'Seiz'd on the realm;, depos'd the rightful king; 'Sent his poor queen to France, from whence she came, And him to Pomfret; where, as all you know, 'Harmless Richard was murder'd traitorously. * War. Father, the duke hath told the truth; * Thus got the house of Lancaster the crown. *York. Which now they hold by force, and not by right; * For Richard, the first son's heir being dead, *The issue of the next son should have reign'd. *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: * Roger had issue-Edmund, Anne, and Eleanor. Sal. This Edmund, in the reign of Bolingbroke, As I have read, laid claim unto the crown; 'And, but for Owen Glendower, had been king, "Who kept him in captivity, till he died. * But, to the rest. • 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 '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,' be we the first, That shall salute our rightful sovereign With honour 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 crown'd; and that my sword be stain'd * Do you, as I do, in these dangerous days, At Beaufort's pride, at Somerset's ambition, * At Buckingham, and all the crew of them, * Till they have snar'd 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 Warwick 'Shall one day make the duke of York a king. I-private plot,] Sequestered spot of ground. [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 adjudg'd 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 burn'd to ashes, * And you three shall be strangled on the gallows.'You, madam, for you are more nobly born, 'Despoiled of your honour 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 dishonour 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, 'Give up thy staff; Henry will to himself * Q. Mar. I see no reason, why a king of years * Should be to be protected like a child.'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 ere 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 honourable peace attend thy throne! Exit. Q. Mar. Why, now is Henry king, and Mar garet queen; *And Humphrey, duke of Gloster, scarce himself, * That bears so shrewd a main; two pulls at once,— * His lady banish'd, and a limb lopp'd off; *This staff of honour raught: 3-There let it stand, 'Where it best fits to be, in Henry's hand. * Suf. Thus droops this lofty pine, and hangs his sprays; *Thus Eleanor's pride dies in her youngest days. "York. Lords, let him go.-Please it your majesty, This is the day appointed for the combat; And ready are the appellant and defendant, 'The armourer and his man, to enter the lists, 2 Sorrow would solace, and mine age would ease.] That is, Sorrow would have, sorrow requires, solace, and age requires ease. This staff of honour raught:] Raught is the antient preterite of the verb reach, and is frequently used by Spenser. our highness to behold the fight. Perefore ne court, to see this quarrel tried. O' God's name, see the lists and all ings fit; eet them end it, and God defend the right! -s. I never saw a fellow worse bested,* nore afraid to fight, than is the appellant, The servant of this armourer, my lords. Sher, on one side, HORNER, and his Neighbours, king to him so much that he is drunk; and he enters bearing his staff with a sand-bag fastened to ta drum before him: at the other side, Peter, with a drum and a similar staff; accompanied by Prentices drinking to him. 1 Neigh. Here, neighbour Horner, I drink to in a cup of sack; And fear not, neighbour, you shall do well enough. you 2 Neigh. And here, neighbour, here's a cup of charneco. 3 Neigh. And here's a pot of good double beer, neighbour: 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. worse bested,] In a worse plight. —with a sand-bag fastened to it;] As, according to the old laws of duels, knights were to fight with the lance and sword; so those of inferior rank fought with an ebon staff or battoon, to the farther end of which was fixed a bag crammed hard with sand. Mr. Sympson, in his notes on Ben Jonson, observes, that a passage in St. Chrysostom very clearly proves the great antiquity of this practice. -a cup of charneco.] A common name for a sort of sweet wine, made at a village so called near Lisbon. |
