The dramatic works of William Shakspeare, from the text of Johnson, Stevens [sic] and Reed, with glossarial notes, his life, and a critique on his genius & writings by N. Rowe

Q. Isa. God, the best maker of all marriages, Combine your hearts in one, your realms in one!

As man and wife, being two, are one in love,
So be there 'twixt your kingdoms such a spousal,
That never may ill office, or fell jealousy,
Which troubles oft the bed of blessed
riage,

Enter CHORUS.

Thus far, with rough, and all unable pen, Our bending author hath pursu'd the story; In little room confining mighty men, Mangling by starts the full course of their mar-Small time, but in that small, most greatly glory. [liv'd By which the world's best gardent he achiev'd, This star of England: fortune made his sword; And of it left his son imperial lord.

Thrust in between the paction of these king-
doms,

To make divorce of their incorporate league ;
That English may as French, French English-

men,

Receive each other!-God speak this Amen!
All. Amen!

K. Hen. Prepare we for our marriage :-on
which day,

My lord of Burgundy, we'll take your oath,
And all the peers', for surety of our leagues.
Then shall I swear to Kate, and you to me;
And may our oaths well kept and prosp❜rous
be!
[Exeunt.

Henry the sixth, in infant bands crown'd king
Of France and England did this king suc-
ceed;

Whose state so many had the managing,
That they lost France, and made his Eng-
land bleed:

Which oft our stage hath shown; and, for
their sake,

In your fair minds let this acceptance take.

[Exit.

*I. e. Unequal to the weight of the subject. + France

FIRST PART

KING HENRY VI.

PERSONS REPRESENTED.

KING HENRY THE SIXTH.
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 the King.

HENRY BEAUFORT, great Uncle to the King, Bishop of Winchester; and afterwards Cardinal.

JOHN BEAUFORT, Earl of Somerset; afterwards Duke.

RICHARD PLANTAGENET, eldest Son of Richard, late Earl of Cambridge; afterwards Duke of York.

EARL OF WARWICK.-EARL OF SALISBURY.EARL OF SUFFOLK.

LORD TALBOT, afterwards Earl of Shrewsbury.
JOHN TALBOT, his Son.

EDMUND MORTIMER, Earl of March.
MORTIMER'S KEEPER, and a LAWYER.

SIR JOHN FASTOLFE.-SIR WILLIAM LUCY.
SIR WILLIAM GLANSDALE.-SIR THOMAS GAR-
GRAVE.

MAYOR OF LONDON.

WOODVILLE, Lieutenant of the Tower.

VERNON, of the White Rose, or York Faction. BASSET, of the Red Rose, or Lancaster Faction. CHARLES, Dauphin, and afterwards King of France.

REIGNIER, Duke of Anjou, and titular King of Naples.

DUKE OF BURGUNDY.-DUKE OF ALENÇON.
GOVERNOR OF PARIS.-BASTARD OF ORLEANS.
MASTER-GUNNER OF ORLEANS, and his Son.
GENERAL OF THE FRENCH FORCES in Bour-
deaux.

A FRENCH SERGEANT.-A PORTER.
AN OLD SHEPHERD, Father to Joan la Pucelle.

MARGARET, Daughter to Reignier; afterwards
married to King Henry.
COUNTESS OF AUVERGNE.
JOAN LA PUCELLE, commonly called, Joan of
Arc.

Fiends appearing to La Pucelle, Lords, Warders of the Tower, Heralds, Officers, Soldiers, Messengers, and several Attendants both on the English and French.

SCENE; partly in England, and partly in France.

ACT I.

SCENE 1.-Westminster Abbey. Deud 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 to night!

Comets, importing change of times and states,
Brandish your crystal tresses in the sky;
And with them scourge the bad revolting
stars,

That have consented unto Henry's death!
Henry the fifth, too famous to live long!
England ne'er lost a king of so much worth.
Glo. England ne'er had a king, until his
Virtue he had, deserving to command: [time.
His brandish'd sword did blind men with his
beams;

His arms spread wider than a dragon's wings; His sparkling eyes replete with wrathful fire,

* Alluding to our ancient stage-practice when a tragedy was to be acted,

Glo. The church! where is it? Had not | France is revolted from the English quite;

churchmen pray'd,

His thread of life had not so soon decay'd:
None do you like but an effeminate prince,
Whom, like a school-boy, you may over-awe.
Win. Gloster, whate'er we like, thou art
protector;

And lookest to command the prince, and realm,
Thy wife is proud; she holdeth thee in awe,
More than God, or religious churchmen, may.
Glo. Name not religion, for thou lov'st the
flesh;
[go'st,
And ne'er throughout the year to church thou |
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:-
Instead of gold, we'll offer up our arms;
Since arms avail not, now that Henry's dead.-
Posterity, await for wretched years, [suck;
When at their mothers' moist eyes babes shall
Our isle be made a nourish of salt tears,
And none but women left to wail the dead.-
Henry the fifth! thy ghost I invocate;
Prosper this realm, keep it from civil broils!
Combat with adverse planets in the heavens!
A far more glorious star thy soul will make,
Than Julius Cæsar, or bright-

money.

