War. Thou art no Atlas, for so great a weight:

And, weakling, Warwick takes his gift again;
And Henry is my king, Warwick his subject.
K. Edw. But Warwick's king is Edward's
prisoner :

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

And set up Lancaster. Why, trow'st thou, Warwick,

That Clarence is so harsh, so blunt, + unnatural,

To bend the fatal instruments of war
Against his brother and his lawful king?
Perhaps thou wilt object my holy oath.

cast,

But, whiles he thought to steal the single ten,
The king was slily finger'd from the deck! *
You left poor Heury 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
Etill.

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 !

Orf. Oxford, Oxford, for Lancaster !

[OXFORD and his Forces enter the City. Glo. The gates are open, let us enter too. K. Edw. So other foes may set upon our backs,

Stand we in good array; for they, no doubt,
Will issue out again, and bid us battle:
If not, the city, being but of small defence,
We'll quickly rouse the traitors in the same.
War. O welcome Oxford! for we want thy
belp.

Enter MONTAGUE, with Drum and Colours.
Mont. Montague, Montague, for Lancaster !

[He and his Forces enter the City. Glo. Thou and thy brother both shall buy this treason

Even with the dearest blood your bodies bear. K. Edw. The harder match'd, the greater

victory ;

My mind presageth happy gain, and conquest. Enter SOMERSET, with Drum and Colours, Som. Somerset, Somerset, for Lancaster!

[He and his Forces enter the City. Glo. Two of thy name, both dukes of Somerset,

Have sold their lives unto the house of York; And thou shalt be the third, if this sword

hold.

Than Jephtha's, when he sacrific'd his daughter.
I am so sorry for my trespass made,
That, to deserve well at my brother's hands,
I here proclaim myself thy mortal foe;
With resolution, whereso'er I meet thee,
(As I will meet thee, if thou stir abroad,)
To plague thee for thy foul misleading ine.
And so, proud-hearted Warwick, I defy thee,
And to my brother turn my blushing cheeks.-
Pardon me, Edward, I will make amends;
And, Richard, do not frown upon my faults,
For I will henceforth be no more unconstant.
K. Edw. Now welcome more, and ten times
more belov'd,

Than if thou never hadst deserv'd our hate.
Glo. Welcome, good Clarence; this is bro-
ther-like.

War. O passing traitor, perjur'd and unjust!

K. Edw. What, Warwick, wilt thou leave the town and fight?

Or shall we beat the stones about thine ears ? War. Alas, I am not coop'd here for defence:

I will away towards Barnet presently,
And bid thee battle, Edward, if thou dar'st.
K. Edw. Yes, Warwick, Edward dares, and
leads the way :-

Lords to the field; Saint George and victory.
[March. Exeunt.

SCENE 11.-A Field of Battle near Barnet. Alarums, and Excursions. Enter King EdWARD, bringing in WARWICK wounded.

K. Edw. So lie thou there: die thou, and die

That I must yield my body to the earth,
And, by my fall, the conquest to my foe.
Thus yields the cedar to the axe's edge,
Whose arms gave shelter to the princely eagle,
Under whose shade the ramping lions slept?
Whose top-branch overpeer'd Jove's spreading
tree,

And kept low shrubs from winter's powerful wind.

These eyes, that now are dimm'd with death's black veil,

Have been as piercing as the mid-day sun,
To search the secret treasons of the world:
The wrinkles in my brows, now fill'd with
blood,

Were liken'd oft to kingly sepulchres;
For who liv'd king, but I could dig his grave?
And who durst smile, when Warwick bent his

brow?

Lo, now my glory smear'd in dust and blood! My parks, my walks, my manors that I had, Even now forsake me; and, of all my lands,

1. e. To cement. + Stupid, iusensible of paternal fondness, 1 Eminent, egregious. § Bugbear. Terrified

SCENE IV.-Plains near Tewksbury.

dust?

And, live we how we can, yet die we must.

Enter OXFORD and SOMERSET.

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

we are,

We might recover all our loss again!
The queen from France bath brought a puissant

power;

Even now we heard the news: Ah! could'st thou fly!

