Henry V — Act 3, Scene 6 · Shakespeare for Bharat

GOWER

How now, Captain Fluellen! come you from the bridge?

FLUELLEN

I assure you, there is very excellent servicescommitted at the bridge.

GOWER

Is the Duke of Exeter safe?

FLUELLEN

The Duke of Exeter is as magnanimous as Agamemnon;and a man that I love and honour with my soul, and myheart, and my duty, and my life, and my living, andmy uttermost power: he is not-God be praised andblessed!--any hurt in the world; but keeps thebridge most valiantly, with excellent discipline.There is an aunchient lieutenant there at thepridge, I think in my very conscience he is asvaliant a man as Mark Antony; and he is a man of noestimation in the world; but did see him do asgallant service.

GOWER

What do you call him?

FLUELLEN

He is called Aunchient Pistol.

GOWER

I know him not.

FLUELLEN

Here is the man.

PISTOL

Captain, I thee beseech to do me favours:The Duke of Exeter doth love thee well.

FLUELLEN

Ay, I praise God; and I have merited some love athis hands.

PISTOL

Bardolph, a soldier, firm and sound of heart,And of buxom valour, hath, by cruel fate,And giddy Fortune's furious fickle wheel,That goddess blind,That stands upon the rolling restless stone--

FLUELLEN

By your patience, Aunchient Pistol. Fortune ispainted blind, with a muffler afore her eyes, tosignify to you that Fortune is blind; and she ispainted also with a wheel, to signify to you, whichis the moral of it, that she is turning, andinconstant, and mutability, and variation: and herfoot, look you, is fixed upon a spherical stone,which rolls, and rolls, and rolls: in good truth,the poet makes a most excellent description of it:Fortune is an excellent moral.

PISTOL

Fortune is Bardolph's foe, and frowns on him;For he hath stolen a pax, and hanged must a' be:A damned death!Let gallows gape for dog; let man go freeAnd let not hemp his wind-pipe suffocate:But Exeter hath given the doom of deathFor pax of little price.Therefore, go speak: the duke will hear thy voice:And let not Bardolph's vital thread be cutWith edge of penny cord and vile reproach:Speak, captain, for his life, and I will thee requite.

FLUELLEN

Aunchient Pistol, I do partly understand your meaning.

PISTOL

Why then, rejoice therefore.

FLUELLEN

Certainly, aunchient, it is not a thing to rejoiceat: for if, look you, he were my brother, I woulddesire the duke to use his good pleasure, and puthim to execution; for discipline ought to be used.

PISTOL

Die and be damn'd! and figo for thy friendship!

FLUELLEN

It is well.

PISTOL

The fig of Spain!

FLUELLEN

Very good.

GOWER

Why, this is an arrant counterfeit rascal; Iremember him now; a bawd, a cutpurse.

FLUELLEN

I'll assure you, a' uttered as brave words at thebridge as you shall see in a summer's day. But itis very well; what he has spoke to me, that is well,I warrant you, when time is serve.

GOWER

Why, 'tis a gull, a fool, a rogue, that now and thengoes to the wars, to grace himself at his returninto London under the form of a soldier. And suchfellows are perfect in the great commanders' names:and they will learn you by rote where services weredone; at such and such a sconce, at such a breach,at such a convoy; who came off bravely, who wasshot, who disgraced, what terms the enemy stood on;and this they con perfectly in the phrase of war,which they trick up with new-tuned oaths: and whata beard of the general's cut and a horrid suit ofthe camp will do among foaming bottles andale-washed wits, is wonderful to be thought on. Butyou must learn to know such slanders of the age, orelse you may be marvellously mistook.

FLUELLEN

I tell you what, Captain Gower; I do perceive he isnot the man that he would gladly make show to theworld he is: if I find a hole in his coat, I willtell him my mind.

FLUELLEN

Hark you, the king is coming, and I must speak withhim from the pridge.

FLUELLEN

God pless your majesty!

KING HENRY V

How now, Fluellen! camest thou from the bridge?

FLUELLEN

Ay, so please your majesty. The Duke of Exeter hasvery gallantly maintained the pridge: the French isgone off, look you; and there is gallant and mostprave passages; marry, th' athversary was havepossession of the pridge; but he is enforced toretire, and the Duke of Exeter is master of thepridge: I can tell your majesty, the duke is aprave man.

KING HENRY V

What men have you lost, Fluellen?

FLUELLEN

The perdition of th' athversary hath been verygreat, reasonable great: marry, for my part, Ithink the duke hath lost never a man, but one thatis like to be executed for robbing a church, oneBardolph, if your majesty know the man: his face isall bubukles, and whelks, and knobs, and flames o'fire: and his lips blows at his nose, and it is likea coal of fire, sometimes plue and sometimes red;but his nose is executed and his fire's out.

KING HENRY V

We would have all such offenders so cut off: and wegive express charge, that in our marches through thecountry, there be nothing compelled from thevillages, nothing taken but paid for, none of theFrench upbraided or abused in disdainful language;for when lenity and cruelty play for a kingdom, thegentler gamester is the soonest winner.

MONTJOY

You know me by my habit.

KING HENRY V

Well then I know thee: what shall I know of thee?

MONTJOY

My master's mind.

KING HENRY V

Unfold it.

MONTJOY

Thus says my king: Say thou to Harry of England:Though we seemed dead, we did but sleep: advantageis a better soldier than rashness. Tell him wecould have rebuked him at Harfleur, but that wethought not good to bruise an injury till it werefull ripe: now we speak upon our cue, and our voiceis imperial: England shall repent his folly, seehis weakness, and admire our sufferance. Bid himtherefore consider of his ransom; which mustproportion the losses we have borne, the subjects wehave lost, the disgrace we have digested; which inweight to re-answer, his pettiness would bow under.For our losses, his exchequer is too poor; for theeffusion of our blood, the muster of his kingdom toofaint a number; and for our disgrace, his ownperson, kneeling at our feet, but a weak andworthless satisfaction. To this add defiance: andtell him, for conclusion, he hath betrayed hisfollowers, whose condemnation is pronounced. So farmy king and master; so much my office.

KING HENRY V

What is thy name? I know thy quality.

MONTJOY

Montjoy.

KING HENRY V

Thou dost thy office fairly. Turn thee back.And tell thy king I do not seek him now;But could be willing to march on to CalaisWithout impeachment: for, to say the sooth,Though 'tis no wisdom to confess so muchUnto an enemy of craft and vantage,My people are with sickness much enfeebled,My numbers lessened, and those few I haveAlmost no better than so many French;Who when they were in health, I tell thee, herald,I thought upon one pair of English legsDid march three Frenchmen. Yet, forgive me, God,That I do brag thus! This your air of FranceHath blown that vice in me: I must repent.Go therefore, tell thy master here I am;My ransom is this frail and worthless trunk,My army but a weak and sickly guard;Yet, God before, tell him we will come on,Though France himself and such another neighbourStand in our way. There's for thy labour, Montjoy.Go bid thy master well advise himself:If we may pass, we will; if we be hinder'd,We shall your tawny ground with your red bloodDiscolour: and so Montjoy, fare you well.The sum of all our answer is but this:We would not seek a battle, as we are;Nor, as we are, we say we will not shun it:So tell your master.

MONTJOY

I shall deliver so. Thanks to your highness.

GLOUCESTER

I hope they will not come upon us now.

KING HENRY V

We are in God's hand, brother, not in theirs.March to the bridge; it now draws toward night:Beyond the river we'll encamp ourselves,And on to-morrow, bid them march away.