FIRST PART OF KING HENRY VI. King Henry the Sixth. PERSONS REPRESENTED. Duke of Gloster, uncle to the king, and protector. Duke of Bedford, uncle to the king and regent of France. Thomas Beaufort, duke of Exeter, great uncle to Lord Talbot, afterwards earl of Shrewsbury. Edmund Mortimer, earl of March. Sir William Lucy. Sir William Glansdale. Sir Thomas Gargrave. Mayor of London. Woodville, lieut. of the Tower. night! Comets, importing change of times and states, Glo. England ne'er had a king, until his time. His brandish'd sword did blind men with his beams; Exe. We mourn in black; Why mourn we not in blood? Henry is dead, and never shall revive: What! shall we curse the planets of mishap, (1) Alluding to our ancient stage-practice when a tragedy was to be acted. Vernon, of the white rose, or York faction. An old shepherd, father to Joan la Pucelle. Scene, partly in England, and partly in France. That plotted thus our glory's overthrow? His thread of life had not so soon decay'd: tector; And lookest to command the prince and realm. Glo. Name not religion, for thou lov'st the flesh; And ne'er throughout the year to church thou go'st, Except it be to pray against thy foes. 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, (2) There was a notion long prevalent, that He might be taken away by metrical charms. (3) Nurse was anciently so spelt, A far more glorious star thy soul will make, Than Julius Cæsar, or bright Enter a Messenger. "Mess. My honourable lords, health to you all! Sad tidings bring I to you out of France, Of loss, of slaughter, and discomfiture: Guienne, Champaigne, Rheims, Orleans, Paris, Guysors, Poictiers, are all quite lost. Bed. What say'st thou man, before dead Henry's corse? Speak softly or the loss of those great towns Exe. How were they lost? what treachery was Mess. No treachery; but want of men and money. One would have ling'ring wars, with little cost; Let not sloth dim your honours, new-begot: Exe. Were our tears wanting to this funeral, Enter another Messenger. 2 Mess. Lords, view these letters, full of mischance, No leisure had he to enrank his men; He wanted pikes to set before his archers; Instead whereof, sharp stakes, pluck'd out of hedges, They pitched in the ground confusedly, To keep the horsemen off from breaking in. More than three hours the fight continued; Where valiant Talbot, above human thought, Enacted wonders with his sword and lance. Here, there, and every where, enrag'd he slew: Hundreds he sent to hell, and none durst stand him: The French exclaim'd, The devil was in arms: All the whole army stood agaz'd on him: His soldiers, spying his undaunted spirit, A Talbot! a Talbot! cried out amain, Here had the conquest fully been seal'd up, And rush'd into the bowels of the battle. He being in the vaward (plac'd behind, If sir John Fastolle had not play'd the coward; Cowardly fled, not having struck one stroke. With purpose to relieve and follow them,) Hence grew the general wreck and massacre; A base Walloon, to win the dauphin's grace, Enclosed were they with their enemies : Thrust Talbot with a spear into the back; Whom all France, with their chief assembled strength, Durst not presume to look once in the face. Bed. Is Talbot slain? then I will slay myself, 3 Mess. O no, he lives; but is took prisoner, Bed. His ransom there is none but I shall pay : I'll hale the dauphin headlong from his throne, His crown shall be the ransom of my friend; Four of their lords I'll change for one of ours.Farewell, my masters; to my task will I; Bonfires in France forthwith I am to make, bad To keep our great Saint George's feast withal: Ten thousand soldiers with me I will take, Whose bloody deeds shall make all Europe quake. 3 Mess. So you had need; for Orleans is besieg'd; The English army is grown weak and faint: The earl of Salisbury craveth supply, And hardly keeps his men from mutiny, Since they, so few, watch such a multitude. Exe. Remember, lords, your oaths to Henry France is revolted from the English quite; Exe. The dauphin crowned king! all fly to him! O, whither shall we fly from this reproach? 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 forward- An army have I muster'd in my thoughts, Enter a third Messenger. 3 Mess. My gracious lords,-to add to your laments, Wherewith you now bedew king Henry's hearse,- Win. What! wherein Talbot overcame? is't so? 3 Mess. O no; wherein lord Talbot was o'erthrown: The circumstance I'll tell you more at large. (1) Her, i, e. England's. ! sworn; Either to quell the dauphin utterly, [Exit. Or bring him in obedience to your yoke. (2) i. e. Their miseries which have had only a short intermission. So in the earth, to this day is not known: Alen. They want their porridge, and their fat Either they must be dieted like mules, And have their provender tied to their mouths, Reig. Let's raise the siege; Why live we idly Talbot is taken, whom we wont to fear: [Exe. Ro Now for the honour of the forlorn French:- Reig. Salisbury is a desperate homicide; Alen. Froissard, a countryman of ours, records, It sendeth forth to skirmish. One to ten! Lean raw-bon'd rascals! who would e'er suppose Char. Let's leave this town; for they are hair- And hunger will enforce them to be more eager: Enter the Bastard of Orleans. Bast. Where's the prince dauphin? I have news Char. Bastard' of Orleans, thrice welcome to us. appall'd; Hath the late overthrow wrought this offence? And drive the English forth the bounds of France. (1) i. e. The prey for which they are hungry. Char. Go, call her in: [Exit Bastard.] But, first, Reignier, stand thou as dauphin in my place : Enter La Pucelle, Bastard of Orleans and others. Puc Reignier, is't thou that thinkest to beguile Where is the dauphin?