The SECOND PART of

KING HENRY VI

ACT I.

SCENE I.

The PALACE.

Flourish of trumpets: then hautboys. Enter King Henry, Duke Humphry, Salisbury, Warwick, and Cardinal on the one fide. The Queen, Suffolk, York, Somerfet, and Buckingham on the other.

SUFFOLK.

S by your high imperial Majesty

I had in charge at my depart for France,
As procurator to your Excellence,

To marry Princess Margret for your Grace;
So in the famous ancient city Tours,
In prefence of the Kings of France and Sicil,

I

The Dukes of 'Orleans, Bretagne, Alanfon,

Seven Earls, twelve Barons, twenty reverend Bifhops,
I have perform'd my task, and was efpous'd:

And

(a) This and the third part were firft written under the The Contention of York and Lancafler: printed in 1600; but fince

Title of

wafly improved by the Author.

Pope.

(b) Vide Hall's Chron. fol, 66, year 23. Init.

Pope

Orleans, Calaber, Bretagne,

And humbly now upon my bended knee,
In fight of England and her lordly Peers,
Deliver up my title in the Queen

[Prefenting the Queen to the King.

To your moft gracious hand, that are the fubftance
Of that great fhadow I did represent:

The happiest gift that ever Marquifs gave,

The fairest Queen that ever King receiv'd.

K. Henry. Suffolk, arife. Welcome, Queen Margaret; I can exprefs no kinder fign of love

Than this kind kifs. O Lord, that lend'ft me life,
Lend me a heart repleat with thankfulness:

For thou haft giv'n me, in this beauteous face,
A world of earthly bleffings to my foul,

If fympathy of love unite our thoughts.

[Lord,

Q. Mar. Great King of England, and my gracious

The mutual conf'rence that my mind hath had,
By day, by night, waking, and in my dreams,
In courtly company, or at my beads,
With you mine alder-liefeft Sovereign;
Makes me the bolder to falute my King
With ruder terms; fuch as my wit affords,

And over-joy of heart doth minifter.

K. Henry. Her fight did ravifh, but her grace in fpeech, Her words yclad with wifdom's majesty,

Make me from wondring fall to weeping joys,

Such is the fulnefs of my heart's content.

Lords, with one cheerful voice welcome my love. [nefs! All kneel. Long live Queen Margret, England's happiQ. Mar. We thank you all.

[Flourish. Suf. My Lord Protector, fo it please your Grace, Here are the articles of contracted peace, Between our Sovereign and the French King Charles, For eighteen months concluded by confent.

Glou. Reads.] Imprimis, it is agreed between the French King Charles, and William de la Pole, Marquis of Suffolk, Ambaffador for Henry King of England, that the faid Henry fhall efpoufe the Lady Margaret, daughter unto

Reignier,

Reignier, King of Naples, Sicilia, and Jerufalem, and crown her Queen of England, ere the thirtieth of May next enfuing.

Item, That the Dutchy of Anjou, and the County of Maine, fhall be releafed and delivered to the king her father. [Lets fall the paper.

K. Henry. Uncle, how now?

Glou. Pardon me, gracious Lord,

Some fudden qualm hath ftruck me to the heart,
And dimm'd mine eyes, that I can read no further.
K. Henry. Uncle of Winchester, I pray, read on.

Car. Item, That the Dutchies of Anjou and Maine fball be releafed and delivered to the King ber father, and she fent over of the King of England's own proper caft and charges, without having any dowry.

K. Henry. They pleafe us well. Lord Marquifs, kneel you down;

We here create thee the firft Duke of Suffolk,

And gird thee with the fword. Cousin of York,
We here difcharge your Grace from being Regent
I'th' parts of France, 'till term of eighteen months
Be full expir'd. Thanks, uncle Winchester,
Glofter, York, Buckingham, and Somer fet,
Salisbury and Warwick,

We thank you all for this great favour done,
In entertainment to my princely Queen.
Come, let us in, and with all speed provide
To fee her coronation be perform'd.

[Exeunt King, Queen, and Suffolk.

Glou. Brave Peers of England, pillars of the ftate,
To you Duke Humphry 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 fo often lodge in open field,

In winter's cold, and fummer's parching heat,
To conquer France, his true inheritance?
And did my brother Bedford toil his wits
To keep by policy what Henry got?
Have you your felves, Somerfet, Buckingham,
Brave York, and Salisbury, victorious Warwick,
Receiv'd deep fcars in France and Normandy?
Or hath mine uncle Beaufort, and my self,
With all the learned council of the realm,
Studied fo long, fat in the council-house,
Early and late, debating to and fro,
How France and Frenchmen might be kept in awe?
And was his Highnefs in his infancy
Crowned in Paris, in defpight of foes?
And shall these labours and thefe honours die?
Shall Henry's conqueft, Bedford's vigilance,
Your deeds of war, and all our counfel die?
O Peers of England, fhameful is this league,
Fatal this marriage, cancelling your fame,
Blotting your names from books of memory,
Rafing the characters of your renown,
Defacing monuments of conquer'd France,
Undoing all, as all had never been.

Car. Nephew, what means this paffionate difcourfe?

This peroration with fuch circumstances?
For France, 'tis ouis; and we will keep it ftill.
Glou. Ay, uncle, we will keep it if we can;
But now it is impoffible we fhould.

Suffolk, the new-made Duke that rules the roaft,
Hath giv'n the Dutchy of Anjou and Maine
Unto the poor King Reignier, whose large style
Agrees not with the leannefs of his purse.

Sal. Now by the death of him who dy'd for all,
These counties were the keys of Normandy:
But wherefore weeps Warwick, my valiant fon?

War. For grief that they are past recovery.
For were there hope to conquer them again,

My

My fword fhould fhed hot blood, mine eyes no tears.
Anjou and Maine! my self did win them both :
Those provinces thefe arms of mine did conquer.
And are the cities that I got with wounds,
Delivered up again with peaceful words? a

York. France fhould have torn and rent my very heart, Before I would have yielded to this league.

I never read but England's Kings have had
Large fums of gold, and dowries with their wives:
And our King Henry gives away his own,
To match with her that brings no vantages.
Glou. A proper jeft, and never heard before,
That Suffolk fhould demand a whole fifteenth,
For coft and charges in transporting her:

She should have ftaid in France, and ftarv'd in France,
Before

Car. My Lord of Glo'fter, now ye grow too hot:
It was the pleasure of my Lord the King.

Glou. My Lord of Winchester, I know your mind.
'Tis not my fpeeches that you do miflike,
But 'tis my presence that doth trouble you.
Rancour will out, proud Prelate; in thy face
I fee thy fury: if I longer stay,

We fhall begin our ancient bickerings.
Lordings, farewel, and fay when I am gone,
I prophefy'd, France will be loft ere long.

Car. So, there goes our Protector in a rage:
'Tis known to you he is mine enemy;
Nay more, an enemy unto you all,
And no great friend, I fear me, to the King.
Confider, Lords, he is the next of blood,
And heir apparent to the English crown.
Had Henry got an empire by his marriage,
And all the wealthy kingdoms of the weft,
VOL. IV.

(a)

peaceful words?

G

York. For Suffolk's Duke, may he be fuffocate, That dims the honour of this warlike ifle :

France fhould &c.

[Exit

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