Som. Yes, when his holy state is touch'd so near.
War. State holy, or unhallow'd, what of that?
Is not his
11
grace protector to the king?

Plan. Plantagenet, I see, must hold his tongue,
Lest it be said, Speak, sirrah, 12 when you should;
Must your bold verdict enter talk with lords?"
Else would I have a fling at Winchester.

K. Hen. Uncles of Gloster, and of Winchester,
The special watchmen of our English weal,

I would prevail, if prayers might prevail,

To join your hearts in love and amity.
O! what a scandal is it to our crown,

[Aside.

[A noise within: Down with the tawny-coats! 14

An uproar, I dare warrant,

Begun through malice of the bishop's men.

[A noise again: Stones! Stones!

Enter the Mayor of London, attended.

May. O, my good lords, and virtuous Henry, 15

Pity the city of London, pity us!

11) his grace ist der dem Herzog von Gloster gebührende Ehrentitel.

12) sirrah, die an einen Niedern gerichtete Anrede, gebraucht Plantagenet, um seine gegenwärtige untergeordnete Stellung unter den Lords zu bezeichnen. Vgl. A. 2, Sc 5, Anm. 27.

13) Der König war fünf Jahre alt, als das Parlament zur Schlichtung der Streitigkeiten zwischen Gloster und Winchester versammelt wurde.

11) Vgl. A. 1, Sc. 3, Anm. 14.

15) Auch hier scheint Henry dreisylbig gelesen zu sein. Vgl. A. 2, Sc. 5, Anm. 15. 16) scil. The bishop of Winchester's.

einmal zu Gloster.

Sh. fügt das s zur Bezeichnung des Genitivs nur

17) Diese Notiz bezieht sich auf die A. 1, Sc. 3 gegen das Ende verlesene Proclamation. 18) contrary betont Sh. bald auf der ersten, bald auf der zweiten Sylbe.

Enter, skirmishing, the Retainers of GLOSTER and WINCHESTER,
with bloody pates.

K. Hen. We charge you, on allegiance to ourself,
To hold your slaught'ring hands, and keep the peace.
Pray, uncle Gloster, mitigate this strife.

1 Serv. Nay, if we be

Forbidden stones, we 'll fall to it with our teeth.

2 Serv. Do what ye dare; we are as resolute.
Glo. You of my household, leave this peevish broil,

And set this unaccustom'd 19 fight aside.

1 Serv. My lord, we know your grace to be a man Just and upright, and, for your royal birth,

Inferior to none but to his majesty;

And ere that we will suffer such a prince,
So kind a father of the commonweal,

To be disgraced by an inkhorn mate,

20

We, and our wives, and children, 21 all will fight,
And have our bodies slaughter'd by thy foes.

3. Serv. Ay, and the very parings of our nails Shall pitch a field, when we are dead. 22

[Skirmish again.

[Skirmish again.

Stay, stay, I say!

K. Hen. O, how this discord doth afflict my soul!

Can you, my lord of Winchester, behold

My sighs and tears, and will not once relent?

Who should be pitiful, if you be not?

Or who should study to prefer a peace,

If holy churchmen take delight in broils?

War. Yield, my lord protector: - yield, Winchester;

Except you mean, with obstinate repulse,

To slay your sovereign, and destroy the realm.

You see what mischief, and what murder too,

Hath been enacted through your enmity;

Then, be at peace, except ye thirst for blood.

19)

unaccustomed ungewöhnlich, der gewohnten Ordnung widersprechend.

20) inkhorn mate = Federfuchser, Einer, der stets sein Dintenfass bei sich führt, Pedant. So kommt bei Sh.'s Zeitgenossen öfter inkhorn terms drücke, vor.

21) Malone wiederholt ohne Grund das our vor children.

pedantische, gelehrte Aus

22) Gloster's Diener sind so kampfbegierig, dass nach ihrem Tode das Geringste, was von ihnen übrig bleibt, selbst der Abfall ihrer Nägel, sich gegen den Feind richten soll, ihn bekämpfen soll.

Win. He shall submit, or I will never yield.
Glo. Compassion on the king commands me stoop;

Or I would see his 23 heart out, ere the priest

Should ever get that privilege of me.

War. Behold, my lord of Winchester, the duke
Hath banish'd moody discontented fury,
As by his smoothed brows it doth appear:

Why look you still so stern, and tragical? 24

Glo. Here, Winchester, I offer thee my hand.

K. Hen. Fye, uncle Beaufort! I have heard you preach, That malice was a great and grievous sin;

And will not you maintain the thing you teach,

But prove a chief offender in the same?

War. Sweet king! -the bishop hath a kindly gird. 25

For shame, my lord of Winchester, relent:

What, shall a child instruct you what to do?

Win. Well, duke of Gloster, I will yield to thee;

Love for thy love, 26 and hand for hand I give.

Glo. Ay; but, I fear me, with a hollow heart.

See here, my friends, and loving countrymen,
This token 27 serveth for a flag of truce
Betwixt ourselves and all our followers.
So help me God, as I dissemble not!

[Aside.

3 Serv. And I will see what physic the tavern affords.

[Exeunt Mayor, Servants &c.

23) his bezieht sich auf das folgende the priest: ich wollte eher ihm das Herz aus dem Leibe gerissen sehen, ehe der Pfaff u. s. w.

