Scene + 

III + 

The Same. + 

Drums. Enter King Edward, marching; Derby, etc., and Forces, and Gobin de Grey. + 

King Edward + 

Where is the Frenchman, by whose cunning guide + 

We found the shallow of this river Somme, + 

And had direction how to pass the sea? + 

Gobin + 

Here, my good lord. + 

King Edward + 

How art thou called? tell me thy name. + 

Gobin + 

Gobin de Grey, if please your excellence. + 

King Edward + 

Then, Gobin, for the service thou hast done, + 

We here enlarge and give thee liberty; + 

And, for a recompense, beside this good, + 

Thou shalt receive five hundred marks in gold.⁠— + 

I know not how, we should have met our son; + 

Whom now in heart I wish I might behold. + 

Enter Artois. + 

Artois + 

Good news, my lord; the prince is hard at hand, + 

And with him comes Lord Audley and the rest, + 

Whom since our landing we could never meet. + 

Enter Prince, Audley, and Forces. + 

King Edward + 

Welcome, fair prince! How hast thou sped, my son, + 

Since thy arrival on the coast of France? + 

Prince Edward + 

Successfully, I thank the gracious heavens: + 

Some of their strongest cities we have won, + 

As Harflew, Lo, Crotaye, and Carentine, + 

And others wasted; leaving at our heels + 

A wide apparent field and beaten path + 

For solitariness to progress in: + 

Yet, those that would submit, we kindly pardon’d; + 

But who in scorn refus’d our proffer’d peace, + 

Endured the penalty of sharp revenge. + 

King Edward + 

Ah, France, why shouldst thou be thus obstinate + 

Against the kind embracement of thy friends? + 

How gently had we thought to touch thy breast + 

And set our foot upon thy tender mould, + 

But that in froward and disdainful pride + 

Thou, like a skittish and untamed colt, + 

Dost start aside and strike us with thy heels?⁠— + 

But tell me, Ned, in all thy warlike course + 

Hast thou not seen the usurping King of France? + 

Prince Edward + 

Yes, my good lord, and not two hours ago, + 

With full a hundred thousand fighting men, + 

Upon the one side of the river’s bank, + 

I on the other; with his multitudes + 

I fear’d he would have cropp’d our smaller power: + 

But, happily, perceiving your approach + 

He hath withdrawn himself to Cressy plains; + 

Where, as it seemeth by his good array, + 

He means to bid us battle presently. + 

King Edward + 

He shall be welcome, that’s the thing we crave. + 

Enter King John; Charles and Philip, his Sons; Bohemia, Lorraine, etc., and Forces. + 

