*Sal. But William of Hatfield died without an heir. *York. The third son, duke of Clarence (from whose line

* I claim the crown) had issue-Philippe, a daughter, * Who married Edmund Mortimer, earl of March; * Edmund had issue-Roger, earl of March;

*

6

Roger had issue-Edmund, Anne, and Eleanor.

Sal. This Edmund, in the reign of Bolingbroke,

As I have read, laid claim unto the crown;

1

And, but for Owen Glendower, had been king, 'Who kept him in captivity, till he died.1 *But, to the rest.

6

6

'York.

His eldest sister, Anne,

My mother, being heir unto the crown,

Married Richard, earl of Cambridge; who was son

'To Edmund Langley, Edward the Third's fifth son.

By her I claim the kingdom: she was heir

To Roger, earl of March; who was the son

1 Some of the mistakes of the historians and the drama concerning Edmund Mortimer, earl of March, are noticed in a note to the former play; where he is introduced as an aged and gray-haired prisoner in the Tower, and represented as having been confined "since Harry Monmouth first began to reign." Yet here we are told he was kept in captivity by Owen Glendower till he died. The fact is, that Hall having said Owen Glendower kept his son-in-law, lord Grey of Ruthvin, in captivity till he died, and this lord March having been said by some historians to have married Owen's daughter, the author of this play has confounded them with each other. This Edmund being only six years of age at the death of his father, in 1398, he was delivered by king Henry IV. in ward to his son Henry prince of Wales, and during the whole of that reign, being a minor, and related to the family on the throne, he was under the particular care of the king. At the age of ten years, in 1402, he headed a body of Herefordshire men against Owen Glendower, and was taken prisoner by him. The Percies, in the manifesto they published before the battle of Shrewsbury, speak of him as rightful heir to the crown, whom Owen had confined, and whom, finding for political reasons that the king would not ransom him, they at their own charges had ransomed. If he was at the battle of Shrewsbury, he was probably brought there against his will, to grace their cause, and was under the care of the king soon after. Great trust was reposed in this earl of March during the whole reign of king Henry V. In the sixth year of that king he was at the siege of Fresnes, with the earl of Salisbury; and soon afterwards with the king himself at the siege of Melun. In the same year he was made lieutenant of Normandy; was at Melun with Henry to treat of his marriage with Catharine; and accompanied that queen when she returned from France with the corpse of her husband, in 1422, and died two years afterwards at his castle of Trim, in Ireland.

· Of Edmund Mortimer; who married Philippe, 'Sole daughter unto Lionel, duke of Clarence:

6 So, if the issue of the elder son

Succeed before the younger, I am king.

'War. What plain proceedings are more plain than this?

• Henry doth claim the crown from John of Gaunt,
The fourth son; York claims it from the third.
'Till Lionel's issue fails, his should not reign;
'It fails not yet; but flourishes in thee,

And in thy sons, fair slips of such a stock.

Then, father Salisbury, kneel we both together;
And, in this private plot,1 be we the first

• That shall salute our rightful sovereign

• With honor of his birthright to the crown.

Both. Long live our sovereign Richard, England's king!

• York. We thank you, lords. But I am not your

king

• Till I be crowned; and that my sword be stained • With heart-blood of the house of Lancaster.

* And that's not suddenly to be performed; * But with advice and silent secrecy.

* Do you, as I do, in these dangerous days, *Wink at the duke of Suffolk's insolence, * At Beaufort's pride, at Somerset's ambition, * At Buckingham, and all the crew of them, * Till they have snared the shepherd of the flock, *That virtuous prince, the good duke Humphrey. *'Tis that they seek: and they, in seeking that, * Shall find their deaths, if York can prophesy. *Sal. My lord, break we off; we know your mind at full.

• War. My heart assures me, that the earl of War

wick

'Shall one day make the duke of York a king.

York. And, Nevil, this I do assure myself,—

1 Sequestered spot.

• Richard shall live to make the earl of Warwick • The greatest man in England, but the king.

[Exeunt.

SCENE III. The same. A Hall of Justice.

Trumpets sounded. Enter KING HENRY, QUEEN MARGARET, GLOSTER, YORK, SUFFOLK, and SALISBURY; the DUCHESS of GLOSTER, MARGERY JOURDAIN, SOUTHWELL, HUME, and BOLINGBROKE, under guard.

