SCENE I.-London.-A Room in the Palace. Enter King HENRY, GLOSTER, and EXETER. K. Hen. Have you perus'd the letters from the pope,

The emperor, and the earl of Armagnac?

I shall be well content with any choice,
Tends to God's glory, and my country's weal.
Enter a LEGATE, and two AMBASSADORS, with
WINCHESTER, in a Cardinal's Habit.

Exe. What is my lord of Winchester in-
And call'd unto a cardinal's degree!
stall'd,
Then, I perceive, that will be verified,
Henry the fifth did sometime prophesy.-
He'll make his cap co-equal with the crown.
If once he come to be a cardinal,
K. Hen. My lords ambassadors, your seve-
ral suits

Have been consider'd and debated on.
Your purpose is both good and reasonable:
And, therefore, are we certainly resolv'd
To draw conditions of a friendly peace;
Shall be transported presently to France.
Which, by my lord of Winchester, we mean

Glo. And for the proffer of my lord your
master,-
I have inform'd his highness so at large,
Her beauty, and the value of her dower,-
As-liking of the lady's virtuous gifts,
He doth intend she shall be England's queen.
K. Hen. In argument and proof of which
contract,

Bear her this jewel, [To the AMB.] pledge of my affection.

And safely brought to Dover; where, inAnd so, my lord protector, see them guarded, shipp'd,

Commit them to the fortune of the sea.

[Exeunt King HENRY and Train; GLOSTER, EXETER, and AMBASSADORS

Win. Stay, my lord legate; you shall first

receive

The sum of money, which I promised
Should be deliver'd to his holiness
For clothing me in these grave ornaments.
Leg. I will attend upon your lordship's lei-

sure.

this,

They humbly sue unto your excellence,
To have a godly peace concluded of,
Between the realms of England and of France.
K. Hen. How doth your grace affect their

motion?

Glo. Well, my good lord; and as the only

means

To stop effusion of our Christian blood,
And 'stablish quietness on every side.

K. Hen. Ay, marry, uncle; for I always thought,

It was both impious and unnatural,
That such immanity+ and bloody strife
Should reign among professors of one faith.
Glo. Beside, my lord,-the sooner to effect,
And surer bind, this knot of amity,-
The earl of Armagnac-near knit to Charles,
A man of great authority in France,-
Proffers his only daughter to your grace
In marriage, with a large and sumptuous
dowry.

K. Hen. Marriage, uncle! alas! my years are young;

And fitter is my study and my books,
Than wanton dalliance with a paramour.
Yet, call the ambassadors; and, as you

please,

So let them have their answers every one:

Win. Now, Winchester will not submit, I [trow Humphrey of Gloster, thou shalt well perceive,

That, neither in birth, or for authority,
The bishop will be overborne by thee:
I'll either make thee stoop, and bend thy knee,
Or sack this country with a mutiny. [Exeunt.

[Thunder.

You speedy helpers, that are substitutes
Under the lordly monarch of the north,t
Appear, and aid me in this enterprize!
Enter Fiends.

This speedy quick appearance argues proof
Of your accustom'd diligence to me.
Now, ye familiar spirits, that are cull'd
Out of the powerful regions under earth,
Help me this once, that France may get the

field. [They walk about, and speak not.
O, hold me not with silence over-long!
Where I was wont to feed you with my blood,
I'll lop a member off, and give it you,
In earnest of a further benefit;
So you do condescend to help me now.-
[They hang their heads.
No hope to have redress?-My body shall
Pay recompense, if you will grant my suit.
[They shake their heads.
Cannot my body, nor blood-sacrifice,
Entreat you to your wonted furtherance?
Then take my soul; my body, soul, and all,
Before that England give the French the foil.
See! they forsake me. Now the time is come,
[They depart.
That France must vail; her lofty-plumed crest,
And let her head fall into England's lap.
My ancient incantations are too weak,
And hell too strong for me to buckle with:
Now, France, thy glory droopeth to the dust.
[Exit.

Alarums. Enter French and English, fighting.
LA PUCELLE and YORK fight hand to hand.
LA POCELLE is taken. The French fly.
York. Damsel of France, I think, I have
you fast:

Unchain your spirits now with spelling charms,
And try if they can gain your liberty.-
A goodly prize, fit for the devil's grace!
See, how the ugly witch doth bend her brows,
As if, with Circe, she would change my shape.
Puc. Chang'd to a worser shape thou canst
not be.