War. Why, then I would not fly.—Ah! Mon

tague,

If thou be there, sweet brother, take my hand, And with thy lips keep in my soul a while! Thou lov'st me not; for, brother, if thou

didst,

Thy tears would wash this cold congealed

blood,

That glews my lips, and will not let me speak.
Come quickly, Montague, or I am dead.
Som. Ah! Warwick, Montague hath breath'd
his last;

And to the latest gasp, cried out for Warwick, And said-Commend me to my valiant brother.

And more he would have said; and more he spoke,

Which sounded like a cannon in a vault,
That might not be distinguish'd; but, at last,
I well might hear deliver'd with a groan,—
O farewell, Warwick !

War. Sweet rest to his soul !

Fly, lords, and save yourselves; for Warwick

bids

You all farewell, to meet again in heaven.

[Dies. Oxf. Away, away, to meet the queen's great power!

[Exeunt, bearing off WARWICK's Body.

SCENEIII.-Another part of the

Field.

Flourish.-Enter King EDWARD in triumph; with CLARENCE, GLOSTER, and the rest.

K. Edw. Thus far our fortune keeps an up

ward course,

And we are grac'd with wreaths of victory.
But, in the midst of this bright-shining day,
1 spy a black, suspicious, threat'ning cloud,
That will encounter with our glorious sun,
Ere be 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.
Clar. A little gale will soon disperse that
cloud,

And blow it to the source from whence

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 thein fair.

And what is Edward, but a ruthless sea?
And Richard, but a ragged fatal rock?
What Clarence, but a quicksand of deceit
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,
That there's no hop'd-for mercy with the bro.
thers,

More than with ruthless waves, with sands, and

rocks.

Why, courage, then! what cannot be avoided,
'Twere childish weakness to lament, or fear.
Prince. Methinks, a woman of this valiant
spirit
[words,
Should, if a coward heard her speak these
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.
Oxf. Women and children of so high
courage!

And warriors faint! why, 'twere perpetual

Enter a MESSENGER.

Mess. Prepare you, lords, for Edward is at hand,

Ready to fight; therefore be resolute.

Orf. I thought no less it is his policy, To haste thus fast, to find us unprovided.

Som. But he's deceiv'd, we are in readiness. Q. Mar. This cheers my heart, to see your forwardness.

Orf. Here pitch our battle, hence we will not budge.

March. Enter at a distance, King EDWARD, CLARENCE, GLOSTER, and Forces.

K. Edw. Brave followers, yonder stands the thorny wood,

Which, by the heavens' assistance, and your

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; for every word I speak,
Ye see, I drink the water of mine eyes.
Therefore, no more but this :-Henry, your

sovereign,

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,
lords,

Be valiant, and give signal to the fight.

[Exeunt both Armies.

Oxf. For my part, I will not trouble thee with words.

Som. Nor I, but stoop with patience to my fortune.

[Exeunt OXFORD and SOMERSET, guarded. Q. Mar. So part we sadly in this troublous world,

To meet with joy in sweet Jerusalem.

And ne'er have stol'n the breech from Lancaster.

Prince. Let Æsop fable in a winter's night; His currish riddles sort not with this place. Glo. By heaven, brat, I'll plague you for that word.

Q. Mar. Ay, thou wast born to be a plague to men.

Glo. For God's sake, take away this captive scold.

Prince. Nay, take away this scolding crook. back rather.

K. Edw. Peace, wilful boy, or I will charm + your tongue.

Clar. Untutor'd lad, thou art too malapert. Prince. I know my duty, you are all undu. tiful:

Lascivious Edward, and thou perjur'd George,―
And thou misshapen Dick, I tell you all,

I am your better, traitors as ye are ;-
And thou usurp'st my father's right and mine.
K. Edw. Take that, the likeness of this railer

here. Glo. Sprawl'st thou? agony. Clar. And there's for

jury.

[Stabs him. take that, to end thy

[GLO. stabs him. twitting me with per

Q. Mar. O kill me too! Glo. Marry, and shall.

CLAR. stabs him.