· K. Hen. Stand forth, dame Eleanor Cobham, Gloster's wife :

• In sight of God, and us, your guilt is great;
• Receive the sentence of the law, for sins
• Such as by God's book are adjudged to death.
*You four, from hence to prison back again;

[To JOURD., &c.

* From thence unto the place of execution; *The witch in Smithfield shall be burned to ashes, * And you three shall be strangled on the gallows.'You, madam,-for you are more nobly born,

6

Despoiled of your honor in your life,

• Shall after three days' open penance done,

'Live in your country here, in banishment, With sir John Stanley, in the Isle of Man.

• Duch. Welcome is banishment; welcome were my death.

* Glo. Eleanor, the law, thou seest, hath judged thee; * I cannot justify whom the law condemns.

[Exeunt the Duchess, and the other Prisoners, guarded.

• Mine eyes are full of tears, my heart of grief. Ah, Humphrey, this dishonor in thine age

• Will bring thy head with sorrow to the ground! I beseech your majesty, give me leave to go; • Sorrow would solace, and mine age would ease. K. Hen. Stay, Humphrey duke of Gloster: ere

thou go,

6

'Give up thy staff; Henry will to himself

• Protector be; and God shall be my hope,

My stay, my guide, and lantern to my feet; · And go in peace, Humphrey; no less beloved, Than when thou wert protector to thy king. *Q. Mar. I see no reason why a king of years *Should be to be protected like a child.

6

God and king Henry govern England's helm; 'Give up your staff, sir, and the king his realm.

• Glo. My staff?—Here, noble Henry, is my staff;

As willingly do I the same resign,

'As e'er thy father Henry made it mine;

And even as willingly at thy feet I leave it,

As others would ambitiously receive it.

Farewell, good king. When I am dead and gone,

May honorable peace attend thy throne!

[Exit.

* Q. Mar. Why, now is Henry king, and Margaret

queen;

* And Humphrey, duke of Gloster, scarce himself, * That bears so shrewd a maim; two pulls at once,— * His lady banished, and a limb lopped off.

*This staff of honor raught,' there let it stand, Where it best fits to be, in Henry's hand.

*Suff. Thus droops this lofty pine, and hangs his

sprays;

*Thus Eleanor's pride dies in her youngest days.2 • York. Lords, let him go.3-Please it your majesty, This is the day appointed for the combat; 'And ready are the appellant and defendant, The armorer and his man, to enter the lists, So please your highness to behold the fight.

*

Q. Mar. Ay, good my lord; for purposely therefore *Left I the court, to see this quarrel tried.

K. Hen. O God's name, see the lists and all things fit;

• Here let them end it, and God defend the right!

1 Raught is the ancient preterit of the verb reach.

2 Her in this line relates to pride, and not to Eleanor. "The pride of Eleanor dies before it has reached maturity."

3 i. e. let him pass out of your thoughts.

* York. I never saw a fellow worse bested,1 *Or more afraid to fight, than is the appellant, *The servant of this armorer, my lords.

Enter, on one side, HORNER, and his neighbors, drinking to him so much that he is drunk; and he enters bearing his staff with a sand-bag fastened to it; 2 a drum before him; at the other side, PETER, with a drum and a similar staff; accompanied by Prentices drinking to him.

1 Neigh. Here, neighbor Horner, I drink to you in a cup of sack; and fear not, neighbor, you shall do well enough.

2 Neigh. And here, neighbor, here's a cup of charneco.3

3 Neigh. And here's a pot of good double beer, neighbor: drink, and fear not your man.

Hor. Let it come, i' faith, and I'll pledge you all; and a fig for Peter!

1 Pren. Here, Peter, I drink to thee; and be not afraid.

2 Pren. Be merry, Peter, and fear not thy master; fight for credit of the prentices.

Peter. I thank you all: *drink, and pray for me, *I pray you; for, I think, I have taken my last *draught in this world.*-Here, Robin, an if I die, I give thee my apron; and, Will, thou shalt have my hammer;—and here, Tom, take all the money that I have. O Lord, bless me, I pray God! for I am never able to deal with my master, he hath learnt so much fence already.

Sal. Come, leave your drinking, and fall to blows. -Sirrah, what's thy name?.

1 In a worse plight.

2 As, according to the old law of duels, knights were to fight with the lance and the sword, so those of inferior rank fought with an ebon staff, or baton, to the further end of which was fixed a bag crammed hard with

sand.

3 Charneco appears to have been a kind of sweet wine. Steevens says Charneco is the name of a village in Portugal where this wine was made.