York. O, Charles the Dauphin is a proper

man;

No shape but his can please your dainty eye. Puc. A plaguing mischief light on Charles,

and thee!

And may you both be suddenly surpris'd By bloody hands, in sleeping on your beds!

* Charms sowed up. The north was supposed to be the particular habitation of bad spirits. + Lower.

York. Fell, banning

hold thy tongue.

499 hag. enchantress,

Puc. I pr'ythee, give me leave to curse a while.

York. Curse, miscreant, when thou comest to the stake. [Exeunt. Alarums. Ente: SUFFOLK, leading in Lady MARGARET.

soner.

Suff. Be what thou wilt, thou art my priO fairest beauty, do not fear, nor fly; [Gazes on her. For I will touch thee but with reverent hands, And lay them gently on thy tender side. I kiss these fingers [Kissing her hand.] for eternal peace:

Who art thou? say, that I may honour thee. Mur. Margaret my name; and daughter to a king,

The king of Naples, whosoe'er thou art.
Suff. An earl am, and Suffolk am I call'd.
Be not offended, nature's miracle,
Thou art allotted to be ta'en by me:
So doth the swan her downy cygnets save,
Keeping them prisoners underneath her wings.
Yet, if this servile usage once offend,
Go, and be free again as Suffolk's friend.

[She turns away as going. O, stay!-I have no power to let her pass;

no.

oner?

suit,

must I pay?

no?

Enter LA PUCELLE, guarded, and a SHEPHERD. | Shep. Ah, Joan! this kills thy father's heart outright!

Have I sought every country far and near,
And, now it is my chance to find thee out,
Must I behold thy timeless* cruel death?
Ah, Joan, sweet daughter Joan, I'll die with
thee!

Puc. Decrepit miser!+ base ignoble wretch!
I am descended of a gentler blood;
Thou art no father, nor no friend, of mine.
Shep. Out, out!-My lords, an please you,

'tis not so;

I did beget her, all the parish knows:
Her mother liveth yet, can testify,
She was the first fruit of my bachelorship.
War. Graceless! wilt thou deny thy paren-
tage?

York. This argues what her kind of life hath been;

Wicked and vile; and so her death concludes. Shep. Fie, Joan! that thou wilt be so obstacle!+

God knows, thou art a collop of my flesh;
And for thy sake have I shed many a tear:
Deny me not, I pr'ythee, gentle Joan.

Puc. Peasant, avaunt! You have suborn'd

this man,

Of purpose to obscure my noble birth.

Shep. "Tis true, I gave a noble to the priest, The morn that I was wedded to her mother.

Kneel down and take my blessing, good my

girl.

Wilt thou not stoop? Now cursed be the time
Of thy nativity! I would, the milk [breast,
Thy mother gave thee, when thou suck dst her
Had been a little ratsbane for thy sake!
Or else, when thou didst keep my lambs a-field,
I wish some ravenous wolf had eaten thee!
Dost thou deny thy father, cursed drab?
O, burn her, burn her; hanging is too good.
[Exit.

York. Take her away; for she hath liv'd too To fill the world with vicious qualities. [long, Puc. First, let me tell you whom you have condemn'd:

Not me begotten of a shepherd swain,
But issu'd from the progeny of kings;
Virtuous, and holy; chosen from above,
By inspiration of celestial grace,
To work exceeding miracles on earth.
I never had to do with wicked spirits:
But you,--that are polluted with your lusts,
Stain'd with the guiltless blood of innocents,
Corrupt and tainted with a thousand vices,-
Because you want the grace that others have,
You judge it straight a thing impossible
To compass wonders, but by help of devils.
No, misconceived! Joan of Arc hath been
A virgin from her tender infancy,
Chaste and immaculate in very thought;
Whose maiden blood, thus rigorously effus'd,
Will cry for vengeance at the gates of heaven.
York. Ay, ay;-away with her to execution.
War. And hark ye, Sirs; because she is a
maid,

Spare for no fagots, let there be enough:
Place barrels of pitch upon the fatal stake,
That so her torture may be shortened.

