In which affault we loft twelve hundred men ;
Myfelf, and divers gentlemen befide,
Were there furpriz'd, and taken prisoners.
Then judge, great lords, if I have done amifs;
Or whether that fuch cowards ought to wear
This ornament of knighthood, yea, or no.
Glo. To say the truth, this fact was infamous,
And ill befeeming 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;
Not fearing death, nor fhrinking for distress,
But always refolute in most extremes.
He then, that is not furnish'd in this fort,
Doth but ufurp the facred name of knight,
Profaning this moft honourable order;
And should (if I were worthy to be judge)
Be quite degraded, like a hedge-born fwain
That doth prefume to boast of gentle blood.
K. Hen. Stain to thy countrymen! thou hear'ft 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 [viewing the fuperfcription.
No more but, plain and bluntly,-To the king?
Hath he forgot, he is his fovereign ?
Or doth this churlish fuperfcription
Pretend fome alteration in good will1?
9-haughty courage,] Haughty is here in its original fenfe for bigb. JOHNSON.
Pretend fome alteration in good will?] Thus the old copy. To pretend feems to be here ufed in its Latin fenfe, i. e. to bold out, to fretch forward. It may mean, however, as in other places, to design. Modern editors read-portend. STEEVENS.
What's here?—I have, upon efpecial cause,-
Mov'd with compaffion of my country's wreck,
Together with the pitiful complaints
Of fuch as your oppreffion feeds upon,—
Forfaken your pernicious faction,
And join'd with Charles, the rightful king of France. O monftrous treachery! Can this be fo;
That in alliance, amity, and oaths,
There should be found fuch falfe diffembling 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 ?
Glo. It is the worst, and all, my lord, he writes.
K. Hen. Why then, lord Talbot there fhall talk with
him,
And give him chastisement for this abuse:—
How fay you, my lord? are you not content?
Tal. Content, my liege? Yes; but that I am prevented 2,
I fhould have begg'd I might have been employ'd.
K. Hen. Then gather ftrength, and march unto him
Let him perceive, how ill we brook his treason;
And what offence it is, to flout his friends.
Tal. I go, my lord; in heart defiring ftill,
You may behold confusion of your foes.
Enter VERNON, and BASSET.
Ver. Grant me the combat, gracious fovereign!
Baf. And me, my lord, grant me the combat too!
York. This is my fervant; Hear him, noble prince!
Som. And this is mine; Sweet Henry, favour him!
K. Hen. Be patient, lords, and give them leave to
fpeak.-
Say, gentlemen, What makes you thus exclaim ?
And wherefore crave you combat? or with whom?
- I am prevented,] Prevented is here, anticipated; a Latinifm,
Ver. With him, my lord; for he hath done me wrong.
Baf. And I with him; for he hath done me wrong.
K. Hen. What is that wrong whereof you both com-
plain?
First let me know, and then I'll answer you.
Baf. Croffing the fea from England into France,
This fellow here, with envious carping tongue,
Upbraided me about the rose I wear;
Saying the fanguine colour of the leaves
Did reprefent my master's blushing cheeks,
When itubbornly he did repugn the truth 3,
About a certain queftion in the law,
Argu'd betwixt the duke of York and him;
With other vile and ignominious terms:
In confutation of which rude reproach,
And in defence of my lord's worthiness,
I crave the benefit of law of arms.
Ver. And that is my petition, noble lord:
For though he feem, with forged quaint conceit,
To fet a glofs upon his bold intent,
Yet know, my lord, I was provok'd by him;
And he first took exceptions, at this badge,
Pronouncing that the palenefs of this flower
Bewray'd the faintnefs of my mafter's heart,
York. Will not this malice, Somerset, be left?
Som. Your private grudge, my lord of York, will out,
Though ne'er fo cunningly you fmother it.
K. Hen. Good Lord! what madnefs rules in brain-fick
When, for fo flight and frivolous a cause,
Such factious emulations fhall arise !-
Good coufins both, of York and Somerset,
Quiet yourselves, I pray, and be at peace.
York. Let this diffention first be try'd by fight,
And then your highness fhall command a peace.
Som. The quarrel toucheth none but us alone;
did repugn the truth,] To repugn is to refift. The word is used by Chaucer. STEEVENS.
It is found in Bullokar's English Expofitor, 8vo. 1616. MALONE.
Betwixt ourselves let us decide it then.
York. There is my pledge; accept it, Somerset.
Ver. Nay, let it reft where it began at first.
Baf. Confirm it fo, mine honourable lord.
Glo. Confirm it fo? Confounded be your ftrife!
And perish ye, with your audacious prate !
Prefumptuous vaffals! are you not asham'd,
With this immodeft clamorous outrage
To trouble and disturb the king and us?
And you, my lords, methinks, you do not well,
To bear with their perverfe objections;
Much less, to take occafion from their mouths
To raise a mutiny betwixt yourselves;
Let me perfuade you take a better course.
Exe. It grieves his highnefs;- Good my lords, be
K. Hen. Come hither, you that would be combatants:
Henceforth, I charge you, as you love our favour,
Quite to forget this quarrel, and the cause.—
And you, my lords,-remember where we are;
In France, amongst a fickle wavering nation:
If they perceive diffention in our looks,
And that within ourselves we disagree,
How will their grudging ftomachs be provok'd
To wilful disobedience, and rebel?
Befide, What infamy will there arise,
When foreign princes fhall be certify'd,
That, for a toy, a thing of no regard,
King Henry's peers, and chief nobility,
Destroy'd themselves, and loft the realm of France?
O, think upon the conqueft of my father,
My tender years; and let us not forego
That for a trifle, that was bought with blood!
Let me be umpire in this doubtful ftrife.
I fee no reason, if I wear this rofe, [putting on a red rofe.
That any one should therefore be fufpicious
I more incline to Somerset, than York:
Both are my kinfmen, and I love them both:
As well they may upbraid me with my crown,
Because, forfooth, the king of Scots is crown'd.
But your discretions better can perfuade,
Than I am able to inftruct or teach:
And therefore, as we hither came in peace,
So let us ftill continue peace and love.-
Coufin of York, we inftitute your grace
To be our regent in thefe parts of France :-
And good my lord of Somerset, unite
Your troops of horsemen with his bands of foot ;-
And, like true fubjects, fons of your progenitors,
Go cheerfully together, and digeft
Your angry choler on your enemies.
Ourfelf, my lord protector, and the reft,
After fome refpite, will return to Calais;
From thence to England; where I hope ere long
To be prefented, by your victories,
With Charles, Alençon, and that traiterous rout.
[Flourish. Exeunt King HENRY, GLO. SOM. WIN.
SUF. and BASSET.
War. My lord of York, I promise you, the king Prettily, methought, did play the orator.
York. And fo he did; but yet I like it not,
In that he wears the badge of Somerset.
War. Tush! that was but his fancy, blame him not; I dare prefume, fweet prince, he thought no harm. York. And, if I wift, he did3,-But let it reft; Other affairs must now be managed.
[Exeunt YORK, WARWICK, and VERNON. Exe. Well didst thou, Richard, to fupprefs thy voice: For, had the paffions of thy heart burst out,
I fear, we should have feen decypher'd there
More rancorous fpight, more furious raging broils,
3 And, if I wift, be did,-] The old copy reads-if I wish.
I read, I wift. The pret. of the old obfolete verb I wis, which is ufed by Shakspeare in The Merchant of Venice:
"There be fools alive, I wis,
"Silver'd o'er, and fo was this." STEEVENS,
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