Baf. Yes, Sir, as well as you dare patronage
The envious barking of your fawcy Tongue,
Against the Duke of Somerfet.

Ver. Sirrah, thy Lord I honour as he is.
Baf. Why, what is he? As good a Man as York.
Ver. Hark ye; not fo: In witnefs take you that.

[Strikes him.
Baf. Villain, thou knoweft the Law of Arms is fuch
That whofo draws a Sword, 'tis present Death,
Or elfe this Blow fhould broach thy dearest Blood.
But I'll unto his Majefty, and crave,

I may have liberty to venge this Wrong,
When thou fhalt fee, I'll meet thee to thy Coft.

Ver. Well, Mifcreant, I'll be there as foon as you, 'And after meet you, fooner than you would.

ACT IV. SCENE

[Exeunt.

I.

Enter King Henry, Gloucefter, Winchester, York, Suffolk, Somerset, Warwick, Talbot, and Exeter, Governor of Paris.

Glo. Win. God fave King Henry, of that Name the Sixth.

Ord Bishop, fet the Crown upon his Head.

Glo. Now Governor of Paris take your Oath,
That you elect no other King but him;

Efteem none Friends, but fuch as are his Friends,
And none your Foes, but fuch as fhall pretend
Malicious practices against his State.

This thall ye do, fo help you righteous God.
Enter Falftaff.

Fal. My gracious Sovereign, as I rode from Calais,
To hafte 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,
Which I have done; becaufe, unworthily,

Thou

Thou waft inftalled in that high Degree.
Pardon my Princely Henry, and the reft;
This Daftard, at the Battel of Poitiers,
When, but in all, I was fix thousand strong,
And that the French were almoft ten to one,
Before we met, or that a ftroke was given,
Like to a trufty Squire, did run away.
In wh Affault we loft twelve hundred Men.
My feff, and divers Gentlemen befide,
Were there furpriz'd, and taken Prisoners.
Then judge, great Lords, if I have done amifs;
Or, whether that fuch Cowards ought to wear
This Ornament of Knighthood, yea or no?

Glo. To fay the truth, this Fact was infamous,
And ill befeeming 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,
Such as were grown to Credit by the Wars:
Not fearing Death, nor fhrinking for Distress,
But always refolute in moft Extreams.
He then, that is not furnish'd in this fort,
Doth but ufurp the facred Name of Knight,
Prophaning this moft Honourable Order,
And fhould, if I were worthy to be Judge,
Be quite degraded, like a Hedge-born Swain,
That doth prefume to boast of Gentle Blood.

K. Henry. Stain to thy Countrymen,thou hear'ft thy doom; Be packing therefore, thou that waft a Knight;

Henceforth we banish thee on pain of Death. [Exit Falstaff. And now, my Lord Protector, view the Letter,

Sent from our Uncle, Duke of Burgundy.

Glo. What means his Grace that he hath chang'd his ftyle?

No more but plain and bluntly, To the King

[Reading.

Hath he forgot he is his Sovereign?

Or doth this churlish Superfcription

Portend fome Alteration in good will?

What's here? I have upon especial Caufe,

[Reads.

Mov'd with Compaffion of my Country's Wrack,

Together

Together with the pitiful Complaints
of fuch as your Oppreffion feeds upon,
Forfaken your pernicious Faction,

And joyn'd with Charles, the rightful King of France.
O monftrous Treachery! can this be fo?
That in Alliance, Amity, and Oaths.

There fhould be found fuch falfe diffembling guile?,
K Henry. What! doth my Uncle Burgundy revolts
Glo. He doth, my Lord, and is become our Foe.
K. Henry. Is that the worst this Letter doth contain?
Glo. It is the worst, and all, my Lord, he writes.
K. Henry. Why then, Lord Talbot there fhall talk with him,
And give him Chastisement for this Abuse.

How fay you, my Lord, are you not content?

Tal. Content, my Liege? Yes: But that I am prevented I fhould have begg'd I might have been employ'd.

K. Henry. Then gather ftrength, and march unto him Let him perceive how ill we brook his Treafon, [ftreight! And what Offence it is to flout his Friends.

Tal. I go, my Lord, in Heart defiring still

You may behold Confusion of your Foes. [Exit Talbot. Enter Vernon and Baffet.

