There were so many, whom she may accuse.
Warwick
It’s sign she hath been liberal and free.
York
And yet, forsooth, she is a virgin pure.
Strumpet, thy words condemn thy brat and thee:
Use no entreaty, for it is in vain.
Joan La Pucelle
Then lead me hence; with whom I leave my curse:
May never glorious sun reflex his beams
Upon the country where you make abode;
But darkness and the gloomy shade of death
Environ you, till mischief and despair
Drive you to break your necks or hang yourselves!
Exit, guarded
York
Break thou in pieces and consume to ashes,
Thou foul accursed minister of hell!
Enter Cardinal Of Winchester, attended
Cardinal
Bishop of Winchester
Lord regent, I do greet your excellence
With letters of commission from the king.
For know, my lords, the states of Christendom,
Moved with remorse of these outrageous broils,
Have earnestly implored a general peace
Betwixt our nation and the aspiring French;
And here at hand the Dauphin and his train
Approacheth, to confer about some matter.
York
Is all our travail turn’d to this effect?
After the slaughter of so many peers,
So many captains, gentlemen and soldiers,
That in this quarrel have been overthrown
And sold their bodies for their country’s benefit,
Shall we at last conclude effeminate peace?
Have we not lost most part of all the towns,
By treason, falsehood and by treachery,
Our great progenitors had conquered?
O Warwick, Warwick! I foresee with grief
The utter loss of all the realm of France.
Warwick
Be patient, York: if we conclude a peace,
It shall be with such strict and severe covenants
As little shall the Frenchmen gain thereby.
Enter Charles, Alencon, Bastard Of Orleans, Reignier, and others
Charles
Since, lords of England, it is thus agreed
That peaceful truce shall be proclaim’d in France,
We come to be informed by yourselves
What the conditions of that league must be.
York
Speak, Winchester; for boiling choler chokes
The hollow passage of my poison’d voice,
By sight of these our baleful enemies.
Cardinal
Bishop of Winchester
Charles, and the rest, it is enacted thus:
That, in regard King Henry gives consent,
Of mere compassion and of lenity,
To ease your country of distressful war,
And suffer you to breathe in fruitful peace,
You shall become true liegemen to his crown:
And Charles, upon condition thou wilt swear
To pay him tribute, submit thyself,
Thou shalt be placed as viceroy under him,
And still enjoy thy regal dignity.
Alencon
Must he be then as shadow of himself?
Adorn his temples with a coronet,
And yet, in substance and authority,
Retain but privilege of a private man?
This proffer is absurd and reasonless.
Charles
’Tis known already that I am possess’d
With more than half the Gallian territories,
And therein reverenced for their lawful king:
Shall I, for lucre of the rest unvanquish’d,
Detract so much from that prerogative,
As to be call’d but viceroy of the whole?
No, lord ambassador, I’ll rather keep
That which I have than, coveting for more,
Be cast from possibility of all.
York
Insulting Charles! hast thou by secret means
Used intercession to obtain a league,
And, now the matter grows to compromise,
Stand’st thou aloof upon comparison?
Either accept the title thou usurp’st,
Of benefit proceeding from our king
And not of any challenge of desert,
Or we will plague thee with incessant wars.
Reignier
My lord, you do not well in obstinacy
To cavil in the course of this contract:
If once it be neglected, ten to one
We shall not find like opportunity.
Alencon
To say the truth, it is your policy
To save your subjects from such massacre
And ruthless slaughters as are daily seen
By our proceeding in hostility;
And therefore take this compact of a truce,
Although you break it when your pleasure serves.
Warwick
How say’st thou, Charles? shall our condition stand?
Charles
It shall;
Only reserved, you claim no interest
In any of our towns of garrison.
York
Then swear allegiance to his majesty,
As thou art knight, never to disobey
Nor be rebellious to the crown of England,
Thou, nor thy nobles, to the crown of England.
So, now dismiss your army when ye please:
Hang up your ensign, let your drums be still,
For here we entertain a solemn peace.
Exeunt
SCENE V. LONDON. THE PALACE.
Enter Suffolk in conference with King Henry VI, Gloucester and Exeter
King Henry VI
Your wondrous rare description, noble earl,
Of beauteous Margaret hath astonish’d me:
Her virtues graced with external gifts
Do breed love’s settled passions in my heart:
And like as rigor of tempestuous gusts
Provokes the mightiest hulk against the tide,
So am I driven by breath of her renown
Either to suffer shipwreck or arrive
Where I may have fruition of her love.
Suffolk
Tush, my good lord, this superficial tale
Is but a preface of her worthy praise;
The chief perfections of that lovely dame
Had I sufficient skill to utter them,
Would make a volume of enticing lines,
Able to ravish any dull conceit:
And, which is more, she is not so divine,
So full-replete with choice of all delights,
But with as humble lowliness of mind
She is content to be at your command;
Command, I mean, of virtuous chaste intents,
To love and honour Henry as her lord.
