Famous Victories of Henry V
Scene 1* Video Sc. 1*
Enter* the young Prince Henry, Ned, and Tom.1.Sp7Prince Henry
1.Sp11Prince Henry
1.Sp12Jockey
1.Sp15Prince Henry
1.Sp16Jockey
Faith, my lord, they are hard by, but the best is, we are a-horseback and they be
afoot, so we may escape them.
1.Sp17Prince Henry
Well, if the
villains come, let me alone with them. But tell me, Jockey, how much got’st thou from the knaves? For I am sure I got something, for one of the villains so belammed* me about the shoulders as I shall feel it this month.
villains come, let me alone with them. But tell me, Jockey, how much got’st thou from the knaves? For I am sure I got something, for one of the villains so belammed* me about the shoulders as I shall feel it this month.1.Sp19Prince Henry
They hide the booty.A hundred pound! Now, bravely* spoken, Jockey. But come, sirs, lay all your money before me. They place* their booty at his feet.
Now, by heaven, here is a brave show! But, as I am true gentleman, I will have the half of this spent tonight*. But, sirs, take up your bags. Here come the receivers. Let me alone.
Now, by heaven, here is a brave show! But, as I am true gentleman, I will have the half of this spent tonight*. But, sirs, take up your bags. Here come the receivers. Let me alone.
Enter two Receivers*.
1.Sp201 Receiver
Alas, good fellow, what shall we do? I dare never go home to the court, for I shall
be hanged. But look, here is the young prince. What shall we do?
is the young prince. What shall we do?1.Sp321 Receiver
1.Sp33Prince Henry
1.Sp341 Receiver
If it please you, there were four of them, and there was one about the bigness of
you, but I am sure I so belammed him* about the shoulders that he will feel it this month.
1.Sp35Prince Henry
The Receivers kneel.Gog’s wounds, you lammed them fairly—so that they have carried away your money*!
To Ned, Tom, and Jockey But come, sirs, what shall we do with the villains?
1.Sp38Prince Henry
Exeunt Receivers.
Well, stand up and get you gone. And look that you speak not a word of it, for if there be, zounds, I’ll hang you and all your kin.
, I’ll hang you and all your kin.
1.Sp39Prince Henry
1.Sp41Prince Henry
Our hostess at Feversham? Blood, what shall we do there? We have a thousand pound about us, and
we shall go to a petty alehouse? No, no. You know the old tavern* in Eastcheap*? There is good wine. Besides, there is a pretty wench* that can talk well, for I delight as much in their tongues* as any part about them.
at Feversham? Blood, what shall we do there? We have a thousand pound about us, and
we shall go to a petty alehouse? No, no. You know the old tavern* in Eastcheap*? There is good wine. Besides, there is a pretty wench* that can talk well, for I delight as much in their tongues* as any part about them.1.Sp43Prince Henry
Exeunt Prince Henry, Ned, Tom, and Jockey.
Scene 2* Video Sc. 2*
Enter John* Cobbler, Robin Pewterer, Lawrence Costermonger*.2.Sp3John
2.Sp4Robin
Exit Robin.
Marry, well, neighbors. I care not much if I go to Pudding Lane’s end. But, neighbors, an you hear any ado about me, make haste. And if I hear any ado about you, I will come
to you.
to Pudding Lane’s end. But, neighbors, an you hear any ado about me, make haste. And if I hear any ado about you, I will come
to you.2.Sp6John
2.Sp8John
Ay, and I hear say, if he use it long, his father will cut him off from the crown. But, neighbor,
say nothing of that.
, and I hear say, if he use it long, his father will cut him off from the crown. But, neighbor,
say nothing of that.2.Sp10John
John and Lawrence lie down and sleep.Neighbor, methinks you begin to sleep*. If you will, we will sit down, for I think it is about midnight.
Enter Derrick roving*.
Exit Derrick.
Enter Robin.
Enter Derrick again.
John seizes Derrick.
2.Sp20Derrick
Derrick draws his sword*.
2.Sp27John
Derrick sheathes his sword.Nay, but hear ye, sir. You seem to be an honest fellow, and we are poor men, and now
’tis night, and we would be loth to have anything ado. Therefore, I pray thee, put it up.
2.Sp28Derrick
Enter the Thief Cutbert CutterFirst, thou sayest true, I am an honest fellow—and a proper*, handsome fellow too—and you seem to be poor men. Therefore I care not greatly; nay,
I am quickly pacified. But, an you chance to spy the thief, I pray you lay hold on him.
you chance to spy the thief, I pray you lay hold on him.*.
2.Sp32Cutbert Cutter
Cutbert draws his sword.Here is a good fellow*. I pray you, which is the way to the old tavern in Eastcheap?
2.Sp37Derrick
John, Robin, and Lawrence seize Cutbert.Masters—villain!—an ye be men, stand to him and take his weapon from him. Let him not pass you.
ye be men, stand to him and take his weapon from him. Let him not pass you.
2.Sp41Cutbert Cutter
Enter the Vintner’s* Boy.
Why, what do you mean to do with me? Zounds, I am one of the king’s liege people*.
, I am one of the king’s liege people*.2.Sp54Boy
Why, this night about two hours ago*, there came the young prince and three or four more of his companions and called
for wine good store, and then they sent for a noise* of musicians and were very merry for the space of an hour. Then, whether their music
liked them not or whether they had drunk too much wine or no, I cannot tell, but
our pots* flew against the walls, and then they drew their swords and went into the street
and fought, and some took one part and some took another, but for the space of half
an hour there was such a bloody fray* as passeth, and none could part them until such time as the mayor* and sheriff* were sent for, and then at the last with much ado they took them, and so the young prince was carried to the Counter.
And then about one hour after, there came a messenger from the court in all haste
from the king for my lord mayor and the sheriff, but for what cause I know not.
and sheriff* were sent for, and then at the last with much ado they took them, and so the young prince was carried to the Counter.
And then about one hour after, there came a messenger from the court in all haste
from the king for my lord mayor and the sheriff, but for what cause I know not.2.Sp56Lawrence
Marry, neighbor, this news is strange indeed. I think it best, neighbor, to rid our
hands of this fellow first.
2.Sp62Derrick
Exeunt.Ay, marry will I, I’ll be very charitable to thee, for I will never leave thee ’til
I see thee on the gallows.
, marry will I, I’ll be very charitable to thee, for I will never leave thee ’til
I see thee on the gallows.
Scene 3* Video Sc. 3*
Enter Henry the Fourth with the Earl of Exeter* and the Lord of Oxford*.3.Sp1Oxford
An’t please your majesty, here is my lord mayor and the sheriff of London to speak with
your majesty.
please your majesty, here is my lord mayor and the sheriff of London to speak with
your majesty.3.Sp2Henry IV*
Admit them to our presence.
(Enter the Mayor and the Sheriff.)
Now, my good lord mayor of London, the cause of my sending for you at this time is
to tell you of a matter which I have learned of my council. Herein I understand that
you have committed my son to prison without our leave and licence. What, although
he be a rude youth and likely to give occasion, yet you might have considered that
he is a prince, and my son, and not to be haled to prison by every subject*.
and the Sheriff.)
Now, my good lord mayor of London, the cause of my sending for you at this time is
to tell you of a matter which I have learned of my council. Herein I understand that
you have committed my son to prison without our leave and licence. What, although
he be a rude youth and likely to give occasion, yet you might have considered that
he is a prince, and my son, and not to be haled to prison by every subject*.3.Sp4Henry IV
Or else, God forbid, otherwise you might think me an unequal* judge, having more affection to my son than to any rightful judgment.
to any rightful judgment.3.Sp5Lord Mayor
Then I do not doubt but we shall rather deserve commendations at your majesty’s hands
than any anger.
any anger.3.Sp7Lord Mayor
Exit Mayor* with SheriffThen, if it please your majesty, this night betwixt two and three of the clock in
the morning, my lord the young prince with a very disordered company came to the old
tavern in Eastcheap, and whether it was that their music liked them not* or whether they were overcome with wine, I know not, but they drew their swords, and
into the street they went, and some took my lord the young prince’s part and some
took the other, but betwixt them there was such a bloody fray* for the space of half an hour that neither watchmen nor any other could stay them* ’til my brother* the sheriff of London and I were sent for, and at the last with much ado we stayed
them, but it was long first, which was a great disquieting to all your loving subjects
thereabouts. And then, my good lord, we knew not whether your grace had sent them to try* us, whether we would do justice, or whether it were of their own voluntary will or
not, we cannot tell*. And therefore in such a case we knew not what to do, but for our own safeguard we
sent him to ward*, where he wanteth* nothing that is fit for his grace and your majesty’s son. And thus most humbly beseeching
your majesty to think of our answer*.
’til my brother* the sheriff of London and I were sent for, and at the last with much ado we stayed
them, but it was long first, which was a great disquieting to all your loving subjects
thereabouts. And then, my good lord, we knew not whether your grace had sent them to try* us, whether we would do justice, or whether it were of their own voluntary will or
not, we cannot tell*. And therefore in such a case we knew not what to do, but for our own safeguard we
sent him to ward*, where he wanteth* nothing that is fit for his grace and your majesty’s son. And thus most humbly beseeching
your majesty to think of our answer*..
3.Sp9Henry IV
Ah, Harry, Harry, now thrice-accursed Harry, that hath gotten a son which with grief
will end his father’s days.* O my son, a prince thou art, ay, a prince indeed—and to deserve imprisonment! And well have they done, and like faithful subjects.
To Exeter and Oxford Discharge them and let them go.
, a prince indeed—and to deserve imprisonment! And well have they done, and like faithful subjects.
To Exeter and Oxford Discharge them and let them go.3.Sp13Henry IV
ExeuntNo, they have done like faithful subjects. I will go myself to discharge them and let them go.
.
Scene 4* Video Sc. 4*
Enter Lord Chief Justice*, Clerk of the Office*, Jailor with several Officers, John Cobbler, Derrick, and the Thief Cutbert Cutter.
4.Sp9Derrick
Zounds, an you do but send to the next jail, we are sure to know his name, for this is not the
first prison he hath been in, I’ll warrant you.
, an you do but send to the next jail, we are sure to know his name, for this is not the
first prison he hath been in, I’ll warrant you.4.Sp14Clerk
Why then, Cutbert Cutter, I indict thee by the name of Cutbert Cutter for robbing
a poor carrier the twentieth day of May last past, in the fourteenth year of the reign of our sovereign* lord King Henry the Fourth, for setting upon a poor carrier upon Gad’s Hill in Kent, and having beaten and wounded
the said carrier, and taken his goods from him.*
day of May last past, in the fourteenth year of the reign of our sovereign* lord King Henry the Fourth, for setting upon a poor carrier upon Gad’s Hill in Kent, and having beaten and wounded
the said carrier, and taken his goods from him.*4.Sp15Derrick
Enter the young Prince* Henry, with Ned and Tom.
4.Sp20Prince Henry
Come away, my lads. To Cutbert Cutter Gog’s wounds, ye villain, what make you here? I must go about my business myself,
and you must stand loitering here?
Gog’s wounds, ye villain, what make you here? I must go about my business myself,
and you must stand loitering here?4.Sp24Prince Henry
4.Sp31Derrick
Hear you, sir. Is it your man’s quality* to rob folks in jest? In faith, he shall be hanged in earnest.
4.Sp33Lord Chief Justice
An’t please your grace, the law must pass on him according to justice; then he must be
executed.
please your grace, the law must pass on him according to justice; then he must be
executed.4.Sp34Derrick
Hear you, sir*, I pray you. Is it your man’s quality to rob folks in jest? In faith, he shall be
hanged in jest.
4.Sp36Lord Chief Justice
An’t please your grace, the law must pass on him according to justice; then he must be executed.
please your grace, the law must pass on him according to justice; then he must be executed.4.Sp40Lord Chief Justice
He giveth him a box on the ear*.
Ned draws his sword.An’t please your grace, you are my lord the young prince, our king that shall be after
the decease of our sovereign lord, King Henry the Fourth, whom God grant long to reign.
please your grace, you are my lord the young prince, our king that shall be after
the decease of our sovereign lord, King Henry the Fourth, whom God grant long to reign.
4.Sp53Prince Henry
Exeunt Ned and Tom*No, I charge you, draw not your swords, but get you hence—provide a noise of musicians.
Away, begone!
.
4.Sp58Lord Chief Justice
ExitYour grace hath said truth. Therefore in striking me in this place you greatly abuse
me, and not me only but also your father, whose lively* person here in this place I do represent. And therefore, to teach you what prerogatives* mean, I commit you to the Fleet* until we have spoken with your father.*
Prince Henry with the Officers.
