[MR] Wikipedia: Agincourt and the Band of Brothers Speech

[Garth Groff and Sally Sanford]

Noble Friends, especially Fellow Archers,

Today, 25 October, is the feast of Saints Crispin and Crispian, and of
course the anniversary of the Battle of Agincourt in 1415. On this day,
King Henry V, with just 1,000 dismounted knights and men-at-arms backed by
5,000 dysentery-ridden archers, defeated some 30,000 of France's finest
troops in three divisions during the Hundred Years Wars (apparently only
two divisions numbering about 20,000 saw action and about half were killed;
the remaining unfought division and the survivors from the first two
divisions turned and fled). It was an amazing victory for the English.

Shakespeare was moved to put the Band of Brothers speech into Henry's
mouth, and while it is pure fiction, it certainly speaks to the feats that
were done that day:

*WESTMORELAND
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Neville,_1st_Earl_of_Westmoreland>. O
that we now had here but one ten thousand of those men in England that do
no work to-day!*


*KING <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_V_of_England>. What's he that
wishes so? My cousin, Westmoreland? No, my fair cousin; If we are mark'd to
die, we are enough 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 . . . No, faith, my coz,
wish not a man from England . . . 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
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Crispin%27s_Day>. 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 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
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John,_Duke_of_Bedford> and Exeter
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Beaufort,_Duke_of_Exeter>, Warwick
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Beauchamp,_13th_Earl_of_Warwick> and
Talbot <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Talbot,_1st_Earl_of_Shrewsbury>,
Salisbury
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Montagu,_4th_Earl_of_Salisbury> and
Gloucester <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humphrey,_Duke_of_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 rememrèd—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.*


Yes, stirring words. Great theatre too. No film actor ever uttered them
better than Kenneth Branagh in the 1989 version:
https://youtu.be/680NlRI3v2I . In the 1944 version, Laurence Olivier
sounded like an undead corpse from a grade-C horror film.

Small critiques for fellow nit-pickers: (a) At approximately 1:24 a common
soldier walks from left to right in the foreground carrying a Scottish
Lochaber axe, a pole weapon with a distinctive curved blade and a prominent
hook on the business end: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lochaber_axe. While
it is possible some Scots might have fought in Henry's army, the Lochaber
axe is not recorded in history until 1501. It looks way cool though. (b)
During the following battle scenes Branagh dashes about on a white horse.
Really exciting, but most accounts say Henry fought on foot at the head of
his vanguard.

For the curious, Crispin and Crispian were two early British Christian
martyrs: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crispin_and_Crispinian .

Yours Aye,


Mungo Napier, The Archer of Mallard Lodge  🦆
Continuing a crusade to keep Merry Rose relevant and in business.