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K. Hen. O loving uncle, kind duke of Gloster, How joyful am I made by this contract !— Away, my masters: trouble us no more; But join in friendship, as your lords have done. 1 Serv. Content: I'll to the surgeon's. 2 Serv

And so will I.

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

[Exeunt Mayor, Servants, &c.

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 :-for, sweet prince,

An if your grace mark every circumstance,

You have great reason to do Richard right;
Especially for those occasions

At Eltham-place I told your majesty.

K. Hen. And those occasions, uncle, were of force :
Therefore, my loving lords, our pleasure is,
That Richard be restored to his blood.

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',
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 reguerdon3 of that duty done,

2 If Richard will be true, not that alone,] The folio, 1623, has "not that all alone;" an error which the measure detects: the folio, 1632, has the line correctly, omitting all.

3 And in REGUERDON-] Reguerdon " and guerdon are the same; viz. reward or recompence. We have had "guerdon" in "Love's Labour's Lost,"

Vol. ii. p. 316. "Reguerdon'd" occurs on p. 64 of this play.

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,

[Aside.

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 his enemies.

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

goes;

For friendly counsel cuts off many foes.

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 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.
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*:
Which is so plain, that Exeter doth wish

His days may finish ere that hapless time.

-

[Exit.

SHOULD lose all,] The first folio omits the word "should," which is necessary, and is found in the second folio.

SCENE II.

France. Before Rouen.

Enter LA PUCELLE disguised, and Soldiers dressed like Countrymen, with Sacks upon their Backs.

Puc. These are the city gates, the gates of Rouen, Through which our policy 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.

1 Sold. Our sacks shall be a mean to sack the city, And we be lords and rulers over Rouen; Therefore we'll knock.

Guard. [Within.] Qui est là?

[Knocks.

Puc. Paisans, les pauvres gens de France:
Poor market-folks, that come to sell their corn.
Guard. Enter; go in the market-bell is rung.

[Opens the gates. Puc. Now, Rouen, I'll shake thy bulwarks to the ground'. [PUCELLE, &c. enter the City. Enter CHARLES, Bastard of ORLEANS, ALENÇON, and Forces.

Char. Saint Dennis bless this happy stratagem, And once again we'll sleep secure in Rouen.

5

-

and Soldiers dressed like Countrymen,] The old stage-direction is " and four soldiers," the theatre being able to afford no more for the occasion. 6 • Now, Rouen, I'll shake thy bulwarks to the ground.] It is evident that in this line and in most others we must read "Rouen" as one syllable, and it is spelt Roan in the old copies. When it falls at the end of a line, it may be pronounced as a dissyllable, as in the commencement of this scene :

"These are the city gates, the gates of Rouen."

Bast. Here enter'd Pucelle, and her practisants'; Now she is there, how will she specify

Where is the best and safest passage in?

Alen. By thrusting out a torch from yonder tower ; Which, once discern'd, shows, that her meaning is,No way to that, for weakness, which she enter'd'.

Enter LA PUCELLE on a Battlement: holding out a Torch burning.

Puc. Behold! this is the happy wedding torch, That joineth Rouen unto her countrymen,

But burning fatal to the Talbotites.

Bast. See, noble Charles, the beacon of our friend; The burning torch in yonder turret stands.

Char. Now shine it like a comet of revenge,

A prophet to the fall of all our foes!

Alen. Defer no time; delays have dangerous ends: Enter, and cry The Dauphin! presently,

And then do execution on the watch.

[They enter.

Alarums. Enter TALBOT, and English Soldiers.

Tal. France, thou shalt rue this treason with thy

tears,

If Talbot but survive thy treachery.

Pucelle, that witch, that damned sorceress,
Hath wrought this hellish mischief unawares,
That hardly we escap'd the pride of France'.

7

[Exeunt to the Town.

and her PRACTISANTS ;] The meaning is very obvious; but I have not met with any other instance of the use of the word. We might read partisans, if all the old copies did not agree in "practisants."

8 WHERE is-] The old copies have "Here is ;" an obvious error corrected by Rowe.

9 No way to that, for weakness, which she enter'd.] i. e. There is no way compared to that, or as good as that, by which she entered, on account of its weakness.

1 That hardly we escap'd the PRIDE of France.] Theobald read "prize of France;" and Warburton and Steevens explain " pride of France" as haughty power of France; but surely the reference is to La Pucelle, the "pride of France," from whom Talbot and his friends had “hardly escap'd."

Alarum: Excursions. Enter, from the Town, BEDford, brought in sick in a Chair, with Talbot, Burgundy, and the English Forces. Then, enter on the Walls, LA PUCELLE, CHARLES, Bastard, Alençon, Reignier, and Others.

Puc. Good morrow, gallants. Want ye corn for

bread?

I think, the duke of Burgundy will fast,

Before he'll buy again at such a rate.

"Twas full of darnel; do you like the taste?

Bur. Scoff on, vile fiend, and shameless courtezan! I trust, ere long, to choke thee with thine own, And make thee curse the harvest of that corn.

Char. Your grace may starve, perhaps, before that time.

Bed. O let no words, but deeds, revenge this treason.

Puc. What will you do, good grey-beard? break a

lance,

And run a tilt at death within a chair?

Tal. Foul fiend of France, and hag of all despite,
Encompass'd with thy lustful paramours,

Becomes it thee to taunt his valiant age,
And twit with cowardice a man half dead?
Damsel, I'll have a bout with you again,

Or else let Talbot perish with this shame.

Puc. Are you so hot, sir?-Yet, Pucelle, hold thy

peace:

If Talbot do but thunder, rain will follow.

[TALBOT, and the rest, consult together. God speed the parliament! who shall be the speaker? Tal. Dare ye come forth, and meet us in the field? Puc. Belike, your lordship takes us then for fools,

To try if that our own be ours, or no.

Tal. I speak not to that railing Hecate,

But unto thee, Alençon, and the rest.

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