* SECOND PART OF KING HENRY VI.] This and The Third Part of King Henry VI. contain that troublesome period of this prince's reign which took in the whole contention betwixt the houses of York and Lancaster: aud under that title were these two plays firft aded and published. The present scene opens with king Henry's marriage, which was in the twenty-third year of his reign [A. D. 1445]: and closes with the first battle fought at St. Albans, and won by the York fadion, in the thirty-third year of his reign [A. D. 1455]: so that it comprizes the hiftory and transations of ten years. THEOBALD. This play was altered by Crowne, and acted in the year 1681. STEEVENS. In a pote 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 houses of Yorke 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 observed.) March 12, 1593-4. On these two plays, which I believe to have been written by some preceding author, before the year 1590, Shakspeare formed, as I conceive, this and the following drama; altering, retrenching, or amplifying, as he thought proper. The reasons on which this hypothesis is founded, I shall subjoin at large at the end of The third part of King Henry VI. At present it is only neceffary to apprize the reader of the method observed in the printing of these plays. All the lines printed in the usual manner, are found in the original quarto plays (or at least with such minute variations as are not worth noticing); and those, I conceive, Shakspeare adopted as he found them. The lines to which inverted commas are prefixed, were, if my hypothefis be well founded, retouched, and greatly improved by him; and those with afterifks were his own original production; the embroidery with which he ornamented the coarse stuff that had been awkwardly made up for the ftage by fome of his contemporaries. The speeches which he new-modelled, he improved, sometimes by amplification, and sometimes by retrenchment. These two pieces, I imagine, were produced in their present form in 1591. See An Attempt to afcertain the order of Shakespeare's plays, Vol. II. and the Differtation at the end of The third part of King Henry VI. Dr. Johnson observes very justly, that these two parts were not written without a dependance on the first. Undoubt | edly 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. King Henry the Sixth : Humphrey, Duke of Gloster, 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, of the king's party. Lord Clifford, Young Clifford, his fon.) Earl of Salisbury, of the York faction. Earl of Warwick. Lord Scales, Governour of the Tower. Lord Say. Sir Humphrey Stafford, and his brother. Sir John Stanley. A Sea-captain, Master, and Master's Mate, and Walter Whitmore. Two Gentlemen, prisoners with Suffolk. A Herald. Vaux. Hume and Southwell, two priests. Bolingbroke, a Conjurer. A Spirit raised by him. Thomas Horner, an Armourer. Peter, his man. Clerk of Chatham. Mayor of Saint Alban's. Simpcox, an Impostor. Two Murderers. Jack Cade, a Rebel: George, John, Dick, Smith the Weaver, Michael, &c. his followers. Alexander Iden, a Kentish Gentleman. Margery Jourdain, a Witch. Wife to Simpcox. ( KING HENRY VI. ACT I. SCENE I. London. A Room of state in the Palace. Flourish of trumpets: then hautboys. Enter, on one fide, King HENRY, Duke of GLOSTER, SALISBURY, WARWICK, and Cardinal BEAUFORT; on the other, Queen MARGARET, led in by SUFFOLK; YORK, SOMERSET, BUCKINGHAM, and Others, following. SUF. As by your high imperial majelly I had in charge at my depart for France, As procurator to your excellence, init. As by your high &c.] Vide Hall's Chronicle, fol. 66, year 23. POPE. It is apparent that this play begins where the former ends, and continues the series of tranfa&ions of which it presupposes the firft part already known. This is a fufficient proof that the second and third parts were not written without dependance on the first, though they were printed as containing a complete period of hiftory. JOHNSON. 3 As procurator to your excellence, &c.] So, in Holinshed, p. 625: "The marquesse of Suffolk, as procurator to king Henrie, espoused the faid ladie in the church of Saint Martins. At the which marriage were present the father and mother of the bride; the French king himself that was uncle to the husband, and the French queen also that was aunt to the wife. There were also the dukes of Orleance, of Calabre, of Alanson, and of Britaine, seaven earles, twelve barons, twenty bishops," &c. STEEVENS. This passage Holinshed transcribed verbatim from Hall. MALONE. To marry princess Margaret for your grace: Alençon, bishops, Seven earls, twelve barons, and twenty reverend I have perform'd my task, and was espous'd: K. HEN. Suffolk, arife. - Welcome, queen Mar garet: I can express no kinder sign of love, For thou hast given me, in this beauteous face, 6 6 Q. MAR. Great king of England, and my gracious lord; The mutual conferences that my mind hath had By day, by night; waking, and in my dreams; 4 With you mine alder-liesest sovereign, - that are sovereign, who are, &c. i. e. to the gracious hands of you, my In the old play the line stands: Unto your gracious excellence that are &c. MALONE. 6 The mutual conference ) I am the bolder to address you, having already familiarized you to my imagination. JOHNSON. mine alder-liefeft Sovereign, Alder-lievest is an old English 8 |