Petitioners, Aldermen, a Beadle, Sheriff, and Officers, Citizens, with Faulconers, Guards, Messengers, and other Attendants. The SCENE is laid very dispersedly in several Parts of England. SCENE I. The Palace. ACT I. Flourish of Trumpets: then Hautboys. Enter King A Thad in charge at my depart for France, To marry princess Margaret for your grace; [shops,-15 2. Mar. Great king of England, and my gra The mutual conference that my mind hath had- 1 This and the Third Part, (which were first written under the title of The Contention of York and Lancaster, printed in 1600, and afterwards greatly improved by the author) contain that troublesome period of this prince's reign, which took in the whole contention betwixt the houses of York and Lancaster; and under that title were these two plays first acted and published. The present scene opens with king Henry's marriage, which was in the twenty-third year of his reign; and closes with the first battle fought at St. Alban's, and won by the York faction, in the thirty-third year of his reign: so that it comprises the history and transactions of ten years. It is apparent that this play begins where the former ends, and continues the series of transactions of which it pre-supposes the First Part already known. In In courtly company, or at my beads,- 2. Mar. We thank you all. -- [Flourish. Suf. My lord protector, so it please your grace, Here are the articles of contracted peace, Between our sovereignandthe FrenchkingCharles, For eighteen months concluded by consent. 5 15 Did he so often lodge in open field, In winter's cold, and summer's parching heat, To conquer France, his true inheritance? And did my brother Bedford toil his wits, To keep by policy what Henry got? Have you yourselves, Somerset, Buckingham, Brave York, and Salisbury, victorious Warwick, Receiv'd deep scars in France and Normandy? Or hath mine uncle Beaufort, and myself, 10 With all the learned council of the realm, Study'd so long, sat in the council-house Early and late, debating to and fro [awe? How France and Frenchmen might be kept in Or hath his highness in his infancy Been crown'd in Paris, in despight of foes; And shall these labours, and these honours, die? Shall Henry's conquest, Bedford's vigilance, Your deeds of war, and all our councils die? O peers of England, shameful is this league! Fatal this marriage! cancelling your fame; Blotting your names from books of memory; Razing the characters of your renown; Reversing monuments of conquer'd France; Undoing all, as all had never been! [course? Car. Nephew, what means this passionate disThis peroration with such circumstance2? For France, 'tis ours; and we will keep it still. Glo. Ay, uncle, we will keep it, if we can; But now it is impossible we should: Glo. reads.] Imprimis," It is agreed between "the French king, Charles, and William de la "Poole,marquess of Suffolk, embassador for Hen-20 ry king of England, that the said Henry shall 66 espouse the lady Margaret, daughter to Reignier "king of Naples, Sicilia, and Jerusalem; and crown her queen of England, ere the thirtieth "of May next ensuing." " Item, "That the dutchies of Anjou and of "Maine shall be released and delivered to the “king her fa—— K. Henry. Uncle, how now? Glo. Pardon me, gracious lord; 30 Suffolk, the new-made duke that rules the roast, Hath given the dutchies of Anjou and Maine Unto the poor king Reignier, whose large style Agrees not with the leanness of his purse. Some sudden qualm hath struck me to the heart, 66 We here create thee the first duke of Suffolk, Cousin of York, we here discharge your grace Somerset, Salisbury, and Warwick; We thank you all for this great favour done, [Exeunt King, Queen, and Suffolk. Glo. Brave peers of England, pillars of the state, To you duke Humphrey must unload his grief, Your grief, the common grief of all the land. What did my brother Henry spend his youth, His valour, coin, and people, in the wars? 45 Sal. Now, by the death of Him who dy'd for all, These counties were the keys of Normandy:But wherefore weeps Warwick, my valiant son? War. For grief that they are past recovery: For, were there hope to conquer them again, Mysword should shed hotblood,mine eyes notears, Anjou and Maine! myself did win them both; Those provinces these arms of mine did conquer: And are the cities, that I got with wounds, Deliver'd up again with peaceful words? Mort Dieu! York. For Suffolk's duke-may he be suffocate, That dims the honour of this warlike isle! France should have torn and rent my very heart, Before I would have yielded to this league. I never read but England's kings have had 50 Large sums of gold, and dowries, with their wives: And our king Henry gives away his own, To match with her that brings no vantages. Glo. A proper jest, and never heard before, That Suffolk should demand a whole fifteenth, For costs and charges in transporting her! She should have staid in France, and starv'd in Before[France, Car. My lord of Gloster, now ye grow too hot; It was the pleasure of my lord the king. 55 According to Warburton, alder-lievest is an old English word given to him to whom the speaker is supremely attached; lievest being the superlative of the comparative levar, rather, from lief; but Mr. Steevens asserts alder-liefest to be a corruption of the German word alder-liebste, beloved above all things; and adds, that the word is used by Chaucer. Meaning, this speech crowded with so many instances of aggravation, 2 Glo Glo. My lord of Winchester, I know your mind; We shall begin our ancient bickerings'.