King John + 

Edward, know, that John, the true King of France⁠— + 

Musing thou shouldst encroach upon his land, + 

And, in thy tyrannous proceeding, slay + 

His faithful subjects and subvert his towns⁠— + 

Spits in thy face; and in this manner following + 

Upbraids thee with thine arrogant intrusion. + 

First, I condemn thee for a fugitive, + 

A thievish pirate, and a needy mate; + 

One, that hath either no abiding place, + 

Or else, inhabiting some barren soil, + 

Where neither herb nor fruitful grain is had, + 

Dost altogether live by pilfering: + 

Next⁠—insomuch thou hast infring’d thy faith, + 

Broke league and solemn covenant made with me⁠— + 

I hold thee for a false pernicious wretch: + 

And, last of all⁠—although I scorn to cope + 

With one so much inferior to myself; + 

Yet, in respect thy thirst is all for gold, + 

Thy labour rather to be fear’d than lov’d⁠— + 

To satisfy thy lust in either part, + 

Here am I come, and with me have I brought + 

Exceeding store of treasure, pearl and coin. + 

Leave therefore now to persecute the weak; + 

And armed ent’ring conflict with the arm’d, + 

Let it be seen, ’mongst other petty thefts, + 

How thou canst win this pillage manfully. + 

King Edward + 

If gall or wormwood have a pleasant taste, + 

Then is thy salutation honey-sweet: + 

But as the one hath no such property, + 

So is the other most satirical. + 

Yet wot how I regard thy worthless taunts;⁠— + 

If thou have utter’d them to foil my fame + 

Or dim the reputation of my birth, + 

Know that thy wolvish barking cannot hurt: + 

If slily to insinuate with the world, + 

And with a strumpet’s artificial line + 

To paint thy vicious and deformed cause, + 

Be well assur’d the counterfeit will fade + 

And in the end thy foul defects be seen: + 

But if thou didst it to provoke me on⁠— + 

As who should say, I were but timorous, + 

Or coldly negligent did need a spur⁠— + 

Bethink thyself how slack I was at sea; + 

How, since my landing, I have won no towns, + 

Enter’d no further but upon the coast, + 

And there have ever since securely slept. + 

But if I have been otherwise employ’d, + 

Imagine, Valois, whether I intend + 

To skirmish, not for pillage, but for the crown + 

Which thou dost wear; and that I vow to have, + 

Or one of us shall fall into his grave. + 

Prince Edward + 

Look not for cross invectives at our hands + 

Or railing execrations of despite: + 

Let creeping serpents hid in hollow banks + 

Sting with their tongues; we have remorseless swords, + 

And they shall plead for us and our affairs. + 

Yet thus much, briefly, by my father’s leave: + 

As all the immodest poison of thy throat + 

Is scandalous and most notorious lies, + 

And our pretended quarrel is truly just, + 

So end the battle when we meet to day: + 

May either of us prosper and prevail + 

Or, luckless curst, receive eternal shame! + 

King Edward + 

That needs no further question, and, I know, + 

His conscience witnesseth, it is my right.⁠— + 

Therefore, Valois, say, wilt thou yet resign, + 

Before the sickle’s thrust into the corn + 

Or that inkindled fury turn to flame? + 

King John + 

Edward, I know what right thou hast in France; + 

And ere I basely will resign my crown, + 

This champion field shall be a pool of blood + 

And all our prospect as a slaughter-house. + 

Prince Edward + 

Ay, that approves thee, tyrant, what thou art: + 

No father, king or shepherd of thy realm; + 

But one that tears her entrails with thy hands + 

And, like a thirsty tyger, suck’st her blood. + 

Audley + 

You peers of France, why do you follow him + 

That is so prodigal to spend your lives? + 

Charles + 

Whom should they follow, aged impotent, + 

But he that is their true-born sovereign? + 

King Edward + 

Upbraid’st thou him, because within his face + 

Time hath engrav’d deep characters of age? + 

Know, these grave scholars of experience, + 

Like stiff-grown oaks, will stand immovable, + 

When whirlwind quickly turns up younger trees. + 

Derby + 

Was ever any of thy father’s house + 

King, but thyself, before this present time? + 

Edward’s great linage, by the mother’s side, + 

Five hundred years hath held the sceptre up:⁠— + 

Judge then, conspirators, by this descent, + 

Which is the true-born sovereign, this, or that. + 

Philip + 

Father, range your battles, prate no more; + 

These English fain would spend the time in words, + 

That, night approaching, they escape unfought. + 

King John + 

Lords and my loving subjects, now’s the time + 

