St. Augustine of Canterbury Day speech
from Sean Karp (a lightly filked version of the St Crispin’s Day speech from Henry V (1599) by William Shakespeare)
HERALD- O that we now had here
But one ten thousand of those men in Cynagua
That do no work to-day!
PRINCE RICHARD- What’s he that wishes so?
My Herald Fontaine? No, my fair Fontaine;
If we are mark’d to die, we are enow
To do our principality 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 Cynagua.
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, Herald, through my host,
That he which hath no stomach to this fight,
Let him depart; his passport shall be made,
And Benjamins for convoy put into his purse;
We would not bleed in that man’s company
That fears his fellowship to bleed with us.
This day is call’d the feast of Augustine.
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 Augustine.
He that shall live this day, and see old age,
Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,
And say “To-morrow is Saint Augustine.”
Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars,
And say “These wounds I had on Augustines 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-
Richie the Prince, de Blaire and Alexander,
Grendelus and Titus, de Cadiz and FitzJames-
Be in their flowing cups freshly rememb’red.
This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Saint Augustine’s 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 Cynagua 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 Augustine’s day.
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The Cynaguan May Coronet Lists will happen upon Saint Augustine of Canterbury's Feast Day. I wrote this up as a lovely bit of theatre with the idea that I could perform it on said day.
-Ivan
