SECOND PART OF KING HENRY VI. AN HISTORICAL PLAY. BY WILLIAM SHAKSPEARE. ACCURATELY PRINTED FROM THE TEXT OF Mr. STEEVENS's LAST EDITION. Drnamented with plates. London: Printed by T. Bensley, Bolt Court, Fleet Street. PUBLISHED BY E. HARDING, NO. 98, PALL-MALL; J. WRIGHT, PICCADILLY; G. SAEL, STRAND; AND VERNOR AND HOOD, POULTRY. OBSERVATIONS. THIS and The Third Part of King Henry VI. contain that troublefome period of this prince's reign which took in the whole contention betwixt the houfes of York and Lancaster: and under that title were these two plays firit acted and published. The prefent fcene opens with king Henry's marriage, which was in the twenty-third year of his reign [A. D. 1445]: and clofes with the first battle fought at St. Albans, and won by the York faction, in the thirty-third year of his reign [A. D. 1455]: fo that it comprizes the history and tranfactions of ten years. THEOBALD. This play was altered by Crowne, and acted in the year 1681. STEEVENS. In a note prefixed to the preceding play, I have briefly stated my opinion concerning the drama now before us, and that which follows it; to which the original editors of Shakspeare's works in folio have given the titles of The Second and Third Parts of King Henry VI. The Contention of the two famous houfes of York and Lancaster in two parts, was published in quarto, in 1600; and the first part was entered on the Stationers' books, (as Mr. Steevens has obferved,) March 12, 1593-4. On these two plays, which I believe to have been written by fome preceding author, before the year 1590, Shakspeare formed, as I conceive, this and the following drama; altering, retrenching, or amplifying, as he thought proper. It is only neceffary to apprize the reader of the method obferved in the printing of thefe plays. All the lines printed in the ufual manner, are found in the original quarto plays (or at leaft with fuch minute variations as are not worth noticing); and thofe, I conceive, Shakspeare adopted as he found them. The lines to which fingle inverted commas are prefixed, were, if my hypothefis be well founded, retouched, and greatly improved by him; and thofe with two were his own original production; the embroidery with which he ornamented the coarfe ftuff that had been awkwardly made up for the ftage by fome of his contemporaries. The speeches which he new-modelled, he improved, fometimes by amplification, and fometimes by retrenchment. 7 Thefe Thefe two pieces,. I imagine, were produced in their present form in 1591. Dr. Johnson obferves very juftly, that thefe two parts were not written without a dependance on the first. Undoubtedly not; the old play of K. Henry VI. (or, as it is now called, The first part,) certainly had been exhibited before these were written in any form. But it does not follow from this conceffion, either that The Contention of the two houses, &c. in two parts, was written by the author of the former play, or that Shakspeare was the author of these two pieces as they originally appeared. MALONE. P King HENRY the Sixth : HUMPHREY, Duke of Glofter, his uncle. Cardinal BEAUFORT, Bishop of Winchester, great uncle to the king. RICHARD PLANTAGENET, Duke of York: EDWARD and RICHARD, his fons. Duke of SOMERSET, Duke of SUFFOLK, Duke of BUCKINGHAM, Lord CLIFFORD, Earl of SALISBURY, of the king's party. of the York faction. Young CLIFFORD, his fon, Earl of WARWICK, Lord SCALES, Governour of the Tower. Lord SAY. A Sea-captain, Mafter, and Mafter's Mate, and WALTER Two Gentlemen, prisoners with Suffolk. A Herald. VAUX. HUME and SOUTHWELL, two priests. BOLINGBROKE, a Conjurer. A fpirit raised by him. JACK CADE, a Rebel: GEORGE, JOHN, DICK, SMITH, the Weaver, MICHAEL, &c. his followers. ALEXANDER IDEN, a Kentish Gentleman. MARGARET, Queen to King Henry. ELEANOR, Duchess of Glofter. MARGERY JOURDAIN, a Witch. Wife to Simpcox. Lords, Ladies, and Attendants; Petitioners, Aldermen, a Beadle, Sheriff, and Officers; Citizens, Prentices, Falconers, Guards, Soldiers, Mejengers, &c. SCENE, difperfedly in various parts of England. |