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- $Unique_ID{SSP02755}
- $Title{King Henry V: Act II, Scene I}
- $Author{Shakespeare, William}
- $Subject{}
- $Log{Dramatis Personae*02750.txt}
-
- Portions copyright (c) CMC ReSearch, Inc., 1989
-
- The Complete Works of William Shakespeare
-
- KING HENRY V
-
-
- ACT II
- ................................................................................
-
-
- SCENE I: London. A street.
- . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
-
- {Enter Corporal NYM and Lieutenant BARDOLPH.}
-
- BARDOLPH: Well met, Corporal Nym.
-
- NYM: Good morrow, Lieutenant Bardolph.
-
- BARDOLPH: What, are Ancient Pistol and you friends yet?
-
- NYM: For my part, I care not: I say little; but when
- time shall serve, there shall be smiles; but that
- shall be as it may. I dare not fight; but I will
- wink and hold out mine iron: it is a simple one; but
- what though? it will toast cheese, and it will
- endure cold as another man's sword will: and
- there's an end. 10
-
- BARDOLPH: I will bestow a breakfast to make you friends; and
- we'll be all three sworn brothers to France: let it
- be so, good Corporal Nym.
-
- NYM: Faith, I will live so long as I may, that's the
- certain of it; and when I cannot live any longer, I
- will do as I may: that is my rest, that is the
- rendezvous of it.
-
- BARDOLPH: It is certain, corporal, that he is married to Nell
- Quickly: and certainly she did you wrong; for you
- were troth-plight to her. 20
-
- NYM: I cannot tell: things must be as they may: men may
- sleep, and they may have their throats about them at
- that time; and some say knives have edges. It must
- be as it may: though patience be a tired mare, yet
- she will plod. There must be conclusions. Well, I
- cannot tell.
-
- {Enter PISTOL and Hostess.}
-
- BARDOLPH: Here comes Ancient Pistol and his wife: good
- corporal, be patient here. How now, mine host
- Pistol!
-
- PISTOL: Base tike, call'st thou me host? Now, by this hand, 30
- I swear, I scorn the term; Nor shall my Nell keep
- lodgers.
-
- Hostess: No, by my troth, not long; for we cannot lodge and
- board a dozen or fourteen gentlewomen that live
- honestly by the prick of their needles, but it will
- be thought we keep a bawdy house straight.
-
- [NYM and PISTOL draw.]
-
- O well a day, Lady, if he be not drawn now! we
- shall see wilful adultery and murder committed.
-
- BARDOLPH: Good lieutenant! good corporal! offer nothing here.
-
- NYM: Pish! 40
-
- PISTOL: Pish for thee, Iceland dog! thou prick-ear'd cur of
- Iceland!
-
- Hostess: Good Corporal Nym, show thy valour, and put up your
- sword.
-
- NYM: Will you shog off? I would have you solus.
-
- PISTOL: 'Solus,' egregious dog? O viper vile!
- The 'solus' in thy most mervailous face;
- The 'solus' in thy teeth, and in thy throat,
- And in thy hateful lungs, yea, in thy maw, perdy,
- And, which is worse, within thy nasty mouth!
- I do retort the 'solus' in thy bowels; 50
- For I can take, and Pistol's cock is up,
- And flashing fire will follow.
-
- NYM: I am not Barbason; you cannot conjure me. I have an
- humour to knock you indifferently well. If you grow
- foul with me, Pistol, I will scour you with my
- rapier, as I may, in fair terms: if you would walk
- off, I would prick your guts a little, in good
- terms, as I may: and that's the humour of it.
-
- PISTOL: O braggart vile and damned furious wight!
- The grave doth gape, and doting death is near; 60
- Therefore exhale.
-
- BARDOLPH: Hear me, hear me what I say: he that strikes the
- first stroke, I'll run him up to the hilts, as I am
- a soldier.
-
- [Draws.]
-
- PISTOL: An oath of mickle might; and fury shall abate.
- Give me thy fist, thy fore-foot to me give:
- Thy spirits are most tall.
-
- NYM: I will cut thy throat, one time or other, in fair
- terms: that is the humour of it.
-
- PISTOL: 'Couple a gorge!' 70
- That is the word. I thee defy again.
- O hound of Crete, think'st thou my spouse to get?
- No; to the spital go,
- And from the powdering tub of infamy
- Fetch forth the lazar kite of Cressid's kind,
- Doll Tearsheet she by name, and her espouse:
- I have, and I will hold, the quondam Quickly
- For the only she; and--pauca, there's enough.
- Go to.
-
- {Enter the Boy.}
-
- Boy: Mine host Pistol, you must come to my master, and 80
- you, hostess: he is very sick, and would to bed.
- Good Bardolph, put thy face between his sheets, and
- do the office of a warming-pan. Faith, he's very ill.
-
- BARDOLPH: Away, you rogue!
-
- Hostess: By my troth, he'll yield the crow a pudding one of
- these days. The king has killed his heart. Good
- husband, come home presently.
-
- [Exeunt Hostess and Boy.]
-
- BARDOLPH: Come, shall I make you two friends? We must to
- France together: why the devil should we keep
- knives to cut one another's throats? 90
-
- PISTOL: Let floods o'erswell, and fiends for food howl on!
-
- NYM: You'll pay me the eight shillings I won of you at
- betting?
-
- PISTOL: Base is the slave that pays.
-
- NYM: That now I will have: that's the humour of it.
-
- PISTOL: As manhood shall compound: push home.
-
- [They draw.]
-
- BARDOLPH: By this sword, he that makes the first thrust, I'll
- kill him; by this sword, I will.
-
- PISTOL: Sword is an oath, and oaths must have their course.
-
- BARDOLPH: Corporal Nym, an thou wilt be friends, be friends: 100
- an thou wilt not, why, then, be enemies with me too.
- Prithee, put up.
-
- NYM: I shall have my eight shillings I won of you at
- betting?
-
- PISTOL: A noble shalt thou have, and present pay;
- And liquor likewise will I give to thee,
- And friendship shall combine, and brotherhood:
- I'll live by Nym, and Nym shall live by me;
- Is not this just? for I shall sutler be
- Unto the camp, and profits will accrue. 110
- Give me thy hand.
-
- NYM: I shall have my noble?
-
- PISTOL: In cash most justly paid.
-
- NYM: Well, then, that's the humour of't.
-
- {Re-enter Hostess.}
-
- Hostess: As ever you came of women, come in quickly to Sir
- John. Ah, poor heart! he is so shaked of a burning
- quotidian tertian, that it is most lamentable to
- behold. Sweet men, come to him.
-
- NYM: The king hath run bad humours on the knight; that's
- the even of it. 120
-
- PISTOL: Nym, thou hast spoke the right;
- His heart is fracted and corroborate.
-
- NYM: The king is a good king: but it must be as it may;
- he passes some humours and careers.
-
- PISTOL: Let us condole the knight; for, lambkins we will live.
-