William Shakespeare

“ That may for sighes, set downe true sighes indeed:
Talking of griefe, to make thee ready grone,
And when thou writest of teares, encouch the word,
Before and after with such sweete laments,
That it may rayse drops in a Torterseye,
And make a flynt heart Sythian pytifull,
For so much moouing hath a Poets pen:
Then if thou be a Poet moue thou so,
And be enriched by thy soueraigne loue:
For if the touch of sweet concordant strings,
Could force attendance in the eares of hel:
How much more shall the straines of poets wit,
Beguild and rauish soft and humane myndes. ”

“ Read let vs heare,
Lo: More faire and chast then is the queen of shades:
King: That loue hath two falts grosse and palpable,
Comparest thou her to the pale queene of night,
Who being set in darke seemes therefore light,
What is she, when the sunne lifts vp his head,
But like a fading taper dym and dead.
My loue shall braue the ey of heauen at noon,
And being vnmaskt outshine the golden sun,
Lo: What is the other faulte, my soueraigne Lord,
King. ”

“ And made the wicked stumble at them selues.
Enter Artoys.
Rescue king Edward, rescue, for thy sonne,
Kin: Rescue Artoys, what is he prisoner?
Or by violence fell beside his horse.
Ar. Neither my Lord, but narrowly beset,
With turning Frenchmen, whom he did persue,
As tis impossible that he should scape.
Except your highnes presently descend.
Kin: Tut let him fight, we gaue him armes to day.
And he is laboring for a knighthood man. ”

“ These English fame would spend the time in wodrs,
That night approching, they might escape vnfought.
K. Ioh: Lords and my louing Subiects knowes the time,
That your intended force must bide the touch,
Therfore my frinds consider this in breefe,
He that you fight for is your naturall King,
He against whom you fight a forrener:
He that you fight for rules in clemencie,
And fames you with a mild and gentle byt,
He against whome you fight if hee preuaile,
Will straight in throne himselfe in tyrranie,
Make slaues of you, and with a heauie hand
Curtall and courb your swetest libertie. ”

“ Thy selfe art busie, and bit with many broiles,
And stratagems sore past with yron pens,
Are texted in thine honorable face,
Thou art a married man in this distresse.
But danger wooes me as a blushing maide,
Teach me an answere to this perillous time.
Aud. To die is all as common as to liue,
The one in choice the other holds in chase,
For from the instant we begin to liue,
We do pursue and hunt the time to die,
First bud we, then we blow, and after seed,
Then presently we fall, and as a shade
Followes the bodie, so we sollow death,
If then we hunt for death, why do we feare it? ”

“ Retreate.Retreae is sounded, one side hath the worse,
O if it be the French, sweete fortune turne,
And in thy turning change the forward winds,
That with aduantage of a sauoring skie,
Our men may vanquish and thither flie.
Enter Marriner.
My hart misgiues, say mirror of pale death,
To whome belongs the honor of this day,
Relate I pray thee, if thy breath will serue,
The sad discourse of this discomfiture.
Mar. I will my Lord.
My gratious soueraigne, Fraunce hath tane the foyle,
And boasting Edward triumphs with successe ”

“ King. What office were it to suggest a man,
To breake a lawfull and religious vowe.
War. An office for the deuill not for man,
Ki. That destilles office must thou do for me,
Or breake thy oth or cancell all the bondes,
Of loue and duetie twixt thy self and mee,
And therefore Warwike if thou art thy selfe,
The Lord and master of thy word and othe,
Go to thy daughter and in my behalfe,
Comaund her, woo her, win her anie waies,
To be my mistres and my secret loue,
I will not stand to heare thee make reply,
Exit,Thy oth breake hers or let thy souereigne dye. ”

“ King: This counsayle Artoyes like to fruictfull shewers,
Hath added growth vnto my dignitye,
And by the fiery vigor of thy words,
Hot courage is engendred in my brest,
Which heretofore was rakt in ignorance,
But nowe doth mount with golden winges of fame,
And will approue faire Issabells discent,
Able to yoak their stubburne necks with steele,
That spurne against my souereignety in France. ”

“ And with thy selfe and those kneele at his feete,
He straight will fold his bloody collours vp,
And ransome shall redeeme liues forfeited:
If not, this day shall drinke more English blood,
Then ere was buried in our Bryttish earth,
What is the answere to his profered mercy?
Pr, This heauen that couers Fraunce containes the mercy
That drawes from me submissiue orizons,
That such base breath should vanish from my lips
To vrge the plea of mercie to a man,
The Lord forbid, returne and tell the king,
My tongue is made of steele, and it shall beg
My mercie on his coward burgonet. ”

