And between them and my lord chamberlain ;
And sent to warn them to his royal presence.
Queen. 'Would all were well !-But that will never

be ;-
I fear, our happiness is at the height.

Enter Gloster, Hastings, and Dorset.
Glo. They do me wrong, and I will not endure

it :

grace ?

Who are they, that complain unto the king,
That I, forsooth, am ftern, and love them not ?
By holy Paul, they love his grace but lightly,
That fill his ears with such diffentious rumours.
Because I cannot flatter, and speak fair,
Smile in men's faces, smooth, deceive, and cog,
Duck with French nods and apith courtesy,
I must be held a rancorous enemy.
Cannot a plain man live, and think no harm,
But thus his simple truth must be abus'd
By filken, fly, insinuating Jacks ?
Grey. To whom in all this presence speaks your

Glo. To thee, that hast nor honesty, nor grace.
When have I injur'd thee? when done thee wrong?-
Or thee?-or thee?-or any of your faction ?
A plague upon you all! His royal grace,
Whom God preserve better than you would wish !
Cannot be quiet scarce a breathing while,
But you must trouble him with lewd complaints.

Queen. Brother of Gloster, you mistake the matter : The king—of his own royal disposition, And not provok'd by any suitor else; Aiming, belike, at your interior hatred, That in your outward action shews itself, Against my children, brothers, and myself;

to warn them] i.e. to summon. So, in Julius Cæfar: “They mean to warn us at Philippi here,” STEEVENS.

Makes

Makes him to send; that thereby he may gather
The ground of your ill-will', and so remove it.

Glo. I cannot tell ;- The world is grown fo bad,
That wrens may prey where eagles dare not perch :
Since every Jack became a gentleman,
There's many a gentle person made a Jack.
Queen. Come, come, we know your meaning,

brother Glofter; You envy my advancement, and my friends : God grant, we never may have need of you ! Glo. Meantime, God grants that we have need of

you : Our brother is imprison’d by your means, Myself disgrac'd, and the nobility Held in contempt; while great promotions Are daily given, to enoble those That scarce, some two days since, were worth a noble.

Queen. By Him, that rais'd me to this careful height From that contented hap which I enjoy'd, I never did incense his majesty Against the duke of Clarence, but have been An earnest advocate to plead for him. My lord, you do me shameful injury, Falsely to draw me in these vile suspects.

Glo. You may deny that you were not the cause Of my lord Hastings' late imprisonment.

Riv. She may, my lord ; for-
Glo. She may, lord Rivers ?-why, who knows

not so?
She may do more, fir, than denying that :
She may help you to many fair preferments;
And then deny her aiding hand therein,
And lay those honours on your high desert.
What may she not? She may,-ay, marry, may she,
Riv. What, marry, may

fhe?

5 of your ill-will, &c.] This line is restored from the first edition. Pope,

Glo.

Glo. What, marry, may she ? marry with a king, A batchelor, a handsome stripling too : I wis, your grandam had a worfer match.

Queen. My lord of Glofter, I have too long borne
Your blunt upbraidings, and your bitter scoffs :
By heaven, I will acquaint his majesty,
Of those gross taunts I often have endur'd.
I had rather be a country servant-maid,
Than a great queen, with this conditions
To be so baited, scorn'd, and stormed at :
Small joy have I in being England's queen.

Enter Queen Margaret, behind.
Q. Mar. And lessen'd be that small, God, I beseech

thee!
Thy honour, state, and seat, is due to me.

Ġlo. What! threat you me with telling of the king? 7 Tell him, and spare not; look, what I have said I will avouch in presence of the king : I dare adventure to be sent to the Tower. "Tis time to speak, my pains are quite forgot.

Q. Mar. 'Out, devil! I remember them too well: Thou kill’ust my husband Henry in the Tower, And Edward, iny poor son, at Tewksbury. Glo. Ere you were queen, ay, or your husband

king, 7 Tell him, and spare not; look, what I have faid] This verse I have restored from the old quarto’s. THEOBALD.

my pains--] My labours ; my toils. Johnson. 9 Out, devil! -] Read, No. WARBURTON.

