Flourish of Trumpets: then Hautboys. Enter, on one side, King Henry, Duke of Gloster, Salisbury, Warwick, and Cardinal Beaufort; on the other, Queen Margaret, led in by Suffolk; York, Somerset, Buckingham, and others following. Suf. As by your high imperial majesty I had in charge at my depart for France, As procurator to your excellence,

To marry princess Margaret for your grace; So, in the famous ancient city, Tours,

In

presence of the kings of France and Sicil,
The dukes of Orleans, Calaber, Bretaigne, and
Alençon,
[erend bishops,
Seven Earls, twelve barons, and twenty rev-
I have perform'd my task, and was espous'd:
And humbly now, upon my bended knee,
In sight of England and her lordly peers,
Deliver up my title in the queen [substance
To your most gracious hands, that are the
Of that great shadow I did represent;
The happiest gift that ever marquess gave,
The fairest queen that ever king receiv'd.
K. Hen. Suffolk, arise.-Welcome, queen
Margaret:

I can express no kinder sign of love, [life,
Than this kind kiss.-O Lord, that lends me
Lend me a heart replete with thankfulness!
For thou hast given me, in this beauteous face,
A world of earthly blessings to my soul,
If sympathy of love unite our thoughts.

Q. Mar. Great king of England, and my gracious lord,

The mutual conference that my mind hath had,
By day, by night, waking and in my dreams,
In courtly company or at my beads,
With you, mine alder-liefest sovereign,
Makes me the bolder to salute my king
With ruder terms, such as my wit affords,
And over-joy of heart doth minister.

K. Hen. Her sight did ravish; but
grace in speech,

her

Her words y-clad with wisdom's majesty, Makes me from wondering fall to weeping joys;

Such is the fulness of my heart's content.Lords, with one cheerful voice welcome my

love.

De-la-Poole marquess of Suffolk, ambassador for Henry king of England,-that the said Henry shall espouse the lady Margaret, daugh ter unto Reignier king of Naples, Sicilia, and Jerusalem; and crown her queen of England ere the thirtieth of May next ensuing. Item, That the duchy of Anjou and the county of Maine shall be released and delivered to the king her father"—

K. Hen. Uncle, how now!
Glo.

Pardon me, gracious lord; Some sudden qualm hath struck me at the heart, [further.

And dimm'd mine eyes, that I can read no K. Hen. Uncle of Winchester, I pray, read

on.

Car. [Reads.] "Item, It is further agreed between them, that the duchies of Anjou and Maine shall be released and delivered over to the king her father; and she sent over of the king of England's own proper cost and charges, without having any dowry."

K. Hen. They please us well.-Lord mar-
quess, kneel down :

We here create thee the first duke of Suffolk,
And girt thee with the sword.-Cousin of York,
We here discharge your grace from being re-
gent
[months
I' the parts of France, till term of eighteen
Be full expir'd.-Thanks, uncle Winchester,
Gloster, York, Buckingham, Somerset,
Salisbury, and Warwick;

We thank you all for this great favour done,
In entertainment to my princely queen.
Come, let us in; and with all speed provide
To see her coronation be perform'd.

[Exeunt King, Queen, and Suffolk. Glo. Brave peers of England, pillars of the {grief,

state,

To you duke Humphrey must unload his
Your grief, the common grief of all the land.
What! did my brother Henry spend his youth,
His valour, coin, and people, in the wars?
Did he so often lodge in open field,

In winter's cold, and summer's parching heat,
To conquer France, his true inheritance?
And did my brother Bedford toil his wits,
To keep by policy what Henry got?
Have you yourselves, Somerset, Buckingham,
Brave York, Salisbury, and victorious War-

wick,

Receiv'd deep scars in France and Normandy?
Or hath mine uncle Beaufort and myself,
With all the learned council of the realm,
Studied so long, sat in the council-house
Early and late, debating to and fro
How France and Frenchmen might be kept
And hath his highness in his infancy [in awe?
Been crown'd in Paris, in despite of foes?
And shall these labours, and these honours,
die?

Shall Henry's conquest, Bedford's vigilance,
Your deeds of war, and all our counsel, die?
O peers of England, shameful is this league!

Fatal this marriage! cancelling your fame, Blotting your names from books of memory, Razing the characters of your renown, Defacing monuments of conquer'd France, Undoing all, as all had never been !

