which before would not abide looking on. K. Henry. This moral' ties nie over to time, and a hot summer: and so I shall catch the fly, your cousin, in the latter end, and she must be blind too. Burg. As love is, my lord, before it loves. K. Henry. It is so: and you may, some of you, thank love for my blindness; who cannot see many a fair French city, for one fair French maid that stands in my way. 5 Fr. King. Yes, my lord, you see them per-10 spectively, the cities turn'd into a maid; for they are all girdled within maiden walls, that war hath never enter'd, K. Henry. Shall Kate be my wife? Fr. King. So please you. K. Henry. I am content; so the maiden cities you talk of, may wait on her: so the maid, that stood in the way for my wish, shall shew me the way to my will. 2. Isa. God, the best maker of all marriages, Fr. King. We have consented to all terms of 20 reasou. K. Henry. Is't so, my lords of England? West. The king hath granted every article: His daughter, first; and then in sequel all, According to their firm proposed natures. 25 Exe. Only, he hath not yet subscribed this:Where your majesty demands,-That the king of France, having any occasion to write for matter of grant, shall name your highness in this form, and with this addition in French:-Notre tres cher 30 filz Henry roy d' Angleterre, heretier de France: and thus in Latin,-Præclarissimus filius noster Henricus, rex Angliæ, & hæres Francia. Fr. King. Yet this I have not, brother, so deny'd, But your request shall make me let it pass. K. Henry. I pray you then, in love and dear alliance. Let that one article rank with the rest: 35 Fr. King. Take her, fair son: and from her 40 Issue to me: that the contending kingdoms [pale K. Henry. Prepare we for our marriage :-on which day, My lord of Burgundy, we'll take your oath Enter Chorus. Thus far, with rough, and all unable pen, Mangling by starts the full course of their glory. That they lost France, and made his England bleed: [sake, Which oft our stage hath shewn; and, for their In your fair minds let this acceptance take. That is, the application of this fable, the moral being the application of a fable. 2 i. e. humble. Meaning, by touching only on select parts. RICHARD PLANTAGENET, afterwards Duke of MORTIMER, Earl of March. Sir JOHN FASTOLFE WOODVILLE, Lieutenant| VERNON, of the White Rose, or York Faction. BASSET, of the Red Rose, or Lancaster Fuction. CHARLES, Dauphin, und afterwards King of France. REIGNIER, Duke of Anjou, and Titular King Duke of BURGUNDY. Master-Gunner of ORLEANS. Boy, his son. JOAN LA PUCELLE, commonly called Joan of Fiends, attending her. Lords, Captains, Soldiers, Messengers, and several Attendants both on the English and French. · The SCENE is partly in England, and partly in France. SCENE I. Westminster Abbey. ACT I. Dead March. Enter the funeral of King Henry the Fifth, attended on by the Duke of Bedford, Re- 5 gent of France; the Duke of Gloster, Protector; the Duke of Exeter, and the Earl of Warwick; the Bishop of Winchester, and the Duke of Somerset, &c. yield day to night! Bed. HUNG be the heavens with black, Comets, importing change of times and states, 10 Brandish your crystal tresses in the sky; Glo. England ne'er had a king, until his time. More dazzled and drove back his enemies, Than mid-day sun, fierce bent against their faces. 'Mr. Theobald observes, that, "the historical transactions contained in this play, take in the comI must observe, however, that our author, in the three parts of Henry VI. pass of above thirty years. has not been very precise to the date and disposition of his facts; but shuffled thein, backwards and For instance; the lord Talbot is kill'd at the end of the fourth act of this forwards, out of time. play, who in reality did not fall till the 13th of July 1453; and The Second Part of Henry VI. opens with the marriage of the king, which was solemniz'd eight years before Talbot's death, in the year 1445. Again, in the second part, dame Eleanor Cobham is introduced to insult queen Margaret; though her penance and banishment for sorcery happened three years before that princess came over to England. I could point out many other transgressions against history, as far as the order of time is concerned. Indeed, though there are several master-strokes in these three plays, which incontestably betray the workmanship of Shakspeare; yet I am almost doubtful whether they were entirely of his writing. And unless they were wrote by him very early, I should rather imagine them to have been brought to him as a director of the stage; and so have received some finishing beauties at his hand. An accurate observer will easily see, the diction of them is more obsolete, and the numbers more mean and prosaical, than in the generality of his genuine compositions." 