Aum. Good mother, be content; it is no more
Than my poor life must answer.

Dutch. Thy life answer!

Re-enter Servant, with boots.

York. Bring me my boots, I will unto the king.

Dutch. Strike him, Aumerle.-Poor boy, thou art
amaz'd:-

Hence, villain; never more come in my fight.-[to the ferv.
York. Give me my boots, I fay.

Dutch. Why, York, what wilt thou do?
Wilt thou not hide the trefpafs of thine own?
Have we more fons! or are we like to have?
Is not my teeming date drunk up with time?
And wilt thou pluck my fair fon from mine age,
And rob me of a happy mother's name?
Is he not like thee? is he not thine own?
York. Thou fond mad woman,

Wilt thou conceal this dark conspiracy?
A dozen of them here have ta'en the facrament,
And interchangeably fet down their hands,
To kill the king at Oxford.

Dutch. He fhall be none;

We'll keep him here: Then what is that to him?
York. Away, fond woman! were he twenty times
My fon, I would appeach him.

Dutch. Hadft thou groan'd for him,

As I have done, thou'dft be more pitiful.

But now I know thy mind; thou doft suspect,

That I have been difloyal to thy bed,

And that he is a baftard, not thy fon:

Sweet York, fweet hufband, be not of that mind:
He is as like thee as a man may be,
Not like to me, or any of my kin,
And yet I love him.

York. Make way, unruly woman.

[Exit.

Dutch. After, Aumerle; mount thee upon his horse;

Spur, poft; and get before him to the king.

And beg thy pardon ere he do accufe thee.
I'll not be long behind; though I be old,

5

I doubt

I doubt not but to ride as faft as York:
And never will I rife up from the ground,
Till Bolingbroke have pardon'd thee: Away;
Begone.

[Exeunt.

Enter BOLINGBROKE as King; PERCY, and other lords. Boling. Can no man tell of my unthrifty fon?

'Tis full three months, fince I did fee him last :—

If any plague hang over us, 'tis he.

I would to God, my lords, he might be found:
Enquire at London, 'mongst the taverns there",
For there, they fay, he daily doth frequent,
With unrestrained loofe companions;

Even fuch, they fay, as ftand in narrow lanes,
And beat our watch, and rob our paffengers;
While he 3, young, wanton, and effeminate boy,
Takes on the point of honour, to fupport

So diffolute a crew.

Percy. My lord, fome two days fince I faw the prince; And told him of thefe triumphs held at Oxford. Boling. And what faid the gallant?

Percy. His anfwer was, he would unto the stews; And from the common'ft creature pluck a glove *,

2 Enquire at London, &c.] This is a very proper introduction to the future character of Henry the Fifth, to his debaucheries in his youth, and his greatnefs in his manhood. JOHNSON.

Shakspeare feldom attended to chronology. The prince was at this time but twelve years old, for he was born in 1388, and the confpiracy on which the prefent fcene is formed, was difcovered in the beginning of the year 1400. He fcarcely frequented taverns or stews at fo early an age. MALONE.

3 While be,] All the old copies read-Which be. STEEVENS. The correction was made by Mr. Pope. MALONE.

4-pluck a glove,] So, in Promos and Caffandra, 1578, Lamia, the ftrumpet, fays,

"Who loves me once is lymed to my heast:

"My colours fome, and fome hall wear my glove." Again, in the Shoemaker's Holyday, or Gentle Craft, 1600: "Or fhall I undertake fome martial sport,

"Wearing your glove at turney or at tilt,

"And tell how many gallants I unhors'd?" STEEVENS.

And

And wear it as a favour; and with that
He would unhorse the luftieft challenger.

Boling. As diffolute, as defperate: yet, through both I fee fome sparkles of a better hope,

Which elder days may happily bring forth.

But who comes here?

Enter AUMERLE, haftily.

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 conference with your grace alone.

Boling. Withdraw yourselves, and leave us here alone, [Exeunt Percy and Lords.

What is the matter with our cousin now?

Aum. For ever may my knees grow to the earth, [kneels. My tongue cleave to my roof within my mouth,

Unless a pardon, ere I rife, or fpeak.

Boling. Intended, or committed, was this fault?

If but the first, how heinous ere it be,

To win thy after-love, I pardon thee.

