Ah, Gloster, hide thee from their hateful looks,
And, in thy closet pent up, rue my shame,
And ban 3 thine enemies, both mine and thine !
Glo. Be patient, gentle Nell; forget this grief.
Duch. Ah, Gloster, teach me to forget myself!
For, whilst I think I am thy married wife,
And thou a prince, Protector of this land,
Methinks I should not thus be led along,
Mail'd up in shame,4 with papers on my back,
And follow'd with a rabble, that rejoice
To see my tears and hear my deep-fet 5 groans.
The ruthless flint doth cut my tender feet;
And, when I start, the envious people laugh,
And bid me be advised how I tread.
Ah, Humphrey, can I bear this shameful yoke?
Trow'st thou that e'er I'll look upon the world,
Or count them happy that enjoy the Sun?
No; dark shall be my light, and night my day;
To think upon my pomp shall be my hell.
Sometime I'll say, I am Duke Humphrey's wife;
And he a prince, and ruler of the land:
Yet so he ruled, and such a prince he was,
As he stood by, whilst I, his fórlorn duchess,
Was made a wonder and a pointing-stock

disgrace, referring, of course, to the "Mail a hawk is to wrap her up in

4 That is, wrapped or bundled up in sheet of penance. So Randle Holme: a handkerchief or other cloath, that she may not be able to stir her wings or struggle." And in Drayton's Epistle of Eleanor Cobham to Duke Humphrey :

Should after see me mayld up in a sheet,
Doe shameful penance three times in the street.

5 Fet is an old form of fetched. The Poet has it repeatedly.
6 Advised wary, careful, circumspect. See page 169, note 4.

But be thou mild, and blush not at my shame ;

Nor stir at nothing, till the axe of death

Hang over thee, as, sure, it shortly will;
For Suffolk, - he that can do all in all

With her that hateth thee and hates us all,

And York, and impious Beaufort, that false priest,
Have all limed bushes to betray thy wings,
And, fly thou how thou canst, they'll tangle thee:
But fear not thou, until thy foot be snared,
Nor never seek prevention of thy foes.

Glo. Ah, Nell, forbear! thou aimest all awry;
I must offend before I be attainted:
And had I twenty times so many foes,

And each of them had twenty times their power,
All these could not procure me any scathe,7
So long as I am loyal, true, and crimeless.
Wouldst have me rescue thee from this reproach?
Why, yet thy scandal were not wiped away,
But I in danger for the breach of law.
Thy greatest help is quiet, gentle Nell :

I pray thee, sort thy heart to patience; 8

These few days' wonder will be quickly worn.

Enter a Herald.

Her. I summon your Grace to his Majesty's Parliament,

holden at Bury the first of this next month.

Glo. And my consent ne'er ask'd herein before!

This is close dealing. Well, I will be there.—

7 Scathe is hurt or damage. We still use scathless.

[Exit Herald.

8 That is, frame, adapt, or attemper thy heart to patience. So in Lucrece:

Her mistress she doth give demure good-morrow,

And sorts a sad look to her lady's sorrow,

For why her face wore sorrow's livery.

My Nell, I take my leave : — and, master sheriff,
Let not her penance exceed the King's commission.

Sher. An't please your Grace, here my commission stays; And Sir John Stanley is appointed now

To take her with him to the Isle of Man.

Glo. Must you, Sir John, protect my lady there?

Stan. So am I given in charge, may't please your Grace.

Glo. Entreat her not the worse, in that I pray

You use her well: the world may laugh again; 9

And I may live to do you kindness, if

You do it her: and so, Sir John, farewell!

Duch. What, gone, my lord, and bid me not farewell!

Glo. Witness my tears, I cannot stay to speak.

[Exeunt GLOSTER and Servants.

Duch. Art thou gone too? all comfort go with thee!

For none abides with me: my joy is death,
Death, at whose name I oft have been afeard,
Because I wish'd this world's eternity. —
Stanley, I pr'ythee, go, and take me hence;
I care not whither, for I beg no favour,
Only convey me where thou art commanded.

Stan. Why, madam, that is to the Isle of Man ;

There to be used according to your state.

Duch. That's bad enough, for I am but reproach;

And shall I then be used reproachfully?

Stan. Like to a duchess, and Duke Humphrey's lady; According to that state you shall be used.

Duch. Sheriff, farewell, and better than I fare, Although thou hast been conduct 10 of my shame.

Sher. It is my office; and, madam, pardon me. Duch. Ay, ay, farewell; thy office is discharged. Come, Stanley, shall we go?

9 Meaning," the world may smile on me again."

10 Conduct for conductor. Repeatedly so. See vol. v. page 208, note 20.

Stan. Madam, your penance done, throw off this sheet, And go we to attire you for our journey.

Duch. My shame will not be shifted with
No, it will hang upon my richest robes,
And show itself, attire me how I can.
Go, lead the way; I long to see my prison.

my

sheet :

[Exeunt.

SCENE I.

ACT III.

The Abbey at Bury St. Edmund's.

Sennet. Enter, to the Parliament, King HENRY, Queen MARGARET, Cardinal BEAUFORT, SUFFOLK, YORK, BUCKINGHAM, and others.

King. I muse 1 my Lord of Gloster is not come :

'Tis not his wont to be the hindmost man,

Whate'er occasion keeps him from us now.

Queen. Can you not see? or will ye not observe

The strangeness of his alter'd countenance?
With what a majesty he bears himself;
How insolent of late he is become,

How proud, how peremptory, and unlike himself?
We know the time since 2 he was mild and affable ;
And, if we did but glance a far-off look,

Immediately he was upon his knee,

That all the Court admired him for submission:

But meet him now, and, be it in the morn,
When every one will give the time of day,
He knits his brow, and shows an angry eye,

1 "I muse" is I wonder, I marvel. A frequent usage.

2 Since is here equivalent to when. See vol. iii. page 29, note 23.

And passeth by with stiff unbowed knee,
Disdaining duty that to us belongs.

Small curs are not regarded when they grin;
But great men tremble when the lion roars,
And Humphrey is no little man in England.
First note, that he is near you in descent;
And, should you fall, he is the next will mount.
Me seemeth, then, it is no policy,-
Respecting3 what a rancorous mind he bears,
And his advantage following your decease,
That he should come about your royal person,
Or be admitted to your Highness' Council.
By flattery hath he won the commons' hearts;
And, when he please to make commotion,
'Tis to be fear'd they all will follow him.

Now 'tis the Spring, and weeds are shallow-rooted;
Suffer them now, and they'll o'ergrow the garden,
And choke the herbs for want of husbandry.
The reverent care I bear unto my lord
Made me collect these dangers in the duke.
If it be fond,4 call it a woman's fear;
Which fear if better reasons can supplant,
I will subscribe, and say I wrong'd the duke.·
My Lords of Suffolk, Buckingham, and York,
Reprove my allegation, if you can;

Or else conclude my words effectual.

Suf. Well hath your Highness seen into this duke;

And, had I first been put to speak my mind,

I think I should have told your Grace's tale.

The duchess, by his subornation,

3

Respecting here has the exact sense of considering. Respect, substantive, is very often used in the same sense.

4 Here, as usual, fond is foolish or weak.

5

Reprove for refute or disprove. See vol. iv. page 194, note 14.