Page 289 - Shakespeare - Vol. 1

Enter Cardinal [Beaufort, Bishop of Winchester, attended].

Y ORK

Break thou in pieces and consume to ashes,
Thou foul accursèd minister of hell!

WINCHEST ER

Lord regent, I do greet your excellence
With letters of commission from the king. [95]
For know, my lords, the states of Christendom,
Moved with remorse of these outrageous broils,
Have earnestly implored a general peace
Betwixt our nation and the aspiring French;
And here at hand the dauphin and his train [100]
Approacheth, to confer about some matter.

Y ORK

Is all our travail turned to this effect?
After the slaughter of so many peers,
So many captains, gentlemen, and soldiers
That in this quarrel have been overthrown [105]
And sold their bodies for their country’s benefit,
Shall we at last conclude effeminate peace?
Have we not lost most part of all the towns,
By treason, falsehood, and by treachery,
Our great progenitors had conquerèd? [110]
O Warwick, Warwick, I foresee with grief
The utter loss of all the realm of France!

WARWICK

Be patient, York: if we conclude a peace
It shall be with such strict and severe covenants
As little shall the Frenchmen gain thereby. [115]

Enter Charles, Alençon, Bastard, Reignier [, and others].

CHARLES

Since, lords of England, it is thus agreed
That peaceful truce shall be proclaimed in France,
We come to be informèd by yourselves