The First Part Of Henry The Sixth

1 Dead March. Enter the funeral of King Henry the Fifth, attended on by
2 the Duke of Bedford, Regent of France; the Duke of Gloucester,
3 Protector; the Duke of Exeter, the Earl of Warwick, the Bishop of
4 Winchester, the Duke of Somerset with Heralds, &c.
5 BEDFORD.
6 Hung be the heavens with black, yield day to night!
7 Comets, importing change of times and states,
8 Brandish your crystal tresses in the sky,
9 And with them scourge the bad revolting stars
10 That have consented unto Henry’s death:
11 King Henry the Fifth, too famous to live long!
12 England ne’er lost a king of so much worth.
13 GLOUCESTER.
14 England ne’er had a king until his time.
15 Virtue he had, deserving to command;
16 His brandish’d sword did blind men with his beams;
17 His arms spread wider than a dragon’s wings;
18 His sparkling eyes, replete with wrathful fire,
19 More dazzled and drove back his enemies
20 Than mid-day sun fierce bent against their faces.
21 What should I say? His deeds exceed all speech.
22 He ne’er lift up his hand but conquered.
23 EXETER.
24 We mourn in black; why mourn we not in blood?
25 Henry is dead and never shall revive.
26 Upon a wooden coffin we attend,
27 And Death’s dishonourable victory
28 We with our stately presence glorify,
29 Like captives bound to a triumphant car.
30 What! Shall we curse the planets of mishap
31 That plotted thus our glory’s overthrow?
32 Or shall we think the subtle-witted French
33 Conjurers and sorcerers, that, afraid of him,
34 By magic verses have contriv’d his end?
35 WINCHESTER.
36 He was a king bless’d of the King of kings;
37 Unto the French the dreadful judgement-day
38 So dreadful will not be as was his sight.
39 The battles of the Lord of Hosts he fought:
40 The Church’s prayers made him so prosperous.
41 GLOUCESTER.
42 The Church! Where is it? Had not churchmen pray’d,
43 His thread of life had not so soon decay’d.
44 None do you like but an effeminate prince,
45 Whom like a school-boy you may overawe.
46 WINCHESTER.
47 Gloucester, whate’er we like, thou art Protector,
48 And lookest to command the Prince and realm.
49 Thy wife is proud; she holdeth thee in awe
50 More than God or religious churchmen may.
51 GLOUCESTER.
52 Name not religion, for thou lov’st the flesh,
53 And ne’er throughout the year to church thou go’st,
54 Except it be to pray against thy foes.
55 BEDFORD.
56 Cease, cease these jars, and rest your minds in peace;
57 Let’s to the altar; heralds, wait on us.
58 Instead of gold, we’ll offer up our arms,
59 Since arms avail not, now that Henry’s dead.
60 Posterity, await for wretched years,
61 When at their mothers’ moist eyes babes shall suck,
62 Our isle be made a nourish of salt tears,
63 And none but women left to wail the dead.
64 Henry the Fifth, thy ghost I invocate:
65 Prosper this realm, keep it from civil broils,
66 Combat with adverse planets in the heavens.
67 A far more glorious star thy soul will make
68 Than Julius Caesar or bright—
69 Enter a Messenger.
70 MESSENGER.
71 My honourable lords, health to you all!
72 Sad tidings bring I to you out of France,
73 Of loss, of slaughter, and discomfiture:
74 Guienne, Champaigne, Rheims, Rouen, Orleans,
75 Paris, Guysors, Poictiers, are all quite lost.
76 BEDFORD.
77 What say’st thou, man, before dead Henry’s corse?
78 Speak softly, or the loss of those great towns
79 Will make him burst his lead and rise from death.
80 GLOUCESTER.
81 Is Paris lost? Is Rouen yielded up?
82 If Henry were recall’d to life again,
83 These news would cause him once more yield the ghost.
84 EXETER.
85 How were they lost? What treachery was us’d?
86 MESSENGER.
87 No treachery, but want of men and money.
88 Amongst the soldiers this is muttered:
89 That here you maintain several factions
90 And whilst a field should be dispatch’d and fought,
91 You are disputing of your generals.
92 One would have lingering wars with little cost;
93 Another would fly swift, but wanteth wings;
94 A third thinks, without expense at all,
95 By guileful fair words peace may be obtain’d.
96 Awake, awake, English nobility!
97 Let not sloth dim your honours new-begot.
98 Cropp’d are the flower-de-luces in your arms;
99 Of England’s coat one half is cut away.
100 [_He exits._]
