KING HENRY the Sixth.

EDWARD, fon to the King, and Prince of Wales.

Duke of Somerfet,

Earl of Northumberland,

Earl of Oxford,

Earl of Exeter,

Earl of Westmorland,

Lord Clifford,

Lords of K. Henry's fide.

Earl of Richmond, a youth, afterwards K. Henry VII. RICHARD, Duke of York.

EDWARD, eldest fon to the Duke of York, afterwards King Edward IV.

GEORGE, Duke of Clarence, second son to the Duke of York.

RICHARD, Duke of Gloucester, third fon to the Duke of York, afterwards King Richard III.

EDMUND, Earl of Rutland, youngest son to the Duke of York.

Duke of Norfolk,

Marquis of Montague,

Earl of Warwick,

Earl of Salisbury,

Eari of Pembroke,

Lord Haftings,

Lord Stafford,

Sir JOHN MORTIMER,

Sir HUGH MORTIMER,

Of the Duke of York's party.

Uncles to the D. of York.

Sir WILLIAM STANLEY, afterwards Earl of Derby. Lord RIVERS, brother to the Lady Gray.

Sir JOHN MONTGOMERY, Lieutenant of the Tower.
Mayor of Coventry.

Mayor and Aldermen of York. SOMERVILLE.
HUMPHRY and SINCKLO, two huntsmen.

LEWIS King of France. BOURBON, Admir. of France.
Queen MARGARET. BONA, fifter to the French king.
Lady GRAY, widow of Sir John Gray, afterwards
Queen to Edward IV.

Soldiers and other Attendants on King Henry and King Edward.

In part of the Third 8, the CENE is laid in France during all the rest of the play, in England.

O F

KING HENRY VI.*

ACT I.

SCENE. I. t

LONDON.

Alarm. Enter Duke of York, Edward, Richard, Norfolk, Montague, Warwick and Soldiers.

I

Warwick.

Wonder how the King efcap'd our hands!
York. While we purlu'd the horsemen of the
North,

He flyly ftole away and left his men;
Whereat the great Lord of Northumberland,
Whofe warlike ears could never brook retreat,
Chear'd up the drooping army; and himself,
Lord Clifford, and Lord Stafford, all a-breast,

The action of this play (which was at first printed under this title, The true Tragedy of Richard Duke of York, and the good K. Henry VI. or, the Second Part of the Conten'tion of York and Lancaster,) opens juft after the first battle at St Albans, wherein the York taction carried the day; and clofes with the murder of King Henry VI. and the birth of Prince Edward, afterwards King Edward V ; fo that this history takes in the space of full fixteen years. Theobald.

This play is only divided from the former for the convenience of exhibition; for the series of action is continued without interruption, nor are any two icenes of any play more clofely connected than the first scene of this play with the last of the former. Johnson.

VOL. VI.

'Charg'd our main battles front; and breaking in, Were by the fwords of common foldiers flain.

Edw. Lord Stafford's father, Duke of Buckingham, Is either flain or wounded dang'roufly.

I cleft his beaver with a downright blow:
That this is true, father, behold his blood.

Mont. And, brother, here's the Earl of Wilt-
fhire's blood,

Whom I encounter'd as the battles join'd.

Rich. Speak thou for me, and tell them what I did.

[Throwing down the Duke of Somerset's head. York. Richard hath best deserv'd of all my fons: Is his Grace dead, my Lord of Somerset?

Norf, Such hope have all the line of John of
Gaunt!

Rich. Thusdo I hope to shake King Henry's head. War. And fo do I. Victorious Prince of York, Before I fee thee feated in that throne

Which now the house of Lancaster ufurps,
I vow, by Heav'n, thefe eyes fhall never clofe
This is the palace of that fearful King,
And this the regal feat: poffefs it, York;
For this is thine, and not King Henry's heirs'.
York. Aflift me then, fweet Warwick, and I will;
For hither we have broken in by force.

Norf. We'll all aflift you; he that flies fhall die.
York. Thanks, gentle Norfolk; ftay by me, my
Lords,

And, foldiers, ftay and lodge by me this night.
[They go up.

