* Some troops pursue the bloody-minded queen;That led calm Henry, though he were a king, As doth a sail, fill'd with a fretting gust, • Command an argosy to stem the waves.

But think you, lords, that Clifford fled with them? War. No, 'tis impossible he should escape: For, though before his face I speak the words, Your brother Richard mark'd him for the grave: And, wheresoe'er he is, he's surely dead.

[CLIFFORD groans, and dies. Edw. Whose soul is that which takes her heavy

leave?

Rich. A deadly groan, like life and death's departing4.

Edw. See who it is: and now the battle's ended, If friend, or foe, let him be gently us'd.

• Rich. Revoke that doom of mercy, for 'tis Clifford;

Who not contented that he lopp'd the branch
In hewing Rutland when his leaves put forth,
But set his murdering knife unto the root
From whence that tender spray did sweetly spring,
I mean our princely father, duke of York.
War. From off the gates of York fetch down the
head,

Your father's head, which Clifford placed there:
Instead whereof, let this supply the room;
Measure for measure must be answered.

Edw. Bring forth that fatal screechowl to our house, wh

That nothing sung but death5 to us and ours: Now death shall stop his dismal threatening sound, And his ill boding tongue no more shall speak. Intogeny dole [Attendants bring the Body forward. War. I think his understanding is bereft:

4 Departing for separation. To depart, in old language, is to part. Thus in the old marriage service-Till death us depart. 5 We have this also in King Richard UI:

Out on you, owls! nothing but songs of death."55

Speak, Clifford,, dost thou know who speaks to

thee?

Dark cloudy death o'ershades his beams of life,
And he nor sees, nor hears us what we say.
Rich. O, 'would he did! and so, perhaps, he doth;
"Tis but his policy to counterfeit,

Because he would avoid such bitter taunts,
Which in the time of death he gave our father.
Geo. If so thou think'st, vex him with eager words.
Rich. Clifford, ask mercy, and obtain no grace.
Edw. Clifford, repent in bootless penitence.
War. Clifford, devise excuses for thy faults.
Geo. While we devise fell tortures for thy faults.
Rich. Thou didst love York, and I am son to
York.

Edw. Thou pitied'st Rutland, I will pity thee.
Geo. Where's Captain Margaret, to fence you now?
War. They mock thee, Clifford! swear as thou

wast wont.

• Rich. What, not an oath? nay, then the world goes hard,

When Clifford cannot spare his friends an oath: I know by that, he's dead; And, by my soul,

If this right hand would buy two hours' life, That I in all despite might rail at him,

‹ This hand should chop it off; and with the issuing blood

Stifle the villain, whose unstanched thirst

York and young Rutland could not satisfy.

War. Ay, but he's dead: Off with the traitor's head,

And rear it in the place your father's stands.And now to London with triumphant march, There to be crowned England's royal king.

From whence shall Warwick cut the sea to France, And ask the Lady Bona for thy queen:

So shalt thou sinew both these lands together;

Sour words; words of asperity. Verie eagre or sowre: peracerbus.-Baret.

And, having France thy friend, thou shalt not dread The scatter'd foe, that hopes to rise again: For though they cannot greatly sting to hurt, Yet look to have them buz, to offend thine ears. First, will I see the coronation;

And then to Britany I'll cross the sea,

To effect this marriage, so it please my lord.
Edw. Even as thou wilt, sweet Warwick, let it be:
* For on thy shoulder do I build my seat;
And never will I undertake the thing, -

Wherein thy counsel and consent is wanting.-
Richard, I will create thee duke of Gloster;-
And George, of Clarence;-Warwick, as ourself,
Shall do, and undo, as him pleaseth best.
Rich. Let me be duke of Clarence; George, of
Gloster;

For Gloster's dukedom is too ominous.
War. Tut, that's a foolish observation;
Richard, be duke of Gloster: Now to London,
To see these honours in possession.

[Exeunt.

Alluding to the deaths of Thomas of Woodstock and Ham phrey, dukes of Gloster. The author of the old play, in which this line is found, had a passage of Hall's Chronicle in his thoughts, in which the unfortunate ends of those who had borne the title are recounted: he thus concludes-So that this name of Gloucester is taken for an unhappie and unfortunate stile, as the proverb speaks of Segane's horse, whose ryder was ever unhorsed, and whose possessor was ever brought to miserie."

ACT III.

SCENE I. 4 Chase in the North of England.

Enter Two Keepers1, with Crossbows in their

Hands.

1 Keep. Under this thick grown brake2 we'll shroud ourselves;

For through this laund3 anon the deer will come; And in this covert will we make our stand, Culling the principal of all the deer.

2 Keep. I'll stay above the hill, so both may shoot. *I Keep. That cannot be; the noise of thy crossbow

e

* Will scare the herd, and so my shoot is lost. * Here stand we both, and aim we at the best: And, for the time shall not seem tedious,

*I'll tell thee what befell me on a day,

*In this self-place where now we mean to stand. ‹ 2 2 Keep. Here comes a man, let's stay till he be past.

1 In the folio copy, instead of two keepers, we have through negligence the names of the persons who represented these characters, Sincklo and Humphrey. Humphrey was probably Humphrey Jeaffes, mentioned in Mr. Henslowe's manuscript; Sincklo we have before mentioned his name being prefixed to some speeches in the Induction to The Taming of the Shrew. Hall and Holinshed tell us that Henry VI. was no sooner entered into England but he was known and taken of one Cantlow, and brought to the king. It appears, however, from records in the duchy office that King Edward granted a rent charge of one hundred pound to Sir James Harington, in recompense of his great and laborious diligence about the capture and detention of the king's great traitor, rebel, and enemy, lately called Henry the Sixth, made by the said James; and likewise annuities to Richard and Thomas Talbot, Esquires,-Talbot, and Levesey, for their services in the same capture. Henry had been for some time harboured by James Maychell of Crakenthorpe, Westmoreland. See Rymer's Fœdera, xi. 548, 575.

2 Thicket.

3 A plain extended between woods, a lawn.

Enter KING HENRY, disguised, with a Prayerbook. K. Hen. From Scotland am I stol'n, even of pure love,

To greet mine own land with my wishful sight. No, Harry, Harry, 'tis no land of thine; *Thy place is fill'd, thy sceptre wrung from thee, Thy balm wash'd off, wherewith thou wast anointed:

No bending knee will call thee Cæsar now,

No humble suitors press to speak for right, * No, not a man comes for redress of thee; For how can I help them, and not myself?

1 Keep. Ay, here's a deer whose skin's a keeper's fee:

This is the quondam king; let's seize upon him. *K. Hen. Let me embrace these sour adversities; *For wise men say, it is the wisest course.

2 Keep. Why linger we? let us lay hands upon him.

* 1 Keep. Forbear awhile; we'll hear a little

more.

K. Hen. My queen, and son, are gone to France for aid;

And, as I hear, the great commanding Warwick.
Is thither gone, to crave the French king's sister
To wife for Edward: If this news be true,
Poor queen, and, son, your labour is but lost;
For Warwick is a subtle orator,

And Lewis a prince soon won with moving words.
By this account, then, Margaret may win him;
For she's a woman to be pitied much:

Her sighs will make a battery in his breast; * Her tears will pierce into a marble heart; *The tiger will be mild, while she doth mourn; * And Nero will be tainted with remorse,

Thus also in King Richard II. :

Not all the water in the rough rude sea

Can wash the balm from an anointed king.'

It is observable that this line is one of those additions to the original play which are found in the folio and not in the quarto.