faites vous prêt; car ce soldat ici est disposé tout à cette heure de couper votre gorge.

Pist. Owy, cuppele gorge, permafoy,

Peasant, unless thou give me crowns, brave

crowns;

Or mangled shalt thou be by this my sword.

Fr. Sol. O, je vous supplie, pour l'amour de Dieu, me pardonner! Je suis gentilhomme de bonne maison: gardez ma vie, et je vous donnerai deux cents écus.

Pist. What are his words?

Boy. He prays you to save his life: he is a gentleman of a good house; and for his ransom he will give you two hundred crowns.

Pist. Tell him my fury shall abate, and I

The crowns will take.

Fr. Sol. Petit monsieur, que dit-il ?

Boy. Encore qu'il est contre son jurement de pardonner aucun prisonnier, néanmoins, pour les écus que vous l'avez promis, il est content de vous donner la liberté, le franchisement.

40

50

Fr. Sol. Sur mes genoux je vous donne mille remercîmens; et je m'estime heureux que je suis tombé entre les mains d'un chevalier, je pense, le plus brave, vaillant, et très distingué seigneur 60 d'Angleterre.

Pist. Expound unto me, boy.

Boy. He gives you, upon his knees, a thousand thanks; and he esteems himself happy that he hath fallen into the hands of one, as he thinks, the most brave, valorous, and thrice-worthy signieur of England.

Pist. As I suck blood, I will some mercy show. Follow me!

Boy. Suivez-vous le grand capitaine. [Exeunt 70 Pistol, and French Soldier.] I did never know

so full a voice issue from so empty a heart: but the saying is true, 'The empty vessel makes the greatest sound.' Bardolph and Nym had ten times more valour than this roaring devil i' the old play, that every one may pare his nails with a wooden dagger; and they are both hanged; and so would this be, if he durst steal any thing adventurously. I must stay with the lackeys, with the luggage of our camp: the French might 80 have a good prey of us, if he knew of it; for there is none to guard it but boys.

[Exit.

SCENE V. Another part of the field

Enter CONSTABLE, ORLEANS, BOURBON,
DAUPHIN, and Rambures.

Con. O diable !

Orl. O seigneur! le jour est perdu, tout est perdu !

Dau. Mort de ma vie ! all is confounded, all!
Reproach and everlasting shame

Sits mocking in our plumes. O méchante fortune!
Do not run away.

[A short alarum.
Con.
Why, all our ranks are broke.
Dau. O perdurable shame! let's stab ourselves.
Be these the wretches that we play'd at dice for?
Orl. Is this the king we sent to for his ransom?
Bour. Shame and eternal shame, nothing but
shame!

75. this roaring devil i the old play; referring to encounters between the devil' and 'the Vice,' which were a stock ingredient of the Moralities (cf.

ΙΟ

Twelfth Night, iv. 2. 134); the
'wooden dagger' being the
Vice's weapon.

3. confounded, ruined.
7. perdurable, lasting.

Let us die in honour: once more back again;
And he that will not follow Bourbon now,
Let him go hence, and with his cap in hand,
Like a base pandar, hold the chamber-door
Whilst by a slave, no gentler than my dog,
His fairest daughter is contaminated.

Con. Disorder, that hath spoil'd us, friend us
now!

Let us on heaps go offer up our lives.

Orl. We are enow yet living in the field

To smother up the English in our throngs,

If any order might be thought upon.

Bour. The devil take order now! I'll to the throng:

Let life be short; else shame will be too long.

[Exeunt.

SCENE VI. Another part of the field.

Alarums.

Enter KING HENRY and forces,
EXETER, and others.

K. Hen. Well have we done, thrice valiant

countrymen :

But all's not done; yet keep the French the field.
Exe. The Duke of York commends him to

your majesty.

K. Hen. Lives he, good uncle? thrice within this hour

I saw him down; thrice up again, and fighting;
From helmet to the spur all blood he was.

Exe. In which array, brave soldier, doth he lie,
Larding the plain; and by his bloody side,

20

15. no gentler, of no higher birth.

8. Larding, fattening, enriching.

Yoke-fellow to his honour-owing wounds,
The noble Earl of Suffolk also lies.

Suffolk first died: and York, all haggled over,
Comes to him, where in gore he lay insteep'd,
And takes him by the beard; kisses the gashes
That bloodily did yawn upon his face;

And cries aloud 'Tarry, dear cousin Suffolk!
My soul shall thine keep company to heaven;
Tarry, sweet soul, for mine, then fly abreast,
As in this glorious and well-foughten field
We kept together in our chivalry!'
Upon these words I came and cheer'd him up:
He smiled me in the face, raught me his hand,
And, with a feeble gripe, says 'Dear my lord,
Commend my service to my sovereign.'

So did he turn and over Suffolk's neck

He threw his wounded arm and kiss'd his lips;
And so espoused to death, with blood he seal'd
A testament of noble-ending love.

The pretty and sweet manner of it forced

Those waters from me which I would have stopp'd;
But I had not so much of man in me,
And all my mother came into mine eyes
And gave me up to tears.

I blame you not;

K. Hen.
For, hearing this, I must perforce compound
With mistful eyes, or they will issue too.

[Alarum.

But, hark! what new alarum is this same?
The French have reinforced their scatter'd men:
Then every soldier kill his prisoners;
Give the word through.

9. honour-owing, honourable. II. haggled, mangled.

[Exeunt.

ΤΟ

20

30

37. On this order, see Introduction, and note to vii. 57.

SCENE VII. Another part of the field.

Enter FLUELLEN and GOWER.

Flu. Kill the poys and the luggage! 'tis expressly against the law of arms: 'tis as arrant a piece of knavery, mark you now, as can be offer't; in your conscience, now, is it not?

Gow. 'Tis certain there's not a boy left alive; and the cowardly rascals that ran from the battle ha' done this slaughter: besides, they have burned and carried away all that was in the king's tent; wherefore the king, most worthily, hath caused every soldier to cut his prisoner's throat. O, 'tis 10 a gallant king!

Flu. Ay, he was porn at Monmouth, Captain Gower. What call you the town's name where Alexander the Pig was born!

Gow. Alexander the Great.

Flu. Why, I pray you, is not pig great? the pig, or the great, or the mighty, or the huge, or the magnanimous, are all one reckonings, save the phrase is a little variations.

Gow. I think Alexander the Great was born 20 in Macedon his father was called Philip of Macedon, as I take it.

is porn.

:

Flu. I think it is in Macedon where Alexander I tell you, captain, if you look in the maps of the 'orld, I warrant you sall find, in the comparisons between Macedon and Monmouth,

Sc. 7. Holinshed relates that some six hundred French horsemen, being the first that fled,' 'hearing that the English tents and pavilions were a good way

distant from the army, without any sufficient guard, entered the camp, slew the servants, and plundered the treasure.'