[Offers to kill her.

K. Edw. Hold, Richard, hold, for we have done too much.

Glo. Why should she live to fill the world with words?t

K. Edw. What! doth she swoon? use means for her recovery.

Glo. Clarence, excuse me to the king my brother;

I'll hence to London on a serious matter:
Ere ye come there, be sure to hear some news.
Clar. What? what?

[Exit.

Glo. The Tower, the Tower! Q. Mar. O Ned, sweet Ned! speak to thy mother, boy! traitors! mur

Canst thou not speak?-0
derers 1-

They that stabb'd Cæsar shed no blood at all,
Did not offend, nor were not worthy blame,
If this foul deed were by, to equal it.
He was a man; this, in respect, a child;
And men ne'er spend their fury on a child. [it ?
What's worse than murderer, that I may name
No, no, my heart will burst, an if I speak :-
And I will speak, that so my heart may burst.
Butchers and villains, bloody cannibals !
How sweet a plant have you untimely cropp'd l
You have no children, butchers! if you had,
The thought of them would have stirr'd up re-

morse :

finds Edward,

Hard favour'd Richard? Richard, where art thou?

Thou art not here: Murder is thy alms-deed;
Petitioners for blood thou ne'er put'st back.
K. Edw. Away, I say: I charge ye, bear her
hence.

Q. Mar. So come to you and your's, as to
this prince! [Exit, led out forcibly.
K. Edw. Where's Richard gone?
Clar. To London, all in post; and, as I guess,
To make a bloody supper in the Tower.

K. Edw. He's sudden, if a thing comes in his head.

Now march we hence: discharge the common sort

With pay and thanks, and let's away to London, And see our gentle queen how well she fares; By this, I hope, she hath a son for me.

[Exeunt. SCENE VI.-London-A Room in the Tower.

King HENRY is discovered sitting with a Book in his Hand, the Lieutenant attending. Enter GLOSTER.

Glo. Good day, my lord! What, at your book so hard?

K. Hen. Ay, my good lord: My lord, I should say rather

'Tis sin to flatter, good was little better: Good Gloster and good devil were alike, And both preposterous; therefore, not good lord.

Glo. Sirrah, leave us to ourselves: we must confer. [Exit Lieutenant. K. Hen. So flies the reckless shepherd from the wolf:

So first the harmless sheep doth yield his fleece, And next his throat unto the butcher's knife.What scene of death hath Roscius now to act? Glo. Suspicion always haunts the guilty mind;

The thief doth fear each bush an officer.

K. Hen. The bird that hath been limed in a bush,

With trembling wings misdoubteth + every bush :
And I, the hapless male to one sweet bird,
Have now the fatal object in my eye,
Where my poor young was lim'd, was caught,
and kill'd.

Glo. Why, what a peevish ‡ fool was that of
Crete,

That taught his son the office of a fowl !

And yet, for all his wings, the fool was drown'd.

K. Hen. 1, Dædalus; my poor boy, Icarus Thy father, Minos, that denied our course; The sun that sear'd the wings of my sweet boy, Thy brother Edward; and thyself, the sea, Whose envious gulf did swallow up his life. Ah kill me with thy weapon, not with words! My breast can better brook thy dagger's point, Than can my ears that tragic history.But wherefore dost thou come? is't for my life? Glo. Think'st thou, I am an executioner ? K. Hen. A persecutor, I am sure thou art; If murdering innocents be executing, Why, then thou art an executioner.

