William Shakespeare - The Complete Works

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HENRY THE FIFTH Act 4 Scene 1 (Enter King Harry and the Duke of Gloucester, then the Duke of Clarence) l1l King Harry Gloucester, Ætis true that we are in great danger; l2l The greater therefore should our courage be. l3l Good morrow, brother Clarence. God Almighty! l4l There is some soul of goodness in things evil, l5l Would men observingly distil it outù l6l For our bad neighbour makes us early stirrers, l7l Which is both healthful and good husbandry. l8l Besides, they are our outward consciences, l9l And preachers to us all, admonishing l10l That we should dress us fairly for our end. l11l Thus may we gather honey from the weed l12l And make a moral of the devil himself. (Enter Sir Thomas Erpingham) l13l Good morrow, old Sir Thomas Erpingham. l14l A good soft pillow for that good white head l15l Were better than a churlish turf of France. l16l Erpingham Not so, my liege. This lodging likes me better, l17l Since I may say, ôNow lie I like a king.ö l18l King Harry ÆTis good for men to love their present pains l19l Upon example. So the spirit is eased, l20l And when the mind is quickened, out of doubt l21l The organs, though defunct and dead before, l22l Break up their drowsy grave and newly move l23l With casted slough and fresh legerity. l24l Lend me thy cloak, Sir Thomas. (He puts on Erpingham's cloak) Brothers both, l25l Commend me to the princes in our camp. l26l Do my good morrow to them, and anon l27l Desire them all to my pavilion. l28l Gloucester We shall, my liege. l29l Erpingham Shall I attend your grace? l30l King Harry No, my good knight. l31l Go with my brothers to my lords of England. l32l I and my bosom must debate awhile, l33l And then I would no other company. l34l Erpingham The Lord in heaven bless thee, noble Harry. l35l King Harry God-a-mercy, old heart, thou speakÆst cheerfully. (Exeunt all but King Harry) (Enter Pistol to him) l36l Pistol Qui vous lα? l37l King Harry A friend. l38l Pistol Discuss unto me: art thou officer, l39l Or art thou base, common, and popular? l40l King Harry I am a gentleman of a company. l41l Pistol TrailÆst thou the puissant pike? l42l King Harry Even so. What are you? l43l Pistol As good a gentleman as the Emperor. l44l King Harry Then you are a better than the King. l45l Pistol The KingÆs a bawcock and a heart-of-gold, l46l A lad of life, an imp of fame, l47l Of parents good, of fist most valiant. l48l I kiss his dirty shoe, and from heartstring l49l I love the lovely bully. What is thy name? l50l King Harry Harry le roi. l51l Pistol Leroi? A Cornish name. Art thou of Cornish crew? l52l King Harry No, I am a Welshman. l53l Pistol KnowÆst thou Fluellen? l54l King Harry Yes. l55l Pistol Tell him IÆll knock his leek about his pate l56l Upon Saint DavyÆs day. l57l King Harry Do not you wear your dagger in your cap l58l that day, lest he knock that about yours. l59l Pistol Art thou his friend? l60l King Harry And his kinsman too. l61l Pistol The fico for thee then. l62l King Harry I thank you. God be with you. l63l Pistol My name is Pistol called. l64l King Harry It sorts well with your fierceness. (Exit Pistol) (Enter Captains Fluellen and Gower severally. King Harry stands apart) l65l Gower Captain Fluellen! l66l Fluellen So! In the name of Jesu Christ, speak fewer. It l67l is the greatest admiration in the universal world, when l68l the true and ancient prerogatifs and laws of the wars l69l is not kept. If you would take the pains but to examine l70l the wars of Pompey the Great, you shall find, I warrant l71l you, that there is no tiddle-taddle nor pibble-babble in l72l PompeyÆs camp. I warrant you, you shall find the l73l ceremonies of the wars, and the cares of it, and the l74l forms of it, and the sobriety of it, and the modesty of l75l it, to be otherwise. l76l Gower Why, the enemy is loud. You hear him all night. l77l Fluellen If the enemy is an ass and a fool and a prating l78l coxcomb, is it meet, think you, that we should also, l79l look you, be an ass and a fool and a prating coxcomb? l80l In your own conscience now? l81l Gower I will speak lower. l82l Fluellen I pray you and beseech you that you will. (Exeunt Fluellen and Gower) l83l King Harry Though it appear a little out of fashion, l84l There is much care and valour in this Welshman. (Enter three soldiers: John Bates, Alexander Court, and Michael Williams) l85l Court Brother John Bates, is not that the morning which l86l breaks yonder? l87l Bates I think it be. But we have no great cause to desire l88l the approach of day. l89l Williams We see yonder the beginning of the day, but I l90l think we shall never see the end of it.