GREEN. Alas, poor duke! the task he undertakes Is-numb'ring fands, and drinking oceans dry; Where one on his fide fights, thousands will fly. BUSHY. Farewell at once; for once, for all, and

BOLING. How far is it, my lord, to Berkley now? NORTH. Believe me, noble lord,

I am a ftranger here in Glofterfhire.

These high wild hills, and rough uneven ways,
Draw out our miles, and make them wearifome:
And yet your fair difcourfe hath been as fugar,
Making the hard way fweet and délectable.
But, I bethink me, what a weary way
From Ravenfpurg to Cotfwold, will be found
In Rofs and Willoughby, wanting your company;
Which, I proteft, hath very much beguil'd
The tedioufnefs and procefs of my travel:"

wanting your company;

Which, I proteft, hath very much beguil'd

The tedioufnefs and process of my travel:] So, in King Leir, 1605:

"Thy pleasant company will make the way seem short."

MALONE.

But theirs is sweeten'd with the hope to have
The present benefit which I poffefs:
And hope to joy," is little lefs in joy,
Than hope enjoy'd: by this the weary lords
Shall make their way feem fhort; as mine hath done
By fight of what I have, your noble company.
BOLING. Of much less value is my company,
Than your good words. But who comes here?

Enter HARRY PERCY.

NORTH. It is my fon, young Harry Percy, Sent from my brother Worcester, whencefoever.Harry, how fares your uncle?

PERCY. I had thought, my lord, to have learn'd his health of you.

NORTH. Why, is he not with the queen?

PERCY. No, my good lord; he hath forfook the

court,

Broken his staff of office, and difpers'd\

The household of the king.

NORTH.

What was his reafon?

He was not fo refolv'd, when last we spake toge

ther,8

PERCY. Because your lordship was proclaimed traitor.

"And hope to joy,] To joy is, I believe, here used as a verb. So, in the fecond Act of King Henry IV: "Poor fellow never joy'd fince the price of oats rofe." Again, in K. Henry VI. P. II : "Was ever king that joy'd on earthly throne-." The word is again ufed with the fame fignification in the play before us. MALONE.

He was not fo refolv'd, when last we spake together.] i. e. converfed together is an interpolation fufficiently evident from the redundancy of the metre. STEEVENS.

But he, my lord, is gone to Ravenfpurg,
To offer service to the duke of Hereford;
And fent me o'er by Berkley, to discover
What power the duke of York had levied there;
Then with direction to repair to Ravenspurg.

NORTH. Have you forgot the duke of Hereford, boy?

PERCY. No, my good lord; for that is not forgot,

Which ne'er I did remember: to my knowledge, I never in my life did look on him.

NORTH. Then learn to know him now; this is the duke.

PERCY. My gracious lord, I tender you my fer

vice,

Such as it is, being tender, raw, and young;
Which elder days fhall ripen, and confirm
To more approved fervice and desert.

BOLING. I thank thee, gentle Percy; and be fure,
I count myself in nothing else fo happy,
As in a foul rememb'ring my good friends;
And, as my fortune ripens with thy love,
It shall be still thy true love's recompenfe:
My heart this covenant makes, my hand thus feals
it.

NORTH. How far is it to Berkley? And what ftir Keeps good old York there, with his men of war? PERCY. There ftands the caftle, by yon tuft of trees,

Mann'd with three hundred men, as I have heard: And in it are the lords of York, Berkley, and Sey

mour;

None elfe of name, and noble estimate.

Enter Ross and WILLOUGHBY.

NORTH. Here come the lords of Rofs and Willoughby,

Bloody with fpurring, fiery-red with haste.

BOLING. Welcome, my lords: I wot, your love purfues

A banish'd traitor; all my treasury

Is yet but unfelt thanks, which, more enrich'd,
Shall be your love and labour's recompenfe.

Ross. Your prefence makes us rich, most noble lord.

WILLO. And far furmounts our labour to attain

it.

BOLING. Evermore thanks, the exchequer of the

poor;

Which, till my infant fortune comes to years,
Stands for my bounty. But who comes here?

Enter BERKLEY.

NORTH. It is my lord of Berkley, as I guess. BERK. My lord of Hereford, my meffage is to

you.9

BOLING. My lord, my answer is-to Lancaster ;1 And I am come to feek that name in England:

9 My lord of Hereford, my meffage is to you.] I fufpect that our author designed this for a speech rendered abrupt by the impatience of Bolingbroke's reply; and therefore wrote:

My lord of Hereford, my meffage is

The words to you, only serve to deftroy the metre. STEEVENS. I my answer is-to Lancafter ;] Your meffage, you say, is to my lord of Hereford. My answer is, It is not to him; it is to the Duke of Lancaster. MALONE.

And I must find that title in your tongue,
Before I make reply to aught you say.

BERK. Miftake me not, my lord; 'tis not my
meaning,

To raze one title of your honour out:2

To you, my lord, I come, (what lord you will,)
From the most glorious regent of this land,3
The duke of York; to know, what pricks you on
To take advantage of the abfent time,4

And fright our native peace with self-born arms.

Enter YORK, attended.

BOLING. I fhall not need tranfport my words by

you;

Here comes his grace in perfon.-My noble uncle! [Kneels. YORK. Show me thy humble heart, and not thy

knee,

Whose duty is deceivable and false.

BOLING. My gracious uncle!—

YORK. Tut, tut!

Grace me no grace, nor uncle me no uncle :5

To raze one title of your honour out:] "How the names of them which for capital crimes against majeftie were erazed out of the publicke records, tables, and regifters, or forbidden to be borne by their pofteritie, when their memorie was damned, I could fhow at large." Camden's Remains, p. 136, edit. 1605. MALONE.

3 From the most glorious regent of this land,] Thus the first quarto, 1597. The word regent was accidentally omitted in the quarto, 1598, which was followed by all the fubfequent copies. MALONE.

the absent time,] i. e. time of the king's abfence.

JOHNSON.

5 Grace me no grace, nor uncle me no uncle.] In Romeo and Juliet we have the fame kind of phraseology: