.

brethren.

May. My lords, we were forewarned of your coming,

And shut the gates for safety of ourselves; For now we owe allegiance unto Henry. 'K. Edw. But, master mayor, if Henry be your king,

'Yet Edward, at the least, is duke of York.

May. True, my good lord; I know you for no less. 'K. Edw. Why, and I challenge nothing but my dukedom;

*As being well content with that alone.

'Glo. But, when the fox hath once got in his nose, 'He'll soon find means to make the body follow. [Aside. 'Hast. Why, master mayor, why stand you in a doubt?

6

Open the gates, we are king Henry's friends. May. Ay, say you so? the gates shall then be [Exeunt from above. Glo. A wise stout captain, and persuaded soon! *Hast. The good old man would fain that all

open'd.

were well,

* So 'twere not 'long of him : but, being enter'd, * I doubt not, I, but we shall soon persuade * Both him, and all his brothers, unto reason.

Re-enter the Mayor and two Aldermen, below. 'K. Edw. So, master mayor: these gates must not be shut,

But in the night, or in the time of war. What! fear not, man, but yield me up the keys; [Takes the keys.

For Edward will defend the town, and thee, And all those friends that deign to follow me. Drum. Enter Montgomery, and forces, marching. Glo. Brother, this is sir John Montgomery, Our trusty friend, unless I be deceiv'd.

'K. Edw. Welcome, sir John! But why come you in arms?

Mont. To help king Edward in his time of storm, As every loyal subject ought to do.

K. Edw. Thanks, good Montgomery: But we now forget

Our title to the crown; and only claim 'Our dukedom, till God please to send the rest. Mont. Then fare you well, for I will hence again; I came to serve a king, and not a duke,— 'Drummer, strike up, and let us march away. [A march begun. 'K. Edw. Nay, stay, sir John, a while; and we'll debate,

'By what safe means the crown may be recover'd.
Mont. What talk you of debating? in few words,
If you'll not here proclaim yourself our king,
I'll leave you to your fortune; and be gone,
To keep them back that come to succour you:
Why should we fight, if you pretend no title?

Glo. Why, brother, wherefore stand you on
nice points?

*K. Edw. When we grow stronger, then we'll make our claim:

* Till then, 'tis wisdom to conceal our meaning. *Hast. Away with scrupulous wit! now arms must rule.

*Glo. And fearless minds climb soonest unto

crowns.

(1) The mayor is willing we should enter, so he may not be blamed.

right,

*And Henry but usurps the diadem.

Mont. Ay, now my sovereign speaketh like himself;

And now will I be Edward's champion.

Hast. Sound, trumpet; Edward shall be here proclaim'd:

*Come, fellow-soldier, make thou proclamation. Gives him a paper. Flourish. Sold. [Reads.] Edward the Fourth, by the grace of God, king of England and France, and lord of Ireland, &c.

Mont. And whosoe'er gainsays king Edward's right,

By this I challenge him to single fight.

[Throws down his gauntlet. All. Long live Edward the Fourth! 'K. Edw. Thanks, brave Montgomery ;-and thanks unto you all.

If fortune serve me, I'll requite this kindness. Now, for this night, let's harbour here in York: And, when the morning sun shall raise his car ̧ Above the border of this horizon,

We'll forward towards Warwick, and his mates; For, well I wot,3 that Henry is no soldier.— Ah, froward Clarence!-how evil it beseems thee *To flatter Henry, and forsake thy brother! Yet, as we may, we'll meet both thee and War wick.

Come on, brave soldiers; doubt not of the day; * And, that once gotten, doubt not of large pay. [Exeunt. SCENE VIII-London. A room in the palace. Enter King Henry, Warwick, Clarence, Montague, Exeter, and Oxford.

War. What counsel, lords? Edward from Belgia, With hasty Germans, and blunt Hollanders, Hath pass'd in safety through the narrow seas, And with his troops doth march amain to London; And many giddy people flock to him.

Oxf. Let's levy men, and beat him back again. Clar. A little fire is quickly trodden out; Which, being suffer'd, rivers cannot quench. War. In Warwickshire I have true-hearted friends,

Not mutinous in peace, yet bold in war;

Shalt stir, in Suffolk, Norfolk, and in Kent, Those will I muster up-and thou, son Clarence,

The knights and gentlemen to come with thee:

Thou, brother Montague, in Buckingham, Men well inclin'd to hear what thou command'st Northampton, and in Leicestershire, shalt find And thou, brave Oxford, wondrous well belov'd, My sovereign, with the loving citizens,— In Oxfordshire shalt muster up thy friends.— *Like to his island, girt in with the ocean, *Or modest Dian, circled with her nymphs,Shall rest in London, till we come to him.Fair lords, take leave, and stand not to reply.— Farewell, my sovereign.