King Henry VI
And otherwise will Henry ne’er presume.
Therefore, my lord protector, give consent
That Margaret may be England’s royal queen.
Gloucester
So should I give consent to flatter sin.
You know, my lord, your highness is betroth’d
Unto another lady of esteem:
How shall we then dispense with that contract,
And not deface your honour with reproach?
Suffolk
As doth a ruler with unlawful oaths;
Or one that, at a triumph having vow’d
To try his strength, forsaketh yet the lists
By reason of his adversary’s odds:
A poor earl’s daughter is unequal odds,
And therefore may be broke without offence.
Gloucester
Why, what, I pray, is Margaret more than that?
Her father is no better than an
earl,
Although in glorious titles he excel.
Suffolk
Yes, lord, her father is a king,
The King of Naples and Jerusalem;
And of such great authority in France
As his alliance will confirm our peace
And keep the Frenchmen in allegiance.
Gloucester
And so the Earl of Armagnac may do,
Because he is near kinsman unto Charles.
Exeter
Beside, his wealth doth warrant a liberal dower,
Where Reignier sooner will receive than give.
Suffolk
A dower, my lords! disgrace not so your king,
That he should be so abject, base and poor,
To choose for wealth and not for perfect love.
Henry is able to enrich his queen
And not seek a queen to make him rich:
So worthless peasants bargain for their wives,
As market-men for oxen, sheep, or horse.
Marriage is a matter of more worth
Than to be dealt in by attorneyship;
Not whom we will, but whom his grace affects,
Must be companion of his nuptial bed:
And therefore, lords, since he affects her most,
It most of all these reasons bindeth us,
In our opinions she should be preferr’d.
For what is wedlock forced but a hell,
An age of discord and continual strife?
Whereas the contrary bringeth bliss,
And is a pattern of celestial peace.
Whom should we match with Henry, being a king,
But Margaret, that is daughter to a king?
Her peerless feature, joined with her birth,
Approves her fit for none but for a king:
Her valiant courage and undaunted spirit,
More than in women commonly is seen,
Will answer our hope in issue of a king;
For Henry, son unto a conqueror,
Is likely to beget more conquerors,
If with a lady of so high resolve
As is fair Margaret he be link’d in love.
Then yield, my lords; and here conclude with me
That Margaret shall be queen, and none but she.
King Henry VI
Whether it be through force of your report,
My noble Lord of Suffolk, or for that
My tender youth was never yet attaint
With any passion of inflaming love,
I cannot tell; but this I am assured,
I feel such sharp dissension in my breast,
Such fierce alarums both of hope and fear,
As I am sick with working of my thoughts.
Take, therefore, shipping; post, my lord, to France;
Agree to any covenants, and procure
That Lady Margaret do vouchsafe to come
To cross the seas to England and be crown’d
King Henry’s faithful and anointed queen:
For your expenses and sufficient charge,
Among the people gather up a tenth.
Be gone, I say; for, till you do return,
I rest perplexed with a thousand cares.
And you, good uncle, banish all offence:
If you do censure me by what you were,
Not what you are, I know it will excuse
This sudden execution of my will.
And so, conduct me where, from company,
I may revolve and ruminate my grief.
Exit
Gloucester
Ay, grief, I fear me, both at first and last.
Exeunt Gloucester and Exeter
Suffolk
Thus Suffolk hath prevail’d; and thus he goes,
As did the youthful Paris once to Greece,
With hope to find the like event in love,
But prosper better than the Trojan did.
Margaret shall now be queen, and rule the king;
But I will rule both her, the king and realm.
Exit
The Second Part of King Henry the Sixth
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHARACTERS OF THE PLAY
ACT I
SCENE I. LONDON. THE PALACE.
SCENE II. GLOUCESTER’S HOUSE.
SCENE III. THE PALACE.
SCENE IV. GLOUCESTER’S GARDEN.
ACT II
SCENE I. SAINT ALBAN’S.
SCENE II. LONDON. YORK’S GARDEN.
SCENE III. A HALL OF JUSTICE.
SCENE IV. A STREET.
ACT III
SCENE I. THE ABBEY AT BURY ST. EDMUND’S.
SCENE II. BURY ST. EDMUND’S. A ROOM OF STATE.
SCENE III. A BEDCHAMBER.
ACT IV
SCENE I. THE COAST OF KENT.
SCENE II. BLACKHEATH.
SCENE III. ANOTHER PART OF BLACKHEATH.
SCENE IV. LONDON. THE PALACE.
SCENE V. LONDON. THE TOWER.
SCENE VI. LONDON. CANNON STREET.
