Act IV, Scene 1

Paris. A hall of state.

[Enter KING HENRY VI, GLOUCESTER, BISHOP OF] [p]WINCHESTER, YORK, SUFFOLK, SOMERSET, WARWICK, [p]TALBOT, EXETER, the Governor, of Paris, and others]

• Duke of Gloucester. Lord bishop, set the crown upon his head.

• Winchester. God save King Henry, of that name the sixth! 1760

• Duke of Gloucester. Now, governor of Paris, take your oath,
  That you elect no other king but him;
  Esteem none friends but such as are his friends,
  And none your foes but such as shall pretend
  Malicious practises against his state: 1765
  This shall ye do, so help you righteous God!

[Enter FASTOLFE]

• Sir John Fastolfe. My gracious sovereign, as I rode from Calais,
  To haste unto your coronation,
  A letter was deliver'd to my hands, 1770
  Writ to your grace from the Duke of Burgundy.

• Lord Talbot/Earl of Shrewsbury. Shame to the Duke of Burgundy and thee!
  I vow'd, base knight, when I did meet thee next,
  To tear the garter from thy craven's leg,
  [Plucking it off] 1775
  Which I have done, because unworthily
  Thou wast installed in that high degree.
  Pardon me, princely Henry, and the rest
  This dastard, at the battle of Patay,
  When but in all I was six thousand strong 1780
  And that the French were almost ten to one,
  Before we met or that a stroke was given,
  Like to a trusty squire did run away:
  In which assault we lost twelve hundred men;
  Myself and divers gentlemen beside 1785
  Were there surprised and taken prisoners.
  Then judge, great lords, if I have done amiss;
  Or whether that such cowards ought to wear
  This ornament of knighthood, yea or no.

• Duke of Gloucester. To say the truth, this fact was infamous 1790
  And ill beseeming any common man,
  Much more a knight, a captain and a leader.

• Lord Talbot/Earl of Shrewsbury. When first this order was ordain'd, my lords,
  Knights of the garter were of noble birth,
  Valiant and virtuous, full of haughty courage, 1795
  Such as were grown to credit by the wars;
  Not fearing death, nor shrinking for distress,
  But always resolute in most extremes.
  He then that is not furnish'd in this sort
  Doth but usurp the sacred name of knight, 1800
  Profaning this most honourable order,
  And should, if I were worthy to be judge,
  Be quite degraded, like a hedge-born swain
  That doth presume to boast of gentle blood.

• Henry VI. Stain to thy countrymen, thou hear'st thy doom! 1805
  Be packing, therefore, thou that wast a knight:
  Henceforth we banish thee, on pain of death.
  [Exit FASTOLFE]
  And now, my lord protector, view the letter
  Sent from our uncle Duke of Burgundy. 1810

• Duke of Gloucester. What means his grace, that he hath changed his style?
  No more but, plain and bluntly, 'To the king!'
  Hath he forgot he is his sovereign?
  Or doth this churlish superscription
  Pretend some alteration in good will? 1815
  What's here?
  [Reads]
  'I have, upon especial cause,
  Moved with compassion of my country's wreck,
  Together with the pitiful complaints 1820
  Of such as your oppression feeds upon,
  Forsaken your pernicious faction
  And join'd with Charles, the rightful King of France.'
  O monstrous treachery! can this be so,
  That in alliance, amity and oaths, 1825
  There should be found such false dissembling guile?

• Henry VI. What! doth my uncle Burgundy revolt?

• Duke of Gloucester. He doth, my lord, and is become your foe.

• Henry VI. Is that the worst this letter doth contain?

• Duke of Gloucester. It is the worst, and all, my lord, he writes. 1830

• Henry VI. Why, then, Lord Talbot there shall talk with him
  And give him chastisement for this abuse.
  How say you, my lord? are you not content?

• Lord Talbot/Earl of Shrewsbury. Content, my liege! yes, but that I am prevented,
  I should have begg'd I might have been employ'd. 1835

• Henry VI. Then gather strength and march unto him straight:
  Let him perceive how ill we brook his treason
  And what offence it is to flout his friends.

• Lord Talbot/Earl of Shrewsbury. I go, my lord, in heart desiring still
  You may behold confusion of your foes. 1840

[Exit]

[Enter VERNON and BASSET]

• Vernon. Grant me the combat, gracious sovereign.

• Basset. And me, my lord, grant me the combat too.

• Richard Plantagenet (Duke of Gloucester). This is my servant: hear him, noble prince. 1845

• Duke/Earl of Somerset. And this is mine: sweet Henry, favour him.

• Henry VI. Be patient, lords; and give them leave to speak.
  Say, gentlemen, what makes you thus exclaim?
  And wherefore crave you combat? or with whom?

• Vernon. With him, my lord; for he hath done me wrong. 1850

• Basset. And I with him; for he hath done me wrong.

• Henry VI. What is that wrong whereof you both complain?
  First let me know, and then I'll answer you.

