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About this text

  • Title: The Famous Victories of Henry the Fifth (Quarto, 1598)
  • Editors: Karen Sawyer Marsalek, Mathew Martin
  • Coordinating editor: Janelle Jenstad

  • Copyright Queen's Men Editions. This text may be freely used for educational, non-profit purposes; for all other uses contact the Editor.
    Author: Anonymous
    Editors: Karen Sawyer Marsalek, Mathew Martin
    Peer Reviewed

    The Famous Victories of Henry the Fifth (Quarto, 1598)

    Enter French Souldiers.
    11901. Soul. Come away Iack Drummer, come away all,
    And me will tel you what me wil doo
    Me wil tro one chance on the dice,
    Who shall haue the king of England and his lords.
    2. Soul. Come away Iacke Drummer,
    1195And tro your chance, and lay downe your Drumme.
    Enter Drummer.
    Drum. Oh the braue apparel that the English mans
    Hay broth ouer, I wil tel you what
    Me ha donue, me ha prouided a hundreth trunkes,
    1200And all to put the fine parel of the English mans in.
    1. Soul. What do thou meane by trunkea?
    2. Soul. A shest man, a hundred shests.
    1. Soul. Awee, awee, awee, Me wil tel you what,
    Me ha put fiue shildren out of my house,
    1205And all too litle to put the fine apparel of the
    English mans in.
    E3 Drum
    The famous victories
    Drum. Oh the braue, the braue apparel that we shall
    Haue anon, but come, and you shall see what me wil tro
    At the kings Drummer and Fife,
    1210Ha, me ha no good lucke, tro you.
    3. Sol. Faith me wil tro at y^e Earle of Northumberland
    And my Lord a Willowby, with his great horse,
    Snorting, farting, oh braue horse.
    1. Sol. Ha, bur Lady you ha reasonable good lucke,
    1215Now I wil tro at the king himselfe,
    Ha, me haue no good lucke.
    Enters a Captaine.
    Cap. How now what make you here,
    So farre from the Campe?
    12202. Sol. Shal me tel our captain what we haue done here?
    Drum. Awee, awee.
    Exeunt Drum, and one Souldier.
    2. Sol. I wil tel you what whe haue doune,
    We haue bene troing our shance on the Dice,
    1225But none can win the king.
    Cap. I thinke so, why he is left behind for me,
    And I haue set three or foure chaire-makers a worke,
    To make a new disguised chaire to set that womanly
    King of England in, that all the people may laugh
    1230And scoffe at him.
    2. Soul. Oh braue Captaine.
    Cap. I am glad, and yet with a kinde of pitie
    To see the poore king:
    Why who euer saw a more flourishing armie in France
    1235In one day, then here is? Are not here all the Peeres of
    France? Are not here the Normans with their firie hand=
    Gunnes,and flaunching Curtleaxes?
    Are not here the Barbarians with their bard horses,
    And lanching speares?
    1240Are not here Pickardes with their Crosbowes & piercing
    Dartes.
    The
    of Henry the fifth.
    The Henues with their cutting Glaues and sharpe
    Carbuckles.
    Are not here the Lance knights of Burgondie?
    1245And on the other side, a site of poore English scabs?
    Why take an English man out of his warme bed
    And his stale drinke, but one moneth,
    And alas what wil become of him?
    But giue the Frenchman a Reddissh roote,
    And he wil liue with it all the dayes of his life.
    Exit.
    2. Soul. Oh the braue apparel that we shall haue of the
    English mans (Exit.