Hor. And I accept the combat willingly. Pet. Alas, my lord, I cannot fight; for God's sake, pity my case! the spite of man prevaileth against me. O, Lord have mercy upon me! I shall never be able to fight a blow: O Lord, my heart!

Glo. Sirrah, or you must fight, or else be hang'd.

K. Hen. Away with them to prison: and the day

Of combat shall be the last of the next month.Come, Somerset, we'll see thee sent away.

The same.

SCENE IV.

[Exeunt.

The Duke of Gloster's Garden.

Enter MARGERY JOURDAIN, HUME, SOUTHWELL, and BOLINGBROKE.

Hume. Come, my masters; the duchess, I tell you, expects performance of your promises.

Boling. Master Hume, we are therefore provided: Will her ladyship behold and hear our exorcisms?

Hume. Ay; What else? fear you not her courage.

Boling. I have heard her reported to be a woman of an invincible spirit: But it shall be convenient, master Hume, that you be by her aloft, while we be busy below; and so, I pray you, go in God's name, and leave us. Exit HUME.] Mother Jourdain, be you prostrate, and grovel on the earth;-John Southwell, read you; and let us to our work.

Enter Duchess, above.

Duch. Well said, my masters; and welcome all. To this geer; the sooner the better. Boling. Patience, good lady; wizards know their times:

Deep night, dark night, the silent of the night, The time of night when Troy was set on fire; The time when screechowls cry, and ban-dogs howl,

And spirits walk, and ghosts break up their graves,

That time best fits the work we have in hand.

Madam, sit you, and fear not; whom we raise, We will make fast within a hallow'd verge.

[Here they perform the Ceremonies appertain ing, and make the Circle; BOLINGBROKE, or SOUTHWELL, reads, Conjuro te, &c. thunders and lightens terribly; then the Spirit riseth.

Spir. Adsum.

M. Jourd. Asmath,

By the eternal God, whose name and

It

power Thou tremblest at, answer that I shall ask; For, till thou speak, thou shalt not pass from hence.

Spir. Ask what thou wilt:-That I had said and done!

become?

Boling. First, of the king. What shall of him [Reading out of a Paper. Spir. The duke yet lives, that Henry shall depose;

But him outlive, and die a violent death.

[As the Spirit speaks, SOUTHWELL writes the

answer.

Boling. What fate awaits the duke of Suffolk? Spir. By water shall he die, and take his end. Boling. What shall befall the duke of Somerset? Spir. Let him shun castles;

Safer shall he be upon the sandy plains

Than where castles mounted stand.

Have done, for more I hardly can endure.

Boling. Descend to darkness, and the burning False fiend, avoid!

[lake: [Thunder and Lightning. Spirit descends.

Enter YORK, and BUCKINGHAM, hastily, with their Guards, and Others.

York. Lay hands upon these traitors, and their

trash.

Beldame, I think, we watch'd you at an inch.What, madam, are you there? the king and commonweal

Are deeply indebted for this piece of pains;
My lord protector will, I doubt it not,
See you well guerdon'd for these good deserts.
Duch. Not half so bad as thine to England's
king,

Injurious duke; that threat'st where is no cause,

Buck. True, madam, none at all. What call you this? [Showing her the papers. Away with them; let them be clapp'd up close, And kept asunder:-You, madam, shall with

us:

Stafford, take her to thee.

[Exit Duchess from above. We'll see your trinkets here all forth-coming; All.-Away!

[Exeunt Guards, with SOUTH. BOLING. &c. York. Lord Buckingham, methinks, you watch'd her well:

A pretty plot, well chosen to build upon!
Now, pray, my lord, let's see the devil's writ.
What have we here?

The duke yet lives, that Henry shall depose;
But him outlive, and die a violent death.
Why, this is just,

Aio te, Eacida, Romanos vincere posse.
Well, to the rest :

[Reads.

