PERSONS REPRESENTED. KING HENRY THE SIXTH: HUMPHREY, Duke of Gloster, his Uncle. CARDINAL BEAUFORT, Bishop of Winchester, great Uncle to the King. RICHARD PLANTAGENET, Duke of York: EDWARD and RICHARD, his Sons. DUKE of SOMERSET, DUKE of SUFFOolk, LORD SCALES, Governor of the Tower. LORD SAY. SIR HUMPHEY STAFFORD, and his Brother. SIR JOHN STANLEY. A Sea Captain, Master, and Master's Mate, and WALTER WHITMORE. Two Gentlemen, Prisoners with Suffolk. HUME and SOUTHWELL, two Priests. BOLINGBROKE, a Conjuror. A Spirit raised by him. THOMAS HORNER, an Armourer. PETER, his Man. Clerk of Chatham. Mayor of St. Albans. SIMPCOX, an Impostor. Two Murderers. JACK CADE, a Rebel: GEORGE, JOHN, DICK, SMITH the Weaver, MICHAEL, &c. his Followers. ALEXANDER IDEN, a Kentish Gentleman. MARGARET, Queen to King Henry. ELEANOR, Duchess of Gloster. MARGERY JOURDAIN, a Witch. Wife to Simpcox. Lords, Ladies, and Attendants; Petitioners, Aldermen, a Beadle, Sheriff, and Officers; Citizens, Prentices, Falconers, Guards, Soldiers, Messengers, &c. SCENE, dispersedly in various parts of England. SECOND PART OF KING HENRY VI. ACT I. SCENE I. London. A Room of State in the Palace. Flourish of Trumpets; then Hautboys. Enter, on one side, KING HENRY, DUKE of Gloster, SALISBURY, WARWICK, and CARDINAL BEAUFORT; on the other, QUEEN MARGARET, led in by SUFFOLK; YORK, SOMERSET, BUCKINGHAM, and Others, following. Suffolk. As by your high imperial majesty To marry Princess Margaret for your grace; So, in the famous ancient city, Tours,— The marquesse of Suffolk, as procurator to King Henry, espoused the said ladie in the church of St. Martins. At the which marriage were present the father and mother of the bride; the French king himself, that was uncle to the husband; and the French queen also, that was aunt to the wife. There were also the Dukes of Orleance, of Calabre, of Alanson, and of Britaine; seven earles, twelve barons, twenty bishops.'-Hall and Holinshed. Seven earles, twelve barons, twenty reverend bishops, I have perform'd my task, and was espous'd; To your most gracious hands, that are the substance? The happiest gift that ever marquess gave, queen that ever king receiv'd. K. Hen. Suffolk, arise.-Welcome, Queen Margaret; I can express no kinder sign of love, Than this kind kiss.-O Lord, that lends me life, * If sympathy of love unite our thoughts. Q. Mar. Great king of England, and my gracious lord; The mutual conference that my mind hath had 3. By day, by night; waking, and in my dreams; In courtly company, or at my beads, With you mine alder-liefest sovereign, 2 i. e. to the gracious hands of you, my sovereign, who are, &c. In the old play the line stands: Unto your gracious excellence, that are.' 3 I am the bolder to address you, having already familiarized you to my imagination. 4 i.e. most beloved of all: from alder, of all; formerly used in composition with adjectives of the superlative degree and liefest, dearest, or most loved. Thus Chaucer, in Troilus and Cressida, iii. 240 :— 'Mine alder-lievest lord, and brother dear.' And Gascoigne : and to mine alder-lievest lord I must indite.' It was apparently obsolete in Shakspeare's time; for Marston puts it into the mouth of his Dutch Courtezan. A similar word is still in use in Germany and Holland. Our ancestors had also alder-best, alder-first, alder-last, &c. Makes me the bolder to salute my king With ruder terms; such as my wit affords, ‹ And over-joy of heart doth minister. K. Hen. Her sight did ravish: but her grace in speech, Her words y-clad with wisdom's majesty, Makes me, from wondering fall to weeping joys5; Lords, with one cheerful voice welcome my love. piness! Q. Mar. We thank you all. [Flourish. Suf. My lord protector, so it please your grace, Here are the articles of contracted peace, Between our sovereign and the French king Charles, For eighteen months concluded by consent. Glo. [Reads.] Imprimis, It is agreed between the French king, Charles, and William de la Poole, marquess of Suffolk, ambassador for Henry king of England, that the said Henry shall espouse the lady Margaret, daughter unto Reignier king of Naples, Sicilia, and Jerusalem; and crown her queen of England, ere the thirtieth of May next ensuing. Item,-That the duchy of Anjou and the county of Maine, shall be released and delivered to the king her father K. Hen. Uncle, how now ? Glo. Pardon me, gracious lord; Some sudden qualm hath struck me at the heart, And dimm'd mine eyes, that I can read no further. K. Hen. Uncle of Winchester, I pray, read on. Win. Item,-It is further agreed between them,-that the duchies of Anjou and Maine shall be released 5 This weeping joy, of which there is no trace in the original play, Shakspeare frequently uses. It is introduced in Much Ado about Nothing, King Richard II. Macbeth, and King Lear. VOL. VI.` N and delivered over to the king her father; and she sent over of the king of England's own proper cost and charges, without having dowry. K. Hen. They please us well.-Lord marquess, kneel down; We here create thee the first duke of Suffolk, Cousin of York, we here discharge your grace Somerset, Salisbury, and Warwick; We thank you all for this great favour done, [Exeunt King, Queen, and Suffolk. Glo. Brave peers of England, pillars of the state, To you Duke Humphrey must unload his grief, 'Your grief, the common grief of all the land. What! did my brother Henry spend his youth, His valour, coin, and people, in the wars? 'Did he so often lodge in open field, In winter's cold, and summer's parching heat, Have you yourselves, Somerset, Buckingham, • Brave York, Salisbury, and victorious Warwick, • Receiv'd deep scars in France and Normandy? Or hath my uncle Beaufort, and myself, With all the learned council of the realm, • Studied so long, sat in the council-house, Early and late, debating to and fro How France and Frenchmen might be kept in awe? |