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Henry V - Act 2, scene 1
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Henry V - Act 2, scene 1Act 2, scene 1
⌜Scene 1⌝
Synopsis:
King Henry’s former tavern companion Bardolph prevents Pistol and Nym from fighting over Hostess Quickly, Pistol’s wife. They are interrupted by the news that Sir John Falstaff, once Henry’s intimate friend, is gravely ill.
Enter Corporal Nym and Lieutenant Bardolph.BARDOLPH 0505 Well met, Corporal Nym.
NYM 0506 Good morrow, Lieutenant Bardolph.
BARDOLPH 0507 What, are Ancient Pistol and you friends
0508 yet?
NYM 0509 5For my part, I care not. I say little, but when time
0510 shall serve, there shall be smiles; but that shall be as
0511 it may. I dare not fight, but I will wink and hold out
0512 mine iron. It is a simple one, but what though? It
0513 will toast cheese, and it will endure cold as another
0514 10 man’s sword will, and there’s an end.
BARDOLPH 0515 I will bestow a breakfast to make you
p.
45
0516
friends, and we’ll be all three sworn brothers to0517 France. Let ’t be so, good Corporal Nym.
NYM 0518 Faith, I will live so long as I may, that’s the
0519 15 certain of it; and when I cannot live any longer, I
0520 will do as I may. That is my rest, that is the
0521 rendezvous of it.
BARDOLPH 0522 It is certain, corporal, that he is married to
0523 Nell Quickly, and certainly she did you wrong, for
0524 20 you were troth-plight to her.
NYM 0525 I cannot tell. Things must be as they may. Men
0526 may sleep, and they may have their throats about
0527 them at that time, and some say knives have edges.
0528 It must be as it may. Though patience be a tired
0529 25 ⌜mare,⌝ yet she will plod. There must be conclusions.
0530 Well, I cannot tell.
Enter Pistol and ⌜Hostess⌝ Quickly.
BARDOLPH 0531 Here comes Ancient Pistol and his wife.
0532 Good corporal, be patient here.—How now, mine
0533 host Pistol?
PISTOL 0534 30Base tyke, call’st thou me host? Now, by this
0535 hand, I swear I scorn the term, nor shall my Nell
0536 keep lodgers.
HOSTESS 0537 No, by my troth, not long; for we cannot
0538 lodge and board a dozen or fourteen gentlewomen
0539 35 that live honestly by the prick of their needles but it
0540 will be thought we keep a bawdy house straight.
⌜Nym and Pistol draw their swords.⌝
0541 O well-a-day, Lady! If he be not hewn now, we shall
0542 see willful adultery and murder committed.
BARDOLPH 0543 Good lieutenant, good corporal, offer nothing
0544 40 here.
NYM 0545 Pish!
PISTOL 0546 Pish for thee, Iceland dog, thou prick-eared
0547 cur of Iceland!
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47
HOSTESS
0548
Good Corporal Nym, show thy valor, and put0549 45 up your sword.
NYM 0550 Will you shog off? ⌜To Pistol.⌝ I would have you
0551 solus.
PISTOL 0552 “Solus,” egregious dog? O viper vile, the solus
0553 in thy most marvelous face, the solus in thy teeth
0554 50 and in thy throat and in thy hateful lungs, yea, in thy
0555 maw, perdy, and, which is worse, within thy nasty
0556 mouth! I do retort the solus in thy bowels, for I can
0557 take, and Pistol’s cock is up, and flashing fire will
0558 follow.
NYM 0559 55I am not Barbason, you cannot conjure me. I
0560 have an humor to knock you indifferently well. If
0561 you grow foul with me, Pistol, I will scour you with
0562 my rapier, as I may, in fair terms. If you would walk
0563 off, I would prick your guts a little in good terms, as
0564 60 I may, and that’s the humor of it.
PISTOL
0565 O braggart vile and damnèd furious wight,
0566 The grave doth gape, and doting death is near.
0567 Therefore exhale.
BARDOLPH 0568 Hear me, hear me what I say: he that strikes
0569 65 the first stroke, I’ll run him up to the hilts, as I am a
0570 soldier.⌜He draws.⌝
PISTOL 0571 An oath of mickle might, and fury shall abate.
⌜Pistol and Nym and then Bardolph
sheathe their swords.⌝
0572 Give me thy fist, thy forefoot to me give. Thy spirits
0573 are most tall.
NYM, ⌜to Pistol⌝ 0574 70I will cut thy throat one time or other
0575 in fair terms, that is the humor of it.
PISTOL 0576 Couple à gorge, that is the word. I defy thee
0577 again. O hound of Crete, think’st thou my spouse to
0578 get? No, to the spital go, and from the powd’ring tub
0579 75 of infamy fetch forth the lazar kite of Cressid’s kind,
0580 Doll Tearsheet she by name, and her espouse. I
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49
0581
have, and I will hold, the quondam Quickly for the0582 only she: and pauca, there’s enough too! Go to.
Enter the Boy.
BOY 0583 Mine host Pistol, you must come to my master,
0584 80 and your hostess. He is very sick and would to
0585 bed.—Good Bardolph, put thy face between his
0586 sheets, and do the office of a warming-pan. Faith,
0587 he’s very ill.
BARDOLPH 0588 Away, you rogue!
HOSTESS 0589 85By my troth, he’ll yield the crow a pudding
0590 one of these days. The King has killed his heart.
0591 Good husband, come home presently.
She exits ⌜with the Boy.⌝
BARDOLPH 0592 Come, shall I make you two friends? We
0593 must to France together. Why the devil should we
0594 90 keep knives to cut one another’s throats?
PISTOL
0595 Let floods o’erswell and fiends for food howl on!
NYM 0596 You’ll pay me the eight shillings I won of you at
0597 betting?
PISTOL 0598 Base is the slave that pays.
NYM 0599 95That now I will have, that’s the humor of it.
PISTOL 0600 As manhood shall compound. Push home.
⌜They⌝ draw.
BARDOLPH, ⌜drawing his sword⌝ 0601 By this sword, he that
0602 makes the first thrust, I’ll kill him. By this sword, I
0603 will.
PISTOL, ⌜sheathing his sword⌝ 0604 100“Sword” is an oath, and
0605 oaths must have their course.
BARDOLPH 0606 Corporal Nym, an thou wilt be friends, be
0607 friends; an thou wilt not, why then be enemies with
0608 me too. Prithee, put up.
PISTOL, ⌜to Nym⌝ 0609 105A noble shalt thou have, and present
0610 pay, and liquor likewise will I give to thee, and
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51
0611
friendship shall combine, and brotherhood. I’ll live0612 by Nym, and Nym shall live by me. Is not this just?
0613 For I shall sutler be unto the camp, and profits will
0614 110 accrue. Give me thy hand.
NYM 0615 I shall have my noble?
PISTOL 0616 In cash, most justly paid.
NYM 0617 Well, then, ⌜that’s⌝ the humor of ’t.
⌜Nym and Bardolph sheathe their swords.⌝
Enter Hostess.
HOSTESS 0618 As ever you come of women, come in quickly
0619 115 to Sir John. Ah, poor heart, he is so shaked of a
0620 burning quotidian-tertian that it is most lamentable
0621 to behold. Sweet men, come to him.
NYM 0622 The King hath run bad humors on the knight,
0623 that’s the even of it.
PISTOL 0624 120Nym, thou hast spoke the right. His heart is
0625 fracted and corroborate.
NYM 0626 The King is a good king, but it must be as it may;
0627 he passes some humors and careers.
PISTOL 0628 Let us condole the knight, for, lambkins, we
0629 125 will live.
They exit.