SCENE II. France. A royal palace. The Life of King Henry the Fifth  Shakespeare homepage  |  Henry V  | Act 5, Scene 2 

 Previous scene  SCENE II. France. A royal palace. 

 Enter, at one door KING HENRY, EXETER, BEDFORD,  GLOUCESTER, WARWICK, WESTMORELAND, and other Lords;  at another, the FRENCH KING, QUEEN ISABEL, the  PRINCESS KATHARINE, ALICE and other Ladies; the DUKE of BURGUNDY, and his train  KING HENRY V  Peace to this meeting, wherefore we are met! 

 Unto our brother France, and to our sister, 

 Health and fair time of day; joy and good wishes 

 To our most fair and princely cousin Katharine; 

 And, as a branch and member of this royalty, 

 By whom this great assembly is contrived, 

 We do salute you, Duke of Burgundy; 

 And, princes French, and peers, health to you all! 

 KING OF FRANCE  Right joyous are we to behold your face, 

 Most worthy brother England; fairly met: 

 So are you, princes English, every one. 

 QUEEN ISABEL  So happy be the issue, brother England, 

 Of this good day and of this gracious meeting, 

 As we are now glad to behold your eyes; 

 Your eyes, which hitherto have borne in them 

 Against the French, that met them in their bent, 

 The fatal balls of murdering basilisks: 

 The venom of such looks, we fairly hope, 

 Have lost their quality, and that this day 

 Shall change all griefs and quarrels into love. 

 KING HENRY V  To cry amen to that, thus we appear. 

 QUEEN ISABEL  You English princes all, I do salute you. 

 BURGUNDY  My duty to you both, on equal love, 

 Great Kings of France and England! That I have labour'd, 

 With all my wits, my pains and strong endeavours, 

 To bring your most imperial majesties 

 Unto this bar and royal interview, 

 Your mightiness on both parts best can witness. 

 Since then my office hath so far prevail'd 

 That, face to face and royal eye to eye, 

 You have congreeted, let it not disgrace me, 

 If I demand, before this royal view, 

 What rub or what impediment there is, 

 Why that the naked, poor and mangled Peace, 

 Dear nurse of arts and joyful births, 

 Should not in this best garden of the world 

 Our fertile France, put up her lovely visage? 

 Alas, she hath from France too long been chased, 

 And all her husbandry doth lie on heaps, 

 Corrupting in its own fertility. 

 Her vine, the merry cheerer of the heart, 

 Unpruned dies; her hedges even-pleach'd, 

 Like prisoners wildly overgrown with hair, 

 Put forth disorder'd twigs; her fallow leas 

 The darnel, hemlock and rank fumitory 

 Doth root upon, while that the coulter rusts 

 That should deracinate such savagery; 

 The even mead, that erst brought sweetly forth 

 The freckled cowslip, burnet and green clover, 

 Wanting the scythe, all uncorrected, rank, 

 Conceives by idleness and nothing teems 

 But hateful docks, rough thistles, kecksies, burs, 

 Losing both beauty and utility. 

 And as our vineyards, fallows, meads and hedges, 

 Defective in their natures, grow to wildness, 

 Even so our houses and ourselves and children 

 Have lost, or do not learn for want of time, 

 The sciences that should become our country; 

 But grow like savages,--as soldiers will 

 That nothing do but meditate on blood,-- 

 To swearing and stern looks, diffused attire 

 And every thing that seems unnatural. 

 Which to reduce into our former favour 

 You are assembled: and my speech entreats 

 That I may know the let, why gentle Peace 

 Should not expel these inconveniences 

 And bless us with her former qualities. 

 KING HENRY V  If, Duke of Burgundy, you would the peace, 

 Whose want gives growth to the imperfections 

 Which you have cited, you must buy that peace 

 With full accord to all our just demands; 

 Whose tenors and particular effects 

 You have enscheduled briefly in your hands. 

 BURGUNDY  The king hath heard them; to the which as yet 

 There is no answer made. 

 KING HENRY V  Well then the peace, 

 Which you before so urged, lies in his answer. 