Among the soldiers this is muttered,-
That here you maintain several factions;
And, whilst a field should be despatch'd and
fought,

You are disputing of your generals.
One would have ling ring wars, with little cost;
Another would fly swift but wanteth wings;
A third man thinks, without expense at all,
By guileful fair words peace may be obtain'd.
Awake, awake, English nobility!

Let not sloth dim your honours, new-begot:
Cropp'd are the flower-de-luces in your arms;
Of England's coat one half is cut away.
These tidings would call forth hert flowing
Exe. Were our tears wanting to this funeral,

tides.

Bed. Me they concern; regent I am of

France:

Give me my steeled coat, I'll fight for France.
Away with these disgraceful wailing robes!
Wounds I will lend the French, instead of eyes,
To weep their intermissive miseries.

Enter another MESSENGER.

2 Mess. Lords, view these letters, full of bad mischance,

Nurse was anciently so spelt.

Except some petty towns of no import:
The Dauphin Charles is crowned king in
Rheims;

The bastard of Orleans with him is join'd;
Reignier, duke of Anjou, doth take his part;
The duke of Alençon flieth to his side.

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 for-
wardness!

An army have I muster'd in my thoughts,
Wherewith already France is over-run.

Enter a third MESSENGER.

3 Mess. My gracious lords,-to add to your laments, [hearse,Wherewith you now bedew King Henry's I must inform you of a dismal fight, Betwixt the stout lord Talbot and the French. Win. What! wherein Talbot overcame ? is't so?

3 Mess. O, no; wherein lord Talbot was o'er-
thrown:

The circumstance I'll tell you more at large.
Retiring from the siege of Orleans,
The tenth of August last, this dreadful lord,

Having full scarce six thousand in his troop,
By three and twenty thousand of the French
Was round encompassed and set upon :
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;
Enacted wonders with his sword and lance.
Where valiant Talbot, above human thought,
Hundreds he sent to hell, and none durst stand

him;

Here, there, and every where, enrag'd 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 seal'd up,
He being in the vaward, (plac'd behind,
If Sir John Fastolfe had not play'd the coward;
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 :
Thrust Talbot with a spear into the back;
A base Walloon, to win the Dauphin's grace,
Durst not presume to look once in the face.
Whom all France, with their chief assembled
strength,

For living idly here, in pomp and ease,
Bed. Is Talbot slain? then I will slay myself,
Unto his dastard foe-man is betray'd.
Whilst such a worthy leader, wanting aid,

And lord Scales with him, and lord Hunger-
3 Mess. O no, he lives; but is took prisoner,

ford:

Most of the rest slaughter'd, or took, likewise.
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; 1.e. Their miseries which have had only a short inter- Four of their lords I'll change for one of

+ Her, i. e. England's.

mission.

ours.

Farewell, my masters; to my task will I; Bonfires in France forthwith I am to make, 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
Either to quell the Dauphin utterly, [sworn;
Or bring him in obedience to your yoke.
Bed. I do remember it; and here take leave,
To go about my preparation.
[Exit.
Glo. I'll to the Tower, with all the haste I can,
To view the artillery and munition;
And then I will proclaim young Henry king.
[Exit.
Exe. To Eltham will I, where the young
king is,

Being ordain'd his special governor;
And for his safety there I'll best advise.

[Exit.

Win. Each hath his place and function to attend:

I am left out; for me nothing remains.
But long I will not be Jack-out-of-office;
The king from Eltham I intend to send,
And sit at chiefest stern of public weal.

[Exit. Scene closes.

So in the earth, to this day is not known:
Late did he shine upon the English side;
Now we are victors upon us he smiles.
What towns of any moment, but we have?
At pleasure here we lie, near Orleans;
Otherwhiles, the famish'd English, like pale
ghosts,

Faintly besiege us one hour in a month.

The other lords, like lions wanting food,
Do rush upon us as their hungry prey.
Alen. Froissard, a countryman of ours, re-
cords,

England all Olivers and Rowlands bred,
During the time Edward the third did reign.
More truly now may this be verified;
For none but Samsons, and Goliasses,
It sendeth forth to skirmish. One to ten!
Lean raw-bon'd rascals! who would e'er sup-
They had such courage and audacity? [pose
Char. Let's leave this town; for they are
hair-brain'd slaves,

[ger: And hunger will enforce them to be more eaOf old I know them; rather with their teeth The walls they'll tear down, than forsake the siege. Reig. I think, by some odd gimmalst or de vice, {on; Their arms are set, like clocks, still to strike Else ne'er could they hold out so, as they do. By my consent, we'll e'en let them alone. Alen. Be it so.

