us inrouen.

lewis the dauphin. not so, i do beseech yourmajesty. king of france. be patient, for you shallremain with us. now forth, lord constable and princes all,and quickly bring us word of england's fall. scene 6 the english camp in picardy. [enter gower and fluellen, meeting] gower. how now, captain fluellen! come youfrom the bridge? fluellen. i assure you, there is very excellentservices committed at the bridge.gower. is the duke of exeter safe?

fluellen. the duke of exeter is as magnanimousas agamemnon; and a man that i love and honour with my soul,and my heart, and my duty, and my life, and my living,and my uttermost power: he is not-god be praisedand blessed!—any hurt in the world; but keepsthe bridge most valiantly, with excellent discipline.there is an aunchient lieutenant there at thepridge, i think in my very conscience he is asvaliant a man as mark antony; and he is a man of noestimation in the world; but did see him do

asgallant service. gower. what do you call him?fluellen. he is called aunchient pistol. gower. i know him not.[enter pistol] fluellen. here is the man.pistol. captain, i thee beseech to do me favours: the duke of exeter doth love thee well.fluellen. ay, i praise god; and i have merited some love athis hands. pistol. bardolph, a soldier, firm and soundof heart, and of buxom valour, hath, by cruel fate,and giddy fortune's furious fickle wheel, that goddess blind,that stands upon the rolling restless stone—

fluellen. by your patience, aunchient pistol.fortune is painted blind, with a muffler afore her eyes,to signify to you that fortune is blind; andshe is painted also with a wheel, to signify to you,which is the moral of it, that she is turning, andinconstant, and mutability, and variation: and herfoot, look you, is fixed upon a spherical stone,which rolls, and rolls, and rolls: in good truth,the poet makes a most excellent description of it:fortune is an excellent moral.

pistol. fortune is bardolph's foe, and frownson him; for he hath stolen a pax, and hanged musta' be: a damned death!let gallows gape for dog; let man go free and let not hemp his wind-pipe suffocate:but exeter hath given the doom of death for pax of little price.therefore, go speak: the duke will hear thy voice:and let not bardolph's vital thread be cut with edge of penny cord and vile reproach:speak, captain, for his life, and i will thee requite.fluellen. aunchient pistol, i do partly understand your meaning.pistol. why then, rejoice therefore.

fluellen. certainly, aunchient, it is nota thing to rejoice at: for if, look you, he were my brother,i would desire the duke to use his good pleasure,and put him to execution; for discipline ought tobe used. pistol. die and be damn'd! and figo for thyfriendship! fluellen. it is well.pistol. the fig of spain! fluellen. very good.gower. why, this is an arrant counterfeit rascal; iremember him now; a bawd, a cutpurse. fluellen. i'll assure you, a' uttered as bravewords at the

bridge as you shall see in a summer's day.but it is very well; what he has spoke to me, thatis well, i warrant you, when time is serve.gower. why, 'tis a gull, a fool, a rogue, that now and thengoes to the wars, to grace himself at his returninto london under the form of a soldier. and suchfellows are perfect in the great commanders' names:and they will learn you by rote where services weredone; at such and such a sconce, at such a breach,at such a convoy; who came off bravely, who

wasshot, who disgraced, what terms the enemy stood on;and this they con perfectly in the phrase of war,which they trick up with new-tuned oaths: and whata beard of the general's cut and a horrid suit ofthe camp will do among foaming bottles and ale-washed wits, is wonderful to be thoughton. but you must learn to know such slanders of theage, or else you may be marvellously mistook.fluellen. i tell you what, captain gower; i do perceive he isnot the man that he would gladly make show

to theworld he is: if i find a hole in his coat, i willtell him my mind. [drum heard]hark you, the king is coming, and i must speak withhim from the pridge. [drum and colours. enter king henry, gloucester,and soldiers] god pless your majesty!henry v. how now, fluellen! camest thou from the bridge?fluellen. ay, so please your majesty. the duke of exeter hasvery gallantly maintained the pridge: the french isgone off, look you; and there is gallant and

mostprave passages; marry, th' athversary was havepossession of the pridge; but he is enforced toretire, and the duke of exeter is master of thepridge: i can tell your majesty, the duke is aprave man. henry v. what men have you lost, fluellen?fluellen. the perdition of th' athversary hath been verygreat, reasonable great: marry, for my part, ithink the duke hath lost never a man, but one thatis like to be executed for robbing a church,

onebardolph, if your majesty know the man: his face isall bubukles, and whelks, and knobs, and flames o'fire: and his lips blows at his nose, and it is likea coal of fire, sometimes plue and sometimes red;but his nose is executed and his fire's out. henry v. we would have all such offendersso cut off: and we give express charge, that in our marches throughthe country, there be nothing compelled from thevillages, nothing taken but paid for, none of thefrench upbraided or abused in disdainful language;