 KING OF FRANCE  I have but with a cursorary eye 

 O'erglanced the articles: pleaseth your grace 

 To appoint some of your council presently 

 To sit with us once more, with better heed 

 To re-survey them, we will suddenly 

 Pass our accept and peremptory answer. 

 KING HENRY V  Brother, we shall. Go, uncle Exeter, 

 And brother Clarence, and you, brother Gloucester, 

 Warwick and Huntingdon, go with the king; 

 And take with you free power to ratify, 

 Augment, or alter, as your wisdoms best 

 Shall see advantageable for our dignity, 

 Any thing in or out of our demands, 

 And we'll consign thereto. Will you, fair sister, 

 Go with the princes, or stay here with us? 

 QUEEN ISABEL  Our gracious brother, I will go with them: 

 Haply a woman's voice may do some good, 

 When articles too nicely urged be stood on. 

 KING HENRY V  Yet leave our cousin Katharine here with us: 

 She is our capital demand, comprised 

 Within the fore-rank of our articles. 

 QUEEN ISABEL  She hath good leave. 



 Exeunt all except HENRY, KATHARINE, and ALICE  KING HENRY V  Fair Katharine, and most fair, 

 Will you vouchsafe to teach a soldier terms 

 Such as will enter at a lady's ear 

 And plead his love-suit to her gentle heart? 

 KATHARINE  Your majesty shall mock at me; I cannot speak your England. 

 KING HENRY V  O fair Katharine, if you will love me soundly with 

 your French heart, I will be glad to hear you 

 confess it brokenly with your English tongue. Do 

 you like me, Kate? 

 KATHARINE  Pardonnez-moi, I cannot tell vat is 'like me.' 

 KING HENRY V  An angel is like you, Kate, and you are like an angel. 

 KATHARINE  Que dit-il? que je suis semblable a les anges? 

 ALICE  Oui, vraiment, sauf votre grace, ainsi dit-il. 

 KING HENRY V  I said so, dear Katharine; and I must not blush to 

 affirm it. 

 KATHARINE  O bon Dieu! les langues des hommes sont pleines de 

 tromperies. 

 KING HENRY V  What says she, fair one? that the tongues of men 

 are full of deceits? 

 ALICE  Oui, dat de tongues of de mans is be full of 

 deceits: dat is de princess. 

 KING HENRY V  The princess is the better Englishwoman. I' faith, 

 Kate, my wooing is fit for thy understanding: I am 

 glad thou canst speak no better English; for, if 

 thou couldst, thou wouldst find me such a plain king 

 that thou wouldst think I had sold my farm to buy my 

 crown. I know no ways to mince it in love, but 

 directly to say 'I love you:' then if you urge me 

 farther than to say 'do you in faith?' I wear out 

 my suit. Give me your answer; i' faith, do: and so 

 clap hands and a bargain: how say you, lady? 

 KATHARINE  Sauf votre honneur, me understand vell. 

 KING HENRY V  Marry, if you would put me to verses or to dance for 

 your sake, Kate, why you undid me: for the one, I 

 have neither words nor measure, and for the other, I 

 have no strength in measure, yet a reasonable 

 measure in strength. If I could win a lady at 

 leap-frog, or by vaulting into my saddle with my 

 armour on my back, under the correction of bragging 

 be it spoken. I should quickly leap into a wife. 

 Or if I might buffet for my love, or bound my horse 

 for her favours, I could lay on like a butcher and 

 sit like a jack-an-apes, never off. But, before God, 

 Kate, I cannot look greenly nor gasp out my 

 eloquence, nor I have no cunning in protestation; 