K. Hen. Farewell, my Hector, and my Troy's true hope.

*Clar. In sign of truth, I kiss your highness' hand.

* K. Hen. Well-minded Clarence, be thou for tunate!

*Mont. Comfort, my lord;-and so I take my leave.

*Oxf. And thus [Kissing Henry's hand.] I seal my truth, and bid adieu."

*K. Hen. Sweet Oxford, and my loving Montague,

And all at once, once more a happy farewell. War. Farewell, sweet lords; let's meet at Cov

entry. [Exe. War. Clar. Oxf. and Mont. *K. Hen. Here at the palace will I rest a while. *Cousin of Exeter, what thinks your lordship? * Methinks, the power, that Edward hath in field,

* Should not be able to encounter mine.

* Exe. The doubt is, that he will seduce the rest. *K. Hen. That's not my fear, my meed! hath got me fame.

*I have not stopp'd mine ears to their demands, * Nor posted off their suits with slow delays; *My pity hath been balm to heal their wounds, My mildness hath allay'd their swelling griefs, *My mercy dry'd their water-flowing tears: * I have not been desirous of their wealth, *Nor much oppress'd them with great subsidies, *Nor forward of revenge, though they much err'd: * Then why should they love Edward more than me? *No, Exeter, these graces challenge grace: * And, when the lion fawns upon the lamb, *The lamb will never cease to follow him.

[Shout within. A Lancaster! A Lancaster! Exe. Hark, hark, my lord! what shouts are these? Enter King Edward, Gloster, and Soldiers. 'K. Edw. Seize on the shame-fac'd Henry, bear him hence,

And once again proclaim us king of England.-*You are the fount, that makes small brooks to flow. * Now stops thy spring; my sea shall suck them dry, * And swell so much the higher by their ebb.-' 'Hence with him to the Tower; let him not speak. [Exeunt some with King Henry. 'And, lords, towards Coventry bend we our course, 'Where peremptory Warwick now remains: The sun shines hot, and, if we use delay, Cold biting winter mars our hop'd-for hay 2 Glo. Away betimes, before his forces join, And take the great-grown traitor unawares : Brave warriors, march amain towards Coventry. [Exeunt.

ACT V.

SCENE I-Coventry. Enter, upon the walls,| Warwick, the Mayor of Coventry, two Messengers, and others.

War. Where is the post, that came from valiant Oxford?

How far hence is thy lord, mine honest fellow?

1 Mess. By this at Dunsmore, marching hitherward.

War. How far off is our brother Montague ?Where is the post that came from Montague?

2 Mess. By this at Daintry, with a puissant troop. Enter sir John Somerville.

War. Say, Somerville, what says my loving son? And, by the guess, how nigh is Clarence now? Som. At Southam I did leave him with his forces,

And do expect him here some two hours hence. [Drum heard.

prisoner :

And, gallant Warwick, do but answer this,What is the body, when the head is off?

Glo. Alas, that Warwick had no more forecast, But, whiles he thought to steal the single ten, The king was slily finger'd from the deck !4 You left poor Henry at the bishop's palace, And, ten to one, you'll meet him in the Tower. K. Edw. 'Tis even so; yet you are Warwick still. * Glo. Come, Warwick, take the time, kneel down, kneel down:

Nay, when? strike now, or else the iron cools. *War. I had rather chop this hand off at a blow, And with the other fling it at thy face, Than bear so low a sail, to strike to thee. *K. Edw. Sail how thou canst, have wind and

tide thy friend;

*This hand, fast wound about thy coal-black hair, Shall, whiles the head is warm, and new cut off, *Write in the dust this sentence with thy blood,Wind-changing Warwick now can change no

more.

Enter Oxford, with drum and colours.

* War. O cheerful colours! see, where Oxford comes!

Oxf. Oxford, Oxford, for Lancaster!

[Oxford and his forces enter the city. 'Glo. The gates are open, let us enter too.

(3) i. e. Enrol myself among thy dependants. (4) A pack of cards was anciently termed a dec of cards.

'K. Edw. Thus far our fortune keeps an upward

course,

'And we are grac'd with wreaths of victory.
But, in the midst of this bright-shining day,
spy a black, suspicious, threat'ning cloud,
That will encounter with our glorious sun
'Ere he attain his easeful western bed:

I mean, my lords,-those powers, that the queen 'Hath rais'd in Gallia, have arriv'd our coast, And, as we hear, march on to fight with us. *Cla. A little gale will soon disperse that cloud, *And blow it to the source from whence it came: *Thy very beams will dry those vapours up; *For every cloud engenders not a storm.

