KING Henry the Sixth. Duke of Gloucester, Uncle to the King, and Protector. Duke of Bedford, Uncle to the King, and Regent of France. Cardinal Beauford, Bishop of Winchester, and greaş Uncle to the King. Duke of Exeter. Earl of Salisbury. Earl of Suffolk. Young Talbot, his Son. Richard Plantagenet, afterwards Duke of York, Sir John Faftolfe. Woodvile, Lieutenant of the Tower, Duke of Alanfon. Baftard of Orleans. Governor of Paris. Mafter Gunner of Orleans. Boy, his Son. Margaret, Daughter to Reignier, and afterwards Queen to King Henry. Countess of Auvergne. Joan la Pucelle, a Maid pretending to be infpir'd from Heav'n, and fetting up for the Championess of France. Fiends, attending her. Lords, Captains, Soldiers, Messengers, and feveral Attendants both on the English and French. The SCENE is partly in England, and partly in France. King HENRY VI ACT I. SCENE I. WESTMINSTER-Abbey. Dead March. Enter the Funeral of King Henry the Fifth, attended on by the Duke of Bedford, Regent of France; the Duke of Gloucester, Protector; the Duke of Exeter, and the Earl of Warwick, the Bishop of Winchester, and the Duke of Somerset. H BEDFORD. UNG be the heavens with black, yield day to night! Comets, importing change of times and ftates, The first Part of K. HENRY VI.] The Hiftorical Tranfactions contained in this Play, take in the Compafs of above 30 Years. I must observe, however, that our Author, in the three Parts of Henry VI. has not been very precife to the Date and Difpofition of his Facts; but huffled them, backwards and Brandish For forwards, out of Time. Inftance; The Lord Talbot is kill'd at the End of the 4th A&t of this Play, who in reality did not fall till the 13th of July 1453 and the 2d Part of Henry. VI. opens with the Marriage of the King, which was folemniz'd 8 Years before Talbot's Death, in the Year 1445. Again, in the 2 Brandish your cryftal treffes in the fky, Glou. England ne'er had a King until his time: His brandish'd fword did blind men with its beams, Exe. We mourn in black; why mourn we not in blood? Henry is dead, and never fhall revive: Upon a wooden coffin we attend : the 2d Part, Dame Eleanor Cob- have been brought to him as a Director of the Stage; and fo to have received fome finishing Beauties at his Hand. An accurate Obferver will eafily fee, the Diction of them is more objolete, and the Numbers more mean and prefaical, than in the Generality of his genuine Compofitions. 2 THEOBALD. Brandifh your CRYSTAL trees- We have heard of a cryftal heaven, but never of cryftal comets before. We fhould read, CRISTED or creftea, i. e. treffes ftanding an end, or mounted like a crest. WARBURTON. I believe cryftal is right. 3 That plotted thus our glory's overthrow? His thread of life had not fo foon decay'd. Win. Glofter, whate'er we like, thou art Protector. Glou. Name not religion, for thou lov'st the flesh; And ne'er throughout the year to church thou go'st, Except it be to pray against thy foes, Bed. Ceafe, ceale thefe jars, and reft your minds in peace. Let's to the altar. Heralds, wait on us. Instead of gold we'll offer up our arms, Pofterity await for wretched years, When at their mothers' moift eyes babes fhall fuck; * Our ifle be made a nourish of falt tears, 3 The fubtle-witted French, &c.] There was a notion prevalent a long time, that life might be taken away by metrical charms. As fuperftition grew weaker, thefe charms were imagined only to have power on irrational animals. In our author's time it was fup And pofed that the Irish could kill rats by a fong. 4 Our Ifle be made a Marish of falt Tears,] Thus it is in both the Impreffions by Mr. Pope: upon what Authority, I cannot fay. All the old Copies read, a Nourish: and confidering it is |