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ACTI. SCENE I.

Westminster-abbey.

Dead march, Enter the funeral of King Henry V, attended on by the Duke of Bedford, regent of France; the Duke of Gloucester, Protector; the Duke of Exeter, and the Earl of Warwick, the Bishop of Winchelter, and the Duke of Somerfet.

Bed. YUNG be the heav'ns with black, yield day to night!

H

Comets, importing change of times * and
ftates,

Brandith your crefted treffes in the sky;
And with them fcourge the bad revolting flars,
That have confented unto Henry death!
Henry the Fifth, too famous to live long!
England ne'er loft a King of fo much worth.
Glou. England ne'er had a King until his time.
Virtue he had, deferving to command.

His brandith'd sword did blind men with its beams;
His arms fpread wider than a dragon's wings;
His fparkling eyes, replete with awful fire,
More dazzled and drove back his enemies,
Than mid-day fun fierce bent againft their faces.
What fhould I fay? his deeds exceed all fpeech:
He never lifted up his hand, but conquer'd,

Exe. We mourn in black; why mourn we not in

Henry is dead, and never thall revive:

[blood?

Upon a wooden coffin we attend;
And Death's difhonourable victory
We with our fately prefence glorify,
Like captives bound to a triumphant car,
What? fhall we curfe the planets of mithap,
That plotted thus our glory's overthrow?
Or thall we think the fubtle witted French
Conj'rers and forc'rers, that, afraid of him,
By magic verfe have thus contriv'd his end?
Win. He was a King, blefs'd of the King of Kings.
Unto the French, the dreadful judgment-day

times, for manners,

So

So dreadful will not be as was his fight.

The battles of the Lord of hofts he fought:
The church's pray'rs made him fo profperous.

[pray'd

Glou. The church? where is it? had not churchmen His thread of life had not fo foon decay'd.. None do you like but an effeminate prince, Whom, like a school-boy, you may overawe.

Win. Glo'ster, whate'er we like, thou art Protector, And lookeft to command the prince and realm: Thy wife is proud; fhe holdeth thee in awe, More than god or religious churchmen may.

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

Bed. Ceafe, ceafe thefe jars, and reft your minds in Let's to the altar; heralds, wait on us;

Inftead of gold we'll offer up our arms,

Since arms avail not now that Henry's dead!

Pofterity await for wretched years,

[peace

When at their mother's moift eyes babes fhall fuck;
Our ifle be made a marish of falt tears,

And none but women left to 'wail the dead !
Henry the Fifth thy ghoft I invocate;
Profper this realm, keep it from civil broils,
Combat with adverse planets in the heavens!
A far more glorious ftar thy foul will make,
Than Julius Cæfar, or bright-

SCENE II. Enter a Messenger.
Me. My honourable lords, health to you all;
Sad tidings bring I to you out of France,
Of lofs, of flaughter, and difcomfeiture;
Guienne, Champaign, and Rheims, and Orleans,
Paris, Guyfors, Poitiers, are all quite loft.

Bed. What fay'ft thou, man, before dead Henry's Speak foftly, or the lofs of thofe great towns [corfe? Will make him burft his lead, and rife from death. Glou. Is Paris loft, and Roan yielded up?

If Henry were recall'd to life again,
Thefe news would caufe him once more yield the ghoft.
Exe. How were they loft? what treachery was us'd?"
Me. No treachery, but want of men and money.

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Amongst

Amongst the foldiers this is muttered,

That here you maintain feveral factions;

And, whilft a field thould be difpatch'd and fought,
You are difputing of your generals.

One would have ling'ring wars with little coft;
Another would fly fwift, but wanteth wings;
A third man thinks, without expence at all,
By guileful fair words, peace may be obtain'd.
Awake, awake, English nobility!

Let not floth dim your honours, new-begot;
Cropp'd are the flower-de-luces in your arms,
Of England's coat one half is cut away.

Exe. Were our tears wanting to this funeral, These tidings would call forth their flowing tides. Bed. Me they concern, Regent I am of France. Give me my steeled coat, I'll fight for France. Away with thefe difgraceful wailing robes: Wounds I will lend the French, inftead of eyes, To weep their intermiflive miferies *.

SCENE III. Enter to them another Messenger.

2 Meff. Lords, view thefe letters, full of bad mifFrance is revolted from the English quite, [chance. Except fome petty towns of no import.

