We here create you earl of Shrewsbury;
And in our coronation take your place.

[Exeunt all except VERNON and BASSET.
VER. Now, sir, to you, that were so hot at sea,
Disgracing of these colours that I wear
In honour of my noble lord of York,-

Dar'st thou maintain the former words thou spak'st?

BAS. Yes, sir; as well as you dare patronage The envious barking of your saucy tongue Against my lord, the duke of Somerset.

VER. Sirrah, thy lord I honour as he is. BAS. Why, what is he? as good a man as York. VER. Hark ye; not so: in witness, take ye that. [Strikes him.

BAS. Villain, thou know'st the law of arms is such,

That whoso draws a sword, 'tis present death;a
Or else this blow should broach thy dearest blood.
But I'll unto his majesty, and crave

I may have liberty to venge this wrong;
When thou shalt see I'll meet thee to thy cost.
VER. Well, miscreant, I'll be there as soon as
you;

And, after, meet you sooner than you would.

[Exeunt.

a That whoso draws a sword, 'tis present death :] Meaning, possibly, that to draw a sword within the precincts of the Court was a capital offence.

Enter KING HENRY, GLOUCESTER, EXETER, YORK, SUFFOLK, SOMERSET, WINCHESTER, WARWICK, TALBOT, the Governor of Paris, and others.

GLO. Lord bishop, set the crown upon his head. WIN. God save king Henry, of that name the sixth!

GLO. Now, governor of Paris, take your oath,[Governor kneels. That you elect no other king but him; Esteem none friends but such as are his friends; And none your foes but such as shall pretend " Malicious practices against his state: This shall ye do, so help you righteous God! [Exeunt Governor and his Train.

Enter Sir JOHN FASTOLFE.

FAST. My gracious sovereign, as I rode from Calais,

To haste unto your coronation,

A letter was deliver'd to my hands,

a Pretend- Design.

Writ to your grace from the duke of Burgundy. TAL. Shame to the duke of Burgundy and thee!

I vow'd, base knight, when I did meet thee next,
To tear the garter from thy craven's leg,
[Plucking it off.

(Which I have done) because unworthily
Thou wast installed in that high degree.-
Pardon me, princely Henry, and the rest:
This dastard, at the battle of Patay,*—
When but in all I was six thousand strong,
And that the French were almost ten to one,-
Before we met, or that a stroke was given,
Like to a trusty squire, did run away:
In which assault we lost twelve hundred men ;
Myself, and divers gentlemen beside,
Were there surpris'd and taken prisoners.
Then judge, great lords, if I have done amiss;
Or whether that such cowards ought to wear
This ornament of knighthood, yea, or no.(1)

GLO. To say the truth, this fact was infamous,
And ill beseeming any common man,
Much more a knight, a captain, and a leader.

(*) Old text, Poictiers.

TAL. When first this order was ordain'd, my lords,

Knights of the garter were of noble birth;
Valiant and virtuous, full of haughty courage,
Such as were grown to credit by the wars;
Not fearing death, nor shrinking for distress,
But always resolute in most extremes.

He then, that is not furnish'd in this sort,
Doth but usurp the sacred name of knight,
Profaning this most honourable order;
And should (if I were worthy to be judge)
Be quite degraded, like a hedge-born swain
That doth presume to boast of gentle blood.

K. HEN. Stain to thy countrymen! thou hear'st thy doom:

Be packing therefore, thou that wast a knight; Henceforth we banish thee, on pain of death.—— [Exit FASTOLFE.

*

And now, my lord protector, view the letter
Sent from our uncle duke of Burgundy.

GLO. What means his grace, that he hath chang'd his style?

[Viewing the superscription. No more but, plain and bluntly,-To the king? Hath he forgot he is his sovereign? Or doth this churlish superscription Pretend some alteration in good will? What's here?-[Reads.] I have, upon especial

cause,

Mov'd with compassion of my country's wreck,
Together with the pitiful complaints
Of such as your oppression feeds upon,—
Forsaken your pernicious faction,

And join'd with Charles, the rightful king of
France.

O monstrous treachery! Can this be so,That in alliance, amity, and oaths, There should be found such false dissembling guile? K. HEN. What! doth my uncle Burgundy revolt? [foe. GLO. He doth, my lord; and is become your K. HEN. Is that the worst this letter doth contain?

GLO. It is the worst, and all, my lord, he writes. K. HEN. Why then, lord Talbot there shall talk with him,

And give him chastisement for this abuse:—
How say you, my lord? are you not content?
TAL. Content, my liege! yes; but that I am
prevented,

I should have begg'd I might have been employ'd. K. HEN. Then gather strength, and march unto him straight:

complain?

