Bishop of WINCHESTER
Henry Beaufort, great-uncle to the King, and later Cardinal
Duke of SOMERSET
WOODVILLE
Lieutenant of the Tower of London
RICHARD Plantagenet
Later Duke of YORK, and Regent of France
Duke of SUFFOLK
(William de la Pole)
VERNON
a gentleman of the Inns of Court, who joins the party of Richard Plantagenet
Edmund MORTIMER
KING Henry the Sixth
BASSET
a follower of the Duke of Somerset
Three MESSENGERS
to the funeral of Henry V
Two WARDERS
of the Tower of London
SERVINGMEN
of Winchester and Gloucester
MAYOR
of London
His OFFICERS
LAWYER
of the Temple
GAOLERS
of Edmund Mortimer
LEGATE
from the Pope to Winchester
Ambassadors to the English court
THE ENGLISH ARMY IN FRANCE
Duke of BEDFORD
Regent of France
Earl of SALISBURY
Sir John TALBOT
later Earl of Shrewsbury
Sir Thomas GARGRAVE
Sir William GLANSDALE
Sir John FASTOLFE
Sir William LUCY
JOHN
Talbot’s son
SOLDIER
at the siege of Orleans
MESSENGER
to Sir John Talbot
Talbot’s CAPTAIN
MESSENGER
to York
SERVANT
to Sir John Talbot
Soldiers, two Attendants on Bedford
THE FRENCH
CHARLES, the Dolphin
crowned by the French as King Charles VII,
of France
a title unrecognised by the English
Duke of ALENÇON
REIGNIER
Duke of Anjou and Maine, King of Naples and Jerusalem
BASTARD of Orleans
JOAN Puzel
a peasant
Duke of BURGUNDY
COUNTESS of Auvergne
MARGARET
daughter of King Reignier
Master GUNNER of Orleans
Master Gunner’s BOY
his son
SERGEANT
of a band
Two SENTINELS
before Orleans
MESSENGER
to Talbot from the Countess of Auvergne
PORTER
to the Countess of Auvergne
Four SOLDIERS
at Rouen
WATCH
of the City of Rouen
Governor of Paris
CAPTAIN
of the French forces in Bordeaux
SCOUT
SHEPHERD
who claims to be Joan Puzel’s father
Soldiers, Fiends, Herald
1.1 Dead march. Enter the funeral of King Henry the Fifth, attended on by the Duke of BEDFORD, Regent of France; the Duke of GLOUCESTER, Protector; the Duke of EXETER; the Earl of WARWICK; the Bishop of WINCHESTER; and the Duke of SOMERSET.
BEDFORD
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 –
5
King Henry the Fifth, too famous to live long.
England ne’er lost a king of so much worth.
GLOUCESTER England ne’er had a king until his time.
Virtue he had, deserving to command,
His brandished sword did blind men with his beams,
10
His arms spread wider than a dragon’s wings:
His sparkling eyes, replete with wrathful fire,
More dazzled and drove back his enemies
Than midday sun fierce bent against their faces.
What should I say? His deeds exceed all speech;
15
He ne’er lift up his hand but conquered.
EXETER
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
20
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
25
Conjurers and sorcerers, that, afraid of him,
By magic verses have contrived his end?
WINCHESTER
He was a king, blest of the King of kings.
Unto the French the dreadful Judgement Day
So dreadful will not be as was his sight.
30
The battles of the Lord of Hosts he fought;
The Church’s prayers made him so prosperous.
GLOUCESTER
The Church? Where is it? Had not churchmen
prayed,
His thread of life had not so soon decayed.
None do you like but an effeminate prince,
35
Whom like a schoolboy you may overawe.
WINCHESTER
Gloucester, 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.
40
GLOUCESTER
Name not religion, for thou lov’st the flesh,
And ne’er throughout the year to church thou goest –
Except it be to pray against thy foes.
BEDFORD
Cease, cease these jars and rest your minds in peace.
Let’s to the altar. Heralds wait on us.
45
Instead of gold we’ll offer up our arms –
Since arms avail not now that Henry’s dead.
Posterity, await for wretched years
When at their mothers’ moistened eyes babes shall suck,
Our isle be made a nourish of salt tears,
50
And none but women left to wail the dead.
Henry the Fifth, thy ghost I invocate:
Prosper this realm, keep it from civil broils,
Combat with adverse planets in the heavens;
A far more glorious star thy soul will make
55
Than Julius Caesar, or bright –
Enter a Messenger.