5 What What should I say? his deeds exceed all speech: Exe. We mourn in black; Why mourn we not Henry is dead, and never shall revive: 5 Among the soldiers this is muttered,— One would have ling'ring wars with little cost; 10 Let not sloth dim your honours, new-begot: Exe. Were our tears wanting to this funeral, These tidings would call forth their flowing tides. Win. He was a king blest of the King of Kings. 15 Bed. Methey concern; regent I am of France: Unto the French the dreadful judgment-day Glo. The church! where is it? Had not church-20 Ilis thread of life had not so soon decay'd: tector; Give me my steeled coat, I'll fight for France.- Enter to them another Messenger. 2 Mess. Lords, view these letters, full of bad France is revolted from the English quite; pro-25The Dauphin Charles is crowned king in Rheims; And lookest to command the prince, and realm. [Exit. Glo. Namenot religion, for thou lov'st the flesh;300, whither shall we fly from this reproach? [him! And ne'er throughout the year to church thou go'st, Bed. Cease, cease these jars, and rest your minds in peace! Let's to the altar:-Heralds, wait on us:- When at their mothers' moist eyes babes shall suck: Enter a Messenger. Glo.We will not fly but to our enemies' throats:Bedford, if thou be slack, I'll fight it out. Bed. Gloster, why doubt'st thou of my for- 35 An army have I muster'd in my thoughts, Enter a third Messenger. 3 Mess. My gracious lords,—to add to your la ments, 40 Wherewith you now bedew king Henry's hearse,—— I must inform you of a dismal tight, 1451 Betwixt the stout lord Talbot and the French. Win. What! wherein Talbot overcame? is't so? The circumstance I'll tell you more at large. Mess. My honourable lords, health to you all! Retiring from the siege of Orleans, Sad tidings bring I to you out of France, Bed. What say'st thou, man, before dead Hen- 55 Having full scarce' six thousand in his troop, Speak softly; or the loss of those great towns Mess. No treachery; but want of men and Nourish here signifies a nurse. 2 i. e. their miseries Henry the Fifth's death to my coming amongst them. Act 1. Scene 2.] All the whole army stood agaz'd on him: Bed. Is Talbot slain? then I will slay myself, So in the earth, to this day is not known: Alen. They want their porridge, and their fat 10 Either they must be dieted, like mules, Reig. Let's raise the siege; Whyliveweidlyhere? 3 Mess. O no, he lives; but is took prisoner, 20 And lord Scales with him, and lord Hungerford: Most of the rest slaughter'd, or took, likewise, Bed. His ransom there is none but I shall pay: Either to quell the Dauphin utterly, Bed. I do remember it; and here take leave, [Exit. Glo. I'll to the Tower with all the haste I can, Being ordain'd his special governor; [Exit. [Exit. Char. Mars his true moving, even as in the heavens, 25 Now for the honour of the forlorn French:- I Re-enter Charles, Alençon, and Reignier. Alen. Froisard, a countryman of ours, records, It sendeth forth to skirmish. One to ten! 45 Char. Let's leave this town; for they are hair And hunger will enforce them to be more eager: Reig. I think, by some odd gimmals3 or device, Enter the Bastard of Orleans. Bast. Where's the Prince Dauphin? I have news for him. 55 Dau. Bastard of Orleans, thrice welcome to us. Bast. Methinks, your looks are sad, your chear+ appall'd; Hath the late overthrow wrought this offence? 2 These were two of the most famous in the list of, i. e. the back part of the can or front. Charlemagne's twelve peers; and their exploits are render'd so ridiculously and equally extravagant by the old romancers, that from thence arose that saying amongst our plain and sensible ancestors, of giting one a Rowland for his Oliver, to signify the matching one incredible lye with another; or, as in the modern acceptation of the proverb, to give a person as good a one as he brings. 3 Agimmal is a piece of jointedwork, where one piece moves within another, whence it is taken at large for an engine. It is now vulgarly called a gimcrack. + Chear is countenance, appearance. Nn A holy |