Bur. They are then excused, my lord, when they | Issue to me: that the contending kingdoms see not what they do. Of France and England, whose very shores look pale K. Hen. Then, good my lord, teach your cousin to consent to winking. Bur. I will wink on her to consent, my lord, if you will teach her to know my meaning: for maids, well suminered and warm kept, are like flies at Bartholomew-tide, blind, though they have their eyes; and then they will endure handling, which before would not abide looking on. K. Hen. This moral ties me over to time, and a hot summer; and so I will catch the fly, your cousin, in the latter end, and she must be blind too. Bur. As love is, my lord, before it loves. K. Hen. 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. Fr. King. Yes, my lord, you see them perspectively, the cities turned into a maid; for they are all girdled with maiden walls, that war hath never entered. K. Hen. Shall Kate be my wife? K. Hen. I am content; so the maiden cities you talk of, may wait on her: so the maid, that stood in the way of my wish, shall show me the way to my will. Fr. King. We have consented to all terms of reason. K. Hen. Is't so, my lords of England? 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 très cher filz Henry, roy d'Angleterre héritier de France; and thus in Latin,-Præclarissimus filius noster Henricus, rex Angliæ, & hæres Francia. Fr. King. Nor this I have not, brother, so denied, But your request shall make me let it pass. K. Hen. I pray you, then, in love and dear alli ance, Let that one article rank with the rest: With envy of each other's happiness, K. Hen. Now welcome, Kate:-and bear me wit- That here I kiss her as my sovereign queen. [Flourish. Q. Isa. God, the best maker of all marriages, K. Hen. Prepare we for our marriage:-on which Enter CHORUS. Thus far, with rough, and all unable pen, Small time, but, in that small, most greatly liv'd Henry the sixth, in infant bands crown'd king That they lost France, and made his England Which oft our stage hath shown; and for their sake, Fr. King. Take her, fair son; and from her blood In your fair minds let this acceptance take. [Exit. raise up •Application. 7i. e. Unequal to the weight of the subject. France. FIRST PART OF KING HENRY VI. KING HENRY THE SIXTH. PERSONS REPRESENTED. SIR WILLIAM GLANDSDALE. WOODVILLE, Lieutenant of the Tower. Muster-Gunner of Orleans, and his Son. SCENE, partly in England, and partly in France. ACT I. SCENE I.-Westminster Abbey. Dead March. Corpse of KING HENRY THE FIFTH discovered, lying in state; attended on by the DUKES OF BEDFORD, GLOSTER, and EXETER; the EARL OF WARWICK, the BISHOP OF WINCHESTER, Heralds, &c. Bed. Hung be the heavens with black, yield day Comets, importing change of times and states, Glo. England ne'er had a king until his time. Exe. We mourn in black; Why mourn we not in blood? Henry is dead, and never shall revive: Upon a wooden coffin we attend; Unto the French the dreadful judgment-day Bed. Cease, cease these jars, and rest your minds Let's to the altar:-Heralds, wait on us:- When at their mothers' moist eyes babes shall suck; Glo. Name not religion, for thou lov'st the flesh, | By three-and-twenty thousand of the French And ne'er throughout the year to church thou go'st, Was round encompassed and set upon; No leisure had he to enrank his men; Except it be to pray against thy foes. 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. Hundreds he sent to hell, and none durst stand him, Here, there, and every where, enraged he slew: 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, And rush'd into the bowels of the battle. Here had the conquest fully been sealed up, If sir John Fastolie had not play'd the coward; He being in the vaward (placed behind With purpose to relieve and follow them,) Cowardly fled, not having struck one stroke. Hence grew the general wreck and massacre; Enclosed were they with their enemies: A base Walloon, to win the dauphin's grace, 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. Enter a Messenger. Mess. My honorable lords, health to you all! Speak softly; or the loss of those great towns Exe. How were they lost? what treachery was us'd? Mess. No treachery; but want of men and money. One would have lingering wars with little cost; Let not sloth dim your honors, new-begot: Exe. Were our tears wanting to this funeral, Enter another Messenger. Bed. Is Talbot slain? then I will slay myself, 3 Mess. O no, he lives; but is took prisoner, 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: sworn; Either to quell the dauphin utterly, Or bring him in obedience to your yoke. [Exit. Glo. I'll to the Tower, with all the haste I can, 2 Mess. Lords, view these letters, full of bad To view the artillery and munition; mischance, France is revolted from the English quite; Ar army have I muster'd in my thoughts, Enter a third Messenger. 3 Mess. My gracious lords,-to add to your la ments, Wherewith you now bedew king Henry's hearse, The circumstance I'll tell you more at large. 2 Nurse was anciently so spelt. And then I will proclaim young Henry king. [Exit. [Exit. [Exit. SCENE II.