Car. Nephew, what means this passionate discourse,

This peroration with such circumstance?
For France, 'tis ours; and we will keep it still.
Glo. Ay, uncle, we will keep it, if we can;
But now it is impossible we should. [roast,
Suffolk, the new-made duke that rules the
Hath given the duchies of Anjou and Maine
Unto the poor king Reignier, whose large style
Agrees not with the leanness of his purse.

Sal. Now, by the death of Him who died for all,

These counties were the keys of Normandy:But wherefore weeps Warwick, my valiant

son?

Before I would have yielded to this league.
I never read but England's kings have had
Large sums of gold, and dowries, with their
wives;

And our king Henry gives away his own,
To match with her that brings no vantages.
Glo. A proper jest, and never heard before,
That Suffolk should demand a whole fifteenth,
For costs and charges in transporting her!
She should have stay'd in France, and starv'd
Before-
[in France,
Car. My lord of Gloster, now you grow too
It was the pleasure of my lord the king. [hot
Glo. My lord of Winchester, I know your
mind;

'Tis not my speeches that you do mislike,
But 'tis my presence that doth trouble ye.
Rancour will out: proud prelate, in thy face
I see thy fury if I longer stay,
We shall begin our ancient bickerings -
Lordings, farewell; and say, when I am gone,
I prophesied France will be lost ere long.

Exit.

Car. So, there goes our protector in a rage. "Tis known to you he is mine enemy; Nay, more, an enemy unto you all; And no great friend, I fear me, unto the king. Consider, lords, he is the next of blood, And heir-apparent to the English crown: Had Henry got an empire by his marriage,

:

And all the wealthy kingdoms of the west, There's reason he should be displeas'd at it. Look to it, lords; let not his smoothing words Bewitch your hearts; be wise, and circumspect.

What though the common people favour him,
Calling him, "Humphrey, the good duke of
Gloster;"
[voice-
Clapping their hands, and crying with loud
Jesu maintain your royal excellence!"
With-" God preserve the good duke Hum-
phrey !"
I fear me, lords, for all this flattering gloss,
He will be found a dangerous protector.
Buck. Why should he, then, protect our
sovereign,

He being of age to govern of himself?-
Cousin of Somerset, join you with me,
And all together with the duke of Suffolk,
We'll quickly hoise duke Humphrey from his

seat.

Car. This weighty business will not brook delay;

I'll to the duke of Suffolk presently. [Exit. Som. Cousin of Buckingham, though Humphrey's pride

And greatness of his place be grief to us,
Yet let us watch the haughty cardinal:
His insolence is more intolerable
Than all the princes in the land beside :
If Gloster be displac'd, he'll be protector.
Buck. Or thou, or I, Somerset, will be pro-
tector,

Despite duke Humphrey, or the cardinal.
[Exeunt Buckingham and Somerset.
Sal. Pride went before, ambition follows
him.

While these do labour for their own preferment,
Behoves it us to labour for the realm.

I never saw but Humphrey, duke of Gloster,
Did bear him like a noble gentleman.
Oft have I seen the haughty cardinal,-
More like a soldier, than a man o' the church,
As stout, and proud, as he were lord of all,-
Swear like a ruffian, and demean himself
Unlike the ruler of a common-weal.
Warwick, my son, the comfort of my age!
Thy deeds, thy plainness, and thy house-
keeping,

Have won the greatest favour of the commons,
Excepting none but good duke Humphrey :-
And, brother York, thy acts in Ireland,
In bringing them to civil discipline;
Thy late exploits done in the heart of France,
When thou wert regent for our sovereign,
Have made thee fear'd and honour'd of the
people :-

Join we together, for the public good,
In what we can, to bridle and suppress
The pride of Suffolk and the cardinal,
With Somerset's and Buckingham's ambition;
And, as we may, cherish duke Humphrey's
deeds,

While they do tend the profit of the land.

cause.

[unto the main.

Sal. Then let's make haste away, and look

crown,

Whose bookish rule hath pull'd fair England

down.

[Exit.

lost; That Maine, which by main force Warwick And would have kept, so long as breath did last!

[Maine, Main chance, father, you meant ; but I meant Which I will win from France, or else be slain. [Exeunt Warwick and Salisbury. York. Anjou and Maine are given to the Paris is lost; the state of Normandy [French; Stands on a tickle point, now they are gone: Suffolk concluded on the articles; [pleas'd, The peers agreed; and Henry was well To change two dukedoms for a duke's fair daughter.