• Basset. Crossing the sea from England into France,
  This fellow here, with envious carping tongue, 1855
  Upbraided me about the rose I wear;
  Saying, the sanguine colour of the leaves
  Did represent my master's blushing cheeks,
  When stubbornly he did repugn the truth
  About a certain question in the law 1860
  Argued betwixt the Duke of York and him;
  With other vile and ignominious terms:
  In confutation of which rude reproach
  And in defence of my lord's worthiness,
  I crave the benefit of law of arms. 1865

• Vernon. And that is my petition, noble lord:
  For though he seem with forged quaint conceit
  To set a gloss upon his bold intent,
  Yet know, my lord, I was provoked by him;
  And he first took exceptions at this badge, 1870
  Pronouncing that the paleness of this flower
  Bewray'd the faintness of my master's heart.

• Richard Plantagenet (Duke of Gloucester). Will not this malice, Somerset, be left?

• Duke/Earl of Somerset. Your private grudge, my Lord of York, will out,
  Though ne'er so cunningly you smother it. 1875

• Henry VI. Good Lord, what madness rules in brainsick men,
  When for so slight and frivolous a cause
  Such factious emulations shall arise!
  Good cousins both, of York and Somerset,
  Quiet yourselves, I pray, and be at peace. 1880

• Richard Plantagenet (Duke of Gloucester). Let this dissension first be tried by fight,
  And then your highness shall command a peace.

• Duke/Earl of Somerset. The quarrel toucheth none but us alone;
  Betwixt ourselves let us decide it then.

• Richard Plantagenet (Duke of Gloucester). There is my pledge; accept it, Somerset. 1885

• Vernon. Nay, let it rest where it began at first.

• Basset. Confirm it so, mine honourable lord.

• Duke of Gloucester. Confirm it so! Confounded be your strife!
  And perish ye, with your audacious prate!
  Presumptuous vassals, are you not ashamed 1890
  With this immodest clamorous outrage
  To trouble and disturb the king and us?
  And you, my lords, methinks you do not well
  To bear with their perverse objections;
  Much less to take occasion from their mouths 1895
  To raise a mutiny betwixt yourselves:
  Let me persuade you take a better course.

• Duke of Exeter. It grieves his highness: good my lords, be friends.

• Henry VI. Come hither, you that would be combatants:
  Henceforth I charge you, as you love our favour, 1900
  Quite to forget this quarrel and the cause.
  And you, my lords, remember where we are,
  In France, amongst a fickle wavering nation:
  If they perceive dissension in our looks
  And that within ourselves we disagree, 1905
  How will their grudging stomachs be provoked
  To wilful disobedience, and rebel!
  Beside, what infamy will there arise,
  When foreign princes shall be certified
  That for a toy, a thing of no regard, 1910
  King Henry's peers and chief nobility
  Destroy'd themselves, and lost the realm of France!
  O, think upon the conquest of my father,
  My tender years, and let us not forego
  That for a trifle that was bought with blood 1915
  Let me be umpire in this doubtful strife.
  I see no reason, if I wear this rose,
  [Putting on a red rose]
  That any one should therefore be suspicious
  I more incline to Somerset than York: 1920
  Both are my kinsmen, and I love them both:
  As well they may upbraid me with my crown,
  Because, forsooth, the king of Scots is crown'd.
  But your discretions better can persuade
  Than I am able to instruct or teach: 1925
  And therefore, as we hither came in peace,
  So let us still continue peace and love.
  Cousin of York, we institute your grace
  To be our regent in these parts of France:
  And, good my Lord of Somerset, unite 1930
  Your troops of horsemen with his bands of foot;
  And, like true subjects, sons of your progenitors,
  Go cheerfully together and digest.
  Your angry choler on your enemies.
  Ourself, my lord protector and the rest 1935
  After some respite will return to Calais;
  From thence to England; where I hope ere long
  To be presented, by your victories,
  With Charles, Alencon and that traitorous rout.
  [Flourish. Exeunt all but YORK, WARWICK, EXETER] 1940
  and VERNON]

• Earl of Warwick. My Lord of York, I promise you, the king
  Prettily, methought, did play the orator.

• Richard Plantagenet (Duke of Gloucester). And so he did; but yet I like it not,
  In that he wears the badge of Somerset. 1945

• Earl of Warwick. Tush, that was but his fancy, blame him not;
  I dare presume, sweet prince, he thought no harm.

• Richard Plantagenet (Duke of Gloucester). An if I wist he did,—but let it rest;
  Other affairs must now be managed.

[Exeunt all but EXETER]

• Duke of Exeter. Well didst thou, Richard, to suppress thy voice;
  For, had the passions of thy heart burst out,
  I fear we should have seen decipher'd there
  More rancorous spite, more furious raging broils,
  Than yet can be imagined or supposed. 1955
  But howsoe'er, no simple man that sees
  This jarring discord of nobility,
  This shouldering of each other in the court,
  This factious bandying of their favourites,
  But that it doth presage some ill event. 1960
  'Tis much when sceptres are in children's hands;
  But more when envy breeds unkind division;
  There comes the rain, there begins confusion.

[Exit]