 only downright oaths, which I never use till urged, 

 nor never break for urging. If thou canst love a 

 fellow of this temper, Kate, whose face is not worth 

 sun-burning, that never looks in his glass for love 

 of any thing he sees there, let thine eye be thy 

 cook. I speak to thee plain soldier: If thou canst 

 love me for this, take me: if not, to say to thee 

 that I shall die, is true; but for thy love, by the 

 Lord, no; yet I love thee too. And while thou 

 livest, dear Kate, take a fellow of plain and 

 uncoined constancy; for he perforce must do thee 

 right, because he hath not the gift to woo in other 

 places: for these fellows of infinite tongue, that 

 can rhyme themselves into ladies' favours, they do 

 always reason themselves out again. What! a 

 speaker is but a prater; a rhyme is but a ballad. A 

 good leg will fall; a straight back will stoop; a 

 black beard will turn white; a curled pate will grow 

 bald; a fair face will wither; a full eye will wax 

 hollow: but a good heart, Kate, is the sun and the 

 moon; or, rather, the sun, and not the moon; for it 

 shines bright and never changes, but keeps his 

 course truly. If thou would have such a one, take 

 me; and take me, take a soldier; take a soldier, 

 take a king. And what sayest thou then to my love? 

 speak, my fair, and fairly, I pray thee. 

 KATHARINE  Is it possible dat I sould love de enemy of France? 

 KING HENRY V  No; it is not possible you should love the enemy of 

 France, Kate: but, in loving me, you should love 

 the friend of France; for I love France so well that 

 I will not part with a village of it; I will have it 

 all mine: and, Kate, when France is mine and I am 

 yours, then yours is France and you are mine. 

 KATHARINE  I cannot tell vat is dat. 

 KING HENRY V  No, Kate? I will tell thee in French; which I am 

 sure will hang upon my tongue like a new-married 

 wife about her husband's neck, hardly to be shook 

 off. Je quand sur le possession de France, et quand 

 vous avez le possession de moi,--let me see, what 

 then? Saint Denis be my speed!--donc votre est 

 France et vous etes mienne. It is as easy for me, 

 Kate, to conquer the kingdom as to speak so much 

 more French: I shall never move thee in French, 

 unless it be to laugh at me. 

 KATHARINE  Sauf votre honneur, le Francois que vous parlez, il 

 est meilleur que l'Anglois lequel je parle. 

 KING HENRY V  No, faith, is't not, Kate: but thy speaking of my 

 tongue, and I thine, most truly-falsely, must needs 

 be granted to be much at one. But, Kate, dost thou 

 understand thus much English, canst thou love me? 

 KATHARINE  I cannot tell. 

 KING HENRY V  Can any of your neighbours tell, Kate? I'll ask 

 them. Come, I know thou lovest me: and at night, 

 when you come into your closet, you'll question this 

 gentlewoman about me; and I know, Kate, you will to 

 her dispraise those parts in me that you love with 

 your heart: but, good Kate, mock me mercifully; the 

 rather, gentle princess, because I love thee 

 cruelly. If ever thou beest mine, Kate, as I have a 

 saving faith within me tells me thou shalt, I get 

 thee with scambling, and thou must therefore needs 

 prove a good soldier-breeder: shall not thou and I, 

 between Saint Denis and Saint George, compound a 

 boy, half French, half English, that shall go to 

 Constantinople and take the Turk by the beard? 

 shall we not? what sayest thou, my fair 

 flower-de-luce? 

 KATHARINE  I do not know dat 

 KING HENRY V  No; 'tis hereafter to know, but now to promise: do 

 but now promise, Kate, you will endeavour for your 

 French part of such a boy; and for my English moiety 

 take the word of a king and a bachelor. How answer 

 you, la plus belle Katharine du monde, mon tres cher 

 et devin deesse? 

 KATHARINE  Your majestee ave fausse French enough to deceive de 

 most sage demoiselle dat is en France. 