Exeunt* Lord Chief Justice, Clerk of the Office, John Cobbler, Derrick, and Cutbert Cutter
with Jailor
Scene 5* Video Sc. 5*
Enter Derrick and John* Cobbler.5.Sp1Derrick
Zounds, masters*, here’s ado, when princes must go to prison! Why, John, didst ever see the like?
, masters*, here’s ado, when princes must go to prison! Why, John, didst ever see the like?5.Sp3Derrick
5.Sp5Derrick
John sits in the lord chief justice’s chairFaith, John, I’ll tell thee what. Thou shalt be my lord chief justice, and thou shalt sit in the chair,* and I’ll be the young prince and hit thee a box on the ear, and then thou shalt say,
“to teach you what prerogatives mean, I commit you to the Fleet”.
.
5.Sp17Derrick
Why, then, take you that ’til more come. Derrick gives John a box on the ear
Zounds, shall I not have him?
Zounds, shall I not have him?5.Sp25Derrick
Well, I will go, but, i’faith, you grey-beard knave, I’ll course* you.
(Exit and straight* enters again.)
O John, come, come out of thy chair! Why, what a clown wert thou to let me hit thee a box on the ear, and now thou seest they will not take me to the Fleet! I think that thou art one of these workaday clowns.
clowns.5.Sp31Derrick
5.Sp32John
A capon! Why, man, I cannot get a capon once a year, except it be at Christmas at
some other man’s house, for we cobblers be glad of a dish of roots.
5.Sp34John
But, Derrick,
Though we be so poor,
,Yet will we have in store
A crab* in the fire,
With nut-brown ale,
That is full stale*,
Which will a man quail*,
And lay in the mire!
5.Sp35Derrick
Exeunt.
A bots on you! An’t be but for your ale, I’ll dwell with you. Come, let’s away as fast as we can.
be but for your ale, I’ll dwell with you. Come, let’s away as fast as we can.Scene 6* Video Sc. 6*
Enter the young Prince Henry with Ned and Tom.6.Sp1Prince Henry
Enter Sir John Oldcastle JockeyCome away*, sirs. Gog’s wounds, Ned, didst thou not see what a box on the ear I took my Lord Chief Justice?
.
6.Sp5Prince Henry
To visit me! Didst thou not know that I am a prince’s son? Why, ’tis enough for me
to look into a prison, though I come not in myself. But here’s such ado nowadays,
here’s prisoning, here’s hanging, whipping, and the devil and all! But I tell you,
sirs, when I am king we will have no such things.* But, my lads, if the old king my father were dead, we would be all kings*.
6.Sp7Prince Henry
But, Ned, so soon as I am king, the first thing I will do shall be to put my Lord
Chief Justice out of office, and thou shalt be my lord chief justice* of England.
6.Sp8Ned
Shall I be lord chief justice? By Gog’s wounds, I’ll be the bravest lord chief justice
that ever was in England!
6.Sp9Prince Henry
Then, Ned, I’ll turn all these prisons into fence* schools, and I will endow thee with them, with lands to maintain them withal. Then I will have a bout with my Lord Chief Justice! Thou shalt hang none but pick-purses and horse-stealers,
and such base-minded villains. But that fellow that will stand by the highway side courageously* with his sword and buckler* and take a purse, that fellow give him commendations; besides that, send him to me
and I will give him an annual pension out of my exchequer to maintain him all the
days of his life.
Then I will have a bout with my Lord Chief Justice! Thou shalt hang none but pick-purses and horse-stealers,
and such base-minded villains. But that fellow that will stand by the highway side courageously* with his sword and buckler* and take a purse, that fellow give him commendations; besides that, send him to me
and I will give him an annual pension out of my exchequer to maintain him all the
days of his life.6.Sp14Prince Henry
6.Sp16Prince Henry
Cloak, eyelet-holes, needles*, and all was of mine own devising, and therefore I will wear it.
6.Sp20Prince Henry
They knock at a gate*.
Enter Porter.
Ned draws his sword.
6.Sp28Prince Henry
Exit Porter.No, no. Though I would help you in other places, yet I have nothing to do here. What, you
are in my father’s court!*
6.Sp29Ned
The trumpet sounds.
Enter the King* Henry IV with the Lord of Exeter.
6.Sp31Henry IV
He weepeth. EnterAnd is it true, my lord, that my son is already sent to the Fleet? Now truly that
man is more fitter to rule the realm than I, for by no means could I rule my son, and he* by one word hath caused him* to be ruled. O my son, my son, no sooner out of one prison but into another! I had
thought, once, while I had lived to have seen this noble realm of England flourish
by thee, my son, but now I see it goes to ruin and decay.
I, for by no means could I rule my son, and he* by one word hath caused him* to be ruled. O my son, my son, no sooner out of one prison but into another! I had
thought, once, while I had lived to have seen this noble realm of England flourish
by thee, my son, but now I see it goes to ruin and decay. the Lord of Oxford.
6.Sp32Oxford
Oxfordgoeth*An please your grace, here is my lord your son, that cometh to speak with you. He sayeth
he must and will speak with you.
please your grace, here is my lord your son, that cometh to speak with you. He sayeth
he must and will speak with you. across the stage to address Prince Henry.
6.Sp41Prince Henry
Exeunt Knights* Ned, Tom, and Jockey.
The Prince crosses the stage to Henry IV with a dagger in his hand*.
6.Sp44Henry IV
He weeps.
Come, my son, come on in God’s name!* I know wherefore thy coming is. O my son, my son, what cause hath ever been, that
thou shouldst forsake me and follow this vile and reprobate* company which abuseth youth* so manifestly*? O my son, thou knowest that these thy doings will end thy father’s days.
(He weeps.)
Ay, so, so, my son, thou fearest not to approach the presence of thy sick father in
that disguised sort. I tell thee, my son, that there is never a needle in thy cloak
but it is a prick to my heart, and never an eyelet-hole but it is a hole to my soul,
and wherefore thou bringest that dagger in thy hand I know not but by conjecture.
God’s name!* I know wherefore thy coming is. O my son, my son, what cause hath ever been, that
thou shouldst forsake me and follow this vile and reprobate* company which abuseth youth* so manifestly*? O my son, thou knowest that these thy doings will end thy father’s days.
(He weeps.)
Ay, so, so, my son, thou fearest not to approach the presence of thy sick father in
that disguised sort. I tell thee, my son, that there is never a needle in thy cloak
but it is a prick to my heart, and never an eyelet-hole but it is a hole to my soul,
and wherefore thou bringest that dagger in thy hand I know not but by conjecture.6.Sp45Prince Henry
Exit Prince Henry.
Enter Prince Henry
Aside My conscience accuseth me. To Henry IV Most sovereign lord and well-beloved father, to answer first to the last point. That
is, whereas you conjecture that this hand and this
dagger shall be armed against your life,* no, know, my beloved father, far be the thoughts of your son—“son”, said I? An unworthy
son for so good a father—but far be the thoughts of any such pretended* mischief, and I most humbly render it to your majesty’s hand.*Prince Henry gives Henry IV the dagger. And live, my lord and sovereign, forever and with your dagger arm show like vengeance
upon the body of that “your son”, I was about to say and dare not, ah woe is me!—therefore, that your wild slave. ’Tis not the crown that
I come for, sweet father, because I am unworthy, and those vile and reprobate companions I abandon and utterly abolish* their company forever. Pardon, sweet father, pardon: the least thing and most desired. And this ruffianly cloak I here tear from my back and sacrifice it to the devil, which is master of all mischief*. Pardon me, sweet father, pardon me. Good my lord of Exeter, speak for me. Pardon
me, pardon, good father. Not a word? Ah, he will not speak one word. Ah, Harry, now thrice unhappy Harry! But what shall
I do? I will go take me into some solitary place and there lament my sinful life*, and when I have done I will lay me down and die.*
My conscience accuseth me. To Henry IV Most sovereign lord and well-beloved father, to answer first to the last point. That
is, whereas you conjecture that this hand and this
dagger shall be armed against your life,* no, know, my beloved father, far be the thoughts of your son—“son”, said I? An unworthy
son for so good a father—but far be the thoughts of any such pretended* mischief, and I most humbly render it to your majesty’s hand.*Prince Henry gives Henry IV the dagger. And live, my lord and sovereign, forever and with your dagger arm show like vengeance
upon the body of that “your son”, I was about to say and dare not, ah woe is me!—therefore, that your wild slave. ’Tis not the crown that
I come for, sweet father, because I am unworthy, and those vile and reprobate companions I abandon and utterly abolish* their company forever. Pardon, sweet father, pardon: the least thing and most desired. And this ruffianly cloak I here tear from my back and sacrifice it to the devil, which is master of all mischief*. Pardon me, sweet father, pardon me. Good my lord of Exeter, speak for me. Pardon
me, pardon, good father. Not a word? Ah, he will not speak one word. Ah, Harry, now thrice unhappy Harry! But what shall
I do? I will go take me into some solitary place and there lament my sinful life*, and when I have done I will lay me down and die.*.
6.Sp47Prince Henry
Prince Henry kneels.And doth my father call me again? Now, Harry, happy be the time that thy father calleth
thee again.
6.Sp48Henry IV
Prince Henry rises.Stand up, my son, and do not think thy father but at the request of thee, my son,
I will pardon thee. And God bless thee and make thee his servant.
6.Sp49Prince Henry
Exeunt omnes.
Thanks, good my lord, and no doubt but this day, even this day, I am born new again*.
Scene 7* Video Sc.7*
Enter Derrick.7.Sp1Derrick
Enter John Cobbler running*.
Shouts to offstage Thou art a stinking whore, and a whoreson stinking whore! Dost think I’ll take it at thy hands?
Thou art a stinking whore, and a whoreson stinking whore! Dost think I’ll take it at thy hands?7.Sp2John
7.Sp7Derrick
7.Sp8John
Hearest a, Derrick, is this the matter? Nay, an it be no worse, we will go home again, and all shall be amended.
, Derrick, is this the matter? Nay, an it be no worse, we will go home again, and all shall be amended.Scene 8*; Video Sc. 8*
Enter the King with his Lords Exeter and Oxford.8.Sp1Henry IV
Come, my lords, I see it boots* me not to take any physic*, for all the physicians in the world cannot cure me, no not one. But good my lords,
remember my last will and testament* concerning my son, for truly, my lords, I do not think but he will prove as valiant
and victorious a king as ever reigned in England.
8.Sp2Exeter, and Oxford
Let heaven and earth be witness between us, if we accomplish not thy will to the uttermost.
8.Sp3Henry IV
Exeunt Lords Exeter and Oxford.
Music plays*, and he sleepeth. Enter the Prince.
8.Sp4Prince Henry
Exit Prince Henry, with Henry IV’s crown.*
Enter Lords of Exeter and Oxford.
Ah Harry, thrice-unhappy, that hath neglect so long from visiting of thy sick father.
I will go*. Nay, but why do I not go to the chamber of my sick father to comfort the melancholy
soul of his body? “His soul”, said I? Here is his body indeed, but his soul is whereas* it needs no body. Now thrice-accursed Harry, that hath offended thy father so much,
and could not I crave pardon for all! O my dying* father, cursed be the day wherein* I was born, and accursed be the hour wherein I was begotten*! But what shall I do? If weeping tears which come too late may suffice* the negligence neglected to some, I will weep day and night until the fountain be
dry with weeping.
, but his soul is whereas* it needs no body. Now thrice-accursed Harry, that hath offended thy father so much,
and could not I crave pardon for all! O my dying* father, cursed be the day wherein* I was born, and accursed be the hour wherein I was begotten*! But what shall I do? If weeping tears which come too late may suffice* the negligence neglected to some, I will weep day and night until the fountain be
dry with weeping.8.Sp8Henry IV
Somewhat better after my sleep. But, good my lords, take off my crown, remove my chair* a little back, and set me right.
8.Sp10Henry IV
Enter Lord of Oxford with the Prince holding the crown.*
8.Sp12Henry IV
Why, how now, my son? I had thought the last time I had you in schooling I had given
you a lesson for all, and do you now begin again? Why tell me, my son, dost thou think
the time so long that thou wouldst have it before the breath be out of my mouth?*
8.Sp13Prince Henry
Prince Henry gives Henry IV the crown and kneels before him.Most sovereign lord and well-beloved father*, I came into your chamber to comfort the melancholy soul of your body, and finding
you at that time past all recovery and dead, to my thinking, God is my witness, and
what should I do but with weeping tears lament the death of you, my father? And after
that, seeing the crown, I took it. And tell me, my father, who might better take it
than I after your death? But, seeing you live, I most humbly render it into your majesty’s
hands, and the happiest man alive that my father live. And live, my lord and father,
forever.
