Q. Mar. Not all these lords do vex me half so much

As that proud dame, the lord protector's wife. She sweeps it through the court with troops of ladies,

More like an empress than duke Humphrey's wife;

Strangers in court do take her for the queen :
She bears a duke's revenues on her back,
And in her heart she scorns our poverty:
Shall I not live to be aveng'd on her?
Contemptuous base-born callat as she is,

She vaunted 'mongst her minions t' other day,
The very train of her worst wearing-gown
Was better worth than all my father's lands,
Till Suffolk gave two dukedoms for his daughter.
Suf. Madam, myself have lim'd a bush for
her;

And plac'd a quire of such enticing birds,
That she will light to listen to the lays,
And never mount to trouble you again.
So, let her rest: And, madam, list to me;
For I am bold to counsel you in this :
Although we fancy not the cardinal,

Yet must we join with him, and with the lords,
Till we have brought duke Humphrey in dis-

grace.

As for the duke of York, this late complaint
Will make but little for his benefit:
So, one by one, we'll weed them all at last,
And you yourself shall steer the happy helm.

Enter KING HENRY, YORK, and SOMERSET;
Duke and Duchess of GLOSTER, CARDINAL
BEAUFORT, BUCKINGHAM, SALISBURY, and
WARWICK.

K. Hen. For my part, noble lords, I care not which;

Or Somerset, or York, all's one to me.
York. If York have ill demean'd himself in
France,

Then let him be denay'd the regentship.

Som. If Somerset be unworthy of the place, Let York be regent, I will yield to him.

War. Whether your grace be worthy, yea, or

no,

Dispute not that: York is the worthier.

Car. Ambitious Warwick, let thy betters speak.

War. The cardinal's not my better in the field. Buck. All in this presence are thy betters, Warwick.

War. Warwick may live to be the best of all.

* Denay'-denied. So, in Twelfth Night"My love can give no place, bide no denay."

Sal. Peace, son; and show some reason, Buckingham,

Why Somerset should be preferr'd in this.

Q. Mar. Because the king, forsooth, will have it so.

Glo. Madam, the king is old enough himself To give his censure; these are no women's matters.

Q. Mar. If he be old enough, what needs your grace

To be protector of his excellence?

Glo. Madam, I am protector of the realm; And at his pleasure will resign my place.

Suf. Resign it then, and leave thine insolence. Since thou wert king, (as who is king but thou?)

The commonwealth hath daily run to wrack :
The Dauphin hath prevail'd beyond the seas;
And all the peers and nobles of the realm
Have been as bondmen to thy sovereignty.
Car. The commons hast thou rack'd; the
clergy's bags

Are lank and lean with thy extortion.
Som. Thy sumptuous buildings, and thy wife's
attire,

Have cost a mass of public treasury.

Buck. Thy cruelty in execution,
Upon offenders, hath exceeded law,
And left thee to the mercy of the law.

Q. Mar. Thy sale of offices, and towns in
France,

If they were known, as the suspect is great,
Would make thee quickly hop without thy head.

[Exit GLOSTER. The QUEEN drops her fan. Give me my fan: What, minion! can you not? [Gives the DUCHESS a box on the ear. I cry you mercy, madam; was it you? Duch. Was 't I? yea, I it was, proud French

She shall not strike dame Eleanor unreveng'd. [Exit DUCHESS. Buck. Lord cardinal, I will follow Eleanor, And listen after Humphrey, how he proceeds: She's tickled now: her fume needs no spurs, a She'll gallop far enough to her destruction. [Exit BUCKINGHAM.

Re-enter GLOSTER.

Glo. Now, lords, my choler being over-blown,
With walking once about the quadrangle,
I come to talk of commonwealth affairs.
As for your spiteful false objections,
Prove them, and I lie open to the law :
But God in mercy so deal with my soul,
As I in duty love my king and country!
But, to the matter that we have in hand:
I say, my sovereign, York is meetest man
To be your regent in the realm of France.
Suf. Before we make election, give me leave
To show some reason, of no little force,
That York is most unmeet of any man.
York. I'll tell thee, Suffolk, why I am un-
meet.

