Henry V

epub:type="z3998:stage-direction">Enter Katharine and Alice.

Katherine
Alice, tu as été en Angleterre, et tu parles bien le langage.


Alice
Un peu, madame.


Katherine
Je te prie, m’enseignez; il faut que j’apprenne à parler. Comment appelez-vous la main en Anglois?


Alice
La main? elle est appelée de hand.


Katherine
De hand. Et les doigts?


Alice
Les doigts? ma foi, j’oublie les doigts; mais je me souviendrai. Les doigts? je pense qu’ils sont appelés de fingres; oui, de fingres.


Katherine
La main, de hand; les doigts, de fingres. Je pense que je suis le bon écolier; j’ai gagné deux mots d’Anglois vîtement. Comment appelez-vous les ongles?


Alice
Les ongles? Nous les appelons de nails.


Katherine
De nails. Écoutez; dites-moi, si je parle bien: de hand, de fingres, et de nails.


Alice
C’est bien dit, madame; il est fort bon Anglois.


Katherine
Dites-moi l’Anglois pour le bras.


Alice
De arm, madame.


Katherine
Et le coude?


Alice
De elbow.


Katherine
De elbow. Je m’en fais la répétition de tous les mots que vous m’avez appris dès à présent.


Alice
Il est trop difficile, madame, comme je pense.


Katherine
Excusez-moi, Alice; écoutez: de hand, de fingres, de nails, de arm, de bilbow.


Alice
De elbow, madame.


Katherine
O Seigneur Dieu, je m’en oublie! de elbow. Comment appelez-vous le col?


Alice
De neck, madame.


Katherine
De nick. Et le menton?


Alice
De chin.


Katherine
De sin. Le col, de nick; le menton, de sin.


Alice
Oui. Sauf votre honneur, en vérité, vous prononcez les mots aussi droit que les natifs d’Angleterre.


Katherine
Je ne doute point d’apprendre, par la grâce de Dieu, et en peu de temps.


Alice
N’avez-vous pas déjà oublié ce que je vous ai enseigné?


Katherine
Non, je réciterai à vous promptement: d’hand, de fingres, de mails⁠—


Alice
De nails, madame.


Katherine
De nails, de arm, de ilbow.


Alice
Sauf votre honneur, de elbow.


Katherine
Ainsi dis-je; de elbow, de nick, et de sin. Comment appelez-vous le pied et la robe?


Alice
De foot, madame; et de coun.


Katherine
De foot et de coun! O Seigneur Dieu! ce sont mots de son mauvais, corruptible, gros, et impudique, et non pour les dames d’honneur d’user: je ne voudrais prononcer ces mots devant les seigneurs de France pour tout le monde. Foh! le foot et le coun! Néanmoins, je réciterai une autre fois ma leçon ensemble: d’hand, de fingres, de nails, de arm, de elbow, de nick, de sin, de foot, de coun.


Alice
Excellent, madame!


Katherine
C’est assez pour une fois: allons-nous à dîner. Exeunt.


Scene V
The same.




Enter the King of France, the Dauphin, the Duke of Bourbon, the Constable of France, and others.


French King
’Tis certain he hath pass’d the river Somme.


Constable

And if he be not fought withal, my lord,

Let us not live in France; let us quit all

And give our vineyards to a barbarous people.



Dauphin

O Dieu vivant! shall a few sprays of us,

The emptying of our fathers’ luxury,

Our scions, put in wild and savage stock,

Spirt up so suddenly into the clouds,

And overlook their grafters?



Bourbon

Normans, but bastard Normans, Norman bastards!

Mort de ma vie! if they march along

Unfought withal, but I will sell my dukedom,

To buy a slobbery and a dirty farm

In that nook-shotten isle of Albion.



Constable

Dieu de batailles! where have they this mettle?

Is not their climate foggy, raw, and dull,

On whom, as in despite, the sun looks pale,

Killing their fruit with frowns? Can sodden water,

A drench for sur-rein’d jades, their barley-broth,

Decoct their cold blood to such valiant heat?

And shall our quick blood, spirited with wine,

Seem frosty? O, for honour of our land,

Let us not hang like roping icicles

Upon our houses’ thatch, whiles a more frosty people

Sweat drops of gallant youth in our rich fields!

Poor we may call them in their native lords.



Dauphin

By faith and honour,

Our madams mock at us, and plainly say

Our mettle is bred out and they will give

Their bodies to the lust of English youth

To new-store France with bastard warriors.



Bourbon

They bid us to the English dancing-schools,

And teach lavoltas high and swift corantos;

Saying our grace is only in our heels,

And that we are most lofty runaways.



French King

Where is Montjoy the herald? speed him hence:

Let him greet England with our sharp defiance.

Up, princes! and, with spirit of honour edged

More sharper than your swords, hie to the field:

Charles Delabreth, high constable of France;

You Dukes of Orleans, Bourbon, and of Berri,

Alençon, Brabant, Bar, and Burgundy;

Jacques Chatillon, Rambures, Vaudemont,

Beaumont, Grandpré, Roussi, and Fauconbridge,

Foix, Lestrale, Bouciqualt, and Charolois;

High dukes, great princes, barons, lords and knights,

For your great seats now quit you of great shames.

Bar Harry England, that sweeps through our land

With pennons painted in the blood of Harfleur:

Rush on his host, as doth the melted snow

Upon the valleys, whose low vassal seat

The Alps doth spit and void his rheum upon:

Go down upon him, you have power enough,

And in a captive chariot into Rouen

Bring him our prisoner.



Constable

This becomes the great.

Sorry am I his numbers are so few,

His soldiers sick and famish’d in their march,

For I am sure, when he shall see our army,

He’ll drop his heart into the sink of fear

And for achievement offer us his ransom.



French King

Therefore, lord constable, haste on Montjoy,

And let him say to England that we send

To know what willing ransom he will give.

Prince Dauphin, you shall stay with us in Rouen.



Dauphin
Not so, I do beseech your majesty.


French King

Be patient, for you shall remain with us.

Now forth, lord constable and princes all,

And quickly bring us word of England’s fall. Exeunt.






Scene VI
The English camp in Picardy.




Enter Gower and Fluellen, meeting.