But prove a chief offender in the same?

WARWICK

Sweet King! The Bishop hath a kindly gird.

For shame, my lord of Winchester, relent.

What, shall a child instruct you what to do?

WINCHESTER

Well, Duke of Gloucester, I will yield to thee

Love for thy love, and hand for hand I give.

GLOUCESTER (aside)

Ay, but I fear me with a hollow heart.

(To the others) See here, my friends and loving

countrymen,

This token serveth for a flag of truce

Betwixt ourselves and all our followers.

So help me God, as I dissemble not.

WINCHESTER

So help me God (aside) as I intend it not.

KING HENRY

O loving uncle, kind Duke of Gloucester,

How joyful am I made by this contract!

(To Servingmen) Away, my masters, trouble us no

more,

But join in friendship as your lords have done.

first SERVINGMAN Content. I’ll to the surgeon’s.

SECOND SERVINGMAN And so will I.

THIRD SERVINGMAN And I will see what physic the tavern affords. Exeunt the Mayor and Servingmen

WARWICK

Accept this scroll, most gracious sovereign,

Which in the right of Richard Plantagenet

We do exhibit to your majesty.

GLOUCESTER

Well urged, my lord of Warwick—for, sweet prince,

An if your grace mark every circumstance,

You have great reason to do Richard right,

Especially for those occasions

At Eltham Place I told your majesty.

KING HENRY

And those occasions, uncle, were of force.—

Therefore, my loving lords, our pleasure is

That Richard be restored to his blood.

WARWICK

Let Richard be restored to his blood.

So shall his father’s wrongs be recompensed.

WINCHESTER

As will the rest, so willeth Winchester.

KING HENRY

If Richard will be true, not that alone

But all the whole inheritance I give

That doth belong unto the house of York,

From whence you spring by lineal descent. 170

RICHARD PLANTAGENET

Thy humble servant vows obedience

And humble service till the point of death.

KING HENRY

Stoop then, and set your knee against my foot.

Richard kneels

And in reguerdon of that duty done,

I gird thee with the valiant sword of York.

Rise, Richard, like a true Plantagenet,

And rise created princely Duke of York.

RICHARD DUKE OF YORK (rising)

And so thrive Richard, as thy foes may fall;

And as my duty springs, so perish they

That grudge one thought against your majesty.

ALL BUT RICHARD AND SOMERSET

Welcome, high prince, the mighty Duke of York!

SOMERSET (aside)

Perish, base prince, ignoble Duke of York!

GLOUCESTER

Now will it best avail your majesty

To cross the seas and to be crowned in France.

The presence of a king engenders love

Amongst his subjects and his loyal friends,

As it disanimates his enemies.

KING HENRY

When Gloucester says the word, King Henry goes,

For friendly counsel cuts off many foes.

GLOUCESTER

Your ships already are in readiness.

Sennet. Exeunt all but Exeter

EXETER

Ay, we may march in England or in France,

Not seeing what is likely to ensue.

This late dissension grown betwixt the peers

Burns under feigned ashes of forged love,

And will at last break out into a flame.

As festered members rot but by degree

Till bones and flesh and sinews fall away,

So will this base and envious discord breed.

And now I fear that fatal prophecy

Which, in the time of Henry named the Fifth,

Was in the mouth of every sucking babe:

That ‘Henry born at Monmouth should win all,

And Henry born at Windsor should lose all’—

Which is so plain that Exeter doth wish

His days may finish, ere that hapless time. Exit

3.2 Enter Joan la Pucelle, disguised, with four French Soldiers with sacks upon their backs

JOAN

These are the city gates, the gates of Rouen,

Through which our policy must make a breach.

Take heed. Be wary how you place your words.

Talk like the vulgar sort of market men

That come to gather money for their corn.

If we have entrance, as I hope we shall,

And that we find the slothful watch but weak,

I’ll by a sign give notice to our friends,

That Charles the Dauphin may encounter them.

A SOLDIER

Our sacks shall be a mean to sack the city,

And we be lords and rulers over Rouen.

Therefore we’ll knock.

They knock

WATCH (within)

Qui là?

JOAN Paysans, la pauvre gens de France:

Poor market folks that come to sell their corn.

WATCH (opening the gates)

Enter, go in. The market bell is rung.

JOAN (aside)

Now, Rouen, I’ll shake thy bulwarks to the ground.

Exeunt

3.3 Enter Charles the Dauphin, the Bastard of Orléans, ⌈the Duke of Alençon, René Duke of Anjou, and French soldier⌉

CHARLES

Saint Denis bless this happy stratagem,

And once again we’ll sleep secure in Rouen.

BASTARD

Here entered Pucelle and her practisants.

Now she is there, how will she specify

‘Here is the best and safest passage in’?

RENE

By thrusting out a torch from yonder tower—

Which, once discerned, shows that her meaning is:

No way to that, for weakness, which she entered.

Enter Joan la Pucelle on the top, thrusting out a torch burning