SCENE I.-London. The Parliament-House.

Drums. Some Soldiers of YORK's Party break in. Then enter the Duke of YORK, EDWARD, RICHARD, NORFOLK, MONTAGUE, WARWICK, and others, with white roses in their hats.

War. I wonder how the king escap'd our hands.

York. While we pursued the horsemen of the north,

He slily stole away, and left his men :
Whereat the great lord of Northumberland,
Whose warlike ears could never brook retreat,
Cheer'd up the drooping army; and himself,
Lord Clifford, and lord Stafford, all abreast,
Charg'd our main battle's front, and, breaking in,
Were by the swords of common soldiers slain.
Edo. Lord Stafford's father, duke of Buck-
ingham,

Is either slain or wounded dangerous:
I cleft his beaver with a downright blow;
That this is true, father, behold his blood.

[Showing his bloody sword.
Mont. And, brother, here's the earl of Wilt-
shire's blood, [To YORK, showing his.
Whom I encounter'd as the battles join'd.
Rich. Speak thou for me, and tell them what
I did. [Throwing down the DUKE OF
SOMERSET's head.
York. Richard hath best deserv'd of all my

sons.

But, is your grace dead, my lord of Somerset ? Norf. Such hope have all the line of John of

Gaunt!

a But. So the folio. In the True Tragedy' we have "what," which was the ordinary reading. There is a contemptuous force in but which is hardly given by what. The word is similarly employed in Twelfth Night. "But are you not mad indeed, or do you but counterfeit?"

Rich. Thus do I hope to shake king Henry's head.

War. And so do I, victorious prince of York." Before I see thee seated in that throne Which now the house of Lancaster usurps, I vow by heaven, these eyes shall never close. This is the palace of the fearful king, And this the regal seat: possess it, York; For this is thine, and not king Henry's heirs'. York. Assist me then, sweet Warwick, and I will;

For hither we have broken in by force.

Norf. We'll assist you; he that flies shall die.

York. Thanks, gentle Norfolk,-Stay by me, my lords ;

And, soldiers, stay, and lodge by me this night. War. And when the king comes offer him no violence,

Unless he seek to thrust you out by force.

[They retire.

York. The queen, this day, here holds her parliament,

But little thinks we shall be of her council:
By words, or blows, here let us win our right.
Rich. Arm'd as we are, let's stay within this
house.

War. The bloody parliament shall this be

call'd,

Unless Plantagenet, duke of York, be king;
And bashful Henry depos'd, whose cowardice
Hath made us by-words to our enemies.

York. Then leave me not, my lords; be reso

lute;

I mean to take possession of my right.

War. Neither the king, nor he that loves him

best,

up

Lancaster,

The proudest he that holds Dare stir a wing if Warwick shake his bells. I'll plant Plantagenet, root him up who dares:Resolve thee, Richard; claim the English crown. [WARWICK leads YORK to the throne, who seats himself.

Flourish. Enter KING HENRY, CLIFFORD, NORTHUMBERLAND, WESTMORELAND, EXETER, and others, with red roses in their hats.

K. Hen. My lords, look where the sturdy rebel sits,

Even in the chair of state! belike, he means, Back'd by the power of Warwick, that false

peer,

a We follow the punctuation of all the old copies. In the modern text we have, which is probably the better reading,

"And so do I. Victorious prince of York," &c.

War. Be duke of Lancaster, let him be king. West. He is both king and duke of Lancaster; And that the lord of Westmoreland shall maintain.

War. And Warwick shall disprove it. You forget

That we are those which chas'd you from the field,

And slew your fathers, and with colours spread March'd through the city to the palace gates. North. Yes, Warwick, I remember it to my grief;

And, by his soul, thou and thy house shall rue it. West. Plantagenet, of thee, and these thy

sons,

Thy kinsmen and thy friends, I'll have more lives

Than drops of blood were in my father's veins. Clif. Urge it no more: lest that, instead of words,

I send thee, Warwick, such a messenger
As shall revenge his death before I stir.

War. Poor Clifford! how I scorn his worthless threats!

York. Will you, we show our title to the

crown?

If not, our swords shall plead it in the field.