101 EXETER.
102 Were our tears wanting to this funeral,
103 These tidings would call forth their flowing tides.
104 BEDFORD.
105 Me they concern; Regent I am of France.
106 Give me my steeled coat. I’ll fight for France.
107 Away with these disgraceful wailing robes!
108 Wounds will I lend the French instead of eyes,
109 To weep their intermissive miseries.
110 Enter to them another Messenger.
111 MESSENGER.
112 Lords, view these letters full of bad mischance.
113 France is revolted from the English quite,
114 Except some petty towns of no import.
115 The Dauphin Charles is crowned king in Rheims;
116 The Bastard of Orleans with him is join’d;
117 Reignier, Duke of Anjou, doth take his part;
118 The Duke of Alençon flieth to his side.
119 [_He exits._]
120 EXETER.
121 The Dauphin crowned king! All fly to him!
122 O, whither shall we fly from this reproach?
123 GLOUCESTER.
124 We will not fly but to our enemies’ throats.
125 Bedford, if thou be slack, I’ll fight it out.
126 BEDFORD.
127 Gloucester, why doubt’st thou of my forwardness?
128 An army have I muster’d in my thoughts,
129 Wherewith already France is overrun.
130 Enter another Messenger.
131 MESSENGER.
132 My gracious lords, to add to your laments,
133 Wherewith you now bedew King Henry’s hearse,
134 I must inform you of a dismal fight
135 Betwixt the stout Lord Talbot and the French.
136 WINCHESTER.
137 What! Wherein Talbot overcame, is’t so?
138 MESSENGER.
139 O no, wherein Lord Talbot was o’erthrown.
140 The circumstance I’ll tell you more at large.
141 The tenth of August last this dreadful lord,
142 Retiring from the siege of Orleans,
143 Having full scarce six thousand in his troop,
144 By three and twenty thousand of the French
145 Was round encompassed and set upon.
146 No leisure had he to enrank his men;
147 He wanted pikes to set before his archers;
148 Instead whereof sharp stakes pluck’d out of hedges
149 They pitched in the ground confusedly
150 To keep the horsemen off from breaking in.
151 More than three hours the fight continued;
152 Where valiant Talbot, above human thought,
153 Enacted wonders with his sword and lance.
154 Hundreds he sent to hell, and none durst stand him;
155 Here, there, and everywhere, enrag’d he slew.
156 The French exclaim’d the devil was in arms;
157 All the whole army stood agaz’d on him.
158 His soldiers, spying his undaunted spirit,
159 “A Talbot! a Talbot!” cried out amain,
160 And rush’d into the bowels of the battle.
161 Here had the conquest fully been seal’d up
162 If Sir John Fastolf had not play’d the coward.
163 He, being in the vaward, plac’d behind
164 With purpose to relieve and follow them,
165 Cowardly fled, not having struck one stroke.
166 Hence grew the general wrack and massacre.
167 Enclosed were they with their enemies.
168 A base Walloon, to win the Dauphin’s grace,
169 Thrust Talbot with a spear into the back,
170 Whom all France, with their chief assembled strength,
171 Durst not presume to look once in the face.
172 BEDFORD.
173 Is Talbot slain? Then I will slay myself,
174 For living idly here, in pomp and ease,
175 Whilst such a worthy leader, wanting aid,
176 Unto his dastard foemen is betray’d.
177 MESSENGER.
178 O no, he lives, but is took prisoner,
179 And Lord Scales with him, and Lord Hungerford;
180 Most of the rest slaughter’d or took likewise.
181 BEDFORD.
182 His ransom there is none but I shall pay.
183 I’ll hale the Dauphin headlong from his throne;
184 His crown shall be the ransom of my friend;
185 Four of their lords I’ll change for one of ours.
186 Farewell, my masters; to my task will I;
187 Bonfires in France forthwith I am to make
188 To keep our great Saint George’s feast withal.
189 Ten thousand soldiers with me I will take,
190 Whose bloody deeds shall make all Europe quake.
191 MESSENGER.
192 So you had need; for Orleans is besieg’d
193 The English army is grown weak and faint;
194 The Earl of Salisbury craveth supply
195 And hardly keeps his men from mutiny,
196 Since they, so few, watch such a multitude.
197 [_He exits._]
198 EXETER.
199 Remember, lords, your oaths to Henry sworn,
200 Either to quell the Dauphin utterly,
201 Or bring him in obedience to your yoke.
202 BEDFORD.
203 I do remember it, and here take my leave
204 To go about my preparation.
205 [_Exit._]
206 GLOUCESTER.
207 I’ll to the Tower with all the haste I can
208 To view th’ artillery and munition;
209 And then I will proclaim young Henry king.
210 [_Exit._]
211 EXETER.
212 To Eltham will I, where the young King is,
213 Being ordain’d his special governor;
214 And for his safety there I’ll best devise.
215 [_Exit._]
216 WINCHESTER.
217 Each hath his place and function to attend.
218 I am left out; for me nothing remains.
219 But long I will not be Jack out of office.
220 The King from Eltham I intend to steal,
221 And sit at chiefest stern of public weal.
222 [_Exeunt._]