War. And when the King comes, offer him no Unless he feek to thrust you out by force. [violence; York. The Queen this day here holds her parlia But little thinks we shall be of her council; [ment, By words or blows here let us win our right.

Rich. Arm'd as we are, let's ftay within this house. War. The bloody parliament fhall this be call'd, Unless Plantagenet, Duke of York, be King; And bathful Henry depos'd, whofe cowardice. Hath made us by-words to our enemies.

York. Then leave me not; my Lords, be refolute;

I mean to take poffeffion of my right.

War. Neither the King, nor he that loves him beft, The proudest he that holds up Lancaster, Dares ftir a wing, if Warwick fhake his bells. I'll plant Plantagenet, root him up who dare. Refolve thee, Richard; claim the English crown. [Warwick leads York to the throne, who feats him.

Enter King Henry, Clifford, Northumberland, Westmorland, Exeter, and others, at the further end of the stage.

K. Henry. My Lords, look where the sturdy rebel Ev'n in the chair of state: belike he means, [fits, Back'd by the power of Warwick, that falfe peer, T'alpire unto the crown, and reign as King. Earl of Northumberland, he flew thy father, And thine, Lord Clifford; and you vow'd revenge On him, his fons, his fav'rites and his friends.

North. If I be not, heav'ns be reveng'd on me! Clif. The hope thereof makes Clifford mourn in steel.

West. What, shall we fuffer this? let's pluck him down;

My heart for anger burns, I cannot brook it.

K. Henry. Be patient, gentle Earl of Weftmorland. Clif. Patience is for poltroons, and fuch is he: He durft not fit there, had your father liv'd. My gracious Lord, here in the parliament Let us aflail the family of York.

North. Well haft thou fpoken, coufin, be it fo. K. Henry Ah! know you not the city favours them, : And they have troops of foldiers at their beck?

Exet. But when the Duke is flain they'll quickly fly. K. Henry. Far be the thought of this from Henry's heart, To make a fhambles of the parliament-house. Coufin of Exeter, frowns, words and threats, Shall be the war that Henry means to use.

[They advance to the Duke. Thou factious Duke of York, defcend my throne,

And kneel for grace and mercy at my feet,

I am thy Sovereign.

York. Thou'rt deceiv'd, I'm thine.

Exet. For fhame come down, he made thee Duke of York.

York. 'Twas my inheritance, as the kingdom is, Exet. Thy father was a traitor to the crown. War. Exeter, thou art a traitor to the crown, In following this ufurping Henry.

Clif. Whom fhould he follow, but his natural King? War. True, Clifford; and that's Richard Duke of York.

K. Henry. And fhall I ftand, and thou fit in my throne?

༣

York. It must and shall be fo.-Content thyself. War. Be Duke of Lancaster. let him be King. Weft. He is both King and Duke of Lancaster; And that the Lord of Weftmorland fhall maintain. War. And Warwick fhall difprove it. You forget That we are those which chas'd you from the field, And flew your fathers, and with colours spread March'd through the city to the palace-gates.

North. No, Warwick, I remember it to my grief; And, by his foul, thou and thy houfe fhall rue it. Weft. Plantagenet, of thee and these thy fons, Thy kinfmen and thy friends, I'll have more lives, Than drops of blood were in my father's veins.

Clif. Urge it no more; leaft that, inftead of words, I fend thee, Warwick, fuch a meflenger

As fhall revenge his death before I ftir.

War. Poor Clifford! how I fcorn his worthlefs threats.

York: Will you we fhew our title to the crown ? If not, our fwords fhall plead it in the field.

K. Henry. What title haft thou, traitor, to the Thy father was, as thou art, Duke of York; [crown? Thy grandfather Roger Mortimer, Earl of March. I ain the fon of Henry the Fifth,

Who made the Dauphin and the French to stoop, And feiz'd upon their towns and provinces.

War. Talk not of France, fith thou haft loft it all. K. Henry. The Lord Protector loft it, and not Is