The Life of King Henry the Fifth — Act 4, Scene 5: Another part of the field.

On the battlefield at Agincourt, the French nobles enter in panic and despair, seeing that their ranks have broken and that the battle is going badly. The Constable, Orleans, the Dauphin, Bourbon, and Rambures speak of disgrace, with the Dauphin even wanting to kill himself in shame. Bourbon urges them to return to the fight and die honorably rather than live in humiliation, and the Constable agrees that they must rush forward even without order. Orleans says they still have enough men to overwhelm the English if they attack together, but Bourbon rejects discipline and charges back into the throng with the others.

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O diable!

O seigneur! le jour est perdu, tout est perdu!

Mort de ma vie! all is confounded, all!

Reproach and everlasting shame

Sits mocking in our plumes. O merchante fortune!

Do not run away.

Why, all our ranks are broke.

O perdurable shame! let's stab ourselves.

Be these the wretches that we play'd at dice for?

Is this the king we sent to for his ransom?

Shame and eternal shame, nothing but shame!

Let us die in honour: once more back again;

And he that will not follow Bourbon now,

Let him go hence, and with his cap in hand,

Like a base pander, hold the chamber-door

Whilst by a slave, no gentler than my dog,

His fairest daughter is contaminated.

Disorder, that hath spoil'd us, friend us now!

Let us on heaps go offer up our lives.

We are enow yet living in the field

To smother up the English in our throngs,

If any order might be thought upon.

The devil take order now! I'll to the throng:

Let life be short; else shame will be too long.