PERSONS REPRESENTED.

KING HENRY THE SIXTH.

Duke of Gloster, Uncle to the King, and Protector.

Duke of Bedford, Uncle to the King, and Regent of France. 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 Cam bridge; afterwards Duke of York.

Earl of Warwick. Earl of Salisbury. Earl of Suffolk.
LORD TALBOT, afterwards Earl of Shrewsbury.
JOHN TALBOT, his Son.

EDMUND MORTIMER, Earl of March.

Mortimer's Keeper, and a Lawyer.

SIR JOHN FASTOLFE. SIR WILLIAM LUCY.

SIR WILLIAM GLANSDALE.

SIR THOMAS Gargrave.

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.

Governor of Paris. Bastard of Orleans.
Master-Gunner of Orleans, and his Son.
General of the French Forces in Bordeaux.
A French Sergeant. A Porter.

An old Shepherd, Father to Joan la Pucelle.

MARGARET, Daughter to Reignier; afterwards married to King

Henry.

Countess of Auvergne.

JOAN LA PUCELLE, commonly called Joan of Arc.

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.

FIRST PART OF

KING HENRY THE SIXTH.

ACT I.

SCENE I. Westminster Abbey.

Dead March.

Corpse of King Henry the Fifth discovered, lying in state; attended on by the DUKES of BEDFORD, GLOS TER, and EXETER; the EARL of WARWICK,' the BISHOP of WINCHESTER, Heralds, &c.

Bedford. 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 time.
Virtue he had, deserving to command;

His brandished sword did blind men with his beams; His arms spread wider than a dragon's wings;

1 Richard Beauchamp, earl of Warwick, who is a character in King Henry V. The earl of Warwick, who appears in a subsequent part of this drama, is Richard Nevill, son to the earl of Salisbury, who came to the title in right of his wife, Anne, sister of Henry Beauchamp, duke of Warwick. Richard, the father of this Henry, was appointed governor to the king on the demise of Thomas Beaufort, duke of Exeter, and died in 1439. There is no reason to think the author meant to confound the two chiracters.

2 Crystal is an epithet repeatedly bestowed on comets by our ancie at writers.

3 Our ancestors had but one word to express consent, and concent, which meant accord and agreement, whether of persons or things.

His sparkling eyes, replete with wrathful fire,
More dazzled and drove back his enemies,
Than midday sun fierce bent against their faces.
What should I say? His deeds exceed all speech:
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.
Upon a wooden coffin we attend;
And death's dishonorable 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 blessed of the King of kings.
Unto the French the dreadful judgment day
So dreadful will not be, as was his sight.
The battles of the Lord of Hosts he fought;
The church's prayers made him so prosperous.
Glo. The church! where is it? Had not church-
men prayed,

His thread of life had not so soon decayed.
None do you like but an effeminate prince,
Whom, like a schoolboy, you may overawe.

Win. Gloster, 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.
Glo. Name not religion, for thou lov'st the flesh;
And ne'er throughout the year to church thou go❜st,
Except it be to pray against thy foes.

Bed. Cease, cease these jars, and rest your minds in peace!

Let's to the altar;—heralds, wait on us :

1 There was a notion long prevalent that life might be taken metrical charms.

Instead of gold, we'll offer up our arms;

Since arms avail not, now that Henry's dead -
Posterity, await for wretched years,

When at their mothers' moist eyes babes shall suck;
Our isle be made a nourish1 of salt tears,

And none but women left to wail the dead.-
Henry the Fifth! thy ghost I invocate;
Prosper this realm, keep it from civil broils'
Combat with adverse planets in the heavens.
A far more glorious star thy soul will make,
'Than Julius Cæsar, or bright-

Enter a Messenger.

Mess. My honorable lords, health to you all!
Sad tidings bring I to you out of France,
Of loss, of slaughter, and discomfiture.
Guienne, Champaigne, Rheims, Orleans,
Paris, Guysors, Poictiers, are all quite lost.3

Bed. What say'st thou, man, before dead Henry's corse?

Speak softly; or the loss of those great towns
Will make him burst his lead, and rise from death.
Glo. Is Paris lost? is Rouen yielded up?

If Henry were recalled to life again,

These news would cause him once more yield the ghost.

Exe. How were they lost? what treachery was used?

Mess. No treachery; but want of men and money. Among the soldiers this is muttered,

That here you maintain several factions;

And, whilst a field should be despatched and fought,

1 Nurse was anciently spelled nouryce and noryshe; and, by Lydgate, even nourish.

2 Pope conjectured that this blank had been supplied by the name of Francis Drake, which, though a glaring anachronism, might have been a popular, though not judicious, mode of attracting plaudits in the theatre. Part of the arms of Drake was two blazing stars.

3 Capel proposed to complete this defective verse by the insertion of Rouen among the places lost, as Gloster infers that it had been mentioned with the rest.

You are disputing of your generals.

One would have lingering wars, with little cost;
Another would fly swift, but wanteth wings;
A third man thinks, without expense at all,
By guileful, fair words peace may be obtained.
Awake, awake, English nobility!

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

Exe. Were our tears wanting to this funeral, These tidings would call forth her flowing tides.' Bed. Me they concern; regent I am of France.~~ Give me my steeled coat; I'll fight for France.— Away with these disgraceful, wailing robes! Wounds I will lend the French, instead of eyes, To weep their intermissive miseries."

Enter another Messenger.

2 Mess. Lords, view these letters, full of bad mischance.

France is revolted from the English quite;
Except some petty towns of no import;
The dauphin Charles is crowned king in Rheims ;
The bastard of Orleans with him is joined;
Reignier, duke of Anjou, doth take his part;
The duke of Alençon flieth to his side.

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.

Bed. Gloster, why doubt'st thou of my forwardness?

An army have I mustered in my thoughts.
Wherewith already France is overrun.

1 i. e. England's flowing tides.

2 i. e. their miseries which have only a short intermission.