I after your death? But, seeing you live, I most humbly render it into your majesty’s
hands, and the happiest man alive that my father live. And live, my lord and father,
forever.
8.Sp14Henry IV
Stand up, my son. Thine answer hath sounded well in mine ears, for I must needs confess that I was in a very sound sleep and altogether unmindful* of thy coming. But come near, my son, and let me put thee in possession whilst I
live, that none deprive thee of it after my death.
confess that I was in a very sound sleep and altogether unmindful* of thy coming. But come near, my son, and let me put thee in possession whilst I
live, that none deprive thee of it after my death.8.Sp15Prince Henry
He Prince Henry taketh the crown.
Well may I take it at your majesty’s hands, but it shall never touch my head so long
as my father lives.
8.Sp16Henry IV
God give thee joy, my son. God bless thee and make thee His servant and send thee
a prosperous reign, for God knows, my son, how hardly I came by it and how hardly I have maintained it*.
8.Sp17Prince Henry
8.Sp18Henry IV
Nobly spoken, and like a king. Now trust me, my lords, I fear not but my son will be as warlike and victorious
a prince as ever reigned in England.
8.Sp20Henry IV
Exeter, Oxford, and Prince Henry draw the curtains.Well, my lords, I know not whether it be for sleep or drawing near of drowsy summer
of death, but I am very much given to sleep. Therefore, good my lords and my son,
draw the curtains, depart my chamber, and cause some music to rock me asleep.
Music plays.
Exeunt omnes Exeter, Oxford, and Prince Henry.
The King dieth*.
Scene 9* Video Sc. 9*
Enter the Thief Cutbert Cutter.9.Sp1Cutbert Cutter
Enter Knights Tom, Jockey, and Ned ranging*.
Ah God*, I am now much like to a bird which hath escaped out of the cage, for so soon as
my Lord Chief Justice heard that the old king was dead, he was glad to let me go, for fear of my lord the
young prince. But here comes some of his companions. I will see an I can get anything of them, for old acquaintance.
heard that the old king was dead, he was glad to let me go, for fear of my lord the
young prince. But here comes some of his companions. I will see an I can get anything of them, for old acquaintance.9.Sp9Tom
Gog’s blood, dost think that he will have any such scabbed* knave as thou art? What, man, he is a king now.
9.Sp10Ned
Exit Thief Cutbert Cutter.
Hold thee, here’s a couple of angels* for thee, and get thee gone, for the king will not be long before he come this way.
And hereafter I will tell the king of thee.
9.Sp11Jockey
Oh, how it did me good to see the king when he was crowned*! Methought his seat was like the figure of heaven and his person like unto a god.
9.Sp13Jockey
9.Sp14Tom
The trumpet sounds.
Enter the King Henry V with the Archbishop of Canterbury*, and the Lord of Oxford.
But ’twas but a little to make the people believe that he was sorry for his father’s
death.
9.Sp17Ned
How now, Harry? Tut, my lord, put away these dumps*. You are a king, and all the realm is yours. What, man, do you not remember the old
sayings? You know I must be lord chief justice of England. Trust me, my lord, methinks
you are very much changed, and ’tis but with a little sorrowing to make folks believe
the death of your father grieves you, and ’tis nothing so.
9.Sp18Henry V
9.Sp21Henry V
Ah, Tom, your former life grieves me and makes me to abandon and abolish your company
forever,* and therefore not upon pain of death to approach my presence by ten miles’ space.
Then, if I hear well of you, it may be I will do somewhat for you; otherwise, look
for no more favor at my hands than at any other man’s. And therefore be gone. We have other matters to talk on.
(Exeunt Knights Tom, Ned, and Jockey.)
Now, my good lord archbishop of Canterbury, what say you to our embassage into France?
at any other man’s. And therefore be gone. We have other matters to talk on.
(Exeunt Knights Tom, Ned, and Jockey.)
Now, my good lord archbishop of Canterbury, what say you to our embassage into France?9.Sp22Canterbury
Your right to the French crown of France* came by your great-grandmother Isabel*, wife to King Edward the Third* and sister to Charles the French king*. Now, if the French king deny it, as likely enough he will, then must you take your sword in hand and conquer the right. Let the usurped Frenchman* know, although your predecessors have let it pass, you will not, for your countrymen
are willing with purse and men to aid you. Then, my good lord, as it hath been always
known that Scotland hath been in league with France* by a sort of pensions* which yearly come from thence, I think it therefore best to conquer Scotland, and
then I think that you may go more easily into France. And this is all that I can say,
my good lord.
will, then must you take your sword in hand and conquer the right. Let the usurped Frenchman* know, although your predecessors have let it pass, you will not, for your countrymen
are willing with purse and men to aid you. Then, my good lord, as it hath been always
known that Scotland hath been in league with France* by a sort of pensions* which yearly come from thence, I think it therefore best to conquer Scotland, and
then I think that you may go more easily into France. And this is all that I can say,
my good lord.9.Sp23Henry V
I thank you*, my good lord archbishop of Canterbury. What say you, my good lord of Oxford?
9.Sp24Oxford
Enter Lord of Exeter.
An please your majesty, I agree to my lord archbishop, saving in this: he that will Scotland win must first with France begin, according to the old saying.* Therefore, my good lord, I think it best first to invade France, for in conquering
Scotland you conquer but one; an conquer France and conquer both.
please your majesty, I agree to my lord archbishop, saving in this: he that will Scotland win must first with France begin, according to the old saying.* Therefore, my good lord, I think it best first to invade France, for in conquering
Scotland you conquer but one; an conquer France and conquer both.9.Sp26Henry V
Enter Duke of York*.
Now trust me, my lord, he was the last man that we talked of. I am glad that he is
come to resolve us of our answer. Commit* him to our presence.
9.Sp29York
9.Sp30Henry V
Commit my lord archbishop of Bruges into our presence.
(Enter Archbishop of Bruges*.)
Now, my lord archbishop of Bruges, we do learn by our lord ambassador that you have our message to do from our brother
the French king. Here, my good lord, according to our accustomed order, we give you
free liberty and licence to speak with good audience*.
into our presence.
(Enter Archbishop of Bruges*.)
Now, my lord archbishop of Bruges, we do learn by our lord ambassador that you have our message to do from our brother
the French king. Here, my good lord, according to our accustomed order, we give you
free liberty and licence to speak with good audience*.9.Sp31Bruges
God save the mighty king of England. My lord and master, the most Christian king,
Charles the Sixth*, the great and mighty king of France, as a most noble and Christian king, not minding to shed innocent blood, is rather content to yield somewhat to your unreasonable
demands,* that if fifty thousand crowns a year with his daughter, the said Lady Katherine, in marriage, and some crowns which he may well spare, not hurting of his kingdom*, he is content to yield so far to your unreasonable desire.
, the great and mighty king of France, as a most noble and Christian king, not minding to shed innocent blood, is rather content to yield somewhat to your unreasonable
demands,* that if fifty thousand crowns a year with his daughter, the said Lady Katherine, in marriage, and some crowns which he may well spare, not hurting of his kingdom*, he is content to yield so far to your unreasonable desire.9.Sp32Henry V
He delivereth a tun* of tennis balls*.
9.Sp36Henry V
A tun of tennis balls? I pray you, good my lord archbishop, what might the meaning
thereof be?
9.Sp37Bruges
An it please you, my lord, a messenger, you know, ought to keep close* his message, and specially an ambassador.
it please you, my lord, a messenger, you know, ought to keep close* his message, and specially an ambassador.9.Sp38Henry V
But I know that you may declare your message to a king. The law of arms* allows no less.
9.Sp39Bruges
My lord, hearing of your wildness before your father’s death, sent you this, my good
lord, meaning that you are more fitter for a tennis court than a field and more fitter for a carpet than the camp.*
a field and more fitter for a carpet than the camp.*9.Sp40Henry V
My lord Prince Dauphin is very pleasant* with me. But tell him that instead of balls of leather we will toss him balls of brass and
iron,* yea, such balls as never were tossed in France. The proudest tennis court shall rue* it; ay, and thou, prince of Bruges, shall rue it. Therefore get thee hence and tell him
thy message quickly, lest I be there before thee. Away, priest, be gone.
with me. But tell him that instead of balls of leather we will toss him balls of brass and
iron,* yea, such balls as never were tossed in France. The proudest tennis court shall rue* it; ay, and thou, prince of Bruges, shall rue it. Therefore get thee hence and tell him
thy message quickly, lest I be there before thee. Away, priest, be gone.9.Sp42Henry V
EnterPriest of Bruges, know that the hand and seal of a king, and his word is all one*, and instead of my hand and seal I will bring him my hand and sword. And tell thy
lord and master that I, Harry of England*, said it and I, Harry of England, will perform it. My lord of York, deliver him our
safe conduct under our broad seal manual.
(Exeunt Archbishop of Bruges, and the Duke of York.)
Now, my lords, to arms, to arms, for I vow by heaven and earth that the proudest Frenchman
in all France shall rue the time that ever these tennis balls were sent into England.
To Exeter* My lord, I will that there be provided a great navy of ships with all speed at Southampton*, for there I mean to ship my men, for I would be there before him, if it were possible. Therefore come*—but stay, I had almost forgot the chiefest thing of all, with chafing* with this French ambassador. Call in my Lord Chief Justice of England*.
.
(Exeunt Archbishop of Bruges, and the Duke of York.)
Now, my lords, to arms, to arms, for I vow by heaven and earth that the proudest Frenchman
in all France shall rue the time that ever these tennis balls were sent into England.
To Exeter* My lord, I will that there be provided a great navy of ships with all speed at Southampton*, for there I mean to ship my men, for I would be there before him, if it were possible. Therefore come*—but stay, I had almost forgot the chiefest thing of all, with chafing* with this French ambassador. Call in my Lord Chief Justice of England*. Lord Chief Justice of England.
9.Sp51Henry V
Ay, truly my lord, and for revengement* I have chosen you to be my protector over my realm until it shall please God to give
me speedy return out of France.
, truly my lord, and for revengement* I have chosen you to be my protector over my realm until it shall please God to give
me speedy return out of France.9.Sp53Henry V
Exeunt omnes.Tut, my lord, you are not unworthy, because I think you worthy. For you that would
not spare me, I think, will not spare another. It must needs be so, and, therefore,
come, let us be gone and get our men in a readiness*.
Scene 10*; Video Sc. 10*
Enter a Captain, John Cobbler, and his Wife*.10.Sp10John
He weepeth. EnterOh, wife*, an you had been a loving wife to me, this had not been, for I have said many times that
I would go away, and now I must go against my will.
you had been a loving wife to me, this had not been, for I have said many times that
I would go away, and now I must go against my will. Derrick* with a pot lid for a shield.
10.Sp11Derrick
10.Sp12Wife
She beateth him* with her pot lid.
10.Sp13Derrick
She beateth him.
Oh, good dame!(Here he shakes her.)
An I had my dagger here, I would worry* you all to pieces, that I would.
.)
An I had my dagger here, I would worry* you all to pieces, that I would.10.Sp15Derrick
Master Captain, will ye suffer her? Go to, dame! I will go back as far as I can, but,
an you come again, I’ll clap the law on your back, that’s flat. I’ll tell you, Master
Captain, what you shall do. Press* her for a soldier. I warrant you, she will do as much good as her husband and I too.
(Enter the Thief Cutbert Cutter.)
Zounds, who comes yonder?
you come again, I’ll clap the law on your back, that’s flat. I’ll tell you, Master
Captain, what you shall do. Press* her for a soldier. I warrant you, she will do as much good as her husband and I too.
(Enter the Thief Cutbert Cutter.)
Zounds, who comes yonder?10.Sp25Derrick
They embrace tearfully*Marry, I have brought two shirts with me, and I would carry one of them home again,
for I am sure he’ll steal it from me, he is such a filching fellow.
.
10.Sp30Derrick
Exeunt omnes*.
Fie, what a kissing and crying* is here!
To Wife Zounds, do ye think he will never come again?
To John Why, John, come away! Dost think that we are so base-minded to die among Frenchmen?
Zounds, we know not whether they will lay us in their church or no. Come, Master Captain, let’s away.
Zounds, do ye think he will never come again?
To John Why, John, come away! Dost think that we are so base-minded to die among Frenchmen?
