| ACT III SCENE II | The same. | |
| | Enter NYM, BARDOLPH, PISTOL, and Boy | |
| BARDOLPH | On, on, on, on, on! to the breach, to the breach! | |
| NYM | Pray thee, corporal, stay: the knocks are too hot; | |
| | and, for mine own part, I have not a case of lives: | |
| | the humour of it is too hot, that is the very | 5 |
| | plain-song of it. | |
| PISTOL | The plain-song is most just: for humours do abound: | |
| | Knocks go and come; God's vassals drop and die; | |
| | And sword and shield, | |
| | In bloody field, | 10 |
| | Doth win immortal fame. | |
| Boy | Would I were in an alehouse in London! I would give | |
| | all my fame for a pot of ale and safety. | |
| PISTOL | And I: | |
| | If wishes would prevail with me, | 15 |
| | My purpose should not fail with me, | |
| | But thither would I hie. | |
| Boy | As duly, but not as truly, | |
| | As bird doth sing on bough. | |
| | Enter FLUELLEN | |
| FLUELLEN | Up to the breach, you dogs! avaunt, you cullions! | 20 |
| | Driving them forward | |
| PISTOL | Be merciful, great duke, to men of mould. | |
| | Abate thy rage, abate thy manly rage, | |
| | Abate thy rage, great duke! | |
| | Good bawcock, bate thy rage; use lenity, sweet chuck! | |
| NYM | These be good humours! your honour wins bad humours. | 25 |
| | Exeunt all but Boy | |
| Boy | As young as I am, I have observed these three | |
| | swashers. I am boy to them all three: but all they | |
| | three, though they would serve me, could not be man | |
| | to me; for indeed three such antics do not amount to | |
| | a man. For Bardolph, he is white-livered and | 30 |
| | red-faced; by the means whereof a' faces it out, but | |
| | fights not. For Pistol, he hath a killing tongue | |
| | and a quiet sword; by the means whereof a' breaks | |
| | words, and keeps whole weapons. For Nym, he hath | |
| | heard that men of few words are the best men; and | 35 |
| | therefore he scorns to say his prayers, lest a' | |
| | should be thought a coward: but his few bad words | |
| | are matched with as few good deeds; for a' never | |
| | broke any man's head but his own, and that was | |
| | against a post when he was drunk. They will steal | 40 |
| | any thing, and call it purchase. Bardolph stole a | |
| | lute-case, bore it twelve leagues, and sold it for | |
| | three half pence. Nym and Bardolph are sworn | |
| | brothers in filching, and in Calais they stole a | |
| | fire-shovel: I knew by that piece of service the | 45 |
| | men would carry coals. They would have me as | |
| | familiar with men's pockets as their gloves or their | |
| | handkerchers: which makes much against my manhood, | |
| | if I should take from another's pocket to put into | |
| | mine; for it is plain pocketing up of wrongs. I | 50 |
| | must leave them, and seek some better service: | |
| | their villany goes against my weak stomach, and | |
| | therefore I must cast it up. | |
| | Exit | |
| | Re-enter FLUELLEN, GOWER following | |
| GOWER | Captain Fluellen, you must come presently to the | |
| | mines; the Duke of Gloucester would speak with you. | 55 |
| FLUELLEN | To the mines! tell you the duke, it is not so good | |
| | to come to the mines; for, look you, the mines is | |
| | not according to the disciplines of the war: the | |
| | concavities of it is not sufficient; for, look you, | |
| | the athversary, you may discuss unto the duke, look | 60 |
| | you, is digt himself four yard under the | |
| | countermines: by Cheshu, I think a' will plough up | |
| | all, if there is not better directions. | |
| GOWER | The Duke of Gloucester, to whom the order of the | |
| | siege is given, is altogether directed by an | 65 |
| | Irishman, a very valiant gentleman, i' faith. | |
| FLUELLEN | It is Captain Macmorris, is it not? | |
| GOWER | I think it be. | |
| FLUELLEN | By Cheshu, he is an ass, as in the world: I will | |
| | verify as much in his beard: be has no more | 70 |