K. Hen. What title hast thou, traitor, to the crown?

Thy father was, as thou art, duke of York :
Thy grandfather Roger Mortimer, earl of March:
I am the son of Henry the Fifth,

Who made the Dauphin and the French to stoop,
And seiz'd upon their towns and provinces.
War. Talk not of France, sith thou hast lost
it all.

K. Hen. The lord protector lost it, and not I; When I was crown'd I was but nine months old.

Rich. You are old enough now, and yet me

K. Hen. Think'st thou that I will leave my kingly throne,

Wherein my grandsire and my father sat?
No: first shall war unpeople this my realm;
Ay, and their colours-often borne in France,
And now in England, to our heart's great sor-

row,

Shall be my winding-sheet.-Why faint you, lords?

My title's good, and better far than his.

War. Prove it, Henry, and thou shalt be king. K. Hen. Henry the Fourth by conquest got the crown.

York. 'Twas by rebellion against his king.
K. Hen. I know not what to say; my title 's
weak.

Tell me, may not a king adopt an heir?
York. What then?

K. Hen. An if he may, then am I lawful king:

For Richard, in the view of many lords,
Resign'd the crown to Henry the Fourth;
Whose heir my father was, and I am his.

York. He rose against him, being his sovereign,

And made him to resign his crown perforce. War. Suppose, my lords, he did it unconstrain'd,

Think you 't were prejudicial to his crown?

Exe. No; for he could not so resign his crown, But that the next heir should succeed and reign. K. Hen. Art thou against us, duke of Exeter? Exe. His is the right, and therefore pardon

me.

York. Why whisper you, my lords, and answer not?

Ere. My conscience tells me he is lawful king. K. Hen. All will revolt from me, and turn to him.

North. Plantagenet, for all the claim thou lay'st,

Think not that Henry shall be so depos'd.
War. Depos'd he shall be, in despite of all.
North. Thou art deceiv'd: 't is not thy southern

power,

Of Essex, Norfolk, Suffolk, nor of Kent,— Which makes thee thus presumptuous and proud,

Can set the duke up, in despite of me.

Clif. King Henry, be thy title right or wrong, Lord Clifford vows to fight in thy defence: May that ground gape, and swallow me alive, Where I shall kneel to him that slew my father! K. Hen. O Clifford, how thy words revive my heart!

York. Henry of Lancaster, resign thy crown:What mutter you, or what conspire you, lords? War. Do right unto this princely duke of York;

Or I will fill the house with armed men,
And over the chair of state, where now he sits,
Write
up his title with usurping blood.

[He stamps, and the Soldiers show themselves. K. Hen. My lord of Warwick, hear but one word;

Let me, for this my life-time, reign as king. York. Confirm the crown to me, and to mine heirs,

And thou shalt reign in quiet while thou liv'st. K. Hen. I am content: Richard Plantagenet, Enjoy the kingdom after my decease.

Clif. What wrong is this unto the prince your son!

War. What good is this to England and himself!

West. Base, fearful, and despairing Henry! Clif. How hast thou injur'd both thyself and

us !

West. I cannot stay to hear these articles.
North. Nor I.

Clif. Come, cousin, let us tell the queen these

news.

West. Farewell, faint-hearted and degenerate

king,

In whose cold blood no spark of honour bides. North. Be thou a prey unto the house of York, And die in bands for this unmanly deed!

Clif. In dreadful war may'st thou be over

come!

Or live in peace, abandon'd, and despis'd!

[Exeunt NORTHUMBERLAND, CLIFFORD, and WESTMORELAND.

War. Turn this way, Henry, and regard them

not.

Exe. They seek revenge, and therefore will not yield.

K. Hen. Ah, Exeter!

War.

Why should you sigh, my lord? K. Hen. Not for myself, lord Warwick, but my son,

Whom I unnaturally shall disinherit.
But, be it as it may :-I here entail

The crown to thee, and to thine heirs for ever;
Conditionally, that here thou take an oath
To cease this civil war, and, whilst I live,
To honour me as thy king and sovereign;
And neither by treason, nor hostility,
To seek to put me down, and reign thyself.
York. This oath I willingly take, and will
perform. [Coming from the throne.

War. Long live king Henry!-Plantagenet, embrace him.

K. Hen. And long live thou, and these thy forward sons!

York. Now York and Lancaster are reconcil'd. Exe. Accurs'd be he that seeks to make them foes!