Zounds, we know not whether they will lay us in their church or no. Come, Master Captain, let’s away.Scene 11* Video Sc. 11*
Enter the King* Charles VI of France, Prince Dauphin*, and Lord High Constable of France*.
11.Sp2Constable
An it please your majesty, I can say nothing until my lords ambassadors be come home,
but yet methinks your grace hath done well to get your men in so good a readiness
for fear of the worst.
it please your majesty, I can say nothing until my lords ambassadors be come home,
but yet methinks your grace hath done well to get your men in so good a readiness
for fear of the worst.11.Sp3Charles VI*
Ay, my lord, we have some in a readiness, but if the king of England make against us
we must have thrice so many more.
, my lord, we have some in a readiness, but if the king of England make against us
we must have thrice so many more.11.Sp4Dauphin
Tut, my lord, although the king of England be young and wild-headed, yet never think
he will be so unwise to make battle against the mighty king of France.
11.Sp5Charles VI
Enter Archbishop of BrugesOh, my son, although the king of England be young and wild-headed, yet never think
but he is ruled by his wise counselors.
.
11.Sp7Charles VI
Now, my good lord archbishop of Bruges, what news from our brother the English king?
, what news from our brother the English king?11.Sp8Bruges
An please your majesty, he is so far from your expectation that nothing will serve him
but the crown and kingdom itself. Besides, he bade me haste quickly, lest he be there
before me, and, so far as I hear, he hath kept promise, for they say he is already
landed at Kidcocks* in Normandy*, upon the river of Seine, and laid his siege to the garrison town of Harfleur*.
please your majesty, he is so far from your expectation that nothing will serve him
but the crown and kingdom itself. Besides, he bade me haste quickly, lest he be there
before me, and, so far as I hear, he hath kept promise, for they say he is already
landed at Kidcocks* in Normandy*, upon the river of Seine, and laid his siege to the garrison town of Harfleur*.11.Sp11Bruges
Enter
a Messenger.
11.Sp15Messenger
An it please your majesty, I come from your poor distressed town of Harfleur, which
is so beset on every side, if your majesty do not send present aid the town will be
yielded to the English king.
it please your majesty, I come from your poor distressed town of Harfleur, which
is so beset on every side, if your majesty do not send present aid the town will be
yielded to the English king.11.Sp16Charles VI
Come, my lords, come, shall we stand still ’til our country be spoiled under our noses?
My lords, let the Normans, Brabants, Pickardies, and Danes* be sent for with all speed. And you, my lord high constable, I make general over
all my whole army, Monsieur le Cole, Master of the Bows*, Signor Devens*, and all the rest, at your appointment.
, Signor Devens*, and all the rest, at your appointment.11.Sp17Dauphin
I trust your majesty will bestow some part of the battle on me. I hope not to present
any otherwise than well.
well.11.Sp18Charles VI
I tell thee, my son, although I should get the victory, an thou lose thy life, I should think myself quite conquered and the Englishmen to have
the victory.
thou lose thy life, I should think myself quite conquered and the Englishmen to have
the victory.11.Sp19Dauphin
Exeunt omnes.
Why, my lord and father, I would have the petty king of England to know that I dare
encounter him in any ground of the world.
Scene 12* Video Sc. 12*
Enter Henry the Fifth, with his Lords.
12.Sp1Henry V
Exit a Lord.
12.Sp2York
An it please your majesty, there are many of your men sick and diseased, and many of
them die for want of victuals*.
it please your majesty, there are many of your men sick and diseased, and many of
them die for want of victuals*.12.Sp3Henry V
12.Sp7Henry V
EnterTrust me, my lord of Oxford, I cannot, for I have already given it to my uncle the
duke of York. Yet I thank you for your good will.
(A trumpet sounds.)
How now, what is that?
a Herald*.
12.Sp9Herald
King of England, my lord high constable and others of the noblemen of France sends
me to defy thee as open enemy to God, our country, and us, and hereupon they presently
bid thee battle.
12.Sp10Henry V
Herald, tell them that I defy them as open enemies to God, my country, and me, and
as wrongful usurpers of my right. And whereas thou say’st they presently bid me battle,
tell them that I think they know how to please me. But, I pray* thee, what place hath my lord Prince Dauphin here in battle?
12.Sp11Herald
An it please your grace, my lord and king his father will not let him come into the
field.
it please your grace, my lord and king his father will not let him come into the
field.12.Sp12Henry V
A drum strikesWhy, then, he doth me great injury. I thought that he and I should have played at tennis* together. Therefore I have brought tennis balls for him, but other manner of ones than he sent me. And, herald, tell my lord Prince Dauphin that I have inured* my hands with other kind of weapons than tennis balls ere this time o’ day and that he shall find it ere it be long. And so
adieu, my friend, and tell my lord that I am ready when he will.
(Exit Herald.)
Come, my lords, I care not* an I go to our captains, and I’ll see the number of the French army myself. Strike up
the drum.
he sent me. And, herald, tell my lord Prince Dauphin that I have inured* my hands with other kind of weapons than tennis balls ere this time o’ day and that he shall find it ere it be long. And so
adieu, my friend, and tell my lord that I am ready when he will.
(Exit Herald.)
Come, my lords, I care not* an I go to our captains, and I’ll see the number of the French army myself. Strike up
the drum..
Exeunt omnes.
Scene 13* Video Sc. 13*
Enter French Soldiers.13.Sp11 French Soldier
Enter Drummer*.
Come away, Jack Drummer, come away all, and me will tell you what me will do. Me will tro one chance on the dice*, who shall have the king of England and his lords.
13.Sp3Drummer
Oh, the brave apparel that the Englishmans hay broth over*! I will tell you what me ha’ done, me ha’ provided a hundreth trunks, and all to
put the fine ’parel of the Englishmans in.
13.Sp61 French Soldier
13.Sp7Drummer
13.Sp83 French Soldier
He throws dice.
13.Sp91 French Soldier
Enter a Captain*.
Exeunt Drummer*, and one Soldier.
13.Sp132 French Soldier
I will tell you what we have done. We have been troing our shance on the dice, but none can win the king.
shance on the dice, but none can win the king.13.Sp14Captain
I think so. Why, he is left behind for me, and I have set three or four chair-makers a-work to make a
new disguised chair* to set that womanly king of England in, that all the people may laugh and scoff at
him.
13.Sp16Captain
Exit CaptainI am glad, and yet with a kind of pity, to see the poor king. Why, whoever saw a more flourishing army in France* in one day than here is? Are not here all the peers* of France? Are not here the Normans with their fiery handguns and slaunching* curtle-axes*? Are not here the Barbarians with their bard* horses and launching* spears? Are not here Pickards with their cross-bows and piercing darts? The Hainuyers* with their cutting glaives* and sharp carbuncles*? Are not here the lance-knights of Burgundy? And on the other side*, a sight of poor English scabs? Why, take an Englishman out of his warm bed and his stale drink but one month and,
alas, what will become of him?* But give the Frenchman a radish root* and he will live with it all the days of his life.
saw a more flourishing army in France* in one day than here is? Are not here all the peers* of France? Are not here the Normans with their fiery handguns and slaunching* curtle-axes*? Are not here the Barbarians with their bard* horses and launching* spears? Are not here Pickards with their cross-bows and piercing darts? The Hainuyers* with their cutting glaives* and sharp carbuncles*? Are not here the lance-knights of Burgundy? And on the other side*, a sight of poor English scabs? Why, take an Englishman out of his warm bed and his stale drink but one month and,
alas, what will become of him?* But give the Frenchman a radish root* and he will live with it all the days of his life..
Exit 2 Soldier.
Scene 14* Video Sc. 14*
Enter the King of England and his Lords.
14.Sp2Oxford
An it please your majesty, our captains have numbered them, and, so near as they can
judge, they are about threescore* thousand horsemen and forty thousand footmen.
it please your majesty, our captains have numbered them, and, so near as they can
judge, they are about threescore* thousand horsemen and forty thousand footmen.14.Sp3Henry V
They threescore thousand, and we but two thousand. They forty thousand footmen, and we twelve thousand. They are a hundred thousand, and we fourteen* thousand: ten to one*. My lords and loving countrymen*, though we be few and they many, fear not. Your quarrel is good, and God will defend
you. Pluck up your hearts, for this day we shall either have a valiant victory or
an honorable death. Now, my lords, I will that my uncle the duke of York have the vanguard in the battle. The earl of Derby*, the earl of Oxford, the earl of Kent*, the earl of Nottingham*, the earl of Huntington*, I will have beside the army, that they may come fresh upon them. And I myself with
the duke of Bedford*, the duke of Clarence*, and the duke of Gloucester* will be in the midst of the battle. Furthermore, I will that my lord of Willoughby
and the earl of Northumberland with their troops of horsemen be continually running
like wings on both sides of the army, my lord of Northumberland on the left wing.
Then I will that every archer provide him a stake* of a tree and sharp it at both ends and, at the first encounter of the horsemen,
to pitch their stakes down into the ground before them, that they may gore themselves
upon them, and then to recoil back and shoot wholly altogether and so discomfit* them.
, and we but two thousand. They forty thousand footmen, and we twelve thousand. They are a hundred thousand, and we fourteen* thousand: ten to one*. My lords and loving countrymen*, though we be few and they many, fear not. Your quarrel is good, and God will defend
you. Pluck up your hearts, for this day we shall either have a valiant victory or
an honorable death. Now, my lords, I will that my uncle the duke of York have the vanguard in the battle. The earl of Derby*, the earl of Oxford, the earl of Kent*, the earl of Nottingham*, the earl of Huntington*, I will have beside the army, that they may come fresh upon them. And I myself with
the duke of Bedford*, the duke of Clarence*, and the duke of Gloucester* will be in the midst of the battle. Furthermore, I will that my lord of Willoughby
and the earl of Northumberland with their troops of horsemen be continually running
like wings on both sides of the army, my lord of Northumberland on the left wing.
Then I will that every archer provide him a stake* of a tree and sharp it at both ends and, at the first encounter of the horsemen,
to pitch their stakes down into the ground before them, that they may gore themselves
upon them, and then to recoil back and shoot wholly altogether and so discomfit* them.14.Sp4Oxford
Exit Oxford.
An it please your majesty, I will take that in charge, if your grace be therewith content.
it please your majesty, I will take that in charge, if your grace be therewith content.14.Sp7Henry V
Enter Herald*.
14.Sp8Herald
King of England, my lord high constable and other of my lords, considering the poor
estate of thee and thy poor countrymen, send me to know what thou wilt give for thy ransom. Perhaps thou mayst agree better cheap* now than when thou art conquered.
me to know what thou wilt give for thy ransom. Perhaps thou mayst agree better cheap* now than when thou art conquered.14.Sp9Henry V
Why, then* belike your high constable sends to know what I will give for my ransom? Now, trust
me, herald, not so much as a tun of tennis balls. No, not so much as one poor tennis ball. Rather shall my body lie dead in the field to feed crows than ever England shall pay one penny ransom for my body.*
ever England shall pay one penny ransom for my body.*14.Sp11Henry V
No, herald, ’tis a kingly resolution and the resolution of a king. Here, take this for thy pains.
Henry V gives the Herald coins*.
(Exit Herald.)
But stay, my lords. What time is it?
*.
(Exit Herald.)
But stay, my lords. What time is it?14.Sp13Henry V
Strike Drummer. Exeunt omnes.
Scene 15* Video Sc. 15*
The Frenchmen cry within,Saint Denis*, Saint Denis, Montjoy*The Battle
.
Scene 16* Video Sc. 16*
Enter King of England, and his Lords.
16.Sp1Henry V
Come, my lords, come. By this time our swords are almost drunk with French blood.
But, my lords, which of you can tell me how many of our army be slain in the battle?
16.Sp2Oxford
An it please your majesty, there are of the French army slain above ten thousand twenty-six hundred, whereof are princes and nobles bearing banners.* Besides, all the nobility of France are taken prisoners*. Of your majesty’s army are slain none but the good duke of York* and not above five or six and twenty common soldiers.*
it please your majesty, there are of the French army slain above ten thousand twenty-six hundred, whereof are princes and nobles bearing banners.* Besides, all the nobility of France are taken prisoners*. Of your majesty’s army are slain none but the good duke of York* and not above five or six and twenty common soldiers.*16.Sp3Henry V
Sound trumpet. EnterFor the good duke of York my uncle I am heartily sorry and greatly lament his misfortune,
yet the honorable victory which the Lord hath given us* doth make me much rejoice. But stay, here comes another French message.
a Herald and kneeleth.
16.Sp5Henry V
Now, herald, methinks the world is changed with you now. What, I am sure it is a great disgrace for a herald to kneel to the king of England.* What is thy message?
