Greetings, loyal minions. Your Maximum Leader would like to point out to his mnions that today is Saint Crispin’s Day. If you are a member of the Catholic or Anglo-Catholic tradition, and particularly devoted, you should remember Saint Crispin in your prayers and obligations today. For those of you unfamiliar with Saint Crispin you should clicky here to learn more about Crispin. He is the patron of shoemakers, leather workers, and cobblers (among others).

But then again, if you are a history geek Anglophile (like your Maximum Leader), you may recall that on this day in 1415 the Battle of Agincourt was fought. Wanna learn more about Agincourt? Clicky here, here, or here.

And if you have ever read/seen/heard any of the plays of William Shakespeare you may be familiar with the famous St Crispin’s Day speech from Henry V. As the speech is one of the most famous passages ever delivered on the stage your Maximum Leader will reproduce it for you here:

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.

So, your Maximum Leader hopes that with a little bit of reading here all is minions have gentle’d their condition by educating themselves a little about Agincourt. Perhaps if your Maximum Leader has time today he’ll write more about Henry V and how his reign held so much promise, but was cut short.

Carry on.

UPDATE - Damn! Steve beat your Maximum Leader to the punch by a few minutes in posting Shakespeare’s speech. Like Steve your Maximum Leader awaits what Robbo will write. One imagines it will have a lot to do with mud. Speakig of which, today would be a fine day to reinact the battle here in Virginia. The ground is wet, muddy, and easy to slog around in. Unless you are wearing plate armour. In which case slogging around in the mud is quite difficult.