I cannot blame them all what is't to them? 'Tis thine they give away, and not their own. Pirates may make cheap pennyworths of their pillage,

And purchase friends, and give to courtesans,
Still revelling, like lords, till all be gone;
Whileas, the silly owner of the goods [hands,
Weeps over them, and wrings his hapless
And shakes his head, and trembling stands
aloof,

While all is shar'd, and all is borne away,
Ready to starve, and dare not touch his own:
So York must sit, and fret, and bite his tongue,
While his own lands are bargain'd for, and
sold.
[Ireland
Methinks the realms of England, France, and
Bear that proportion to my flesh and blood,
As did the fatal brand Althea burn'd,
Unto the prince's heart of Calydon.
Anjou and Maine, both given unto the French!
Cold news for me; for I had hope of France,
Even as I have of fertile England's soil.

A day will come, when York shall claim his

own;

And therefore I will take the Nevils' parts,
And make a show of love to proud duke
Humphrey,

And, when I spy advantage, claim the crown,
For that's the golden mark I seek to hit :
Nor shall proud Lancaster usurp my right,
Nor hold the sceptre in his childish fist,
Nor wear the diadem upon his head,
Whose church-like humours fit not for a crown.
Then, York, be still a while, till time do serve:
Watch thou and wake, when others be asleep,
To pry into the secrets of the state;
Till Henry, surfeiting in joys of love,
With his new bride and England's dear-
bought queen,

And Humphrey with the peers be fall'n at jars
Then will I raise aloft the milk-white rose,
With whose sweet smell the air shall be per-
fum'd;

And in my standard bear the arms of York,

:

of Gloster's House.

Enter Gloster and his Duchess. Duch. Why droops my lord, like overripen'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 sullen earth,
Gazing on that which seems to dim thy sight?
What seest 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 same.
Put forth thy hand, reach at the glorious
gold-

What, is't too short? 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 sight so low,
As to vouchsafe one glance unto the ground.
Glo. O Nell, sweet Nell, if thou dost love

ment

Under the wings of our protector's grace,
Begin your suits anew, and sue to him.
[Tears the petitions.
Away, base cullions!-Suffolk, let them go.
All. Come, let's be gone.
[Exeunt Petitioners.
Q. Mar. My lord of Suffolk, say, is this the
guise,

Is this the fashion of the court of England ?
Is this the government of Britain's isle,
And this the royalty of Albion's king?
What, shall king Henry be a pupil still,
Under the surly Gloster's governance ?
Am I a queen in title and in style,
And must be made a subject to a duke?
I tell thee, Poole, when in the city Tours
Thou ran'st a tilt in honour of my love,
And stol'st away the ladies' hearts of France,
I thought king Henry had resembled thee
In courage, courtship, and proportion :
But all his mind is bent to holiness,
To number Ave-Maries on his beads:
His champions are the prophets and apostles;
His weapons, holy saws of sacred writ;
His study is his tilt-yard, and his loves
Are brazen images of canoniz'd saints.
I would the college of the cardinals
Would choose him pope, and carry him to
And set the triple crown upon his head :
That were a state fit for his holiness.

[Rome,

But can do more in England than the king.

Suf. And he of these that can do most of all, Cannot do more in England than the Nevils : Salisbury, and Warwick, are no simple peers. 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,
[wife:
More like an empress than duke Humphrey's
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 avenged on her?
Contemptuous base-born callet 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 daugh-
her,
Suf. Madam, myself have lim'd a bush for
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.

ter.

Although we fancy not the cardinal,

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

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 War-
wick.
not which;

K. Hen. For my part, noble lords, I care 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 Dispute not that: York is the worthier. [or no, Car. Ambitious Warwick, let thy betters

speak.

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

War. Warwick may live to be the best of all. 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 [your grace Q. Mar. If he be old enough, what needs To be protector of his excellence?

matters.

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 wreck; The Dauphin hath prevail'd beyond the seas; And all the peers and nobles of the realm Have been as bondmen to thy sov'reignty. Car. The commons hast thou rack'd; the clergy's bags

Are lank and lean with thy extortions. 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? [Giving the Duchess a box on the ear. I cry you mercy, madam, was it you?