16.Sp6Herald
My lord and master, the conquered king of France, sends thee long health with hearty
greeting.
16.Sp7Henry V
Herald, his greetings are welcome, but I thank God for my health. Well, herald, say
on.
16.Sp8Herald
He hath sent me to desire your majesty to give him leave to go into the field to view
his poor countrymen, that they may all be honorably buried.
16.Sp9Henry V
Why, herald, doth thy lord and master send to me to bury the dead? Let him bury them,
in God’s name. But I pray thee, herald, where is my lord high constable and those
that would have had my ransom?
16.Sp11Henry V
16.Sp13Henry V
Well then, my lords of England, for the more honor of our Englishmen, I will that
this be forever called the Battle of Agincourt*.
16.Sp17Henry V
With a good will, so some of my nobles view the place, for fear of treachery and treason.
16.Sp19Henry V
Exeunt omnes.
Well, tell him then, I will come.
(Exit Herald.)
Now, my lords, I will go into the field myself to view my countrymen and to have them
honorably buried, for the French king shall never surpass me in courtesy* while I am Harry king of England. Come on, my lords.
.)
Now, my lords, I will go into the field myself to view my countrymen and to have them
honorably buried, for the French king shall never surpass me in courtesy* while I am Harry king of England. Come on, my lords.Scene 17* Video Sc. 17*
Enter John Cobbler, and Robin Pewterer.
17.Sp2John
EnterBut, Robin, didst thou see what a policy the king had? To see how the Frenchmen were
killed with the stakes of the trees!
an English Soldier, roaming*.
17.Sp6English Soldier
Exit Soldier.
Drum and trumpet sound.
Exit John and Robin.
Scene 18* Video Sc. 18*
Enter Derrick* roaming. After him a Frenchman, and takes him Derrick prisoner.
18.Sp7Derrick
Nay, sir, I will give you more. I will give you as many crowns as will lie on your
sword.
18.Sp9Derrick
Here the Frenchman* lays down his sword, and the clown Derrick takes it up and hurls him down.
Ay, marry will I. Ay, but you must lay down your sword, or else they will not lie on your sword.
will I. Ay, but you must lay down your sword, or else they will not lie on your sword.18.Sp12Derrick
Here while* he Derrick turns his back the Frenchman runs his ways.
18.Sp13Derrick
Exit Derrick.
Scene 19* Video Sc. 19*
Enter King of France, King of England, Secretary, and attendants.
19.Sp1Henry V
19.Sp8Secretary
Item, that after the death of the said Henry, the crown remain to him and his heirs
forever.
19.Sp10Henry V
Why, my good brother of France, you have had it long enough, and, as for Prince Dauphin,
it skills not though he sit beside the saddle*. Thus I have set it down, and thus it shall be.
19.Sp17Charles VI
Well, my brother of England, if you will give me a copy we will meet you again tomorrow*.
19.Sp18Henry V
Exeunt Lords.
Speaks to himself.
With a good will, my good brother of France. Secretary, deliver him a copy.
(Exit King of France, and all their attendants.)
My lords of England, go before, and I will follow you.
, and all their attendants.)
My lords of England, go before, and I will follow you.19.Sp19Henry V
Ah Harry, thrice-unhappy Harry! Hast thou now conquered the French king and begin’st a fresh supply* with his daughter*? But with what face* canst thou seek to gain her love, which hath sought to win her father’s crown? “Her
father’s crown”, said I? No, it is mine own. Ay, but I love her and must crave* her. Nay, I love her and will have her*.
(Enter Lady Katherine* and her Ladies.)
But here she comes. How now, fair Lady Katherine of France, what news?
a fresh supply* with his daughter*? But with what face* canst thou seek to gain her love, which hath sought to win her father’s crown? “Her
father’s crown”, said I? No, it is mine own. Ay, but I love her and must crave* her. Nay, I love her and will have her*.
(Enter Lady Katherine* and her Ladies.)
But here she comes. How now, fair Lady Katherine of France, what news?19.Sp21Henry V
Now trust me, Kate, I commend thy father’s wit greatly in this, for none in the world
could sooner have made me debate it if it were possible. But tell me, sweet Kate,
canst thou tell how to love?
19.Sp23Henry V
Tush, Kate. But tell me in plain terms*, canst thou love the king of England? I cannot do as these countries do that spend half their time in wooing. Tush, wench, I am none such. But wilt thou go over to England?
19.Sp24Katherine
I would to God that I had your majesty as fast in love as you have my father in wars.
I would not vouchsafe so much as one look until you had debated all these unreasonable demands*.
all these unreasonable demands*.19.Sp25Henry V
Tush, Kate, I know thou wouldst not use me so hardly. But tell me, canst thou love
the king of England*?
19.Sp27Henry V
But I’ll deal as easily with thee as thy heart can imagine or tongue can require. How say’st thou? What will it be?
require. How say’st thou? What will it be?19.Sp28Katherine
If I were of my own direction, I could give you answer. But seeing I stand at my father’s direction, I must first know his will*.
19.Sp30Katherine
She goes aside, and speaks as followeth.
Whereas* I can put your grace in no assurance, I would be loath to put you in any despair.
in any despair.19.Sp32Katherine
I may think myself the happiest in the world, that is beloved of the mighty king of England.*
19.Sp33Henry V
Exit Katherine of France and her Ladies.
19.Sp35Henry V
Exit King.
Farewell, sweet Kate! In faith, it is a sweet wench, but, if I knew I could not have
her father’s good will, I would so rouse* the towers over his ears that I would make him be glad to bring her me upon his hands
and knees.
Scene 20* Video Sc. 20*
Enter Derrick, with his girdle* full of shoes*.
Enter John Cobbler roving, with a pack full of apparel.
20.Sp4John
20.Sp11Derrick
Why, I will tell* thee, John. Every day when I went into the field I would take a straw and thrust
it into my nose and make my nose bleed, and then I would go into the field, and when
the captain saw me he would say, “Peace, a bloody soldier”, and bid me stand aside*, whereof I was glad. But mark the chance, John. I went and stood behind a tree—but
mark then, John. I thought I had been safe, but on a sudden there steps to me a lusty
tall Frenchman. Now he drew, and I drew. Now I lay here, and he lay there. Now I set
this leg before, and turned this backward, and skipped quite over a hedge, and he
saw me no more there that day. And was not this well done, John?
20.Sp13Derrick
Ay, John, thou mayst see, if thou hadst taken my counsel—but what hast thou there? I
think thou hast been robbing the Frenchmen*.
, John, thou mayst see, if thou hadst taken my counsel—but what hast thou there? I
think thou hast been robbing the Frenchmen*.20.Sp15Derrick
20.Sp17Derrick
Nay, zounds, an they take thee they will hang thee. O John, never do so. If it be thy fortune to
be hanged, be hanged in thy own language whatsoever thou dost.
, an they take thee they will hang thee. O John, never do so. If it be thy fortune to
be hanged, be hanged in thy own language whatsoever thou dost.20.Sp19Derrick
Ay, but you may not go before you ask the king leave. But I know a way to go home and
ask the king no leave.
, but you may not go before you ask the king leave. But I know a way to go home and
ask the king no leave.20.Sp21Derrick
Why, John, thou knowest the duke of York’s funeral must be carried into England, dost thou not?
20.Sp25Derrick
Zounds, if I* make not shift to meet them, hang me. Sirrah*, thou know’st that in every town there will be ringing and there will be cakes and
drink. Now, I will go to the clerk* and sexton* and keep a-talking, and say, “Oh, this fellow rings well”, and thou shalt go and
take a piece of cake. Then I’ll ring, and thou shalt say, “Oh, this fellow keeps a
good stint*”, and then I will go drink to thee all the way. But I marvel what my dame will say
when we come home, because we have not a French word to cast at a dog by the way.
, if I* make not shift to meet them, hang me. Sirrah*, thou know’st that in every town there will be ringing and there will be cakes and
drink. Now, I will go to the clerk* and sexton* and keep a-talking, and say, “Oh, this fellow rings well”, and thou shalt go and
take a piece of cake. Then I’ll ring, and thou shalt say, “Oh, this fellow keeps a
good stint*”, and then I will go drink to thee all the way. But I marvel what my dame will say
when we come home, because we have not a French word to cast at a dog by the way.20.Sp27Derrick
The trumpets sound.
Exeunt Derrick and JohnWhy, John, I’ll go before and call my dame whore, and thou shalt come after and set
fire on the house. We may do it, John, for I’ll prove it, because we be soldiers*.
.
Scene 21* Video Sc. 21*
Enter King of England, Lords of Oxford and Exeter, then the King of France, Prince Dauphin,
and the duke of Burgundy*, Katherine, Secretary, and attendants.
21.Sp1Henry V
Now, my good brother of France, I hope by this time you have deliberated of your answer?
21.Sp2Charles VI
Ay, my well-beloved brother of England, we have viewed it over with our learned counsel
but cannot find that you should be crowned king of France.
, my well-beloved brother of England, we have viewed it over with our learned counsel
but cannot find that you should be crowned king of France.21.Sp3Henry V
What, not king of France? Then nothing. I must be king. But, my loving brother of
France, I can hardly forget the late injuries offered me when I came last to parley.
The Frenchmen had better ha’ raked the bowels out of their fathers’ carcasses than to have fired my tents, and, if I knew thy son Prince Dauphin for one, I would so
rouse him as he was never so roused.
raked the bowels out of their fathers’ carcasses than to have fired my tents, and, if I knew thy son Prince Dauphin for one, I would so
rouse him as he was never so roused.21.Sp4Charles VI
I dare swear for my son’s innocency in this matter. But, if this please you, that
immediately you be proclaimed and crowned Heir and Regent of France*, not king, because I myself was once crowned king.
21.Sp7Secretary
Item, that Henry king of England be crowned Heir and Regent of France during the life
of King Charles and, after his death, the crown, with all rights, to remain to King
Henry of England and to his heirs forever.
21.Sp11Charles VI
Whereas they have not stuck with greater matters, I know they will not stick with
such a trifle. Begin you, my lord duke of Burgundy.
21.Sp13Burgundy
He kisseth the sword.
He the Prince Dauphin kisseth the sword.
I, Philip duke of Burgundy, swear to Henry king of England to be true to him and to
become his liege man, and that if I, Philip, hear of any foreign power coming to invade the said Henry
or his heirs, then I the said Philip to send him word and aid him with all the power
I can make. And thereunto I take my oath*.
, and that if I, Philip, hear of any foreign power coming to invade the said Henry
or his heirs, then I the said Philip to send him word and aid him with all the power
I can make. And thereunto I take my oath*.21.Sp17Henry V
A trifle, my good brother of France. I mean to make your daughter queen of England, if she be willing and you therewith content. How say’st thou, Kate? Canst thou love
the king of England*?
she be willing and you therewith content. How say’st thou, Kate? Canst thou love
the king of England*?21.Sp19Henry V
Tut, stand not upon these points. ’Tis you must make us friends. I know, Kate, thou
art not a little proud that I love thee. What, wench*, the king of England?
21.Sp21Katherine
Sound trumpets.
Exeunt omnes.
Aside I had best whilst he is willing*, lest when I would, he will not. I rest at your majesty’s command.
I had best whilst he is willing*, lest when I would, he will not. I rest at your majesty’s command.Annotations
Scene 1
Now sirs, how like you this? Was this not bravely done?(Sc1 Sp39). In performance, the character’s demand for affirmation of his deeds worked on the audience as well as the other characters on t-he stage. As the original Queen’s Men were formed in part to promote English nationalism, our interpretation of the prince was designed to make this prodigal son an engaging and sympathetic English hero. In this scene, Hopkins worked with the younger actors to generate a manly camaraderie that came to define the spirit of the SQM performance as a whole. To that end, the poor victims of his crime, his father’s Receivers, were played for comedy rather than sympathy. As with all of our performance choices, other options were possible.
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Enter
Come away(Sc1 Sp1). Why would he say
Come awayif his friends are already on stage? We began the show with the ominous beating of a drum to build suspense and then the prince dashed on as if arriving directly from the scene of the crime. After finding a safe spot and looking around to check all was clear, he called on his companions.
Prince Henry
As Henry is not yet king and undergoes considerable character transformation when
he does become king, the quarto’s
Henry 5has been emended to Prince Henry in speech prefixes until he is crowned.
five hundred pound
Early modern collective nouns did not always make a difference between singular and
plural, as in pound and pounds.
But tell me
rob
The robbing of the receivers (tax and rent collectors) was a well-known element of
numerous 16th-century English accounts of Prince Henry’s youth.
