Introduction
William Shakespeare was not alone in dramatising King Henry V’s rousing speech before the Battle of Agincourt in 1415. Henry’s chaplain Thomas Elmham (1364-?1427), who was present, also recorded the king’s words to his troops. We join him just as the famous stakes on which the French cavalry would impale themselves have been driven into the muddy ground.
THE enemy position is drawn up facing the king. The King is standing among their press, without a tremor, giving instruction that the baggage should be carted further behind so it would be at the back of the battle. The Duke of York, delegated to supervise, refused, giving this respectful reason: ‘O King,’ the Duke said, ‘not among the hindmost but among the foremost will I carry arms against these enemies.’
The King said to those who remained, “Fellow men, prepare arms! but let English rights be entrusted to God.* Memory records many battles for that same right of King Edward and Prince Edward,* and many a victory is recorded for only a handful of Englishmen.* That could never have been achieved by their gallantry alone.
“Let England never have the grief of seeing me captive or ransomed. I stand ready to die in this struggle for my right.
These ‘rights’ were rights to various French duchies inherited by the English kings, in particular the rich and productive Duchy of Aquitaine that had been a prize English possession since 1152. Most of these territories were lost under King John (r. 1199-1216), but in a bid to help ally Flanders, suffering from French interference, Edward III reasserted his rights, claiming the French crown and triggering The Hundred Years’ War. Victory for Henry V at Agincourt seemed to settle the matter, and Henry was named as heir by King Charles VI. However, he unexpectedly predeceased Charles, which meant that war was renewed.
That is, King Edward III (r. 1327-1377) and his son Edward ‘the Black Prince.’ Edward died before his father, so Edward III was succeeded by Prince Edward’s son Richard II.
The most famous example to date of a victory against the odds had been The Battle of Crécy in 1346.
Précis
Thomas Elmham, chaplain to Henry V, left us his impressions of the King before the Battle of Agincourt in 1415. He describes how Henry, with the enemy watching, assured his English troops that he was prepared to die in his cause, and promised that God, not force of arms, would prove his right to the French crown. (57 / 60 words)
Thomas Elmham, chaplain to Henry V, left us his impressions of the King before the Battle of Agincourt in 1415. He describes how Henry, with the enemy watching, assured his English troops that he was prepared to die in his cause, and promised that God, not force of arms, would prove his right to the French crown.
Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 60 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 50 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: about, just, must, otherwise, since, unless, whereas, whether.
Word Games
Sevens Based on this passage
Suggest answers to this question. See if you can limit one answer to exactly seven words.
Variations: 1.expand your answer to exactly fourteen words. 2.expand your answer further, to exactly twenty-one words. 3.include one of the following words in your answer: if, but, despite, because, (al)though, unless.
Jigsaws Based on this passage
Express the ideas below in a single sentence, using different words as much as possible. Do not be satisfied with the first answer you think of; think of several, and choose the best.
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