1 Dramatis Perfonæ. KING HENRY the Sixth. Duke of Gloucester, uncle to the King, and Protector. France. Cardinal Beauford, Bishop of Winchester, and great uncle to the King. Duke of Exeter. Duke of Somerset. RICHARD PLANTAGENET, afterwards Duke of York. Sir JOHN FASTOLFE. WOODVILE, Lieutenant of VERNON, of the White Rofe, or York faction. Sir CHARLES, Dauphin, and afterwards King of France. Duke of Alanfon. Baftard of Orleans. Master-gunner of Orleans. Boy, his fon. MARGARET, daughter to Reignier, and afterwards Countess of Auvergne. JOAN LA PUCELLE, a maid, pretending to be infpir'd from Heaven, and fetting up for the championess of France. Fiends attending on her. Lords, Captains, Soldiers, Meffengers, and feveral Attendants both on the English and French. The SCENE is partly in England, and partly in France. O F KING HENRY VI*. ACT I. SCENE I. Weltminster-Abbey. Dead march. Enter the funeral of King Henry the Fifth, attended on by the Duke of Bedford, Regent of France; the Duke of Gloucefter, Protector; the Duke of Exeter, and the Earl of Warwick, the Bishop of Winchester, and the Duke of Somerfet.. H Bedford. UNG be the heavens with black, yield day to night! Comets, importing change of times and Brandifh your cryftal treffes in the sky, • The hiftorical tranfactions contained in this play take in the compafs of above thirty years. I muft ob ferve, however, that our author, in the three parts of Henry VI. has not been very precife to the date and difpofition of his facts, but thuffled them backwards and forwards out of time. For instance, the Lord Talbot is killed at the end of the fourth Act of this play, who in reality did not fall till the 13th of July 1453; and the fecond part of Henry VI. opens with the marriage of the King, which was folemnized eight years before Talbot's death, in the year 1445. Again, in the fecond part, Dame Eleanor Cobham is introduced to infult Queen Margaret, though her penance and banishment That have confented unto Harry's death! His brandifh'd fword did blind men with its beams; [blood? Exet. We mourn in black; why mourn we not in Henry is dead, and never fall revive : Upon a wooden coffin we attend: And death's difhonourable victory We with our stately prefence glorify,. Like captive's bound to a triumphant car. What? fhall we curfe the planets of mishap, That plotted thus our glory's overthrow? Or fhall we think the fubtile-witted French Conj'rers and forc'rers, that, afraid of him, By magic verfe have thus contriv'd his end? Win. He was a king, bless'd of the King of kings. Unto the French the dreadful judgment-day So dreadful will not be as was his fight. The battles of the Lord of hosts he fought; The church's pray'rs made him so profperous. for forcery happened three years before that princefs came over to England. I could point out many other tranfgreffions against history, as far as the order of time is concerned. Indeed, though there are feveral master. ftrokes in thefe three plays, which incontestably betray the workmanship of Shakespeare; yet I am almost doubtful whether they were entirely of his writing. And unless they were wrote by him very early, I should ra ther imagine them to have been brought to him as a di rector of the Stage, and fo to have received some finishing beauties at his hand. An accurate obferver will eafly fee the diction of them is more obfolete, and the numbers more mean and profaisal than in the generality of his genuine compofitions. Theobald. Glou. The church? where is it? had not churchmen pray'd, His thread of life had not fo foon decay'd. Bed. Ceafe, ceafe thefe jars, and rest your minds in Since arms avail not.now that Henry's dead. Pofterity await for wretched years, [peace. When at their mothers' moist eyes babes fhall fuck; And none but women left to 'wail the dead. Meff. My honourable Lords, health to you all. '. Sad tidings bring I to you out of France, Of lofs, of flaughter, and difcomfiture; Guienne, Champaign, and Rheims, and Orleans, Paris, Guyfors, Poitiers, are all quite loft. Bed. What fay'ft thou, man? -before dead : Speak foftly, or the lofs of thefe great towns If Henry were recall'd to life again, These news would cause him once more yield the ghoft, 2 Exet. How were they loft? what treachery was us'd? Me. No treachery, but want of men and money. Among the foldiers this is muttered, That here you maintain fev'ral factions; And whilft a field fhould be difpatch'd and fought, One would have ling'ring wars with little coft; Let not sloth dim your honours, new-begot ;. Exet. Were our tears wanting to this funeral, Enter to them another Meffenger. 2 Me Lords, view thefe letters full of bad mifFrance is revolted from the English quite, [chance. Except fome petty towns of no import. The Dauphin Charles is crowned king in Rheims, [Exit. Exet. The Dauphin crowned king? all fly to him? O whither fhall we fly from this reproach? Glu. We will not fly but to our en'inies' throats. Bedford, if thou be flack, I'll fight it out. Bed. Glo'iter, why doubt'ft thou of my forwardAn army have I mufter'd in my thoughts, [nefs? Wherewith already France is over-run. J |