Stow relates that Prince Henry
wold waite in disguised araye for his owne receyuers, and distresse them of theyre money: and sometimes at suche enterprices both he and his company wer surely beaten: and when his receiuers made to him their complaints, how they were robbed in their coming vnto him, he wold giue them discharge of so much mony as they had lost, and besides that, they should not depart from him without great rewards for their trouble and vexation, especially they should be rewarded that best hadde resisted hym and his company, and of whom he had receyued the greatest and most strokes(Stow 583). Shakespeare dramatizes the robbing of the receivers and other travellers in Henry IV, Part 1 2.2, turning it into an opportunity for Prince Harry to demonstrate Falstaff’s cowardice.
trick
Witty bit of tomfoolery, not a criminal act.
Sir John Oldcastle
Historically, although he was Prince Henry’s companion before Henry became king, Sir
John Oldcastle (1378–1417) was executed in 1417 after having been found guilty of
heresy in 1413 and having been implicated in various revolts against Henry between
1413 and 1417 (Dockray 53, 105–110).
Sir John became Lord Cobham in 1408 when he married Joan Cobham, heiress of the third
Lord Cobham. Oldcastle’s heretical beliefs derived from those of the proto-Protestant
fourteenth-century Oxford scholar John Wycliffe, and sixteenth-century Protestant
reformers like John Foxe considered Oldcastle to be a martyr (Corbin and Sedge 2). Famous Victories, however, indicates the existence of another view of Oldcastle
by its drawing together of the traditions of riot and misrule associated with Oldcastle and Prince Henry,as does Shakespeare in the construction of his character Falstaff, who was, evidence suggests, initially called Oldcastle in Henry IV, Part 1. Scholars have speculated that Shakespeare was forced to change the name because of complaints from the Cobham family (Corbin and Sedge 1–10).
Zounds
God’s wounds!(oath).
This exclamation also alerts the audience to Jockey’s entrance as a comic double-take.
Enter Jockey
away(Sc1 Sp11), since the prince’s next sentence suggests he can now see Jockey. Play texts from the period, however, often mark an entrance after a character’s arrival has already been announced. The original actors would have been comfortable with the convention that they could
seecharacters approaching from back stage, but this seems unnatural to modern actors and we often create business to make the entrance obey the logic of naturalism. In this instance, David Kynaston (Jockey) took the word
awayas his cue to make noise off-stage. The Prince, Ned and Tom drew their swords, as if fearing they had been followed, and then reacted with relief when they saw it was their friend at Sc1 Sp11. The suggestion that the moment could be an opportunity for a comic double-take is a viable alternative. See note at Sc1 Sp11. See also
Here come the receivers(Sc1 Sp19).
passeth
Is current; is noteworthy.
Deptford
Town four miles east of London (Sugden 150).
hue and cry
Outcry calling for the pursuit of a felon(OED hue and cry, n. 1.a).
Any man hearing the hue and cry was legally obliged to join the pursuit, which a contemporary
source describes thus:
The maner of their hue and cry […] is that if a robberie be done, a horne is blowne, and an out crie made: after which, if the partie flie away, and not yeeld himselfe to the Kings Bayliffe, he may be lawfully slaine, and hanged vp vpon the next gallows(Cowell).
carrier
Someone who carries things, bearer (of goods).
Carriers conveyed letters and goods and escorted travellers between London and provincial
towns. They constituted an informal but important communications and transportation
network that connected the capital and the provinces in the early modern period. Carriers
were legally liable for the goods entrusted to them (Stewart 437, 457), so by robbing the
poor carrier(Derrick), Prince Henry’s man (Cutbert Cutter) has inflicted a serious financial as well as physical blow upon the carrier.
booties
Targets for plunder, to be shared by the thieves.
skills
Makes a difference, matters.
Ay, I may
poor carrier(Sc1 Sp15); then he boastfully announced that he would save him from the law anyway. To help motivate the final sentence, Hopkins asked the other actors to react to this announcement with surprise, so he could then respond defiantly with:
Ay, I may.
belammed
Beat, thrashed.
bravely
Splendidly, finely, excellently.
They place
Now, by heaven, here’s a brave show!(Sc1 Sp19), they all drew their swords and at the end of the line thrust them over the bags with a cry of
Ha!It worked well to enhance the sense of manly camaraderie that the actors generated in this scene.
I will … tonight
Contrast this to Prince Hal’s resolution in Henry IV, Part 1 that
the money shall be paid back again, with advantage(1H4 2.4.453).
two Receivers
villains
Low-born vulgar rustics (an insult based on social class); not a charge of evil-doing.
Speak … him
Forsooth
Truly.
cut … heads
Robbed?
Marry
Emphatic expression of surprise or indignation. Variant of Mary, mother of Christ
(OED marry, int. 1).
hobby
Small light-footed horse bred in Ireland.
nag
Small riding-horse, bred for a comfortable walking pace, usually for ladies.
Gog’s
God’s.
Blood
God’s blood!(oath).
belammed him
away your money
stand up(Sc1 Sp38), and so it made sense that they should kneel. As is typical of early modern work, there is no stage direction in the original text. The exact moment where they should kneel is a matter of interpretation. If they kneel following their next line (Sc1 Sp36), where they beg for mercy, as suggested in this edition, the movement would also make sense.
Was not … done
Now, whither
Feversham
A town in Kent on a creek of the East Swale, 47 m. East of London and 8 m. West of Canterbury(Sugden 190).
old tavern
Public house, or pub, serving food and alcohol and often with some rooms for travellers.
Bullough identifies the tavern as the Boar’s Head, noting that in Henry IV, Part 2, Bardolph calls it
the old place […] in Eastcheap(2H4 6.19). Stow, however, writes that
the Garland in Little East Cheape, sometime a brewhouse, with a garden on the back side, adjoining to the garden of Sir John Philpot, was the chief house in this East Cheape(Stow 189).
Eastcheap
London market (or
cheap) street, containing mainly butchers’ stalls.
Eastcheap ran
East from the junction of Cannon Street and Gracechurch Street to Great Tower Street. The famous Boar’s Head Tavern was at the West end(Sugden 165). Stow writes,
this Eastcheape is now a flesh market of butchers there dwelling on both sides of the street(Stow 194).
pretty wench
in their tongues
We … fellows
An
If.
we would … kings
Bullough points to Falstaff’s dreams of what he and his companions will do
when thou Prince Hal art a kingin Henry IV, Part 1 (1H4 1.2.13–14).
Scene 2
Enter John
Costermonger
Fruit vendor.
All is well
Pudding Lane end(Sc2 Sp3), that is, go elsewhere. Nashman cleverly integrated this business with the text even though it was not built on textual evidence.
Robin
In production the director assigned Sc2 Sp2 to Lawrence Costermonger. In Q all the lines are assigned to Robin, which is clearly
incorrect as Robin refers to himself in the third person at Sc2 Sp3 and is given another speech immediately following the conclusion of this one. Rather
than reassigning the lines to Lawrence, the play-editor supposed that Q’s compositor
had made the common error of missing a speech prefix. He consequently reassigned Sc2 Sp3 to John. Given that Robin addresses him at Sc2 Sp2, logically John would be the one to reply in 107, and his hearty but condescending
my neighbor, Robin Pewtereris not at all odd. John might even give Robin a slap on the shoulder when addressing him and then give him a bit of a push off down the lane.
weto refer to himself and Lawrence, as suggested in this edition. The SQM company resolved the issue differently by giving both lines to Lawrence Costermonger. We also motivated Lawrence’s suggestion to send Robin to Pudding’s Lane End by making Robin an unappealing partner in the watch: Peter Higginson (Robin) belched prior to Lawrence’s line and Julian DeZotti (Lawrence) nearly swooned at the strength of his bad breath. It worked well in performance but I think this is an instance in which the intentions of the text are obscure and the crux cannot be resolved definitively. As director, I made a theatrical decision, whereas the play editor made the editorial decision; both have sound logic, neither is definitive.
Pudding Lane
Lane in Billingsgate Ward.
Pudding Lane ran
South from the West end of Eastcheap to Lower Thames Street(Sugden 422). According to Stow, the lane acquired its name
because the butchers of Eastcheap have their scalding house for hogs there,where they make
their puddings blood puddings, i.e. sausages made with pork blood and fat,adding that the
other filth of beasts, are voided down that way from their dung boats on the Thames(Stow 189).
Billingsgate Ward
One of the twenty-six wards or administrative units into which the City of London
was divided (Stow 109).
Billingsgate,
The principal of the old water-gates of London, on the North side of the Thames, East of London Bridge(Sugden 60),was famous for its fish market, and the coarse, abusive language of its fishwives had by the middle of the 17th century at the latest given rise to the generic term Billingsgate-Rhetorick (Culpeper).
toward
Promising, forward.
let to talk
Refrain from talking.
taking
Stealing, thieving.
begin to sleep
Methinks you begin to sleep(Sc2 Sp10) became funny because Lawrence was clearly fast asleep at this point.
Enter Derrick roving
no horses
Whoa!In the SQM production this did not read very clearly because the sound of Alon Nashman’s delivery resembled a cry of fear and panic rather than an instruction to a horse.
clown
Peasant, rural individual; comic actor.
silk apparel
English law forbade anyone below the rank of knight or with less than 20 pounds annual
income or 200 pounds worth of goods to wear silk (Bailey 28). Such laws were frequently ignored, however.
silk apparel,would have been an interesting juxtaposition. In our production, however, we felt that it would have made it difficult for the audience to process the character’s social status. Instead Alon Nashman patted his hempen jerkin as if the line were an ironic reference. It never really worked but I still cannot think of an adequate solution to this costuming problem for a modern production.
Kent
County in South East England, bordering Greater London to the North West,
notorious for highway robberies(Sugden 292).
To John
From Sc2 Sp21 it is clear that this line is addressed to John, who has just seized Derrick. Derrick
is questioning John’s authority by asking him if he is Master Constable and refusing
to accept the authority of Robin, who was the one who commanded John to seize him
at Sc2 Sp18.
take the lawfrom and why. The original text is inconclusive in this regard. Since John had seized Derrick at 2, Nashman felt that Derrick was not happy about “taking the law” from John. He therefore addressed this line to Lawrence not to John, telling the person he thought was the master constable that he refused to take the law from John’s hands. Since he was literally in John’s hands at this point, the actors’ choice made sense. The suggestion that he is objecting to the character making the command also makes sense.
Master Constable
Head constable.
Unpaid local constables were elected annually by their parishes and were under the
control of a High Constable, who reported to the justices of the peace at quarters
sessions (Sharpe 33–34). According to Stow, Billingsgate Ward had eleven constables (Stow 189).
bade
Appointed, proclaimed. Past participle of bid, to announce, proclaim, command, enjoin
(OED bid, v.1 3.10).
Pronounced like
bad(which is how it is spelled in Q1), creating humorous punning possibilities that Derrick exploits when he calls John one of the Master Constable’s
beastly officers(Sc2 Sp24).
draws his sword
put it up(Sc2 Sp27), i.e. put away his weapon. Alon Nashman (Derrick) was given a wooden dagger for use as a weapon for his clown characters in all three plays. The Elizabethan clown character was the theatrical descendent of the stage Vice, a character we know carried a wooden dagger. Shakespeare’s Feste famously refers to it as a
dagger of lath(TN 4.2.104).
the law … hands
If
hisrefers to the Master Constable, then Derrick follows up his refusal to take the law at Robin’s hands by insisting that he will take the law from no one other than the highest authority, i.e. the Master Constable (see Sc2 Sp20). If
hisrefers to Robin, then Derrick conceivably is threatening to take the law into his own hands against Robin, which would be consonant with Derrick drawing his sword and John’s imprecation in the following line that Derrick
not take the law of us.
We failed to decipher this line in the SQM production and Nashman kept the reference for
hisvague in his delivery. In retrospect it would have developed the logic of our choice if he had directed his attentions to John who physically subdued him (see 2). He would then have been threatening to take the law into his own hands against John. This section of text is open to other dramaturgical interpretations.
him
Robin, implying that Derrick considers Robin’s attempt to seize him illegal.
proper
Attractive, fair, handsome(OED proper, adj. 3.7.b).
Aside
In the following line, Derrick refers to John or Robin in the third person, suggesting
that the line is an aside addressed more or less directly to the audience.
Among the many choices for stage directions, an editor has to choose one stage direction,
because the line makes no sense if the reader thinks it is addressed to the constables.
The character may mutter to himself, he may speak directly to the audience, he may
speak to one other person who may not listen or comprehend.
