To grapple with the houfe of Lancaster;

And, force perforce, I'll make him yield the crown, Whose bookish rule hath pull'd fair England down.

SCENE II.

[Exit,

The fame. A Room in the duke of Glofter's houfe.

Enter GLOSTER and the Duchefs.

DUCH. Why droops my lord, like over-ripen'd

corn,

Hanging the head at Ceres' plenteous load? * Why doth the great duke Humphrey knit his brows,

*As frowning at the favours of the world?

Why are thine eyes fix'd to the fullen earth,

* Gazing on that which feems to dim thy fight? • What fee'ft thou there? king Henry's diadem, * Enchas'd with all the honours of the world? * If so, gaze on, and grovel on thy face,

Until thy head be circled with the fame.

Put forth thy hand, reach at the glorious gold:What, is't too fhort? I'll lengthen it with mine; * And, having both together heav'd it up,

* We'll both together lift our heads to heaven; *And never more abase our fight fo low, *As to vouchfafe one glance unto the ground. GLO. O Nell, fweet Nell, if thou doft love thy lord,

• And may

1

• Banish the canker of ambitious thoughts: that thought, when I imagine ill Against my king and nephew, virtuous Henry, Be my laft breathing in this mortal world!

My troublous dream this night doth make me fad.

DUCH. What dream'd my lord? tell me, and
I'll requite it

• With sweet rehearsal of my morning's dream. GLO. Methought, this ftaff, mine office-badge in court,

Was broke in twain; by whom, I have forgot,
But, as I think, it was by the cardinal;

And on the pieces of the broken wand

Were plac'd the heads of Edmond duke of Somer

fet,

And William de la Poole firft duke of Suffolk. This was my dream; what it doth bode, God knows.

• DUCH. Tut, this was nothing but an argument, That he, that breaks a ftick of Glofter's grove,

6

Shail lofe his head for his prefumption.

• But lift to me, my Humphrey, my sweet duke: Methought, I fat in feat of majesty,

In the cathedral church of Westminster,

And in that chair where kings and queens are crown'd;

Where Henry, and dame Margaret, kneel'd to me, And on my head did fet the diadem.

GLO. Nay, Eleanor, then muft Ichide outright: * Prefumptuous dame, ill-nurtur'd Eleanor! 4 Art thou not fecond woman in the realm; And the protector's wife, belov'd of him? *Haft thou not worldly pleasure at command, * ́Above the reach or compafs of thy thought? And wilt thou ftill be hammering treachery,

4

ill-nurtur'd Eleanor!] Ill-nurtur'd, is ill-educated.

in Venus and Adonis:

"Were I hard-favour'd, foul, or wrinkled-old,
"All-nurtur'd, crooked, churlish, harfh in voice."

So,

MALONE.

* To tumble down thy husband, and thyself,

From top of honour to difgrace's feet?

Away from me, and let me hear no more.

⚫ DUCH. What, what, my lord! are you so cholerick

• With Eleanor, for telling but her dream?
'Next time, I'll keep my dreams unto myself,
• And not be check'd.

GLO. Nay, be not angry, I am pleas'd again.5

Enter a Meffenger.

MESS. My lord protector, 'tis his highness' pleasure,

You do prepare to ride unto Saint Albans, Whereas the king and queen do mean to hawk. GLO. I go.-Come, Nell, thou wilt ride with us? DUCH. Yes, my good lord, I'll follow prefently. [Exeunt GLOSTER and Meffenger.

5 Nay, be not angry,

two in the old play:

&c.] Inftead of this line, we have these

"Nay, Nell, I'll give no credit to a dream;
"But I would have thee to think on no fuch things."

MALONE.

"Whereas the king and queen do mean to hawk ] Whereas is the fame as where; and feems to be brought into ufe only on account of its being a difyllable. So, in The Tryal of Treasure, 1567: "Whereas the is refident, I muft needes be."

Again, in Daniel's Tragedy of Cleopatra, 1594:

"That I should pass whereas Octavia ftands

"To view my mifery," &c.

Again, in Marius and Sylla, 1594:

But fee whereas Lucretius is return'd. "Welcome, brave Roman!"

The word is feveral times ufed in this piece, as well as in fome others; and always with the fame fenfe.

Again, in the 51ft fonnet of Lord Sterline, 1604:

I dream'd the nymph, that n'er my fancy reigns,
Came to a part whereas I paus'd alone:" STEEVENS,

Follow I muft, I cannot go before,

While Glofter bears this base and humble mind. * Were I a man, a duke, and next of blood, *I would remove these tedious ftumbling-blocks, * And fmooth my way upon their headless necks: * And, being a woman, I will not be flack *To play my part in fortune's pageant.

Were are you there? Sir John!' nay, fear not,

man,

We are alone; here's none but thee, and I.

Enter HUME.

HUME. Jefu preferve your royal majesty!

• DUCH. What fay'ft thou, majesty! I am but

grace.

HUME. But, by the grace of God, and Hume's advice,

Your grace's title fhall be multiply'd.

DUCH. What say'st thou, man? haft thou as yet conferr'd

With Margery Jourdain, the cunning witch;
And Roger Bolingbroke, the conjurer?
And will they undertake to do me good?
HUME. This they have promifed, to fhow your
highness

A fpirit rais'd from depth of under ground, 'That fhall make answer to fuch questions, As by your grace fhall be propounded him. DUCH. It is enough; I'll think upon the questions:

༡་

8

Sir John!] A title frequently beftowed on the clergy. See notes on The Merry Wives of Windfer, Vol. V. p. 7, n. 2.

1

STEEVENS. Duch. It is enough; &c.] This fpeech ftands thus is the old.

quarto?

• When from faint Albans we do make return, We'll fee thefe things effected to the full. Here, Hume, take this reward; make merry, man, With thy confederates in this weighty cause. [Exit Duchefs. *HUME. Hume muft make merry with the duchefs' gold;

Marry, and fhall. But, how now, Sir John Hume? Seal up your lips, and give no words but-mum? The bufinefs afketh filent fecrecy.

*Dame Eleanor gives gold, to bring the witch: * Gold cannot come amifs, were fhe a devil.. ⚫ Yet have I gold, flies from another coaft: I dare not fay, from the rich cardinal,

And from the great and new-made duke of Suffolk;

• Yet I do find it fo: for, to be plain,

They, knowing dame Eleanor's afpiring humour, Have hired me to undermine the duchefs,

And buz thefe conjurations in her brain. *They fay, A crafty knave does need no broker;" *Yet am I Suffolk and the cardinal's broker.

"Elean. Thanks, good fir John,

"Some two days hence, I guess, will fit our time;

"Then fee that they be here.

"For now the king is riding to St. Albans,

"And all the dukes and earls along with him.

"When they be gone, then fafely may they come,

"And on the backside of mine orchard here

"There caft their fpells in filence of the night,
"And fo refolve us of the thing we wish:
"Till when, drink that for my fake, and fo farewell."

STEEVENS.

Here we have a speech of ten lines, with different verfification, and different circumftances, from those of the five which are found in the folio. What imperfect tranfcript (for fuch the quarto has been called) ever produced fuch a variation? MALONE.

9 A crafty knave does need no broker; ] This is a proverbial fentence. See Ray's Collection. STEEVENS.

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