And would ye not think that cunning to be great,

That could restore this cripple to his legs?
Simp. O, master, that you could!

Glo. My masters of Saint Albans, have you not beadles in your town, and things called whips?

May. Yes, my lord, if it please your grace. Glo. Then send for one presently.

May. Sirrah, go fetch the beadle hither straight. [Exit an ATTENDANT. Glo. Now fetch me a stool hither by and by. [A Stool brought out.] Now, sirrah, if you mean to save yourself from whipping, leap me over this stool, and run away.

Simp. Alas, master, I am not able to stand alone: You go about to torture me in vain.

Re-enter ATTENDANT, with the BEADLE. Glo. Well, Sir, we must have you find your legs. Sirrah, beadle, whip him till he leap over

that same stool.

fold.

A sort of naughty persons, lewdly+ 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 conjurers:
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!
[powers:

Sorrow and grief have vanquish'd all my
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 poise* the cause in justice' equal scales,
Whose beam stands sure, whose rightful cause
prevails.
[Flourish. Exeunt.

SCENE 11.-London.-The Duke of YORK'S Garden.

Enter YORK, SALISBURY, and WARWICK.
York. Now, my good lords of Salisbury and
Our simple supper ended, give me leave,
Warwick,
In craving your opinion of my title,
In this close walk, to satisfy myself,
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 good,

The Nevils are thy subjects to command.
York. Then thus:-

Edward the Third, my lords, had seven sons:
The first, Edward the Black Prince, prince of
Wales;
Lionel, duke of Clarence; next to whom,
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 came,

And him to Pomfret; where, as all you know, Harmless Richard was murder'd traitorously. Thus got the house of Lancaster the crown. War. Father, the duke hath told the truth; York. Which now they hold by force, and

Who married Edmund Mortimer, earl of March,

Edmund had issue-Roger, earl of March: Roger had issue-Edmund, Anne, and Elea

nor.

Sal. This Edmund, in the reign of Bolingbroke,

As I have read, laid claim unto the crown;
And, but for Owen Glendower, had been king,
Who kept him in captivity, till he died.
But, to the rest.

was son

York. His eldest sister, Anne, My mother being heir unto the crown, Married Richard, earl of Cambridge; who [son. To Edmund Langley, Edward the Third's fifth By her I claim the kingdom: she was heir To Roger, earl of March; who was the son Of Edmund Mortimer; who married Philippe, Sole daughter unto Lionel, duke of Clarence: So, if the issue of the elder son

Succeed before the younger, I am king.

War. What plain proceedings are more plain than this?

Henry doth claim the crown from John of
Gaunt,

The fourth son; York claims it from the third.
Till Lionel's issue fails, his should not reign:
It fails not yet; but flourishes in thee,
And in thy sons, fair slips of such a stock.-
Then, father Salisbury, kneel we both to-
gether;

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
[stain'd
Till I be crown'd; and that my sword be
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 Hum-
phrey :

"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 I do assure myself,-
Richard shall live to make the earl of War-
wick

The greatest man in England, but the king. [Exeunt.

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 Cob-
ham, 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.-

⚫ Sequestered spot.

ease.*

[Exit.

Q. Mar. Why, now is Henry king, and Margaret 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:+-There let it stand,

Where it best fits to be, in Henry's hand. Suf. 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 This is the day appointed for the combat; majesty, 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 things fit;

* I. e. Sorrow requires solace, and age requires cas?, + Reached.

Here let them end it, and God defend the right!

York. I never saw a fellow worse bested,*

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 fastened 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, you shall do well enough.

2 Neigh. And here, neighbour, here's a cup

of charneco.t

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 my hammer; and here, Tom, take all the money 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.

Sul. 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, and myself an honest man: and touching the duke of York,-will take my death, I never meant him any ill, nor the king, nor the queen: And therefore, Peter, have at thee with a downright blow, as Bevis of Southampton fell upon Ascapart.

York. Despatch-this knave's tongue begins to double. Sound trumpets, alarum to the combatants.

[Alarum. They fight, and PETER strikes

down his Master.

SCENE IV.-The same.-A Street. Enter GLOSTER and SERVANTS, in mourning Cloaks.

Glo. Thus, sometimes, hath the brightest day a cloud;

And, after summer, evermore succeeds Barren winter, with his wrathful nipping cold: So cares and joys abound, as seasons fleet.* Sirs, what's o'clock?

Serv. Ten, my lord.

Glo. Ten is the hour that was appointed me To watch the coming of my punish'd duchess Uneath may she endure the flinty streets, Sweet Nell, ill can thy noble mind abrook To tread them with her tender-feeling feet. With envious; looks, still laughing at th The abject people, gazing on thy face,

That erst did follow thy proud chariot wheels,
shame;
When thou didst ride in triumph through the
But soft! I think, she comes; and I'll prepare
My tear-stain'd eyes to see her miseries.

streets.

Enter the Duchess of GLOSTER, in a white sheet with papers pinned upon her back, her feet bart and a taper burning in her hand; Sir Jo STANLEY, a SHERIFF, and Officers.

Serv. So please your grace, we'll take her from the Sheriff.