SCENE VII. LONDON. SMITHFIELD.
SCENE VIII. SOUTHWARK.
SCENE IX. KENILWORTH CASTLE.
SCENE X. KENT. IDEN’S GARDEN.
ACT V
SCENE I. FIELDS BETWEEN DARTFORD AND BLACKHEATH.
SCENE II. SAINT ALBAN’S.
SCENE III. FIELDS NEAR ST. ALBAN’S.
CHARACTERS OF THE PLAY
King Henry VI
Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, his uncle
Henry, Cardinal Beaufort, Bishop of Winchester, great-uncle to the King
Richard, Duke of York
Edward, his son
Richard, also son to the Duke of York
Edmund Beaufort, 2nd Duke of Somerset
William de la Pole, 1st Duke of Suffolk
Humphrey Stafford, 1st Duke of Buckingham
Thomas Clifford, 8th Baron Clifford
Young Clifford, his son
Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury
Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick
Lord Scales
Lord Say
Sir Humphrey Stafford
William Stafford, his brother
Sir John Stanley
Vaux
Matthew Goffe
Alexander Iden, a Kentish Gentleman
Lieutenant, Shipmates, Master's Mate, and Walter Whitmore
Two Gentlemen, prisoners with Suffolk
John Hume and John Southwell, priests
Roger Bolingbrook, a conjurer
Thomas Horner, an armorer
Peter Thump, his apprentice
Clerk of Chartam
Mayor of Saint Albans
Simcox, an impostor
Jack Cade, a rebel
George Bevis, John Holland, Dick the butcher, Smith the Weaver, Michael, etc., followers of Jack Cade
Two murderers
Margaret of Anjou, Queen to King Henry
Eleanor Cobham, Duchess of Gloucester
Margaret Jourdain, a witch
Wife to Simcox
Spirit
Lords, Ladies, attendants, heralds, soldiers, etc.
ACT I
SCENE I. LONDON. THE PALACE.
Flourish of trumpets: then hautboys. Enter King Henry VI, Gloucester, Salisbury, Warwick, and Cardinal, on the one side; Queen Margaret, Suffolk, York, Somerset, and Buckingham, on the other
Suffolk
As by your high imperial majesty
I had in charge at my depart for France,
As procurator to your excellence,
To marry Princess Margaret for your grace,
So, in the famous ancient city, Tours,
In presence of the Kings of France and Sicil,
The Dukes of Orleans, Calaber, Bretagne and Alencon,
Seven earls, twelve barons and twenty reverend bishops,
I have perform’d my task and was espoused:
And humbly now upon my bended knee,
In sight of England and her lordly pee
rs,
Deliver up my title in the queen
To your most gracious hands, that are the substance
Of that great shadow I did represent;
The happiest gift that ever marquess gave,
The fairest queen that ever king received.
King Henry VI
Suffolk, arise. Welcome, Queen Margaret:
I can express no kinder sign of love
Than this kind kiss. O Lord, that lends me life,
Lend me a heart replete with thankfulness!
For thou hast given me in this beauteous face
A world of earthly blessings to my soul,
If sympathy of love unite our thoughts.
Queen Margaret
Great King of England and my gracious lord,
The mutual conference 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-liefest sovereign,
Makes me the bolder to salute my king
With ruder terms, such as my wit affords
And over-joy of heart doth minister.
King Henry VI
Her sight did ravish; but her grace in speech,
Her words y-clad with wisdom’s majesty,
Makes me from wondering fall to weeping joys;
Such is the fulness of my heart’s content.
Lords, with one cheerful voice welcome my love.
All
[Kneeling] Long live Queen Margaret, England’s happiness!
Queen Margaret
We thank you all.
Flourish
Suffolk
My lord protector, so it please your grace,
Here are the articles of contracted peace
Between our sovereign and the French king Charles,
For eighteen months concluded by consent.
Gloucester
[Reads] ‘Imprimis, it is agreed between the French king Charles, and William de la Pole, Marquess of Suffolk, ambassador for Henry King of England, that the said Henry shall espouse the Lady Margaret, daughter unto Reignier King of Naples, Sicilia and Jerusalem, and crown her Queen of England ere the thirtieth of May next ensuing. Item, that the duchy of Anjou and the county of Maine shall be released and delivered to the king her father’—
Lets the paper fall
King Henry VI
Uncle, how now!
Gloucester
Pardon me, gracious lord;
Some sudden qualm hath struck me at the heart
And dimm’d mine eyes, that I can read no further.
King Henry VI
Uncle of Winchester, I pray, read on.
Cardinal
[Reads] ‘Item, It is further agreed between them, that the duchies of Anjou and Maine shall be released and delivered over to the king her father, and she sent over of the King of England’s own proper cost and charges, without having any dowry.’
Complete Plays, The Page 205