-come, come from behind; My wit untrain'd in any kind of art. My courage try by combat, if thou dar'st, Only this proof I'll of thy valour make,- Puc. I am prepar'd: here is my keen-edg'd sword, Out of a deal of old iron I chose forth. Char. Then come o'God's name, I fear no woman. Char. Stay, stay thy hands; thou art an amazon, Char. Whoe'er helps thee, 'tis thou that must Impatiently I burn with thy desire; My heart and hands thou hast at once subdu'd. Puc. I must not yield to any rites of love, (3) This was not in former times a term of re proach. Countenance. Alen. He may mean more than we poor men do know: Glo. Lieutenant, is it you, whose voice I hear? Open the gates; here's Gloster, that would enter. Wood. Within.] Have patience, noble duke: I may not open: The cardinal of Winchester forbids: Arrogant Winchester? that haughty prelate, These women are shrewd tempters with their Whom Henry, our late sovereign, ne'er could tongues. brook? Reig. My lord, where are you? what devise you Thou art no friend to God, or to the king: on? Shall we give over Orleans, or no? Puc. Why, no, I say, distrustful recreants! Fight till the last gasp; I will be your guard. Char. What she says, I'll confirm; we'll fight it out. Puc. Assign'd am I to be the English scourge. This night the siege assuredly I'll raise: Expect Saint Martin's summer,' halcyon days, Since I have entered into these wars, Glory is like a circle in the water, Which never ceaseth to enlarge itself, Till, by broad spreading, it disperse to nought. With Henry's death, the English circle ends; Dispersed are the glories it included. Now am I like that proud insulting ship, Which Cæsar and his fortune bare at once. Char. Was Mahomet inspired with a dove? Though with an eagle art inspired then. Helen, the mother of great Constantine, Nor yet Saint Philip's daughters, were like thee. Bright star of Venus, fall'n down on the earth, How may I reverently worship thee enough? Alen. Leave off delays, and let us raise the siege. Reig. Woman, do what thou canst to save our honours; Drive them from Orleans, and be immortaliz'd. about it: No prophet will I trust, if she prove false. [Exe. SCENE III-London. Hill before the Tower. Enter, at the gates, the Duke of Gloster, with his serving-men in blue coats. Glo. I am come to survey the Tower this day; Since Henry's death, I fear, there is conveyance.3 Where be these warders, that they wait not here? Open the gates; Gloster it is that calls. [Servants knock. 1 Ward. [Within.] Who is there that knocks so imperiously? 1 Serv. It is the noble duke of Gloster. 2 Ward. [Within.] Whoe'er he be, you may not be let in. 1 Serv. Answer you so the lord protector, villains? 1 Ward. [Within.] The Lord protect him! so we answer him: We do no otherwise than we are will'd. Glo. Who willed you? or whose will stands but mine? There's none protector of the realm, but I.- Shall I be flouted thus by dunghill grooms? Open the gates, or I'll shut thee out shortly. 1 Serv. Open the gates unto the lord protector; Or we'll burst them open, if that you come not quickly. Enter Winchester, attended by a train of servants, in tawny-coats. Win. How now, ambitious Humphrey ? what means this? Glo. Piel'd priest, dost thou command me to be shut out? Win. I do, thou most usurping proditors, Glo. Stand back, thou manifest conspirator, Win. Nay, stand thou back, I will not budge a foot; This be Damascus, be thou cursed Cain, Glo. I will not slay thee, but I'll drive thee back: Win. Do what thou dar'st; I beard thee to thy face. Glo. What? am I dar'd, and bearded to my face? Draw, men, for all this privileged place; Blue-coats to tawny-coats. Priest, beware your beard; [Gloster and his men attack the bishop. I mean to tug it, and to cuff you soundly: Under my fect I stamp thy cardinal's hat; In spite of pope or dignities of church, Here by the cheeks I'll drag thee up and down. Win. Gloster, thou'lt answer this before the pope. Glo. Winchester goose, I cry-a rope! a rope Now beat them hence, why do you let them stay?Thee I'll chase hence, thou wolf in sheep's array.Out, tawney-coats!-out, scarlet hypocrite! Here a great tumult. In the midst of it, enter the Mayor of London, and officers. May. Fie, lords! that you, being supreme magistrates, Thus contumeliously should break the peace! Glo. Peace, mayor; thou knowest little of my wrongs: Here's Beaufort, that regards nor God nor king Servants rush at the Tower gates. Enter, to the One that still motions war, and never peace, gates, Woodville, the lieutenant. Wood. [Within.] What noise is this? what tors have we here? (1) Expect prosperity after misfortune. O'ercharging your free purses with large fines; trai-That seeks to overthrow religion, (2) Meaning the four daughters of Philip, menGioned in Acts xxi. 9. |