home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search
-
-
-
- HENRY THE FIFTH
-
- Act 2 Scene 1
-
- (Enter Corporal Nim and Lieutenant Bardolph)
- l1l Bardolph Well met, Corporal Nim.
- l2l Nim Good morrow, Lieutenant Bardolph.
- l3l Bardolph What, are Ensign Pistol and you friends yet?
- l4l Nim For my part, I care not. I say little, but when time
- l5l shall serve, there shall be smilesùbut that shall be as
- l6l it may. I dare not fight, but I will wink and hold out
- l7l mine iron. It is a simple one, but what though? It will
- l8l toast cheese, and it will endure cold, as another manÆs
- l9l sword willùand thereÆs an end.
- l10l Bardolph I will bestow a breakfast to make you friends,
- l11l and weÆll be all three sworn brothers to France. Let Æt
- l12l be so, good Corporal Nim.
- l13l Nim Faith, I will live so long as I may, thatÆs the certain
- l14l of it, and when I cannot live any longer, I will do as I
- l15l may. That is my rest, that is the rendezvous of it.
- l16l Bardolph It is certain, corporal, that he is married to
- l17l Nell Quickly, and certainly she did you wrong, for you
- l18l were troth-plight to her.
- l19l Nim I cannot tell. Things must be as they may. Men may
- l20l sleep, and they may have their throats about them at
- l21l that time, and some say knives have edges. It must be
- l22l as it may. Though Patience be a tired mare, yet she
- l23l will plod. There must be conclusions. Well, I cannot
- l24l tell.
- (Enter Ensign Pistol and Hostess Quickly)
- l25l Bardolph Good morrow, Ensign Pistol. (To Nim) Here
- l26l comes Ensign Pistol and his wife. Good Corporal, be
- l27l patient here.
- l28l [Nim] How now, mine host Pistol?
- l29l Pistol Base tick, callÆst thou me host? Now by GadÆs lugs
- l30l I swear I scorn the term. Nor shall my Nell keep lodgers.
- l31l Hostess No, by my troth, not long, for we cannot lodge
- l32l and board a dozen or fourteen gentlewomen that live
- l33l honestly by the prick of their needles, but it will be
- l34l thought we keep a bawdy-house straight.
- (Nim draws his sword)
- l35l O well-a-day, Lady! If he be not hewn now, we shall
- l36l see wilful adultery and murder committed.
- (Pistol draws his sword)
- l37l Bardolph Good lieutenant, good corporal, offer nothing
- l38l here.
- l39l Nim Pish.
- l40l Pistol Pish for thee, Iceland dog. Thou prick-eared cur of
- Iceland.
- l41l Hostess Good Corporal Nim, show thy valour, and put
- l42l up your sword.
- (They sheathe their swords)
- l43l Nim Will you shog off? I would have you solus.
- l44l Pistol ôSolusö, egregious dog? O viper vile!
- l45l The solus in thy most marvellous face,
- l46l The solus in thy teeth, and in thy throat,
- l47l And in thy hateful lungs, yea in thy maw pardieù
- l48l And which is worse, within thy nasty mouth.
- l49l I do retort the solus in thy bowels,
- l50l For I can take, and PistolÆs cock is up,
- l51l And flashing fire will follow.
- l52l Nim I am not Barbason, you cannot conjure me. I have
- l53l an humour to knock you indifferently well. If you grow
- l54l foul with me, Pistol, I will scour you with my rapier,
- l55l as I may, in fair terms. If you would walk off, I would
- l56l prick your guts a little, in good terms, as I may, and
- l57l thatÆs the humour of it.
- l58l Pistol O braggart vile, and damnΦd furious wight!
- l59l The grave doth gape and doting death is near.
- l60l Therefore ex-hale.
- (Pistol and Nim draw their swords)
- l61l Bardolph Hear me, hear me what I say.
- (He draws his sword)
- l62l He that strikes the first stroke, IÆll run him up to the
- l63l hilts, as I am a soldier.
- l64l Pistol An oath of mickle might, and fury shall abate.
- (They sheathe their swords)
- l65l (To Nim) Give me thy fist, thy forefoot to me give.
- l66l Thy spirits are most tall.
- l67l Nim I will cut thy throat one time or other, in fair terms,
- l68l that is the humour of it.
- l69l Pistol Couple a gorge,
- l70l That is the word. I thee defy again.
- l71l O hound of Crete, thinkÆst thou my spouse to get?
- l72l No, to the spital go,
- l73l And from the powdÆring tub of infamy
- l74l Fetch forth the lazar kite of CressidÆs kind,
- l75l Doll Tearsheet she by name, and her espouse.
- l76l I have, and I will hold, the quondam Quickly
- l77l For the only she, andùpauca, thereÆs enough. Go to.
- (Enter the Boy running)
- l78l Boy Mine host Pistol, you must come to my master, and
- l79l you, hostess. He is very sick, and would to bed.ùGood
- l80l Bardolph, put thy face between his sheets, and do the
- l81l office of a warming-pan.ùFaith, heÆs very ill.
- l82l Bardolph Away, you rogue!
- l83l Hostess By my troth, heÆll yield the crow a pudding one
- l84l of these days. The King has killed his heart. Good
- l85l husband, come home presently.
- (Exit with Boy)
- l86l Bardolph Come, shall I make you two friends? We must
- l87l to France together. Why the devil should we keep
- l88l knives to cut one anotherÆs throats?
- l89l Pistol Let floods oÆerswell, and fiends for food howl on!
- l90l Nim YouÆll pay me the eight shillings I won of you at
- l91l betting?
- l92l Pistol Base is the slave that pays.
- l93l Nim That now I will have. ThatÆs the humour of it.
- l94l Pistol As manhood shall compound. Push home.
- (Pistol and Nim draw their swords)
- l95l Bardolph (drawing his sword) By this sword, he that makes
- l96l the first thrust, IÆll kill him. By this sword, I will.
- l97l Pistol Sword is an oath, and oaths must have their course.
- (He sheathes his sword)
- l98l Bardolph Corporal Nim, an thou wilt be friends, be
- l99l friends. An thou wilt not, why then be enemies with
- l100l me too. Prithee, put up.
- l101l Nim I shall have my eight shillings?
- l102l Pistol A noble shalt thou have, and present pay,
- l103l And liquor likewise will I give to thee,
- l104l And friendship shall combine, and brotherhood.
- l105l IÆll live by Nim, and Nim shall live by me.
- l106l Is not this just? For I shall sutler be
- l107l Unto the camp, and profits will accrue.
- l108l Give me thy hand.
- l109l Nim I shall have my noble?
- l110l Pistol In cash, most justly paid.
- l111l Nim Well then, thatÆs the humour of Æt.
- (Nim and Bardolph sheathe their swords.)
- (Enter Hostess Quickly)
- l112l Hostess As ever you come of women, come in quickly to
- l113l Sir John. Ah, poor heart, he is so shaked of a burning
- l114l quotidian-tertian, that it is most lamentable to behold.
- l115l Sweet men, come to him.
- (Exit)
- l116l Nim The King hath run bad humours on the knight,
- l117l thatÆs the even of it.
- l118l Pistol Nim, thou hast spoke the right.
- l119l His heart is fracted and corroborate.
- l120l Nim The King is a good king, but it must be as it may.
- l121l He passes some humours and careers.
- l122l Pistol Let us condole the knightùfor, lambkins, we will live.
- (Exeunt)
-