T: YORK PSDLC LIBRARY

ASTOR, LENOX AND TILDEN FOUNDATIONS

FIRST PART OF

KING HENRY VI.

PERSONS REPRESENTED.
King Henry the Sixth.

Vernon, of the white rose, or York faction.
Duke of Gloster, uncle to the king, and protector. || Basset, of the red rose, or Lancaster faction.
Duke of Bedford, uncle to the king, and regent Charles, dauphin, and afterwards king of France.
of France.

Reignier,duke of Anjou,and titular king of Naples.
Thoinas Beaufort, duke of Exeter, great uncle to Duke of Burgundy. Duke of Alençon.
the king:

Governor of Paris. Bastard of Orleans.
Henry Beaufort, great uncle to the king, bishop of Master-gunner of Orleans, and his son.

Winchester, and afterwards cardinal. General of the French forces in Bourdeaux.
John Beaufort, earl of Somerset ; afterwards duke.! A French Sergeant. A Porter.
Richard Plantagenet, eldest son of Richard, late An old shepherd, father to Joan la Pucelle.

earl of Cambridge; afterwards duke of York. Earl of Warwick. Earl of Salisbury.

Margaret, daughter to Reignier ; afterwards mar. Earl of Suffolk.

ried to King Henry. Countess of Auvergne. Lord Talbot, afterwards earl of Shrewsbury.

Joan la Pucelle, commonly called Joan of Arc. John Talbot, his son.

Fiends appearing to La Pucelle, lords, warders Edmund Mortimer, earl of March.

of the Tower, heralds, officers, soldiers, mesMortimer's keeper, and a lawyer.

sengers, and several attendants, both on the
Sir William Lucy.
Sir John Fastolfe.

English and French.
Sir Thomas Gargrave.
Sir William Glansdale.
Mayor of London. Woodville, lieut. of the Tower.ll Scene, partly in England, and partly in France.

ACT I.

That plotted thus our glory's overthrow?

Or shall we think the subtle-witted French
SCENE I.–Westminster Abbey: Dead march. Conjurers and sorcerers, that, afraid of him,

Corpse of King Henry the Fifth discovered. | By magic verses2 have contriv'd his end?
lying in state; attended on by the Dukes of Win. He was a king blessed of the King of kings.
Bedford, Gloster, and Exeter; the Earl of War-Unto the French the dreadful judgment day
wick, the Bishop of Winchester, Heralds, &c. || So dreadful will not be, as was his sight.

The battles of the Lord of hosts he fought:
Bedford.

The church's prayers made him so prosperous.

Glo. The church! where is it? Had not church-
HUNG be the heavens with black,yield day to men pray'd,
night!

His thread of life had not so soon decay'd:
Comets, importing change of times and states, None do you like but an effeminate prince,
Brandish your crystal tresses in the sky; Whom, like a school-boy, you may over-awe.
And with them scourge the bad revolting stars, Win. Gloster, whate'er we like, thou art pro-
That have consented unto Henry's death!

tector;
Henry the Fifth, too famous to live long ! And lookest to command the prince, and realm.
England ne'er lost a king of so much worth. Thy wife is proud; she holdeth thee in awe,

Glo. England ne'er had a king, until his time. More than God, or religious churchmen, may.
Virtue he had, deserving to command:

Glo. Name not religion, for thou lov'st the flesh;
His brandish'd sword did blind men with his beams;|| And ne'er throughout the year to church thou go'st,
His arms spread wider than a dragon's wings; Except it be to pray against thy foes.
His sparkling eyes replete with wrathful fire, Bed. Cease, cease these jars, and rest your minds
More dazzled and drove back his enemies,

in peace!
Than mid-day sun, fierce bent against their faces. Let's to the altar:-Heralds, wait on us :-
What should I say? his deeds exceed all speech : | Instead of gold, we'll offer up our arms;
He ne'er lift up his hand, but conquered.

Since arms avail not, now that Henry's dead.
Exe. We mourn in black; Why mourn we not || Posterity, await for wretched years,
in blood ?

When at their mothers' moist eyes babes shall suck,
Henry is dead, and never shall revive:

Our isle be made a nourish) of salt tears,
Upon a wooden coffin we attend;

And none but women left to wail the dead.
And death's dishonourable victory

Henry the Fifth! thy ghost I invocate;
We with our ståtely presence glorify,

Prosper this realm, keep it from civil broils !
Like captives bound to a triumphant car. Combat with adverse planets in the heavens !
What! “shall we curse the planets of mishap,

(2) There was a notion long prevalent, that life (1) Allurling to our ancient stage-practice when might be taken away by metrical charms. a tragedy was to be acted

(3) Nurse was anciently so spelt.

VOL. II.

A far more glorious star thy soul will make, No leisure had he to enrank his men;
Than Julius Cæsar, or bright-

He wanted pikes to set before his archers;
Enter a Messenger.

Instead whereof, sharp stakes, pluck'dout of hedges, Mess. My honourable lords, health to you all!