The Dauphin Charles is crowned King in Rheims,
The baftard Orleans with him is join'd :
Reignier, Duke of Anjou, doth take his part,
The Duke of Alanfon flies to his fide.

[Exit.

Exe. The Dauphin crowned King all fly to him?

O whither thall we fly from this reproach?

Glou. We will not fly but to our enemies' throats. Bedford, if thou be flack, I'll fight it out

Bed. Glo'fter, why doubt't thou of my forwardness? An army have I mutter'd in my thoughts, Wherewith already France is over-run.

SCENE IV. Enter a third Meffenger.

3 Meff. My gracious Lords, to add to your laments. Wherewith you now bedew King Henry's hearse, I must inform you of a diimal fight

i. e. their miferies, which have had only a fhort intermiflion from Henry V. s death to my coming amongst them.

VOL. IV.

U u

Betwixt

Betwixt the ftout Lord Talbot and the French.

Win. What! wherein Talbot overcame? Is't fo?
3 Mef. O, no; wherein Lord Talbot was o'erthrown.
The circumftance I'll tell you more at large.
The tenth of August last, this dreadful Lord
Retiring from the fiege of Orleans,

Having fcarce full fix thousand in his troop,
By three and twenty thousand of the French
Was roud incompaffed and fet upon.
No leifure had he to inrank his men.
He wanted pikes to set before his archers;
Inftead whereof, fharp ftakes, pluck'd out of hedges,..
They pitched in the ground confusedly,

To keep the horsemen off from breaking in.
More than three hours the fight continued;
Where valiant Talbot above human thought
Enacted wonders with his fword and lance.
Hundreds he fent to hell, and none durft stand him:
Here, there, and every where, inrage'd he flew.
The French exclaim'd, "The devil was in arms!
All the whole army ftood agaz'd on him.
His foldiers, fpying his undaunted spirit,
A Talbot! Talbot! cried out amain,
And rufh'd into the bowels of the battle.
Here had the conqueft fully been feal'd up,
If Sir John Falstaff had not play'd the coward;
He being in the vaward, (place'd behind,
With purpose to relieve and follow them),
Cowardly fled, not having ftruck one stroke.
Hence grew the gen'ral wreck and maffacre;
Inclofed were they with their enemies.

A bafe Walloon, to win the Dauphin's grace,
Thruft Talbot with a spear into the back;
Whom all France, with her chief affembled ftrength,
Durft not prefume to look once in the face.

Bed. Is Talbot flain then? I will flay myself,.

For living idly here in pomp and ease,
Whilft fuch a worthy leader, wanting aid,
Unto his daftard foe-men is betray'd.

3 Me. O no! he lives, but is took prifoner, And Lord Scales with him, and Lord Hungerford; Most of the rest flaughter'd, or took likewife.

Bed.

Bed. His ranfom there is none but I fhall pay. I'll hale the Dauphin headlong from his throne, His crown fhall be the ranfom of my friend. Four of their lords I'll change for one of ours. Farewel, my mafters, to my talk will I. Bonefires in France forthwith I am to make, To keep our great St. George's feast withal, Ten thoufand foldiers with me I will take, Whofe bloody deeds fhall make all Europe quake. 3 Meff. So you had need: for Orleans is befiege'd; The English army is grown weak and faint; The Earl of Salisbury craveth fupply,

And hardly keeps his men from mutiny,

Since they fo few watch fuch a multitude.

Exe. Remember, Lords, your oaths to Henry fworn: Either to quell the Dauphin utterly,

Or bring him in obedience to your yoke.

Bed. I do remember it, and here take leave

To go about my preparation.

[Exit Bedford.

Glou. I'll to the Tower with all the hafte I can, To view th' artillery and ammunition;

And then I will proclaim young Henry King.

[Exit Gloucefter.

Exe. To Eltham will I, where the young King is, Being ordain'd his fpecial governor;

And for his fafety there I'll best devise.

[Exit.

Wip. Each hath his place and function to attend ; I am left out; for me nothing remains. But long I will not be thus out of office, The King from Eltham I intend to fend, And fit at chiefeft ftern of public weal.

[Exit.

SCENE V. Before Orleans in France.

Enter Charles, Alanfon, and Reignier, marching with a drum and foldiers,

Char. Mars his true moving, ev'n as in the heav'ns, So in the earth to this day is not known. Late did he thine upon the English fide: Now we are victors, upon us he fmiles, What towns of any moment but we have? At pleasure here we lie near Orleans:

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