The Chronicle Hiftorie
of Henry the fift: with his battel fought
at Agin Court in France. Togither with
Auncient Piſtoll.

Enter King Henry, Exeter, 2. Bishops, Clarence, and other Attendants.

Exeter.

S
hall I call in Thambaffadors my Liege?
King. Not yet my Couſin,til we be refolude
Of some ſerious matters touching vs and France.
Bi. God and his Angels guard your ſacred throne,
And make you long become it.
King. Shure we thank you. And good my Lord proceed
Why the Lawe Salicke which they have in France,
Or ſhould or ſhould not, ſtop vs in our clayme:
And God forbid my wife and learned Lord,
That you ſhould ſaſhion, frame, or wreft the ſame.
For God doth know how many now in health,
Shall drop their blood in approbation,
Of what your reuerence ſhall incite vs too.
Therefore take heed how you impawne our perſon,
How you awake the ſleeping ſword of warre:
We charge you in the name of God take heed.
After this coniuration, ſpeake my Lord:
And we will iudge, note, and belceue in heart,
That what you ſpeake, is waſht as pure
As ſin in baptisme.

A 2

Bif.

The Chronicle Historie

Then heare me gracious foueraigne, and you peere,
Which owe your liues, your faith and seruices.

To this imperiall throne.

There is no bar to stay your highnesse claime to France
But one, which they produce from Paramount,

No female shall succeed in falicke land,
Which falicke land the French vnmutly gloze

To be the realme of France:

And Paramount the founder of this law and female batte:
Yet their owne writers faithfully attirme

That the land falicke lyes in Germany,

Betweene the clouds of Sabreck and of Elme,

Where Charles the fifth having subdude the Saxons,

There left behind, and ferred certaine French,

Who holding in didaine the Germaine women,
For some dishonest maners of their liues,

Etablisht there this lawe. To wit,

No female shall succeed in falicke land:

Which falicke land as I laid before,

Is at this time in Germany called Mesfene:

Thus doth it well appeare the falicke lawe.

Was not deuifed for the realme of France,

Nor did the French posſſele the falicke land,

Vntill 400. one and twentie yeares

After the function of king Paramount,

Godly suppoſed the founder of this lawe:

Hugh Capet also that vurpt the crowne,

To fine his title with some ſhowe of truth,

When in pure truth it was corrupt and naughte:

Conuaid himſelfe as heire to the Lady Inger,

Daughter to Charles, the forefaid Duke of Lorain,

So that as cleare as is the fommers Sun,

King Pippins title and Hugh Capets claime,

King Charles his ſatisfaction all appeare,

To hold in right and title of the female:

So do the Lords of France until this day,

Howbeit they would hold vp this falick lawe.

To

of Henry the fifth.

To bar your highnesse claiming from the female,
And rather choose to hide them in a net,

Then amply to imbace their crooked cauſes,

Vfurpt from you and your progenitors. (claime)

K. May we with right & confience make this

Bi. The sin vpon my head dread foueraigne,

For in the booke of Numbers is it writ,

• When the fonne dies, let the inheritance

Descend vnto the daughter.

Noble Lord stand for your owne,

Vnwinde your bloody flagge,

Go my dread Lord to your great graunſirs graue,

From whom you clayme:

And your great Vncle Edward the blacke Prince,
Who on the French ground playd a Tragedy

Making defeat on the full power of France,

Whileſt his moſt mighty father on a hill,

Stood smiling to behold his Lyons whelpe,

Foraging blood of French Nobilitie.

O Noble English that could entertaine

With halfe their Forces the full power of France:

And let an other halfe stand laughing by,

All out of worke, and cold for action.

King. We muſt not onely arme vs against the French,
But lay downe our proportion for the Scot,

Who will make rode vpon vs with all aduantages.

Bi. The Marches gracious foueraigne, ſhalbe sufficient
To guard your England from the pilfering borderers.

King. We do not meane the courſing sneakers onely,
But feare the mayne entendement of the Scot,

For you ſhall read, neuer my great grandfather

Vnmaskt his power for France,

But that the Scot on his vnſurſicht Kingdome,
Came pouring like the Tide into a breach,

That England being empty of defences,

Hath ſhooke and trembled at the brute hereof.

Bi. She hath bin then more feared then hurt my Lord:

A 3

For

The Chronicle Historie

For heare her but exemplified by her selfe,
When all her chialry hath bene in France
And she a mourning widow of her Nobles,
She hath her selfe not only well defended,
But taken and impounded as a tray, the king of Scots,
Whom like a caytiffe she did leade to France,
Filling your Chronicles as rich with praisc
As is the owfe and bortome of the fea
With funken wrack and shiplesſe treaſurie.