ùWho goes l91l there? l92l King Harry A friend. l93l Williams Under what captain serve you? l94l King Harry Under Sir Thomas Erpingham. l95l Williams A good old commander and a most kind gentleman. l96l I pray you, what thinks he of our estate? l97l King Harry Even as men wrecked upon a sand, that look l98l to be washed off the next tide. l99l Bates He hath not told his thought to the King? l100l King Harry No, nor it is not meet he should. For though l101l I speak it to you, I think the King is but a man, as I l102l am. The violet smells to him as it doth to me; the l103l element shows to him as it doth to me. All his senses l104l have but human conditions. His ceremonies laid by, in l105l his nakedness he appears but a man, and though his l106l affections are higher mounted than ours, yet when l107l they stoop, they stoop with the like wing. Therefore, l108l when he sees reason of fears, as we do, his fears, out l109l of doubt, be of the same relish as ours are. Yet, in l110l reason, no man should possess him with any l111l appearance of fear, lest he, by showing it, should l112l dishearten his army. l113l Bates He may show what outward courage he will, but l114l I believe, as cold a night as Ætis, he could wish himself l115l in Thames up to the neck. And so I would he were, l116l and I by him, at all adventures, so we were quit here. l117l King Harry By my troth, I will speak my conscience of l118l the King. I think he would not wish himself anywhere l119l but where he is. l120l Bates Then I would he were here alone. So should he be l121l sure to be ransomed, and a many poor menÆs lives l122l saved. l123l King Harry I dare say you love him not so ill to wish l124l him here alone, howsoever you speak this to feel other l125l menÆs minds. Methinks I could not die anywhere so l126l contented as in the KingÆs company, his cause being l127l just and his quarrel honourable. l128l Williams ThatÆs more than we know. l129l Bates Ay, or more than we should seek after. For we l130l know enough if we know we are the KingÆs subjects. l131l If his cause be wrong, our obedience to the King wipes l132l the crime of it out of us. l133l Williams But if the cause be not good, the King himself l134l hath a heavy reckoning to make, when all those legs l135l and arms and heads chopped off in a battle shall join l136l together at the latter day, and cry all, ôWe died at such l137l a placeöùsome swearing, some crying for a surgeon, l138l some upon their wives left poor behind them, some l139l upon the debts they owe, some upon their children l140l rawly left. I am afeard there are few die well that die l141l in a battle, for how can they charitably dispose of l142l anything, when blood is their argument? Now, if these l143l men do not die well, it will be a black matter for the l144l King that led them to itùwho to disobey were against l145l all proportion of subjection. l146l King Harry So, if a son that is by his father sent about l147l merchandise do sinfully miscarry upon the sea, the l148l imputation of his wickedness, by your rule, should be l149l imposed upon his father, that sent him. Or if a servant, l150l under his masterÆs command transporting a sum of l151l money, be assailed by robbers, and die in many l152l irreconciled iniquities, you may call the business of the l153l master the author of the servantÆs damnation. But this l154l is not so. The King is not bound to answer the particular l155l endings of his soldiers, the father of his son, nor the l156l master of his servant, for they purpose not their deaths l157l when they propose their services. Besides, there is no l158l king, be his cause never so spotless, if it come to the l159l arbitrament of swords, can try it out with all unspotted l160l soldiers. Some, peradventure, have on them the guilt l161l of premeditated and contrived murder; some, of l162l beguiling virgins with the broken seals of perjury; l163l some, making the wars their bulwark, that have before l164l gored the gentle bosom of peace with pillage and l165l robbery. Now, if these men have defeated the law and l166l outrun native punishment, though they can outstrip l167l men, they have no wings to fly from God. War is his l168l beadle. War is his vengeance. So that here men are l169l punished for before-breach of the KingÆs laws, in now l170l the KingÆs quarrel. Where they feared the death, they l171l have borne life away; and where they would be safe, l172l they perish. Then if they die unprovided, no more is l173l the King guilty of their damnation than he was before l174l guilty of those impieties for the which they are now l175l visited. Every subjectÆs duty is the KingÆs, but every l176l subjectÆs soul is his own. Therefore should every soldier l177l in the wars do as every sick man in his bed: wash l178l every mote out of his conscience. And dying so, death l179l is to him advantage; or not dying, the time was l180l blessedly lost wherein such preparation was gained. l181l And in him that escapes, it were not sin to think that, l182l making God so free an offer, he let him outlive that l183l day to see his greatness and to teach others how they l184l should prepare. l185l [Bates] ÆTis certain, every man that dies ill, the ill upon l186l his own head. The King is not to answer it. I do not l187l desire he should answer for me, and yet I determine to l188l fight lustily for him. l189l King Harry I myself heard the King say he would not be l190l ransomed. l191l Williams Ay, he said so, to make us fight cheerfully, but l192l when our throats are cut he may be ransomed, and l193l we neÆer the wiser. l194l King Harry If I live to see it, I will never trust his word l195l after. l196l Williams You pay him then! ThatÆs a perilous shot out l197l of an elder-gun, that a poor and a private displeasure l198l can do against a monarch. You may as well go about l199l to turn the sun to ice with fanning in his face with a l200l peacockÆs feather. YouÆll never trust