Ver. Grant me the Combat, gracious Sovereign.
Baf. And me, my Lord, grant me the Combat too.
York. This is my Servant, hear him Noble Prince.
Som. And this is mine, fweet Henry, favour him.)
K. Henry. Be patient, Lords, and give them leave to freak.
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.
Baf. And I with him, for he hath done me wrong,
K. Henry. What is the wrong whereon you both complain?
Firft let me know, and then I'll anfwer you.

Baf. Croffing the Sea, from England into France,
This Fellow here with fharp and carping Tongue,
Upbraided me about the Rofe I wear;
Saying, the fanguine Colour of the Leaves
Did reprefent my Mafter's blufhing Cheeks:
When ftubbornly he did repugn the Truth,
About a certain queftion in the Law,

Argu'd

Argu'd betwixt the Duke of York and him;
With other vile and ignominious Terms.
In Confutation of which rude Reproach,
And in defence of my Lord's Worthiness,
I crave the benefit of Law of Arms.

Ver. And that is my Petition, Noble Lord;
For though he feem, with forged quaint Conceit,
To fet a glofs upon his bold intent,

Yet know my Lord, I was provok'd by him,'
And he first took Exceptions at this Badge,
Pronouncing that the palenefs of this Flower,
Bewray'd the faintnefs of my Mafter's Heart.
York. Will not this Malice, Somerset, be left?
Som. Your private grudge, my Lord of York, will out,
Though ne'er fo cunningly you fmother it.

[Men! K. Henry. Good Lord! What madness rules in Brain-fick

When for fo flight and frivolous a Cause,
Such factious Emulations fhall arife!
Good Coufins both of York and Somerset,
Quiet your felves, and be at peace.

York. Let this Diffention firft be try'd by fight,
And then your Highnefs fhall command a Peace.
Som. The Quarrel toucheth none but us alone,
Betwixt our felves let us decide it then.

York. There is my Pledge, accept it, Somerfet.
Ver. Nay, let it reft where it began at firft.
Baf. Confirm it fo, mine honourable Lord.
Glo. Confirm it fo? Confounded be
your Strife,
And perish ye with your audacious Prate;
Prefumptuous Vaffals, are you not afham'd
With this immodeft clamorous Outrage,
To trouble and difturb the King and Us?
And you, my Lords, methinks you do not well
To bear with their perverse Objections:
Much less to take occafion from their Mouths,
To raise a Mutiny betwixt your felves:
Let me perfuade you take a better course,
Exe. It grieves his Highness:

Good my Lords, be Friends.

K. Henry, Come hither you that would be Combatants.

Hence

Henceforth I charge you, as you love our Favour,
Quite to forget this Quarrel, and the Caufe.
And you, my Lords, remember where we are,
In France, amongst a fickle wavering Nation:
If they perceive Diffention in our Looks,
And that within our felves we difagree;
How will their grudging Stomachs be provok'd
To wilful Difobedience, and Rebell?
Befide, what Infamy will there arife,
When Foreign Princes fhall be certified,
That for a Toy, a thing of no regard,
King Henry's Peers, and chief Nobility,
Deftroy'd themselves, and loft the Realm of France?
O think upon the Conqueft of my Father,
My tender Years, and let us not forego
That for a trifle, that was bought with Blood.
Let me be Umpire in this doubtful Strife:
I fee no Reason, if I wear this Rofe,
That any one should therefore be fufpicious
I more encline to Somerset than York:

Both are my Kinfmen, and I love them both.
As well they may upbraid me with my Crown,
Because, forfooth, the King of Scots is crown'd.
But Discretions better can perfuade,

your

Than I am able to inftruct or teach:
And therefore as we hither came in Peace,
So let us ftill continue Peace and Love.
Coufin of York, we inftitute your Grace
To be our Regent in thefe parts of France:
And good my Lord of Somerfet, unite

Your Troops of Horsemen, with his Bands of Foot;
And like true Subjects, Sons of your Progenitors,
Go chearfully together, and digest

Your angry Choler on your Enemies.

Our felf, my Lord Protector, and the reft,,
After some respite will return to Calais;
From thence to England, where I hope ere long
To be prefented by your Victories,

With Charles, Alenson, and that traiterous rout.

[Exeunt.

Manent