- And greatness of his place, be grief to us, Than all the princes in the land beside; [Exeunt Buckingham and Somerset. War. Unto the main! Oh father, Maine is lost; That Maine, which by main force Warwick did win, 15 And would have kept, so long as breath did last : Main chance, father, you meant; but I meant Maine; 20 25 Which I will win from France, or else be slain. The peers agreed; and Henry was well pleas'd, Weeps over them, and wrings his hapless hands, And shakes his head, and trembling stands aloof, While all is shar'd, and all is borne away; 35 Ready to starve, and dares not touch his own. So York must sit, and fret, and bite his tongue, While his own lands are bargain'd for, and sold. Methinks, the realms of England, France, and IreBear that proportion to my flesh and blood, [land, 40 As did the fatal brand Althea burnt Unto the prince's heart of Calydon*. A day will come, when York shall claim his own: And, when I spy advantage, claim the crown, Sal. Pride went before, ambition follows him. To bicker is to skirmish. 2 i. e. direct to. Whose church-like humour fits not for a crown. Till Henry, surfeiting in joys of love, [queen, 'Tickle for ticklish. * i. e. Meleager. And And in my standard bear the arms of York, SCENE II. The Duke of Gloster's House. 5 Enter Duke Humphrey and his wife Eleanor. Elean. Why droops my lord, like over-ripen'd 10 corn, Hanging the head at Ceres' plenteous load? same. Glo. O Nell, sweet Nell, if thou dost love thy Banish the canker of ambitious thoughts: [lord, And may that thought, when I imagine ill Against my king and nephew, virtuous Henry, Be my last breathing in this mortal world! My troublous dream this night doth make me sad. Elean. What dream'd my lord? tell me, and I'll requite it With sweet rehearsal of my morning's dream. Glo. Methought, this staff, mine office-badge in court, Elean. What, what, my lord! are you so choleric Glo. Nay, be not angry, I am pleas'd again. Mes.Mylordprotector,'tis his highness'pleasure, I would remove these tedious stumbling-blocks, And smooth my way upon their headless necks: And, being a woman, I will not be slack To play my part in fortune's pageant. [man, 20 Where are you there? Sir John! nay, fear not, We are alone; here's none but thee and I. 25 30 35 [set, 40 Was broke in twain; by whom, I have forgot, crown'd; Where Henry, and dame Margaret, kneel'd to me, And on my head did set the diadem. Glo. Nay, Eleanor, then must I chide outright: Presumptuous dame, ill-nurtur'd Eleanor! Art thou not second woman in the realm; And the protector's wife, belov'd of him? Hast thou not worldly pleasure at command, Above the reach or compass of thy thought? And wilt thou still be hammering treachery, To tumble down thy husband, and thyself, From top of honour to disgrace's feet? Away from me, and let me hear no more. ! Whereas is the same as where. 45 Enter Hume. Hume. Jesu preserve your royal majesty! Elean. My majesty! why, man, I am but grace. Hume. But, by the grace of God, and Hume's advice, Your grace's title shall be multiply'd. Elean. What say'st thou, man? hast thou as With Margery Jourdain, the cunning witch; A spirit rais'd from depth of under ground, When from Saint Albans we do make return, Hume. Hume must make merry with the Marry, and shall. But, how now, Sir John Hume? Seal up your lips, and give no words but-mum! 50 The business asketh silent secrecy. Dame Eleanor gives gold, to bring the witch: 55 And from the great and new-made duke of Suffolk; Yet I do find it so: for, to be plain, They, knowing dame Eleanor's aspiring humour, 60 They say, A crafty knave does need no broker2; 2 This is a proverbial expression. Well 1 Pet. I pray, my lord, pardon me! I took ye for my lord protector. Away, base cullions!-Suffolk, let them go. 20 2. Mar. For my lord protector! are your supplications to his lordship? Let me see them:25 what is thine? 1 Pet. Mine is, an't please your grace, against John Goodman, my lord cardinal's man, for keeping my house, and lands, and wife and all, from me. Suf. Thy wife too? that is some wrong, indeed. What's your's! what's here! [reads.] Against the duke of Suffolk for enclosing the commons of Melford.-How now, sir knave? 30 2 Pet. Alas, sir, I am but a poor petitioner of 35 our whole township. Peter. Against my master, Thomas Horner, for saying, That the duke of York was rightful heir to the crown. To number Ave-Maries on his beads: I would, the college of the cardinals Suf. Madam, be patient: as I was cause Suf. And he of these, that can do most of all, As that proud dame, the lord protector's wife. 2. Mar. What say'st thou? Did the duke of 40 She sweeps it through the court with troops of York say, he was rightful heir to the crown? Peter. That my mistress was? No, forsooth: my master said, That he was; and that the king was an usurper. Suf. Who is there?-Take this fellow in, and 45 Under the wings of our protector's grace, [Tears the petitions. ladies, More like an empress,thandukeHumphrey's wife; 1i. e. happen. 2 Mr. Steevens thinks, that the phrase in the quill, or in quill, implies no more than our written or penn'd supplications. Mr. Tollet supposes it may mean, with great exactness and observance of form, or with the utmost punctilio of ceremony; that it seems to be taken from part of the dress of our ancestors, whose ruffs were quilled; and that while these were worn, it might be the vogue to say, such a thing is in the quill, i. e. in the reigning mode of taste, as it has been since customary to use the similar phrase of a thing being in print, to express the same circumstance of exactness. Another critic and commentator, however, conjectures, that this may be supposed to have been a phrase formerly in use, and the same with the French en quille, which is said of a man when he stands upright upon his feet without stirring from the place. The proper sense of quille in French is a nine-pin, and in some parts of England nine-pins are still called cayls. Quelle in the old British language also signifies any piece of wood set upright. That |