Cardinal Reaufort. Comb down his hair; look! look! it stands upright, like lime-twigs set to catch my winged soul. OBSERVATIONS. THIS and The Third Part of King Henry VI. contain that troublesome period of this prince's reign which took in the whole contention betwixt the houses of York and Lancaster : and under that title were these two plays first acted and published. The present scene opens with king Henry's marriage, which was in the twenty-third year of his reign [A. D. 1445:] and closes with the first battle fought at St. Albans, and won by the York faction, in the thirty-third year of his reign [A.D. 1455] so that it comprizes the history and transactions of ten THEOBALD. years. It is apparent that this play begins where the former ends, and continues the series of transactions, of which it presupposes the first part already known. This is a sufficient proof that the second and third parts were not written without dependance on the first, though they were printed as containing a complete period of history. The Three Parts of Henry VI.These plays, considered, without regard to characters and incidents, merely as narratives in verse, are more happily conceived and more accurately finished, than those of King John, Richard II. or the tragic scenes of Henry IV. and V. Of these three plays I think the second the best. The truth is, that they have not sufficient variety of action, for the incidents are too often of the same kind; yet many of the charac ters are well discriminated. King Henry and his queen, king Edward, the duke of Gloster, and the earl of Warwick, are very strongly and distinctly painted. JOHNSON VOL. V. King HENRY the Sixth: HUMPHREY, duke of Gloster, his uncle. Cardinal BEAUFORT, bishop of Winchester, great uncle to the king. RICHARD PLANTAGENET, duke of York: EDWARD and RICHARD, his sons. Duke of SOMERSET, Lord CLIFFORD; Duke of SUFFOLK, Duke of BUCKINGHAM, of the king's party. Earl of SALISBURY, of the York faction. Young CLIFFORD, his son, Earl of WARWICK, Lord SCALES, Governour of the Tower. Lord SAY. Sir HUMPHREY STAFFORD, and his brother. Sir JOHN STANLEY. A Sea-captain, Master, and Master's Mate, and WALTER WHITMORE. Two Gentlemen, prisoners with Suffolk. A Herald. VAUX. HUME and SOUTHWELL, two priests. BOLINGBROKE, a conjurer. A Spirit raised by him. THOMAS HORNER, an armourer. PETER, his man. Clerk of Chatham. Mayor of Saint Alban's. SIMPCOX, an impostor. Two Murderers. JACK CADE, a rebel : GEORGE, JOHN, DICK, SMITH, the weaver, MrCHAEL, &c. his followers. ALEXANDER IDEN, a Kentish gentleman. MARGARET, queen to king Henry. MARGERY JOURDAIN, a witch. Wife to Simpcox. Lords,Ladies,and Attendants; Petitioners, Aldermen, a Beadle, Sheriff, and Officers; Citizens, Prentices, Falconers, Guards, Soldiers, Messengers, &c. SCENE, dispersedly in various parts of England. SECOND PART OF KING HENRY VI. ACT I. SCENE I.-London. A Room of State in the Palace. Flourish of Trumpets: then Hautboys. Enter, on one side, King HENRY, Duke of GLOSTER, SALISBURY, WARWICK, and Cardinal BEAUFORT; on the other, Queen MARGARET, led in by SUFFOLK; YORK, Somerset, BUCKINGHAM, and others, following. Suffolk. As by your high imperial majesty, I had in charge at my depart for France, As procurator to your excellence, To marry princess Margaret for your grace ; So, in the famous ancient city, Tours, In presence of the kings of France, and Sicil, The dukes of Orleans, Calaber, Bretaigne, and Alençon, Seven earls, twelve barons, twenty reverend bishops, I have perform'd my task, and was espous'd: And humbly now upon my bended knee, In sight of England and her lordly peers, Deliver up my title in the queen To your most gracious hands, that are the substance The happiest gift that ever marquess gave, The fairest queen that ever king receiv'd. K.Hen. Suffolk, arise.-Welcome, queen Margaret : I can express no kinder sign of love, Than this kind kiss.-O Lord, that lends me life, If sympathy of love unite our thoughts. Q.Mar. Great king of England, and my gracious lord; The mutual conference2 that my mind hath had [1] Vide Hall's Chronicle, fol. 66, year 23. init. POPE. [2] I am the bolder to address you, having already familiarized you to my imagination. JOHNS. |