DRAMATIS PERSONE

KING HENRY the Sixth.

HUMPHREY, Duke of Gloucester, his uncle.

CARDINAL BEAUFORT, Bishop of Winchester, great-uncle to the

King.

RICHARD PLANTAGENET, Duke of York.

EDWARD and RICHARD, his sons.

DUKE OF Somerset.

DUKE OF SUFFOLK.

DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM.

LORD CLIFFORD.

Young CLIFFORD, his son.

EARL OF SALISBURY.

EARL OF WARWICK.

LORD SCALES.

LORD SAY.

SIR HUMPHREY STAFFORD, and WILLIAM STAFFORD, his brother.

SIR JOHN STANLEY.

VAUX.

MATTHEW Goffe.

A Sea - captain, Master, and Master's - Mate, and WALTER WHITMORE.

Two Gentlemen, prisoners with Suffolk.

JOHN HUME and JOHN SOUTHWELL, priests.

BOLINGBROKE, a conjurer.

THOMAS HORNER, an armourer. PETER, his man.

Clerk of Chatham. Mayor of Saint Alban's.

SIMPCOX, an impostor.

ALEXANDER IDEN, a Kentish gentleman.

JACK CADE, a rebel.

GEORGE BEVIS, JOHN HOLLAND, DICK the butcher, SMITH the

weaver, MICHAEL, etc., followers of Cade.

Two Murderers.

MARGARET, Queen to King Henry.

ELEANOR, Duchess of Gloucester.

MARGARET JOURDAIN, a witch.

Wife to Simpcox.

Lords, Ladies, and Attendants, Petitioners, Aldermen, a Herald, a Beadle, Sheriff, and Officers, Citizens, 'Prentices, Falconers, Guards, Soldiers, Messengers, etc.

A Spirit.

SCENE: England.

DURATION OF TIME.

Dramatic Time. -Fourteen days, with intervals, suggesting a period in all of say, at the outside, a couple of years.'

Historic Time.

From April 22, 1445, to May 23, 1455 (Daniel: 'Time Analysis,' Transactions of N. Sh. Soc. 1877-79.).

KING, HUMPHREY, Duke of GLOUCESTER,
SALISBURY, WARWICK, and CARDINAL BEAU-
FORT, on the one side; the QUEEN, SUFFOLK,
YORK, SOMERSET, and BUCKINGHAM, on the
other.

Suf. As by your high imperial majesty
I had in charge at my depart for France,
As procurator to your excellence,

To marry Princess Margaret for your grace,
So, in the famous ancient city Tours,

In presence of the Kings of France and Sicil,

The Dukes of Orleans, Calaber, Bretagne and

Alençon,

Seven earls, twelve barons and twenty reverend bishops,

3. procurator, substitute. Suffolk.

Margaret was 'proxy-wedded' to

I have perform'd my task and was espoused:
And humbly now upon my bended knee,
In sight of England and her lordly peers,
Deliver up my title in the queen

To your most gracious hands, that are the sub

stance

Of that great shadow I did represent ;

The happiest gift that ever marquess gave,
The fairest queen that ever king received.

King. Suffolk, arise. Welcome, Queen Mar

garet :

I can express no kinder sign of love

Than this kind kiss. O Lord, that lends me life,
Lend me a heart replete with thankfulness!
For thou hast given me in this beauteous face
A world of earthly blessings to my soul,

If sympathy of love unite our thoughts.

Queen. Great King of England and my gracious
lord,

The mutual conference that my mind hath had,
By day, by night, waking and in my dreams,
In courtly company or at my beads,
With you, mine alder-liefest sovereign,
Makes me the bolder to salute my king
With ruder terms, such as my wit affords
And over-joy of heart doth minister.

King. Her sight did ravish; but her grace in
speech,

Her words y-clad with wisdom's majesty,

Makes me from wondering fall to weeping joys;

Such is the fulness of my heart's content.

Lords, with one cheerful voice welcome my love.
All [kneeling]. Long live Queen Margaret,
England's happiness!

18. kinder, more natural, unmistakable.
28. alder-liefest, most beloved.

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