MESSENGER My honourable lords, health to you all.
Sad tidings bring I to you out of France,
Of loss, of slaughter and discomfiture.
Guyenne, Champagne, Reims, Rouen, Orleans,
60
Paris, Gisors, Poitiers are all quite lost.
BEDFORD
What sayest thou, man, before dead Henry’s corse?
Speak softly, or the loss of those great towns
Will make him burst his lead and rise from death.
GLOUCESTER Is Paris lost? Is Rouen yielded up?
65
If Henry were recalled to life again
These news would cause him once more yield the ghost.
EXETER
How were they lost? What treachery was used?
MESSENGER
No treachery, but want of men and money.
Amongst the soldiers this is muttered:
70
That here you maintain several factions,
And whilst a field should be dispatched and fought
You are disputing of your generals.
O
ne would have lingering wars, with little cost.
Another would fly swift, but wanteth wings.
75
A third thinks, without expense at all,
By guileful fair words peace may be obtained.
Awake, awake, English nobility,
Let not sloth dim your honours new begot;
Cropped are the flower-de-luces in your arms;
80
Of England’s coat one half is cut away. Exit.
EXETER Were our tears wanting to this funeral
These tidings would call forth her flowing tides.
BEDFORD
Me they concern; regent I am of France.
Give me my steeled coat. I’ll fight for France.
85
Away with these disgraceful wailing robes;
Wounds will I lend the French, instead of eyes,
To weep their intermissive miseries.
Enter to them another Messenger.
2 MESSENGER
Lords, view these letters, full of bad mischance.
France is revolted from the English quite,
90
Except some petty towns of no import.
The Dolphin Charles is crowned king in Reims:
The Bastard of Orleans with him is joined.
Reignier, Duke of Anjou, doth take his part.
The Duke of Alençon flieth to his side. Exit.
EXETER The Dolphin crowned king? All fly to him?
96
O whither shall we fly from this reproach?
GLOUCESTER
We will not fly, but to our enemies’ throats.
Bedford, if thou be slack, I’ll fight it out.
BEDFORD
Gloucester, why doubt’st thou of my forwardness?
100
An army have I mustered in my thoughts,
Wherewith already France is overrun.
Enter another Messenger.
3 MESSENGER
My gracious lords – to add to your laments,
Wherewith you now bedew King Henry’s hearse,
I must inform you of a dismal fight
105
Betwixt the stout Lord Talbot and the French.
WINCHESTER What? Wherein Talbot overcame, is’t so?
3 MESSENGER
O no: wherein Lord Talbot was o’erthrown.
The circumstance I’ll tell you at more large.
The tenth of August last, this dreadful lord
110
Retiring from the siege of Orleans,
Having full scarce six thousand in his troop,
By three and twenty thousand of the French
Was round incompassed and set upon.
No leisure had he to enrank his men.
115
He wanted pikes to set before his archers,
Instead whereof sharp stakes plucked out of hedges
They pitched in the ground confusedly,
To keep the horsemen off from breaking in.
More than three hours the fight continued,
120
Where valiant Talbot, above human thought,
Enacted wonders with his sword and lance.
Hundreds he sent to hell, and none durst stand him.
Here, there and everywhere enraged he slew.
The French exclaimed the devil was in arms,
125
All the whole army stood agazed on him.
His soldiers, spying his undaunted spirit,
‘A Talbot, a Talbot’ cried out amain,
And rushed into the bowels of the battle.
Here had the conquest fully been sealed up,
130
If Sir John Fastolfe had not played the coward.
He being in the vanguard, placed behind
With purpose to relieve and follow them,
Cowardly fled, not having struck one stroke.
Hence grew the general wrack and massacre.
135
Enclosed were they with their enemies.
A base villain, to win the Dolphin’s grace,
Thrust Talbot with a spear into the back –
Whom all France, with their chief assembled strength,
Durst not presume to look once in the face.
140
BEDFORD Is Talbot slain? Then I will slay myself,
For living idly here in pomp and ease
Whilst such a worthy leader, wanting aid,
Unto his dastard foemen is betrayed.
3 MESSENGER O no, he lives, but is took prisoner,
145
And Lord Scales with him, and Lord Hungerford:
Most of the rest slaughtered, or took likewise.
BEDFORD His ransom there is none but I shall pay.
I’ll hale the Dolphin headlong from his throne;
His crown shall be the ransom of my friend.
The Arden Shakespeare Complete Works Page 200