-France. Before Orleans. Char. Mars his true moving, even as in the hea. Alen. They want their porridge, and their fat Either they must be dieted like mules, 3i. e. Their miseries which have had only a short Talbot is taken whom we wont to fear: intermission. And he may well in fretting spend his gall, Nor men, nor money, hath he to make war. And, whereas I was black and swart before, With those clear rays which she infus'd on me, Char. Sound, sound alarum; we will rush on That beauty am I bless'd with, which you see. Alarums; Excursions; afterwards a Retreat. Re-enter CHARLES, ALENÇON, REIGNIER, and others. Char. Who ever saw the like? what men have I?Dogs! cowards! dastards!-I would ne'er have fled, But, that they left me 'midst my enemies. Reig. Salisbury is a desperate homicide; Do rush upon us as their hungry prey.4 Ask me what question thou canst possible, terms; Only this proof I'll of thy valor make,- Puc. I am prepared: here is my keen-edg'd sword, Alen. Froissard, a countryman of ours, records, Out of a deal of old iron I chose forth. England all Olivers and Rowlands bred, During the time Edward the Third did reign. For none but Samsons, and Goliasses, Char. Let's leave this town; for they are hairbrain'd slaves, And hunger will enforce them to be more eager; Enter the Bastard of Orleans. Bast. Where's the prince dauphin? I have news for him. Char. Bastard of Orleans, thrice welcome to us. Bast. Methinks, your looks are sad, your cheer1 appall'd; Hath the late overthrow wrought this offence? A holy maid hither with me I bring, Which, by a vision sent to her from heaven, And drive the English forth the bounds of France. Char. Go, call her in: [Exit Bastard.] But, first, Reignier, stand thou as dauphin in my place: Question her proudly, let thy looks be stern:— By this means shall we sound what skill she hath. [Retires. Enter LA PUCELLE, Bastard of Orleans, and others. Reig. Fair maid, is't thou wilt do these wond'rous feats? 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. Will'd me to leave my base vocation, 4i. e. The prey for which they are hungry. A gimmal is a piece of joined work, where one piece moves within another; here it is taken at large for an engine. This was not in former times a term of reproach. 7 Countenance. Char. Then come o'God's name, I fear no woman. Puc. And, while I live, I'll ne'er fly from a man. [They fight. Char. Stay, stay thy hands; thou art an Amazon, And fightest with the sword of Deborah. Puc. Christ's mother helps me, else I were too weak. Char. Whoe'er helps thee, 'tis thou that must help me: 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, Char. Meantime, look gracious on thy prostrate thrall. Reig. My lord, methinks, is very long in talk. Alen. Doubtless he shrives this woman to her smock; Else ne'er could he so long protract his speech. Reig. Shall we disturb him, since he keeps no mean? Alen. He may mean more than we poor men do know. These women are shrewd tempters with their tongues. Reig. My lord, where are you? what devise you 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? Thou 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 honors; Drive them from Orleans, and be immortaliz'd. Char. Presently we'll try:-Come, let's away about it: No prophet will I trust if she prove false. [Exeunt. 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. 8 Be firmly persuaded of it. 1 Meaning the four daughters of Philip mentioned in Acts, xxi. 9. & Theft. Where be these warders, that they wait not here? pen 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. 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.- 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: Glo. Faint-hearted Woodville, prizest him 'fore me? Arrogant Winchester? that haughty prelate, 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 vants, in tawny Coats. That seeks to overthrow religion, But to make open proclamation:- Off. All manner of men, assembled here in arms But we shall meet and break our minds at large. Win. Abominable Gloster! guard thy head; [Exeunt. May. See the coast clear'd, and then we will depart. Good God! that nobles should such stomachs bear! And how the English have the suburbs won. 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 proditor, Glo. Stand back: thou manifest conspirator; Win. Nay, stand thou back, I will not budge a foot. Glo. I will not slay thee, but I'll drive thee back: Thy scarlet robes, as a child's bearing-cloth, I'll use, to carry thee out of this place. 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 feet 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. May. Fye, lords! that you, being supreme magistrates, Thus contumeliously should break the peace! wrongs: Here's Beauford, that regards nor God nor king, M. Gun. But now thou shalt not. Be thou rul'd by me: Chief master-gunner am I of this town; A piece of ordnance 'gainst it I have placed; If thou spy'st any, run and bring me word; [Exit. Son. Father, I warrant you; take you no care; Sal. Talbot, my life, my joy, again return'd! Tal. The duke of Bedford had a prisoner, Sal. Yet tell'st thou not, how thou wert enter tain'd. |