Lord. There is a ſaying very old and true,
If you will France win,
Then with Scotland firſt begin:
For once the Eagle, England being in pray,
To his vnſurniſh neſt the weazel Scot
Would fuck her egs, playing the mousc in abſence of the
To ſpoyle and hauock more then ſhe can eat.

(cate)
Exe. It followes then, the cat muſt stay at home,
Yet that is but a curſt neceſſitie,
Since we haue trappes to catch the petty theeuces:
Whilſte that the armed hand doth fight abroad
The aduised head controlles at home:
For government though high or lowe, being put into parts,
Congrueth with a mutuall consent like mulicke.

Bi. True: therefore doth heauen diuide the fate of man
in diuers functions.

Whereto is added as an ayme or but, obedience:
For so liue the honey Bees, creatures that by awe
Ordaine an act of order to a peopeld Kingdome:
They haue a King and officers of ſort,
Where ſome like Magiſtrates correct at home:
Others like Marchants venture trade abroad:
Others like ſouldiers armed in their ſtings,
Make boote vpon the sommers veluet bud:
Which pillage they with mery march bring home
To the tent royall of their Emperour,
Who buſed in his maiestie, behold
The ſinging maſons building roofes of gold:

The

of Henry the fifth.

The ciuell citizens lading vp the honey,
The fad ey de Iuſtice with his ſurly humme,
Deliuering vp to executors pale, the lazy caning Drone.
This infer, that 20. actions once a foote,
May all end in one moment.
As many Arrowes loſed ſeuerall wayes, flye to one marke:
As many ſeuerall wayes meete in one towne:
As many fresh ſtreames run in one ſelfe ſea:
As many lines cloſe in the dy all center:
So may a thousand actions once a foote,
End in one moment, and be all well borne without defect.
Therefore my Liege to France,
Diuide your happy England into ſoure,
Of which take you one quarter into France,
And you withall, ſhall make all Gallia ſhake.
If we with thrice that power left at home,
Cannot defend our owne doore from the dogge,
Let vs be beaten, and from henceforth loſe
The name of polliey and hardineſſe.

Ki. Call in the meſſenger ſent ſro the Dolphin,
And by your ayde, the noble ſinewes of our land,
France being ours, weele bring it to our awe,
Or breake it all in pieces:
Eyther our Chronicles ſhal with full mouth ſpeak
Freely of our acts,
Or eſſe like toongleſſe mutes
Not worſcript with a paper Epitaph:

*Enter Thambassadors from France.*

Now are we well prepared to know the Dolphins pleaſure,
For we heare your comming is from him.

*Ambassa.* Pleaſeth your Maiestie to giue vs leaue
Freely to render what we haue in charge:
Or ſhall I ſparingly ſhew a farre off,
The Dolphins pleaſure and our Embaſſage?

*King.* We are no tyrant, but a Chriſtian King,
To whom our ſpirit is as ſubieſt,
As are our wretches fettered in our prisons.

There-

The Chronicle Historie

Therefore freely and with vncurbed boldneſſe
Tell vs the Dolphins minde,

Ambaf. Then this in fine the Dolphin faith,

Whereas you clayme certaine Townes in France,
From your predeſſor king Edward the third,
This he returns.

He faith, thereſon nought in France that can be with a nimble
Galliard wonne : you cannot reuell into Dukedomes thereſe
Therefore he ſendeth meeter for your ſtudy,

This tunne of treaſure : and in lieu of this,
Deſires to let the Dukedomes that you craue

Heare no more from you : This the Dolphin faith.

King. What treaſure Vncle?

Exe. Tennis balles my Liege.

King. We are glad the Dolphin is ſo pleafant with vs.

Your meſſage and his preſent we accept :

When we haue matched our rackets to these balles,
We will by God's grace play ſuch a ſet,

Shall ſtrike his fathers crowne into the hazard.

Tell him he hath made a match with ſuch a wrangler,

That all the Courts of France ſhall be diſturbed with chafes.
And we vnderſtand him well, how he comes ore vs

With our wilder dayes, not meaſuring what ſyc we made
of them.

We neuer valued this poore ſate of England.

And therefore gaue our ſelues to barbarous licence:

As this common ſene that men are merrieſt when they are
from home.

But tell the Dolphin we will keepe our ſtate,
Be like a King, mightie and commaund,

When we do rowle vs in throne of France :

For this haue we laid by our Maieſtie

And plodded lide a man for working dayes.

But we will rife there with ſo full of glory,

That we will dazell all the eyes of France,

I ſtrike the Dolphin blinde to looke on vs,

And tell him this, his mock hath turnd his balles to gun

And

of Henry the fifth.

And his ſoule ſhall fit ſore charged for the waſtfull
(vengeance)

That ſhall flye from them. For this his mocke

Shall mocke many a wife out of their deare husbands.

Mocke mothers from their ſonnes, mocke Caſtles downe,
I ſome are yet vngotten and vnborne,

That ſhall haue cauſe to curſe the Dolphins ſcorne.

