A little Shakespeare to go with the war

A perhaps more relevant portion of the play. Act I, Scene ii:

[Enter the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Bishop of Ely.]

CANTERBURY: God and his angels guard your sacred throne
And make you long become it!

KING HENRY: Sure, we thank you. 10
My learned lord, we pray you to proceed
And justly and religiously unfold
Why the law Salique that they have in France
Or should, or should not, bar us in our claim;
And God forbid, my dear and faithful lord, 15
That you should fashion, wrest, or bow your reading,
Or nicely charge your understanding soul
With opening titles miscreate, whose right
Suits not in native colours with the truth;
For God doth know how many now in health 20
Shall drop their blood in approbation
Of what your reverence shall incite us to.
Therefore take heed how you impawn our person,
How you awake our sleeping sword of war.
We charge you, in the name of God, take heed; 25
For never two such kingdoms did contend
Without much fall of blood, whose guiltless drops
Are every one a woe, a sore complaint
'Gainst him whose wrongs gives edge unto the swords
That makes such waste in brief mortality. 30
Under this conjuration speak, my lord;
For we will hear, note, and believe in heart
That what you speak is in your conscience wash'd
As pure as sin with baptism.

CANTERBURY: Then hear me, gracious sovereign, and you peers, 35
That owe yourselves, your lives, and services
To this imperial throne. There is no bar
To make against your Highness' claim to France
But this, which they produce from Pharamond:
"In terram Salicam mulieres ne succedant," 40
"No woman shall succeed in Salique land;"
Which Salique land the French unjustly gloze
To be the realm of France, and Pharamond
The founder of this law and female bar.
Yet their own authors faithfully affirm 45
That the land Salique is in Germany,
Between the floods of Sala and of Elbe;
Where Charles the Great, having subdu'd the Saxons,
There left behind and settled certain French;
Who, holding in disdain the German women 50
For some dishonest manners of their life,
Establish'd then this law, to wit, no female
Should be inheritrix in Salique land;
Which Salique, as I said, 'twixt Elbe and Sala,
Is at this day in Germany call'd Meisen. 55
Then doth it well appear the Salique law
Was not devised for the realm of France;
Nor did the French possess the Salique land
Until four hundred one and twenty years
After defunction of King Pharamond, 60
Idly suppos'd the founder of this law,
Who died within the year of our redemption
Four hundred twenty-six; and Charles the Great
Subdu'd the Saxons, and did seat the French
Beyond the river Sala, in the year 65
Eight hundred five. Besides, their writers say,
King Pepin, which deposed Childeric,

Did, as heir general, being descended
Of Blithild, which was daughter to King Clothair,
Make claim and title to the crown of France. 70
Hugh Capet also, who usurp'd the crown
Of Charles the Duke of Lorraine, sole heir male
Of the true line and stock of Charles the Great,
To find his title with some shows of truth,
Though, in pure truth, it was corrupt and naught, 75
Convey'd himself as the heir to the Lady Lingare,
Daughter to Charlemain, who was the son
To Lewis the Emperor, and Lewis the son
Of Charles the Great. Also, King Lewis the Tenth,
Who was sole heir to the usurper Capet, 80
Could not keep quiet in his conscience,
Wearing the crown of France, till satisfied
That fair Queen Isabel, his grandmother,
Was lineal of the Lady Ermengare,
Daughter to Charles, the foresaid Duke of Lorraine; 85
By the which marriage the line of Charles the Great
Was re-united to the crown of France.
So that, as clear as is the summer's sun,
King Pepin's title and Hugh Capet's claim,
King Lewis his satisfaction, all appear 90
To hold in right and title of the female.
So do the kings of France unto this day,
Howbeit they would hold up this Salique law
To bar your Highness claiming from the female,
And rather choose to hide them in a net 95
Than amply to imbar their crooked titles
Usurp'd from you and your progenitors.

KING HENRY: May I with right and conscience make this claim?

CANTERBURY: The sin upon my head, dread sovereign!
For in the book of Numbers is it writ, 100
When the man dies, let the inheritance
Descend unto the daughter. Gracious lord,
Stand for your own! Unwind your bloody flag!
Look back into your mighty ancestors!
Go, my dread lord, to your great-grandsire's tomb, 105
From whom you claim; invoke his warlike spirit,
And your great-uncle's, Edward the Black Prince,
Who on the French ground play'd a tragedy,
Making defeat on the full power of France,
Whiles his most mighty father on a hill 110
Stood smiling to behold his lion's whelp
Forage in blood of French nobility.
O noble English, that could entertain
With half their forces the full pride of France
And let another half stand laughing by, 115
All out of work and cold for action!

ELY: Awake remembrance of these valiant dead,
And with your puissant arm renew their feats.
You are their heir; you sit upon their throne;
The blood and courage that renowned them 120
Runs in your veins; and my thrice-puissant liege
Is in the very May-morn of his youth,
Ripe for exploits and mighty enterprises.

EXETER: Your brother kings and monarchs of the earth
Do all expect that you should rouse yourself, 125
As did the former lions of your blood.

WESTMORELAND: They know your Grace hath cause and means and might;
So hath your Highness. Never King of England
Had nobles richer, and more loyal subjects,
Whose hearts have left their bodies here in England 130
And lie pavilion'd in the fields of France.

CANTERBURY: O, let their bodies follow, my dear liege,
With blood and sword and fire to win your right;
In aid whereof we of the spiritualty
Will raise your Highness such a mighty sum 135
As never did the clergy at one time
Bring in to any of your ancestors.

A variation on Psalm 91 for our soldiers

PSALM 91

Our King David said that he who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

Therefore, we shall say of the LORD , "Thou art our refuge and our fortress,
our God, in whom we trust."

Surely thou O Lord will save us from the fowler's snare
and from the deadly pestilence.

Thou wilt cover us with Your feathers,
and under Thy wings we shall find refuge;
Thy faithfulness will be our shield and our rampart.

We shall not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,

Nor shall we fear the terrorist that stalks in the darkness,
nor the ambush that destroys at midday.

A thousand may fall at our side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near us.

We will only observe with our eyes
and see the punishment of these wicked.

If we make thee Most High our dwelling-
even thou our LORD , who art our refuge-
Then no harm will befall us,
no disaster will come near our tent.

For Thou wilt command Thy angels concerning us
to guard us in all our ways;

they shall lift us up in their hands,
so that we will not even strike our foot against a stone.

We shall tread upon the lion and the cobra;
we shall trample the great lion and the serpent.

"Because you love me," says the LORD , "I will rescue you;
I will protect you, for you acknowledge My name.

You will call upon Me, and I will answer you;
I will be with you in trouble,
I will deliver you and honor you.

With long life will I satisfy you
and show him my salvation."

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.