FIRST PART OF KING HENRY VI. ACT 1. 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. Bedford. HUNG be the heavens with black, yield day to night! E Comets, importing change of times and states, 1 Richard Beauchamp, earl of Warwick, who is a character in King Henry V. The earl of Warwick, who appears in a subsequent part of this drama, is Richard Nevill, son to the earl of Salisbury, who came to the title in right of his wife, Anne, sister of Henry Beauchamp, duke of Warwick. Richard, the father of this Henry, was appointed governor to the king on the demise of Thomas Beaufort, duke of Exeter, and died in 1439. There is no reason to think the author meant to confound the two characters. 2 Alluding to the ancient practice of hanging the stage with black when a tragedy was to be acted. See Malone's Account of the English stage. 3 Crystal is an epithet repeatedly bestowed on comets by our ancient writers. Thus in a Sonnet by Lord Sterline, 1604:"When as those chrystal comets whiles appear.' That have consented unto Henry's death! His brandish'd sword did blind men with his beams; Exe. We mourn in black; Why mourn we not in blood? Henry is dead, and never shall revive; His thread of life had not so soon decay'd: Consented here means conspired together to promote the death of Henry by their malignant influence on human events. Our ancestors had but one word to express consent, and concent, which meant accord and agreement, whether of persons or things. 5 There was a notion long prevalent that life might be taken away by metrical charms. "The Irishmen addict themselves, &c.; yea, they will not sticke to affirme that they can rime man or beast to death.'-Reginald Scot's Discovery of Witchcraft, 1584. None do you like but an effeminate prince, tector; And lookest to command the prince, and realm. Bed. Cease, cease these jars, and rest your minds in peace! Let's to the altar:-Heralds, wait on us:- When at Our their mothers' moist eyes babes shall suck; made a nourish of salt tears, And none but women left to wail the dead.- Enter a Messenger. Mess. My honourable lords, health to you all! Sad tidings bring I to you out of France, Of loss, of slaughter, and discomfiture: Guienne, Champaigne, Rheims, Orleans, Paris, Guysors, Poictiers, are all quite lost.9. 6 Nurse was anciently spelt nouryce and noryshe; and, by Lydgate, even nourish : 'Athenes whan it was in its floures Was called nourish of philosophers wise.* Pope conjectured that this blank had been supplied by the name of Francis Drake, which. though a glaring anachronism, might have been a popular, though not judicious, mode of attracting plaudits in the theatre. Part of the arms of Drake was two blazing stars. Malone says that the blank arose from the transcriber or compositor not being able to make out the name. 8 Capel proposed to complete this defective verse by the insertion of Rouen among the places lost, as Gloster infers that it had been mentioned with the rest. Vol. VI. 1* Bed. What say'st 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. Glo. Is Paris lost? is Rouen yielded up? If Henry were recall'd to life again, These news would cause him once more yield the ghost. Exe. How were they lost? what treachery was us'd? Mess. No treachery; but want of men and money. Among the soldiers this is mutter'd, That here you maintain several factions; And, whilst a field should be despatch'd and fought, One would have ling'ring wars, with little cost; Exe. Were our tears wanting to this funeral, These tidings would call forth her flowing tides.. Bed. Me they concern; regent I am of France: Give me my steeled coat, I'll fight for France. Away with these disgraceful wailing robes! Wounds I will lend the French, instead of eyes, To weep their intermissive miseries10. Enter another Messenger. 2 Mess. Lords, view these letters, full of bad mischance, France is revolted from the English quite; 9i. e. England's flowing tides. 10 i. e. their miseries which have only a short intermission. The Dauphin Charles is crowned king in Rheims; Exe. The Dauphin is crowned king! all fly to him! Bed. Gloster, why doubt'st thou of my forwardness? An army have I muster'd in my thoughts, Wherewith already France is overrun. Enter a third Messenger. 3 Mess. My gracious lords, to add to your laments, Wherewith you now bedew King Henry's hearse, I must inform you of a dismal fight, Betwixt the stout Lord Talbot and the French. Win. What! wherein Talbot overcame? is't so? 3 Mess. O, no; wherein Lord Talbot was o'erthrown: The circumstance I'll tell you more at large. Having full scarce six thousand in his troop, To keep the horsemen off from breaking in. |