HENRY THE FIFTH

Act 4 Scene 4

(Alarum. Excursions. Enter Pistol, a French soldier, and the Boy)
l1l	Pistol	 Yield, cur.
l2l	French Soldier	 Je pense que vous êtes le gentilhomme de
l3l		bon qualite.
l4l	Pistol	 Qualite? “Calin o custure me!”
l5l		Art thou a gentleman? What is thy name? Discuss.
l6l	French Soldier	 O Seigneur Dieu!
l7l	Pistol	(aside)
		 O Seigneur Dew should be a gentleman.—
l8l		Perpend my words, O Seigneur Dew, and mark:
l9l		O Seigneur Dew, thou diest, on point of fox,
l10l		Except, O Seigneur, thou do give to me
l11l		Egregious ransom.
l12l	French Soldier	 O prenez misericorde! Ayez pitie de moi!
l13l	Pistol	 “Moy” shall not serve, I will have forty “moys”,
l14l		Or I will fetch thy rim out at thy throat
l15l		In drops of crimson blood.
l16l	French Soldier	 Est-il impossible d’echapper la force de ton
l17l		bras?
l18l	Pistol	 Brass, cur? Thou damnèd and luxurious mountain goat,
l19l		Offer’st me brass?
l20l	French Soldier	 O pardonne-moi!
l21l	Pistol	 Sayst thou me so? Is that a ton of moys?—
l22l		Come hither boy. Ask me this slave in French
l23l		What is his name.
l24l	Boy	 Ecoutez: comment êtes-vous appele?
l25l	French Soldier	Monsieur le Fer.
l26l	Boy	He says his name is Master Fer.
l27l	Pistol	Master Fer? I’ll fer him, and firk him, and ferret
l28l		him.
l29l		Discuss the same in French unto him.
l30l	Boy	 I do not know the French for fer and ferret and firk.
l31l	Pistol	 Bid him prepare, for I will cut his throat.
l32l	French Soldier	 Que dit-il, monsieur?
l33l	Boy	Il me commande à vous dire que vous faites vous prêt,
l34l		car ce soldat ici est dispose tout à cette heure de couper
l35l		votre gorge.
l36l	Pistol	 Oui, couper la gorge, par ma foi,
l37l		Peasant, unless thou give me crowns, brave crowns#
l38l		Or mangled shalt thou be by this my sword.
l39l	French Soldier	 O je vous supplie, pour l’amour de Dieu, me
l40l		pardonner. Je suis le gentilhomme de bonne maison. Gardez
l41l		ma vie, et je vous donnerai deux cents ecus.
l42l	Pistol	 What are his words?
l43l	Boy	 He prays you to save his life. He is a gentleman of a
l44l		good house, and for his ransom he will give you two
l45l		hundred crowns.
l46l	Pistol	 Tell him, my fury shall abate, and I the crowns will take.
l47l	French Soldier	 Petit monsieur, que dit-il?
l48l	Boy	Encore qu’il est contre son jurement de pardonner aucun
l49l		prisonnier# neanmoins, pour les ecus que vous lui ci
l50l		promettez, il est content à vous donner la liberte, le
l51l		franchisement.
l52l	French Soldier	(kneeling to Pistol)
		 Sur mes genoux je vous
l53l		donne mille remerciements, et je m’estime heureux que j’ai
l54l		tombe entre les mains d’un chevalier, comme je pense, le
l55l		plus brave, vaillant, et treis-distingue seigneur d’Angleterre.
l56l	Pistol	 Expound unto me, boy.
l57l	Boy	 He gives you upon his knees a thousand thanks, and
l58l		he esteems himself happy that he hath fallen into the
l59l		hands of one, as he thinks, the most brave, valorous,
l60l		and thrice-worthy seigneur of England.
l61l	Pistol	 As I suck blood, I will some mercy show.
l62l		Follow me.
l63l	Boy	 Suivez-vous le grand capitaine.
		(Exeunt Pistol and French Soldier)
l64l		I did never know so full a voice issue from so empty a
l65l		heart. But the saying is true: “The empty vessel makes
l66l		the greatest sound.” Bardolph and Nim had ten times
l67l		more valour than this roaring devil i’ th’ old play, that
l68l		everyone may pare his nails with a wooden dagger,
l69l		and they are both hanged, and so would this be, if he
l70l		durst steal anything adventurously. I must stay with
l71l		the lackeys with the luggage of our camp. The French
l72l		might have a good prey of us, if he knew of it, for there
l73l		is none to guard it but boys.
		(Exit)