blushes; avouch the thoughts of your heart | naked, and blind: Can you blame her then with the looks of an empress; take me by the being a maid yet rosed over with the virgin hand, and say-Harry of England, I am thine: crimson of modesty, if she deny the appearance which word thou shalt no sooner bless mine of a naked blind boy in her naked seeing self? ear withal, but I will tell thee aloud-England | It were, my lord, a hard condition for a maid is thine, Ireland is thine, France is thine, and to consign to. Henry Plantagenet is thine; who, though I speak it before his face, if he be not fellow with the best king, thou shalt find the best king of good fellows. Come, your answer in broken music; for thy voice is music, and thy English broken: therefore, queen of all, Katharine, break thy mind to me in broken English. Wilt thou have me? Kath. Dat is, as it shall please de roy mon pere. K. Hen. Nay, it will please him well, Kate; it shall please him, Kate. Kath. Den it shall also content me. K. Hen. Upon that I will kiss your hand, and I call you-my queen. Kath. Laissez, mon siegneur, laissez, laissez: ma foy, je ne veux point que vous abbaissez vostre grandeur, en baisant la main d'une vostre indigne serviteure; excusez moy, je vous supplie, mon tres puissant seigneur. K. Hen. Then I will kiss your lips, Kate. Kath. Les dames, et damoiselles, pour estre baiseés devant leur nopces, il n'est pas le coûtume de France. K. Hen. Madam, my interpreter, what says she? Alice. Dat it is not be de fashion pour les ladies of France,-I cannot tell what is, baiser, en English. K. Hen. To kiss. Alice. Your majesty entendre bettre que moy. K. Hen. It is not the fashion for the maids in France to kiss before they are married, would she say? Alice. Ouy, vrayment. K. Hen. O, Kate, nice customs curt'sy to great kings. Dear Kate, you and I cannot be confined within the weak list of a country's fashion: we are the makers of manners, Kate; and the liberty that follows our places, stops the mouths of all find-faults; as I will do yours, for upholding the nice fashion of your country, in denying me a kiss: therefore, patiently, and yielding, Kissing her.] You have witchcraft in your lips, Kate: there is more eloquence in a sugar touch of them, than in the tongues of the French council; and they should sooner persuade Harry of England, than a general petition of monarchs. Here comes your father. Enter the FREnch King and QUEEN, BURGUNDY, BEDFORD, GLOSTER, EXETER, WESTMORELAND, and other French and English Lords. Bur. God save your majesty! my royal cousin, teach you our princess English? K. Hen. I would have her learn, my fair cousin, how perfectly I love her; and that is good English, Bur. Is she not apt? K. Hen. Our tongue is rough, coz; and my condition+ is not smooth: so that, having neither the voice nor the heart of flattery about me, I cannot so conjure up the spirit of love in her, that he will appear in his true likeness. Bur. Pardon the frankness of my mirth, if I answer you for that. If you would conjure in her you must make a circle: if conjure up love in her in his true likeness, he must appear + Temper. * Slight barrier. K. Hen. Yet they do wink, and yield; as love is blind, and enforces. Bur. They are then excused, my lord, when they see not what they do. 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 summered 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, iny 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? West. The king hath granted every article: His daughter, first; and then, in sequel, all, According to their firm proposed natures. 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 tres cher filz Henry roy d'Angleterre, heretier de France; and thus in Latin,-Præclarissimus filius noster Henricus, rex Angliæ, et hæres Francia. Fr. King. Nor this I have not, brother, so denied, Enter CHORUS. Thus far, with rough, and all unable pen, Henry the sixth, in infant bands crown'd king Of France and England did this king succeed; Whose state so many had the managing, That they lost France, and made his England 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. † Franco. FIRST PART OF KING HENRY VI. PERSONS REPRESENTED. KING HENRY THE SIXTH. DUKE OF BEDFORD, Uncle to the King, and 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. EDMUND MORTIMER, Earl of March. 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. A FRENCH SERGEANT.-A PORTER. MARGARET, Daughter to Reignier; afterwards 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 I.-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 More dazzled and drove back his enemies, Than mid-day sun, fierce bent against their faces. [speech: What should I say? his deeds exceed all He ne'er lift up his hand, but conquered. Exe. We mourn in black; Why mourn we not in blood? Henry is dead, and never shall revive: Win. He was a king bless'd of the King of kings. Unto the French the dreadful judgement day There was a notion long prevalent, that life might be taken away by metrical charms. 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: And lookest to command the prince, and realm, Bed. Cease, cease these jars, and rest your minds in peace! Let's to the altar:-Heralds, wait on us:- Glo. Is Paris lost? is Rouen yielded up? If Henry were recall'd to life again, These news would cause him once more yield the ghost. Exe. How were they lost? what treachery was us'd? Mess. No treachery; but want of men and money. Among the soldiers this is muttered,- You are disputing of your generals. Let not sloth dim your honours, new-begot: tides. Bed. Me they concern; regent I am of France: Except some petty towns of no import: The bastard of Orleans with him is join'd; 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. wardness! An army have I muster'd in my thoughts, 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 thrown: The circumstance I'll tell you more at large. Having full scarce six thousand in his troop, him; Here, there, and every where, enrag'd he slew: And rush'd into the bowels of the battle. A base Walloon, to win the Dauphin's grace, Bed. Is Talbot slain? then I will slay myself, For living idly here, in pomp and ease, Whilst such a worthy leader, wanting aid, Unto his dastard foe-man is betray'd. 3 Mess. O no, he lives; but is took prisoner, And lord Scales with him, and lord Hunger ford: Most of the rest slaughter'd, or took, likewise. Bed. His ransom there is none but I shall 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: Exe. Remember, lords, your oaths to Henry Being ordain'd his special governor; [Exit. Win. Each hath his place and function to attend: I am left out; for me nothing remains. [Exit. Scene closes. So in the earth, to this day is not known: Faintly besiege us one hour in a month. The other lords, like lions wanting food, England all Olivers and Rowlands bred, 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 device, {on; Their arms are set, like clocks, still to strike Else ne'er could they hold ont so, as they do. By my consent, we'll e'en let them alone. Alen. Be it so. 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 cheers appall'd; Hath the late overthrow wrought this offence? And drive the English forth the bounds of 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: Either they must be dieted like mules, Talbot is taken, whom we wont to fear: Now for the honour of the forlorn French :Him I forgive my death, that killeth me, When he sees me go back one foot, or fly. [Exeunt. Alarums; Excursions; afterwards a Retreat. Re-enter CHARLES, ALENÇON, REIGNIER, und others. Char. Who ever saw the like? what men have I? Dogs! cowards! dastards!-I would ne'er bave fled, But that they left me 'midst my enemies. hath. [Retires. |