There is no need of change ; but if there were, the commen, tator does not change enough. He should read :

I remember them too well ; that is, his pains. JOHNSON.

Mr. Lambe observes in his notes on the ancient metrical-history of the Battle of Floddon Field, that out is an interjection of abhorrence or contempt, most frequent in the mouths of the fommon people of the north. It occurs again in act IV: out on ye, owls !” STEEVENS.

8

I was a pack-horse in his great affairs ;
A weeder-out of his proud adversaries,
A liberal rewarder of his friends;
To royalize' his blood, I spilt mine own.
Q: Mar. Ay, and much better blood than his, or

thine. Glo. In all which time, you, and your husband

Grey, Were factious for the house of Lancaster; And, Rivers, so were you :- Was not your husband In Margaret's battle at saint Alban's slain? Let me put in your minds, if you forget, What you have been ere now, and what you are; Withal, what I have been, and what I ain.

2. Mar. A murd'rous villain, and so still thou art.

Gl. Poor Clarence did forsake his father Warwick, Ay, and forswore himself,—Which Jesu pardon ! 2. Mar. Which God revenge !

Glo. To fight on Edward's party, for the crown; And, for his meed, poor lord, he is mew'd I would to God, my heart were flint, like Edward's, Or Edward's soft and pitiful, like mine; I am too childish-foolish for this world. 2. Mar. Hie thee to hell for shame, and leave this

world,
Thou cacodæmon ! there thy kingdom is.

Riv. My lord of Gloster, in those busy days,
Which here you urge, to prove us enemies,
We follow'd 'then our lord, our sovereign king;
So should we you, if you should be our king.

up :

1

-royalize,] i.e. to make royal. So, in Claudius Tiberius Nerd, 1607 :

" Who means to-morrow for to rayalize
“ The triumphs &c." STEEVENS.

Was not your husband,
In Margaret's battle, ]
It is said in Henry VI. that he died in quarrel of the house of York.

JOHNSON.

Glo.

Glo. If I should be ? -I had rather be a pedlar : Far be it from my heart, the thought thereof!

Queen. As little joy, my lord, as you suppose You should enjoy, were you this country's king; As little joy you may suppose in me, That I enjoy, being the queen thereof. 2. Mar. A little joy enjoys the queen

thereof; For I am fhe, and altogether joyless. I can no longer hold me patient. [She advances. 3 Hear me, you wrangling pirates, that fall out In sharing that which you have pilld from me 4 : Which of you trembles not, that looks on me? If not, that, I being queen, you bow like subjects ; Yet that, by you depos’d, you quake like rebels ? $ Ah, gentle villain, do not turn away!

Géo. Foul wrinkled witch, what mak'st thou in my

fight?

Q. Mar. But repetition of what thou hast marrid; That will I make, before I let thee go.

Glo. Wert thou not banished, on pain of death? Q. Mar. I was ; but I do find more pain in ba

nishment, Than death can yield me here by iny abode. . A husband, and a son, thou ow'st to me,

3 Hear me, you wrangling pirates, &c.] This scene of Margaret's imprecations is fine and artful. She prepares the audience, like another Cassandra, for the following tragic revolutions.

WARBURTON. which you have pill'd from me :) To pill is to pillage. So, in the Martyr'd Soldier, by Shirley, 1638: '“ He has not pill'd the rich, nor flay'd the poor."

STEEVENS. $ Ah, gentle villain, ] We should read : ungentle villain,

WARBURTON. The meaning of gentle is not, as the commentator imagines, tender or courteous, but high-born. An opposition is meant beo tween that and villain, which means at once a zvicked and a lowe born wretch. So before :

Since ev'ry Jack is made a gentleman,
There's many a gentle person made a Jack. Johnson.

And