Malicious practices against his state: This shall ye do, so help you righteous God! [Exeunt Gov. and his Train. Enter Sir JOHN FASTOLFE. Fast. My gracious sovereign, as I rode from Calais, To haste unto your coronation, A letter was deliver'd to my hands, Writ to your grace from the duke of Burgundy. Tal. Shame to the duke of Burgundy, and thee! I vow'd, base knight, when I did meet thee next, To tear the garter from thy craven's leg, 8 [Plucking it off. (Which I have done) because unworthily Thou wast installed in that high degree.Pardon me, princely Henry, and the rest: This dastard, at the battle of Patay, When but in all I was six thousand strong, And that the French were almost ten to one,Before we met, or that a stroke was given, Like to a trusty squire, did run away; In which assault we lost twelve hundred men; Myself, and divers gentlemen beside, Were there surpriz'd, and taken prisoners. Then judge, great lords, if I have done amiss; Or whether that such cowards ought to wear This ornament of knighthood, yea, or no. Glo. To say the truth, this fact was infamous, And ill beseeming any common man; Much more a knight, a captain, and a leader. Tal. When first this order was ordain'd, my lords, Knights of the garter were of noble birth; Valiant, and virtuous, full of haughty courage, 8 To tear the garter from thy craven's leg,] i. e. thy mean, dastardly leg. haughty courage,] Haughty is here in its original sense for high. Such as were grown to credit by the wars; K. Hen. Stain to thy countrymen ! thou hear'st thy doom: Be packing therefore, thou that wast a knight; Glo. What means his grace, that he hath chang'd his style? [Viewing the superscription No more but, plain and bluntly,-To the king? Pretend some alteration in good will? What's here?-I have, upon especial cause, [Reads. Mov'd with compassion of my country's wreck, Of such as your oppression feeds upon,- And join'd with Charles, the rightful king of France. O monstrous treachery! Can this be so; That in alliance, amity, and oaths, There should be found such false dissembling guile ? in most extremes.] i. e. in greatest extremities. * Pretend-] To pretend seems to be here used in its Latin sense, i. e. to hold out, to stretch forward. It may mean, how❤ ever, as in other places, to design. K. Hen. What! doth my uncle Burgundy revolt? And give him chastisement for this abuse :- I should have begg'd I might have been employ'd. K. Hen. Then gather strength, and march unto him straight: Let him perceive, how ill we brook his treason; Enter VERNON and BASSET. [Exit. Ver. Grant me the combat, gracious sovereign! Bas. And me, my lord, grant me the combat too! York. This is my servant; Hear him, noble prince! Som. And this is mine; Sweet Henry, favour him! K. Hen. Be patient, lords; and give them leave to speak. Say, gentlemen, What makes you thus exclaim? And wherefore crave you combat? or with whom? Ver. With him, my lord; for he hath done me wrong. Bas. And I with him; for he hath done me wrong. K. Hen. What is that wrong whereof you both complain? 3 I am prevented,] Prevented is here, anticipated; a Latinism. First let me know, and then I'll answer you. Bas. Crossing the sea from England into France, Ver. And that is my petition, noble lord: Yet know, my lord, I was provok'd by him; York. Will not this malice, Somerset, be left? Som. Your private grudge, my lord of York, will out, Though ne'er so cunningly you smother it. K. Hen. Good Lord! what madness rules in brain-sick men ; When, for so slight and frivolous a cause, Such factious emulations shall arise!— York. Let this dissention first be tried by fight, And then your highness shall command a peace. Som. The quarrel toucheth none but us alone; Betwixt ourselves let us decide it then. York. There is my pledge; accept it, Somerset. did repugn the truth,] To repugn is to resist. Ver. Nay, let it rest where it began at first. your strife! And perish ye, with your audacious prate! Presumptuous vassals! are you not asham'd, With this immodest clamorous outrage To trouble and disturb the king and us? And you, my lords, methinks, you do not well, To bear with their perverse objections; Much less, to take occasion from their mouths To raise a mutiny betwixt yourselves; Let me persuade you take a better course. Ere. It grieves his highness;-Good my lords; be friends. K. Hen. Come hither, you that would be combatants: Henceforth, I charge you, as you love our favour, Destroy'd themselves, and lost the realm of France? I see no reason, if I wear this rose, [Putting on a red Rose. That any one should therefore be suspicious. I more incline to Somerset, than York: |