 KING HENRY V  Now, fie upon my false French! By mine honour, in 

 true English, I love thee, Kate: by which honour I 

 dare not swear thou lovest me; yet my blood begins to 

 flatter me that thou dost, notwithstanding the poor 

 and untempering effect of my visage. Now, beshrew 

 my father's ambition! he was thinking of civil wars 

 when he got me: therefore was I created with a 

 stubborn outside, with an aspect of iron, that, when 

 I come to woo ladies, I fright them. But, in faith, 

 Kate, the elder I wax, the better I shall appear: 

 my comfort is, that old age, that ill layer up of 

 beauty, can do no more, spoil upon my face: thou 

 hast me, if thou hast me, at the worst; and thou 

 shalt wear me, if thou wear me, better and better: 

 and therefore tell me, most fair Katharine, will you 

 have me? Put off your maiden blushes; avouch the 

 thoughts of your heart with the looks of an empress; 

 take me by the hand, and say 'Harry of England I am 

 thine:' which word thou shalt no sooner bless mine 

 ear withal, but I will tell thee aloud 'England is 

 thine, Ireland is thine, France is thine, and Harry 

 Plantagenet is thine;' who though I speak it before 

 his face, if he be not fellow with the best king, 

 thou shalt find the best king of good fellows. 

 Come, your answer in broken music; for thy voice is 

 music and thy English broken; therefore, queen of 

 all, Katharine, break thy mind to me in broken 

 English; wilt thou have me? 

 KATHARINE  Dat is as it sall please de roi mon pere. 

 KING HENRY V  Nay, it will please him well, Kate it shall please 

 him, Kate. 

 KATHARINE  Den it sall also content me. 

 KING HENRY V  Upon that I kiss your hand, and I call you my queen. 

 KATHARINE  Laissez, mon seigneur, laissez, laissez: ma foi, je 

 ne veux point que vous abaissiez votre grandeur en 

 baisant la main d'une de votre seigeurie indigne 

 serviteur; excusez-moi, je vous supplie, mon 

 tres-puissant seigneur. 

 KING HENRY V  Then I will kiss your lips, Kate. 

 KATHARINE  Les dames et demoiselles pour etre baisees devant 

 leur noces, il n'est pas la coutume de France. 

 KING HENRY V  Madam my interpreter, what says she? 

 ALICE  Dat it is not be de fashion pour les ladies of 

 France,--I cannot tell vat is baiser en Anglish. 

 KING HENRY V  To kiss. 

 ALICE  Your majesty entendre bettre que moi. 

 KING HENRY V  It is not a fashion for the maids in France to kiss 

 before they are married, would she say? 

 ALICE  Oui, vraiment. 

 KING HENRY V  O Kate, nice customs curtsy to great kings. Dear 

 Kate, you and I cannot be confined within the weak 

 list of a country's fashion: we are the makers of 

 manners, Kate; and the liberty that follows our 

 places stops the mouth of all find-faults; as I will 

 do yours, for upholding the nice fashion of your 

 country in denying me a kiss: therefore, patiently 

 and yielding. 



 Kissing her  You have witchcraft in your lips, Kate: there is 

 more eloquence in a sugar touch of them than in the 

 tongues of the French council; and they should 

 sooner persuade Harry of England than a general 

 petition of monarchs. Here comes your father. 



 Re-enter the FRENCH KING and his QUEEN, BURGUNDY, and other Lords  BURGUNDY  God save your majesty! my royal cousin, teach you 

 our princess English? 

 KING HENRY V  I would have her learn, my fair cousin, how 

 perfectly I love her; and that is good English. 

 BURGUNDY  Is she not apt? 

 KING HENRY V  Our tongue is rough, coz, and my condition is not 

 smooth; so that, having neither the voice nor the 

 heart of flattery about me, I cannot so conjure up 

 the spirit of love in her, that he will appear in 

 his true likeness. 

 BURGUNDY  Pardon the frankness of my mirth, if I answer you 

 for that. If you would conjure in her, you must 

 make a circle; if conjure up love in her in his true 

 likeness, he must appear naked and blind. Can you 

 blame her then, being a maid yet rosed over with the 

 virgin crimson of modesty, if she deny the 

 appearance of a naked blind boy in her naked seeing 

 self? It were, my lord, a hard condition for a maid 

 to consign to. 

 KING HENRY V  Yet they do wink and yield, as love is blind and enforces. 

 BURGUNDY  They are then excused, my lord, when they see not 

 what they do. 

 KING HENRY V  Then, good my lord, teach your cousin to consent winking. 

