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And thou be thrust out, like a fugitive?

Call we to mind, and mark but this for proof,
Was not the duke of Orleans thy foe,
And was he not in England prisoner?
But, when they heard he was thine enemy,
They set him free, without his ransom paid,
In spite of Burgundy, and all his friends.
See, then, thou fight'st against thy countrymen,
And join'st with them will be thy slaughter-men.
Come, come, return; return, thou wand'ring lord :
Charles, and the rest, will take thee in their arms.
Bur. I am vanquished: these haughty words of hers
Have batter'd me like roaring cannon-shot,
And made me almost yield upon my knees.-
Forgive me, country, and sweet countrymen !
And, lords, accept this hearty kind embrace:
My forces and my power of men are yours.-
So, farewell, Talbot; I'll no longer trust thee.

Puc. Done like a Frenchman; turn, and turn again! Char. Welcome, brave duke! thy friendship makes us fresh.

Bast. And doth beget new courage in our breasts. Alen. Pucelle hath bravely played her part in this, And doth deserve a coronet of gold.

Char. Now let us on, my lords, and join our powers, And seek how we may prejudice the foe.

[Exeunt.

SCENE IV.

Paris. A Room in the Palace.

Enter King HENRY, GLOSTER, and other Lords, VERNON, BASSET, &c. To them TALBOT, and some of his Officers.

Tal. My gracious prince, and honourable peers, Hearing of your arrival in this realm,

I have a while given truce unto my wars,
To do my duty to my sovereign :

In sign whereof, this arm-that hath reclaim'd
To your obedience fifty fortresses,

Twelve cities, and seven walled towns of strength,'
Beside five hundred prisoners of esteem,-
Lets fall his sword before your highness' feet;
And with submissive loyalty of heart,
Ascribes the glory of his conquest got,
First to my God, and next unto your grace.
K. Hen. Is this the lord Talbot, uncle Gloster,
That hath so long been resident in France?

Glo. Yes, if it please your majesty, my liege.

K. Hen. Welcome, brave captain, and victorious lord.

When I was young, (as yet I am not old)
I do remember how my father said,
A stouter champion never handled sword.
Long since we were resolved of your truth,
Your faithful service, and your toil in war;
Yet never have you tasted our reward,
Or been reguerdon'd with so much as thanks,
Because till now we never saw your face:
Therefore, stand up; and, for these good deserts,
We here create you earl of Shrewsbury,
And in our coronation take your place.

[Flourish. Exeunt King HENRY, GLOSTER,
TALBOT, and Nobles.

Ver. Now, sir, to you, that were so hot at sea, Disgracing of these colours, that I wear

In honour of my noble lord of York,

Dar'st thou maintain the former words thou spak'st?
Bas. Yes, sir; as well as you dare patronage
The envious barking of your saucy tongue
Against my lord, the duke of Somerset.

Ver. Sirrah, thy lord I honour as he is.

Bas. Why, what is he? as good a man as York.

Ver. Hark ye; not so: in witness, take ye that.

[Striking him. Bas. Villain, thou know'st, the law of arms is such, That, whoso draws a sword, 'tis present death, Or else this blow should broach thy dearest blood. But I'll unto his majesty, and crave

I may have liberty to venge this wrong,

When thou shalt see, I'll meet thee to thy cost.

Ver. Well, miscreant, I'll be there as soon as you; And after meet you sooner than you would.

[Exeunt.

ACT IV. SCENE I.

The Same. A Room of State.

Enter King HENRY, GLOSTER, EXETER, YORK, SUFFOLK, SOMERSET, WINCHESTER, WARWICK, TALBOT, the Governor of Paris, and Others.

Glo. Lord bishop, set the crown upon his head.
Win. God save king Henry, of that name the sixth!
Glo. Now, governor of Paris, take your oath,—
[Governor kneels.

