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 in Macedon; his 15 father was called Philip of Macedon, as I take it.

FLU. I think it is in Macedon where Alexander is porn. 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, that the situations, look you, is both alike. There is a river in 20 Macedon; and there is also moreover a river at Monmouth: it is called Wye at Monmouth; but it is out of my prains what is the name of the other river; but 'tis all one, 'tis so like as my fingers is to my fingers, and there is salmons in both. If you mark Alexander's life well, Harry of Monmouth's life is come after it 25 indifferent well; for there is figures in all things. Alexander, God knows, and you know, in his rages, and his furies, and his wraths, and his cholers, and his moods, and his displeasures, and his indignations, and also being a little intoxicates in his prains, did, in his ales and his angers, look you, kill his pest friend, Cleitus. 30

Gow. Our king is not like him in that: he never killed any of his friends.

FLU. It is not well done, mark you now, to take the tales out of my mouth, ere it is made an end and finished. I speak but in the figures and comparisons of it: as Alexander is kill his friend Cleitus, 35 being in his ales and his cups; so also Harry Monmouth, being in his right wits and his good judgments, is turn away the fat knight with a great-pelly doublet: he was full of jests, and gipes, and knaveries, and mocks: I have forgot his name.

Gow. Sir John Falstaff.

FLU. That is he: I'll tell you there is goot men porn at Monmouth.

Gow. Here comes his majesty.

Alarum.

Enter KING HENRY, with a part of the English Forces ;
WARWICK, GLOUCESTER, EXETER, and others.

K. HEN. I was not angry since I came to France
Until this instant. Take a trumpet, herald;

Ride thou unto the horsemen on yon hill:

If they will fight with us, bid them come down,
Or void the field; they do offend our sight:
If they'll do neither, we will come to them,
And make them skirr away, as swift as stones
Enforced from the old Assyrian slings:

Besides, we'll cut the throats of those we have,
And not a man of them that we shall take
Shall taste our mercy.

Go and tell them so.

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45

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Enter MONTJOY.

EXE. Here comes the herald of the French, my liege. GLOU. His eyes are humbler than they used to be. K. HEN. How now! what means this, herald? know'st thou not That I have fined these bones of mine for ransom?

Comest thou again for ransom?

MONT.
No, great king:
I come to thee for charitable licence,
That we may wander o'er this bloody field
To look 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 armèd 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!

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60

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70

MONT.

The day is yours.

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K. HEN. Praised be God, and not our strength, for it!

K. HEN. Then call we this the field of Agincourt,

What is this castle call'd that stands hard by?

MONT. They call it Agincourt.

Fought on the day of Crispin Crispianus.

FLU. 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.

K. HEN. They did, Fluellen.

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85

FLU. Your majesty says very true if your majesties is remembered of it, the Welshmen did good service in a garden where leeks did grow, wearing leeks in their Monmouth caps; which, your majesty knows, to this hour is an honourable badge of the service; and I do believe your majesty takes no scorn to wear the 90 leek upon Saint Tavy's day.

K. HEN. I wear it for a memorable honour;

For I am Welsh, you know, good countryman.

FLU. 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 pre- 95 serve it, as long as it pleases his grace, and his majesty too!

K. HEN. Thanks, good my countryman.

FLU. By Cheshu, I am your majesty's countryman, I care not who know it; I will confess it to all the 'orld: I need not to be ashamed of your majesty, praised be God, so long as your majesty 100 is an honest man.

K. HEN. 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.

[Points to WILLIAMS.

Exeunt MONTJOY and others.

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EXE. Soldier, you must come to the king.

K. HEN. Soldier, why wearest thou that glove in thy cap? WILL. An't please your majesty, 'tis the gage of one that I should fight withal, if he be alive.

K. HEN. An Englishman?

WILL. An't please your majesty, a rascal that swaggered with 110 me last night; who, if 'a live and ever dare to challenge this glove, I have sworn to take him a box o' the 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.

K. HEN. What think you, Captain Fluellen? is it fit this soldier 115 keep his oath?

FLU. He is a craven and a villain else, an't please your majesty, in my conscience.

K. HEN. It may be his enemy is a gentleman of great sort, quite from the answer of his degree.

120

FLU. Though he be as good a gentleman as the devil is, as Lucifer and Belzebub himself, it is necessary, look your grace, that he keep his vow and his oath: if he be perjured, 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! 125 K. HEN. Then keep thy vow, sirrah, when thou meetest the fellow. WILL. So I will, my liege, as I live.