*Glo. The queen is valu'd thirty thousand strong, 'And Somerset, with Oxford, fled to her; 'If she have time to breathe, be well assur'd, Her faction will be full as strong as ours.

K. Edw. We are advértis'd by our loving friends, That they do hold their course toward Tewksbury; "We having now the best at Barnet field,

Will thither straight, for willingness rids way; And, as we march, our strength will be augmented In every county as we go along.

Strike up the drum; cry-Courage! and away. [Exeunt.

SCENE IV-Plains near Tewksbury. March. Enter Queen Margaret, Prince Edward, Somerset, Oxford, and Soldiers.

* Q. Mar. Great lords, wise men ne'er sit and wail their loss,

But cheerly seek how to redress their harms. "What though the mast be now blown over-board, The cable broke, the holding anchor lost, And half our sailors swallow'd in the flood? 'Yet lives our pilot still: Is't meet, that he Should leave the helm, and, like a fearful lad,

* With tearful eyes add water to the sea,

* And give more strength to that which hath too much;

* Whiles, in his moan, the ship splits on the rock, Which industry and courage might have sav'd? * Ah, what a shame! ah, what a fault were this! Say, Warwick was our anchor; What of that? "And Montague our top-mast; What of him? "Our slaughter'd friends the tackles; What of these?

Why, is not Oxford here another anchor?

• And Somerset another goodly mast?

The friends of France our shrouds and tacklings? And, though unskilful, why not Ned and I

For once allow'd the skilful pilot's charge?

• We will not from the helm, to sit and weep; * But keep our course, though the rough wind say

-no,

* From shelves and rocks that threaten us with wreck.

As good to chide the waves, as speak them fair. * And what is Edward, but a ruthless sea? * What Clarence, but a quicksand of deceit? * And Richard, but a ragged fatal rock? * All these the enemies to our poor bark. * Say, you can swim; alas, 'tis but a while : * Tread on the sand; why, there you quickly sink: Bestride the rock; the tide will wash you off, *Or else you famish, that's a threefold death. *This speak I, lords, to let you understand, * In case some one of you would fly from us, (2) Unsay, deny.

(1) Know.

.

rocks.

Why, courage, then! what cannot be avoided, *Twere childish weakness to lament, or fear. *Prince. Methinks, a woman of this valian

spirit

*Should, if a coward heard her speak these words *Infuse his breast with magnanimity,

* And make him, naked, foil a man at arms. I speak not this, as doubting any here:

For, did I but suspect a fearful man,

He should have leave to go away betimes;
Lest, in our need, he might infect another,
And make him of like spirit to himself.
If any such be here, as God forbid !
Let him depart, before we need his help.

'Orf. Women and children of so high a courage And warriors faint! why, 'twere perpetual shame.O, brave young prince! thy famous grandfather Doth live again in thee; Long may'st thou live, To bear his image, and renew his glories!

'Som. And he, that will not fight for such a hope Go home to bed, and, like the owl by day, If he arise, be mock'd and wonder'd at. *Q. Mar. Thanks, gentle Somerset ;-swee Oxford, thanks.

*Prince. And take his thanks, that yet hath nothing else.

March.

Enter, at a distance, King Edward, Cla rence, Gloster, and forces.

'K. Edw. Brave followers, yonder stands th thorny wood,

Which, by the heavens' assistance, and you. strength,

Must by the roots be hewn up yet ere night. *I need not add more fuel to your fire, *For, well I wot, ye blaze to burn them out: * Give signal to the fight, and to it, lords.

Q. Mar. Lords, knights, and gentlemen, what I should say,

My tears gainsay 2 for every word I speak,
Ye see, I drink the water of mine eyes.
Therefore, no more but this :-Henry, your sove-
reign,

Is prisoner to the foe; his state usurp'd,
His realm a slaughter-house, his subjects slain,
His statutes cancell'd, and his treasure spent ;
And yonder is the wolf, that makes this spoil.
You fight in justice: then, in God's name,
Be valiant, and give signal to the fight.

lords,

[Exeunt both armies. AlarSCENE V.-Another part of the same. ums: Excursions: and afterwards a Retreat. Then enter King Edward, Clarence, Gloster, and forces; with Queen Margaret, Oxford, and Somerset, prisoners.

'K. Edw. Now, here a period of tumultuous broils.. Away with Oxford to Hammes' castle3 straight:

(3) A castle in Picardy.