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KING HENRY VI. PART I.] The historical transactions contained in this play, take in the compass of above thirty years. I must observe, however, that our author, in the three parts of Henry VI. has not been very precise to the date and disposition of his facts; but shuffled them, backwards and forwards, out of time. For instance; the lord Talbot is killed at the end of the fourth Act of this play, who in reality did not fall till the 13th of July, 1453: and The Second Part of Henry VI. opens with the marriage of the king, which was solemnized eight years before Talbot's death, in the year 1445. Again, in the Second Part, dame Eleanor Cobhamn is introduced to insult Queen Margaret; though her penance and banishment for sorcery happened three years before that princess came over to England. I could point out many other transgressions against history, as far as the order of time is concerned. Indeed, though there are several master-strokes in these three plays, which incontestibly betray the workmanship of Shakespeare; yet I am almost doubtful, whether they were entirely of his writing. And unless they were wrote by him very early, I should rather imagine them to have been brought to him as a director of the stage; and so have received some finishing beauties at his hand. An accurate observer will easily see, the diction of them is more obsolete, and the numbers more mean and prosaical, than in the generality of his genuine compositions. THEOBALD.

With respect to the second and third parts of K. Henry VI. or, as they were originally called, The Contention of the Two famous Houses of Yorke and Lancaster, they stand, in my apprehension, on a very different ground from that of this first part, or, as I believe it was anciently called, The Play of King Henry VI.-The Contention, &c. printed in two parts, in quarto, 1600, was, I conceive, the production of some playwright who preceded, or was contemporary with Shakespeare; and out of that piece he formed the two plays which are now denominated the Second and Third Parts of King Henry VI.; as, out of the old plays of King John and The Taming of the Shrew, he formed two other plays with the same titles.

This old play of King Henry VI. now before us, or as our author's editors have called it, the first part of King

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Henry VI. I suppose, to have been written in 1589, or before. See An Attempt to ascertain the Order of Shakespeare's Plays, Vol. II. The disposition of facts in these three plays, not always corresponding with the dates, which Mr. Theobald mentions, and the want of uniformity and consistency in the series of events exhibited, may perhaps be in some measure accounted for by the hypothesis now stated. As to our author's having accepted these pieces as a Director of the stage, he had, I fear, no pretension to such a situation at so early a period. MALONE.

King HENRY the Sixth.

Duke of GLOSTER, uncle to the king, and protector.
Duke of BEDFORD, uncle to the king, and regent of France.
THOMAS BEAUFORT, duke of Exeter, great uncle to the king.
HENRY BEAUFORT, great uncle to the king, bishop of Win-
chester, and afterwards cardinal.

JOHN BEAUFORT, earl of Somerset; afterwards duke.
RICHARD PLANTAGENET, eldest son of Richard late earl of
Cambridge; afterwards duke of York.

Earl of WARWICK. Earl of SALISBURY. Earl of SUFFOLK. Lord TALBOT, afterwards earl of Shrewsbury:

JOHN TALBOT, his son.

EDMUND MORTIMER, earl of March.

Mortimer's Keeper, and a Lawyer.

Sir JOHN FASTOLFE. Sir WILLIAM LUCY.

Sir WILLIAM GLANSDALE.

Sir THOMAS GARGRAVE.

Mayor of LONDON. WOODVILLE, lieutenant of the Tower. VERNON, of the White Rose, or York faction.

BASSET, of the Red Rose, or Lancaster faction.

CHARLES, dauphin, and afterwards king of France.
REIGNIER, duke of Anjou, and titular king of Naples.
Duke of BURGUNDY. Duke of ALENÇON.

Governor of Paris.

Bastard of Orleans.

Master-Gunner of Orleans, and his son.

General of the French forces in Bourdeaux.
A French Sergeant. A Porter.

An old Shepherd, father to Joan la Pucelle.

MARGARET, daughter to Reignier; afterwards married to King Henry.

Countess of Auvergne.

JOAN LA PUCELLE, commonly called Joan of Arc.

Fiends appearing to La Pucelle, Lords, Warders of the Tower, Heralds, Officers, Soldiers, Messengers, and severai Attendants both on the English and French.

SCENE, partly in England, and partly in France.

FIRST PART OF

KING HENRY VI.

ACT I.

SCENE I.-Westminster Abbey.

Dead march. Corpse of King HENRY the Fifth discovered, lying in state; attended on by the Dukes of BEDford, GLOSTER, and EXETER; the Earl of WARWICK, the Bishop of WINCHESTER, Heralds, &c.

Bed. Hung be the heavens with black, yield day to night!

Comets, importing change of times and states,
Brandish your crystal tresses in the sky;

And with them scourge the bad revolting stars,
That have consented unto Henry's death!
Henry the fifth, too famous to live long!
England ne'er lost a king of so much worth.

Glo. England ne'er had a king, until his time.

Virtue he had, deserving to command:

His brandish'd sword did blind men with his beams;
His arms spread wider than a dragon's wings;

His sparkling eyes replete with wrathful fire,
More dazzled and drove back his enemies,
Than mid-day sun, fierce bent against their faces.

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What should I say? his deeds exceed all speech:

He ne'er lift up his hand, but conquered.

Exe. We mourn in black; Why mourn we not in blood?

Henry is dead, and never shall revive:

Upon a wooden coffin we attend;
And death's dishonourable victory
We with our stately presence glorify,
Like captives bound to a triumphant car.
What? shall we curse the planets of mishap,
That plotted thus our glory's overthrow?
Or shall we think the subtle-witted French
Conjurers and sorcerers, that, afraid of him,
By magick verses have contriv'd his end?

Win. He was a king bless'd of the King of kings.
Unto the French the dreadful judgement-day
So dreadful will not be, as was his sight.

The battles of the Lord of hosts he fought:

The church's prayers made him so prosperous.

Glo. The church! where is it? Had not churchmen

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pray'd,

His thread of life had not so soon decay'd:
None do you like but an effeminate prince,
Whom, like a school-boy, you may over-awe.

Win. Gloster, whate'er we like, thou art protector;
And lookest to command the prince, and realm.
Thy wife is proud; she holdeth thee in awe,
More than God, or religious churchmen, may.

Glo. Name not religion, for thou lov'st the flesh; And ne'er throughout the year to church thou go’st, Except it be to pray against thy foes.

Bed. Cease, cease these jars, and rest your minds in peace!

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