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Henry V - Act 4, scene 8
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Henry V - Act 4, scene 8Act 4, scene 8
⌜Scene 8⌝
Synopsis:
Williams and Fluellen are prevented from fighting by Warwick and Gloucester. Henry arrives and accuses Williams of promising to strike him. Williams successfully excuses himself and is rewarded. Henry learns of the huge number of French casualties and the very few English. He declares the English victory to be God’s own work, and he plans to return to England.
Enter Gower and Williams.WILLIAMS 2703 I warrant it is to knight you, captain.
Enter Fluellen, ⌜wearing Williams’s glove.⌝
FLUELLEN, ⌜to Gower⌝ 2704 God’s will and His pleasure,
2705 captain, I beseech you now, come apace to the
2706 King. There is more good toward you peradventure
2707 5 than is in your knowledge to dream of.
WILLIAMS, ⌜to Fluellen, pointing to the glove in his own
hat⌝ 2708 Sir, know you this glove?
FLUELLEN 2709 Know the glove? I know the glove is a glove.
WILLIAMS 2710 I know this, and thus I challenge it.
Strikes him.
FLUELLEN 2711 ’Sblood, an arrant traitor as any ’s in the
2712 10 universal world, or in France, or in England!
GOWER, ⌜to Williams⌝ 2713 How now, sir? You villain!
WILLIAMS 2714 Do you think I’ll be forsworn?
FLUELLEN 2715 Stand away, Captain Gower. I will give treason
2716 his payment into plows, I warrant you.
WILLIAMS 2717 15I am no traitor.
FLUELLEN 2718 That’s a lie in thy throat.—I charge you in
2719 his Majesty’s name, apprehend him. He’s a friend
2720 of the Duke Alençon’s.
Enter Warwick and Gloucester.
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195
WARWICK
2721
How now, how now, what’s the matter?FLUELLEN 2722 20My Lord of Warwick, here is, praised be
2723 God for it, a most contagious treason come to
2724 light, look you, as you shall desire in a summer’s
2725 day.
Enter King ⌜of England⌝ and Exeter.
2726 Here is his Majesty.
KING HENRY 2727 25How now, what’s the matter?
FLUELLEN 2728 My liege, here is a villain and a traitor, that,
2729 look your Grace, has struck the glove which your
2730 Majesty is take out of the helmet of Alençon.
WILLIAMS 2731 My liege, this was my glove; here is the fellow
2732 30 of it. And he that I gave it to in change promised to
2733 wear it in his cap. I promised to strike him if he did.
2734 I met this man with my glove in his cap, and I have
2735 been as good as my word.
FLUELLEN 2736 Your Majesty, hear now, saving your Majesty’s
2737 35 manhood, what an arrant, rascally, beggarly,
2738 lousy knave it is. I hope your Majesty is pear me
2739 testimony and witness and will avouchment that
2740 this is the glove of Alençon that your Majesty is give
2741 me, in your conscience now.
KING HENRY, ⌜to Williams⌝ 2742 40Give me thy glove, soldier.
2743 Look, here is the fellow of it.
2744 ’Twas I indeed thou promised’st to strike,
2745 And thou hast given me most bitter terms.
FLUELLEN 2746 An please your Majesty, let his neck answer
2747 45 for it, if there is any martial law in the world.
KING HENRY, ⌜to Williams⌝ 2748 How canst thou make me
2749 satisfaction?
WILLIAMS 2750 All offenses, my lord, come from the heart.
2751 Never came any from mine that might offend your
2752 50 Majesty.
KING HENRY 2753 It was ourself thou didst abuse.
WILLIAMS 2754 Your Majesty came not like yourself. You
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197
2755
appeared to me but as a common man; witness the2756 night, your garments, your lowliness. And what
2757 55 your Highness suffered under that shape, I beseech
2758 you take it for your own fault and not mine, for, had
2759 you been as I took you for, I made no offense.