K. HEN. Who servest thou under?

WILL. Under Captain Gower, my liege.

FLU. Gower is a goot captain, and is good knowledge and litera- 130 tured in the wars.

K. HEN. Call him hither to me, soldier.
WILL. I will, my liege.

[Exit.

K. HEN. Here, Fluellen; wear thou this favour for me and stick it in thy cap: when Alençon and myself were down together, I 135 plucked this glove from his helm: if any man challenge this, he is a friend to Alençon, and an enemy to our person; if thou encounter any such, apprehend him, an thou dost me love.

FLU. Your grace does me as great honours as can be desired in the hearts of his subjects: I would fain see the man, that has but two 140 legs, that shall find himself aggriefed at this glove; that is all; but

I would fain see it once; an please God of his grace that I might

see.

K. HEN. Knowest thou Gower?

FLU. He is my dear friend, an't please you.

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K. HEN. Pray thee, go seek him, and bring him to my tent.
FLU. I will fetch him.

[Exit.

K. HEN. My Lord of Warwick, and my brother Gloucester, Follow Fluellen closely at the heels:

The glove which I have given him for a favour

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May haply purchase him a box o' the 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;

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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.

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Go you with me, uncle of Exeter.

[Exeunt.

SCENE VIII. Before KING HENRY'S Pavilion.

Enter GoWER and WILLIAMS.

WILL. I warrant it is to knight you, captain.

Enter FLUEllen.

FLU. God's will and his pleasure, captain, I beseech you now, come apace to the king: there is more good toward you peradventure than is in your knowledge to dream of.

WILL. Sir, know you this glove?

FLU. Know the glove! I know the glove is a glove.

WILL. I know this; and thus I challenge it.

[Strikes him.

FLU. 'Sblood! an arrant traitor as any's in the universal world,

or in France, or in England!

Gow. How now, sir! you villain!

WILL. Do you think I'll be forsworn?

FLU. Stand away, Captain Gower; I will give treason his pay

ment into plows, I warrant you.

WILL. I am no traitor.

10

FLU. That's a lie in thy throat. I charge you in his majesty's 15 name, apprehend him he's a friend of the Duke Alençon's.

Enter WARWICK and GLOUCESTER.

WAR. How now, how now! what's the matter?

FLU. My Lord of Warwick, here is--praised be Got for it!-a most contagious treason come to light, look you, as you shall desire in a summer's day. Here is his majesty.

Enter KING HENRY and EXETER.

K. HEN. How now! what's the matter? FLU. My liege, here is a villain and a traitor, that, look your grace, has struck the glove which your majesty is take out of the helmet of Alençon.

20

WILL. My liege, this was my glove; here is the fellow of it; and 25 he that I gave it to in change promised to wear it in his cap: I promised to strike him, if he did: I met this man with my glove in his cap, and I have been as good as my word.

FLU. Your majesty hear now, saving your majesty's manhood, what an arrant, rascally, beggarly knave it is: I hope your majesty 30 is pear me testimony, and witness, and will avouchment, that this is the glove of Alençon, that your majesty is give me; in your conscience, now?

K. HEN. Give me thy glove, soldier: look, here is the fellow of it. 'Twas I, indeed, thou promised'st to strike;

And thou hast given me most bitter terms.

is

FLU. An please your majesty, let his neck answer for it, if there any martial law in the world.

K. HEN. How canst thou make me satisfaction?

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WILL. All offences, my lord, come from the heart; never came 40 from mine that might offend your majesty.

any
K. HEN. It was ourself thou didst abuse.

WILL. Your majesty came not like yourself: you appeared to me but as a common man; witness the night, your garments, your lowliness; and what your highness suffered under that shape, I 45 beseech you take it for your own fault and not mine: for had you been as I took you for, I made no offence; therefore, I beseech your highness, pardon me.

K. HEN. Here, uncle Exeter, fill this glove with crowns, And give it to this fellow. Keep it, fellow;

And wear it for an honour in thy cap

Till I do challenge it. Give him the crowns:

And, captain, you must needs be friends with him.

FLU. By this day and this light, the fellow has mettle enough

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in his belly. Hold, there is twelve pence for you; and I pray you 55