Thou may'st not wander in that labyrinth;
There Minotaurs and ugly treasons lurk,
Solicit Henry with her wond'rous praise :
Bethink thee on her virtues that surmount;
Mad, natural graces that extinguish art;
Repeat their semblance often on the seas,
That, when thou com'st to kneel at Henry's
feet,

A virgin from her tender infancy,
Chaste and immaculate in very thought;
Whose maiden blood, thus rigorously etfus',
Will cry for vengeance at the gates of heaven.
York. Ay, ay ;--away with her to execution.
War. And hark ye, Sirs; because she is a
maid,

der.

[Exit.

SCENE IV.-Camp of the duke of YORK in Anjou.

Enter YORK, WARWICK, and others. York. Bring forth that sorceress, condemn'd to burn.

Enter LA PUCELLE, guarded, and a SHEP

HERD.

Shep. Ah! Joan! this kills thy father's heart outright!

Have I sought every country far and near,
And now it is my chance to find thee out,
Must I behold thy timeless ‡ cruel death!

Ah! Joan, sweet daughter Joan, I'll die with thee!

Pue. Decrepit miser! base ignoble wretch!

1 am descended of a gentler blood;

Thou art no father, nor no friend of mine.

Then, Joan, discover thine infirmity,
That warranteth by law to be thy privilege.-
I am with child, ye bloody homicides:
Murder not then the fruit within my womb,
Although ye hale me to a violent death.
York. Now heaven forfend! the holy maid
with child?
e'er ye

War. The greatest miracle that
wrought:

Is all your strict preciseness come to this?
York. She and the Dauphin have been jug-

gling:

not so;

God knows, thou art a collop of my flesh;
And for thy sake have 1 shed many a tear :
Deny me not, I pr'ythee, gentle Joan.

Puc. Peasant, avaunt!-You have suborn'd this man,

Of purpose to obscure my noble birth.

Shep. 'Tis true, I gave a noble to the priest, The morn that I was wedded to her mother.Kneel down and take my blessing, good my girl.

Wilt thou not stoop? Now cursed be the time Of thy nativity! I would the milk

Thy mother gave thee, when thou suck'dst her breast,

Had been a little ratsbane for thy sake!
Or else, when thou didst keep my lambs a-field,
I wish some ravenous wolf bad eaten thee!
Dost thou deny thy father, cursed drab?
O burn her, burn her; hanging is too good.

[Exit. York. Take her away; for she hath liv'd too long,

To fill the world with vicious qualities.
Puc. First, let me tell you whom you have
condemn'd:

Not me begotten of a shepherd swain,
But issu'd from the progeny of kings;
Virtuous and holy; chosen from above,
By inspiration of celestial grace,
To work exceeding miracles on earth.
I never had to do with wicked spirits:
But you, that are polluted with your lusts,
Stain'd with the guiltless blood of innocents,
Corrupt and tainted with a thousand vices,-
Because you want the grace that others have,
You judge it straight a thing impossible
To compass wonders, but by help of devils.
No, misconceived! || Joan of Arc hath been
+ Untimely.

• Wild.

1 Miser here simply means a miserable creature. A corruption of obstinate. No, ve misconceivers, ye who mistake me and my

qualities,"

York. Alençon ! that notorious Machiavel ! It dies, an if it had a thousand lives.

Puc. O give me leave, I have deluded you; 'Twas neither Charles, nor yet the duke I nam'd,

But Reignier, king of Naples, that prevail'd. War. A married man! that's most intoler

able.

York. Why, here's a girl! I think she knows not well,

There were so many, whom she may accuse. War. 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.

Puc. Then lead me hence;-with whom I leave my curse :

May never glorious suu 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,

Thon foul accursed minister of hell!

Enter Cardinal BEAUFORT, attended. Car. Lord regent, I do greet your excellence With letters of commission from the king. For, know, my lords, the states of Christendom, Mov'd with remorse of these outrageous

broils,

Have earnestly implor'd a general peace Betwixt our nation and the aspiring French; And here at haud the Dauphin, and his train, Approacheth, to confer about some matter.

York. Is all our travail turn'd to this effect t
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 be
nefit,

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.

• Compassion.

peace,

It shall be with such strict and severe covenants,

As little shall the Frenchmen gain thereby. Enter CHARLES, attended; ALENGON, BASTARD, REIGNIER, and others,

Char. 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.
Win. 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, and submit thyself,
Thou shalt be plac'd as viceroy under him,
And still enjoy thy regal dignity.

Alen. 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.

Char. 'Tis known, already, that I am possess'd

With more than half the Gallian territories,
And therein reverenc'd 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

serves.

Enter King HENRY, in conference with Sur-
FOLK; GLOSTER and EXETER following.
K. Hen. 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 rigour in 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.
Suff. 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.

K. Hen. And otherwise will Henry ne'er presume.

Therefore, my lord protector, give consent,
That Margaret may be England's royal queen.

Glo. 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?

Suff. 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.
Glo. Why what, I pray is Margaret more than
that ?

Her father is no better than an earl,
Although in glorious titles he excel.
Suff. Yes, my good 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.
Glo. And so the earl of Armagnac may do,
Because he is near kinsman unto Charles.
Exe. Beside, his wealth doth warrant liberal

dower;

While Reignier sooner will receive than give. Suff. 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 to 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 forth bliss,
And is a pattern of celestial peace. [king,
Whom should we match with Henry, being a
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;

A triumph then signified a public exhibition; auch as a mask, or revel.

By the discretional agency of another

ACT I.

the Palace.

Flourish of Trumpets: then Hautboys. Enter, on one side, King HENRY, Duke of GLOSTER, SALISBURY, WARWICK, and Cardinal BEAUFORT; on the other, Queen MARGARET, led in by SUFFOLK; YORK, SOMERSET, BUCKINGHAM, and others, following.

Suf. 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, Bretaigne, and Alençon, [bishops, Seven carls, twelve barons, twenty reverend

stance

Deliver up my title in the queen
To your most gracious hands, that are the sub
Of that great shadow I did represent;
The happiest gift that ever marquis gave,
The fairest queen that ever king receiv'd.

K. Hen. 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.

Q. Mar. Great king of England, and my gracious lord;