I fee fome sparks of hope; which elder days Enter Aumerle. Aum. Where is the King? Boling. What means our Coufin, that he ftares, And looks fo wildly ? Aum. God fave your Grace. I do befeech your Majefty, To have fome conf'rence with your Grace alone. Boling Withdraw your felves, and leave us here alone. What is the matter with our Coufin now? Aum. For ever may my knees grow to the earth, My tongue cleave to my roof within my mouth, Boling. Intended, or committed, was this fault? To win thy after-love, I pardon thee. Aum. Then give me leave that I may turn the key, That no man enter till the Tale be done. Boling. Have thy defire. [York within. York. My Liege, beware, look to thy felf, Thou haft a traitor in thy prefence there. Aum. Stay thy revengeful hand, thou haft no caufe to fear. York. Open the door, fecure, fool-hardy King: Shall I for love speak treafon to thy face? Open the door, or I will break it open. Enter York. Boling. What is the matter, uncle? speak, take breath : Tell us how near is danger, That we may arm us to encounter it. York. Perufe this writing here, and thou shalt know The Treafon that my hafte forbids me show. Aum. Remember, as thou read'ft, thy promise past : I do repent me, read not my name there, My My heart is not confed'rate with my hand. York. Villain, it was, ere thy hand fet it down. Thou clear, immaculate, and filver fountain, York. So fhall my virtue be his vice's bawd, And he shall spend mine honour with his shame; As thriftlefs fons their fcraping fathers' gold. Mine honour lives, when his difhonour dies: Or my fham'd life in his dishonour lies: Thou kill'ft me in his life; giving him breath, The traytor lives, the true man's put to death. [Dutchess within. Dutch. What ho, my Liege! for heav'n's fake, let me in. Boling. What fhrill-voic'd Suppliant makes this eager cry? Dutch. A woman, and thine aunt, great King, 'tis I Speak with me, pity me, open the door; A beggar begs that never begg'd before. Boling. Our Scene is alter'd from a ferious thing, And now chang'd to the Beggar, and the King: My dang'rous Coufin, let your mother in ; I know, she's come to pray for your foul fin. (11) Thy Overflow of Good converts to Bad.] This is the Reading of all the printed Copies in general; and I never 'till lately fufpected its being faulty. The Reafoning is disjointed, and inconclufive: My Emendation makes it clear and of a Piece. "Thy Overflow of Good changes the Complexion "of thy Son's Guilt; and thy Goodness, being so abundant, "fhall excufe his Tréfpafs. D 4 York. York. If thou do pardon, whofoever pray, More fins for his forgiveness profper may; This fefter'd joint cut off, the reft is found; This, let alone, will all the rest confound. Enter Dutchess. Dutch. O King, believe not this hard-hearted man; Love, loving not it self, none other can. York. Thou frantick woman, what doft thou do here? Shall thy old dugs once more a traytor rear? Dutch. Sweet York, be patient; hear me, gentle Liege. Boling. Rife up, good aunt. Dutch. Not yet, I thee befeech; For ever will I kneel upon my knees, And never fee day that the happy fees, [Kneels. 'Till thou give joy; until thou bid me joy, By pard'ning Rutland, my tranfgreffing boy. Aum. Unto my mother's pray'rs I bend my knee. [Kneels. York. Against them Both, my true joints bended be. [Kneels. Ill may'st thou thrive, if thou grant any grace! We pray with heart and foul, and all befide. His weary joints would gladly rise, I know ; Our knees fhall kneel, till to the ground they grow. Ours of true zeal, and deep integrity; Our prayers do out-pray his; then let them crave Dutch. Nay, do not fay, ftand up, But pardon firft; fay afterwards, ftand up. I never long'd to hear a word till now: Say, Pardon, King; let pity teach thee how. Dutch. I do not fue to stand, Pardon is all the fuit I have in hand. Boling. I pardon him, as heav'n fhall pardon me. Twice faying pardon, doth not pardon twain, moy.. The word is fhort, but not fo fhort as fweet; That, hearing how our plaints and prayers do pierce, Boling. With all my heart I pardon him. Dutch. A God on earth thou art. Boling. But for our trusty brother-in-law, Abbot, (12) With all the rest of that conforted crew, Destruction straight shall dog them at the heels. • Good Uncle, help to order feveral Powers the Abbot the (12) But for our trusty Brother-in-law, Without these Marks of Disjunction, which I have thought proper to add, the Abbot here mention'd and Bolingbroke's Brother-in-law feem to be one and the fame Perfon: but this was not the Cafe. The Abbot of Westminster was an Ecclefiaftic; but the Brother in-law, meant, was John Duke of Exeter and Earl of Huntingdon, (own Brother to King Richard I.) and who had married with the Lady Elizabeth Sister to Henry of Bolingbroke. D. 5 To To Oxford, or where e'er thefe traytors are. Your mother well hath pray'd, and prove you true. Dutch. Come, my old fon; I pray heav'n make thee [Exeunt. new. Enter Exton and a Servant. Exton. Didst thou not mark the King, what words he spake ? "Have I no friend will rid me of this living fear ? Was it not fo? Serv. Those were his very words. Exton."Have I no friend? it twice, quoth he; he spake And urg'd it twice together; did he not ? Serv. He did. Exton. And fpeaking it, he wiftly look'd on me, As who fhall fay, I would, thou wert the man, That would divorce this terror from my heart; Meaning the King at Pomfret. Come, let's go: I am the King's friend, and will rid his foe. I [Exeunt. SCENE changes to the Prifon at PomfretCaftle. Enter King Richard. Have been ftudying, how to compare (As |