conjure up love in her in his true likeness, he must appear naked, and blind: Can you blame her then, being a maid yet rosed over with the virgin crimson of modesty, if she deny the appearance of a naked blind boy in her naked seeing self? It were, my lord, a hard condition for a maid to consign to.

K. Hen. Yet they do wink and yield; as love is blind, and enforces.

Bur. They are then excused, my lord, when they see not what they do.

K. Hen. Then, good my lord, teach your cousin to consent to winking.

Bur. I will wink on her to consent, my lord, if you will teach her to know my meaning: for maids, well summered and warm kept, are like flies at Bartholomew-tide, blind, though they have their eyes; and then they will endure handling, which before would not abide looking on.

K. Hen. This moral ties me over to time, and a hot summer; and so I will catch the fly, your cousin, in the latter end, and she must be blind too.

Bur. As love is, my lord, before it loves.

K. Hen. It is so, and you may, some of you, thank love for my blindness; who cannot see many a fair French city, for one fair French maid that stands in my way.

Fr. King. Yes, my lord, you see them perspectively, the cities turned into a maid; for they are all girdled with maiden walls, that war hath never entered.

K. Hen. Shall Kate be my wife?

Fr. King. So please you.

K. Hen. I am content; so the maiden cities you talk of, may wait on her; so the maid, that stood in the way of my wish, shall show me the way to my will.

Fr. King. We have consented to all terms of reason.

K. Hen. Is't so, my lords of England?

West. The king hath granted every article: His daughter, first; and then, in sequel, all, According to their firm proposed natures.

Exe. Only he hath not yet subscribed this:- Where your majesty demands,-That the king of France, having any occasion to write for matter of grant, shall name your highness in this form, and with this addition, in French,-Notre tres cher filz Henry roy d'Angleterre, heretier de France; and thus in Latin,Præclarissimus filius noster Henricus, rex Angliæ, et hæres Francia.

Fr. King. Nor this I have not, brother, so denied,

But your request shall make me let it pass.

K. Hen. I pray you then, in love and dear alliance,

Let that one article rank with the rest:

And, thereupon, give me your daughter.

Fr. King. Take her, fair son; and from her blood raise up Issue to me: that the contending kingdoms

Of France and England, whose very shores look pale

* Application.

With envy of each other's happiness,

May cease their hatred; and this dear conjunction
Plant neighbourhood and Christian-like accord
In their sweet bosoms, that never war advance
His bleeding sword 'twixt England and fair France.
All. Amen!

K. Hen. Now, welcome, Kate :-and bear me witness all,
That here I kiss her as my sovereign queen.

Q. Isa. God, the best maker of all marriages,
Combine your hearts in one, your realms in one!
As man and wife, being two, are one in love,
So be there 'twixt your kingdoms such a spousal,
That never may ill office, or fell jealousy,
Which troubles oft the bed of blessed marriage,
Thrust in between the paction of these kingdoms,
To make divorce of their incorporate league;
That English may as French, French Englishmen,
Receive each other!-God speak this, Amen!
All. Amen!

[Flourish.

K. Hen. Prepare we for our marriage:-on which day,
My lord of Burgundy, we'll take your oath,
And all the peers', for surety of our leagues.-
Then shall I swear to Kate, and you to me;
And may our oaths well kept and prosperous be!

Enter CHORUS.

Thus far, with rough, and all unable pen,

Our bending author hath pursued the story, In little room confining mighty men,

Mangling by starts the full course of their glory.
Small time, but in that small, most greatly lived
This star of England: fortune made his sword;
By which the world's best garden † he achieved,
And of it left his son imperial lord.

Henry the sixth, in infant bands crown'd king
Of France and England did this king succeed;

Whose state so many had the managing,

That they lost France, and made his England bleed: Which oft our stage hath shown; and, for their sake, In your fair minds let this acceptance take.

* I.e. unequal to the weight of the subject.

[Exeunt.

[Exit.

† France.

OF

KING HENRY VI.

PERSONS REPRESENTED.

KING HENRY THE SIXTH.
DUKE OF GLOSTER, Uncle to the
King, and Protector.

DUKE OF BEDFORD, Uncle to the
King, and Regent of France.
THOMAS BEAUFORT, Duke of
Exeter, great Uncle to the King.
HENRY BEAUFORT, great Uncle
to the King, Bishop of Winchester;
and afterwards Cardinal.
JOHN BEAUFORT, Earl of Somer-
set; afterwards Duke.

RICHARD PLANTAGENET, eldest
Son of Richard, late Earl of Cam-
bridge; afterwards Duke of York.
EARL OF WARWICK.

EARL OF SALISBURY.
EARL OF SUFFOLK.
LORD TALBOT, afterwards Earl
of Shrewsbury.

JOHN TALBOT, his Son.

EDMUND MORTIMER, Earl of
March.

MORTIMER'S KEEPER, and a
LAWYER.

SIR JOHN FASTOLFE.
SIR WILLIAM LUCY.

SIR WILLIAM GLANSDALE.
SIR THOMAS GARGRAVE.
MAYOR OF LONDON.
WOODVILLE, Lieutenant of the
Tower.

VERNON, of the White Rose, or
York Faction.

BASSET, of the Red Rose, or Lan-
caster Faction.

CHARLES, Dauphin, and afterwards
King of France.

