SCENE I.-Paris. 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,- That you elect no other king but him: Enter Sir JOHN FASTOLFE. Fast. My gracious sovereign, as I rode from Calais, To haste unto your coronation, a Pretend-intend. A letter was deliver'd to my hands, I vow'd, base knight, when I did meet thee next, [Plucking it off. (Which I have done) because unworthily Glo. To say the truth, this fact was infamous And ill-beseeming any common man; Knights of the garter were of noble birth; Be packing therefore, thou that wast a knight; And now, lord protector, view the letter [Viewing the superscription. Mov'd with compassion of my country's wrack, And join'd with Charles, the rightful king of O monstrous treachery! Can this be so; K. Hen. Then gather strength, and march Let him perceive how ill we brook his treason; Tal. I go, my lord; in heart desiring still Enter VERNON and BASSET. Ver. Grant me the combat, gracious sovereign! Bus. And me, my lord, grant me the combat too! York. This is my servant: Hear him, noble prince! Som. And this is mine: Sweet Henry, favour him! K. Hen. Be patient, lords, and give them leave to speak. Say, gentlemen, What makes you thus exclaim? And wherefore crave you combat? or with whom? Ver. With him, my lord; for he hath done me wrong. Bas. And I with him; for he hath done me wrong. K. Hen. What is that wrong whereof you First let me know, and then I'll answer you. France, This fellow here, with envious carping tongue, There should be found such false dissembling I crave the benefit of law of arms. 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. And give him chastisement for this abuse:- I should have begg'd I might have been employ'd. a Pretend. Mr. Dyce states that pretend was used in the sense of portend by Skelton. Ver. And that is my petition, noble lord : Yet know, my lord, I was provok'd by him; will out, Though ne'er so cunningly you smother it. When, for so slight and frivolous a cause, a Repugn-resist. Such factious emulations shall arise: York. Let this dissention first be tried by fight, And then your highness shall command a peace. Som. The quarrel toucheth none but us alone; Betwixt ourselves let us decide it then. York. There is my pledge; accept it, Somerset. Ver. Nay, let it rest where it began at first. Bas. Confirm it so, mine honourable lord. Glo. Confirm it so ? Confounded be your strife! And perish ye, with your audacious prate! Presumptuous vassals! are you not asham'd, With this immodest clamorous outrage To trouble and disturb the king and us? And you, my lords,―methinks you do not well, To bear with their perverse objections; Much less to take occasion from their mouths To raise a mutiny betwixt yourselves; Let me persuade you, take a better course. Exe. It grieves his highness :-Good my lords, be friends. K. Hen. Come hither, you that would be combatants : Henceforth, I charge you, as you love our favour, O, think upon the conquest of my father, That for a trifle that was bought with blood! [Putting on a red rose. And good my lord of Somerset, unite York. And so 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 presume, sweet prince, he thought no harm. York. And, if I wist he did,-But let it rest; Other affairs must now be managed. [Exeunt YORK, WARWICK, and VERNON. Ere. Well didst thou, Richard, to suppress thy voice: For had the passions of thy heart burst out, This should'ring of each other in the court, [Exit. SCENE II.-France. Before Bourdeaux. Enter TALBOT with his Forces. Tal. Go to the gates of Bourdeaux, trumpeter : Summon their general unto the wall. Trumpet sounds a parley. Enter, on the walls, the General of the French Forces, and others. English John Talbot, captains, calls you forth, Servant in arms to Harry king of England; And thus he would,-Open your city gates ; Be humble to us; call my sovereign yours, And do him homage as obedient subjects; And I'll withdraw me and my bloody power: But, if you frown upon this proffer'd peace, You tempt the fury of my three attendants, Lean famine, quartering steel, and climbing fire; Who, in a moment, even with the earth Gen. Thou ominous and fearful owl of death, And strong enough to issue out and fight : Upon no Christian soul but English Talbot. Sings heavy music to thy timorous soul, [Exeunt General, &c., from the walls. Tal. He fables not, I hear the enemy ;Out, some light horsemen, and peruse their wings. O, negligent and heedless discipline! And they shall find dear deer of us, my friends. God, and Saint George! Talbot, and England's right! Prosper our colours in this dangerous fight! SCENE III-Plains in Gascony. Enter YORK, with Forces; to him a Messenger. York. Are not the speedy scouts return'd again, That dogg'd the mighty army of the Dauphin? Mess. They are return'd, my lord: and give it out That he is march'd to Bourdeaux with his power, Two mightier troops than that the Dauphin led; Which join'd with him, and made their march for Bourdeaux. York. A plague upon that villain Somerset, That thus delays my promised supply Of horsemen, that were levied for this siege! Enter Sir WILLIAM LUCY. Lucy. Thou princely leader of our English strength, Never so needful on the earth of France, Else, farewell Talbot, France, and England's honour. York. O God! that Somerset, who in proud heart Doth stop my cornets, were in Talbot's place! Mad ire, and wrathful fury, makes me weep, Fork. He dies, we lose; I break my warlike word: We mourn, France smiles; we lose, they daily get; All 'long of this vile traitor Somerset. Lucy. Then, God take mercy on brave Talbot's soul! And on his son, young John; whom, two hours since, I met in travel toward his warlike father! a Lowled Malone explains this, I am treated with contempt like a lowt. This seven years did not Talbot see his son; And now they meet where both their lives are done. York. Alas! what joy shall noble Talbot have, To bid his young son welcome to his grave? Away! vexation almost stops my breath, That sunder'd friends greet in the hour of death. Lucy, farewell: no more my fortune can, But curse the cause I cannot aid the man. Maine, Blois, Poictiers, and Tours, are won away, 'Long all of Somerset, and his delay. [Exit. Lucy. Thus while the vulture of sedition Feeds in the bosom of such great commanders, Sleeping neglection doth betray to loss The conquest of our scarce-cold conqueror, That ever-living man of memory, Henry the fifth-Whiles they each other cross, Lives, honours, lands, and all, hurry to loss. [Exit. SCENE IV.-Other Plains of Gascony. Enter SOMERSET, with his Forces; an Officer of TALBOT'S with him. Som. It is too late; I cannot send them now: This expedition was by York and Talbot Too rashly plotted; all our general force Might with a sally of the very town Be buckled with: the over-daring Talbot Hath sullied all his gloss of former honour, By this unheedful, desperate, wild adventure: York set him on to fight, and die in shame, That, Talbot dead, great York might bear the name. Off. Here is sir William Lucy, who with me Set from our o'ermatch'd forces forth for aid. Enter Sir WILLIAM LUCY. Som. How now? sir William, whither were you sent ? Lucy. Whither, my lord? from bought and sold lord Talbot ; Who, ring'd about with bold adversity, Keep off aloof with worthless emulation. The levied succours that should lend him aid, Yields up his life unto a world of odds: Lucy. And York as fast upon your grace ex- Swearing that you withhold his levied horse, Som. York lies; he might have sent and had I owe him little duty and less love; And take foul scorn to fawn on him by sending. Hath now entrapp'd the noble-minded Talbot : Som. Come go; I will despatch the horse- Within six hours they will be at his aid. Lucy. Too late comes rescue; he is ta'en, or slain: For fly he could not, if he would have fled; And fly. would Talbot never, though he might. Som. If he be dead, brave Talbot then adieu! Lucy. His fame lives in the world, his shame in you. [Exeunt. SCENE V.-The English Camp near Bourdeaux. Enter TALBOT and JOHN his Son. Tal. O young John Talbot! I did send for thee, To tutor thee in stratagems of war; That Talbot's name might be in thee revived, And I'll direct thee how thou shalt escape son? And shall I fly? O, if you love my mother, To make a bastard, and a slave of me: a Horse. The original reads hoast. The correction was Hanmer's, and is fully borne out by what follows. |