DRAMATIS PERSONE. KING HENRY THE SIXTH. HUMPHREY, DUKE OF GLOSTER, his Uncle. EDWARD and RICHARD, his Sons. DUKE OF SOMERSET, DUKE OF SUFFOLK, DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM, LORD CLIFFORD, and his Son, EARL OF SALISBURY, EARL OF WARWICK, of the King's Party. } of the York Faction. LORD SAY. SIR SIR JOHN LORD SCALES, Governor of the Tower. HUMPHREY STAFFORD, and his Brother. STANLEY. WALTER WHITMORE. A Sea-captain, Master, and Master's Mate. Two Gentlemen, Prisoners with SUFFOLK. VAUX. BOLINGBROKE, a Conjurer. A Spirit raised by him. Clerk of Chatham. Mayor of St. Alban's. SIMPCOX, an Impostor. Two Murderers. JACK CADE. GEORGE, JOHN, DICK, SMITH, the Weaver, MICHAEL, &c., Cade's Followers. ALEXANDER IDEN, a Kentish Gentleman. MARGARET, Queen to King Henry. ELEANOR, DUCHESS OF GLOSTER. MARGERY JOURDAIN, a Witch. Wife to SIMPCOX. Lords, Ladies, and Attendants; Herald; Petitioners, Aldermen, a Beadle, Sheriff, and Officers; Citizens, Prentices, Falconers, Guards, Soldiers, Messengers, &c. SCENE, in various Parts of England. SECOND PART OF KING HENRY VI. ACT I. SCENE I. London. A Room of State in the Palace. Flourish of Trumpets: then Hautboys. Enter, on one side, King HENRY, Duke of GLOSTER, SALISBURY, WARWICK, and Cardinal BEAUFORT; on the other, Queen MARGARET, led in by SUFFOLK; YORK, Somerset, BuckinGHAM, and Others, following. Suf. As by your high imperial majesty I had in charge at my depart for France, To marry princess Margaret for your grace; So, in the famous ancient city, Tours, In presence of the kings of France and Sicil, The dukes of Orleans, Calaber, Bretaigne, and Alençon, 1 ― TWENTY reverend bishops,] So Holinshed, and Hall whom he copied. The quarto, 1600, of "The First Part of the Contention," reads erroneously, "and then the reverend bishops;" but the edition 1619 of the same play corrects it to "twenty," as in the chroniclers. To your most gracious hands, that are the substance The happiest gift that ever marquess gave, The fairest queen that ever king receiv'd. K. Hen. Suffolk, arise.-Welcome, queen Margaret: I can express no kinder sign of love, Than this kind kiss.-O Lord! that lends me life, A world of earthly blessings to my soul, If sympathy of love unite our thoughts. Q. Mar. Great king of England, and my gracious lord, The mutual conference that my mind hath had With you mine alderlievest sovereign2, And over-joy of heart doth minister. K. Hen. Her sight did ravish, but her grace in speech, Her words y-clad with wisdom's majesty, Makes me from wondering fall to weeping joys; Such is the fulness of my heart's content. Lords, with one cheerful voice welcome my love. All. Long live queen Margaret, England's happiness! Q. Mar. We thank you all. [Flourish. Suf. My lord protector, so it please your grace, Here are the articles of contracted peace, 2 With you mine ALDERLIEVEST Sovereign,] "Alderlievest" is a compound word, which does not occur in "The First Part of the Contention," where the whole speech is different. It is derived from alder or aller, as Tyrwhitt states, the genitive case plural, and the superlative of liere; it means, dearest of all. The Germans still use the word allerliebst. In English, "alderlievest" is met with in Gascoigne, and in Marston; but the latter gives it to his Dutch Courtesan, who may be supposed to use it as her native word: it is by no means of frequent occurrence. Razing the characters of your renown, Defacing monuments of conquer'd France, Car. Nephew, what means this passionate discourse? This peroration with such circumstance? For France, 'tis ours; and we will keep it still. Glo. Ay, uncle, we will keep it, if we can; Sal. Now, by the death of him that died for all, York. For Suffolk's duke, may he be suffocate, She should have stay'd in France, and starv'd in France, Car. My lord of Gloster, now you grow too hot. VOL. V. I We thank you all for this great favour done, [Exeunt King, Queen, and SUFfolk. In winter's cold, and summer's parching heat, Early and late, debating to and fro How France and Frenchmen might be kept in awe? And was his highness in his infancy Crowned in Paris, in despite of foes1? And shall these labours, and these honours, die? 4 And was his highness in his infancy Crowned in Paris, in despite of foes?] We have substituted "was" for hath of the folio, 1623: we have thought this slight change, of one auxiliary verb for another, preferable to the insertion of heen in the second line, before "crowned," which is of course to be read as a dissyllable, and is so printed in all the old copies, showing the line to be complete. Steevens, and other modern editors, add a new word, instead of merely correcting one already found in the original text. |