THE THIRD PART OF KING HENRY THE SIXTH ACT I SCENE I.-London. Alarum. The Parliament House. Enter the DUKE OF YORK, EDWARD, RICHARD, NORFOLK, MONTAGUE, WARWICK, and Soldiers. War. I wonder how the king escaped our hands. 5 Alarum. Enter the Duke of York .] Alarum. Enter Plantagenet . . . Ff. and Soldiers] and Souldiers, with white Roses in their hats Q. [Other differences occur in Folio and Quarto stage-direction.] retreat] 1-5. War. I wonder omitted Q. 7. Lord Clifford Clifford abreast Q. and therewith him Q. I. I wonder .] See first line of Act ii. 5. brook] put up with. Characteristic of these three plays, where it occurs about a dozen times; elsewhere almost confined to Shakespeare's early work. Frequent in Greene's plays. 5. retreat] Used here with reference to the bugle call or sounding of retreat. See note at "sound retreat" (2 Henry VI. IV. viii. 4), which expression occurs again in 1 Henry IV. and in Henry V. Hence the appropriate use of "warlike ears,' ," "retreat" signifying the sound 1-5. War. I wonder retrait Q. 6. Cheer'd himself] Stafford. abreast] 6. Lord Stafford Charged. . . in] 7. Chargde. 3 ... . front, Were by the swords of common soldiers slain. I cleft his beaver with a downright blow: Mont. And, brother, here's the Earl of Wiltshire's blood, ΙΟ 15 [Throwing down the Duke of Somerset's head. York. Richard hath best deserved of all my sons. But is your grace dead, my Lord of Somerset ? Before I see thee seated in that throne I vow by heaven these eyes shall never close. 20 25 9. Were... slain] 8. Brake in and were by the hands of common souldiers slain Q. 10-13. Lord Stafford's . . downright blow: That this is true, father... blood] 9-12. Lord Staffords .. downe right blow: Father that this is... bloud Q. 15. battles] 14. battailes Q. 16. [Throwing down 17. Richard sons] omitted Q. 18. But is] 16. York. What is Q. 19-26. Such hope the fearful king, And this York] 17-24. Such hope... that fearefull King, And that... Yorke Q. ... head.] Theobald. "ten thousand horse: And twenty thousand horsemen in 9. swords of common soldiers] See note at 2 Henry VI. v. ii. 58. The statement here is an inadvertency (Malone). See below, line 55 and I. iii. 5. II. dangerous] So Folio. The Q gives dangerouslie, adopted by Theobald, unnecessarily. Sh kespeare uses adjectives adverbially ve y often. 12. beaver] helmet, as in 1 Henry IV. IV. i. 104, and Richard III. v. iii. 50. Elsewhere in Shakespeare it is the visor of the helmet, as in Faerie Queene, II. v. 6, etc. Fr. bavière. ... 12. downright blow] Only again in 2 Henry VI. II. iii. 92, where see note. The expression is in Holland's Plinie (1601): "let drive and lay at them either with full down-right or crossblowes" (bk. xv. ch. iii. p. 431, c). 15. as the battles join'd] See below, II. i. 121, the only other example in Shakespeare of this old expression for beginning the fight. "To join," in the sense of entering on any serious business, is a common northern provincialism. Joined ploughing or reaping, joined at the turf, joined to fight, joined to rain, are usual. Compare Grafton, i. 30: "At the length they ioyned battaile and met together nere a Ryuer called Stoore"; and again p. 238. See Genesis xiv. 8. Grosart's Greene, xiii. 318, James the Fourth ("as the Kings are joyning battaile," stage-direction). But taking "battles" to mean troops simplifies the expression. See Kyd, Spanish Tragedy, 1. iii. 60: And see "When both the armies were in battell ioynd." And this the regal seat: possess it, York; 30 [They go up. War. And when the King comes, offer him no violence, Unless Plantagenet, Duke of York, be king, 35 40 War. Neither the king, nor he that loves him best, 45 ... ... 33, 27-29. For this . . . hither we have . . . force] 25-27. For this . . . hither are we ... . force Q. 30. you; he] 28. thee, and he Q. 31, 32. Thanks stay] 29, 30. Thanks . . . staie you here and lodge this night Q. 34. And when . . . thrust you. perforce] 31, 32. And when put us out by force Q. 35-37. York. The queen right] omitted Q. 38. as we are] 33. as we be Q. 39-42. The bloody Henry deposed.. enemies] 34-37. The bloudie . . . Henrie be deposde Then leave... be resolute; I mean . . nor he that 26. regal seat] This is the expression of Holinshed, not of Hall or Grafton. The latter uses "throne roiale," or " siege royal." It is in Locrine, "True Honour in her regale seat" (495, b, ed. Tyrrell). 32. lodge] lie, sleep. See 2 Henry VI. I. i. 80; and below, Iv. iii. 13. 41. And... cowardice] "Henry" must be allowed three syllables here with the accent on the last, and "cowardice" with two final unaccented syllables-for scansion. 42. by-words] objects of reproach and derision, as in Deuteronomy xxviii. 