ON THE FABLE AND COMPOSITION OF THE FIRST PART OF HENRY VI. THE hiftorical transactions contained in this play, take in the compass of above thirty years. I muft obferve, 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 fhuffled them, backwards and forwards, out of time. For inftance; 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 Second 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 banish-ment for forcery happened three years before that princefs came over to England. I could point out many other tranfgreffions against hiftory, as far as the order of time is concerned. Indeed, though there are feveral mafter-strokes in these three plays, which inconteftably betray the workmanship of Shakespeare; yet I am almost doubtful, whether they were entirely of his writing. And unlefs they were wrote by him very early, I fhould rather imagine them to have been brought to him as a director of the stage; and so have received fome finishing beauties at his hand. An accurate obferver will easily see, the diction of them is more obfolete, and the numbers more mean and profaical, than in the generality of his genuine compofitions. THEOBALD. Of Of this play there is no copy earlier than that of the folio, in 1623, though the two fucceeding parts are extant in two editions in quarto. That the fecond and third parts were published without the firft, may be admitted as no weak proof that the copies were furreptitiously obtained, and that the printers at that time gave the public those plays, not fuch as the author defigned, but fuch as they could get them. That this play was written before the two others is indubitably collected from the series of events; that it was written. and played before Henry the Fifth is apparent, because in the epilogue there is mention made of this play, and not of the other parts: Henry the fixth in fwaddling bands crown'd king, That they loft France, and made his England bleed France is loft in this play. The two following contain, as the old title imports, the contention of the houses of York and Lancaster. The second and third parts of Henry VI, were printed in 1600. When Henry V. was written we know not, but it was printed likewife in 1600, and therefore before the publication of the first part: the first part of Henry VI. had been often hen on the stage, and would certainly have appeared in its place had the author been the publisher. JOHNSON. King HENRY the Sixth. MEN. Duke of GLOSTER, Uncle to the King, and Protector. Duke of SOMERSET. Earl of SUFFOLK. Lord TALBOT. Young TALBOT, his Son. Sir JOHN FASTOLFE. RICHARD PLANTAGENET, afterwards Duke of York. MORTIMER, Earl of March. WOODVILE, Lieutenant of the Tower. Lord Mayor of VERNON, of the White Rofe, or York Faction. CHARLES, Dauphin, and afterwards King of France. Duke of ALENÇON. Baftard of Orleans. Governor of Paris. Mafter Gunner of Orleans. Boy, his Son. An old Shepherd, Father to Joan la Pucelle. WOMEN. MARGARET, Daughter to Reignier, and afterwards Queen to King Henry. Countess of AUVERGNE. JOAN LA PUCELLE, commonly called JOAN OF ARC; a Maid pretending to be infpir'd from Heaven, and fetting up for the Championefs of France. Fiends, attending her. Lords, Captains, Soldiers, Messengers, and several Attendants both on the English and French. The SCENE is partly in England, and partly in France. |