On This Day In History...The Battle of Agincourt.

The Great Battles ^

[Valin]

The Battle of Agincourt

If we are mark'd to die, we are enow
To do our country loss; and if to live,
The fewer men, the greater share of honour.
God's will! I pray thee, wish not one man more.
By Jove, I am not covetous for gold,
Nor care I who doth feed upon my cost;
It yearns me not if men my garments wear;
Such outward things dwell not in my desires.
But if it be a sin to covet honour,
I am the most offending soul alive.
No, faith, my coz, wish not a man from England.
God's peace! I would not lose so great an honour
As one man more methinks would share from me
For the best hope I have. O, do not wish one more!
Rather proclaim it, Westmoreland, through my host,
That he which hath no stomach to this fight,
Let him depart; his passport shall be made,
And crowns for convoy put into his purse;
We would not die in that man's company
That fears his fellowship to die with us.
This day is call'd the feast of Crispian.
He that outlives this day, and comes safe home,
Will stand a tip-toe when this day is nam'd,
And rouse him at the name of Crispian.
He that shall live this day, and see old age,
Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,
And say 'To-morrow is Saint Crispian.'
Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars,
And say 'These wounds I had on Crispian's day.'
Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot,
But he'll remember, with advantages,
What feats he did that day. Then shall our names,
Familiar in his mouth as household words-
Harry the King, Bedford and Exeter,
Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester-
Be in their flowing cups freshly rememb'red.
This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remembered-
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition;
And gentlemen in England now-a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.

-- Wm. Shakespeare, King Henry V

[martin_fierro]

SEE THIS -- if for nothing more than the St. Crispin's Day speech.

[Valin]

I was going to see this when it came out but never got around to it. Is it worth spending the money on?

[martin_fierro]

I thought it was a good movie overall, but that St. Crispin's Day speech is ELECTRIFYING. Rent it & see for yourself!

[engrpat]

Excellent movie.

[Phsstpok]

I was going to see this when it came out but never got around to it. Is it worth spending the money on?

Did you enjoy Braveheart? If so then this is worth it. You'll see where a lot of Gibson's ideas came from.

And as the poster of the image of the DVD said, it's worth it just for the Saint Crispian's day speech. You'll understand the power of Shakespeare when delivered by someone who has mastered it.

[AngrySpud]

A long and most worthwhile read.

[Chemnitz]

Yes it is.

[Valin]

You talked me into it..you silver tongued devil you!



I can't believe how cheap and easy I am.


Well maybe not cheap, but reasonably priced.

[Rebelbase]

One of the best underdog victories in military history.

[ijcr]

The speech is available in Real Audio at, http://historymedren.about.com/library/media/audio/crispin.ram

[yankeedame]

"King Henry V at the Battle of Agincourt" by Sir John Gilbert
King Henry V encourages his knights during the battle of Agincourt.

"Morning of Agincourt" by Sir John Gilbert.
The English army at prayer before the Battle of Agincourt on 25th October 1415.

"With Banners Bravely Spread" by Sir John Gilbert.(Probably depicting knights before Agincourt.)

"The Battle of Agincourt", by Brian Palmer.
The French Knights attack Henry V's English infantry lines and are repelled during the Battle of Agincourt, a victory for Henry V.

(Lifted these from this web site:
http://www.medieval-art.com/battle_of_agincourt.htm

[snippy_about_it]

Valin, thanks for the post.
ijcr, thanks for the audio link, powerful!

[RANGERAIRBORNE]

Probably the most accurate description of this battle is foung in John Keegan'sTHE FACE OF WAR". He has thoroughly reasearched it, and explains how the outnumbered and sickly English force managed to inflict such a hugely disproportionate number of casualties on the French (Hint- French arrogance had a little bit to do with it).

[Valin]

WOW!

[Valin]

French? Arrogance?...Oh come on now.

"I do not dislike the French from the vulgar antipathy between neighbouring nations, but for their insolent and unfounded airs of superiority."
Horace Walpole, British letter-writer and memoirist

[Noumenon]

Oddly enough, they left out this verse:

I was not angry since I came to France until this instant.
Take a trumpet, herald;
Ride thou unto the horsemen on yond hill;
If they will fight with us, bid them come down
Or void the field; they do offend our sight.
If they'll do neither, we will come to them
And make them skirr away as swift as stones
Enforced from the old Assyrian slings;
Besides, we'll cut the throats of those we have,
And not a man of them shall we take
That shall taste our mercy.
Go and tell them so.

Henry V, Act IV, scene vii William Shakespeare

[M Kehoe]

Good post.

5.56mm

[RANGERAIRBORNE]

Thanks for that quote- I had not seen that one before, but it is a little more dignified than calling the French "Cheese-Eating Surrender Monkeys" (Not that there is anything WRONG with that...)

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

Military history buff ping.