37, and Psalms xliv. 14. 46. The proudest he] Occurs again in Taming of Shrew, 111. ii. 236, and ... enemies Q. 43-49. Henry VIII. v. iii. 130. See note at "Follow pursue! spare not the That havocks England's sacred (Dyce, 406, a, 1874). And Greene, 47. if Warwick shake his bells] A metaphor from falconry; a favourite I'll plant Plantagenet, root him up who dares. Flourish. Enter King HENRY, CLIFFORD, NORTHUMBER- K. Hen. My lords, look where the sturdy rebel sits, 50 55 On him, his sons, his favourites, and his friends. North. If I be not, heavens be revenged on me! Clif. The hope thereof makes Clifford mourn in steel. West. What shall we suffer this? let's pluck him down : 60 K. Hen. Be patient, gentle Earl of Westmoreland. Clif. Patience is for poltroons, such as he : He durst not sit there had your father liv'd. root him up... crown] 38-44. Then leave 65 . for now I meane . . . nor him root him out. crowne Q. 49. Flourish.] F 1; omitted Ff 2, 3, 4; Q. Enter.. and the rest.] Ff; Enter [somewhat varied]... with red Roses in their hats Q. 50. My lords, look] 45. Looke Lordings Q. 50-56. where the sturdy thine, Lord Clifford . friends] 45-51. where the sturdy thine Clifford . . . friends Q. I be] 52. And if I be Q. 57-60. heavens be pluck him. . . burns: I cannot brook it] 52-55. heavens be... Pull him . . . breakes, I cannot speake Q. 61-66. K. Hen. Be patient. be it so] 56-61. King. Be patient . be it so Q. ... source with Shakespeare. See Othello, III. iii. 261-3 (in this edition, notes); and As You Like It, II. iii. 89. Compare Lucrece, 510, 511: "Harmless Lucretia, marking what With trembling fear, as fowl hear The bell was attached above the foot. : 50. lords] lordings in Q; see note at Part II. 1. i. 143. Shakespeare discards this word, later, entirely. 50. sturdy] Only again in Venus and Adonis, 152, of trees; strong, stout. Here it has the bad sense of Spenser's Faerie Queene, II. vii. 40:— ... "therein did wayt ... 57. If A sturdie villein, stryding stiffe and bold." Greene was fond of the word. Compare this speech with the King's in 2 Henry VI. v. i. 161-174. Backbone is being put into his construction; but uselessly, line 72. 51. belike] as it seems, probably. No one so fond of this word as Shakespeare; it occurs half-a-dozen times in this play. For the original form, "by like,' see note at "safeguard," below, II. ii. 18. 58. mourn in steel] Compare "why mourn we not in blood" (1 Henry VI. 1. i. 17). 62. poltroon] lazy coward. Only here in Shakespeare. Capell inserts "and" (F 2) before "such." North. Well hast thou spoken, cousin: be it so. And they have troops of soldiers at their beck? 70 Thou factious Duke of York, descend my throne, 75 Exe. For shame, come down: he made thee Duke of York. War. Exeter, thou art a traitor to the crown Clif. Whom should he follow but his natural king? War. True, Clifford: and that's Richard, Duke of York. War. Be Duke of Lancaster: let him be king. 67-69. K. Hen. Ah, know you quicklie flie Q. 70-74. Far be my thronej 65-69. the war... 80 85 quickly fly] 62-64. King. O know you from Henry's heart . . . frowns, words Far be it from the thoughtes of Henries heart words, frowns, the warres . . my throne Q. 75. And . feet] omitted Q. 76. I am .. thine] 70, 71. I am thy soueraigne. York. Thou art deceiv'd: I am thine Q. 77, 78. For shame earldom was] 72, 73. For shame. 'Twas mine inheritance as the kingdome is Q. 83. Thy father. that's Richard, Duke of York] 74-78. Thy father that is Richard Duke of Yorke [F I reads that 's (omitting and)] Q. 84, 85. And . . . and thou sit ... It must... content thyself] 80, 81. And while thou sittest . . . Content thyselfe it must... so Q. 68. at their beck] Again in Sonnet 58; Taming of Shrew, Ind. ii. 36; and Hamlet, III. i. 127. 69. Exeter] Folios give this speech erroneously to Westmoreland. Corrected by Theobald. 71. shambles] Again in Othello, IV. ii. 66. The number of butcher metaphors in these plays has been noted in Part II., at "slaughterhouse" (III. i. 212). 74. factious] rebellious. Often in these plays; see Part I. IV. i. 113, 190; and Part II. II. i. 39 (note). 74. descend] climb down, as of a hill, or a flight of steps; the throne includes the steps to the dais. 86-88. Be 79 . 76. sovereign. I am thine] Theobald, followed by Malone and Steevens, inserted "Thou 'rt deceived," from Q. 78. It was my inheritance] If the reading of the Folio is to be altered to that of the Quarto, harmony would demand the whole ""Twas mine inheritance." The alteration of "kingdom" to "earldom" here "only exhibits the same meaning more obscurely" (Malone). 78. earldom] the earldom of March, by which, through his mother, he claimed the throne. 82. natural] rightful. |