King Henry Vi, Part 2

Part 1

Executive Director's Notes:

In addition to the notes below, and so you will *NOT* think all the spelling errors introduced by the printers of the time have been corrected, here are the first few lines of Hamlet, as they are presented herein:

Barnardo. Who's there? Fran. Nay answer me: Stand & vnfold your selfe

Bar. Long liue the King

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As I understand it, the printers often ran out of certain words or letters they had often packed into a "cliche". . .this is the original meaning of the term cliche. . .and thus, being unwilling to unpack the cliches, and thus you will see some substitutions that look very odd. . .such as the exchanges of u for v, v for u, above. . .and you may wonder why they did it this way, presuming Shakespeare did not actually write the play in this manner. . . .

The answer is that they MAY have packed "liue" into a cliche at a time when they were out of "v"'s. . .possibly having used "vv" in place of some "w"'s, etc. This was a common practice of the day, as print was still quite expensive, and they didn't want to spend more on a wider selection of characters than they had to.

You will find a lot of these kinds of "errors" in this text, as I have mentioned in other times and places, many "scholars" have an extreme attachment to these errors, and many have accorded them a very high place in the "canon" of Shakespeare. My father read an assortment of these made available to him by Cambridge University in England for several months in a glass room constructed for the purpose. To the best of my knowledge he read ALL those available . . .in great detail. . .and determined from the various changes, that Shakespeare most likely did not write in nearly as many of a variety of errors we credit him for, even though he was in/famous for signing his name with several different spellings.

So, please take this into account when reading the comments below made by our volunteer who prepared this file: you may see errors that are "not" errors. . . .

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Scanner's Notes:

What this is and isn't. This was taken from a copy of Shakespeare's first folio and it is as close as I can come in ASCII to the printed text.

The elongated S's have been changed to small s's and the conjoined ae have been changed to ae. I have left the spelling, punctuation, capitalization as close as possible to the printed text. I have corrected some spelling mistakes (I have put together a spelling dictionary devised from the spellings of the Geneva Bible and Shakespeare's First Folio and have unified spellings according to this template), typo's and expanded abbreviations as I have come across them. Everything within brackets [] is what I have added. So if you don't like that you can delete everything within the brackets if you want a purer Shakespeare.

Another thing that you should be aware of is that there are textual differences between various copies of the first folio. So there may be differences (other than what I have mentioned above) between this and other first folio editions. This is due to the printer's habit of setting the type and running off a number of copies and then proofing the printed copy and correcting the type and then continuing the printing run. The proof run wasn't thrown away but incorporated into the printed copies. This is just the way it is. The text I have used was a composite of more than 30 different First Folio editions' best pages.

David Reed

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The second Part of Henry the Sixt

with the death of the Good Duke Hvmfrey

Actus Primus. Scoena Prima.

Flourish of Trumpets: Then Hoboyes.

Enter King, Duke Humfrey, Salisbury, Warwicke, and Beauford on the one side. The Queene, Suffolke, Yorke, Somerset, and Buckingham, on the other.

Suffolke. As by your high Imperiall Maiesty, I had in charge at my depart for France, As Procurator to your Excellence, To marry Princes Margaret for your Grace; So in the Famous Ancient City, Toures, In presence of the Kings of France, and Sicill, The Dukes of Orleance, Calaber, Britaigne, and Alanson, Seuen Earles, twelue Barons, & twenty reuerend Bishops I haue perform'd my Taske, and was espous'd, And humbly now vpon my bended knee, In sight of England, and her Lordly Peeres, Deliuer vp my Title in the Queene To your most gracious hands, that are the Substance Of that great Shadow I did represent: The happiest Gift, that euer Marquesse gaue, The Fairest Queene, that euer King receiu'd

King. Suffolke arise. Welcome Queene Margaret, I can expresse no kinder signe of Loue Then this kinde kisse: O Lord, that lends me life, Lend me a heart repleate with thankfulnesse: For thou hast giuen me in this beauteous Face A world of earthly blessings to my soule, If Simpathy of Loue vnite our thoughts

