King Henry VI, Part 2 | Page 3

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HISTORY OF KING HENRY THE SIXTH, SECOND PART
by William Shakespeare
Dramatis Personae
KING HENRY THE SIXTH.?HUMPHREY, Duke of Gloster, his uncle.?CARDINAL BEAUFORT, Bishop of Winchester,?great-uncle to the King.?RICHARD PLANTAGENET, Duke of York.?EDWARD and RICHARD, his sons.?DUKE OF SOMERSET.?DUKE OF SUFFOLK.?DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM.?LORD CLIFFORD.?YOUNG CLIFFORD, his son.?EARL OF SALISBURY.?EARL OF WARWICK.
LORD SCALES.?LORD SAY.?SIR HUMPHREY STAFFORD, and WILLIAM?STAFFORD, his brother.?SIR JOHN STANLEY.?VAUX.?MATTHEW GOFFE.?A Sea-Captain, Master, and Master's-Mate, and WALTER?WHITMORE.?Two Gentlemen, prisoners with Suffolk.?JOHN HUME and JOHN SOUTHWELL, priests.?ROGER BOLINGBROKE, a conjurer.?THOMAS HORNER, an armourer. PETER, his man.?Clerk of Chatham. Mayor of Saint Albans.?SIMPCOX, an impostor.?ALEXANDER IDEN, a Kentish gentleman.?JACK CADE, a rebel.?GEORGE BEVIS, JOHN HOLLAND, DICK the butcher,?SMITH the weaver, MICHAEL, etc., followers of Cade.?Two Murderers.
MARGARET, Queen to King Henry.?ELEANOR, Duchess of Gloster.?MARGARET JOURDAIN, a witch.?Wife to Simpcox.
Lords, Ladies, and Attendants, Petitioners, Aldermen, a Herald, a Beadle, Sheriff, and Officers, Citizens, Prentices,?Falconers, Guards, Soldiers, Messengers, &c.
A Spirit.
SCENE: England.
ACT I
SCENE I.?London. The palace
[Flourish of trumpets: then hautboys. Enter the KING, GLOSTER, SALISBURY, WARWICK, and CARDINAL BEAUFORT, on the?one side; the QUEEN, SUFFOLK, YORK, SOMERSET, and?BUCKINGHAM, on the other.]
SUFFOLK.?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, Bretagne, and Alencon,?Seven earls, twelve barons, and twenty reverend bishops,?I have perform'd my task and was espous'd,?And humbly now upon my bended knee,?In sight of England and her lordly peers,?Deliver up my title in the queen?To your most gracious hands, that are the substance?Of that great shadow I did represent:?The happiest gift that ever marquess gave,?The fairest queen that ever king receiv'd.
KING.?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.
QUEEN.?Great King of England and my gracious lord,?The mutual conference that my mind hath had,?By day, by night, waking and in my dreams,?In courtly company or at my beads,?With you, mine alder-liefest sovereign,?Makes me the bolder to salute my king?With ruder terms, such as my wit affords?And over-joy of heart doth minister.
KING.?Her sight did ravish, but her grace in speech,?Her words yclad with wisdom's majesty,?Makes me from wondering fall to weeping joys;?Such is the fulness of my heart's content.--?Lords, with one cheerful voice welcome my love.
ALL.?[Kneeling] Long live Queen Margaret, England's?happiness!
QUEEN.?We thank you all.
[Flourish.]
SUFFOLK.?My Lord Protector, so it please your grace,?Here are the articles of contracted peace?Between our sovereign and the French king Charles,?For eighteen months concluded by consent.
GLOSTER.?[Reads] 'Imprimis, It is agreed between the French king?Charles and William de la Pole, Marquess of Suffolk, ambassador for Henry King of England, that the said Henry shall espouse the Lady Margaret, daughter unto Reignier King of Naples, Sicilia, and Jerusalem, and crown her Queen of England ere the thirtieth of May next ensuing. Item, that the duchy of Anjou and the?county of Maine shall be released and delivered to the king her father'--
[Lets the paper fall.]
KING.?Uncle, how now!
GLOSTER.?Pardon me, gracious lord;?Some sudden qualm hath struck me at the heart?And dimm'd mine eyes, that I can read no further.
KING.?Uncle of Winchester, I pray, read on.
CARDINAL.?[Reads] 'Item, It is further agreed between them,?that the duchies of Anjou and Maine shall be released and?delivered over to the king her father, and she sent over of