First let me know, and then I'll answer you.

BAS. Crossing the sea from England into France, This fellow here, with envious carping tongue, Upbraided me about the rose I wear; Saying, the sanguine colour of the leaves Did represent my master's blushing cheeks, When stubbornly he did repugn the truth, About a certain question in the law, Argu'd betwixt the duke of York and him ; With other vile and ignominious terms: In confutation of which rude reproach, And in defence of my lord's worthiness, I crave the benefit of law of arms.

VER. And that is my petition, noble lord: For though he seem, with forged quaint conceit, To set a gloss upon his bold intent,

Yet know, my lord, I was provok'd by him,
And he first took exceptions at this badge,
Pronouncing, that the paleness of this flower
Bewray'd the faintness of my master's heart.

YORK. Will not this malice, Somerset, be left? SOM. Your private grudge, my lord of York, will out,

Though ne'er so cunningly you smother it.
K. HEN. Good Lord! what madness rules in
brain-sick men,

When, for so slight and frivolous a cause,
Such factious emulations shall arise!—
Good cousins both, of York and Somerset,
Quiet yourselves, I pray, and be at peace.

YORK. Let this dissension first be tried by fight, And then your highness shall command a peace.

quoted by Mr. Dyce:

"What misfortune, adversitie, or blame,
Can all the planets to man or childe pretende,
If God most glorious by his might us defende."

c Prevented,-] Anticipated, by the king's speech.

d Bewray'd-1 That is, Betrayed, betokened.

SOM. The quarrel toucheth none but us alone; Betwixt ourselves let us decide it, then. [merset. YORK. There is my pledge; accept it, SoVER. Nay, let it rest where it began at first. BAS. Confirm it so, mine honourable lord. GLO. Confirm it so! Confounded be your strife! And perish ye, with your audacious prate! Presumptuous vassals! are you not asham'd, With this immodest clamorous outrage To trouble and disturb the king and us? And you, my lords,-methinks you do not well To bear with their perverse objections; Much less to take occasion from their mouths To raise a mutiny betwixt yourselves : Let me persuade you take a better course. EXE. It grieves his highness;-good my lords,

be friends.

[batants.

K. HEN. Come hither, you that would be comHenceforth, I charge you, as you love our favour, Quite to forget this quarrel and the cause.— And you, my lords,-remember where we are; In France, amongst a fickle wavering nation : If they perceive dissension in our looks, And that within ourselves we disagree, How will their grudging stomachs be provok'd To wilful disobedience, and rebel ! Beside, what infamy will there arise, When foreign princes shall be certified, That for a toy, a thing of no regard, King Henry's peers and chief nobility, Destroy'd themselves, and lost the realm of France! O, think upon the conquest of my father; My tender years; and let us not forego That for a trifle that was bought with blood! Let me be umpire in this doubtful strife. I see no reason, if I wear this rose,

[Putting on a red rose. That any one should therefore be suspicious I more incline to Somerset than York; Both are my kinsmen, and I love them both: As well they may upbraid me with my crown, Because, forsooth, the king of Scots is crown'd. But your discretions better can persuade, Than I am able to instruct or teach: And therefore, as we hither came in peace, So let us still continue peace and love.— Cousin of York, we institute your grace To be our regent in these parts of France :And, good my lord of Somerset, unite Your troops of horsemen with his bands of foot ;And, like true subjects, sons of your progenitors, Go cheerfully together, and digest

After some respite, will return to Calais;
From thence to England; where I hope ere long
To be presented, by your victories,

With Charles, Alençon, and that traitorous rout.
[Flourish. Exeunt KING HENRY, GLOUCESTER,
SOMERSET, WINCHESTER, SUFFOLK, and
BASSET.

WAR. My lord of York, I promise you, the king Prettily, methought, did play the orator.

YORK. And so he did; but yet I like it not, In that he wears the badge of Somerset. [not; WIN. Tush! that was but his fancy, blame him I dare presume, sweet prince, he thought no harm. YORK. An if I wist he did!--but let it rest, Other affairs must now be managed.

[Exeunt YORK, WARWICK, and VERNON. EXE. Well didst thou, Richard, to suppress thy voice :

For, had the passions of thy heart burst out,
I fear we should have seen decipher'd there
More rancorous spite, more furious raging broils,
Than yet can be imagin'd or suppos'd.
But howsoe'er, no simple man that sees
This jarring discord of nobility,
This should'ring of each other in the court,
This factious bandying of their favourites,
But that it doth presage some ill event.
'Tis much, when sceptres are in children's hands
But more, when envy c breeds unkind d division;
There comes the ruin, there begins confusion.