[Senet. The Lords come forward. York. Farewell, my gracious lord; I'll to my castle.

War. And I'll keep London, with my soldiers.

Norf. And I to Norfolk, with my followers. Mont. And I unto the sea, from whence I

Ah, wretched man! 'would I had died a maid,
And never seen thee, never borne thee son,
Seeing thou hast prov'd so unnatural a father!
Hath he deserv'd to lose his birthright thus?
Hadst thou but lov'd him half so well as I;
Or felt that pain which I did for him once;
Or nourish'd him, as I did with my blood;
Thou wouldst have left thy dearest heart-blood
there,

Rather than have made that savage duke thine heir,
And disinherited thine only son.

Prince. Father, you cannot disinherit me: If you be king, why should not I succeed? K. Hen. Pardon me, Margaret; pardon me, sweet son;

The earl of Warwick and the duke enforc'd me. Q. Mar. Enforc'd thee! art thou king, and wilt be forc'd?

I shame to hear thee speak. Ah, timorous

wretch!

a Bewray,-discover. Douce says that bewray is simply to disclose, whilst betray is to disclose treacherously. The words are often used indifferently by the elder writers.

Thou hast undone thyself, thy son, and me ;
And given unto the house of York such head,
As thou shalt reign but by their sufferance.
To entail bim and his heirs unto the crown,
What is it, but to make thy sepulchre,
And creep into it far before thy time?
Warwick is chancellor, and the lord of Calais;
Stern Faulconbridge commands the narrow seas;
The duke is made protector of the realm ;
And yet shalt thou be safe? such safety finds
The trembling lamb environed with wolves.
Had I been there, which am a silly woman,
The soldiers should have toss'd me on their
pikes

Before I would have granted to that act.
But thou preferr❜st thy life before thine honour:
And, seeing thou dost, I here divorce myself,
Both from thy table, Henry, and thy bed,
Until that act of parliament be repeal'd,
Whereby my son is disinherited.

The northern lords, that have forsworn thy colours,

Will follow mine, if once they see them spread:
And spread they shall be; to thy foul disgrace,
And utter ruin of the house of York.
Thus do I leave thee :-Come, son, let's away;
Our army's ready; come, we'll after them.

K. Hen. Stay, gentle Margaret, and hear me speak.

Q. Mar. Thou hast spoke too much already; get thee gone.

K. Hen. Gentle son Edward, thou wilt stay with me?

Q. Mar. Ay, to be murther'd by his enemies. Prince. When I return with victory from the field

I'll see your grace: till then, I'll follow her. Q. Mar. Come, son, away; we may not linger thus.

[Exeunt QUEEN MARGARET and the PRINCE. K. Hen. Poor queen! how love to me, and

to her son,

Hath made her break out into terms of rage!
Reveng'd may she be on that hateful duke;
Whose haughty spirit, winged with desire,
Will cost my crown, and, like an empty eagle,
Tire on the flesh of me and of my son!
The loss of those three lords torments my heart:
I'll write unto them, and entreat them fair;-
Come, cousin, you shall be the messenger.

Ere. And I, I hope, shall reconcile them all.
[Exeunt.

a Cost. Warburton, and with him Steevens, maintain that the true word is coast-" Will coast the crown"-will hover about the crown. It is unnecessary to turn a plain expression into a metaphor.

HISTORIES. VOL. II. M

York. Thou canst not, son; it is impossible.

Rich. An oath is of no moment, being not took Before a true and lawful magistrate, That hath authority over him that swears: Henry had none, but did usurp the place; Then, seeing 't was he that made you to depose, Your oath, my lord, is vain and frivolous. Therefore, to arms. And, father, do but think How sweet a thing it is to wear a crown; Within whose circuit is Elysium, And all that poets feign of bliss and joy. Why do we linger thus? I cannot rest, Until the white rose that I wear be dyed Even in the lukewarm blood of Henry's heart. York. Richard, enough; I will be king, or die. Brother, thou shalt to London presently,

a Lord Chedworth quotes Cicero as the authority for this opinion:-"Si violandum est jus, regnandi gratiâ violandum est: aliis rebus pietatem colas." (De Officiis, 1. 3.) 161