That have consented unto Henry's death! His brandish'd sword did blind men with his beams; Than midday sun fierce bent against their faces. Exe. We mourn in black; Why mourn we not in blood? Henry is dead, and never shall revive; Win. He was a king bless'd of the King of kings. 4 Consented here means conspired together to promote the death of Henry by their malignant influence on human events. Our ancestors had but one word to express consent, and concent, which meant accord and agreement, whether of persons or things. 5 There was a notion long prevalent that life might be taken away by metrical charms. The Irishmen addict themselves, &c.; yea, they will not sticke to affirme that they can rime man or beast to death,'-Reginald Scot's Discovery of Witchcraft, 1584, Glo. The church! where is it? Had not church men pray'd, His thread of life had not so soon decay'd: Win. Gloster, whate'er we like, thou art protector; And lookest to command the prince, and realm. 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:- When at their mother's moist eyes babes shall suck; Our isle be made a nourish of salt tears, And none but women left to wail the dead.- 7 6 Nurse was anciently spelt nouryce and noryshe; and, by Lydgate, even nourish: Athenes whan it was in its floures Was called nourish of philosophers wise.' 7 Pope conjectured that this blank had been supplied by the name of Francis Drake, which, though a glaring anachronism, might have been a popular, though not judicious, mode of attracting plaudits in the theatre. Part of the arms of Drake was two blazing stars. Malone says that the blank arose from the transcriber or compositor not being able to make out the name. Enter a Messenger. Mess. My 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 Roüen 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 us’d? Mess. No treachery; but want of men and money. Among the soldiers this is mutter'd, That here you maintain several factions; And, whilst a field should be despatch'd and fought, One would have ling'ring wars, with little cost; Let not sloth dim your honours, new begot: 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: 8 Capel proposed to complete this defective verse by the insertion of Rouen among the places lost, as Gloster infers that it had been mentioned with the rest. 9 i. e. England's flowing tides. 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, weep their intermissive miseries 10. To Enter another Messenger. 2 Mess. Lords, view these letters, full of bad mischance, France is revolted from the English quite; Exe. The Dauphin is 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. Bed. Gloster, why doubt'st thou of my forwardness? An army have I muster'd in my thoughts, Wherewith already France is overrun. Enter a third Messenger. 3 Mess. My gracious lords, to add to your laments, Wherewith you now bedew King Henry's hearse,I must inform you of a dismal fight, Betwixt the stout Lord Talbot and the French. Win. What! wherein Talbot overcame? is't so? The circumstance I'll tell you more at large. Having full scarce six thousand in his troop, Was round encompassed and set upon : He wanted pikes to set before his archers; A base Walloon, to win the Dauphin's grace, Bed. Is Talbot slain? then I will slay myself, 11 For an account of this Sir John Fastolfe, vide Biographia Britannica, by Kippis, vol. v.; in which is his life, written by Mr. Gough. See also Anstis On the Order of the Garter; Parkins' Supplement to Blomefield's History of Norfolk; Capel's Notes to Shakspeare, vol. ii. p. 221; and Sir John Fenn's Collection of the Paston Letters. He is said by Hall to have been degraded for cowardice; and Heylin, in his History of St. George, tells us that he was afterwards, upon good reasons by him alledged in his defence, restored to his honour.' |