Glo. No, stir not, for your lives; let her pass by.

Duch. Čome you, my lord, to see my open

shame?

Igaze Now thou dost penance too. Look, how they See, how the giddy multitude do point, And nod their heads, and throw their eyes on

thee!

groans.

The ruthless flint doth cut my tender feet;
And, when I start, the envious people laugh,
And bid me be advised how I tread.
Ah, Humphrey, can I bear this shameful yoke!
Trow'st thou, that e'er I'll look upon the
world;

Or count them happy, that enjoy the sun?
No; dark shall be my light, and night my day;
To think upon my pomp, shall be my hell.
Sometime I'll say, I am duke Humphrey's
wife;

And he a prince, and ruler of the land:
Yet so he rul'd, and such a prince he was,
As he stood by, whilst I, his forlorn duchess,
Was made a wonder, and a pointing-stock,
To every idle rascal follower.

But be thou mild, and blush not at my shame
Nor stir at nothing, till the axe of death
Hang over thee, as, sure, it shortly will.
For Suffolk,-he that can do all in all

* Change. + Not easily. + Malicious.
J Curse
Wrapped up in disgrace; alluding to the sheet of pen
Deep-fetched.

ance.

With her, that hateth thee, and hates us all,And York, and impious Beaufort, that false

priest,

Have all lim'd bushes to betray thy wings, And, fly thou how thou canst, they'll tangle thee:

But fear not thou, until thy foot be snar'd,
Nor never seek prevention of thy foes.

Glo. Ah, Nell, forbear; thou aimest all awry;
I must offend, before I be attainted:
And had I twenty times so many foes,
And each of them had twenty times their power,
All these could not procure me any scathe,*
So long as I am loyal, true, and crimeless.
Would'st have me rescue thee from this re-
proach?

Why, yet thy scandal were not wip'd away,
But I in danger for the breach of law.
Thy greatest help is quiet, gentle Nell:
I pray thee, sort thy heart to patience;
These few days' wonder will be quickly worn.

Enter a HERALD,

Her. I summon your grace to his majesty's parliament, holden at Bury the first of this next month.

Glo. And my consent ne'er ask'd herein before!

This is close dealing.-Well, I will be there.
[Cxit HERALD.
My Nell, I take my leave:-and, master she-
riff,
[sion.
Let not her penance exceed the king's commis-
Sher. An't please your grace, here my com-
mission stays:

And Sir John Stanley is appointed now
To take her with him to the isle of Man.
Glo. Must you, Sir John, protect my lady
here?

Stan. So am I given in charge, may't please

your grace.

Glo. Entreat her not the worse, in that I pray You use her well: the world may laugh again;t And I may live to do you kindness, if You do it her. And so, Sir John, farewell. Duch. What gone, my lord; and bid me not farewell?

Glo. Witness my tears, I cannot stay to speak. [Exeunt GLOSTER and SERVANTS. Duch. Art thou gone too? All comfort go

with thee!

Stan. Madam, your penance done, throw off this sheet,

And go we to attire you for our journey.
Duch. My shame will not be shifted with my
sheet:

No, it will hang upon my richest robes,
And show itself, attire me how I can.
Go, lead the way; I long to see my prison.
[Exeunt.

ACT III.

SCENE I.-The Abbey at Bury.

Enter to the Parliament, King HENRY, Queen MARGARET, Cardinal BEAUFORT, SUFFOLK, YORK, BUCKINGHAM, and others.

come:

K. Hen. I muse, my lord of Gloster is not 'Tis not his wont to be the hindmost man, Whate'er occasion keeps him from us now. Q. Mar. Can you not see? or will you not observe The strangeness of his alter'd countenance? With what a majesty he bears himself; How insolent of late he is become, How proud, peremptory, and unlike himself? We know the time, since he was mild and affable;

And, if we did but glance a far-off look,
Immediately he was upon his knee,
That all the court admir'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.
And should you fall, he is the next will mount.
First, note, that he is near you in descent;
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;
Tis to be fear'd, they all will follow him.
And, when he please to make commotion,
Now 'tis the spring, and weeds are shallow-
rooted;
[den,
Suffer them now, and they'll o'ergrow the gar-
And choke the herbs for want of husbandry.
The reverent care, I bear unto my lord,
Made me collect these dangers in the duke.
If it be fond,‡ call it a woman's fear;
Which fear, if better reasons can supplant,
will subscribe and say-I wrong'd the duke.
My lord of Suffolk,- Buckingham, — and
York,-

Reprove my allegation, if you can;
Or else conclude my words effectual.

Suf. Well hath your highness seen into this

duke;

And, had I first been put to speak my mind,
I think, I should have told your grace's tale.
The duchess, by his subornation,
Upon my life, began her devilish practices:
Or if he were not privy to those faults,
Yet, by reputing of his high descent,
(As next the king, he was successive heir,)
And such high vaunts of his nobility,
Did instigate the bedlam brain-sick duchess,
By wicked means to frame our sovereign's fall.
* Wonder. I. e. Assemble by observation.
↑ Foolish. I. e. Valuing himself on his high descent.