Buck. He'll wreft the fenfe, and hold us here all day. Lord Cardinal, he is your prifoner.

Car. Sirs, take away the Duke, and guard him fure. Glo. Ah, thus King Henry throws away his crutch, Before his legs be firm to bear his body;

Thus is the fhepherd beaten from thy fide;

And wolves are gnarling, who fhall gnaw thee first.
Ah, that my fear were falfe! ah, that it were!
For, good King Henry, thy decay I fear. [Exit guarded.

S CE NE III.

K. Henry. My Lords, what to your wisdom seemeth best,

Do or undo, as if ourself were here.

Q. Mar. What, will your Highness leave the Parliament ?

K. Henry. Ay, Margaret; my heart is drown'd with grief,

Whose flood begins to flow within my eyes;
My body round engirt with mifery:
For what's more miferable than difcontent?
Ah, uncle Humphry! in thy face I fee
The map of honour, truth, and loyalty;
And yet, good Humphry, is the hour to come,
That e'er I prov'd thee falfe, or fear'd thy faith;
What low'ring ftar now envies thy estate?

That these great Lords, and Margaret our Queen,
Do feek fubverfion of thy harmless life,

That never didft them wrong, nor no man wrong.
And as the butcher takes away the calf,

And binds the wretch, and beats it when it (a) ftrives,
Bearing it to the bloody flaughter-house:
Even fo, remorflefs, have they borne him hence.
And as the dam runs lowing up and down,
Looking the way her harmless young one went,
And can do nought but wail her darling lofs:

[ (a) frives. Dr. Thirlby.-Vulg. firays. 1
VOL. V.

E

Even

Even fo myself bewail good Glo'fter's cafe
With fad unhelpful tears; and with dim'd eyes
Look after him, and cannot do him good:
So mighty are his vowed enemies.

His fortunes I will weep, and 'twixt each groan
Say, who's a traitor? Glo'fter he is none.

I

Exit.

Q. Mar. Free Lords, cold fnow melts with the fun's hot beams.

Henry my Lord is cold in great affairs,
Too full of foolish pity: Glo'fter's fhew
Beguiles him as the mournful crocodile
With forrow fnares relenting paffengers:
Or as the fnake, roll'd in a flowry bank,
With fhining checker'd flough, doth fting a child
That for the beauty thinks it excellent.

Believe me, Lords, were none more wife than I,
(And yet herein I judge my own wit good)
This Glofter fhould be quickly rid the world,
To rid us from the fear we have of him.

Car. That he fhould die, is worthy policy;
But yet we want a colour for his death:
'Tis meet, he be condemn'd by course of law.
Suf. But, in my mind, that were no policy:
The King will labour still to fave his life,
The commons haply rife to fave his life,
And yet we have but trivial argument,
More than mistruft, that fhews him worthy death.
York. So that, by this, you would not have him die.
Suf. Ah, York, no man alive so fain as I.

York. 'Tis York, that hath more reason for his death. But, my Lord Cardinal, and you, my Lord of Suffolk, Say as you think, and speak it from your fouls: Wer't not all one, an empty eagle were fet

1 Free Lords, &c. -] By this fhe means, (as may be seen by the fequel) you, who are not bound up to fuch precife regards of religion as is the King; but are men of the world, and know how to live.

Το

To guard the chicken from a hungry kite,
As place Duke Humphry for the King's protector?
Q. Mar. So the poor chicken fhould be sure of death.
Suf. Madam, 'tis true; and wer't not madness, then
To make the fox furveyor of the fold?
Who being accus'd a crafty murtherer,
His guilt fhould be but idly posted over,
Because his purpose is not executed.
No; let him die, in that he is a fox,
By Nature prov'd an enemy to the flock;
Before his chaps be ftain'd with crimson blood,
As Humphry prov'd by reasons to my Liege;
And do not stand on quillets how to flay him:
Be it by ginns, by fnares, by fubtilty,
Sleeping or waking, 'tis no matter how,
So he be dead; for that is good deceit
Which mates him firft, that firft intends deceit.
Q. Mar. Thrice noble Suffolk, 'tis refolutely spoke.
Suf. Not refolute, except fo much were done;
For things are often fpoke, and feldom meant;
But that my heart accordeth with my tongue,
Seeing the deed is meritorious,

And to preserve my Sovereign from his foe.
Say but the word, and I will be his priest.

Car. But I would have him dead, my lord of Suffolk, Ere you can take due orders for a priest:

Say you confent, and cenfure well the deed,

And I'll provide his executioner,

I tender fo the fafety of my Liege.

Suf. Here is my hand, the deed is worthy doing.
Q. Mar. And so say I.

York. And I: And now we three have spoke it,
It skills not greatly, who impugns our doom.

1

E 2

SCENE

Poft. Great lords, from Ireland am I come amain, To fignifie that Rebels there are up,

And put the Englishmen unto the fword:

Send fuccours, lords, and ftop the rage betime,
Before the wound do grow incurable;

For being green, there is great hope of help.
Car. A breach, that craves a quick expedient Stop!
What counfel give you in this weighty cause?
York. That Somerset be fent a Regent thither:
'Tis meet, that lucky ruler be employ'd:
Witness the fortune he hath had in France

Som. If York, with all his far-fetch'd policy,
Had been the Regent there inftead of me,
He never would have ftaid in France fo long.
York. No, not to lose it all, as thou haft done :
I rather would have loft my life betimes,
Than bring a burthen of difhonour home,
By staying there fo long, till all were loft.
Shew me one scar, character'd on thy skin:
Men's flesh preferv'd fo whole, do feldom win.

Q. Mar. Nay then, this fpark will prove a raging
fire,

If wind and fuel be brought to feed it with:
No more, good York; fweet Somerset, be still.
Thy fortune, York, hadft thou been Regent there,
Might happily have prov'd far worse than his.

York. What, worse than nought? nay, then a shame
take all!

Som. And, in the number, thee that wishest shame! Car. My lord of York, try what your fortune is; Th' uncivil Kerns of Ireland are in arms, And temper clay with blood of Englishmen. To Ireland will you lead a band of men,

Collected

Collected choicely from each county fome,
And try your hap against the Irishmen?
York. I will, my lord, fo please his Majefty.
Suf. Why, our Authority is his confent;
And what we do establish, he confirms;
Then, noble York, take thou this task in hand.
York. I am content: provide me foldiers, lords,
Whilft I take order for mine own affairs.

Suf. A charge, lord York, that I will fee perform'd:
But now return we to the falfe Duke Humphry.
Car. No more of him; for I will deal with him,
That henceforth he shall trouble us no more:
And fo break off: the day is almost spent :
Lord Suffolk, you and I must talk of that event.
York. My lord of Suffolk, within fourteen days
At Bristol I expect my foldiers;

For there I'll fhip them all for Ireland.

Suf. I'll fee it truly done, my lord of York. [Exeunt.

York. Now, York, or never, steal thy fearful thoughts, And change mifdoubt to refolution:

Be that thou hop'ft to be, or what thou art
Refign to death, it is not worth th' enjoying:
Let pale-fac'd fear keep with the mean-born man,
And find no harbour in a royal heart.

Fafter than fpring-time fhow'rs, comes thought on thought,

And not a thought, but thinks on dignity.
My brain, more bufie than the lab'ring spider,
Weaves tedious fnares to trap mine enemies.
Well, Nobles, well; 'tis politickly done,
To fend me packing with an hoft of men:
I fear me, you but warm the starved Snake,
Who, cherish'd in your breast, will fting your hearts.

E 3

'Twas