| ACT IV 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; |
| Esteem none friends but such as are his friends, | 5 |
| 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, |
| To haste unto your coronation, | 10 |
| 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, |
| To tear the garter from thy craven's leg, | 15 |
[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, |
| When but in all I was six thousand strong | 20 |
| 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; |
| Myself and divers gentlemen beside | 25 |
| 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 | To say the truth, this fact was infamous | 30 |
| 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, |
| Valiant and virtuous, full of haughty courage, | 35 |
| 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 |
| Doth but usurp the sacred name of knight, | 40 |
| 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 | Stain to thy countrymen, thou hear'st thy doom! | 45 |
| 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 | What means his grace, that he hath changed his style? | 50 |
| 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? |
| What's here? | 55 |
[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, |
| Forsaken your pernicious faction | 60 |
| 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 | What! doth my uncle Burgundy revolt? | 65 |
| 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 |
| And give him chastisement for this abuse. | 70 |
| 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: |
| Let him perceive how ill we brook his treason | 75 |
| 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 | And me, my lord, grant me the combat too. | 80 |
| 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? |
| And wherefore crave you combat? or with whom? | 85 |
| 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 | Crossing the sea from England into France, | 90 |
| 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, |
| When stubbornly he did repugn the truth | 95 |
| 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 |
| And in defence of my lord's worthiness, | 100 |
| 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, |
| Yet know, my lord, I was provoked by him; | 105 |
| 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 | Your private grudge, my Lord of York, will out, | 110 |
| 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! |
| Good cousins both, of York and Somerset, | 115 |
| 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; |
| Betwixt ourselves let us decide it then. | 120 |
| 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! |
| And perish ye, with your audacious prate! | 125 |
| 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 |
| To bear with their perverse objections; | 130 |
| 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 | Come hither, you that would be combatants: | 135 |
| 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: |
| If they perceive dissension in our looks | 140 |
| And that within ourselves we disagree, |
| How will their grudging stomachs be provoked |
| To wilful disobedience, and rebel! |
| Beside, what infamy will there arise, |
| When foreign princes shall be certified | 145 |
| 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, |
| My tender years, and let us not forego | 150 |
| 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 |
| I more incline to Somerset than York: | 155 |
| 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 |
| Than I am able to instruct or teach: | 160 |
| 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: |
| And, good my Lord of Somerset, unite | 165 |
| 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. |
| Ourself, my lord protector and the rest | 170 |
| 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 | My Lord of York, I promise you, the king | 175 |
| 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; |
| I dare presume, sweet prince, he thought no harm. | 180 |
| 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, |
| I fear we should have seen decipher'd there | 185 |
| 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, |
| This shouldering of each other in the court, | 190 |
| 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; |
| There comes the rain, there begins confusion. | 195 |
| [Exit] |
The Essential Student History Quiz (with answers and illustrations)