“ King: Well said young Phillip, call for bread and Wine,
That we may cheere our stomacks with repast,
The battell hard a farre off.
To looke our foes more sternely in the face.
Now is begun the heauie day at Sea,
Fight Frenchmen, fight, be like the fielde of Beares,
When they defend their younglings in their Caues:
Stir angry Nemesis the happie helme,
That with the sulphur battels of your rage,
The English Fleete may be disperst and sunke,
Shot.Ph. ”

“ And after feele the stroake of quartering steele,
This is your dome, go souldiets see it done.
Qu: Ah be more milde vnto these yeelding men,
It is a glorious thing to stablish peace,
And kings approch the nearest vnto God,
By giuing life and fafety vnto men,
As thou intendest to be king of Fraunce,
So let her people liue to call thee king,
For what the sword cuts down or fire hath spoyld
Is held in reputation none of ours. ”

“ My selfe whose spirit is steele to their dull lead,
What with recalling of the prophesie,
and that our natiue stones from English armes
Rebell against vs, finde my selfe attainted
With strong surprise of weake and yeelding feare.
Enter Charles.
Fly father flie, the French do kill the French,
Some that would stand, let driue at some that flie,
Our drums strike nothing but discouragement,
Our trumpets sound dishonor, and retire,
The spirit of feare that feareth nought but death,
Cowardly workes confusion on it selfe. ”

“ Too bright a morning breeds a louring daie.
Sound Trumpets, enter Audley.
But say, what grym discoragement comes heere,
Alas what thousand armed men of Fraunce,
Haue writ that note of death in Audleys face:
Speake thou that wooest death with thy careles smile
and lookst so merrily vpon thy graue,
As if thou wert enamored on thyne end,
What hungry sword hath so bereaud thy face,
And lopt a true friend from my louing soule:
Au. ”

“ Say shee hath thrice more splendour then the sun,
That her perfections emulats the sunne,
That shee breeds sweets as plenteous as the sunne,
That shee doth thaw cold winter like the sunne,
That she doth cheere fresh sommer like the sunne,
That shee doth dazle gazers like the sunne,
And in this application to the sunne,
Bid her be free and generall as the sunne,
Who smiles vpon the basest weed that growes,
As louinglie as on the fragrant rose,
Lets see what followes that same moonelight line,
Lo: More faire and chast then is the louer of shades,
More bould in constancie. ”

“ But one that teares her entrailes with thy handes,
And like a thirstie tyger suckst her bloud.
Aud: You peeres of France, why do you follow him,
That is so prodigall to spend your liues?
Ch: Whom should they follow, aged impotent,
But he that is their true borne soueraigne?
Kin: Obraidst thou him, because within his face,
Time hath ingraud deep caracters of age:
Know that these graue schollers of experience,
Like stiffe growen oakes, will stand unmouable,
When whirle wind quickly turnes vp yonger trees. ”

“ K. E: Welcome faire Prince, how hast thou sped my sonne,
Since thy arriuall on the coaste of Fraunce?
Pr. Ed: Succesfullie I thanke the gratious heauens,
Some of their strongest Cities we haue wonne,
As Harslen, Lie, Crotag, and Carentigne,
And others wasted, leauing at our heeles,
A wide apparant feild and beaten path,
For sollitarines to progresse in,
Yet those that would submit we kindly pardned,
For who in scorne refused our poffered peace,
Indurde the penaltie of sharpe reuenge. ”

“ If we do feare, with feare we do but aide
The thing we feare, to seize on vs the sooner,
If wee feare not, then no resolued proffer,
Can ouerthrow the limit of our fate,
For whether ripe or rotten, drop we shall,
as we do drawe the lotterie of our doome. ”

“ Whie dost thou tip mens tongues with golden words,
And peise their deedes with weight of heauie leade,
That faire performance cannot follow promise,
O that a man might hold the hartes close booke,
And choke the lauish tongue when it doth vtter
The breath of falshood not carectred there ”

“ In which for hast to make a safe escape,
More in the clustering throng are prest to death,
Then by the ennimie a thousand fold.
K. Io: O haplesse fortune, let vs yet assay,
If we can counsell some of them to stay.
Enter King Edward and Audley.
Ki, E: Lord Audley, whiles our sonne is in the chase,
With draw our powers vnto this little hill,
And heere a season let vs breath our selues,
Exit, sound Retreat.Au. ”