Enter the BASTARD of Orleans. Bust. 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 cheers appall'd;

Hath the late overthrow wrought this offence?
Be not dismay'd, for succour is at hand:
A holy maid hither with me I bring,
Which, by a vision sent to her from heaven,
Ordained is to raise this tedious siege,
And drive the English forth the bounds of
France.

The spirit of deep prophecy she hath,
Exceeding the nine sibyls of old Rome;
What's past, and what's to come, she can
descry.

Speak, shall I call her in? Belieye my words, For they are certain and unfallible.

Char. Go, call her in: [Exit BASTARD.] But,

first, to try her skill,

Reignier, stand thou as Dauphin in my place: Question her proudly, let thy looks be stern:Alen. They want their porridge, and their fat By this means shall we sound what skill she

bull-beeves:

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 be

guile me?

[hind; Where is the Dauphin ?-come, come from beI know thee well, though never seen before. Be not amaz'd, there's nothing hid from me: In private will I talk with thee apart:Stand back, you lords, and give us leave a while.

Reig. She takes upon her bravely at first dash.

Puc. Dauphin, I am by birth a shepherd's daughter,

My wit untrain'd in any kind of art.
Heaven, and our lady gracious, hath it pleas'd
To shine on my contemptible estate:

I. e. The prey for which they are hungry. A gimmal is a piece of jointed work, where one piece moves within another; here it is taken at large for an en gine.

This was not in former times a term of reproach.
Countenance.

Lo, whilst I waited on my tender lambs, And to sun's parching heat display'd my cheeks,

God's mother deigned to appear to me;
And, in a vision full of majesty,
Will'd me to leave my base vocation,
And free my country from calamity:
Her aid she promis'd, and assur'd success:
In complete glory she reveal'd herself;
And, whereas I was black and swart before,
With those clear rays which she infus'd on me,
That beauty am I bless'd with, which you see.
Ask me what question thou canst possible,
And I will answer unpremeditated:

My courage try by combat, if thou dar'st,
And thou shalt find that I exceed my sex.
Resolve on this: Thou shalt be fortunate,
If thou receive me for thy warlike mate.

Char. Thou hast astonish'd me with thy high
terms;

Only this proof I'll of thy valour make,—
In single combat thou shalt buckle with me;
And, if thou vanquishest, thy words are true;
Otherwise, I renounce all confidence.

Puc. I am prepar'd: here is my keen-edg'd
sword,

Deck'd with five flour-de-luces on each side; The which at Touraine, in Saint Katharine's church-yard,

Out of a deal of old iron I chose forth.

Char. Then come o'God's name, I fear no

woman.

man.

Puc. And, while I live, I'll near fly from a [They fight. thou art an And fightest with the sword of Deborah. Puc. Christ's mother helps me, else I were too weak.

Char. Stay, stay thy hands;
Amazon,

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.
Excellent Pucelle, if thy name be so,
Let me thy servant, and not sovereign, be;
"Tis the French Dauphin sueth to thee thus.
Puc. I must not yield to any rites of love,
For my profession's sacred from above:
When I have chased all thy foes from hence,
Then will I think upon a recompense.

Char. Meantime, look gracious on thy pros-
trate thrall.

Reig. My lord, methinks, is very long in talk.

Alen. Doubtless he shrives this woman to

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, [thee.
Nor yet Saint Philip's daughters, were like
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. 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.t-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! We do no otherwise than we are will'd. so we answer him:

Glo. Who will'd you? or whose will stands

but mine?

There's none protector of the realm, but I.— Break up the gates, I'll be your warrantize: Shall I be flouted thus by dunghill grooms? SERVANTS rush at the Tower Gates. Enter, to the Gates, WOODVILLE, the Lieutenant. Wood. [Within.] What noise is this? wha traitors have we here?

Glo. Lieutenant, is it you, whose voice I hear? [enter. Open the gates; here's Gloster that would Wood. [Within.] Have patience, noble duke: I may not open;

The cardinal of Winchester forbids:
That thou, nor none of thine, shall be let in.
From him I have express commandement,

Glo. Faint-hearted Woodville, prizest him

'fore me?

Arrogant Winchester? that haughty prelate, Whom Henry, our late sovereign, ne'er could brook?

Thou art no friend to God, or to the king: Open the gates, or I'll shut thee out shortly. 1 Serv. Open the gates unto the lord pro

tector; [quickly. Or we'll burst them open, if that you come not

Enter WINCHESTER, attended by a Train of Servants in tawny Coats.

Win. How now, ambitious Humphry? what means this?

* Moaning the four daughters of Philip mentioned in Acts xxi. 9. + Theft. 1 Break open.

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The dramatic works of William Shakspeare, from the text of Johnson, Stevens ...