YORK. Then fwear allegiance to his majesty ; As thou art knight, never to disobey,

Nor be rebellious to the crown of England,
Thou, nor thy nobles, to the crown of England.-
[Charles, and the reft, give tokens of fealty.
So, now difmifs your army when ye please;
Hang up your enfigns, let your drums be ftill,
For here we entertain a folemn peace.

[Exeunt.

SCENE V.

London. A Room in the Palace.

Enter King HENRY, in conference with SUFFOLK; GLOSTER and EXETER following.

K. HEN. Your wond'rous rare defcription, noble earl,

Of beauteous Margaret hath astonish'd me:
Her virtues, graced with external gifts,
Do breed love's fettled paffions in my heart:
And like as rigour of tempeftuous gufts
Provokes the mightieft hulk against the tide;
So am I driven,' by breath of her renown,
Either to fuffer fhipwreck, or arrive
Where I may have fruition of her love,

SUF. Tufh, my good lord! this fuperficial tale
Is but a preface of her worthy praise:
The chief perfections of that lovely dame,
(Had I fufficient fkill to utter them,)

9 So am I driven,] This fimile is fomewhat obfcure; he seems to mean, that as a fhip is driven against the tide by the wind, fo he is driven by love against the current of his interest.

Would make a volume of enticing lines,
Able to ravish any dull conceit.

And, which is more, fhe is not so divine,
So full replete with choice of all delights,
But, with as humble lowlinefs of mind,
She is content to be at your command;
Command, I mean, of virtuous chafte intents,
To love and honour Henry as her lord.

K. HEN. And otherwife will Henry ne'er prefume.

Therefore, my lord protector, give confent,
That Margaret may be England's royal queen.

GLO. So fhould I give confent to flatter fin.
You know, my lord, your highness is betroth'd
Unto another lady of esteem;

How shall we then difpenfe with that contract,
And not deface your honour with reproach?

SUF. As doth a ruler with unlawful oaths;
Or one, that, at a triumph having vow'd
To try his ftrength, forfaketh yet the lifts
By reafon of his adverfary's odds:

A poor earl's daughter is unequal odds,
And therefore may be broke without offence.

GLO. Why, what, I pray, is Margaret more than that?

Her father is no better than an earl,

Although in glorious titles he excel.

2

—at a triumph-] That is, at the fports by which a triumph is celebrated. JOHNSON.

A triumph, in the age of Shak fpeare, fignified a public exhibition, fuch as a mask, a revel, &c. Thus, in King Richard II:

"What news from Oxford? hold those jufts and triumphs ?” STEEVENS.

See A Midsummer Night's Dream, Vol. V. p. 6, n. 5MALONE.

SUF. Yes, my good lord,' her father is a king, The king of Naples, and Jerufalem; And of fuch great authority in France, As his alliance will confirm our peace, And keep the Frenchmen in allegiance. GLO. And fo the earl of Armagnac may do, Because he is near kinfman unto Charles.

EXE. Befide, his wealth doth warrant liberal dower; While Reignier fooner will receive, than give.

SUF. A dower, my lords! difgrace not fo your king,

That he should be fo abject, bafe, and poor,
To choose for wealth, and not for perfect love.
Henry is able to enrich his queen,

And not to feek a queen to make him rich:
So worthless peasants bargain for their wives,
As market-men for oxen, fheep, or horse.
Marriage is a matter of more worth,
Than to be dealt in by attorneyfhip; +

Not whom we will, but whom his grace affects,
Must be companion of his nuptial bed:
And therefore, lords, fince he affects her most,
It most of all thefe reafons bindeth us,
In our opinions fhe fhould be preferr❜d.
For what is wedlock forced, but a hell,
An age of difcord and continual ftrife?

3

my good lord,] Good, which is not in the old copy, was added for the fake of the metre, in the fecond folio. MALONE. by attorneyfhip;] By the intervention of another man's choice; or the difcretional agency of another. JOHNSON. This is a phrafe of which Shakspeare is peculiarly fond. It occurs twice in King Richard III :

Again:

"Be the attorney of my love to her."

66

I, by attorney, blefs thee from thy mother." STEEVENS. It moft-] The word It, which is wanting in the old copy, was inferted by Mr. Rowe. MALONE.

Whereas the contrary bringeth forth bliss,"
And is a pattern of celeftial peace.

Whom fhould we match with Henry, being a king,
But Margaret, that is daughter to a king?
Her peerless feature, joined with her birth,
Approves her fit for none, but for a king:
Her valiant courage, and undaunted fpirit,
(More than in women commonly is feen,)
Will answer our hope in iffue of a king;
For Henry, fon unto a conqueror,
Is likely to beget more conquerors,
If with a lady of fo high refolve,

As is fair Margaret, he be link'd in love.

Then yield, my lords; and here conclude with me, That Margaret fhall be queen, and none but she. K. HEN. Whether it be through force of your

report,

My noble lord of Suffolk; or for that
My tender youth was never yet attaint
With any paffion of inflaming love,
I cannot tell; but this I am affur'd,
I feel fuch fharp diffention in my breast,
Such fierce alarums both of hope and fear,

5 Whereas the contrary bringeth forth blifs,] The word-forth, which is not in the firft folio, was fupplied, I think, unneceffarily, by the fecond. Contrary, was, I believe, ufed by the author as a quadrifyllable, as if it were written conterary; according to which pronunciation the metre is not defective:

Whereas the conterary bringeth bliss.

In the fame manner Shakspeare frequently ufes Henry as a trifyllable, and hour and fire as diffyllables. See Vol. III. p. 199, n. 7. MALONE.

I have little confidence in this remark. Such a pronunciation of the word contrary is, perhaps, without example. Hour and fier were anciently written as diffyllables, viz. hower-fier.

STEEVENS.

Will answer our hope in iffue of a king;] The ufelefs wordour, which deftroys the harmony of this line, I fuppofe ought to be omitted. STEEVENS.

As I am fick with working of my thoughts."
Take, therefore fhipping; poft, my lord to France;
Agree to any covenants; and procure

That lady Margaret do vouchsafe to come
To cross the feas to England, and be crown'd
King Henry's faithful and anointed queen:
For your expences and fufficient charge,
Among the people gather up a tenth.
Be gone, I fay; for, till you do return,
I reft perplexed with a thousand cares.-
And you, good uncle, banish all offence:
If you do cenfure me by what you were,
Not what you are, I know it will excufe
This fudden execution of my will.
And fo conduct me, where from company,
I may revolve and ruminate my grief."

[Exit. GLO. Ay, grief, I fear me, both at first and last. [Exeunt GLOSTER and EXETER. SUF. Thus Suffolk hath prevail'd: and thus he

goes,

As did the youthful Paris once to Greece;
With hope to find the like event in love,
But profper better than the Trojan did.
Margaret fhall now be queen, and rule the king;
But I will rule both her, the king, and realm.*
[Exit.

As I am fick with working of my thoughts.] So, in Shakfpeare's King Henry V:

"Work, work your thoughts, and therein see a fiege."

MALONE.

8 If you do cenfure me &c.] To cenfure is here fimply to judge. If in judging me you confider the paft frailties of your own youth.

9

ruminate my grief.]

JOHNSON.

Grief in the firft line is taken generally for pain or uneasiness; in the second specially for forrow.

Of this play there is no copy earlier than that of the folio ia