“ K. Ed: What strange enchantment lurke in those her eyes?
When they exceld this excellence they haue,
That now her dym declyne hath power to draw,
My subiect eyes from persing maiestie,
To gaze on her with doting admiration. ”

“ Come wele persue the Scots, Artoyes away.
Co: A little while my gratious soueraigne stay,
And let the power of a mighty king
Honor our roofe: my husband in the warres,
When he shall heare it will triumph for ioy. ”

“ King Iohn of France, together with his sonne,
In captiue bonds, whose diadem he brings
To crowne thee with, and to proclaime thee king
Ki. Away with mourning Phillip, wipe thine eies
Sound Trumpets, welcome in Plantaginet.
Enter Prince Edward, king Iohn, Phillip, Audley, Artoys.
Ki: As things long lost when they are found again,
So doth my sonne reioyce his fathers heart,
For whom euen now my soule was much perplext
kisse him.Q. Be this a token to expresse my ioy,
For inward passions will not let me speake. ”

“ Dispose our men in garrison a while,
But who comes heere?
Enter Copland and King Dauid.
De, Copland my Lord, and Dauid King of Scots:
Ki: Is this the proud presumtious Esquire of the North,
That would not yeeld his prisoner to my Queen,
Cop: I am my liege a Northen Esquire indeed,
But neither proud nor insolent I trust.
Ki: What moude thee then to be so obstinate,
To contradict our royall Queenes desire? ”

“ For shee giues beautie both to heauen and earth,
The sin is more to hacke and hew poore men,
Then to embrace in an vnlawfull bed,
The register of all rarieties,
Since Letherne Adam, till this youngest howre. ”

“ Enter king Edward, Warwike, Artoyes, with others.
K. Ed: What are the stealing Foxes fled and gone
Before we could vncupple at their heeles.
War: They are my liege, but with a cheereful cry,
Hot hunds and hardie chase them at the heeles. ”

“ Hast thou not seene the vsurping King of Fraunce.
Pri. Yes my good Lord, and not two owers ago,
With full a hundred thousand fighting men,
Vppon the one side with the riuers banke,
And on the other both his multitudes,
I feard he would haue cropt our smaller power,
But happily perceiuing your approch,
He hath with drawen himselfe to Cressey plaines,
Where as it seemeth by his good araie.
He meanes to byd vs battaile presently,
Kin. Ed: He shall be welcome thats the thing we craue.
Enter King Iohn, Dukes of Normanndy and Lorraine, King of
Boheme, yong Phillip, and Souldiers. ”

“ Enter King Edward and Derby with Souldiers.
Kin: Since they refuse our profered league my Lord,
And will not ope their gates and let vs in,
We will intrench our selues on euery side,
That neither vituals, nor supply of men,
May come to succour this accursed towne,
Famine shall combate where our swords are stopt.
Enter sixe poore Frenchmen.
Der. The promised aid that made them stand aloofe,
Is now retirde and gone an other way:
It will repent them of their stubborne will,
But what are these poore ragged slaues my Lord?
Ki. Edw: Aske what they are, it seemes they come from Callis. ”

“ King: Name then faire Countesse, and by heauen I will.
Co: It is their liues that stand betweene our loue,
That I would haue chokt vp my soueraigne.
Ki. Whose liues my Lady?
Co. My thrice loning liege,
Your Queene, and Salisbury my wedded husband,
Who liuing haue that tytle in our loue,
That we cannot bestow but by their death,
Ki: Thy opposition is beyond our Law,
Co. ”

“ Lets with our coullours sweete the Aire of Fraunce.
Enter Lodwike.
Lo. My liege, the Countesse with a smiling cheere.
Desires accesse vnto your Maiestie.
King.
Why there it goes, that verie smile of hers,
Hath ransomed captiue Fraunce, and set the King,
The Dolphin and the Peeres at liberty,
Exit Pr. Goe leaue me Ned, and reuell with thy friends.
Thy mother is but blacke, and thou like her. ”

“ My eldest sonne the Duke of Normandie,
Togeither with this aide of Muscouites,
Shall clyme the higher ground an other waye:
Heere in the middle cost betwixt you both,
Phillip my youngest boy and I will lodge,
Exunt.So Lords begon, and looke vnto your charge.
You stand for Fraunce, an Empire faire and large,
Now tell me Phillip, what is their concept,
Touching the challenge that the English make. ”