for when lenity and cruelty play for a kingdom,the gentler gamester is the soonest winner.[tucket. enter montjoy] montjoy. you know me by my habit.henry v. well then i know thee: what shall i know of thee?montjoy. my master's mind. henry v. unfold it.montjoy. thus says my king: say thou to harry of england:though we seemed dead, we did but sleep: advantage is a better soldier than rashness. tell himwe could have rebuked him at harfleur, but thatwe thought not good to bruise an injury tillit were

full ripe: now we speak upon our cue, andour voice is imperial: england shall repent his folly,see his weakness, and admire our sufferance. bidhim therefore consider of his ransom; which mustproportion the losses we have borne, the subjects wehave lost, the disgrace we have digested; which inweight to re-answer, his pettiness would bow under.for our losses, his exchequer is too poor; for theeffusion of our blood, the muster of his kingdom toofaint a number; and for our disgrace, his

ownperson, kneeling at our feet, but a weak and worthless satisfaction. to this add defiance:and tell him, for conclusion, he hath betrayedhis followers, whose condemnation is pronounced.so far my king and master; so much my office.henry v. what is thy name? i know thy quality. montjoy. montjoy.henry v. thou dost thy office fairly. turn thee back.and tell thy king i do not seek him now; but could be willing to march on to calaiswithout impeachment: for, to say the sooth, though 'tis no wisdom to confess so muchunto an enemy of craft and vantage,

my people are with sickness much enfeebled,my numbers lessened, and those few i have almost no better than so many french;who when they were in health, i tell thee, herald,i thought upon one pair of english legs did march three frenchmen. yet, forgive me,god, that i do brag thus! this your air of francehath blown that vice in me: i must repent. go therefore, tell thy master here i am;my ransom is this frail and worthless trunk, my army but a weak and sickly guard;yet, god before, tell him we will come on, though france himself and such another neighbourstand in our way. there's for thy labour, montjoy.go bid thy master well advise himself:

if we may pass, we will; if we be hinder'd,we shall your tawny ground with your red blood discolour: and so montjoy, fare you well.the sum of all our answer is but this: we would not seek a battle, as we are;nor, as we are, we say we will not shun it: so tell your master.montjoy. i shall deliver so. thanks to your highness.[exit] duke of gloucester. i hope they will not comeupon us now. henry v. we are in god's hand, brother, notin theirs. march to the bridge; it now draws toward night:beyond the river we'll encamp ourselves, and on to-morrow, bid them march away.[exeunt]

scene 7 the french camp, near agincourt: [enter the constable of france, the lord rambures,][p]orleans, dauphin, with others] constable of france. tut! i have the bestarmour of the world. would it were day! duke of orleans. you have an excellent armour;but let my horse have his due. constable of france. it is the best horseof europe. duke of orleans. will it never be morning?lewis the dauphin. my lord of orleans, and my lord high constable, youtalk of horse and armour? duke of orleans. you are as well providedof both as any prince in the world.

lewis the dauphin. what a long night is this!i will not change my horse with any that treads but on four pasterns.ca, ha! he bounds from the earth, as if his entrails were hairs; le cheval volant, thepegasus, chez les narines de feu! when i bestride him,i soar, i am a hawk: he trots the air; the earthsings when he touches it; the basest horn of hishoof is more musical than the pipe of hermes. duke of orleans. he's of the colour of thenutmeg. lewis the dauphin. and of the heat of theginger. it is a beast for perseus: he is pure air and fire; and thedull

elements of earth and water never appear inhim, but only in patient stillness while his ridermounts him: he is indeed a horse; and all other jadesyou may call beasts.constable of france. indeed, my lord, it is a most absolute and excellent horse.lewis the dauphin. it is the prince of palfreys; his neigh is like thebidding of a monarch and his countenance enforces homage.duke of orleans. no more, cousin. lewis the dauphin. nay, the man hath no witthat cannot, from the rising of the lark to the lodging of the lamb,vary

deserved praise on my palfrey: it is a themeas fluent as the sea: turn the sands into eloquenttongues, and my horse is argument for them all:'tis a subject for a sovereign to reason on, and fora sovereign's sovereign to ride on; and for theworld, familiar to us and unknown to lay apart their particular functions and wonder at him.i once writ a sonnet in his praise and beganthus: 'wonder of nature,'—duke of orleans. i have heard a sonnet begin so to one's mistress.lewis the dauphin. then did they imitate that

which i composed to mycourser, for my horse is my mistress. duke of orleans. your mistress bears well.lewis the dauphin. me well; which is the prescript praise andperfection of a good and particular mistress. constable of france. nay, for methought yesterdayyour mistress shrewdly shook your back.lewis the dauphin. so perhaps did yours. constable of france. mine was not bridled.lewis the dauphin. o then belike she was old and gentle; and you rode,like a kern of ireland, your french hose off, and inyour straight strossers. constable of france. you have good judgmentin horsemanship.