Puc. Will nothing turn your unrelenting
hearts?-

* Untimely.

+ Miser here simply means a miserable creature.

A corruption of obstinate.

"No, ye misconceivers ve who mistake me and my qualities."

Then, Joan, discover thine infirmity;
That warranteth by law to be thy privilege.-
I am with child, ye bloody homicides:
Murder not then the fruit within my womb,
Although ye hale me to a violent death.

York. Now heaven forfend! the holy maid with child?

War. The greatest miracle that e'er ye wrought:

Is all your strict preciseness come to this? York. She and the Dauphin have been juggling:

I did imagine what would be her refuge.

War. Well, go to; we will have no bastards Epecially, since Charles must father it. [live; Puc. You are deceiv'd; my child is none of It was Alençon, that enjoy'd my love. [his; York. Alençon! that notorious Machiavel! It dies, an if it had a thousand lives.

Puc. O, give me leave, I have deluded you; 'Twas neither Charles, nor yet the duke I nam'd,

But Reignier, king of Naples, that prevail'd. War. A married man! that's most intolerable. York. Why, here's a girl! I think, she knows

not well,

There were so many, whom she may accuse. War. It's sign, she hath been liberal and

free.

pure.

York. And, yet, forsooth, she is a virgin [thee: Strumpet, thy words condemn thy brat, and Use no entreaty, for it is in vain.

Puc. Then lead me hence;-with whom I leave my curse:

May never glorious sun reflex his beams
Upon the country where you make abode!
But darkness and the gloomy shade of death
Environ you; till mischief, and despair,
Drive you to break your necks, or hang your-
selves!
[Exit, guarded.
York. Break thou in pieces, and consume to
Thou foul accursed minister of hell!

[ashes,

Enter Cardinal BEAUFORT, attended. Car. Lord regent, I do greet your excellence With letters of commission from the king. For know, my lords, the states of Christendom, Mov'd with remorse of these outrageous broils, Have earnestly implor'd a general peace Betwixt our nation and the aspiring French; And here at hand the Dauphin, and his train,. Approacheth, to confer about some matter.

York. Is all our travail turn'd to this effect? After the slaughter of so many peers, So many captains, gentlemen, and soldiers, That in this quarrel have been overthrown, And sold their bodies for their country's benefit, Shall we at last conclude effeminate peace? Have we not lost most part of all the towns, By treason, falsehood, and by treachery, Our great progenitors had conquered?— O, Warwick, Warwick! I foresee with grief The utter loss of all the realm of France.

War. Be patient, York: if we conclude a

peace,

It shall be with such strict and severe covenants As little shall the Frenchmen gain thereby. Enter CHARLES, attended; ALENÇON, BASTARD REIGNIER, and others.

Char. Since, lords of England, it is thus agreed, [France, That peaceful truce shall be proclaim'd in

* Compassion.

We come to be informed by yourselves
What the conditions of that league must be.
York. Speak, Winchester; for boiling choler
chokes

The hollow passage of my poison'd voice,
By sight of these our baleful* enemies.
Win. Charles, and the rest, it is enacted thus:
That-in regard king Henry gives consent,
Of mere compassion, and of lenity,

To ease your country of distressful war,
And suffer you to breathe in fruitful peace,-
You shall become true liegemen to his crown:
And, Charles, upon condition thou wilt swear
To pay him tribute, and submit thyself,
Thou shalt be plac'd as viceroy under him,
And still enjoy thy regal dignity.

Alen. Must he be then as shadow of himself?
Adorn his temples with a coronet:+
And yet, in substance and authority,
Retain but privilege of a private man?
This proffer is absurd and reasonless.

Char. 'Tis known, already that I am possess'd

With more than half the Gallian territories,
And therein reverenc'd for their lawful king:
Shall I, for lucre of the rest unvanquish'd,
Detract so much from that prerogative,
As to be call'd but viceroy of the whole?
No, lord ambassador; I'll rather keep
That which I have, than, coveting for more,
Be cast from possibility of all.

York. Insulting Charles! hast thou by secret
Used intercession to obtain a league; [means
And, now the matter grows to compromise,
Stand'st thou aloof upon comparison?
Either accept the title thou usurp'st,
Of benefitt proceeding from our king,
And not of any challenge of desert,

Or we will plague thee with incessant wars.
Reig. My lord, you do not well in obstinacy
To cavil in the course of this contract:
If once it be neglected, ten to one,
We shall not find like opportunity.

