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As looks the mother on her lovely babe (100)
When death doth close his tender dying eyes,
See, see the pining malady of France;

Behold the wounds, the most unnatural wounds,
Which thou thyself hast given her woful breast!
O, turn thy edged sword another way;

Strike those that hurt, and hurt not those that help!
One drop of blood drawn from thy country's bosom
Should grieve thee more than streams of foreign gore:
Return thee, therefore, with a flood of tears,
And wash away thy country's stained spots.

Bur. [aside] Either she hath bewitch'd me with her words, Or nature makes me suddenly relent.

Puc. Besides, all French and France exclaim on thee, Doubting thy birth and lawful progeny.

Who join'st thou with, but with a lordly nation,
That will not trust thee but for profit's sake?
When Talbot hath set footing once in France,
And fashion'd thee that instrument of ill,
Who then but English Henry will be lord,
And thou be thrust out like a fugitive?

Call we to mind,—and mark but this for proof,-
Was not the Duke of Orleans thy foe?
And was he not in England prisoner ?
But when they heard he was thine enemy,
They set him free, without his ransom paid,
In spite of Burgundy and all his friends.
See, then, thou fight'st against thy countrymen,
And join'st with them will be thy slaughter-men.
Come, come, return; return, thou wandering lord;
Charles and the rest will take thee in their arms.

Bur. [aside] I'm vanquished; these haughty words of hers Have batter'd me like roaring cannon-shot,

And made me almost yield upon my knees.-
Forgive me, country, and sweet countrymen!
And, lords, accept this hearty kind embrace:
My forces and my power of men are yours :-
So, farewell, Talbot; I'll no longer trust thee.

Puc. Done like a Frenchman,-[Aside] turn, and turn
again!

Char. Welcome, brave duke! thy friendship makes us

fresh.

Bast. And doth beget new courage in our breasts.
Alen. Pucelle hath bravely play'd her part in this,

And doth deserve a coronet of gold.

Char. Now let us on, my lords, and join our powers; And seek how we may prejudice the foe.

[Exeunt.

SCENE IV. Paris. A room in the palace.

Enter King HENRY, GLOSTER, WINCHESTER, YORK, SUFFOLK, SOMERSET, WARWICK, EXETER, VERNON, BASSET, &c. To them TALBOT and some of his Officers.

Tal. My gracious prince,-and honourable peers,

Hearing of your arrival in this realm,

I have awhile given truce unto my wars,

To do my duty to my sovereign:

In sign whereof, this arm-that hath reclaim'd

To your obedience fifty fortresses,

Twelve cities, and seven wallèd towns of strength,
Beside five hundred prisoners of esteem-

Lets fall his sword before your highness' feet,
And with submissive loyalty of heart
Ascribes the glory of his conquest got

First to my God, and next unto your grace.

[Kneeling.

K. Hen. Is this the Lord Talbot, uncle Gloster, (101)

That hath so long been resident in France?

Glo. Yes, if it please your majesty, my liege.

K. Hen. Welcome, brave captain and victorious lord!
When I was young,-as yet I am not old,-

I do remember how my father said
A stouter champion never handled sword.
Long since we were resolvèd of your truth,
Your faithful service, and your toil in war;
Yet never have you tasted our reward,
Or been reguerdon'd with so much as thanks,
Because till now we never saw your face:
Therefore, stand up; and, for these good deserts,
We here create you Earl of Shrewsbury;

VOL. V.

E

And in our coronation take your place.

[Flourish. 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,
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.

ACT IV.

SCENE I. Paris. A room of state in the palace.

Enter King HENRY, GLOSTER, 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,

Writ to your grace from the Duke of Burgundy.

[Presenting it.

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,-102) [Plucks 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,

(103)

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.

Glo. To say the truth, this fact was infamous,

And ill beseeming any common man,

Much more a knight, a captain, and a leader.

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. (104)
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, (105) 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 ?(106)

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?
Glo. He doth, my lord; and is become your foe.
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.

My lord, how say you ?(107) are you not content?

Tal. Content, my liege! yes, but that I'm prevented,

I should have begg'd I might have been employ'd.

K. Hen. Then gather strength, and march unto him.
straight:

Let him perceive how ill we brook his treason,
And what offence it is to flout his friends.

Tal. I go, my lord; in heart desiring still
You may behold confusion of your foes.

Enter VERNON and BASSET.

Ver. Grant me the combat, gracious sovereign!

[Exit.

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