Bas. Villain, thou know'st, the law of arms is such,. That, who so draws a sword, 'tis present death; Or else this blow should broach thy dearest blood. But I'll unto his majesty, and crave I may have liberty to venge this wrong; When thou shalt see, I'll meet thee to thy cost. Ver. Well, miscreant, I'll be there as soon as you; And, after, meet you sooner than you would.

[Exeunt.

ACT IV.

SCENE I-The same. A room of state. Enter King Henry, Gloster, Exeter, York, Suffolk, Somerset, Winchester, Warwick, Talbot, the Governor of Paris, and others.

Glo. Lord bishop, set the crown upon his head. Win. God save king Henry, of that name the

Sixth! Glo. Now, governor of Paris, take your oath[Governor kneels.

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 pretend1
Malicious practices against his state:

This shall ye do, so help you righteous God!

[Exeunt Governor and his train.

Enter Sir John Fastolfe.

Fast. My gracious sovereign, as I rode from

Calais,

To haste unto your coronation,
A letter was deliver'd to my hands,
Writ to your grace from the duke of Burgundy.
Tal. Shame to the duke of Burgundy, and thee!
I vow'd, base knight, when I did meet thee next,

(1) Design.

1

[Plucking it off.

To tear the garter from thy craven's1 leg,
(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,
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,
Were there surpris'd, 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.

Glo. To say the truth, this fact was infamous,
And ill beseeming any common man;
Much more a knight, a captain, and a leader.

Tal. When first this order was ordain'd, my lords, Knights of the garter were of noble birth; Valiant, and virtuous, full of haughty2 courage, Such as were grown to credit by the wars; Not fearing death, nor shrinking for distress, But always resolute in most extremes.3 He then, that is not furnish'd in this sort, Doth but usurp the sacred name of knight, 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. K. Hen. Stain to thy countrymen! thou hear'st

thy doom:

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

(1) Mean, dastardly. (2) High. (3) i. e. In greatest extremities.

Sent from our uncle duke of Burgundy. Glo. What means his grace, that he hath chang'd his style? [Viewing the superscription.

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?

What's here? I have, upon especial cause,

[Reads.

Mov'd with compassion of my country's wreck,
Together with the pitiful complaints
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,

There should be found such false dissembling guile?
K. Hen. What! doth my uncle Burgundy revolt?
Glo. He doth, my lord; and is become your foe.
K. Hen. Is that the worst, this letter doth contain?
Glo. It is the worst, and all, my lord, he writes.
K. Hen. Why then, lord Talbot there shall talk

with him,

And give him chastisement for this abuse :-
My lord, how say you? are you not content?

Tal. Content, my liege? Yes; but that I am

prevented,2

I should have begg'd I might have been employ'd. K. Hen. 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.

Tal. I go, my lord; in heart desiring still,

You may behold confusion of your foes.

Enter Vernon and Basset.

[Exit.

Ver. Grant me the combat, gracious sovereign! (1) Design.

(2) Anticipated.

Bas. And me, my lord, grant me the combat too! York. This is my servant; Hear him, noble

prince!

Som. And this is mine; Sweet Henry, favour him! K. Hen. Be patient, lords; and give them leave

to speak.

Say, gentlemen, What makes you thus exclaim? And wherefore crave you combat? or with whom? Ver. With him, my lord; for he hath done me wrong.

Bas. And I with him; for he hath done me

wrong.

K. Hen. What is that wrong whereof you both complain?

First let me know, and then I'll answer you.
Bas. Crossing the sea from England into France,
This fellow here, with envious carping tongue,
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,
Argu'd 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.

Ver. 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 provok'd by him;
And he first took exceptions at this badge,
Pronouncing that the paleness of this flower
Bewray'd the faintness of my master's heart.
York. Will not this malice, Somerset, be left?
Som. Your private grudge, my lord of York,

will out,

Though ne'er so cunningly you smother it.

K. Hen. Good Lord! what madness rules in

brain-sick 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.

York. Let this dissension first be tried by fight, And then your highness shall command a peace. Som. The quarrel toucheth none but us alone; Betwixt ourselves let us decide it then.

York. There is my pledge; accept it, Somerset.
Ver. Nay, let it rest where it began at first.
Bas. Confirm it so, mine honourable lord.
Glo. Confirm it so? Confounded be your strife!

And perish ye, with your audacious prate!
Presumptuous vassals! are you not asham'd,
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
To raise a mutiny betwixt yourselves;
Let me persuade you take a better course.

Exe. It grieves his highness; -Good my lords,

be friends.

K. Hen. Come hither, you that would be combatants:

Henceforth, I charge you, as you love our favour,
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 disagrec,
How will their grudging stomachs be provok'd
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,
King Henry's peers, and chief nobility,
Destroy'd themselves, and lost the realm of France?