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- HENRY THE FIFTH
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- Act 3 Scene 3
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- (Enter Captain Gower and Captain Fluellen, meeting)
- l1l Gower Captain Fluellen, you must come presently to the
- l2l mines. The Duke of Gloucester would speak with you.
- l3l Fluellen To the mines? Tell you the Duke it is not so
- l4l good to come to the mines. For look you, the mines is
- l5l not according to the disciplines of the war. The
- concavities
- l6l of it is not sufficient. For look you, thÆ athversary,
- l7l you may discuss unto the Duke, look you, is digt
- l8l himself, four yard under, the countermines. By Cheshu,
- l9l I think a will plow up all, if there is not better directions.
- l10l Gower The Duke of Gloucester, to whom the order of the
- l11l siege is given, is altogether directed by an Irishman, a
- l12l very valiant gentleman, iÆ faith.
- l13l Fluellen It is Captain MacMorris, is it not?
- l14l Gower I think it be.
- l15l Fluellen By Cheshu, he is an ass, as in the world. I will
- l16l verify as much in his beard. He has no more directions
- l17l in the true disciplines of the wars, look youùof the
- l18l Romandisciplinesùthan is a puppy dog.
- (Enter Captain MacMorris and Captain Jamy)
- l19l Gower Here a comes, and the Scots captain, Captain
- l20l Jamy, with him.
- l21l Fluellen Captain Jamy is a marvellous falorous gentleman,
- l22l that is certain, and of great expedition and
- l23l knowledge in thÆ anciant wars, upon my particular
- l24l knowledge of his directions. By Cheshu, he will
- l25l maintain his argument as well as any military man in
- l26l the world, in the disciplines of the pristine wars of the
- l27l Romans.
- l28l Jamy I say gud day, Captain Fluellen.
- l29l Fluellen Good eÆen to your worship, good Captain James.
- l30l Gower How now, Captain MacMorris, have you quit the
- l31l mines? Have the pioneers given oÆer?
- l32l Macmorris By Chrish law, Ætish ill done. The work ish
- l33l give over, the trumpet sound the retreat. By my hand
- l34l I swear, and my fatherÆs soul, the work ish ill done, it
- l35l ish give over. I would have blowed up the town, so
- l36l Chrish save me law, in an hour. O Ætish ill done, Ætish
- l37l ill done, by my hand Ætish ill done.
- l38l Fluellen Captain MacMorris, I beseech you now, will
- l39l you vouchsafe me, look you, a few disputations with
- l40l you, as partly touching or concerning the disciplines
- l41l of the war, the Roman wars, in the way of argument,
- l42l look you, and friendly communication? Partly to satisfy
- l43l my opinion and partly for the satisfaction, look you, of
- l44l my mind. As touching the direction of the military
- l45l discipline, that is the point.
- l46l Jamy It sall be vary gud, gud feith, gud captains bath,
- l47l and I sall quite you with gud leve, as I may pick
- l48l occasion. That sall I, marry.
- l49l Macmorris It is no time to discourse, so Chrish save me.
- l50l The day is hot, and the weather and the wars and the
- l51l King and the dukes. It is no time to discourse. The
- l52l town is besieched. An the trumpet call us to the breach,
- l53l and we talk and, be Chrish, do nothing, Ætis shame for
- l54l us all. So God saÆ me, Ætis shame to stand still, it is
- l55l shame by my hand. And there is throats to be cut, and
- l56l works to be done, and there ish nothing done, so Christ
- l57l saÆ me law.
- l58l Jamy By the mess, ere these eyes of mine take themselves
- l59l to slumber, ayÆll de gud service, or IÆll lig iÆ thÆ grund
- l60l for it. Ay owe Got a death, and IÆll pay Æt as valorously
- l61l as I may, that sall I suirely do, that is the brief and
- l62l the long. Marry, I wad full fain heard some question
- l63l Ætween you twae.
- l64l Fluellen Captain MacMorris, I think, look you, under
- l65l your correction, there is not many of your nationù
- l66l Macmorris Of my nation? What ish my nation? Ish a
- l67l villain and a bastard and a knave and a rascal? What
- l68l ish my nation? Who talks of my nation?
