Bead. I will, my lord.-Come on, sirrah; off || SCENE II.-London. The duke of York's gar with your doublet quickly. den. Enter York, Salisbury, and Warwick.

Simp. Alas, master, what shall I do? I am not able to stand.

[After the Beadle hath hit him once, he leaps

over the stool, and runs away; and the
people follow, and cry, A miracle!

*K. Hen. O God, seest thou this, and bear'st so
long?

* Q. Mar. It made me laugh, to see the villain,

run.

York. Now, my good lords of Salisbury and
Warwick,

Our simple supper ended, give me leave,
In this close walk, to satisfy myself,

In craving your opinion of my title,
Which is infallible, to England's crown.
* Sal. My lord, I long to hear it at full.
War. Sweet York, begin: and if thy claim be
The Nevils are thy subjects to command.
good,

York. Then thus:

* Glo. Follow the knave; and take this drab away.
*Wife. Alas, sir, we did it for pure need.
Glo. Let them be whipped through every mar-
ket town, till they come to Berwick, whence they
[Exeunt Mayor, Beadle, Wife, &c.
'Car. Duke Humphrey has done a miracle to-day.
Suff. True; made the lame to leap, and fly Lionel, duke of Clarence; next to whom,

Edward the Third, iny lords, had seven sons:
The first, Edward the Black Prince, prince of

came.

away.

Glo. But you have done more miracles than I; You made, in a day, my lord, whole towns to fly. Enter Buckingham.

'K. Hen. What tidings with our cousin Buck-
ingham?

'Buck. Such as my heart doth tremble to unfold.
A sort of naughty persons, lewdly2 bent,-
Under the countenance and confederacy
Of lady Eleanor, the protector's wife,
The ringleader and head of all this rout,—
Have practis'd dangerously against your state,
Dealing with witches, and with conjurors:
Whom we have apprehended in the fact;
Raising up wicked spirits from under ground,
Demanding of king Henry's life and death,
And other of your highness' privy council,
'As more at large your grace shall understand.

Car. And so, my lord protector, by this means
Your lady is forthcoming yet at London.
This news, I think, hath turn'd your weapon's
edge;

"Tis like, my lord, you will not keep your hour.
[Aside to Gloster.
Glo. Ambitious churchman, leave to afflict my
heart!

Sorrow and grief have vanquish'd all my powers:
* And, vanquish'd as I am, I yield to thee,
*Or to the meanest groom.

*K. Hen. O God, what mischiefs work the
wicked ones;

Heaping confusion on their own heads thereby!
Q. Mar. Gloster, see here the tainture of thy

nest;

And, look, thyself be faultless, thou wert best.
Glo. Madam, for myself, to heaven I do appeal,
How I have lov'd my king, and commonweal:
And, for my wife, I know not how it stands;
'Sorry I am to hear what I have heard:

Noble she is; but if she have forgot

Honour and virtue, and convers'd with such

As, like to pitch, defile nobility,

I banish her, my bed, and company;

And give her, as a prey, to law, and shame,

• That hath dishonour'd Gloster's honest name.
K. Hen. Well, for this night, we will repose
us here:

To-morrow, toward London, back again,

• To look into this business thoroughly,

⚫ And call these foul offenders to their answers;
And poise4 the cause in justice' equal scales,
• Whose beam stands sure, whose rightful cause
[Flourish. Exeunt.
(2) Wickedly.

prevails.

(1) A company.

VOL. II.

6

Wales;

The second, William of Hatfield; and the third,

Was John of Gaunt, the duke of Lancaster:
The fifth, was Edmund Langley, duke of York;
The sixth, was Thomas of Woodstock, duke of
Gloster;

William of Windsor was the seventh, and last.
Edward, the Black Prince, died before his father;
And left behind him Richard, his only son,
Who, after Edward the Third's death, reign'd
as king;

Till Henry Bolingbroke, duke of Lancaster,
The eldest son and heir of John of Gaunt,
Crown'd by the name of Henry the Fourth,
Seiz'd on the realm; depos'd the rightful king;
Sent his poor queen to France, from whence she

Then, father Salisbury, kneel we both together;

And, in this private plot, be we the first,
That shall salute our rightful sovereign
With honour of his birthright to the crown.
Both. Long live our sovereign Richard, England's
king!

York. We thank you, lords. But I am not your
king,

Till I be crown'd; and that my sword be stain'd With heart-blood of the house of Lancaster: * And that's not suddenly to be perform'd; But with advice, and silent secrecy. * Do you, as I do, in these dangerous days, *Wink at the duke of Suffolk's insolence, * At Beaufort's pride, at Somerset's ambition, * At Buckingham, and all the crew of them, *Till they have snar'd the shepherd of the flock, *That virtuous prince, the good duke Humphrey : 'Tis that they seek; and they, in seeking that, *Shall find their deaths, if York can prophesy. *Sal. My lord, break we off; we know your mind at full.

