HENRY THE FIFTH

Act 3 Scene 2

(Enter Nim, Bardolph, Ensign Pistol, and Boy)
l1l	Bardolph	 On, on, on, on, on! To the breach, to the
l2l		breach!
l3l	Nim	Pray thee corporal, stay. The knocks are too hot,
l4l		and for mine own part I have not a case of lives. The
l5l		humour of it is too hot, that is the very plainsong of
l6l		it.
l7l	Pistol	 “The plainsong” is most just, for humours do abound.
l8l		Knocks go and come, God’s vassals drop and die,
l9l		(sings)
		> And sword and shield
l10l		In bloody field
l11l		Doth win immortal fame.
l12l	Boy	 Would I were in an alehouse in London. I would
l13l		give all my fame for a pot of ale, and safety.
l14l	Pistol	(sings)
		> And I.
l15l		If wishes would prevail with me
l16l		My purpose should not fail with me
l17l		But thither would I hie.
l18l	Boy	(sings)
		> As duly
l19l		But not as truly
l20l		As bird doth sing on bough.
		(Enter Captain Fluellen and beats them in)
l21l	Fluellen	 God’s plud! Up to the breaches, you dogs!
l22l		Avaunt, you cullions!
l23l	Pistol	 Be merciful, great duke, to men of mould.
l24l		Abate thy rage, abate thy manly rage,
l25l		Abate thy rage, great duke. Good bawcock, bate
l26l		Thy rage. Use lenity, sweet chuck.
l27l	Nim	 These be good humours!
		(Fluellen begins to beat Nim)
l28l		Your honour runs bad humours.
		(Exeunt all but the Boy)
l29l	Boy	 As young as I am, I have observed these three
l30l		swashers. I am boy to them all three, but all they three,
l31l		though they should serve me, could not be man to me,
l32l		for indeed three such antics do not amount to a man.
l33l		For Bardolph, he is white-livered and red-faced—by the
l34l		means whereof a faces it out, but fights not. For Pistol,
l35l		he hath a killing tongue and a quiet sword—by the
l36l		means whereof a breaks words, and keeps whole
l37l		weapons. For Nim, he hath heard that men of few
l38l		words are the best men, and therefore he scorns to say
l39l		his prayers, lest a should be thought a coward. But his
l40l		few bad words are matched with as few good deeds—
l41l		for a never broke any man’s head but his own, and
l42l		that was against a post, when he was drunk. They will
l43l		steal anything, and call it “purchase”. Bardolph stole a
l44l		lute case, bore it twelve leagues, and sold it for three
l45l		halfpence. Nim and Bardolph are sworn brothers in
l46l		filching, and in Calais they stole a fire shovel. I knew
l47l		by that piece of service the men would carry coals.
l48l		They would have me as familiar with men’s pockets as
l49l		their gloves or their handkerchiefs—which makes much
l50l		against my manhood, if I should take from another’s
l51l		pocket to put into mine, for it is plain pocketing up of
l52l		wrongs. I must leave them, and seek some better
l53l		service. Their villainy goes against my weak stomach,
l54l		and therefore I must cast it up.
		(Exit)