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To us, and to our purposes, confin'd;

We come within our awful banks again,
And knit our powers to the arm of peace.

Weft. This will I fhew the General. Please you, lords,
In fight of both our battles, we may meet; (17)
And either end in peace, (which heav'n fo frame!)
Or to the place of difference call the fwords,
Which must decide it.

York. My lord, we will do fo.

[Exit Weft. Mowb. There is a thing within my bofom tells me, That no conditions of our peace can stand.

Haft. Fear you not that: if we can make our peace Upon fuch large terms and fo abfolute,

As our conditions fhall infift upon,

Our peace shall stand as firm as rocky mountains.
Mob. Ay, but our valuation shall be such,
That ev'ry flight and falfe-derived cause,
Yea, ev'ry idle, nice and wanton reason,
Shall to the King taste of this action.
That, were our royal faiths martyrs in love,
We fhall be winnow'd with fo rough a wind,
That ev'n our corn fhall feem as light as chaff,
And good from bad find no partition.

York. No, no, my lord, note this; the King is weary

Of dainty and fuch picking grievances:

For he hath found, to end one doubt by death,

Revives two greater in the heirs of life.

And therefore will he wipe his tables clean,
And keep no tell-tale to his memory,

That may repeat and history his lofs

To new remembrance. For full well he knows,
He cannot fo precifely weed this land,

As his misdoubts present occafion;

(17) In fight of Both our Battles, we may meet

At either end in Peace; (which Heav'n so frame !

Or to the Place of Diff'rence, &c.] The Alteration which I have made here in the Pointing, and that easy, but certain, Change in the Text, I owe to the Direction of the ingenious Dr. Thirlby.

His

His foes are fo enrooted with his friends,
That, plucking to unfix an enemy,
He doth unfaften fo and shake a friend.
So that this Land, like an offenfive wife,
That hath enrag'd him on to offer ftrokes,
As he is ftriking, holds his infant up,
And hangs refolv'd correction in the arm
That was uprear'd to execution.

Haft. Befides, the King hath wafted all his rods
On late offenders, that he now doth lack
The very inftruments of chastisement :

So that his pow'r, like to a fanglefs Lion,
May offer, but not hold.

York.' 'Tis very true :

And therefore be affur'd, my good lord Marshal,
If we do now make our atonement well,

Our peace will, like a broken limb united,
Grow ftronger for the breaking.

Mowb. Be it fo.

Here is return'd my lord of Westmorland.

Enter Weftmorland.

Weft. The Prince is here at hand: pleaseth your lordship

To meet his Grace, just distance 'tween our armies? Mowb. Your Grace of York in God's name then fet

forward.

York. Before, and greet his Grace; my lord, we come. Enter Prince John of Lancaster.

Lan. You're well encounter'd here, my coufin Mow bray;

Good day to you, my gentle lord Arch-bishop,
And fo to you, lord Haftings, and to all.
My lord of York, it better fhew'd with you,
When that your flock, affembled by the bell,
Encircled you, to hear with reverence
Your expofition on the holy text;
Than now to fee you here an iron man,
Cheering a rout of Rebels with your drum,

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Turning

Turning the word to fword, and life to death.
That man, that fits within a monarch's heart,
And ripens in the fun-fhine of his favour,
Would he abuse the count'nance of the King,
Alack, what mischiefs might he fet abroach,
In fhadow of fuch Greatnefs? With you, lord Bishop,
It is ev'n fo. Who hath not heard it spoken,
How deep you were within the books of heav'n?
To us, the Speaker in his Parliament :

To us, th' imagin'd voice of heav'n it self;
The very opener, and intelligencer

Between the grace, the fanctities of heav'n,
And our dull workings. O, who shall believe
But you misuse the rev'rence of your place,
Employ the countenance and grace of heav'n,
As a falfe favourite doth his Prince's name
In deeds difhon'rable? you've taken up,
Under the counterfeited zeal of God,
The Subjects of his fubftitute, my father;
And both against the peace of heav'n and him.
Have here up-fwarm'd them.