But this lyes all within the will of God, to whom we doo

(appeale,

And in whole name tel you the Dolphin we are coming on
To venge vs as we may, and to put forth our hand

In a rightfull cauſe : ſo get you hence, and tell your Prince,
His left will ſauro but of ſhallow wit,

When thouands weepe, more then did laugh at it.

Conuey them with tafe conduct : ſee them hence.

Exe. This was a merry meſſage.

King. We hope to make the ſender bluſh at it :

Therefore let our collectio for the wars be ſoon provided:
For God before, weell check the Dolphin at his fathers

(doore.

Therefore let euery man now taske hi: thought,
That this faire action may on ſoote be brought.

Exeunt omnes.

Enter Nim and Bardolſe.

Bar. Godmorrow Corporall Nim.

Nim. Godmorrow Lieſtenant Bardolſe.

Bar. What is antient Pistoll and thee friends yet e

Nim. I cannot tell, things muſt be as they may:

I dare not fight, but I will winke and hold out mine Iron :

It is a ſimple one, but what tho; it will ſerue to toſte cheeſe.

And it will endure cold as an other man's ſword will,

And thereſe the humor of it.

Bar. Yfaith miſſeſſe quickly did thee great wrongs,

For thou weart troth plight to her.

B

Nim, I

The Chronicle Historie

Nim. I must do as I may, the patience be a tyred mare,
Yet wheel plod, and some fay kniues haue edges,
And men may sleepe and haue their throtes about them
At that time, and there is the humour of it.

Bar. Come, faith, Ile beftow a breakfaft to make Pistoll
And thee friendes. What a plague should we carrie kniues
To cut our owne throates.

Nim. Y faith, I lie lue as long as I may, that's the certaine of it.
And when I cannot lie any longer, Ile do as I may,
And there's my reft, and the randeuous of it.

Enter Pistoll and Hoftes Quickly, his wife.

Bar. Godmorrow ancient Pistoll.

Here comes ancient Pistoll, I prithee Nim be quiet.

Nim. How do you my Hoftes?

Pist. Bafe flaue, calleft thou me hoftes?

Now by gads lugges I sweate, I scorne the title,
Nor shall my Nell keepe lodging.

Hoft. No by my troath not I,
For we cannot bed nor boord half a score honest gettlewome
That lie honestl by the prick of their needle,
But it is thought straight we keepe a bawdy-house.

O Lord hee's Corporall Nims, now shall
We have wilful adultry and murther committed :

Good Corporall Nim shew the valour of a man,
And put vp your sword.

Nim. Pusfl.

Pist. What doft thou pusfl, thou prickeard cur of Icelands

Nim. Will you shog off? I would haue you solus.

Pist. Solus egregious dog, that solus in thy throte,
And in thy lungs; and which isworfe, within

Thy meffull mouth, I do retort that solus in thy
Bowels, and in thy law, perdie: for I can talke,

And Pistoll's flashing firy cock is vp.

Nim. I am not Barba's/om, you cannot coniure me:
I haue an humour Pistoll to knock you indifferently well,
And you fall foule with me Pistoll, Ile scoure you with my

Rapica

of Henry the fifth.

Rapier in faire terms. If you will walke off a little,
Ile prick your guts a little in good terms,
And there's the humour of it.

Pist. O braggard vile, and damned furious wight,
The Graue doth gape, and groaning
Death is neare, therefore exall.

They drawe.

Bar. Heare me, he that strikes the first blow,
Ile kill him, as I am a soufldier.

Pist. An oath of mickle might, and fury shall abate.
Nim. Ile cut your throat at one time or an other in faire
And there's the humor of it.

(terms,

Pist. Couple gorge is the word, I thee defie agen :
A damned hound, thinkst thou my spoufe to get?

No, to the powdering tub of infamy,
Fetch forth the lazart kite of Cresides kinde,
Doll Tear-sheete, she by name, and her espoufe
I haue, and I will hold, the quandom quickly,
For the onely she and Paco, there it is inough.

Enter the Boy.

Boy. Hoftes you must come straight to my maifter,
And you Hoft Pistoll, Good Bardolfe.
Put thy nose betweene the sheete, and do the office of a

(warning pan.

Hoft. By my troath heele yeeld the crow a pudding one

(of the dayes,

Ile go to him, husband you'l come?

Bar. Come Pistoll be friends.

Nim prithee be friends, and if thou wilt not be
Enemies with me too.

Nim. I shall haue my eight shillings I woon of you at beating

Pist. Bafe is the flaue that payes.

Nim. That now I will haue, and there's the humour of it.

Pist. As a manhood shall compound.

They drawe.

Bar. He that strikes the first blow,

Ile kill him by this sword.

Pist. Sword is an oath, and oathes must haue their course.

B 2

Nims,