Glo. Thy son I kill'd for his presumption.
K. Hen. Had'st thou been kill'd, when first
thou didst presume,

Thou hadst not liv'd to kill a son of mine,
And thus I prophesy,-that many a thousand,
Which now mistrust no parcel of my fear;
And many an old man's sigh, and many a wi-
dow's,

And many an orphan's water-standing eye;
Men for their sons, wives for their husbands'
fate,
And orphans for their parents' timeless death;

Shall rue the hour that ever thou wast born.
The owl shriek'd at thy birth, an evil sigu;
The night-crow cried, aboding luckless time;
Dogs howl'd, and hideous tempests shook down.
trees;

The raven rook'd her on the chimney's top,
And chattering pies in dismal discords sung.
Thy mother felt more than a mother's pain,
And yet brought forth less than a mother's
hope;

To wit, an indigest deformed lump,
Not like the fruit of such a goodly tree.
Teeth hadst thou in thy head, when thou wast
born,

To signify, thou cam'st to bite the world:
And, if the rest be true which I have heard,

Thou cam'st

Sink in the ground? I thought it would have mounted. See,

how my sword weeps for the poor king's death!

O may such purple tears be always shed
From those that wish the downfal of our
house!-

If any spark of life be yet remaining,
Down, down to hell; and say I sent thee thi
ther,
[Stabs him again.
I, that have neither pity, love, nor fear.-
Indeed, 'tis true, that Henry told me of;
For I have often heard my mother say,
I came into the world with my legs forward:
Had I not reason, think ye, to make haste,
And seek their ruin that usurp'd our right?
The midwife wonder'd; and the women cried
O Jesus bless us, he is born with teeth!
And so I was; which plainly signified
That I should snarl, and bite, and play the
dog.

Then since the heavens have shap'd my body

So,

Let hell make crook'd my mind to answer it.
I have no brother, I am like no brother:
And this word-love, which greybeards call
divine,

Be resident in men like one another,
And not in me: I am myself alone.-
Clarence beware; thou keep'st me from the
light;

But I will sort a pitchy day for thee:
For I will buz abroad such prophecies,
That Edward shall be fearful of his life;
And then, to purge bis fear, I'll be thy death,
King Henry, and the prince his son, are gone:
Clarence, thy turn is next, and then the rest;
Counting myself but bad, till I be best.-
I'll throw thy body in another room,
And triumph Henry, in thy day of doom.

[Exit.

SCENE VII.-The same.-A Room in the Palace.

King EDWARD is discovered sitting on his Throne; Queen ELIZABETH with the infant Prince, CLARENCE, GLOSTER, HASTINGS, and others, near him.

K. Edw. Once more we sit in England's royal throne,

Re-purchas'd with the blood of enemies.
What valiant foe-men, like to autumn's corn.
Have we mow'd down, in tops of all their
pride ?

Three dukes of Somerset, threefold renown'd

1 Chillish.

To rook, signified to squat down or lodge où falf ↑ Select.

For hardy and undoubted champions :
Two Cliffords, as the father and the son,
And two Northumberlands; two braver men
Ne'er spurr'd their coursers at the trumpet's
sound:

With them the two brave bears, Warwick and

Montague,

That in their chains fetter'd the kingly lion,
Aud made the forest tremble when they roar'd.
Thus have we swept suspicion from our seat,
And made our footstool of security.—
Come hither, Bess, and let me kiss my boy:
Young Ned, for thee, thine uncles, and myself,
Have in our armours watch'd the winter's night;
Went all afoot in summer's scalding heat,
That thou might'st repossess the crown in peace;
And of our labours thou shalt reap the gain.
Glo. I'll blast his harvest, if your head were
laid;

For yet I am not look'd on in the world.
This shoulder was ordain'd so thick, to heave;
And heave it shall some weight or break my
back:-

Work thou the way,-and thou shalt execute.

[Aside. K. Edw. Clarence and Gloster, love my lovely queen,

And kiss your princely nephew, brothers both. Clar. The duty that I owe unto your majesty, seal upon the lips of this sweet babe.

lights,

Having my country's peace, and brothers' loves.

Clar. What will your grace have done with
Margaret ?

Reignier, her father, to the king of France
Hath pawn'd the Sicils and Jerusalem,
And hither have they sent it for her ransom.
K. Edw. Away with her, and waft her hence
to France.

And now what rests, but that we spend the time

With stately triumphs, mirthful comic shows, Such as befit the pleasures of the court?— Sound, drums and trumpets 1-farewell, sour annoy !

For here, I hope, begins our lasting joy.

• Public shows.

[Exeunt.