his word after! l201l Come, Ætis a foolish saying. l202l King Harry Your reproof is something too round. I should l203l be angry with you, if the time were convenient. l204l Williams Let it be a quarrel between us, if you live. l205l King Harry I embrace it. l206l Williams How shall I know thee again? l207l King Harry Give me any gage of thine, and I will wear l208l it in my bonnet. Then if ever thou darest acknowledge l209l it, I will make it my quarrel. l210l Williams HereÆs my glove. Give me another of thine. l211l King Harry There. (They exchange gloves) l212l Williams This will I also wear in my cap. If ever thou l213l come to me and say, after tomorrow, ôThis is my gloveö, l214l by this hand I will take thee a box on the ear. l215l King Harry If ever I live to see it, I will challenge it. l216l Williams Thou darest as well be hanged. l217l King Harry Well, I will do it, though I take thee in the l218l KingÆs company. l219l Williams Keep thy word. Fare thee well. l220l Bates Be friends, you English fools, be friends. We have l221l French quarrels enough, if you could tell how to reckon. l222l King Harry Indeed, the French may lay twenty French l223l crowns to one they will beat us, for they bear them on l224l their shoulders. But it is no English treason to cut l225l French crowns, and tomorrow the King himself will be l226l a clipper. (Exeunt soldiers) l227l Upon the King. l228l ôLet us our lives, our souls, our debts, our care-full wives, l229l Our children, and our sins, lay on the King.ö l230l We must bear all. O hard condition, l231l Twin-born with greatness: subject to the breath l232l Of every fool, whose sense no more can feel l233l But his own wringing. What infinite heartsease l234l Must kings neglect that private men enjoy? l235l And what have kings that privates have not too, l236l Save ceremony, save general ceremony? l237l And what art thou, thou idol ceremony? l238l What kind of god art thou, that sufferÆst more l239l Of mortal griefs than do thy worshippers? l240l What are thy rents? What are thy comings-in? l241l O ceremony, show me but thy worth. l242l What is thy soul of adoration? l243l Art thou aught else but place, degree, and form, l244l Creating awe and fear in other men? l245l Wherein thou art less happy, being feared, l246l Than they in fearing. l247l What drinkÆst thou oft, instead of homage sweet, l248l But poisoned flattery? O be sick, great greatness, l249l And bid thy ceremony give thee cure. l250l ThinkÆst thou the fiery fever will go out l251l With titles blown from adulation? l252l Will it give place to flexure and low bending? l253l Canst thou, when thou commandÆst the beggarÆs knee, l254l Command the health of it? No, thou proud dream l255l That playÆst so subtly with a kingÆs repose; l256l I am a king that find thee, and I know l257l ÆTis not the balm, the sceptre, and the ball, l258l The sword, the mace, the crown imperial, l259l The intertissued robe of gold and pearl, l260l The farcΦd title running fore the king, l261l The throne he sits on, nor the tide of pomp l262l That beats upon the high shore of this worldù l263l No, not all these, thrice-gorgeous ceremony, l264l Not all these, laid in bed majestical, l265l Can sleep so soundly as the wretched slave l266l Who with a body filled and vacant mind l267l Gets him to rest, crammed with distressful bread; l268l Never sees horrid night, the child of hell, l269l But like a lackey from the rise to set l270l Sweats in the eye of Phoebus, and all night l271l Sleeps in Elysium; next day, after dawn l272l Doth rise and help Hyperion to his horse, l273l And follows so the ever-running year l274l With profitable labour to his grave. l275l And but for ceremony such a wretch, l276l Winding up days with toil and nights with sleep, l277l Had the forehand and vantage of a king. l278l The slave, a member of the countryÆs peace, l279l Enjoys it, but in gross brain little wots l280l What watch the King keeps to maintain the peace, l281l Whose hours the peasant best advantages. (Enter Sir Thomas Erpingham) l282l Erpingham My lord, your nobles, jealous of your absence, l283l Seek through your camp to find you. King Harry Good old knight, l284l Collect them all together at my tent. l285l IÆll be before thee. Erpingham I shall do Æt, my lord. (Exit) l286l King Harry O God of battles, steel my soldiersÆ hearts. l287l Possess them not with fear. Take from them now l288l The sense of reckÆning, ere thÆ opposΦd numbers l289l Pluck their hearts from them. Not today, O Lord, l290l O not today, think not upon the fault l291l My father made in compassing the crown. l292l I RichardÆs body have interrΦd new, l293l And on it have bestowed more contrite tears l294l Than from it issued forcΦd drops of blood. l295l Five hundred poor have I in yearly pay l296l Who twice a day their withered hands hold up l297l Toward heaven to pardon blood. And I have built l298l Two chantries, where the sad and solemn priests l299l Sing still for RichardÆs soul. More will I do, l300l Though all that I can do is nothing worth, l301l Since that my penitence comes after ill, l302l Imploring pardon. (Enter the Duke of Gloucester) l303l Gloucester My liege. King Harry My brother GloucesterÆs voice? Ay. l304l I know thy errand, I will go with thee. l305l The day, my friends, and all things stay for me. (Exeunt)