What magnificent and profoundly true words. I, for one, am deeply grateful to read your fine post on this Day of Days. Do you believe more than 1% of our population can remotely understand such thoughts as yours anymore? I certainly pray daily that they might, and that the Lord's plan is to save us as he states in Isaiah ch.60.
What's he that wishes so?
My cousin Westmoreland? No, my fair cousin;
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.
What magnificent and profoundly true words. I, for one, am deeply grateful to read your fine post on this Day of Days. Do you believe more than 1% of our population can remotely understand such thoughts as yours anymore? I certainly pray daily that they might, and that the Lord's plan is to save us as he states in Isaiah ch.60.
Here is the inspiring text of the St. Crispin's Day speach scene from Henry V:
WESTMORELAND
O that we now had here
But one ten thousand of those men in England
That do no work to-day!
KING HENRY V
What's he that wishes so?
My cousin Westmoreland? No, my fair cousin:
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 called the feast of Crispian:
He that outlives this day, and comes safe home,
Will stand a tip-toe when the day is named,
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 Crispin'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 remember'd.
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 remember'd;
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 accursed they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.
Nobody said there wasn't fighting and hard work ahead. But to say our servicemen and servicewomen who participated in that campaign didn't accomplish their mission is a grave and unwarranted insult to them.
He who has shed his blood with me this day by walking the precincts and making calls IS my brother; and those who were not here this day will one day hang their heads in shame that they did not fight on this St. Cripsin's Day!
Great Post!
Actually, in some fairness to Chamberlain, the British duped the British. In Late 1932, the Oxford Union, a political club at Oxford University, England, passed their now-famous resolution that; “This house will not die for King or Country”.* England was so disarmed that appeasement was all that Chamberlain could do. He knew it and Hitler knew it.
England got what it had wanted, disarmament. Then, unfortunately, got what it deserved for being so foolish. I hope we don't deserve the same fate by electing Kerry on this St. Crispin's Day..
*From “Why England Slept” by John F. Kennedy, 1940 (page49)
St Crispin's Day, Oct. 25, is also the anniversary of the Battle of Agincourt, one of the worst defeats ever by the French.
That is the truth. As long as there are muslims who are raised to hate anyone who isn't a muslim, the Terror they promote will go on for eternity. They were called crusades for a reason. But we allowed every human on earth to move here and now they live amongst us in freedom. Whether they love us or hate us, there is a muslim in your community too and there's no chance of pushing them back into the middle east anymore, that just isn't going to happen.