Queen. Great King of England, & my gracious Lord, The mutuall conference that my minde hath had, By day, by night; waking, and in my dreames, In Courtly company, or at my Beades, With you mine Alder liefest Soueraigne, Makes me the bolder to salute my King, With ruder termes, such as my wit affoords, And ouer ioy of heart doth minister

King. Her sight did rauish, but her grace in Speech, Her words yclad with wisedomes Maiesty, Makes me from Wondring, fall to Weeping ioyes, Such is the Fulnesse of my hearts content. Lords, with one cheerefull voice, Welcome my Loue

All kneel. Long liue Qu. Margaret, Englands happines

Queene. We thanke you all.

Florish

Part 2

Suf. My Lord Protector, so it please your Grace, Heere are the Articles of contracted peace, Betweene our Soueraigne, and the French King Charles, For eighteene moneths concluded by consent

Glo. Reads. Inprimis, It is agreed betweene the French K. Charles, and William de la Pole Marquesse of Suffolke, Ambassador for Henry King of England, That the said Henry shal espouse the Lady Margaret, daughter vnto Reignier King of Naples, Sicillia, and Ierusalem, and Crowne her Queene of England, ere the thirtieth of May next ensuing. Item, That the Dutchy of Aniou, and the County of Main, shall be released and deliuered to the King her father

King. Vnkle, how now? Glo. Pardon me gracious Lord, Some sodaine qualme hath strucke me at the heart, And dim'd mine eyes, that I can reade no further

King. Vnckle of Winchester, I pray read on

Win. Item, It is further agreed betweene them, That the Dutchesse of Aniou and Maine, shall be released and deliuered ouer to the King her Father, and shee sent ouer of the King of Englands owne proper Cost and Charges, without hauing any Dowry

King. They please vs well. Lord Marques kneel down, We heere create thee the first Duke of Suffolke, And girt thee with the Sword. Cosin of Yorke, We heere discharge your Grace from being Regent I'th parts of France, till terme of eighteene Moneths Be full expyr'd. Thankes Vncle Winchester, Gloster, Yorke, Buckingham, Somerset, Salisburie, and Warwicke. We thanke you all for this great fauour done, In entertainment to my Princely Queene. Come, let vs in, and with all speede prouide To see her Coronation be perform'd.

Exit King, Queene, and Suffolke.

Manet the rest.

Glo. Braue Peeres of England, Pillars of the State, To you Duke Humfrey must vnload his greefe: Your greefe, the common greefe of all the Land. What? did my brother Henry spend his youth, His valour, coine, and people in the warres? Did he so often lodge in open field: In Winters cold, and Summers parching heate, To conquer France, his true inheritance? And did my brother Bedford toyle his wits, To keepe by policy what Henrie got: Haue you your selues, Somerset, Buckingham, Braue Yorke, Salisbury, and victorious Warwicke, Receiud deepe scarres in France and Normandie: Or hath mine Vnckle Beauford, and my selfe, With all the Learned Counsell of the Realme, Studied so long, sat in the Councell house, Early and late, debating too and fro How France and Frenchmen might be kept in awe, And hath his Highnesse in his infancie, Crowned in Paris in despight of foes, And shall these Labours, and these Honours dye? Shall Henries Conquest, Bedfords vigilance, Your Deeds of Warre, and all our Counsell dye? O Peeres of England, shamefull is this League, Fatall this Marriage, cancelling your Fame, Blotting your names from Bookes of memory, Racing the Charracters of your Renowne, Defacing Monuments of Conquer'd France, Vndoing all as all had neuer bin

Car. Nephew, what meanes this passionate discourse? This preroration with such circumstance: For France, 'tis ours; and we will keepe it still

Glo. I Vnckle, we will keepe it, if we can: But now it is impossible we should. Suffolke, the new made Duke that rules the rost, Hath giuen the Dutchy of Aniou and Mayne, Vnto the poore King Reignier, whose large style Agrees not with the leannesse of his purse

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