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To your obedience fifty fortresses,

Twelve cities and seven walled towns of strength,

Beside five hundred prisoners of esteem,

Lets fall his sword before your highness' feet,

And with submissive loyalty of heart

Ascribes the glory of his conquest got

First to my God and next unto your grace. [Kneels.]

KING.

Is this the Lord Talbot, uncle Gloucester,

That hath so long been resident in France?

GLOUCESTER.

Yes, if it please your majesty, my liege.

KING.

Welcome, brave captain and victorious lord!

When I was young, as yet I am not old.

I do remember how my father said

A stouter champion never handled sword.

Long since we were resolved of your truth,

Your faithful service and your toil in war;

Yet never have you tasted our reward,

Or been reguerdon'd with so much as thanks.

Because till now we never saw your face:

Therefore, stand up: and for these good deserts,

We here create you Earl of Shrewsbury;

And in our coronation take your place.

[Sennet. Flourish. Exeunt all but Vernon and Basset.]

VERNON.

Now, sir, to you, that were so hot at sea,

Disgracing of these colors that I wear

In honor of my noble Lord of York:—

Dar'st thou maintain the former words thou spakest?

BASSET.

Yes, sir; as well as you dare patronage

The envious barking of your saucy tongue

Against my lord the Duke of Somerset.

VERNON.

Sirrah, thy lord I honor as he is.

BASSET.

Why, what is he? as good a man as York.

VERNON.

Hark ye; not so: in witness, take ye that.

[Strikes him.]

BASSET.

Villain, thou know'st the law of arms is such

That whoso draws a sword, 'tis present death,

Or else this blow should broach thy dearest blood.

But I 'll unto his majesty, and crave

I may have liberty to venge this wrong;

When thou shalt see I 'll meet thee to thy cost.

VERNON.

Well, miscreant, I 'll be there as soon as you;

And, after, meet you sooner than you would.

[Exeunt.]

ACT FOURTH

SCENE I. Paris. A hall of state.

[Enter the King, Gloucester, Bishop of Winchester, York, Suffolk, Somerset, Warwick, Talbot, Exeter, the Governor of Paris, and others.]

GLOUCESTER.

Lord bishop, set the crown upon his head.

WINCHESTER.

God save King Henry, of that name the sixth!

GLOUCESTER.

Now, Governor of Paris, take your oath,

That you elect no other king but him;

Esteem none friends but such as are his friends,

And none your foes but such as shall pretend

Malicious practices against his state:

This shall ye do, so help you righteous God!

[Enter Sir John Fastolfe.]

FASTOLFE.

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.

TALBOT.

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, [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 surprised 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.

GLOUCESTER.

To say the truth, this fact was infamous

And ill beseeming any common man,

Much more a knight, a captain, and a leader.

TALBOT.

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 shrinking for distress,

But always resolute in most extremes.

He then that is not furnish'd in this sort

Doth but usurp the sacred name of knight,

Profaning this most honorable order,

And should, if I were worthy to be judge,

Be quite degraded,