- l69l Fluellen Look you, if you take the matter otherwise than
- l70l is meant, Captain MacMorris, peradventure I shall think
- l71l you do not use me with that affability as in discretion
- l72l you ought to use me, look you, being as good a man
- l73l as yourself, both in the disciplines of war and in the
- l74l derivation of my birth, and in other particularities.
- l75l Macmorris I do not know you so good a man as myself.
- l76l So Chrish save me, I will cut off your head.
- l77l Gower Gentlemen both, you will mistake each other.
- l78l Jamy Ah, thatÆs a foul fault.
- (A parley is sounded)
- l79l Gower The town sounds a parley.
- l80l Fluellen Captain MacMorris, when there is more better
- l81l opportunity to be required, look you, I will be so bold
- l82l as to tell you I know the disciplines of war. And there
- l83l is an end.
- (Exit)
- (Flourish. Enter King Harry and all his train before the
- gates)
- l84l King Harry How yet resolves the Governor of the town?
- l85l This is the latest parle we will admit.
- l86l Therefore to our best mercy give yourselves,
- l87l Or like to men proud of destruction
- l88l Defy us to our worst. For as I am a soldier,
- l89l A name that in my thoughts becomes me best,
- l90l If I begin the battÆry once again
- l91l I will not leave the half-achievΦd Harfleur
- l92l Till in her ashes she lie buriΦd.
- l93l The gates of mercy shall be all shut up,
- l94l And the fleshed soldier, rough and hard of heart,
- l95l In liberty of bloody hand shall range
- l96l With conscience wide as hell, mowing like grass
- l97l Your fresh fair virgins and your flowÆring infants.
- l98l What is it then to me if impious war
- l99l Arrayed in flames like to the prince of fiends
- l100l Do with his smirched complexion all fell feats
- l101l Enlinked to waste and desolation?
- l102l What is Æt to me, when you yourselves are cause,
- l103l If your pure maidens fall into the hand
- l104l Of hot and forcing violation?
- l105l What rein can hold licentious wickedness
- l106l When down the hill he holds his fierce career?
- l107l We may as bootless spend our vain command
- l108l Upon thÆ enragΦd soldiers in their spoil
- l109l As send precepts to the leviathan
- l110l To come ashore. Therefore, you men of Harfleur,
- l111l Take pity of your town and of your people
- l112l Whiles yet my soldiers are in my command,
- l113l Whiles yet the cool and temperate wind of grace
- l114l OÆerblows the filthy and contagious clouds
- l115l Of heady murder, spoil, and villainy.
- l116l If notùwhy, in a moment look to see
- l117l The blind and bloody soldier with foul hand
- l118l Defile the locks of your shrill-shrieking daughters;
- l119l Your fathers taken by the silver beards,
- l120l And their most reverend heads dashed to the walls;
- l121l Your naked infants spitted upon pikes,
- l122l Whiles the mad mothers with their howls confused
- l123l Do break the clouds, as did the wives of Jewry
- l124l At HerodÆs bloody-hunting slaughtermen.
- l125l What say you? Will you yield, and this avoid?
- l126l Or, guilty in defence, be thus destroyed?
- (Enter Governor on the wall)
- l127l Governor Our expectation hath this day an end.
- l128l The Dauphin, whom of succours we entreated,
- l129l Returns us that his powers are yet not ready
- l130l To raise so great a siege. Therefore, dread King,
- l131l We yield our town and lives to thy soft mercy.
- l132l Enter our gates, dispose of us and ours,
- l133l For we no longer are defensible.
- l134l King Harry Open your gates.
- (Exit Governor)
- Come, Uncle Exeter,
- l135l Go you and enter Harfleur. There remain,
- l136l And fortify it strongly Ægainst the French.
- l137l Use mercy to them all. For us, dear uncle,
- l138l The winter coming on, and sickness growing
- l139l Upon our soldiers, we will retire to Calais.
- l140l Tonight in Harfleur will we be your guest;
- l141l Tomorrow for the march are we addressed.
- (The gates are opened. Flourish, and they enter the town)
-