PROLOGUE.
Enter CHORUS
CHORUS.Vouchsafe to those that have not read the story That I may prompt them;and of such as have,I humbly pray them to admit th'excuse Of time,of numbers,and due course of things,Which cannot in their huge and proper life Be here presented.Now we bear the King Toward Calais.Grant him there.There seen,Heave him away upon your winged thoughts Athwart the sea.Behold,the English beach Pales in the flood with men,with wives,and boys,Whose shouts and claps out-voice the deep-mouth'd sea,Which,like a mighty whiffler,fore the King Seems to prepare his way.So let him land,And solemnly see him set on to London.So swift a pace hath thought that even now You may imagine him upon Blackheath;Where that his lords desire him to have borne His bruised helmet and his bended sword Before him through the city.He forbids it,Being free from vainness and self-glorious pride;Giving full trophy,signal,and ostent,Quite from himself to God.But now behold In the quick forge and working-house of thought,How London doth pour out her citizens!The mayor and all his brethren in best sort-Like to the senators of th'antique Rome,With the plebeians swarming at their heels-Go forth and fetch their conqu'ring Caesar in;As,by a lower but loving likelihood,Were now the General of our gracious Empress-As in good time he may-from Ireland coming,Bringing rebellion broached on his sword,How many would the peaceful city quit To welcome him!Much more,and much more cause,Did they this Harry.Now in London place him-As yet the lamentation of the French Invites the King of England's stay at home;The Emperor's coming in behalf of France To order peace between them;and omit All the occurrences,whatever chanc'd,Till Harry's back-return again to France.There must we bring him;and myself have play'd The interim,by rememb'ring you 'tis past.Then brook abridgment;and your eyes advance,After your thoughts,straight back again to France.Exit
SCENE I.France.The English camp
Enter FLUELLEN and GOWER
GOWER.Nay,that's right;but why wear you your leek to-day?Saint Davy's day is past.FLUELLEN.There is occasions and causes why and wherefore in all things.I will tell you,ass my friend,Captain Gower:the rascally,scald,beggarly,lousy,pragging knave,Pistol-which you and yourself and all the world know to be no petter than a fellow,look you now,of no merits-he is come to me,and prings me pread and salt yesterday,look you,and bid me eat my leek;it was in a place where I could not breed no contendon with him;but I will be so bold as to wear it in my cap till I see him once again,and then I will tell him a little piece of my desires.
Enter PISTOL
GOWER.Why,here he comes,swelling like a turkey-cock.FLUELLEN.'Tis no matter for his swellings nor his turkey-cocks.God pless you,Aunchient Pistol!you scurvy,lousy knave,God
pless you!PISTOL.Ha!art thou bedlam?Dost thou thirst,base Troyan,To have me fold up Parca's fatal web?Hence!I am qualmish at the smell of leek.FLUELLEN.I peseech you heartily,scurvy,lousy knave,at my desires,and my requests,and my petitions,to eat,look you,this leek;because,look you,you do not love it,nor your affections,and your appetites,and your digestions,does not agree with it,I would desire you to eat it.PISTOL.Not for Cadwallader and all his goats.FLUELLEN.There is one goat for you.[Strikes him]Will you be so good,scald knave,as eat it?PISTOL.Base Troyan,thou shalt die.FLUELLEN.You say very true,scald knave-when God's will is.I will desire you to live in the meantime,and eat your victuals;come,there is sauce for it.[Striking him again]You call'd me yesterday mountain-squire;but I will make you to-day a squire of low degree.I pray you fall to;if you can mock a leek,you can eat a leek.GOWER.Enough,Captain,you have astonish'd him.FLUELLEN.I say I will make him eat some part of my leek,or I will peat his pate four days.Bite,I pray you,it is good for your green wound and your ploody coxcomb.PISTOL.Must I bite?FLUELLEN.Yes,certainly,and out of
doubt,and out of question too,and ambiguides.PISTOL.By this leek,I will most horribly revenge-I eat and eat,I swear-FLUELLEN.Eat,I pray you;will you have some more sauce to your leek?There is not enough leek to swear by.PISTOL.Quiet thy cudgel:thou dost see I eat.FLUELLEN.Much good do you,scald knave,heartily.Nay,pray you throw none away;the skin is good for your broken coxcomb.When you take occasions to see leeks hereafter,I pray you mock at 'em;that is all.PISTOL.Good.FLUELLEN.Ay,leeks is good.Hold you,there is a groat to heal your pate.PISTOL.Me a groat!FLUELLEN.Yes,verily and in truth,you shall take it;or I have another leek in my pocket which you shall eat.PISTOL.I take thy groat in earnest of revenge.FLUELLEN.If I owe you anything I will pay you in cudgels;you shall be a woodmonger,and buy nothing of me but cudgels.God bye you,and keep you,and heal your pate.Exit PISTOL.All hell shall stir for this.GOWER.Go,go:you are a couterfeit cowardly knave.Will you mock at an ancient tradition,begun upon an honourable respect,and worn as a memorable trophy of predeceased valour,and dare not avouch in your deeds any of your words?I have seen you gleeking and galling at this gentleman twice or thrice.You thought,because he could not speak English in the native garb,he could not therefore handle an English cudgel;you find it otherwise,and henceforth let a Welsh correction teach you a good English condition.Fare ye well.Exit PISTOL.Doth Fortune play the huswife with me now?News have I that my Nell is dead i'th'spital Of malady of France;And there my rendezvous is quite cut off.Old I do wax;and from my weary limbs Honour is cudgell'd.Well,bawd I'll turn,And something lean to cutpurse of quick hand.To England will I steal,and there I'll steal;And patches will I get unto these cudgell'd scars,And swear I got them in the Gallia wars.Exit