Kate; and the liberty that follows our places stops the mouth 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 Eng. land than a general petition of monarchs. Here comes your father.

Re-enter the FRENCH KING and his QUEEN, BURGUNDY, and other 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 likness, he must appear naked and blind. Can you blame her then, being a maid yet rosed over with the virgin crimson of modesty, if she deny the appearance of a naked blind boy in her naked seeing self? It were, my lord, a hard condition for a maid to consign to.

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. 330

K. Hen. Then, good my lord, teach your cousin to consent 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 shall 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, my 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?

Fr. King. So please you.

350

K. Hen. I am content; so the maiden cities you talk of may wait on her: so the maid that stood in the way for 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.

Ere. Only he hath not yet subscribed this:

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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 trèscher fils Henri, Roi d'Angleterre, Héritier de France; and thus in Latin, Præclarissimus filius noster Henricus, Rex Angliæ, et Hæres Franciæ.

Fr. King. Nor this I have not, brother, so denied, But your request shall make me let it pass.

K. Hen. I pray you then, in love and dear alliance, Let that one article rank with the rest;

And thereupon give me your daughter.

Fr. King. Take her, fair son, and from her blood raise up Issue to me; that the contending kingdoms

Of France and England, whose very shores look pale

With envy of each other's happiness,

May cease their hatred, and this dear conjunction

Plant neighbourhood and Christian-like accord

330

In their sweet bosoms, that never war advance

His bleeding sword 'twixt England and fair France.
All. Amen!

K. Hen. Now, welcome, Kate and bear me witness all, That here I kiss her as my sovereign queen. [Flourish.

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 marriage,
Thrust in between the paction of these kingdoms,
To make divorce of their incorporate league;

That English may as French, French Englishmen,
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 safety of our leagues.
Then shall I swear to Kate, and you to me;

And may our oaths well kept and prosperous be!

EPILOGUE.

Enter Chorus.

400

[Sennet. Exeunt.

Chor. Thus far, with rough and all-unable pen,
Our bending author hath pursued the story,
In little room confining mighty men,

Mangling by starts the full course of their glory.
Small time, but in that small most greatly lived
This star of England: Fortune made his sword;
By which the world's best garden he achieved,
And of it left his son imperial lord.
Henry the Sixth, in infant bands crowned King
Of France and England, did this king succeed;
Whose state so many had the managing,

10

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.

[Ex it.

THE FIRST PART OF

KING HENRY THE SIXTH.

DRAMATIS PERSONÆ.

KING HENRY the Sixth.
DUKE OF GLOUCESTER, uncle to
the King, and Protector.
DUKE OF BEDFORD, uncle to the
King, and Regent of France.
THOMAS BEAUFORT, Duke of Exe-
ter, great-uncle to the King.
HENRY BEAUFORT, a great-uncle
to the King, Bishop of Winches-
ter, and afterwards Cardinal.
JOHN BEAUFORT, Earl, afterwards
Duke, of Somerset.
RICHARD PLANTAGENET, Son of
Richard late Earl of Cam-
bridge, afterwards
York.

EARL OF WARWICK.

EARL OF SALISBURY.
EARL OF SUFFOLK,

Duke of

LORD TALBOT, afterwards Earl of
Shrewsbury.

JOHN TALBOT, his son.

EDMUND MORTIMER, Earl of March.
SIR JOHN FASTOLFE.

SIR WILLIAM LUCY.

SIR WILLIAM GLANSDALE.
SIR THOMAS GARGRAVE
Mayor of London.

WOODVILE, Lieutenant of the
Tower.

VERNON, of the White-Rose or
York faction.

MARGARET, daughter to Reignier, afterwards married to King Henry.

COUNTESS OF AUVERGNE.

JOAN LA PUCELLE, commonly
called Joan of Arc.

Lords, Warders of the Tower,
Heralds, Officers, Soldiers,
Messengers, and Attendants.

Fiends appearing to La Pucelle.

SCENE: Partly in England, and partly in France.

Dead March. Enter the Funeral of KING HENRY the Fifth, attended on by the DUKE OF BEDFORD, Regent of France;

the DUKE OF GLOUCESTER, Protector; the DUKE OF 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!
King Henry the Fifth, too famous to live long!
England ne'er lost a king of so much worth.

Glou. England ne'er had a king until his time.
Virtue he had, deserving to command:

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,
More dazzled and drove back his enemies

Than mid-day sun fierce bent against their faces

What should I say? his deeds exceed all speech:

He ne'er lift up his hand but conquered.

10

Ece. We mourn in black: why mourn we not in blood? Henry is dead and never shall revive:

Upon a wooden coffin we attend,

And death's dishonourable victory
We with our stately presence glorify,

Like captives bound to a triumphant car.
What! shall we curse the planets of mishap
That plotted thus our glory's overthrow?
Or shall we think the subtle-witted French
Conjurers and sorcerers, that afraid of him
By magic verses have contrived his end?

Win. He was a king bless'd of the King of kings.
Unto the French the dreadful judgement-day

So dreadful will not be as was his sight.

20

30

The battles of the Lord of hosts he fought:

The church's prayers made him so prosperous.

Glou. The church! where is it? Had not 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. Gloucester, 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.

40

Glou. Name not religion, for thou lovest the flesh,