Cutbert Cutter
Cutbert Cutter is named at Sc24 Sp54 but in his speech prefixes and the stage directions always called simply
Theefor
Theefe.I have emended to “Cutbert Cutter” throughout.
good fellow
Boon companion, merry lad, drinking companion (Cotgrave).
The reference is probably to Derrick, who has been spotted by Cutbert Cutter as a
fellow thief. The others may accept that he means
boon companionbut Derrick does not, and hence the Gadshill reference, as the next note indicates. The thief’s comment has a clear context for Derrick’s subsequent name-calling. An alternative reading might be that the thief addresses John or one of the other officials onstage, but Derrick’s reaction to hearing the words and the voice is what makes the scene work.
Gadshill
Derrick nicknames Cutbert Cutter after the notorious place for holdups, a hill on the Rochester highway, 20 miles SE of London(Corbin and Sedge).
Corbin and Sedge note that the analogous character in Henry IV, Part 1 is known only by this nickname. As Prince Harry and his companions plan their robbery,
Ned Poins tells them that
tomorrow morning by four o’clock early, at Gads Hill, there are pilgrims going to Canterbury with rich offerings, and traders riding to London with fat purses. I have visors for you all; you have horses for yourselves. Gadshill lies tonight in Rochester(1H4 1.2.97–100).
bots
Any kind of worme. Also a disease in a horse(Florio).
liege people
Vassals, feudal retainers, loyal subjects.
filching
Stealing, snatching, pilfering (Florio).
him
Derrick.
Vintner’s
Keeper of an inn serving wine.
Goodman
Title of respect applied to respectable householders and others under the rank of
gentleman (OED goodman, n. 4.a).
Robert
Robin is a diminutive form of Robert (cf. Heywood and Brome D2r).
John calls the boy Robert (Sc2 Sp51); this edition has adopted this later naming for the boy to avoid confusion with
Robin Pewterer.
Counter
A prison for debtors connected with the City court in London(Sugden 133) and
under the control of the London sheriffs(Howard 75).
There were two main Counters in Elizabethan London: the Poultry Counter and the Wood
Street Counter (Sugden 133). Howard states that
The Counters were open all night, and anyone caught by the watch for any crimes or disturbances would be brought to them and held there until morning(Howard 76).
this night … ago
In Stow the incident takes place
Upon the euen of Saint Iohn Baptist(Stow 573), 23 June 1410.
Stow narrates that
the kings sonne being in Eastcheap at supper, after midnight, betwixt two and three of the clocke, a great debate hapned betweene his men and men of the Courte, lasting an houre, til the Maior and Sherifes with other Citizens ceased the same: for the which afterward the sayde Maior, Sherifes, and Aldermen, were sent for to appeare before the kyng, to answeare(Stow 573).
noise
Group, band, consort.
pots
Drinking mugs or cups.
fray
Brawl, riot, breach of the peace. From Anglo-Norman legal term affray, breach of the
peace (OED fray, n.1 3.a).
mayor
Sir Richard Marlow, ironmonger (Stow 572). The context clearly indicates that Q1’s Maior is Mayor not Major. Q1 retains this
spelling of mayor throughout, and in this edition subsequent occurences have been
silently modernized.
sheriff
Along with a mayor, London was governed by two sheriffs elected annually (Stow 442–444). The two sheriffs elected on 28 September 1409 were John Lawe and William Chicheley
(Stow 572). The play may be referring to either one of them here or may be referring to no
specific historical individual, compressing the two sheriffs into one for the sake
of dramatic economy.
sessions day
Days on which prisoners were formally indicted.
There were between ten and twelve indictment sessions annually at Newgate (Archer 218).
country
Local (Thomas). Alternatively, country may refer to the point of origin of the offender:
The Counter was used for London offenders, Newgate for those brought in from the country(Sugden 364).
Newgate
London’s main criminal prison in the medieval and early modern periods.
Founded in the thirteenth century and rebuilt in the fifteenth century, Newgate was
used principally to house felons, many of whom were facing the death penalty (Bassett 233–235).
Scene 3
Earl of Exeter
The first duke of Exeter, John Holland (1352–1400), Henry IV’s brother-in-law and
Prince Henry’s uncle (Hall, Henry IV Fol. 10v; Hall, Henry V Fol. 7v), was executed in 1400. Thomas Beaufort became the second duke of Exeter in 1416,
much to the disappointment of the first duke’s son John, the earl of Huntington (ODNB).
Lord of Oxford
Richard de Vere (1385–1417), eleventh earl of Oxford (ODNB).
Henry IV
The play drops
Kingor
Kfrom its speech prefixes for Henry IV. This speech prefix and others have been standardized accordingly.
subject
Anyone under a particular sovereign’s rule.
unequal
Prejudiced, biased.
or whether … them
fray(Sc2 Sp54) from the previous scene word for word. The repetition of Robert’s lines in the mouth of the mayor encouraged us to give the mayor some of the naive quality the clowning gave to the Boy and the town watch. Philip Borg thus experimented with clowning the mayor, emphasizing his fear of the king’s wrath and struggling to maintain his dignity. In the end, we decided he should play it straight and support Don’s work to establish the gravity of the situation in contrast to the comedy of the previous scenes.
liked them not
Displeased or annoyed them.
fray
See note to fray, Sc2 Sp54.
brother
try
Test.
whether … tell
Whether you had sent them to test our impartiality in office or whether they were
acting on their own.
ward
Custody, imprisonment, prison.
wanteth
Lacks.
our answer
Stow records that the mayor and sheriffs
aunswered, they had not offended the Kyng nor his sonnes, but according to law stanched the debates: then the King seeing it woulde be none otherwyse, forgaue altogither, and they departed(Stow 573).
Exit Mayor
Stand aside(Sc3 Sp8), which conventionally implies they should move to the edge of the stage, but the stage direction in the quarto text that indicates an exit here worked well in practice. The Mayor and Sheriff exited to be followed by the king when he says
I will go myself(Sc3 Sp13). As in the later court scenes, the text invites the audience to imagine other chambers just off stage (6).
Ah, Harry … days
The king’s lament is a variation on the biblical King David’s, learning of the death
of his badly behaved son:
O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son!(2 Samuel 18:33). The verse was a popular drinking round-song in the Elizabethan period and thus an important popular echo in this play.
Bullough points to Henry IV’s lament in Henry IV, Part 1 that Prince Harry is
the hot vengeance and the rod of heaven / To punish my mistreadings(1H4 3.2.10–11).
precise
Scrupulous, strict, officious.
Scene 4
Lord Chief Justice
William Gascoigne (Stow 573), the lawyer who was famous for his idealistic view of law as superior even to kings.
Clerk … Office
Officer in charge of court records; clerk of Assizes or Sessions.
bar
The barrier or wooden rail marking off the immediate precinct of the judge’s seat, at which prisoners are stationed for arraignment, trial, or sentence(OED bar, n.1 3.22.a).
barwhich implies that something on stage might represent a
barand this question led us to debate the creation of a physical set piece for this scene. Such a set piece, a
portable railing or barrier at which a prisoner is placed in trial/courtroom scenes,was a common property in Elizabethan theatre (Dessen and Thomson 20). I felt that having such a set piece on stage would create an opportunity for more physical humor and make sense of Derrick’s next line:
Hear you, my lord, I pray you bring the bar to the prisoner(Sc4 Sp2). I imagined that on this line the clown might pick up the
barand move it over to where Cuthbert Cutter was standing. We decided in the end that the gag did not justify the expense involved in building a set piece for this scene. There were no other trial scenes in the SQM repertoire of Queen’s Men plays. To make sense of the line without the set piece, Alon Nashman (Derrick) made a striking motion with his hand to indicate he hoped the judge would hit the prisoner with an iron bar.
bring the bar
Derrick’s comic inversion of the Lord Chief Justice’s previous line plays on several
senses of bar. Derrick may be expressing his desire that the Lord Chief Justice punish Cutbert
immediately and harshly (by beating him with a bar or rod or by bringing him swiftly
to the crossbar of the gallows). Alternatively, Derrick may be mocking Cutbert’s impending
imprisonment by insinuating that if he wishes in the future to get a drink, the bar,
i.e. the pub, will have to be brought to him.
At this moment Alon Nashman (Derrick) made a striking motion with his fist to make sense of this otherwise obscure
line. See previous note (see note at Sc4 Sp1).
an have … writing
If you already have it in writing?
Why then … him
fourteenth … sovereign
Henry IV began his reign on 30 September 1399; he died in the fourteenth year of his
reign, on 20 March 1413.
belie
Slander, speak falsehoods about, misrepresent.
pack
Bag or sack for transporting goods.
Skins wherein clothes were packed in carriage;
A pack, a burden, a loade, a weight: also a charge giuen to one, or that one taketh on him;
a thing to pack marchandise in: paper or other stuffe, wherein occupiers wrap their seuerall wares(Thomas). Carriers were legally liable for the goods they were transporting (Stewart 457), so even though it is comical it is perhaps also understandable that Derrick here should express as much concern for the damage done to his pack as for the damage done to his body.
raze
Root, cutting.
bouncing Bess
Well, what sayest
whether
Whichever of the two.
young Prince
bound
Laid under charge, arrested.
villain?
man
Follower, employee, feudal servant.
man … hands
A man of valor, skill, or practical ability(OED hand, n. P1.g.a), with obvious ironic reference to Cutbert’s thievery.
button-breech
One that is pin-buttockt; or hath but small or slender buttocks(Cotgrave).
Of my word
I swear, I’m telling you.
quality
Attribute, characteristic, habit.
Hear you, sir
Modern editors of the play have considered Sc4 Sp34 to be a mistaken repetition of Sc4 Sp31 Adams, Pitcher, and Corbin and Sedge excise them. In production, however, the repetition
is the basis of comedy, accentuated by the increase in comic outrage registered by
Derrick’s shift from earnest at the end of the first iteration to jest at the end of the second.
Strangely enough this was the one line we cut from the production. Although repetition
can be comic, we could see no way to make this line work. It is simply too odd for
Derrick to repeat the entire line, word for word, especially since the other characters
still take no notice of him. Our intention was to perform the text as it has survived
without editing but in this one instance we could not make it work.
belike
Possibly, perhaps, it seems (Baret).
falls out
Happens, proves to be (OED to fall out, v. 5.a).
must needs
Am obliged to.
Tell me
box … ear
A blow to the side of the head.
According to Hall,
for the imprisonmente of one of his wanton mates and vnthriftie plaisaiers he Prince Henry strake the chiefe Justice with his fiste on the face. For which offence he was not onely committed to streyght prison, but also of his father put out of the preuy counsaill and banished the courte(Hall, Henry V Fol. 1r). An earlier account of the incident can be found in Thomas Elyot’s The Governour (Book II, Chapter VI), in which the Prince does not strike the Lord Chief Justice. An anecdote from Tarlton’s Jests (1638) reveals the comic potential of the stage action:
At the Bull at Bishophs-gate, was a play of Henry the fift, wherein the judge was to take a box on the eare; & because he was absent that should take the blowe, Tarlton himselfe, ever forward to please, tooke upon him to play the same judge, beside his owne part of the clowne: and Knel then playing Henry the fift, hit Tarlton a sounde boxe indeed, which made the people laugh the more, because it was he(Bullough 289–290).
laugh the more(suggesting that boxing the Justice’s ear was considered amusing anyway) supports our choice to make the scene both serious and funny. Like many in the Queen’s Men repertoire, this scene challenges lingering twenty-first century assumptions about the division between comedy and tragedy.
Exeunt … Tom
Because the lord chief justice orders the convicted thief returned to prison, Cutbert
must remain on stage until this decision is given.
Well … hands
The Lord Chief Justice’s restraint shows up the prince’s immaturity and thoughtlessness.
In Henry IV, Part 2 Falstaff taunts the Lord Chief Justice about his mild reception of Prince Hal’s physical
assault:
For the box of th’ear that the Prince gave you, he gave it like a rude prince, and you took it like a sensible lord(2H4 3.163–165).
Your grace … father
lively
Living.
prerogatives
Legal rights or privileges.
By hitting the Lord Chief Justice, Prince Henry presumed upon his privileges as the
king’s son. By committing Prince Henry to prison, the Lord Chief Justice teaches him
that his prerogatives do not overrule the law of his father the king, whose still
livelyperson the Lord Chief Justice represents. Although Shakespeare does not dramatize the incident, in Henry IV, Part 2 the Lord Chief Justice presents a similar argument when confronted by the newly crowned Henry V in 5.2:
Your highness pleasèd to forget my place, / The majesty and power of law and justice, / The image of the King whom I presented(2H4 15.76–78), he tells Henry, and for that reason,
as an offender to your father, / I gave bold way to my authority / And did commit you(2H4 15.80–82).