་

War. My heart assures me, that the earl of
Warwick

Shall one day make the duke of York a king.
"York. And, Nevil, this do I assure myself,-
'Richard shall live to make the earl of Warwick
The greatest man in England but the king. [Exe.
SCENE III.-The same. A hall of justice.
Trumpets sounded. Enter King Henry, Queen
Margaret, Gloster, York, Suffolk, and Salisbury
the Duchess of Gloster, Margery Jourdain,
Southwell, Hume, and Bolingbroke, under
guard.

K. Hen. Stand forth, dame Eleanor Cobham,

Gloster's wife :

In sight of God, and us, your guilt is great; 'Receive the sentence of the law, for sins Such as by God's book are adjudg'd to death.*You four, from hence to prison back again; [To Jourd. &c. *From thence, unto the place of execution: *The witch in Smithfield shall be burn'd to ashes,

*Should be to be protected like a child.—
God and king Henry govern England's helm:
Give up your staff, sir, and the king his realm.
Glo. My staff?-here, noble Henry, is my staff:
As willingly do I the same resign,

As ere thy father Henry made it mine;
And even as willingly at thy feet I leave it,
As others would ambitiously receive it.
Farewell, good king: When I am dead and gone,
May honourable peace attend thy throne! [Exit.
Q. Mar. Why, now is Henry king, and Mar-
garet queen;

*And Humphrey, duke of Gloster, scarce himself,
*That bears so shrewd a maim; two pulls at once,-
*His lady banish'd, and a limb lopp'd off';
*This staff of honour raught:3-There let it stand,
Where it best fits to be, in Henry's hand.

*Suff. Thus droops this lofty pine, and hangs his sprays;

*Thus Eleanor's pride dies in her youngest days. 'York. Lords, let him go.-Please it your ma

jesty,

This is the day appointed for the combat;

And ready are the appellant and defendant,
The armourer and his man, to enter the lists,
So please your highness to behold the fight.

Q. Mar. Ay, good my lord; for purposely
therefore

* Left I the court, to see this quarrel tried.
'K. Hen. O' God's name, see the lists and all
Here let them end it, and God defend the right!
things fit;

* York. I never saw a fellow worse bested,4
*Or more afraid to fight, than is the appellant,
*The servant of this armourer, my lords.
Enter on one side, Horner, and his Neighbours,
drinking to him so much that he is drunk; and
he enters bearing his staff with a sand-bag fas-
tened to it; a drum before him; at the other
side, Peter, with a drum and a similar staff,
accompanied by Prentices drinking to him.

1 Neigh. Here, neighbour Horner, I drink to you in a cup of sack; And fear not, neighbour,

* And you three shall be strangled on the gallows.-you shall do well enough.
You, madam, for you are more nobly born,
Despoiled of your honour in your life,
Shall, after three days' open penance done,
'Live in your country here, in banishment,
With sir John Stanley, in the Isle of Man.
'Duch. Welcome is banishment, welcome were
my death.

2 Neigh. And here, neighbour, here's a cup of charmeco.5

* Glo. Eleanor, the law, thou seest, hath judged thee:

I cannot justify whom the law condemns.—

[Exeunt the Duchess, and the other prisoners, guarded.

'Mine eyes are full of tears, my heart of grief. Ah, Humphrey, this dishonour in thine age

3 Neigh. And here's a pot of good double beer, neighbour: drink, and fear not your man.

Hor. Let it come, i'faith, and I'll pledge you all; And a fig for Peter!

1 Pren. Here, Peter, I drink to thee; and be not afraid.

2 Pren. Be merry, Peter, and fear not thy master; fight for credit of the prentices.

Peter. I thank you all: * drink, and pray for me, *I pray you; for, I think, I have taken my last draught in this world.*-Here, Robin, an if I die, I give thee my apron; and, Will, thou shalt have

案

Will bring thy head with sorrow to the ground!-my hammer :-and here, Tom, take all the money

"I beseech your majesty, give me leave to go;
'Sorrow would solace, and mine age would ease.2
K. Hen. Stay, Humphrey duke of Gloster: ere

thou go,
Give up thy staff; Henry will to himself
Protector be: and God shall be my hope,
My stay, my guide, and lantern to my feet;
And go in peace, Humphrey; no less belov'd,
Than when thou wert protector to thy king.
* Q. Mar. I see no reason, why a king of years

that I have-O Lord, bless me, I pray God! for I am never able to deal with my master, he hath learnt so much fence already.