They pitched in the ground confusedly,

To keep the horsemen off from breaking in. Sad tidings bring I to you out of France,

More than three hours the fight continued; Of loss, of slaughter, and discomfiture:

Where valiant Talbot, above human thought, Guienne, Champaigne, Rheims, Orleans,

Enacted wonders with his sword and lance. Paris, Guysors, Poictiers, are all quite lost.

Hundreds he sent to hell, and none durst stand him Bed. What say'st thou, man, before dead Henry's Here, there, and every where, enrag'd he slew : corse?

The French exclaim'd, The devil was in arms Speak softly: or the loss of those great towns

All the whole army stood agaz'd on him: Will make him burst his lead, and rise from death. His soldiers, spying his undaunted spirit,

Glo. Is Paris lost? is Rouen yielded up? A Talbot! a Talbot! cried out amain, If Henry were recall'd to life again,

And rush'd into the bowels of the battle. These news would cause him once more yield the Here had the conquest fully been seald up, ghost.

If sir John Fastolfe had not play'd the coward; Exe. How were they lost? what treachery was He being in the vaward (plac'd behind,

us'd ? Mess. No treachery; but want of men and money. | Cowardly' tled, not having struck one stroke.

With purpose to relieve and follow them,) Among the soldiers this is muttered,

Hence grew the general wreck and massacre; That here you maintain several factions;

Enclosed were they with their enemies :
And, whilst a field should be despatch'd and fought, | A base Walloon, to win the dauphin's grace,
You are disputing of your generals.

Thrust Talbot with a spear into the back;
One would have ling'ring wars, with little cost; Whom all France, with their chief assembled
Another would fly swift but wanteth wings;

strength,
A third man thinks, without expense at all, Durst not presume to look once in the face.
By guileful fair words peace may be obtain'd. Bed. Is Talbot slain? then I will slay myself,
Awake, awake, English nobility!

For living idly here, in pomp and ease,
Let not sloth dim your honours, new-begot: Whilst such a worthy leader, wanting aid,
Cropp'd are the flower-de-luces in your arms; Unto his dastard foe-men is betray'd.
Of England's coat one half is cut away.

3 Mess. O no, he lives; but is took prisoner, Exe. Were our tears wanting to this funeral, And lord Scales with him, and lord Hungerford : These tidings would call forth her flowing tides.

Most of the rest slaughter’d, or took, likewise. Bed. Me they concern; regent I am of France :- Bed. His ransom there is none but I shall pay: Give me my steeled coat, I'll fight for France.-

I'll hale the dauphin headlong from his throne, Away with these disgraceful wailing robes !

His crown shall be the ransom of my friend; Wounds I will lend the French, instead of eyes, Four of their lords I'll change for one of ours.-To weep their intermissive miseries.2

Farewell, my masters; to my task will l;
Enter another Messenger.

Bonfires in France forthwith I am to make, 2 Mess. Lords, view these letters, full of bad Ten thousand soldiers with me I will take,

To keep our great Saint George's feast withal: mischance, France is revolted from the English quite;

Whose bloody deeds shall make all Europe quake.

3 Mess. So you had need; for Orleans is besieg'di Except some petty towns of no import :

The English army is grown weak and faint:
The dauphin Charles is crowned king in Rheims : The earl of Salisbury craveth supply,
The bastard of Orleans with him is join'd;

And hardly keeps his men from mutiny,
Reigneir, duke of Anjou, doth take his part;

Since they, so few, watch such a multitude. The duke of Alençon flieth to his side.

Exe. Remember, lords, your oaths to Henry Ere. The dauphin crowned king! all fly to him! O, whither shall we fly from this reproach?

Either to quell the dauphin utterly, 'Glo. We will not flý, but to our enemies' throats: || Or bring him in obedience to your yoke. Bedford, if thou be slack, I'll fight it out.

Bed. I do remember it; and here take leave, Bed. "Gloster, why doubt'st thou of my forward. || To go about my preparation.

(Exit.

Glo. I'll to the Tower, with all the haste I can, An army have I muster'd in my thoughts,

To view the artillery and munition ; Wherewith already France is over-run.

And then I will proclaim young Henry king. (Er. Enter a third Messenger.

Ere. To Eltham will I, where the young king is, 3 Mess. My gracious lords,—to add to your And for his safety there I'll best devise.

Being ordain'd his special governor ;

(Erit. laments, Wherewith you now bedew king Henry's hearse,

Win. Each hath his place and function to attend: I must inform you of a dismal fight,

I am left out; for me nothing remains. Betwixt the stout lord Talbot and the French.

But long I will not be Jack-out-of-office; Win. What! wherein Talbot overcame? is't so? | The king from Eltham I intend to send, 3 Mess. O, no; wherein lord Talbot was o'er- | And sit at chiefest stern of public weal. thrown:

[Exit. Scene closes. The circumstance I'll tell you more at large.

SCENE II.-France. Before Orleans. Enter The tenth of August last, this dreadful lord, Charles, with his forces; Alençon, Reignier, Retiring from the siege of Orleans,

and others. Having full scarce six thousand in his troop, Char. Mars his true moving, even as in the By three and twenty thousand of the French

heavens, Was round encompassed and set upon :

(2) i. e. Their miseries which have had only a (1) Her, i. e. England's.

short intermission.

Sworn;

ness?