Henry VI, Pt. 1
Act IV, Scene 1

Paris. A hall of state.

0. Enter King, Gloucester, Winchester, York, Suffolk, Somerset,
0. Warwick, Talbot, and Governor of Paris, Exeter, and others.

Duke of Gloucester

1

1. Lord Bishop, set the crown upon his head.

Bishop of Winchester

2

2. God save King Henry, of that name the sixt!

Duke of Gloucester

3 - 8

3. Now, Governor of Paris, take your oath:
0. Governor kneels.
4. That you elect no other king but him;
5. Esteem none friends but such as are his friends,
6. And none your foes but such as shall pretend
7. Malicious practices against his state.
8. This shall ye do, so help you righteous God!

0. Exeunt Governor and Train.

0. Enter Falstaff.

Falstaff

9 - 12

9. My gracious sovereign, as I rode from Callice,
10. To haste unto your coronation,
11. A letter was deliver’d to my hands,
12. Writ to your Grace from th’ Duke of Burgundy.

0. Presents it.

Lord Talbot

13 - 29

13. Shame to the Duke of Burgundy and thee!
14. I vow’d, base knight, when I did meet thee next,
15. To tear the Garter from thy craven’s leg,
0. Plucking it off.
16. Which I have done, because (unworthily)
17. Thou wast installed in that high degree.
18. Pardon me, princely Henry, and the rest.
19. This dastard, at the battle of Poictiers,
20. When (but in all) I was six thousand strong
21. And that the French were almost ten to one,
22. Before we met, or that a stroke was given,
23. Like to a trusty squire did run away;
24. In which assault we lost twelve hundred men;
25. Myself and divers gentlemen beside
26. Were there surpris’d and taken prisoners.
27. Then judge, great lords, if I have done amiss;
28. Or whether that such cowards ought to wear
29. This ornament of knighthood, yea or no?

Duke of Gloucester

30 - 32

30. To say the truth, this fact was infamous
31. And ill beseeming any common man,
32. Much more a knight, a captain, and a leader.

Lord Talbot

33 - 44

33. When first this order was ordain’d, my lords,
34. Knights of the Garter were of noble birth,
35. Valiant and virtuous, full of haughty courage,
36. Such as were grown to credit by the wars;
37. Not fearing death, nor shrinking for distress,
38. But always resolute in most extremes.
39. He then, that is not furnish’d in this sort,
40. Doth but usurp the sacred name of knight,
41. Profaning this most honorable order,
42. And should (if I were worthy to be judge)
43. Be quite degraded, like a hedge-born swain
44. That doth presume to boast of gentle blood.

King Henry the Sixth

45 - 49

45. Stain to thy countrymen, thou hear’st thy doom!
46. Be packing therefore, thou that wast a knight;
47. Henceforth we banish thee, on pain of death.
0. Exit Falstaff.
48. And now, Lord Protector, view the letter
49. Sent from our uncle Duke of Burgundy.

Duke of Gloucester

50 - 64

50. What means his Grace, that he hath chang’d his style?
51. No more but plain and bluntly “To the King”?
52. Hath he forgot he is his sovereign?
53. Or doth this churlish superscription
54. Pretend some alteration in good will?
55. What’s here?
0. Reads.
56. “I have, upon especial cause,
57. Mov’d with compassion of my country’s wrack,
58. Together with the pitiful complaints
59. Of such as your oppression feeds upon,
60. Forsaken your pernicious faction
61. And join’d with Charles, the rightful King of France.”
62. O monstrous treachery! Can this be so?
63. That in alliance, amity, and oaths,
64. There should be found such false dissembling guile?

King Henry the Sixth

65

65. What? Doth my uncle Burgundy revolt?

Duke of Gloucester

66

66. He doth, my lord, and is become your foe.

King Henry the Sixth

67

67. Is that the worst this letter doth contain?

Duke of Gloucester

68

68. It is the worst, and all, my lord, he writes.

King Henry the Sixth

69 - 71

69. Why then Lord Talbot there shall talk with him,
70. And give him chastisement for this abuse.
71. How say you, my lord? Are you not content?

Lord Talbot

72 - 73

72. Content, my liege? Yes. But that I am prevented,
73. I should have begg’d I might have been employ’d.

King Henry the Sixth

74 - 76

74. Then gather strength and march unto him straight.
75. Let him perceive how ill we brook his treason,
76. And what offense it is to flout his friends.

Lord Talbot

77 - 78

77. I go, my lord, in heart desiring still
78. You may behold confusion of your foes.

0. Exit.

0. Enter Vernon and Basset.

Vernon

79

79. Grant me the combat, gracious sovereign.

Basset

80

80. And me, my lord, grant me the combat too.

Richard, Duke of York

81

81. This is my servant, hear him, noble prince.

Duke of Somerset

82

82. And this is mine, sweet Henry, favor him.

King Henry the Sixth

83 - 85

83. Be patient, lords, and give them leave to speak.
84. Say, gentlemen, what makes you thus exclaim?
85. And wherefore crave you combat? Or with whom?