Alen. To say the truth, it is your policy,
To save your subjects from such massacre,
And ruthless slaughters, as are daily seen
By our proceeding in hostility:

And therefore take this compact of a truce, Although you break it when your pleasure [Aside, to CHARLES. War. How say'st thou, Charles? shall our condition stand?

serves.

Char. It shall:

Only reserv'd, you claim no interest
In any of our towns of garrison.

York. Then swear allegiance to his majesty;
As thou art knight, never to disobey,
Nor be rebellious to the crown of England,
Thou, nor thy nobles, to the crown of England.
[CHARLES, and the rest, give Tokens of fealty.
So, now dismiss your army when ye please;
Hang up your ensigns, let your drums be still,
For here we entertain a solemn peace. [Exeunt.
SCENE V.-London.-A Room in the Palace.
Enter King HENRY, in conference with SUF-
FOLK; GLOSTER and EXETER following.

K. Hen. Your wondrous rare description, noble earl,

Of beauteous Margaret hath astonish'd me:
Her virtues, graced with external gifts,
Do breed love's settled passions in my heart:
And like as rigour in tempestuous gusts
Provokes the mightiest hulk against the tide;

So am I driven, by breath of her renown,
Either to suffer shipwreck, or arrive
Where I may have fruition of her love.
Suff. Tush! my good lord! this superficial
Is but a preface of her worthy praise: [tale
The chief perfections of that lovely dame,
(Had I sufficient skill to utter them,)
Would make a volume of enticing lines.
Able to ravish any dull conceit.
And, which is more, she is not so divine,
So full replete with choice of all delights,
But, with as humble lowliness of mind,
She is content to be at your command;
Command, I mean, of virtuous chaste intents,
To love and honour Henry as her lord.

K. Hen. And otherwise will Henry ne'er

presume.

Therefore, my lord protector, give consent, That Margaret may be England's royal queen.

Glo. So should I give consent to flatter sin. You know, my lord, your highness is betroth'ċ Unto another lady of esteem;

How shall we then dispense with that contract, And not deface your honour with reproach?

Suff. As doth a ruler with unlawful oaths;
Or one, that, at a triumph having vow'd
To try his strength, forsaketh yet the lists
By reason of his adversary's odds:

A poor earl's daughter is unequal odds,
And therefore may be broke without offence.
Glo. Why, what, I pray, is Margaret moie
than that?

Her father is no better than an earl,
Although in glorious titles he excel.
Suff. Yes, my good lord, her father is a king
The king of Naples, and Jerusalem;
And of such great authority in France,
As his alliance will confirm our peace,
And keep the Frenchmen in allegiance.

Glo. And so the earl of Armagnac may do,
Because he is near kinsman unto Charles.
Exe. Beside, his wealth doth warrant liberal
dower;

While Reignier sooner will receive, than give. Suff. A dower, my lords! disgrace not so

your king,

That he should be so abject, base, and poor,
To choose for wealth, and not for perfect love
Henry is able to enrich his queen,
And not to seek a queen to make him rich:
So worthless peasants bargain for their wives,
As market-men for oxen, sheep, or horse.
Marriage is a matter of more worth,
Than to be dealt in by attorneyship;t
Not whom we will, but whom his grace affects,
Must be companion of his nuptial bed:
And therefore, lords, since he affects her most,
It most of all these reasons bindeth us,
In our opinions she should be preferr'd.
For what is wedlock forced, but a hell,
An age of discord and continual strife?
Whereas the contrary bringeth forth bliss,
And is a pattern of celestial peace.
Whom should we match, with Henry, being a
But Margaret, that is daughter to a king?
Her peerless feature, joined with her birth,
Approves her fit for none, but for a king:
Her valiant courage, and undaunted spirit,
(More than in women commonly is seen,)
Will answer our hope in issue of a king;
For Henry, son unto a conqueror,
Is likely to beget more conquerors,
If with a lady of so high resolve,
As is fair Margaret, he be link'd in love.

[king,

A triumph then signified a public exhibition; such as a mask, or revel.

+ By the discretional agency of another.