=

24) tragical finster, unheilvoll, ohne Bezug auf die Bühne, hat auch Marlowe in seinem Massacre of Paris: though I seem mild and calm, think not but I am tragical within.

25) gird

=

Seitenhieb, versteckter Spott oder Tadel. Der Bischof hat in den so eben gesprochenen Worten des Königs eine freundlich gemeinte Zurechtweisung erhalten. So in Taming of the Shrew (A. 5, Sc. 2) I thank thee for that gird, good Tranio. 26) thy love ist ironisch gemeint: Die Liebe, die Gloster ihm darbietet, eben die will Winchester ihm erwidern. Zu dem folgenden hand ist hollow heart der Gegensatz.

27) Worin this token besteht, erhellt nicht aus dem Zusammenhange.

28) Sh. betont contract bald auf der ersten, bald auf der zweiten Sylbe.

29) Um sich den im Handgemenge blutig geschlagenen Schädel heilen zu lassen.

War. Accept this scroll, most gracious sovereign,
Which in the right of Richard Plantagenet
We do exhibit to your majesty.

Glo. Well urg'd, my lord of Warwick:
An if your grace mark every circumstance,
You have great reason to do Richard right;
Especially for those occasions

At Eltham-place 30 I told your majesty.

for, sweet prince,

K. Hen. And those occasions, uncle, were of force: Therefore, my loving lords, our pleasure is,

That Richard be restored to his blood. 31

War. Let Richard be restored to his blood;

So shall his father's wrongs be recompens❜d.

Win. As will the rest, so willeth Winchester.

K. Hen. If Richard will be true, not that alone, 32 But all the whole inheritance I give,

That doth belong unto the house of York,

From whence you spring by lineal descent.

Plan. Thy humble servant vows obedience,

And humble service, till the point of death.

K. Hen. Stoop then, and set your knee against my foot; And in reguerdon 33 of that duty done,

I girt thee with the valiant sword of York.

Rise, Richard, like a true Plantagenet,

And rise created princely duke of York.

Plan. And so thrive Richard as thy foes may fall!

And as my duty springs, so perish they

That grudge one thought against your majesty.

All. Welcome, high prince, the mighty duke of York!

Som. Perish, base prince, ignoble duke of York!

Glo. Now will it best avail your majesty,

To cross the seas, and to be crown'd in France.
The presence of a king engenders love

Amongst his subjects, and his loyal friends,

As it disanimates 34 his enemies.

K. Hen. When Gloster says the word, king Henry goes;

For friendly counsel cuts off many foes.

[Aside.

Gloster

30) at Eltham-place gehört zu I told your majesty, nicht zu those occasions. hatte dem jungen König schon in Eltham, wo er erzogen wurde, die Motive auseinandergesetzt, welche eine Wiedereinsetzung Plantagenet's in seine Würden empfahlen. 31) Vgl. A. 2, Sc. 5, Anm. 27.

32) Die Fol. hat not that all alone. Die zweite Fol. streicht das all mit Recht. 33) reguerdon Vergeltung, Wiedervergeltung.

in A. 3, Sc. 4.

Sh. hat das veraltete Wort als Verbum

3+) to disanimate = entmuthigen, wie Sh. sonst das synonyme to dishearten gebraucht.

Glo. Your ships already are in readiness.

[Flourish. Exeunt all but Exeter.

Exe. Ay, we may march in England, or in France,

Not seeing what is likely to ensue.

This late dissension, grown betwixt the peers,
Burns under feigned 35 ashes of forg'd love,
And will at last break out into a flame,
As fester'd members rot but by degree,
Till bones, and flesh, and sinews, fall away,
So will this base and envious discord breed. 36
And now I fear that fatal prophecy,

Which, in the time of Henry, nam'd the fifth,
Was in the mouth of every sucking babe,
That Henry, born at Monmouth, should win all,
And Henry, born at Windsor, should lose all: 37
Which is so plain, that Exeter doth wish
His days may finish ere that hapless time.

SCENE II.

France. Before Rouen.

[Exit.

Enter LA PUCELLE disguised, and Soldiers dressed like Countrymen, with sacks upon their backs. 1

Puc. These are the city gates, the gates of Roan,

2

Through which our policy 3 must make a breach.

Take heed, be wary how you place your words;

Talk like the vulgar sort of market-men,

That come to gather money for their corn.

If we have entrance, (as I hope we shall)

And that we find the slothful watch but weak,

I'll by a sign give notice to our friends,

That Charles the Dauphin may encounter them. 4

35) Das Epitheton feigned bezieht sich auf das mit ashes verknüpfte forg'd love, nicht auf ashes allein.

36) Wie die eitern den Glieder nur allmählig wegfaulen, bis nacheinander Knochen, Fleisch und Sehnen schwinden, so wird diese schlimme und boshafte Zwietracht in sich fortwuchern, sich entwickeln.

37) Diese Prophezeiung legt der Chronist Heinrich dem Fünften selbst in den Mund, als gesprochen bei der Nachricht, dass ihm in Windsor ein Sohn geboren sei. Das vor lose in der Fol. zufällig ausgefallene should ergänzt die zweite Fol.

1) Die alte Bühnenweisung lautet Enter Pucell disguised, with four soldiers with sacks upon their backs.

*) them bezieht sich auf kein bestimmtes, vorhergehendes Wort, sondern bezeichnet den Feind, die Engländer, die Rouen besetzt hatten.