| | directions in the true disciplines of the wars, look | |
| | you, of the Roman disciplines, than is a puppy-dog. | |
| | Enter MACMORRIS and Captain JAMY | |
| GOWER | Here a' comes; and the Scots captain, Captain Jamy, with him. | |
| FLUELLEN | Captain Jamy is a marvellous falourous gentleman, | |
| | that is certain; and of great expedition and | 75 |
| | knowledge in th' aunchient wars, upon my particular | |
| | knowledge of his directions: by Cheshu, he will | |
| | maintain his argument as well as any military man in | |
| | the world, in the disciplines of the pristine wars | |
| | of the Romans. | 80 |
| JAMY | I say gud-day, Captain Fluellen. | |
| FLUELLEN | God-den to your worship, good Captain James. | |
| GOWER | How now, Captain Macmorris! have you quit the | |
| | mines? have the pioneers given o'er? | |
| MACMORRIS | By Chrish, la! tish ill done: the work ish give | 85 |
| | over, the trompet sound the retreat. By my hand, I | |
| | swear, and my father's soul, the work ish ill done; | |
| | it ish give over: I would have blowed up the town, so | |
| | Chrish save me, la! in an hour: O, tish ill done, | |
| | tish ill done; by my hand, tish ill done! | 90 |
| FLUELLEN | Captain Macmorris, I beseech you now, will you | |
| | voutsafe me, look you, a few disputations with you, | |
| |
as partly touching or concerning the disciplines of | |
| | the war, the Roman wars, in the way of argument, | |
| | look you, and friendly communication; partly to | 95 |
| | satisfy my opinion, and partly for the satisfaction, | |
| | look you, of my mind, as touching the direction of | |
| | the military discipline; that is the point. | |
| JAMY | It sall be vary gud, gud feith, gud captains bath: | |
| | and I sall quit you with gud leve, as I may pick | 100 |
| | occasion; that sall I, marry. | |
| MACMORRIS | It is no time to discourse, so Chrish save me: the | |
| | day is hot, and the weather, and the wars, and the | |
| | king, and the dukes: it is no time to discourse. The | |
| | town is beseeched, and the trumpet call us to the | 105 |
| | breach; and we talk, and, be Chrish, do nothing: | |
| | 'tis shame for us all: so God sa' me, 'tis shame to | |
| | stand still; it is shame, by my hand: and there is | |
| | throats to be cut, and works to be done; and there | |
| | ish nothing done, so Chrish sa' me, la! | 110 |
| JAMY | By the mess, ere theise eyes of mine take themselves | |
| | to slomber, ay'll de gud service, or ay'll lig i' | |
| | the grund for it; ay, or go to death; and ay'll pay | |
| | 't as valourously as I may, that sall I suerly do, | |
| | that is the breff and the long. Marry, I wad full | 115 |
| | fain hear some question 'tween you tway. | |
| FLUELLEN | Captain Macmorris, I think, look you, under your | |
| | correction, there is not many of your nation-- | |
| MACMORRIS | Of my nation! What ish my nation? Ish a villain, | |
| | and a bastard, and a knave, and a rascal. What ish | 120 |
| | my nation? Who talks of my nation? | |
| FLUELLEN | Look you, if you take the matter otherwise than is | |
| | meant, Captain Macmorris, peradventure I shall think | |
| | you do not use me with that affability as in | |
| | discretion you ought to use me, look you: being as | 125 |
| | good a man as yourself, both in the disciplines of | |
| | war, and in the derivation of my birth, and in | |
| | other particularities. | |
| MACMORRIS | I do not know you so good a man as myself: so | |
| | Chrish save me, I will cut off your head. | 130 |
| GOWER | Gentlemen both, you will mistake each other. | |
| JAMY | A! that's a foul fault. | |
| | A parley sounded | |
| GOWER | The town sounds a parley. | |
| FLUELLEN | Captain Macmorris, when there is more better | |
| | opportunity to be required, look you, I will be so | 135 |
| | bold as to tell you I know the disciplines of war; | |
| | and there is an end. | |
| | Exeunt | |