REIGNIER, Duke of Anjou, and
titular King of Naples.
DUKE OF BURGUNDY.
DUKE OF ALENÇON.
GOVERNOR OF PARIS.
BASTARD OF ORLEANS.
MASTER.GUNNER OF ORLEANS,
and his SON.

GENERAL OF THE FRENCH
FORCES in Bordeaux.

A FRENCH SERGEANT.
A PORTER.

AN OLD SHEPHERD, Father to
Joan la Pucelle.

MARGARET, Daughter to Reignier; afterwards married to King Henry.

COUNTESS OF AUVERGNE. JOAN LA PUCELLE, commonly called Joan of Arc.

FIENDS appearing to La Pucelle,
LORDS, WARDERS OF THE TOWER,
HERALDS, OFFICERS, SOLDIERS,
MESSENGERS, and several Ar-
TENDANTS both on the English
and French.

SCENE; partly in England, and partly in France.

ACT I.

SCENE I-Westminster Abbey.

Dead march. Corpse of KING HENRY the Fifth discovered,
lying in state; attended on by the Dukes of BEDFORD, GLOS-
TER, and EXETER; the Earl of WARWICK, the Bishop of
WINCHESTER, Heralds, &c.

Bed. Hung be the heavens with black, yield day to night!
Comets, importing change of times and states,
Brandish your crystal tresses in the sky;

And with them scourge the bad revolting stars,
That have consented unto Henry's death!
Henry the fifth, too famous to live long!
England ne'er lost a king of so much worth.

Glo. England ne'er had a king, until his time.
Virtue he had, deserving to command:

His brandish'd sword did blind men with his beams;
His arms spread wider than a dragon's wings:
His sparkling eyes replete with wrathful fire,
More dazzled and drove back his enemies,

Than mid-day sun, fierce bent against their faces.
What should I say? his deeds exceed all speech:

He ne'er lift up his hand, but conquered.

Exe. We mourn in black; Why mourn we not in blood? Henry is dead, and never shall revive:

Upon a wooden coffin we attend;

And death's dishonourable victory
We with our stately presence glorify,
Like captives bound to a triumphant car.
What? shall we curse the planets of mishap,
That plotted thus our glory's overthrow ?
Or shall we think the subtle-witted French
Conjurers and sorcerers, that, afraid of him,
By magic verses have contrived his end?

Win. He was a king bless'd of the King of Kings.
Unto the French the dreadful judgment day

So dreadful will not be, as was his fight.

The battles of the Lord of Hosts he fought:

The church's prayers made him so prosperous.

Glo. The church! where is it? Had not churchmen pray'd, His thread of life had not so soon decay'd:

None do you like but an effeminate prince,

Whom, like a school-boy, you may overawe.

Win. Gloster, whate'er we like, thou art protector; And lookest to command the prince, and realm,

Thy wife is proud; she holdeth thee in awe,

More than God, or religious churchmen, may.
Glo. Name not religion, for thou lov'st the flesh!

And ne'er throughout the year to church thou go'st,

Except it be to pray against thy foes.

Bed. Cease, cease these jars, and rest your minds in peace!

Let's to the altar-Heralds, wait on us:

Instead of gold, we'll offer up our arms;

Since arms avail not, now that Henry 's dead.

Posterity, await for wretched years,

When at their mothers' moist eyes babes shall suck;

Our isle be made a marish* of salt tears,

And none but women left to wail the dead.

Henry the fifth! thy ghost I invocate;

Prosper this realm, keep it from civil broils!

* Marsh.

Combat with adverse planets in the heavens !
A far more glorious star thy soul will make,
Than Julius Cæsar's orb.

Enter a MESSENGER.

Mess. Right honourable lords, health to you all!
Sad tidings bring I to you out of France,
Of loss, of slaughter, and discomfiture:
Guienne, Champaigne, Rheims, Orleans,
Paris, Guysors, Poictiers, are all quite lost.

Bed. What say'st thou, man, before dead Henry's corse? Speak softly; or the loss of those great towns

Will make him burst his lead, and rise from death.
Glo. Is Paris lost? is Rouen yielded up?

If Henry were recall'd to life again,

These news would cause him once more yield the ghost. Exe. How were they lost? what treachery was used? Mess. No treachery; but want of men and money. Among the soldiers this is muttered,

That here you maintain several factions;

And, whilst a field should be despatch'd and fought,
You are disputing of your generals.

One would have lingering wars, with little cost;
Another would fly swift, but wanteth wings;
A third man thinks, without expense at all,
By guileful fair words peace may be obtain❜d.
Awake, awake, English nobility!

Let not sloth dim your honours, new-begot:
Cropp'd are the flower-de-luces in your arms;
Of England's coat one-half is cut away.

:

Exe. Were our tears wanting to this funeral, These tidings would call forth her* flowing tides. Bed. Me they concern; regent I am of France:Give me my steeled coat, I'll fight for France.Away with these disgraceful wailing robes! Wounds I will lend the French, instead of eyes, To weep their intermissive miseries.t

Enter another MESSENGER.

2 Mess. Lords, view these letters, full of bad mischance, France is revolted from the English quite;

Except some petty towns of no import:

The Dauphin Charles is crowned king in Rheims;
The bastard of Orleans with him is join'd;

Reignier, duke of Anjou, doth take his part;

The duke of Alençon flieth to his side.

Exe. The Dauphin crowned king! all fly to him!

O, whither shall we fly from this reproach?

Glo. We will not fly, but to our enemies' throats: Bedford, if thou be slack, I'll fight it out.

* England's.

+ Having only short intermissions.