TPTT The First Part of Henry the Sixth: ACT IV
Introduction
ACT I
ACT II
ACT III
ACT IV
SCENE I. Paris. A hall of state.
SCENE II. Before Bourdeaux.
SCENE III. Plains in Gascony.
SCENE IV. Other plains in Gascony.
SCENE V. The English camp near Bourdeaux.
SCENE VI. A field of battle.
SCENE VII. Another part of the field.
ACT V
About the Play
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SCENE I. Paris. A hall of state.
Enter KING HENRY VI, GLOUCESTER, BISHOP OF WINCHESTER, YORK, SUFFOLK, SOMERSET, WARWICK, TALBOT, EXETER, the Governor, of Paris, and others
GLOUCESTER
      Lord bishop, set the crown upon his head.
BISHOP OF WINCHESTER
      God save King Henry, of that name the sixth!
GLOUCESTER
      Now, governor of Paris, take your oath,
      That you elect no other king but him;
5     Esteem none friends but such as are his friends,
      And none your foes but such as shall pretend
      Malicious practises against his state:
      This shall ye do, so help you righteous God!
Enter FASTOLFE
FASTOLFE
      My gracious sovereign, as I rode from Calais,
10    To haste unto your coronation,
      A letter was deliver'd to my hands,
      Writ to your grace from the Duke of Burgundy.
TALBOT
      Shame to the Duke of Burgundy and thee!
      I vow'd, base knight, when I did meet thee next,
15    To tear the garter from thy craven's leg,

Plucking it off

      Which I have done, because unworthily
      Thou wast installed in that high degree.
      Pardon me, princely Henry, and the rest
      This dastard, at the battle of Patay,
20    When but in all I was six thousand strong
      And that the French were almost ten to one,
      Before we met or that a stroke was given,
      Like to a trusty squire did run away:
      In which assault we lost twelve hundred men;
25    Myself and divers gentlemen beside
      Were there surprised and taken prisoners.
      Then judge, great lords, if I have done amiss;
      Or whether that such cowards ought to wear
      This ornament of knighthood, yea or no.
GLOUCESTER
30    To say the truth, this fact was infamous
      And ill beseeming any common man,
      Much more a knight, a captain and a leader.
TALBOT
      When first this order was ordain'd, my lords,
      Knights of the garter were of noble birth,
35    Valiant and virtuous, full of haughty courage,
      Such as were grown to credit by the wars;
      Not fearing death, nor shrinking for distress,
      But always resolute in most extremes.
      He then that is not furnish'd in this sort
40    Doth but usurp the sacred name of knight,
      Profaning this most honourable order,
      And should, if I were worthy to be judge,
      Be quite degraded, like a hedge-born swain
      That doth presume to boast of gentle blood.
KING HENRY VI
45    Stain to thy countrymen, thou hear'st 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.
GLOUCESTER
50    What means his grace, that he hath changed his style?
      No more but, plain and bluntly, 'To the king!'
      Hath he forgot he is his sovereign?
      Or doth this churlish superscription
      Pretend some alteration in good will?
55    What's here?