Fleet
A prison
on the East side of the Fleet Ditch, London, a little North of the junction of Ludgate Hill and Fleet Street(Sudgen 194).
Debtors and those held for contempt of court(Kinney 51) were committed to the Fleet.
’ssizes
Assizes, days on which court held sessions or hearings. From Law-French, meaning a
sitting (OED assize, n. 1.1).
England was divided into six assize circuits, which two judges rode twice a year.
The judges were authorized to investigate and judge all offences in their circuit
and to try the suspected felons in the county prisons (Sharpe 23).
Exeunt
The quarto provides no exit stage direction for any of these characters. Obviously
all characters other than John and Derrick must exit at this point, as the immediately
following action features John and Derrick clowning by themselves.
The textual editor has chosen to preserve the entry stage direction at 5 rather than emend it to a possibility indicating that John and Derrick remain on
stage after the others have left. The logic of this stage direction is to get everyone
officially out of the “courtroom” we have imagined on-stage, and allow the clowns
to re-enter and re-play the box on the ear. We need not assume that the place is still
the courtroom. Clowns, in any case, have special privileges: see, eg, Derrick’s roving
(2) in which he enters, exits, and enters again. See also Simplicity in The Three Ladies of London: he re-enters immediately after he exits to run away from Fraud, who wants to punch
him. The scene doesn’t change:
Let Fraud run at him, and let Simplicity run in and / come out again straight(). This freedom from convention is clown work. Of course, John and Derrick must exit at some point so that they can re-enter, either here at the end of the scene (which permits them to see all the action that they parody in the next scene, including their own exits and re-entrances) or earlier on, which would conform to the common Elizabethan dramatic practice of not having characters re-enter the stage to begin a new scene immediately after they have exited the previous scene. If the new scene returns to the space of the previous scene, what generates the comedy of John and Derrick’s immediate re-entrance could be their knowing violation of this common practice. They have sneaked back into a space they are not supposed to be in, the empty courtroom represented by the stage, or simply the stage itself.
Scene 5
Enter … John
masters
mastersmust be directed at the audience. Derrick is about to put on a show for the audience in which he tricks John into receiving a box on the ear. The SQM actors were all encouraged to speak to the audience whenever possible, but the clown characters used direct address more frequently, especially the leading clown characters, like Derrick, who we believe were played by Tarlton.
choler
Anger.
shillings
Twelve pence made a shilling; twenty shillings made a pound.
Slack states that
the minimum necessary income for an average poor familybetween 1590 and 1630 was two shillings a week or five pounds four shillings annually (Slack 81). The basic price of admission to a play in an open-air playhouse like the Theatre, the Curtain, or the Rose was one penny (Gurr 122).
Thou shalt … chair,
The play-acting offers an extempory clowning that echoes or comments on the significant
event, and reveals the character of the players as well.
In Henry IV, Part 1, Falstaff and Prince Hal take turns playing the role of Prince Harry’s father in
chiding the prince.
No, no
No, marry
my man.In rehearsal, Gray repeatedly came in too early and the two developed this interruption into comic business as Derrick kept repeating the line and miscuing John on purpose. Palfrey and Stern have established that repeated cues were a common feature of the parts system and were used to create a variety of theatrical effects (Palfrey 157–305). The effect of the cueing here actually trapped the actors in one moment of action, repeating the same lines over and over. The actors tried to work this as a metatheatrical joke in which Alon Nashman/Derrick kept cueing Jason Gray/John’s previous line but I don’t believe it made sense in performance. The actors’ parts used in the SQM productions are accessible on the Performing the Queen’s Men website.
John
Much of the humor in the exchange between Derrick and John is generated by the way
in which the two clowns slip in and out of their assumed names and roles. The confusion
of play-acting and reality indicated in this and the following line by the two clowns’
reversion to their real names, for example, is followed by a very different sort of
confusion of the two when Derrick hits John.
what a clown wert thou to let me hit thee a box on the ear(Sc5 Sp25).
mass
By the mass (oath).
course
Drub, trounce, thrash(OED course, v. 4).
straight
Immediately.
keep
Supply with bed and board.
brewis
Beef and vegetable broth (OED
brewis, n. 1).
trifle
Something small or of little value, but in this context possibly also a dessert made
of sponge cake, custard, fruit, and whipped cream (OED trifle, 3; 6.b), although the OED’s first recorded use of the word to mean a type of dessert is from 1598.
woodcock
Game-bird, about the size of a small chicken, considered food for gentry, like pheasant
or grouse.
capon’s
Castrated rooster’s. A capon has more meat than a chicken, and its leg is larger,
though not so large as a turkey’s.
rooting
Snuffling in the earth, like a pig; having sexual intercourse.
ringed
I.e., castrated. Pigs’ snouts are ringed to prevent them from rooting.
crab
Crab apple.
stale
Old and strong(OED stale, adj.1 1).
quail
Overpower, daunt, make faint (OED quail, v.2).
Scene 6
born new(Sc6 Sp49). Hopkins played the prince as playfully sinful and I wonder, in retrospect, if he might have been played more darkly. Would the original audience have been more likely to disapprove of the Prince’s sinful behavior? The stage directions in the scene also provide great interpretive challenges for the director and editor. This scene is an excellent example of the fluid economy of space both real and imaginary that characterized the Elizabethan stage. In the SQM productions we tried to create staging that satisfied the majority of the stage directions in the text. The evidence of the stage directions however is confusing and inconclusive. The textual editor arrived at different solutions from those of the SQM company.
Come away
jar
Vibrate, grate,
make or emit a harsh grating sound(OED jar, v.1 1.1.a).
when I … things
In 1.2 of Henry IV, Part 1, Shakespeare echoes this phrase five times.
When thou art a king, as God save thy grace—‘majestyʼ I should say, for grace thou wilt have none— […] when thou art king let not us that are squires of the night’s body be called thieves of the day’s beauty(1H4 1.2.13–21), Falstaff jokingly implores Prince Hal.
Shall there be gallows standing in England when thou art king(1H4 1.2.46–47), he then asks, urging him,
Do not thou when thou art king hang a thief(1H4 1.2.48–49). Prince Hal replies by threatening to make Falstaff a hangman (1H4 1.2.53). Later in the scene Falstaff declares,
I’ll be a traitor then, when thou art king(1H4 1.2.115).
would be all kings
merry world(Sc6 Sp10) he proposes attractive. Although later in the scene he deeply repents this behavior, I insisted there should be no sign of his coming remorse at this point. We wanted the moment of his conversion to be sudden, like Saul’s light at Damascus. The play draws on a Christian understanding of human nature.
thou shalt … justice
Prince Henry’s promise to Ned gives specificity to his previous meditation on the
carnivalesque world he imagines his reign inaugurating. See note at Sc6 Sp5.
fence
Fencing.
Many of the Queen’s Men actors were also Master Fencers, and an audience would expect
at least one lengthy fencing scene in every play. Even their great clown Richard Tarlton
was a Master of Fence (Thomson), their leading man Edward Knell was killed in swordfight (Eccles 82–83), and the company was famously involved in an affray at the Red Lion in Norwich where
members of the company leapt off the stage, swords in hand, to pursue an innyard thief
through the town (Roberts-Smith 110–111).
fellow … courageously
The status of a thief-hierarchy is commented on in Jonson’s The Alchemist, and earlier in the several prose works on thieves’ cant, e.g. Thomas Harman’s A Caveat for Common Cursetors, or Greene’s cony-catching pamphlets, where the urban thief is the
heroand others his laughable dupes. Prince Henry’s valorization of the highwayman over other, less noble types of criminal anticipates such later literary figures as Ainsworth’s Dick Turpin and Macheath in John Gay’s The Beggar’s Opera (1728). Prince Henry’s characterization of the highwayman recalls the popular figure of Robin Hood, but its combination of the criminal and chivalric may also be satirical.
buckler
Small round shield with a handle at the back (OED buckler, n.2 1).
doubt
Suspect.
Yet will … head
I will go to court immediately because as soon as my father dies I will put the crown
on my head.
Bullough compares Prince Henry’s attitude here to Prince Harry’s attitude in Henry IV, Part 2: Prince Hal concedes that although
it is not meet that I should be sad now my father is sick(2H4 6.31–32),
I could be sad; and sad indeed too(2H4 6.33–34).
the breath … head
Cloak … needles
“
According to Stow, when Prince Henry learns that his father
suspected that he would presume to vsurpe the crown, he being aliue,he
disguised himself in a gown of blew satten, made full of small Oylet holes, and at euery Oylet the needle wherwith it was made hanging still by a threede of silke. And about his arme he ware a dogges coller set ful of SS of golde, and the Tirets of the same also of fine gold. Thus apparelled, with a great companye of Lordes and other noble men of his Court, he came to the king his father(Stow 576). Tracing the gown’s symbolism back to a medieval Oxford tradition of handing out needles and thread to students at Christmas so that they could mend their gowns (Romotsky 157), Romotsky observes that sixteenth-century historical accounts of Prince Henry’s gown (changed into a cloak in Famous Victories) consider it to be a sign of his sincere contrition for his unruliness and his desire for reconciliation with his father (Romotsky 157). In contrast, in Famous Victories the cloak
symbolizes callous ambition(Romotsky 158) and aggression:
’tis a sign that I stand upon thorns ’til the crown be on my head(Sc6 Sp18), according to Prince Henry, to which Jockey adds
Or that every needle might be a prick to their hearts that repine at your doings(Sc6 Sp19). Later in the scene Prince Henry’s sudden repentance before his father is dramatically represented when he throws off
this ruffianly cloak(Sc6 Sp45) and asks for his father’s pardon. See Romotsky’s article on the history of the cloak of needles.
I stand … head
A playful and slightly blasphemous allusion to Christ’s crown of thorns. Christ’s
crown is his suffering; Prince Henry suffers until he is crowned.
repine
Complain.
gear
Business, matter.
had as lief
Would rather.
prating
Chattering.
gate
This editorial stage direction is necessitated by Prince Henry’s indication of motion
at Sc6 Sp20 and the Porter (or gate-keeper)’s question at Sc6 Sp21. In an early modern London amphitheatre playhouse like the Theatre or the Curtain,
a gate could have been represented by either of the two doors in the stage’s tiring-house
faĉade or by the central discovery space. It need not have been a movable stage property.
The Queen’s Men’s plays, however, were performed in a variety of London and provincial
venues, from inn yards to town halls, and exactly how the company represented the
gate in this scene would depend on the concrete conditions of the particular performance
venue and on the effect the actors were trying to achieve, as the director’s performance
note on the gate in the SQM production of the play fully illustrates. The location
of this gate may be at the abbott’s house of Westminster Abbey, where the king was
historically supposed to be attending a convocation of parliament; or it may have
been assumed that the king was at his own residence in the Palace of Westminster.
What a rapping keep you at the king’s court gate?suggests that somehow there is a gate on stage and someone is rapping on it. Adding to the confusion, the quarto text does not mark an entrance for the Porter. Because we were looking for simple efficient solutions, we decided that we could not bring on a gate as might be inferred from MM’s added stage direction. Bringing on a structure to represent the gate either at this point or earlier in the scene would have interrupted the flow of the action unnecessarily. In keeping with the conventions of Elizabethan theatre, we decided to rely instead on the audience’s imagination. Ned simply went over to the tiring house and knocked on the frame. Once the Porter refers to the specifics of the portal implied by the rapping, the new location is firmly established in the minds of the audience. In rehearsal the Porter (Philip Borg), rather than entering the stage, poked his head through the curtains, which nicely referenced the small windows porters used in large castle gates and enabled a very sudden entrance. This had the added advantage that the Porter did not enter the stage—a possible explanation for the lack of a stage direction for his entrance.
Though … court!
Prince Henry is telling Ned that because they are at the court of his father, the
king, they both must restrain the violence they could elsewhere exercise freely.
him
Porter.
tables
Writing tablet.
stand aside
The prince enters with a dagger in his hand.In the SQM production, the prince and his companions exited after saying stand aside which was consistent with our interpretation of the same phrase in Sc3 (Sc3 Sp8). This solution allowed the king to enter and bemoan his sinful son without having the son standing beside him on the stage pretending not to hear. Since simultaneous staging was an accepted part of Elizabethan stagecraft, it could have been staged without the prince’s exit as MM’s editing implies; but the fact a later entrance is marked for the prince suggested to us he should exit and return.
Enter the King