That you elect no other king but him,

Esteem none friends, but such as are his friends,
And none your foes, but such as shall pretend
Malicious practices against his state:

This shall ye do, so help you righteous God!

[Exeunt Gov. and his Train.

3 That, whoso draws a sword, 'tis present death,] The meaning seems to be, that whoever drew a sword within the precincts of the palace was punished with death. Warburton would read, "That who so draws a sword i' th' presence 't's death;" but as the king was not present, he was obliged to apply his alteration to the presence chamber. No such awkward accumulation of apostrophes appears necessary.

VOL. V.

F

Enter Sir JOHN FASTOLFE.

Fast. My gracious sovereign, as I rode from Calais, To haste unto your coronation,

A letter was deliver'd to my hands,

Writ to your grace from the duke of Burgundy.
Tal. Shame to the duke of Burgundy, and thee!
I vow'd, base knight, when I did meet thee next,
To tear the garter from thy craven's leg;

[Plucking it off.

Which I have done, because unworthily
Thou wast installed in that high degree.-
Pardon me, princely Henry, and the rest.
This dastard, at the battle of Patay1,
When but in all I was six thousand strong,
And that the French were almost ten to one,
Before we met, or that a stroke was given,
Like to a trusty squire, did run away:

In which assault we lost twelve hundred men;
Myself, and divers gentlemen beside,
Were there surpris'd, and taken prisoners.
Then, judge, great lords, if I have done amiss;
Or whether that such cowards ought to wear
This ornament of knighthood, yea, or no?

Glo. To say the truth, this fact was infamous,
And ill beseeming any common man,

Much more a knight, a captain, and a leader.

Tal. When first this order was ordain'd, my lords, Knights of the garter were of noble birth, Valiant and virtuous, full of haughty courage, Such as were grown to credit by the wars;

at the battle of PATAY,] The old copy has Poictiers. The typographical error was not corrected, strange as it may seem, until the time of Steevens. The action of which Shakespeare is speaking happened (according to Holinshed) 66 neere unto a village in Beausse called Pataie," in 1428, whereas the battle of Poitiers was fought in 1357. "From this battell (of Patay) departed without anie stroke stricken, Sir John Fastolfe, the same yeere by his valiantnesse elected into the order of the garter. But for doubt of misdealing at this brunt, the duke of Bedford tooke from him the image of St. George and his garter." &c. See also p. 12, note 7.

Not fearing death, nor shrinking for distress,
But always resolute in most extremes.
He, then, that is not furnish'd in this sort,
Doth but usurp the sacred name of knight,
Profaning this most honourable order;
And should (if I were worthy to be judge)
Be quite degraded, like a hedge-born swain
That doth presume to boast of gentle blood.
K. Hen. Stain to thy countrymen! thou hear'st thy
doom:

Be packing therefore, thou that wast a knight.
Henceforth we banish thee on pain of death.-

[Exit FASTOLFE.

And now, my lord protector, view the letter
Sent from our uncle duke of Burgundy.

Glo. What means his grace, that he hath chang'd his style?

No more but, plain and bluntly,-"To the king!"

Hath he forgot, he is his sovereign?

Or doth this churlish superscription

Pretend some alteration in good will"?

What's here? [Reads.] "I have upon especial cause,― "Mov'd with compassion of my country's wreck,

"Together with the pitiful complaints

"Of such as your oppression feeds upon,

"Forsaken your pernicious faction,

"And join'd with Charles, the rightful king of France."

O, monstrous treachery! Can this be so?

That in alliance, amity, and oaths,

There should be found such false dissembling guile?
K. Hen. What! doth my uncle Burgundy revolt?
Glo. He doth, my lord; and is become your foe.
K. Hen. Is that the worst this letter doth contain?

5 PRETEND some alteration, &c.] The verb "pretend" is here used in its etymological sense of hold out. In the opening of this scene we have had it employed in the kindred sense of intend, which was its commonest signification in the time of Shakespeare.

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