York. Good my lord of Lancaster,

I am not here against your father's peace:
But, as I told my lord of Weftmorland,
The time mif-order'd doth in common fenfe
Crowd us and crush us to this monstrous form,
To hold our fafety up. I fent your Grace
The parcels and particulars of our grief,

The which hath been with fcorn fhov'd from the Court:
Whereon this Hydra-fon of war is born,

Whose dangerous eyes may well be charm'd afleep

With Grant of our moft juft and right defire;

And true Obedience, of this madness cur'd,

Stoop tamely to the foot of Majesty.

Mowb. If not, we ready are to try our fortunes To the last man.

Haft. And though we here fall down, We have Supplies to fecond our attempt: If they miscarry, theirs fhall fecond them. And fo Succefs of mifchief fhall be born,

And

And heir from heir fhall hold his quarrel up,
While England fhall have generation.

Lan. You are too fhallow, Haftings, much too fhallow, To found the bottom of the after-times.

Weft. Pleafeth your Grace, to answer them directly, How far-forth you do like their articles ?

Lan. I like them all, and do allow them well :
And fwear here, by the honour of my blood,
My father's purposes have been mistook;
And Some about him have too lavishly
Wrested his meaning and authority.

My lord, thefe griefs fhall be with speed redreft;
Upon my life, they fhall. If this may pleafe you,
Discharge your Pow'rs unto their feveral Counties,
As we will ours; and here, between the armies,
Let's drink together friendly, and embrace;
That all their eyes may bear those tokens home,
Of our reftored love and amity.

York. I take your princely word for thefe Redreffes. Lan. I give it you; and will maintain my word; And thereupon I drink unto your Grace.

Haft. Go, captain, and deliver to the army This news of peace; let them have pay, and part: I know, it will please them. Hie thee, captain. [Exit Colevile. York. To you, my noble lord of Westmorland. Weft. I pledge your Grace; and if you knew what pains

I have beftow'd, to breed this present peace,

You would drink freely; but my love to ye
Shall fhew it felf more openly hereafter.

York. I do not doubt you.

Weft. I am glad of it.

Health to my lord, and gentle coufin Mowbray. Mowb. You with me health in very happy feason,

For I am on the fudden fomething ill.

York. Againft ill chances men are ever merry,

But heaviness fore-runs the good event.

Weft. Therefore be merry, Coz, fince sudden forrow Serves to fay thus; fome good thing comes to morrow.

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York.

York. Believe me, I am paffing light in spirit. Mowb. So much the worse, if your own rule be true. [Shouts. Lan. The word of peace is render'd; hark! they fhout.

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Mob. This had been chearful after victory.

York. A peace is of the nature of a conquest;
For then both parties nobly are fubdu'd,
And neither party lofer.

Lan. Go, my lord,

And let our army be discharged too.

[Exit Welt.

And, good my lord, fo pleafe you, let our trains

March by us, that we may perufe the men

We should have cop'd withal.

York. Go, good lord Haftings:

And, ere they be dismiss'd, let them march by.

[Exit Haflings. Lan. I truft, lords, we fhall lie to night together.

Re-enter Weftmorland.

Now, coufin, wherefore ftands our army ftill?
Weft. The Leaders, having charge from you to ftand,
Will not go off until they hear you speak.

Lan. They know their duties.

Re-enter Haftings.

Haft. My lord, our army is difpers'd already : Like youthful Steers unyoak'd, they took their courfe Eaft, weft, north, fouth: or like a school broke up, Each hurries towards his home and fporting-place.

Weft. Good tidings, my lord Haflings; for the which I do arreft thee, traitor, of high treason:

And you, lord Arch-bishop, and you, lord Mowbray,
Of capital treafon I attach you both.

Mowb. Is this proceeding just and honourable?
Weft. Is your affembly fo?

York. Will you thus break your faith?

Lan. I pawn'd you none:

I promis'd you Redress of these fame grievances,

Whereof you did complain; which, by mine honour,

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