PRELIMINARY REMARKS.

The action of this play (which was at first printed under this title, The True Tragedy of Richard Duke of York, and the good King Henry the Sixth; or, The Second Part of the Contention of York and Lancaster,) opens just after the first battle at St. Albans, [May 23, 1455,] wherein the York faction carried the day; and closes with the murder of King Henry VI. and the birth of Prince Edward, afterwards King Edward V. [November 4, 1471.] So that this history takes in the space of full sixteen years. Theobald.

I have never seen the quarto copy of the Second Part of The Whole Contention, &c. printed by Valentine Simmes for Thomas Millington, 1600; but the copy printed by W. W. for Thomas Millington, 1600, is now before me; and it is not precisely the same with that described by Mr. Pope and Mr. Theobald, nor does the undated edition (printed in fact, in 1619,) correspond with their description. The title of the piece printed in 1600, by W. W. is as follows: “The True Tragedie of Richarde Duke of Yorke, and the Death of good King Henrie the Sixt: With the whole Contention between the Two Houses Lancaster and Yorke: as it was sundry Times acted by the Right Honourable the Earle of Pembrooke his Servants. Printed at London by W. W. for Thomas Millington, and are to be sold at his Shoppe under St. Peter's Church in Cornewall, 1600.” There was, however, an earlier edition in 1595. See it more particularly described in the list of quartos, vol. ii. On this piece Shakspeare, as I conceive, in 1591 formed the drama before us. See p. 3 of this volume, and the Essay at the end of this play. Malone.

The present historical drama was altered by Crowne, and brought on the stage in the year 1680, under the title of The Miseries of Civil War. Surely the works of Shakspeare could have been little read at that period; for Crowne, in his Prologue, declares the play to be entirely his own composition:

whereas the very first scene is that of Jack Cade copied almost verbatim from The Second Part of King Henry VI. and several others from this third Part, with as little variation. Steevens.

PERSONS REPRESENTED. King Henry the Sixth: Edward, Prince of Wales [Prince], his Son. Lewis XI. King of France. Duke of Somerset. Lord on K. Henry's side. Duke of Exeter. Lord on K. Henry's side. Earl of Oxford. Lord on K. Henry's side. Earl of Northumberland. Lord on K. Henry's side. Earl of Westmoreland. Lord on K. Henry's side. Lord Clifford. Lord on K. Henry's side. Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York [Plantagenet]: Edward, Earl of March, afterwards King Edward IV. his Son. Edmund, Earl of Rutland [Rutland], his Son. George, afterwards Duke of Clarence, his Son. Richard, afterwards Duke of Glocester, his Son. Duke of Norfolk, of the Duke of York's party. Marquis of Montague, of the Duke of York's party. Earl of Warwick, of the Duke of York's party. Earl of Pembroke, of the Duke of York's party. Lord Hastings, of the Duke of York's party. Lord Stafford, of the Duke of York's party. Sir John Mortimer, Uncle to the Duke of York. Sir Hugh Mortimer, Uncle to the Duke of York. Henry, Earl of Richmond, a Youth. Lord Rivers, Brother to Lady Grey. Sir William Stanley. Sir John Montgomery. Sir John Somerville. Tutor to Rutland. Mayor of York. Lieutenant of the Tower. A Nobleman. Two Keepers [Keeper 1], [Keeper 2]. A Huntsman. A Son that has killed his Father [Son]. A Father that has killed his Son [Father]. Queen Margaret. Lady Grey, afterwards Queen to Edward IV. Bona, Sister to the French Queen. Soldiers, and other Attendants on King Henry and King Edward, Messengers, Watchmen, &c. [Messenger], [Messenger1], [Messenger2], [Watch 1], [Watch 2], [Watch 3] SCENE, during part of the third Act, in France; during all the rest of the Play, in England.

1 ^note.

THIRD PART OF KING HENRY VI

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