Reads

      'I have, upon especial cause,
      Moved with compassion of my country's wreck,
      Together with the pitiful complaints
      Of such as your oppression feeds upon,
60    Forsaken your pernicious faction
      And join'd with Charles, the rightful King of France.'
      O monstrous treachery! can this be so,
      That in alliance, amity and oaths,
      There should be found such false dissembling guile?
KING HENRY VI
65    What! doth my uncle Burgundy revolt?
GLOUCESTER
      He doth, my lord, and is become your foe.
KING HENRY VI
      Is that the worst this letter doth contain?
GLOUCESTER
      It is the worst, and all, my lord, he writes.
KING HENRY VI
      Why, then, Lord Talbot there shall talk with him
70    And give him chastisement for this abuse.
      How say you, my lord? are you not content?
TALBOT
      Content, my liege! yes, but that I am prevented,
      I should have begg'd I might have been employ'd.
KING HENRY VI
      Then gather strength and march unto him straight:
75    Let him perceive how ill we brook his treason
      And what offence it is to flout his friends.
TALBOT
      I go, my lord, in heart desiring still
      You may behold confusion of your foes.
Exit
Enter VERNON and BASSET
VERNON
      Grant me the combat, gracious sovereign.
BASSET
80    And me, my lord, grant me the combat too.
YORK
      This is my servant: hear him, noble prince.
SOMERSET
      And this is mine: sweet Henry, favour him.
KING HENRY VI
      Be patient, lords; and give them leave to speak.
      Say, gentlemen, what makes you thus exclaim?
85    And wherefore crave you combat? or with whom?
VERNON
      With him, my lord; for he hath done me wrong.
BASSET
      And I with him; for he hath done me wrong.
KING HENRY VI
      What is that wrong whereof you both complain?
      First let me know, and then I'll answer you.
BASSET
90    Crossing the sea from England into France,
      This fellow here, with envious carping tongue,
      Upbraided me about the rose I wear;
      Saying, the sanguine colour of the leaves
      Did represent my master's blushing cheeks,
95    When stubbornly he did repugn the truth
      About a certain question in the law
      Argued betwixt the Duke of York and him;
      With other vile and ignominious terms:
      In confutation of which rude reproach
100   And in defence of my lord's worthiness,
      I crave the benefit of law of arms.
VERNON
      And that is my petition, noble lord:
      For though he seem with forged quaint conceit
      To set a gloss upon his bold intent,
105   Yet know, my lord, I was provoked by him;
      And he first took exceptions at this badge,
      Pronouncing that the paleness of this flower
      Bewray'd the faintness of my master's heart.
YORK
      Will not this malice, Somerset, be left?
SOMERSET
110   Your private grudge, my Lord of York, will out,
      Though ne'er so cunningly you smother it.
KING HENRY VI
      Good Lord, what madness rules in brainsick men,
      When for so slight and frivolous a cause
      Such factious emulations shall arise!
115   Good cousins both, of York and Somerset,
      Quiet yourselves, I pray, and be at peace.
YORK
      Let this dissension first be tried by fight,
      And then your highness shall command a peace.
SOMERSET
      The quarrel toucheth none but us alone;
120   Betwixt ourselves let us decide it then.
YORK
      There is my pledge; accept it, Somerset.
VERNON
      Nay, let it rest where it began at first.
BASSET
      Confirm it so, mine honourable lord.
GLOUCESTER
      Confirm it so! Confounded be your strife!
125   And perish ye, with your audacious prate!
      Presumptuous vassals, are you not ashamed
      With this immodest clamorous outrage
      To trouble and disturb the king and us?
      And you, my lords, methinks you do not well
130   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.
EXETER
      It grieves his highness: good my lords, be friends.
KING HENRY VI
135   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:
140   If they perceive dissension in our looks
      And that within ourselves we disagree,
      How will their grudging stomachs be provoked
      To wilful disobedience, and rebel!
      Beside, what infamy will there arise,
145   When foreign princes shall be certified
      That for a toy, a thing of no regard,
      King Henry's peers and chief nobility
      Destroy'd themselves, and lost the realm of France!
      O, think upon the conquest of my father,
150   My tender years, and let us not forego
      That for a trifle that was bought with blood
      Let me be umpire in this doubtful strife.
      I see no reason, if I wear this rose,

Putting on a red rose

      That any one should therefore be suspicious
155   I more incline to Somerset than York:
      Both are my kinsmen, and I love them both:
      As well they may upbraid me with my crown,
      Because, forsooth, the king of Scots is crown'd.
      But your discretions better can persuade
160   Than I am able to instruct or teach:
      And therefore, as we hither came in peace,
      So let us still continue peace and love.
      Cousin of York, we institute your grace
      To be our regent in these parts of France:
165   And, good my Lord of Somerset, unite
      Your troops of horsemen with his bands of foot;
      And, like true subjects, sons of your progenitors,
      Go cheerfully together and digest.
      Your angry choler on your enemies.
170   Ourself, my lord protector and the rest
      After some respite will return to Calais;
      From thence to England; where I hope ere long
      To be presented, by your victories,
      With Charles, Alencon and that traitorous rout.
Flourish. Exeunt all but YORK, WARWICK, EXETER and VERNON
WARWICK
175   My Lord of York, I promise you, the king
      Prettily, methought, did play the orator.
YORK
      And so he did; but yet I like it not,
      In that he wears the badge of Somerset.
WARWICK
      Tush, that was but his fancy, blame him not;
180   I dare presume, sweet prince, he thought no harm.
YORK
      An if I wist he did,--but let it rest;
      Other affairs must now be managed.
Exeunt all but EXETER
EXETER
      Well didst thou, Richard, to suppress thy voice;
      For, had the passions of thy heart burst out,
185   I fear we should have seen decipher'd there
      More rancorous spite, more furious raging broils,
      Than yet can be imagined or supposed.
      But howsoe'er, no simple man that sees
      This jarring discord of nobility,
190   This shouldering of each other in the court,
      This factious bandying of their favourites,
      But that it doth presage some ill event.
      'Tis much when sceptres are in children's hands;
      But more when envy breeds unkind division;
195   There comes the rain, there begins confusion.
Exit
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