1

Dramatis Perfonæ.

KING HENRY the Sixth.

Duke of Gloucester, uncle to the King, and Protector.
Duke of Bedford, uncle to the King, and Regent of

France.

Cardinal Beauford, Bishop of Winchester, and great uncle to the King.

Duke of Exeter.

Duke of Somerset.

RICHARD PLANTAGENET, afterwards Duke of York.
MORTIMER, Earl of March.

Sir JOHN FASTOLFE. WOODVILE, Lieutenant of
the Tower. Lord Mayor of London. Sir THOMAS
GARGRAVE. Sir WILLIAM GLANSDALE.
WILLIAM LUCY.

VERNON, of the White Rofe, or York faction.
BASSET, of the Red Rofe, or Lancaster faction.

Sir

CHARLES, Dauphin, and afterwards King of France.
REIGNIER, Duke of Anjou, and titular King of Naples.
Duke of Burgundy.

Duke of Alanfon.

Baftard of Orleans.
Governor of Paris.

Master-gunner of Orleans. Boy, his fon.
An old fhepherd, father to Joan la Pucelle.

MARGARET, daughter to Reignier, and afterwards
Queen to King Henry.

Countess of Auvergne.

JOAN LA PUCELLE, a maid, pretending to be infpir'd from Heaven, and fetting up for the championess of France.

Fiends attending on her.

Lords, Captains, Soldiers, Meffengers, and feveral Attendants both on the English and French.

The SCENE is partly in England, and partly in France.

O F

KING HENRY VI*.

ACT I.

SCENE I.

Weltminster-Abbey.

Dead march. Enter the funeral of King Henry the Fifth, attended on by the Duke of Bedford, Regent of France; the Duke of Gloucefter, Protector; the Duke of Exeter, and the Earl of Warwick, the Bishop of Winchester, and the Duke of Somerfet..

H

Bedford.

UNG be the heavens with black, yield day to night!

Comets, importing change of times and
states,

Brandifh your cryftal treffes in the sky,
And with them fcourge the bad-revolting stars,

• The hiftorical tranfactions contained in this play take in the compafs of above thirty years. I muft ob ferve, however, that our author, in the three parts of Henry VI. has not been very precife to the date and difpofition of his facts, but thuffled them backwards and forwards out of time. For instance, the Lord Talbot is killed at the end of the fourth Act of this play, who in reality did not fall till the 13th of July 1453; and the fecond part of Henry VI. opens with the marriage of the King, which was folemnized eight years before Talbot's death, in the year 1445. Again, in the fecond part, Dame Eleanor Cobham is introduced to infult Queen Margaret, though her penance and banishment

That have confented unto Harry's death!
Henry the Fifth, too famous to live long!
England ne'er loft a king of fo much worth.
Glou. England ne'er had a king until his time;
Virtue he had, deferving to command.

His brandifh'd fword did blind men with its beams;
His arms fpread wider than a dragon's wings:
His sparkling eyes, replete with awful fire,
More dazzled and drove back his enemies,
Than mid-day fun fierce bent against their faces.
What fhould I fay? his deeds exceed all speech:
He never lifted up his hand but conquer'd.

[blood?

Exet. We mourn in black; why mourn we not in Henry is dead, and never fall revive : Upon a wooden coffin we attend: And death's difhonourable victory We with our stately prefence glorify,. Like captive's bound to a triumphant car. What? fhall we curfe the planets of mishap, That plotted thus our glory's overthrow? Or fhall we think the fubtile-witted French Conj'rers and forc'rers, that, afraid of him, By magic verfe have thus contriv'd his end? Win. He was a king, bless'd of the King of kings. Unto the French the dreadful judgment-day So dreadful will not be as was his fight. The battles of the Lord of hosts he fought; The church's pray'rs made him so profperous.

for forcery happened three years before that princefs came over to England. I could point out many other tranfgreffions against history, as far as the order of time is concerned. Indeed, though there are feveral master. ftrokes in thefe three plays, which incontestably betray the workmanship of Shakespeare; yet I am almost doubtful whether they were entirely of his writing. And unless they were wrote by him very early, I should ra ther imagine them to have been brought to him as a di rector of the Stage, and fo to have received some finishing beauties at his hand. An accurate obferver will eafly fee the diction of them is more obfolete, and the numbers more mean and profaisal than in the generality of his genuine compofitions. Theobald.

Glou. The church? where is it? had not churchmen pray'd,

His thread of life had not fo foon decay'd.
None do you like but an effeminate prince,
Whom, like a school-boy, you may over-awe.
Win. Glo'fter, whate'er we like, thou art Protector,
And lookeft to command the prince and realm;
Thy wife is proud, fhe holdeth thee in awe
More than God or religious church-men may.
Glou. Name not religion, for thou lov't the flesh;
And ne'er throughout the year to church thou go'ft,
Except it be to pray against thy foes.

Bed. Ceafe, ceafe thefe jars, and rest your minds in
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.

Pofterity await for wretched years,

[peace.

When at their mothers' moist eyes babes fhall fuck;
Our ifle be made a nourish of falt tears,

And none but women left to 'wail the dead.
Henry the Fifth! thy ghoft I invocatę;
Profper this realm, keep it from civil broils,
Combat with adverfe planets in the heavens;
A far more glorious ftar thy foul will make,
Than Julius. Cæfar, or bright-

Meff. My honourable Lords, health to you all. '. Sad tidings bring I to you out of France, Of lofs, of flaughter, and difcomfiture; Guienne, Champaign, and Rheims, and Orleans, Paris, Guyfors, Poitiers, are all quite loft.

Bed. What fay'ft thou, man? -before dead :
Henry's corfe?-

Speak foftly, or the lofs of thefe great towns
Will make him burst his lead, and rife from death.
Glou. Is Paris loft, and Roan yielded up?

If Henry were recall'd to life again,

These news would cause him once more yield the ghoft,

2

Exet. How were they loft? what treachery was us'd?

Me. No treachery, but want of men and money. Among the foldiers this is muttered,

That here you maintain fev'ral factions;

And whilft a field fhould be difpatch'd and fought,
You are difputing of your generals.

One would have ling'ring wars with little coft;
Another would fly fwift, but wanteth wings;
A third man thinks, without expence at all,
By guileful fair words peace may be obtain'd.
Awake, awake, English nobility

Let not sloth dim your honours, new-begot ;.
Cropt are the flower-de-luces in your arms;
Of England's coat one half is cut away.

Exet. Were our tears wanting to this funeral,
Thefe tidings would call forth their flowing tides.
Bed. Me they concern. Regent I am of France.
Give me my fteeled coat, I'll fight for France.
Away with thefe difgraceful wailing robes;
Wounds I will lend the French inftead of eyes,
To weep their intermiffive miferies.

Enter to them another Meffenger.

2 Me Lords, view thefe letters full of bad mifFrance is revolted from the English quite, [chance. Except fome petty towns of no import.

The Dauphin Charles is crowned king in Rheims,
The bastard Orleans with him is join'd,
Reignier Duke of Anjou doth take his part,
The Duke of Alanfon flies to his fide.

[Exit. Exet. The Dauphin crowned king? all fly to him?

O whither fhall we fly from this reproach?

Glu. We will not fly but to our en'inies' throats. Bedford, if thou be flack, I'll fight it out.

Bed. Glo'iter, why doubt'ft thou of my forwardAn army have I mufter'd in my thoughts, [nefs? Wherewith already France is over-run.

J