lewis the dauphin. be warned by me, then:they that ride so and ride not warily, fall into foul bogs. i had ratherhave my horse to my mistress.constable of france. i had as lief have my mistress a jade.lewis the dauphin. i tell thee, constable, my mistress wears his own hair.constable of france. i could make as true a boast as that, if i had a sowto my mistress. lewis the dauphin. 'le chien est retournea son propre vomissement, et la truie lavee au bourbier;' thou makest useof any thing. constable of france. yet do i not use my horsefor my mistress, or any

such proverb so little kin to the purpose.rambures. my lord constable, the armour that i saw in your tentto-night, are those stars or suns upon it? constable of france. stars, my lord.lewis the dauphin. some of them will fall to-morrow, i hope.constable of france. and yet my sky shall not want.lewis the dauphin. that may be, for you bear a many superfluously, and'twere more honour some were away. constable of france. even as your horse bearsyour praises; who would trot as well, were some of your brags dismounted.lewis the dauphin. would i were able to load him with his desert! willit never be day? i will trot to-morrow a mile,

andmy way shall be paved with english faces. constable of france. i will not say so, forfear i should be faced out of my way: but i would it were morning; for iwould fain be about the ears of the english.rambures. who will go to hazard with me for twenty prisoners?constable of france. you must first go yourself to hazard, ere you have them.lewis the dauphin. 'tis midnight; i'll go arm myself.[exit] duke of orleans. the dauphin longs for morning.rambures. he longs to eat the english. constable of france. i think he will eat allhe kills.

duke of orleans. by the white hand of my lady,he's a gallant prince. constable of france. swear by her foot, thatshe may tread out the oath. duke of orleans. he is simply the most activegentleman of france. constable of france. doing is activity; andhe will still be doing. duke of orleans. he never did harm, that iheard of. constable of france. nor will do none to-morrow:he will keep that good name still. duke of orleans. i know him to be valiant.constable of france. i was told that by one that knows him better thanyou. duke of orleans. what's he?constable of france. marry, he told me so

himself; and he said he carednot who knew it duke of orleans. he needs not; it is no hiddenvirtue in him. constable of france. by my faith, sir, butit is; never any body saw it but his lackey: 'tis a hooded valour; andwhen it appears, it will bate.duke of orleans. ill will never said well. constable of france. i will cap that proverbwith 'there is flattery in friendship.' duke of orleans. and i will take up that with'give the devil his due.' constable of france. well placed: there standsyour friend for the devil: have at the very eye of that proverbwith 'a

pox of the devil.'duke of orleans. you are the better at proverbs, by how much 'afool's bolt is soon shot.' constable of france. you have shot over.duke of orleans. 'tis not the first time you were overshot.[enter a messenger] messenger. my lord high constable, the englishlie within fifteen hundred paces of your tents.constable of france. who hath measured the ground?messenger. the lord grandpre. constable of france. a valiant and most expertgentleman. would it were day! alas, poor harry of england! he longsnot for

the dawning as we do.duke of orleans. what a wretched and peevish fellow is this king ofengland, to mope with his fat-brained followers sofar out of his knowledge! constable of france. if the english had anyapprehension, they would run away. duke of orleans. that they lack; for if theirheads had any intellectual armour, they could never wearsuch heavy head-pieces.rambures. that island of england breeds very valiantcreatures; their mastiffs are of unmatchable courage.duke of orleans. foolish curs, that run winking

into the mouth of arussian bear and have their heads crushed likerotten apples! you may as well say, that's avaliant flea that dare eat his breakfast on the lip of a lion.constable of france. just, just; and the men do sympathize with themastiffs in robustious and rough coming on, leavingtheir wits with their wives: and then give themgreat meals of beef and iron and steel, they willeat like wolves and fight like devils. duke of orleans. ay, but these english areshrewdly out of beef.

constable of france. then shall we find to-morrowthey have only stomachs to eat and none to fight. now is it time toarm: come, shall we about it?duke of orleans. it is now two o'clock: but, let me see, by tenwe shall have each a hundred englishmen. chorus. now entertain conjecture of a timewhen creeping murmur and the poring dark fills the wide vessel of the universe.from camp to camp through the foul womb of nightthe hum of either army stilly sounds, that the fixed sentinels almost receivethe secret whispers of each other's watch: fire answers fire, and through their palyflames

each battle sees the other's umber'd face;steed threatens steed, in high and boastful neighspiercing the night's dull ear, and from the tentsthe armourers, accomplishing the knights, with busy hammers closing rivets up,give dreadful note of preparation: the country cocks do crow, the clocks do toll,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 who, like a foul and ugly witch, doth limpso tediously away. the poor condemned english, like sacrifices, by their watchful firessit patiently and inly ruminate

the morning's danger, and their gesture sadinvesting lank-lean; cheeks and war-worn coats presenteth them unto the gazing moonso many horrid ghosts. o now, who will behold the royal captain of this ruin'd bandwalking from watch to watch, from tent to tent,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 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 over-bears attaint with cheerful semblance and sweet majesty;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, behold, as may unworthiness define,a little touch of harry in the night. and so our scene must to the battle fly;where—o for pity!—we shall much disgrace with four or five most vile and ragged foils,right ill-disposed in brawl ridiculous, the name of agincourt. yet sit and see,minding true things by what their mockeries be.[exit] end of act iii