Henry V by William Shakespeare
Act 4 - Scene 8
Before KING HENRY’S pavilion.
Williams : I warrant it is to knight you, captain.
Fluellen : God's will and his pleasure, captain, I beseech you
[p]now, come apace
to the king: there is more good
[p]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.
Fluellen : 'Sblood! an arrant traitor as any is in the
[p]universal world, or in
France, or in England!
Williams : Do you think I'll be forsworn?
Fluellen : Stand away, Captain Gower; I will give treason his
[p]payment into
ploughs, I warrant you.
Williams : I am no traitor.
Fluellen : That's a lie in thy throat. I charge you in his
[p]majesty's name,
apprehend him: he's a friend of the
[p]Duke Alencon's.
Fluellen : My Lord of Warwick, here is--praised be God for it!
[p]--a most
contagious treason come to light, look
[p]you, as you shall desire in
a summer's day. Here is
[p]his majesty.
Fluellen : My liege, here is a villain and a traitor, that,
[p]look your grace,
has struck the glove which your
[p]majesty is take out of the helmet
of Alencon.
Williams : My liege, this was my glove; here is the fellow of
[p]it; and he that
I gave it to in change promised to
[p]wear it in his cap: I promised
to strike him, if he
[p]did: I met this man with my glove in his cap,
and I
[p]have been as good as my word.
Fluellen : Your majesty hear now, saving your majesty's
[p]manhood, what an
arrant, rascally, beggarly, lousy
[p]knave it is: I hope your majesty
is pear me
[p]testimony and witness, and will avouchment, that
[p]this
is the glove of Alencon, that your majesty is
[p]give me; in your
conscience, now?
Fluellen : An please your majesty, let his neck answer for it,
[p]if there is any
martial law in the world.
Williams : All offences, my lord, come from the heart: never
[p]came any from
mine that might offend your majesty.
Williams : Your majesty came not like yourself: you appeared to
[p]me but as a
common man; witness the night, your
[p]garments, your lowliness; and
what your highness
[p]suffered under that shape, I beseech you take it
for
[p]your own fault and not mine: for had you been as I
[p]took you
for, I made no offence; therefore, I
[p]beseech your highness, pardon
me.
Fluellen : By this day and this light, the fellow has mettle
[p]enough in his
belly. Hold, there is twelve pence
[p]for you; and I pray you to serve
Got, and keep you
[p]out of prawls, and prabbles' and quarrels,
and
[p]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
[p]serve you to mend
your shoes: come, wherefore should
[p]you be so pashful? your shoes is
not so good: 'tis
[p]a good silling, I warrant you, or I will change
it.
Herald : Here is the number of the slaughter'd French.
Fluellen : Is it not lawful, an please your majesty, to tell
[p]how many is
killed?
Fluellen : Yes, my conscience, he did us great good.
Previous: Act 4 - Scene 7
Next: Act 5 - Scene 0