Tell me, what fate awaits the duke of Suffolk?
By water shall he die, and take his end.-
What shall betide the duke of Somerset?
Let him shun castles;

Safer shall he be upon the sandy plains,
Than where castles mounted stand.

Come, come, my lords;

These oracles are hardly attain'd,

And hardly understood.

The king is now in progress toward Saint Albans, With him the husband of this lovely lady: Thither go these news, as fast as horse can carry them;

A sorry breakfast for my lord protector.

Buck. Your grace shall give me leave, my lord of York,

To be the post, in hope of his reward.

York. At your pleasure, my good lord.-Who's within there, ho!

Enter a Servant.

Invite my lords of Salisbury, and Warwick,
To sup with me to-morrow night.-Away!

[Exeunt.

VOL. V.

I

ACT II.

SCENE I. Saint Albans.

Enter KING HENRY, QUEEN MARGARET, GLOSTER, Cardinal, and SUFFOLK, with Falconers hollaing. Q. Mar. Believe me, lords, for flying at the brook,

I saw not better sport these seven years' day: Yet, by your leave, the wind was very high; And, ten to one, old Joan had not gone out." K. Hen. But what a point, my lord, your falcon made,

And what a pitch she flew above the rest!To see how God in all his creatures works! Yea, man and birds, are fain of climbing high.

Suff. No marvel, an it like your majesty, My lord protector's hawks do tower so well; They know their master loves to be aloft, And bears his thoughts above his falcon's pitch. Glo. My lord, 'tis but a base ignoble mind That mounts no higher than a bird can soar. Car. I thought as much; he'd be above the clouds.

Glo. Ay, my lord cardinal; how think you by that?

Were it not good, your grace could fly to heaven?
K. Hen. The treasury of everlasting joy!
Car. Thy heaven is on earth; thine eyes and
thoughts

Beat on a crown, the treasure of thy heart;
Pernicious protector, dangerous peer,

That smooth'st it so with king and commonweal! Glo. What, cardinal, is your priesthood grown peremptory?

Tantane animis cælestibus ira?

Churchmen so hot? good uncle, hide such malice;

With such holiness can you do it?

Suff. No malice, sir; no more than well be

comes

So good a quarrel, and so bad a peer.

Glo. As who, my lord?

Suff.

Why, as you, my lord;

An't like your lordly lord protectorship.

Glo. Why, Suffolk, England knows thine insolence.

Q. Mar. And thy ambition, Gloster. K. Hen. I pr'ythee, peace, Good queen; and whet not on these furious

peers,

For blessed are the peacemakers on earth.

Car. Let me be blessed for the peace I make, Against this proud protector with my sword! Glo. 'Faith, holy uncle, 'would, 'twere come to that! [Aside to the Cardinal. Car. Marry, when thou dar'st. [Aside. Glo. Make up no factious numbers for the

matter, In thine own person answer thy abuse. [Aside. Car. Ay, where thou dar'st not peep: an if

thou dar'st,

This evening on the east side of the grove.

[Aside.

K. Hen. How now, my lords? Car. Believe me, cousin Gloster, Had not your man put up the fowl so suddenly, We had had more sport.-Come with thy two

hand sword.

Glo. True, uncle.

[Aside to GLO. [grove? Car. Are you advis'd?-the east side of the Glo. Cardinal, I am with you. [Aside! K. Hen. Why, how now, uncle Gloster? Glo. Talking of hawking; nothing else, my

lord.

Now, by God's mother, priest, I'll shave your crown for this,

Or all my fence shall fail.
Car. Medice teipsum;

[Aside.

Protector, see to't well, protect your- [Aside.

self.

K. Hen. The winds grow high; so do your stomachs, lords.

How irksome is this musick to my heart! When such strings jar, what hope of harmony? I pray, my lords, let me compound this strife..

Enter an Inhabitant of Saint Albans, crying, A Miracle!

Glo. What means this noise?

Fellow, what miracle dost thou proclaim?