2760 Therefore, I beseech your Highness pardon me.
KING HENRY
2761 Here, uncle Exeter, fill this glove with crowns
2762 60 And give it to this fellow.—Keep it, fellow,
2763 And wear it for an honor in thy cap
2764 Till I do challenge it.—Give him the crowns.—
2765 And, captain, you must needs be friends with him.
FLUELLEN 2766 By this day and this light, the fellow has
2767 65 mettle enough in his belly.—Hold, there is twelvepence
2768 for you, and I pray you to serve God and keep
2769 you out of prawls and prabbles and quarrels and
2770 dissensions, and I warrant you it is the better for
2771 you.
WILLIAMS 2772 70I will none of your money.
FLUELLEN 2773 It is with a good will. I can tell you it will
2774 serve you to mend your shoes. Come, wherefore
2775 should you be so pashful? Your shoes is not so
2776 good. ’Tis a good silling, I warrant you, or I will
2777 75 change it.
Enter ⌜an English⌝ Herald.
KING HENRY 2778 Now, herald, are the dead numbered?
HERALD, ⌜giving the King a paper⌝
2779 Here is the number of the slaughtered French.
KING HENRY, ⌜to Exeter⌝
2780 What prisoners of good sort are taken, uncle?
EXETER
2781 Charles, Duke of Orléans, nephew to the King;
2782 80 John, Duke of Bourbon, and Lord Bouciqualt.
2783 Of other lords and barons, knights and squires,
2784 Full fifteen hundred, besides common men.
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199
KING HENRY 2785 This note doth tell me of ten thousand French
2786 That in the field lie slain. Of princes in this number
2787 85 And nobles bearing banners, there lie dead
2788 One hundred twenty-six. Added to these,
2789 Of knights, esquires, and gallant gentlemen,
2790 Eight thousand and four hundred, of the which
2791 Five hundred were but yesterday dubbed knights.
2792 90 So that in these ten thousand they have lost,
2793 There are but sixteen hundred mercenaries.
2794 The rest are princes, barons, lords, knights, squires,
2795 And gentlemen of blood and quality.
2796 The names of those their nobles that lie dead:
2797 95 Charles Delabreth, High Constable of France;
2798 Jacques of Chatillon, Admiral of France;
2799 The Master of the Crossbows, Lord Rambures;
2800 Great Master of France, the brave Sir Guichard
2801 Dauphin;
2802 100 John, Duke of Alençon; Anthony, Duke of Brabant,
2803 The brother to the Duke of Burgundy;
2804 And Edward, Duke of Bar. Of lusty earls:
2805 Grandpré and Roussi, Faulconbridge and Foix,
2806 Beaumont and Marle, ⌜Vaudemont⌝ and Lestrale.
2807 105 Here was a royal fellowship of death.
2808 Where is the number of our English dead?
⌜Herald gives him another paper.⌝
2809 Edward the Duke of York, the Earl of Suffolk,
2810 Sir Richard Ketly, Davy Gam, esquire;
2811 None else of name, and of all other men
2812 110 But five and twenty. O God, thy arm was here,
2813 And not to us, but to thy arm alone
2814 Ascribe we all! When, without stratagem,
2815 But in plain shock and even play of battle,
2816 Was ever known so great and little loss
2817 115 On one part and on th’ other? Take it, God,
2818 For it is none but thine.
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201
EXETER
2819
’Tis wonderful.KING HENRY
2820 Come, go ⌜we⌝ in procession to the village,
2821 And be it death proclaimèd through our host
2822 120 To boast of this or take that praise from God
2823 Which is His only.
FLUELLEN 2824 Is it not lawful, an please your Majesty, to
2825 tell how many is killed?
KING HENRY
2826 Yes, captain, but with this acknowledgment:
2827 125 That God fought for us.
FLUELLEN 2828 Yes, my conscience, He did us great good.
KING HENRY 2829 Do we all holy rites.
2830 Let there be sung Non nobis, and Te Deum,
2831 The dead with charity enclosed in clay,
2832 130 And then to Calais, and to England then,
2833 Where ne’er from France arrived more happy men.
They exit.