 BURGUNDY  I will wink on her to consent, my lord, if you will 

 teach her to know my meaning: for maids, well 

 summered and warm kept, are like flies at 

 Bartholomew-tide, blind, though they have their 

 eyes; and then they will endure handling, which 

 before would not abide looking on. 

 KING HENRY V  This moral ties me over to time and a hot summer; 

 and so I shall catch the fly, your cousin, in the 

 latter end and she must be blind too. 

 BURGUNDY  As love is, my lord, before it loves. 

 KING HENRY V  It is so: and you may, some of you, thank love for 

 my blindness, who cannot see many a fair French city 

 for one fair French maid that stands in my way. 

 FRENCH KING  Yes, my lord, you see them perspectively, the cities 

 turned into a maid; for they are all girdled with 

 maiden walls that war hath never entered. 

 KING HENRY V  Shall Kate be my wife? 

 FRENCH KING  So please you. 

 KING HENRY V  I am content; so the maiden cities you talk of may 

 wait on her: so the maid that stood in the way for 

 my wish shall show me the way to my will. 

 FRENCH KING  We have consented to all terms of reason. 

 KING HENRY V  Is't so, my lords of England? 

 WESTMORELAND  The king hath granted every article: 

 His daughter first, and then in sequel all, 

 According to their firm proposed natures. 

 EXETER  Only he hath not yet subscribed this: 

 Where your majesty demands, that the King of France, 

 having any occasion to write for matter of grant, 

 shall name your highness in this form and with this 

 addition in French, Notre trescher fils Henri, Roi 

 d'Angleterre, Heritier de France; and thus in 

 Latin, Praeclarissimus filius noster Henricus, Rex 

 Angliae, et Haeres Franciae. 

 FRENCH KING  Nor this I have not, brother, so denied, 

 But your request shall make me let it pass. 

 KING HENRY V  I pray you then, in love and dear alliance, 

 Let that one article rank with the rest; 

 And thereupon give me your daughter. 

 FRENCH KING  Take her, fair son, and from her blood raise up 

 Issue to me; that the contending kingdoms 

 Of France and England, whose very shores look pale 

 With envy of each other's happiness, 

 May cease their hatred, and this dear conjunction 

 Plant neighbourhood and Christian-like accord 

 In their sweet bosoms, that never war advance 

 His bleeding sword 'twixt England and fair France. 

 ALL  Amen! 

 KING HENRY V  Now, welcome, Kate: and bear me witness all, 

 That here I kiss her as my sovereign queen. 



 Flourish  QUEEN ISABEL  God, the best maker of all marriages, 

 Combine your hearts in one, your realms in one! 

 As man and wife, being two, are one in love, 

 So be there 'twixt your kingdoms such a spousal, 

 That never may ill office, or fell jealousy, 

 Which troubles oft the bed of blessed marriage, 

 Thrust in between the paction of these kingdoms, 

 To make divorce of their incorporate league; 

 That English may as French, French Englishmen, 

 Receive each other. God speak this Amen! 

 ALL  Amen! 

 KING HENRY V  Prepare we for our marriage--on which day, 

 My Lord of Burgundy, we'll take your oath, 

 And all the peers', for surety of our leagues. 

 Then shall I swear to Kate, and you to me; 

 And may our oaths well kept and prosperous be! 



 Sennet. Exeunt  EPILOGUE 



 Enter Chorus  Chorus  Thus far, with rough and all-unable pen, 

 Our bending author hath pursued the story, 

 In little room confining mighty men, 

 Mangling by starts the full course of their glory. 

 Small time, but in that small most greatly lived 

 This star of England: Fortune made his sword; 

 By which the world's best garden be achieved, 

 And of it left his son imperial lord. 

 Henry the Sixth, in infant bands crown'd King 

 Of France and England, did this king succeed; 

 Whose state so many had the managing, 

 That they lost France and made his England bleed: 

 Which oft our stage hath shown; and, for their sake, 

 In your fair minds let this acceptance take. 



 Exit 