Enter MONTJOY
EXETER.Here comes the herald of the French,my liege.GLOUCESTER.His eyes are humbler than they us'd to be.KING HENRY.How now!What means this,herald?know'st thou not That I have fin'd these bones of mine for ransom?Com'st thou again for ransom?MONTJOY.No,great King;I come to thee for charitable licence,That we may wander o'er this bloody field To book our dead,and then to bury them;To sort our nobles from our common men;For many of our princes-woe the while!-Lie drown'd and soak'd in mercenary blood;So do our vulgar drench their peasant limbs In blood of princes;and their wounded steeds Fret fetlock deep in gore,and with wild rage Yerk out their armed heels at their dead masters,Killing them twice.O,give us leave,great King,To view the field in safety,and dispose Of their dead bodies!KING HENRY.I tell thee truly,herald,I know not if the day be ours or no;For yet a many of your horsemen peer And gallop o'er the field.MONTJOY.The day is yours.KING HENRY.Praised be God,and not our strength,for it!What is this castle call'd that stands hard by?MONTJOY.They call it Agincourt.KING HENRY.Then call we this the field of Agincourt,Fought on the day of Crispin Crispianus.FLUELLEN.Your grandfather of famous memory,an't please your Majesty,and your great-uncle Edward the Plack Prince of Wales,as I have read in the chronicles,fought a most prave pattle here in
France.KING HENRY.They did,Fluellen.FLUELLEN.Your Majesty says very true;if your Majesties is rememb'red of it,the Welshmen did good service in garden where leeks did grow,wearing leeks in their Monmouth caps;which your Majesty know to this hour is an honourable badge of the service;and I do believe your Majesty takes no scorn to wear the leek upon Saint Tavy's day.KING HENRY.I wear it for a memorable honour;For I am Welsh,you know,good countryman.FLUELLEN.All the water in Wye cannot wash your Majesty's Welsh plood out of your pody,I can tell you that.Got pless it and preserve it as long as it pleases his Grace and his Majesty too!KING HENRY.Thanks,good my countryman.FLUELLEN.By Jeshu,I am your Majesty's countryman,care not who know it;I will confess it to all the 'orld:I need not be asham'd of your Majesty,praised be Got,so long as your Majesty is an honest man.
Enter WILLIAMS
KING HENRY.God keep me so!Our heralds go with him:Bring me just notice of the numbers dead On both our parts.Call yonder fellow hither.Exeunt heralds with MONTJOY EXETER.Soldier,you must come to the King.KING HENRY.Soldier,why wear'st thou that glove in thy cap?WILLIAMS.An't please your Majesty,'tis the gage of one that I should fight withal,if he be alive.KING HENRY.An Englishman?WILLIAMS.An't please your Majesty,a rascal that swagger'd with me last night;who,if 'a live and ever dare to challenge this glove,I have sworn to take him a box o'th'ear;or if I can see my glove in his cap-which he swore,as he was a soldier,he would wear if alive-I will strike it out soundly.KING HENRY.What think you,Captain Fluellen,is it fit this soldier keep his oath?FLUELLEN.He is a craven and a villain else,an't please your Majesty,in my conscience.KING HENRY.It may be his enemy is a gentlemen of great sort,quite from the answer of his degree.FLUELLEN.Though he be as good a gentleman as the Devil is,as Lucifier and Belzebub himself,it is necessary,look your Grace,that he keep his vow and his oath;if he be perjur'd,see you now,his reputation is as arrant a villain and a Jacksauce as ever his black shoe trod upon God's ground and his earth,in my conscience,la.KING HENRY.Then keep thy
vow,sirrah,when thou meet'st the fellow.WILLIAMS.So I Will,my liege,as I live.KING HENRY.Who serv'st thou under?WILLIAMS.Under Captain Gower,my liege.FLUELLEN.Gower is a good captain,and is good knowledge and literatured in the wars.KING HENRY.Call him hither to me,soldier.WILLIAMS.I will,my liege.Exit KING HENRY.Here,Fluellen;wear thou this favour for me,and stick it in thy cap;when Alencon and myself were down together,I pluck'd this glove from his helm.If any man challenge this,he is a friend to Alencon and an enemy to our person;if thou encounter any such,apprehend him,an thou dost me love.FLUELLEN.Your Grace does me as great honours as can be desir'd in the hearts of his subjects.I would fain see the man that has but two legs that shall find himself aggrief'd at this glove,that is all;but I would fain see it once,an please God of his grace that I might see.KING HENRY.Know'st thou Gower?FLUELLEN.He is my dear friend,an please you.KING HENRY.Pray thee,go seek him,and bring him to my tent.FLUELLEN.I will fetch him.Exit KING HENRY.My Lord of Warwick and my brother Gloucester,Follow Fluellen closely at the heels;The glove which I have given him for a favour May haply purchase him a box o'th'ear.It is the soldier's:I,by bargain,should Wear it myself.Follow,good cousin Warwick;If that the soldier strike him,as I judge By his blunt bearing he will keep his word,Some sudden mischief may arise of it;For I do know Fluellen valiant,And touch'd with choler,hot as gunpowder,And quickly will return an injury;Follow,and see there be no harm between them.Go you with me,uncle of Exeter.Exeunt
