Knights of the garter were of noble birth;
Valiant and virtuous, full of haughty courage',
Such as were grown to credit by the wars;
Not fearing death, nor shrinking for distress,
But always resolute in most extremes 2.
He then, that is not furnish'd in this sort,
Doth but usurp the sacred name of knight,
Profaning this most honourable order;
And should (if I were worthy to be judge,)
Be quite degraded, like a hedge-born swain
That doth presume to boast of gentle blood.
K. HEN. Stain to thy countrymen! thou hear'st
thy doom:

Be packing therefore, thou that wast a knight;
Henceforth we banish thee, on pain of death.—
[Exit FASTOLFE.
And now, my lord protector, view the letter
Sent from our uncle duke of Burgundy.

GLO. What means his grace, that he hath chang'd
his style? [Viewing the superscription.
No more but, plain and bluntly,-To the king?
Hath he forgot, he is his sovereign?
Or doth this churlish superscription
Pretend some alteration in good will 3 ?
What's here?—I have upon especial cause,

3

[Reads. Mov'd with compassion of my country's wreck, Together with the pitiful complaints

HAUGHTY Courage,] Haughty is here in its original sense for high. JOHNSON.

2

in MOST extremes.] i. e. in greatest extremities.

Spenser :

they all repair'd, both most and least."

See vol. xi. p. 258, n. 9. STEEVENS.

So,

3 PRETEND some alteration in good will?] Thus the old copy. To pretend seems to be here used in its Latin sense, i. e. to hold out, to stretch forward. It may mean, however, as in other places, to design. Modern editors read-portend. STEEVENS.

Of such as your oppression feeds upon,—
Forsaken your pernicious faction,

And join'd with Charles, the rightful king of
France.

O monstrous treachery! Can this be so;
That in alliance, amity, and oaths,

There should be found such false dissembling guile? K. HEN. What! doth my uncle Burgundy revolt?

GLO. He doth, my lord; and is become your foe. K. HEN. Is that the worst, this letter doth con

tain ?

GLO. It is the worst, and all, my lord, he writes. K. HEN. Why then, lord Talbot there shall talk with him,

And give him chastisement for this abuse :-
How say you, my lord? are you not content?
TAL. Content, my liege? Yes, but that I am
prevented3,

I should have begg'd I might have been employ'd. K. HEN. Then gather strength, and march unto him straight:

Let him perceive, how ill we brook his treason;
And what offence it is, to flout his friends.
TAL. I go, my lord; in heart desiring still,
You may behold confusion of your foes.

My lord, how say you ?] Old copy

"How say you, my lord?"

The transposition is Sir T. Hanmer's. STEEVENS.

[Exit.

5- I am PREVENTED,] Prevented is here, anticipated; a Latinism. MALONE.

So, in our Liturgy: "Prevent us, O Lord, in all our doings." Prior is, perhaps, the last English poet who used this verb in its obsolete sense :

"Else had I come, preventing Sheba's queen,

"To see the comeliest of the sons of men."

Solomon, book ii. STEEVENS,

Enter VERNON and BASSet.

VER. Grant me the combat, gracious sovereign! BAS. And me, my lord, grant me the combat too! YORK. This is my servant; Hear him, noble

prince!

SOM. And this is mine; Sweet Henry, favour him!

K. HEN. Be patient, lords; and give them leave to speak.

Say, gentlemen, What makes you thus exclaim? And wherefore crave you combat? or with whom? VER. With him, my lord; for he hath done me

wrong.

BAS. And I with him; for he hath done me wrong.

K. HEN. What is that wrong whereof you both complain ?

First let me know, and then I'll answer you.

BAS. Crossing the sea from England into France, This fellow here, with envious carping tongue, Upbraided me about the rose I wear; Saying-the sanguine colour of the leaves Did represent my master's blushing cheeks, When stubbornly he did repugn the truth", About a certain question in the law, Argu'd betwixt the duke of York and him; With other vile and ignominious terms: In confutation of which rude reproach, And in defence of my lord's worthiness, I crave the benefit of law of arms.

VER. And that is my petition, noble lord:

For though he seem, with forged quaint conceit,

6

did REPUGN the truth,] To repugn is to resist. The word is used by Chaucer. STEEVENS.

It is found in Bullokar's English Expositor, 8vo. 1616.

MALONE.

To set a gloss upon his bold intent,

Yet know, my lord, I was provok'd by him;
And he first took exceptions at this badge,
Pronouncing-that the paleness of this flower
Bewray'd the faintness of my master's heart.

YORK. Will not this malice, Somerset, be left? SOM. Your private grudge, my lord of York, will out,

Though ne'er so cunningly you smother it.

K. HEN. Good Lord! what madness rules in brainsick men ;

When, for so slight and frivolous a cause,
Such factious emulations shall arise!-
Good cousins both, of York and Somerset,
Quiet yourselves, I pray, and be at peace.

YORK. Let this dissention first be tried by fight, And then your highness shall command a peace. SOM. The quarrel toucheth none but us alone; Betwixt ourselves let us decide it then.

YORK. There is my pledge; accept it, Somerset. VER. Nay, let it rest where it began at first. BAS. Confirm it so, mine honourable lord. GLO. Confirm it so? Confounded be your strife! And perish ye, with your audacious prate! Presumptuous vassals! are you not asham'd, With this immodest clamorous outrage To trouble and disturb the king and us? And you, my lords,-methinks, you do not well, To bear with their perverse objections; Much less, to take occasion from their mouths To raise a mutiny betwixt yourselves; Let me persuade you take a better course.

EXE. It grieves his highness;-Good my lords; be friends.

K. HEN. Come hither, you that would be combatants:

Henceforth, I charge you, as you love our favour,

Quite to forget this quarrel, and the cause.-
And you, my lords,-remember where we are;
In France, amongst a fickle wavering nation:
If they perceive dissention in our looks,
And that within ourselves we disagree,
How will their grudging stomachs be provok'd
To wilful disobedience, and rebel?
Beside, What infamy will there arise,
When foreign princes shall be certified,
That, for a toy, a thing of no regard,
King Henry's peers, and chief nobility,
Destroy'd themselves, and lost the realm of France?
O, think upon the conquest of my father;
My tender years; and let us not forego
That for a trifle, that was bought with blood!
Let me be umpire in this doubtful strife.

I see no reason, if I wear this rose,

[Putting on a red Rose. That any one should therefore be suspicious I more incline to Somerset, than York: Both are my kinsmen, and I love them both : As well they may upbraid me with my crown, Because, forsooth, the king of Scots is crown'd. But your discretions better can persuade, Than I am able to instruct or teach: And therefore, as we hither came in peace, So let us still continue peace and love.— Cousin of York, we institute your grace To be our regent in these parts of France :And good my lord of Somerset, unite

Your troops of horsemen with his bands of foot ;-
And, like true subjects, sons of your progenitors,
Go cheerfully together, and digest

Your angry choler on your enemies.
Ourself, my lord protector, and the rest,
After some respite, will return to Calais;

From thence to England; where I hope ere long