Sal. Come, leave your drinking, and fall to blows. -Sirrah, what's thy name?

Peter. Peter, forsooth.
Sal. Peter! what more?
Peter. Thump.

Sal. Thump! then see thou thump thy master well. Hor. Masters, I am come hither, as it were, upon my man's instigation, to prove him a knave,

(3) Reached. (4) In a worse plight. (5) A sort of sweet wine.

'I care not whither, for I beg no favour,
'Only convey me where thou art commanded.

Stan. Why, madam, that is to the Isle of Man ;
* There to be used according to your state.
*Duch. That's bad enough, for I am but re-
proach:

* And shall I then be us'd reproachfully?

* Stan. Like to a duchess and duke Humphrey's
lady,

*According to that state you shall be used.
'Duch. Sheriff, farewell, and better than I fare:
Although thou hast been conduct of my shame!
Sher. It is my office; and, madam, pardon me.
'Duch. Ay, ay, farewell; thy office is dis-
charg'd.-

Come, Stanley, shall we go?

Yet, by reputing of his high descents *(As next the king, he was successive heir,) *And such high vaunts of his nobility,

'Stan. Madam, your penance done, throw off Did instigate the bedlam brain-sick duchess,

Immediately he was upon his knee,

That all the court adair'd him for submission:
But meet him now, and, be it in the morn,
When every one will give the time of day,
He knits his brow, and shows an angry eye,
And passeth by with stiff unbowed knee,
'Disdaining duty that to us belongs.

Small curs are not regarded, when they grin:
But great men tremble, when the lion roars;
And Humphrey is no little man in England.
First, note, that he is near you in descent;
And should you fall, he is the next will mount.
Me seemeth then, it is no policy,-
Respecting what a rancorous mind he bears,
And his advantage following your decease,—
That he should come about your royal person,
'Or be admitted to your highness' council.

By flattery hath he won the commons' hearts;
And when he please to make commotion,
'Tis to be fear'd, they all will follow him.
Now 'tis the spring, and weeds are shallow-rooted:*
Suffer them now, and they'll o'ergrow the garden,
And choke the herbs for want of husbandry.
The reverent care, I bear unto my lord,
'Made me collect3 these dangers in the duke.

(1) For conductor.

(2) Wonder.

* By wicked means to frame our sovereign's fall. Smooth runs the water, where the brook is deep; * And in his simple show he harbours treason. The fox barks not, when he would steal the lamb. No, no, my sovereign; Gloster is a man Unsounded yet, and full of deep deceit.

* Car. Did he not, contrary to form of law, Devise strange deaths for small offences done? York. And did he not, in his protectorship, *Levy great sums of money through the realm, *For soldiers' pay in France, and never sent it; *By means whereof, the towns each day revolted?

Buck. Tut! these are petty faults to faults

To mow down thorns that would annoy our foot, *Is worthy praise: But shall I speak my conscience? *Our kinsman Gloster is as innocent

* From meaning treason to our royal person, *As is the sucking lamb, or harmless dove:

The duke is virtuous, mild; and too well given,
*To dream on evil, or to work my downfall.
* Q. Mar. Ah, what's more dangerous than this
fond affiance?

* Seems he a dove? his feathers are but borrow'd,
*For he's disposed as the hateful raven.
*Is he a lamb? his skin is surely lent him,
*For he's inclin'd as are the ravenous wolves.
*Who cannot steal a shape, that means deceit ?
* Take heed, my lord; the welfare of us all
*Hangs on the cutting short that fraudful man.

Enter Somerset.

*Som. All health unto my gracious sovereign! K. Hen. Welcome, lord Somerset. What news from France?

Som. That all your interest in those territories Is utterly bereft you; all is lost.

K. Hen. Cold news, lord Somerset: But God's
will be done!

York. Cold news for me; for I had hopes of
France,

As firmly as I hope for fertile England.
Thus are my blossoms blasted in the bud,
And caterpillars eat my leaves away :
*But I will remedy this gear ere long,
Or sell my title for a glorious grave.

Enter Gloster.

[Aside.

*Glo. All happiness unto my lord the king! Pardon, my liege, that I have staid so long.

(5) i. e. Valuing himself on his high descent. (3) i. e. Assemble by observation. (4) Foolish.||(6) Gear was a general word for things or matters

And charity chas'd hence by rancour's hand; * Foul subornation is predominant, And equity exíl'd your highness' land. * I know, their complot is to have my life; And, if my death might make this island happy,* And prove the period of their tyranny, I would expend it with all willingness: But mine is made the prologue to their play: For thousands more, that yet suspect no peril, • Will not conclude their plotted tragedy. Beaufort's red sparkling eyes blab his heart's malice,