Vernon

86

86. With him, my lord, for he hath done me wrong.

Basset

87

87. And I with him, for he hath done me wrong.

King Henry the Sixth

88 - 89

88. What is that wrong whereof you both complain?
89. First let me know, and then I’ll answer you.

Basset

90 - 101

90. Crossing the sea from England into France,
91. This fellow here, with envious carping tongue,
92. Upbraided me about the rose I wear,
93. Saying the sanguine color of the leaves
94. Did represent my master’s blushing cheeks,
95. When stubbornly he did repugn the truth
96. About a certain question in the law
97. Argu’d betwixt the Duke of York and him;
98. With other vile and ignominious terms:
99. In confutation of which rude reproach,
100. And in defense of my lord’s worthiness,
101. I crave the benefit of law of arms.

Vernon

102 - 108

102. And that is my petition, noble lord.
103. For though he seem with forged quaint conceit
104. To set a gloss upon his bold intent,
105. Yet know, my lord, I was provok’d by him,
106. And he first took exceptions at this badge,
107. Pronouncing that the paleness of this flower
108. Bewray’d the faintness of my master’s heart.

Byam Shaw, 1901

Richard, Duke of York

109

109. Will not this malice, Somerset, be left?

Duke of Somerset

110 - 111

110. Your private grudge, my Lord of York, will out,
111. Though ne’er so cunningly you smother it.

King Henry the Sixth

112 - 116

112. Good Lord, what madness rules in brain-sick men,
113. When for so slight and frivolous a cause
114. Such factious emulations shall arise!
115. Good cousins both, of York and Somerset,
116. Quiet yourselves, I pray, and be at peace.

Richard, Duke of York

117 - 118

117. Let this dissension first be tried by fight,
118. And then your Highness shall command a peace.

Duke of Somerset

119 - 120

119. The quarrel toucheth none but us alone,
120. Betwixt ourselves let us decide it then.

Richard, Duke of York

121

121. There is my pledge, accept it, Somerset.

Vernon

122

122. Nay, let it rest where it began at first.

Basset

123

123. Confirm it so, mine honorable lord.

Duke of Gloucester

124 - 133

124. Confirm it so? Confounded be your strife,
125. And perish ye, with your audacious prate!
126. Presumptuous vassals, are you not asham’d
127. With this immodest clamorous outrage
128. To trouble and disturb the King and us?
129. And you, my lords, methinks you do not well
130. To bear with their perverse objections;
131. Much less to take occasion from their mouths
132. To raise a mutiny betwixt yourselves.
133. Let me persuade you take a better course.

Duke of Exeter

134

134. It grieves his Highness. Good my lords, be friends.

King Henry the Sixth

135 - 174

135. Come hither, you that would be combatants:
136. Henceforth I charge you, as you love our favor,
137. Quite to forget this quarrel, and the cause.
138. And you, my lords: remember where we are—
139. In France, amongst a fickle, wavering nation.
140. If they perceive dissension in our looks,
141. And that within ourselves we disagree,
142. How will their grudging stomachs be provok’d
143. To willful disobedience, and rebel!
144. Beside, what infamy will there arise,
145. When foreign princes shall be certified
146. That for a toy, a thing of no regard,
147. King Henry’s peers and chief nobility
148. Destroy’d themselves, and lost the realm of France!
149. O, think upon the conquest of my father,
150. My tender years, and let us not forgo
151. That for a trifle that was bought with blood!
152. Let me be umpeer in this doubtful strife.
153. I see no reason, if I wear this rose,
0. Putting on a red rose.
154. That any one should therefore be suspicious
155. I more incline to Somerset than York:
156. Both are my kinsmen, and I love them both.
157. As well they may upbraid me with my crown,
158. Because, forsooth, the King of Scots is crown’d.
159. But your discretions better can persuade
160. Than I am able to instruct or teach;
161. And therefore, as we hither came in peace,
162. So let us still continue peace, and love.
163. Cousin of York, we institute your Grace
164. To be our regent in these parts of France;
165. And, good my Lord of Somerset, unite
166. Your troops of horsemen with his bands of foot,
167. And like true subjects, sons of your progenitors,
168. Go cheerfully together and digest
169. Your angry choler on your enemies.
170. Ourself, my Lord Protector, and the rest,
171. After some respite, will return to Callice;
172. From thence to England, where I hope ere long
173. To be presented, by your victories,
174. With Charles, Alanson, and that traitorous rout.

0. Flourish.

0. Exeunt. Manent York, Warwick, Exeter, Vernon.

Earl of Warwick

175 - 176

175. My Lord of York, I promise you, the King
176. Prettily, methought, did play the orator.

Richard, Duke of York

177 - 178

177. And so he did, but yet I like it not,
178. In that he wears the badge of Somerset.

Earl of Warwick

179 - 180

179. Tush, that was but his fancy, blame him not.
180. I dare presume, sweet prince, he thought no harm.

Richard, Duke of York

181 - 182

181. And if I wist he did—but let it rest,
182. Other affairs must now be managed.

0. Exeunt. Manet Exeter.

Duke of Exeter

183 - 195

183. Well didst thou, Richard, to suppress thy voice,
184. For had the passions of thy heart burst out,
185. I fear we should have seen decipher’d there
186. More rancorous spite, more furious raging broils,
187. Than yet can be imagin’d or suppos’d.
188. But howsoe’er, no simple man that sees
189. This jarring discord of nobility,
190. This shouldering of each other in the court,
191. This factious bandying of their favorites,
192. But that it doth presage some ill event.
193. ’Tis much, when sceptres are in children’s hands;
194. But more, when envy breeds unkind division:
195. There comes the ruin, there begins confusion.

0. Exit.