Besides 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.
K. Hen. Is this the lord Talbot, uncle Gloster,
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 resolved3 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;
And in our coronation take your place.

[Exeunt King HENRY, GLOSTER, Talbot,
and Nobles.

Ver. Now, sir, to you, that were so hot at sea, Disgracing of these colours that I wears

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

? I do remember how my father said,] The author of this play was not a very correct historian. Henry was but nine months old when his father died, and never saw him.

3-resolved,] i. e. confirmed in opinion of it.

* Or been reguerdon'd-] i. e. rewarded. The word was obsolete even in the time of Shakspeare. Chaucer uses it in the Boke of Boethius.

5 these colours that I wear-] This was the badge of a rose, and not an officer's scarf

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, who so 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. The same. A Room of State.

Enter King HENRY, GLOSTER, EXETER, YORK, SUFFOLK, SOMERSET, WINCHESTER, WARWICK, TALBOT, the Governour 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, governour of Paris, take

your oath,[Governour 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'

6 That, who so draws a sword, 'tis present death ;] i. e. with a menace in the court, or in the presence chamber.

7

intend.

such as shall pretend-] To pretend is to design, to JOHNSON.

Malicious practices against his state:

This shall ye do, so help you righteous God! [Exeunt Gov. 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. 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 surpriz'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,

To tear the garter from thy craven's leg,] i. e. thy mean, dastardly leg.

9

for high.

haughty courage,] Haughty is here in its original sense

Such as were grown to credit by the wars;
Not fearing death, nor shrinking for distress,
But always resolute in most extremes.1
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?-I have, upon especial cause,

[Reads.

Moy'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?

1 in most extremes.] i. e. in greatest extremities.

2 Pretend-] To pretend seems to be here used in its Latin sense, i. e. to hold out, to stretch forward. It may mean, however, as in other places, to design.

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? are you not content?
Tal. Content, my liege? Yes; but that I am
prevented,3

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.

[Exit.

Ver. Grant me the combat, gracious sovereign! Bas. And me, my lord, grant me the combat too! York. This is my servant; Hear him, noble prince!

Som. And this is mine; Sweet Henry, favour him! K. Hen. Be patient, lords; and give them leave to speak.

Say, gentlemen, What makes you thus exclaim? And wherefore crave you combat? or with whom? Ver. With him, my lord; for he hath done me

wrong.

Bas. And I with him; for he hath done me wrong.

K. Hen. What is that wrong whereof you both complain?

"I am prevented,] Prevented is here, anticipated; a Latinism.