ACT IV

SCENE I.-A Field of Battle.

Alarums: Excursions. Enter LA PUCELLE.

Puc. The Regent conquers, and the Frenchmen fly.

See! they forsake me.

Now the time is come

That France must veil her lofty-plumed crest,

And let her head fall into England's lap.
My ancient incantations are too weak,

And hell too strong for me to buckle with :

Now, France, thy glory droopeth to the dust.

Alarums. Enter French and English fighting. and TALBOT fight hand to hand.

[Exit.

LA PUCELLE

LA PUCELLE is taken.

Tal. Damsel of France, I think I have you fast:
Unchain your spirits now with spelling charms,
And try if they can gain your liberty.
A goodly prize, fit for the devil's grace!
See, how the ugly witch doth bend her brows,
As if, with Circe, she would change my shape.

Puc. Chang'd to a worser shape thou canst not be.
Tal. O, Charles the Dauphin is a proper man;

No shape but his can please your dainty eye.

Puc. I prithee, give me leave to pray awhile.
Tal.

Curse, miscreant, when thou comest to the stake.

[Exeunt.

SCENE II.-Paris. A Room of State. The Coronation Music

is heard.

Enter VERNON and BASSET hurriedly.

Ver. Now, sir, to you, that were so hot at sea,

Disgracing of these colours that I wear

In honour of my noble lord of York,-
Dar'st thou maintain the former words thou spak'st?
Bas. Yes, sir; as well as you dare patronage

The envious barking of your saucy tongue
Against my lord, the Duke of Somerset.

Ver. Sirrah, thy lord I honour as he is.
Bas. Why, what is he? as good a man as York.
Ver. Hark ye; not so; in witness take ye that.

Bas.

[Strikes him.

Villain, thou know'st the law of arms is such

That whoso draws a sword 'tis present death,
Or else this blow should broach thy dearest blood.
But I'll unto his majesty, and crave

I may have liberty to venge this wrong;

When thou shalt see I'll meet thee to thy cost.

Ver. Well, miscreant, I'll be there as soon as you;

And, after, meet you sooner than you would.

[Music approaches.

[Exeunt.

Enter KING Henry, GLOSTER, EXETER, York, SUFFOLK, SOMERSET, WINCHESTER, WARWICK, TALBOT, the Governor of Paris, and others.

Glo. Lord bishop, set the crown upon his head.
Win. God save King Henry, of that name the sixth !
Glo. Now, governor of Paris, take your oath, -

[Governor kneels.

That you elect no other king but him :
Esteem none friends but such as are his friends ;
And none your foes but such as shall pretend
Malicious practices against his state :

This shall ye do, so help you righteous God !

Tal. My gracious prince, and honourable peers,

Hearing of your arrival in this realm,
I have awhile given truce unto my wars,

To do my duty to my sovereign :

In sign whereof, this arm, that hath reclaim'd

To your obedience fifty fortresses,

Twelve cities, and seven walled towns of strength,
Besides five hundred prisoners of esteem, —

Lets fall his sword before your highness' feet;

And, with submissive loyalty of heart,

Ascribes the glory of his conquest got,

First to my God, and next unto your grace.

K. Hen. Is this then the Lord Talbot, uncle Gloster, That hath so long been resident in France ?

Glo. Yes, if it please your majesty, my liege.

K. Hen. Welcome, brave captain, and victorious lord !

A stouter champion never handled sword.
Long since we were resolved of your truth,
Your faithful service, and your toil in war;
Yet never have you tasted our reward,
Or been reguerdon'd with so much as thanks,
Because till now we never saw your face :
Therefore, stand up; and, for these good deserts,
We here create you Earl of Shrewsbury ;

War. Accept this scroll, most gracious sovereign;

Which in right of Richard Plantagenet

We do exhibit to your majesty.

Glo. Well urg'd, my Lord of Warwick; - for, sweet

prince,

An if your grace mark every circumstance,

You have great reason to do Richard right :

Especially, for those occasions

At Eltham-place I told your majesty.

K. Hen. And those occasions, uncle, were of force :

Therefore, my loving lords, our pleasure is
That Richard be restored to his blood.

War. Let Richard be restored to his blood;

So shall his father's wrongs be recompens'd.

Win. As will the rest, so willeth Winchester.
K. Hen.

If Richard will be true, not that alone,

But all the whole inheritance I give

That doth belong unto the house of York,

From whence you spring by lineal descent.

Plan. Thy humble servant vows obedience,

And faithful service, till the point of death.

K. Hen. Stoop, then, and set your knee against my

foot:

And, in reguerdon of that duty done,

I gird thee with the valiant sword of York :

Rise, Richard, like a true Plantagenet;

And rise created princely Duke of York.

Plan. And so thrive Richard, as thy foes may fall!

And as my duty springs, so perish they

That grudge one thought against your majesty!

All. Welcome, high prince, the mighty Duke of York !

Enter SIR JOHN FASTOLFE.

Fast. My gracious sovereign, as I rode from Calais,

To haste unto your coronation,

A letter was deliver'd to my hands,

Writ from the Duke of Burgundy to your grace.

[Plucking it off.

Tal. 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.
(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,
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,
Were there surpris'd 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.

Glo. To say the truth, this fact was infamous,
And ill-beseeming any common man;
Much more a knight, a captain, and a leader.

Tal. When first this order was ordain'd, my lords,
Knights of the garter were of noble birth;
Valiant and virtuous, full of haughty courage,
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,

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.

K. Hen. Stain to thy countrymen! thou hear'st thy

doom!
Henceforth we banish thee, on pain of death. -
And now, my lord protector, view the letter
Sent from our uncle Duke of Burgundy.

[Exit FAST.

Glo. What means his grace, that he hath chang'd his style ? [Viewing the superscription.

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? -" I have, upon especial cause, -
Mov'd with compassion of my country's wrack,

[Reads.

Together with the pitiful complaints

Of such as your oppression feeds upon,

Forsaken your pernicious faction.

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 ?

K. Hen. What! doth my uncle Burgundy revolt ?
Glo. He doth, my lord; and is become your foe.
K. Hen. Is that the worst this letter doth contain ?
Glo. It is the worst, and all, my lord, he writes.

K. Hen. Why, then, Lord Talbot there shall talk with

him,

And give him chastisement for this abuse :

My lord, how say you? are you not content ?

Tal. Content, my liege? But that I am prevented,

I should have begg'd I might have been employ'd.

K. Hen. Then gather strength, and march unto him

straight:

Let him perceive how ill we brook his treason;
And what offence it is to flout his friends.

Tal. I go, my lord; in heart desiring still

You may behold confusion of your foes.
But yet, before we go, let's not forget