Aum. Then give me leave that I may turn the key,] That no man enter till my tale be done.

Boling. Have thy defire.

[Aumerle locks the door.

York. [within.] My liege, beware; look to thyself;

Thou haft a traitor in thy prefence there.

Boling. Villain, I'll make thee fafe.
Aum. Stay thy revengeful hand;

Thou haft no caufe to fear.

[drawing.

York. [within.] Open the door, fecure, fool-hardy king: Shall I, for love, speak treason to thy face?

Open the door, or I will break it open.

[Bolingbroke opens the door.

Enter YORK.

Boling. What is the matter, uncle, speak;

5 I fee fome fparkles of a better hope,] The folio reads:-fparks of better bope. The quarto 1615:-fparkles of better bope. STEEVENS. The first quarto has-fparkles of better bope. The article was inferted by Mr. Steevens. MALONE.

If but] Old copies If on. Corrected by Mr. Pope. MALONE.

Recover

Recover 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 treason that my hafte forbids me show.

Aum. Remember, as thou read'ft, thy promise paft: I do repent me; read not my name there,

My heart is not confederate with my hand.

York. 'Twas, villain, ere thy hand did fet it down.I tore it from the traitor's bofom, king; Fear, and not love, begets his penitence: Forget to pity him, left thy pity prove A ferpent that will fting thee to the heart.

Boling. O heinous, trong, and bold confpiracy!-
O loyal father of a treacherous fon!

Thou fheer, immaculate, and filver fountain",
From whence this ftream through muddy paffages
Hath held his current, and defil'd himself!
Thy overflow of good converts to bad;
And thy abundant goodness fhall excufe
This deadly blot in thy digreffing fon.
York. So fhall my virtue be his vice's bawd;
And he fhall fpend mine honour with his fhame,
As thriftlefs fons their fcraping fathers' gold.
Mine honour lives when his dilhonour dies,
Or my fham'd life in his difhonour lies:
Thou kill'it me in his life; giving him breath,
The traitor lives, the true man's put to death.

Dutch. [within.] What ho, my liege! for God's fake,

let me in.

7 Thou fheer, immaculate, &c.] Sheer is pellucid, transparent. The modern editors arbitrarily read clear. So, in Spenser's Faery Queen,

b. iii. c. 2:

"Who having viewed in a fountain fhere &c. Tranfparent muflin is ftill called beer muflin. STEEVENS.

Thy overflow of good converts to bad;] The overflow of good in thee is turned to bad in thy fen; and that fame abundant goodness in thee fhall excufe bis tranfgreffion. TYRWHITT.

91

digreffing fon.] To digrefs is to deviate from what is right or regular. STEEVENS.

See Vol. II. p. 325, n. 5. MALONE.

Boling.

Boling. What fhrill-voic'd fuppliant makes this ea

ger 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 fcene is alter'd,-from a ferious thing,
And now chang'd to The Beggar and the King'.-
My dangerous coufin, let your mother in ;
I know, the's come to pray for your foul fin.
York. If thou do pardon, whofoever pray,
More fins, for this forgiveness, profper may.
This fefter'd joint cut off, the reft refts found;
This, let alone, will all the rest confound.
Enter Dutchefs.

Dutch O king, believe not this hard-hearted man; Love, loving not itself, none other can.

York. Thou frantick woman, what doft thou make here??

Shall thy old dugs once more a traitor 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,

Till thou give joy; until thou bid me joy,

By pardoning Rutland, my tranfgreffing boy.

[kneeling.

The Beggar and the King ] The King and Beggar seems to have been an interlude well known in the time of our author, who has alluded to it more than once. I cannot now find that any copy of it is left. JOHNSON.

The King and Beggar was perhaps once an interlude; it was certainly a fong. The reader will find it in the first volume of Dr. Perey's collection. It is there intitled, King Copethua and the Beggar Maid; and is printed from Rich. Johnson's Crown Garland of Goul den Rofes, 1612, 12°; where it is intitled fimply, A fong of a Beggar and a King. This interlude or ballad is mentioned in Cinthia's Re venge, 1613:

Provoke thy fharp Melpomene to fing

"The ftory of a Beggar and the King. STEEVENS. what doft thou make here?] See Vol. I. p. 275, n. 1. MALONE.

Aum.