First, for I cannot flatter thee in pride:
Next, if I be appointed for the place,
My lord of Somerset will keep me here,
Without discharge, money, or furniture,
Till France be won into the Dauphin's hands.
Last time, I danc'd attendance on his will,
Till Paris was besieg'd, famish'd, and lost.

War. That can I witness; and a fouler fact
Did never traitor in the land commit.
Suf. Peace, headstrong Warwick!

War. Image of pride, why should I hold my peace ?

Enter Servants of SUFFOLK, bringing in HORNER and PETER.

Suf. Because here is a man accus'd of trea

son:

Pray God, the duke of York excuse himself! York. Doth any one accuse York for a traitor? K. Hen. What mean'st thou, Suffolk? Tell me : What are these?

Suf. Please it your Majesty, this is the man
That doth accuse his master of high treason:
His words were these ;-that Richard, duke of
York,

Was rightful heir unto the English crown;
And that your majesty was an usurper.

K. Hen. Say, man, were these thy words?
Hor. An't shall please your majesty, I never

a The first folio has fume needs; the second, fume can need.

b Far. So the original. Pope's reading is fast.

said nor thought any such matter: God is my witness, I am falsely accused by the villain.

Pet. By these ten bones,a my lords, [holding up his hands] he did speak them to me in the garret one night, as we were scouring my lord of York's armour.

York. Base dunghill villain, and mechanical, I'll have thy head for this thy traitor's speech:I do beseech your royal majesty,

Let him have all the rigour of the law.

Hor. Alas, my lord, hang me, if ever I spake the words. My accuser is my prentice; and when I did correct him for his fault the other day, he did vow upon his knees he would be even with me: I have good witness of this; therefore, I beseech your majesty, do not cast away an honest man for a villain's accusation.

K. Hen. Uncle, what shall we say to this in law?

Glo. This doom, my lord, if I may judge.
Let Somerset be regent o'er the French,
Because in York this breeds suspicion :
And let these have a day appointed them
For single combat, in convenient place;
For he hath witness of his servant's malice:
This is the law, and this duke Humphrey's
doom. b

Som. I humbly thank your royal majesty.
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

"K. Hen. Then be it so. My lord of Somerset, We make your grace lord regent o'er the French." The lines were found by Theobald in 'The First Part of the Contention,' and he introduced them because he thought that "duke Humphrey's doom" required the confirmation of King Henry. But Henry, having given the power of deciding to Gloster, both in the case of the armourer and of the regency, might be intended by the poet, on his revisal of the play, to speak by the mouth of the Protector. The scene as it stands is an exhibition of the almost kingly authority of Gloster immediately before his fall. Mr. Dyce restores the lines, because "the king has not given the power of deciding to Gloster, but merely puts a question to him." Mr. Grant White holds that "the terms of that question clearly imply that Gloster is to decide the matter, and he pronounces doom, with the mere ceremonious expression of deference, if I may judge.' And that his judgment was considered final is plain."

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 fates await 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
lake:

False fiend, avoid!

[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 forthcoming; 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? [Reads. '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 : '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 ?

THE connexion between the last scene of the First Part of Henry VI. and the first scene of the Second Part is as perfect as if they each belonged to one play. The concluding words of that last scene show us Suffolk departing for France for the accomplishment of the anxious wish of Henry

"That lady Margaret do vouchsafe to come
To cross the seas to England."

In the first lines of the Second Part we find Suf-
folk returned from his mission, the purpose of
which, as expressed in the last scene of the First
Part, he here recapitulates. The passage of the
poet is almost exactly copied from the historians,
-Holinshed being in this case a literal transcriber
from Hall:-"The Marquis of Suffolk, as procu-
rator to King Henry, espoused the said lady in the
church of Saint Martin's. At the which marriage
were present the father and mother of the bride;
the French king himself, which was uncle to the
husband; and the French queen also, which was
aunt to the wife. There were also the Dukes of
Orleans, of Calaber, of Alanson, and of Britaine,
Beven earls, twelve barons, twenty bishops, beside
knights and gentlemen."
HISTORIES-VOL. II.

G