SCENE VIII. Before KING HENRY'S pavilion. The Life of King Henry the Fifth  Shakespeare homepage  |  Henry V  | Act 4, Scene 8 

 Previous scene  |  Next scene  SCENE VIII. Before KING HENRY'S pavilion. 

 Enter GOWER and WILLIAMS  WILLIAMS  I warrant it is to knight you, captain. 



 Enter FLUELLEN  FLUELLEN  God's will and his pleasure, captain, I beseech you 

 now, come apace to the king: there is more good 

 toward you peradventure than is in your knowledge to dream of. 

 WILLIAMS  Sir, know you this glove? 

 FLUELLEN  Know the glove! I know the glove is glove. 

 WILLIAMS  I know this; and thus I challenge it. 



 Strikes him  FLUELLEN  'Sblood! an arrant traitor as any is in the 

 universal world, or in France, or in England! 

 GOWER  How now, sir! you villain! 

 WILLIAMS  Do you think I'll be forsworn? 

 FLUELLEN  Stand away, Captain Gower; I will give treason his 

 payment into ploughs, I warrant you. 

 WILLIAMS  I am no traitor. 

 FLUELLEN  That's a lie in thy throat. I charge you in his 

 majesty's name, apprehend him: he's a friend of the 

 Duke Alencon's. 



 Enter WARWICK and GLOUCESTER  WARWICK  How now, how now! what's the matter? 

 FLUELLEN  My Lord of Warwick, here is--praised be God for it! 

 --a most contagious treason come to light, look 

 you, as you shall desire in a summer's day. Here is 

 his majesty. 



 Enter KING HENRY and EXETER  KING HENRY V  How now! what's the matter? 

 FLUELLEN  My liege, here is a villain and a traitor, that, 

 look your grace, has struck the glove which your 

 majesty is take out of the helmet of Alencon. 

 WILLIAMS  My liege, this was my glove; here is the fellow of 

 it; and he that I gave it to in change promised to 

 wear it in his cap: I promised to strike him, if he 

 did: I met this man with my glove in his cap, and I 

 have been as good as my word. 

 FLUELLEN  Your majesty hear now, saving your majesty's 

 manhood, what an arrant, rascally, beggarly, lousy 

 knave it is: I hope your majesty is pear me 

 testimony and witness, and will avouchment, that 

 this is the glove of Alencon, that your majesty is 

 give me; in your conscience, now? 

 KING HENRY V  Give me thy glove, soldier: look, here is the 

 fellow of it. 

 'Twas I, indeed, thou promised'st to strike; 

 And thou hast given me most bitter terms. 

 FLUELLEN  An please your majesty, let his neck answer for it, 

 if there is any martial law in the world. 

 KING HENRY V  How canst thou make me satisfaction? 

 WILLIAMS  All offences, my lord, come from the heart: never 

 came any from mine that might offend your majesty. 

 KING HENRY V  It was ourself thou didst abuse. 

 WILLIAMS  Your majesty came not like yourself: you appeared to 

 me but as a common man; witness the night, your 

 garments, your lowliness; and what your highness 

 suffered under that shape, I beseech you take it for 

 your own fault and not mine: for had you been as I 

 took you for, I made no offence; therefore, I 

 beseech your highness, pardon me. 

 KING HENRY V  Here, uncle Exeter, fill this glove with crowns, 

 And give it to this fellow. Keep it, fellow; 

 And wear it for an honour in thy cap 

 Till I do challenge it. Give him the crowns: 

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

 FLUELLEN  By this day and this light, the fellow has mettle 

 enough in his belly. Hold, there is twelve pence 

 for you; and I pray you to serve Got, and keep you 

 out of prawls, and prabbles' and quarrels, and 

 dissensions, and, I warrant you, it is the better for you. 

 WILLIAMS  I will none of your money. 

 FLUELLEN  It is with a good will; I can tell you, it will 

 serve you to mend your shoes: come, wherefore should 

 you be so pashful? your shoes is not so good: 'tis 

 a good silling, I warrant you, or I will change it. 



 Enter an English Herald  KING HENRY V  Now, herald, are the dead number'd? 

 Herald  Here is the number of the slaughter'd French. 

 KING HENRY V  What prisoners of good sort are taken, uncle? 

 EXETER  Charles Duke of Orleans, nephew to the king; 

 John Duke of Bourbon, and Lord Bouciqualt: 

 Of other lords and barons, knights and squires, 

 Full fifteen hundred, besides common men. 

 KING HENRY V  This note doth tell me of ten thousand French 

 That in the field lie slain: of princes, in this number, 

 And nobles bearing banners, there lie dead 

 One hundred twenty six: added to these, 

 Of knights, esquires, and gallant gentlemen, 

 Eight thousand and four hundred; of the which, 

 Five hundred were but yesterday dubb'd knights: 

 So that, in these ten thousand they have lost, 

 There are but sixteen hundred mercenaries; 

 The rest are princes, barons, lords, knights, squires, 

 And gentlemen of blood and quality. 

 The names of those their nobles that lie dead: 

 Charles Delabreth, high constable of France; 

 Jaques of Chatillon, admiral of France; 

 The master of the cross-bows, Lord Rambures; 

 Great Master of France, the brave Sir Guichard Dolphin, 

 John Duke of Alencon, Anthony Duke of Brabant, 

 The brother of the Duke of Burgundy, 

 And Edward Duke of Bar: of lusty earls, 

 Grandpre and Roussi, Fauconberg and Foix, 

 Beaumont and Marle, Vaudemont and Lestrale. 

 Here was a royal fellowship of death! 

 Where is the number of our English dead? 



 Herald shews him another paper  Edward the Duke of York, the Earl of Suffolk, 

 Sir Richard Ketly, Davy Gam, esquire: 

 None else of name; and of all other men 

 But five and twenty. O God, thy arm was here; 

 And not to us, but to thy arm alone, 

 Ascribe we all! When, without stratagem, 

 But in plain shock and even play of battle, 

 Was ever known so great and little loss 

 On one part and on the other? Take it, God, 

 For it is none but thine! 

 EXETER  'Tis wonderful! 

 KING HENRY V  Come, go we in procession to the village. 

 And be it death proclaimed through our host 

 To boast of this or take the praise from God 

 Which is his only. 

 FLUELLEN  Is it not lawful, an please your majesty, to tell 

 how many is killed? 

 KING HENRY V  Yes, captain; but with this acknowledgement, 

 That God fought for us. 

 FLUELLEN  Yes, my conscience, he did us great good. 

 KING HENRY V  Do we all holy rites; 

 Let there be sung 'Non nobis' and 'Te Deum;' 

 The dead with charity enclosed in clay: 

 And then to Calais; and to England then: 

 Where ne'er from France arrived more happy men. 



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