THIRD PART OF KING HENRY VI. AN HISTORICAL PLAY. BY WILLIAM SHAKSPEARE. ACCURATELY PRINTED FROM THE TEXT OF Mr. STEEVENS's LAST EDITION. Drnamented with plates. London: Printed by T. Bensley, Bolt Court, Fleet Street. PUBLISHED BY E. HARDING, NO. 98, PALL-MALL; J. WRIGHT, PICCADILLY; G. SAEL, STRAND; AND VERNOR AND HOOD, POULTRY. OBSERVATIONS. THE action of this play (which was at first printed under this title, The true Tragedy of Richard Duke of York, and the good King Henry the Sixth; or, The Second Part of the Contention of York and Lancafter) opens just after the first battle at Saint Albans, [May 23, 1455,] wherein the York faction carried the day; and clofes with the murder of king Henry VI. and the birth of prince Edward, afterwards king Edward V. [November 4, 1471.] So that this history takes in the fpace of full fixteen years. THEOBALD. I have never seen the quarto copy of the Second part of THE WHOLE CONTENTION, &c. printed by Valentine Simmes for Thomas Millington, 1600; but the copy printed by W. W. for Thomas Millington, 1600, is now before me; and it is not precifely the fame with that defcribed by Mr. Pope and Mr. Theobald, nor does the undated edition (printed, in fact, in 1619) correfpond with their description. The title of the piece printed in 1600, by W. W. is as follows: The true Tragedie of Richarde Duke of Yorke, and the death of good King Henrie the Sixt: With the whole contention between the two houfes Lancafter and York: as it was fundry times a&ted by the Right Honourable the Earle of Pembrooke his Servants. Printed at London by W. W. for Thomas Millington, and are to be fold at his fhoppe under St. Peter's Church in Cornewallpboo." On this piece Shakspeare, as I conceive, in 1591 formed the drama before us. MALONE. The prefent hiftorical drama was altered by Crowne, and brought on the stage in the year 1680, under the title of The Mileries of Civil War. Surely the works of Shakspeare could have been little read at that period; for Crowne, in his prologue, declares the play to be entirely his own compofition: "For by his feeble skill 'tis built alone, "The divine Shakspeare did not lay one ftone." whereas the very firft fcene is that of Jack Cade copied almoft verbatim from the second part of K. Henry VI. and feveral others from this third part, with as little variation. STEEVENS. King HENRY the Sixth: EDWARD, Prince of Wales, his fon. Duke of SOMERSET. Duke of EXETER. BERLAND. Lord CLIFFORD. Lords on King RICHARD PLANTAGENET, Duke of York. Edward IV. EDMUND, Earl of Rutland, GEORGE, afterwards Duke of Clarence, Marquis of MONTAGUE, Earl of WARWICK, bis fons. of the Duke of York's party. Earl of PEMBROKE, Lord HASTINGS, Lord STAFFORD, Sir JOHN MORTIMER, Sir HUGH MORTIMER, HENRY, Earl of Richmond, a Youth. Lord RIVERS, brother to Lady Grey. Sir WILLIAM STANLEY. Sir JOHN MONTGOMERY. Sir JOHN SOMERVILLE. Tutor to Rtd. Mayor of York. Lieutenant of the Tower. A Nobleman. Two Keepers. A Huntsman. A fon that has killed his father. A father that has killed his fon. Queen MARGARET. Lady GREY, afterwards Queen to Edward IV. Soldiers, and other attendants on King Henry and King SCENE, during part of the third act, in France; during all the rest of the play, in England. KING HENRY VI. THIRD PART. ACT I. SCENE I. London. The Parliament-House. Drums. Some Soldiers of York's party break in. Then, Enter the Duke of YORK, EDWARD, RICHARD, NORFOLK, MONTAGUE, WARWICK, and Others, with white rofes in their hats. Warwick. I Wonder how the king escap'd our hands. York. While we purfu'd the horsemen of the north, He flily stole away, and left his men : Whereat the great lord of Northumberland, I cleft his beaver with a downright blow; That this is true, father, behold his blood. |