[Exit.

SCENE II.-France. Before Bourdeaux.

Enter TALBOT, with his Forces. TAL. Go to the gates of Bourdeaux, trumpeter, Summon their general unto the wall.

Trumpet sounds a parley. Enter, on the walls, the General of the French Forces, and others.

English John Talbot, captains, calls* you forth,
Servant in arms to Harry king of England;
And thus he would,-Open your city gates,
Be humble to us; call my sovereign yours,
And do him homage as obedient subjects,
And I'll withdraw me and my bloody power:
But, if you frown upon this proffer'd peace,
You tempt the fury of my three attendants,
Lean famine, quartering steel, and climbing fire ;(2)
Who, in a moment, even with the earth
Shall lay your stately and air-braving towers,
you forsake the offer of their love.

If

(*) First folio, call.

c Envy-] Enmity.

d Unkind-] Unnatural.

GEN. Thou ominous and fearful owl of death,
Our nation's terror, and their bloody scourge!
The period of thy tyranny approacheth.
On us thou canst not enter but by death:
For, I protest, we are well fortified,
And strong enough to issue out and fight:
If thou retire, the Dauphin, well appointed,
Stands with the snares of war to tangle thee:
On either hand thee, there are squadrons pitch'd,
To wall thee from the liberty of flight;
And no way canst thou turn thee for redress,
But death doth front thee with apparent spoil,
And pale destruction meets thee in the face.
Ten thousand French have ta'en the sacrament,
To rive their dangerous artillery

Upon no Christian soul but English Talbot.
Lo, there thou stand'st, a breathing valiant man,
Of an invincible unconquer'd spirit!
This is the latest glory of thy praise,
That I, thy enemy, dew thee withal;
For ere the glass, that now begins to run,
Finish the process of his sandy hour,
These eyes, that see thee now well coloured,
Shall see thee wither'd, bloody, pale, and dead.
[Drum afar off.
Hark! hark! the Dauphin's drum, a warning bell,
Sings heavy music to thy timorous soul;
And mine shall ring thy dire departure out.

b

[Exeunt General, &c. from the walls. TAL. He fables not, I hear the enemy;Out, some light horsemen, and peruse their wings.O, negligent and heedless discipline! How are we park'd and bounded in a pale,— A little herd of England's timorous deer, Maz'd with a yelping kennel of French curs! If we be English deer, be, then, in blood; Not rascal-like, to fall down with a pinch, But rather moody-mad and desperate stags, Turn on the bloody hounds with heads of steel, And make the cowards stand aloof at bay: Sell every man his life as dear as mine, And they shall find dear deer of us, my friends.— God and saint George, Talbot and England's right,

Prosper our colours in this dangerous fight!

[Exeunt.

SCENE III.-Plains in Gascony. Enter YORK with Forces; to him a Messenger. YORK. Are not the speedy scouts return'd again, That dogg'd the mighty army of the Dauphin?

a Dew thee withal;] So the old text; but the modern reading due, in the sense of paying a deserved tribute, is, perhaps, to be preferred.

b Be, then, in blood;] See note (c), p. 71, Vol. I.

Not rascal-like,-] Rascal has been before explained to be a

honour.

[heart YORK. O God! that Somerset-who in proud Doth stop my cornets-were in Talbot's place! So should we save a valiant gentleman, By forfeiting a traitor and a coward. Mad ire and wrathful fury makes me weep, That thus we die, while remiss traitors sleep. LUCY. O, send some succour to the distress'd

lord! [word: YORK. He dies, we lose; I break my warlike We mourn, France smiles; we lose, they daily get; All 'long of this vile traitor Somerset.

LUCY. Then God take mercy on brave Talbot's soul !

And on his son young John; who two hours since
I met in travel toward his warlike father!
This seven years did not Talbot see his son;
And now they meet where both their lives are done.
YORK. Alas! what joy shall noble Talbot have,
To bid his young son welcome to his grave?
Away! vexation almost stops my breath,
That sunder'd friends greet in the hour of death.—
Lucy, farewell: no more my fortune can,

But curse the cause I cannot aid the man.Maine, Blois, Poictiers, and Tours, are won away, 'Long all of Somerset and his delay!

[Exit.

term of the chase for a deer, lean and altogether out of condition. d And I am lowted by a traitor villain,-] Malone interprets this:"I am treated with contempt like a lowt, or low country fellow." It means, more probably, I am left in the mire, landlurch'd, by a traitor, &c.