'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 e'er thy father Henry made it mine; And even as willingly at thy feet I leave 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. Eleanor dies before it has reached maturity." 3 i. e. let him pass out of your thoughts. "The pride of * 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. 2 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; 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. Peter. Peter, forsooth. Sal. Peter! what more? Peter. Thump. Sal. Thump! then see thou thump thy master well. Hor. Masters, I am come hither, as it were, upon my man's instigation, to prove him a knave, and myself an honest man; * touching the duke of York, -will take my death, I never meant him any ill, nor the king, nor the queen. * And, therefore, Peter, *have at thee with a downright blow, as Bevis of Southampton fell upon Ascapart.1 * *York. Despatch;-this knave's tongue begins to double.2 * Sound trumpets, alarum to the combatants. [Alarum. They fight, and Peter strikes down his Master. Hor. Hold, Peter, hold! I confess, I confess treason. [Dies. *York. Take away his weapon.-Fellow, *Thank God, and the good wine in thy master's way. 'Peter. O God! have I overcome mine enemies in this presence? O Peter, thou hast prevailed in • right! K. Hen. Go, take hence that traitor from our sight; For, by his death, we do perceive his guilt.3 And God, in justice, hath revealed to us The truth and innocence of this poor fellow, Which he had thought to have murdered wrongfully.Come, fellow, follow us for thy reward. [Exeunt. 1 Warburton added this allusion to Bevis and Ascapart from the old quarto. The story of this knight and giant was familiar to our ancestors; their effigies are still preserved on the gates of Southampton. 2 This is from Holinshed, whose narrative Shakspeare has deserted in making the armorer confess treason:-"His neighbors gave him wine and strong drinke in such excessive sort, that he was therewith distempered, and reeled as he went, and so was slaine without guilt. As for the false servant, he lived not long unpunished; for being convict of felonie in court of assise, he was judged to be hanged, and so was at Tiburne." Fo. 626. 3 The real name of the combatants were John Daveys and William Catour. The death of the vanquished person was always regarded as certain evidence of his guilt. SCENE IV. The same. A Street. Enter GLOSTER and Servants, in mourning cloaks. *Glo. Thus sometimes hath the brightest day a cloud; *And, after summer, evermore succeeds * Barren winter, with his wrathful, nipping cold. Serv. Ten, my lord. Glo. Ten is the hour that was appointed me, To watch the coming of my punished duchess. Uneath may she endure the flinty streets, To tread them with her tender-feeling feet. Sweet Nell, ill can thy noble mind abrook The abject people, gazing on thy face, With envious looks, still laughing at thy shame; That erst did follow thy proud chariot wheels, When thou didst ride in triumph through the streets. * But, soft! I think she comes; and I'll prepare * My tear-stained eyes to see her miseries. Enter the DUCHESS of GLOSTER, in a white sheet, with papers pinned upon her back, her feet bare, and a taper burning in her hand; SIR JOHN STANLEY, a Sheriff, and Officers. Serv. So please your grace, we'll take her from the sheriff. Glo. No, stir not, for your lives; let her pass by. Duch. Come you, my lord, to see my open shame? Now thou dost penance too. Look, how they gaze! See how the giddy multitude do point, And nod their heads, and throw their eyes on thee! 'Ah, Gloster, hide thee from their hateful looks; And, in thy closet pent up, rue my shame, And ban thine enemies, both mine and thine. เ 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, Mailed up in shame,' with papers on my back * And followed with a rabble, that rejoice *To see my tears, and hear my deep-fet2 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; But be thou mild, and blush not at my shame; • With her, that hateth thee and hates us all,- * Glo. Ah, Nell, forbear; thou aimest all awry; *I must offend before I be attainted. * And had I twenty times so many foes, 1 Wrapped or bundled up in disgrace; alluding to the sheet of penance Mailed, from a mail or male, a little budget. 2 Deep-fetched. |