That your intended force must bide the touch: + 

Therefore, my friends, consider this in brief⁠— + 

He that you fight for is your natural king; + 

He against whom you fight, a foreigner: + 

He that you fight for, rules in clemency + 

And reins you with a mild and gentle bit; + 

He against whom you fight, if he prevail, + 

Will straight enthrone himself in tyranny, + 

Make slaves of you, and with a heavy hand + 

Curtail and curb your sweetest liberty. + 

Then, to protect your country and your king, + 

Let but the haughty courage of your hearts + 

Answer the number of your able hands, + 

And we shall quickly chase these fugitives. + 

For what’s this Edward but a belly-god, + 

A tender and lascivious wantonness, + 

That th’ other day was almost dead for love? + 

And what, I pray you, is his goodly guard? + 

Such as, but scant them of their chines of beef + 

And take away their downy feather-beds, + 

And, presently, they are as resty-stiff + 

As ’twere a many over-ridden jades. + 

Then, Frenchmen, scorn that such should be your lords, + 

And rather bind ye them in captive bands. + 

Frenchmen + 

Vive le Roy! God save King John of France! + 

King John + 

Now on this plain of Cressy spread yourselves⁠— + 

And, Edward, when thou dar’st, begin the fight. Exeunt King John, Charles, Philip, Lorraine, Bohemia, and Forces. + 

King Edward + 

We presently will meet thee, John of France:⁠— + 

And, English lords, let us resolve to-day + 

Either to clear us of that scandalous crime + 

Or be entombed in our innocence.⁠— + 

And, Ned, because this battle is the first + 

That ever yet thou fought’st in pitched field, + 

As ancient custom is of Martialists, + 

To dub thee with the type of chivalry, + 

In solemn manner we will give thee arms:⁠— + 

Come, therefore, heralds, orderly bring forth + 

A strong attirement for the prince my son.⁠— + 

Flourish. Enter four Heralds, bringing a coat-armour, a helmet, a lance, and a shield: first Herald delivers the armour to King Edward, who puts it on his Son. + 

Edward Plantagenet, in the name of God, + 

As with this armour I impale thy breast, + 

So be thy noble unrelenting heart + 

Wall’d in with flint of matchless fortitude + 

That never base affections enter there; + 

Fight and be valiant, conquer where thou com’st!⁠— + 

Now follow, lords, and do him honour too. + 

Derby + 

Receiving the helmet from the second Herald. + 

Edward Plantagenet, Prince of Wales, + 

As I do set this helmet on thy head, + 

Wherewith the chamber of thy brain is fenc’d, + 

So may thy temples, with Bellona’s hand, + 

Be still adorn’d with laurel victory; + 

Fight and be valiant, conquer where thou com’st! + 

Audley + 

Receiving the lance from the third Herald. + 

Edward Plantagenet, Prince of Wales, + 

Receive this lance into thy manly hand; + 

Use it in fashion of a brazen pen + 

To draw forth bloody stratagems in France + 

And print thy valiant deeds in honour’s book; + 

Fight and be valiant, conquer where thou com’st! + 

Artois + 

Receiving the shield from the fourth Herald. + 

Edward Plantagenet, Prince of Wales, + 

Hold, take this target, wear it on thy arm; + 

And may the view thereof, like Perseus’ shield, + 

Astonish and transform thy gazing foes + 

To senseless images of meagre death; + 

Fight and be valiant, conquer where thou com’st! + 

King Edward + 

Now wants there nought but knighthood; which deferr’d 1 

We leave till thou hast won it in the field. + 

Prince Edward + 

My gracious father, and ye forward peers, + 

This honour, you have done me, animates + 

And cheers my green yet-scarce-appearing strength + 

With comfortable good-presaging signs, + 

No otherwise than did old Jacob’s words + 

When as he breath’d his blessings on his sons. + 

These hallow’d gifts of yours when I profane, + 

Or use them not to glory of my God, + 

To patronage the fatherless and poor, + 

Or for the benefit of England’s peace, + 

Be numb my joints! wax feeble both mine arms! + 

Wither my heart! that, like a sapless tree, + 

I may remain the map of infamy. + 

King Edward + 

Then thus our steeled battles shall be rang’d;⁠— + 

The leading of the vaward, Ned, is thine; + 

To dignify whose lusty spirit the more, + 

We temper it with Audley’s gravity; + 

That, courage and experience join’d in one, + 

Your manage may be second unto none: + 

For the main battles, I will guide myself; + 

And, Derby, in the rearward march behind. + 

That orderly dispos’d and set in ’ray, + 

Let us to horse; and God grant us the day! Exeunt. + 