Who, after Edward the third's Death, reign'd King,
'Till Henry Bullingbroke, Duke of Lancaster,
The eldeft Son and Heir of John of Gaunt,
Crown'd by the Name of Henry the fourth,
Seiz'd on the Realm, depos'd the rightful King,
Sent his poor Queen to France, from whence the came,
And him to Pomfret; where, as all you know,
Harmless King Richard was murthered traiterously.
War. Father, the Duke hath told the truth;
Thus got the Houfe of Lancafter the Crown.

Tork. Which now they hold by force, and not by right:
For Richard, the firft Son's Heir, being dead,
The Iffue of the next Son fhould have reign'd.

Sal. But William of Hatfield dy'd without an Heir.
York. The third Son, Duke of Clarence,
From whofe Line I claim the Crown,
Had iffue Philip, a Daughter,

Who married Edmond Mortimer, Earl of March.
Edmond had Iffue, Roger Earl of March :
Roger had Iffue, Edmond, Anne, and Eleanor.
Sal. This Edmond, in the reign of Bullingbrook,
As I have read, laid claim unto the Crown,
And, but for Owen Glendour, had been King;
Who kept him in Captivity, 'till he dy'd.
But, to the reft.

York. His eldeft Sifter, Anne,

My Mother, being Heir unto the Crown,
Married Richard Earl of Cambridge,
Who was Son to Edmond Langley,
Edward the third's fifth Son's Son;
By her I claim the Kingdom:

She then was Heir to Roger, Earl of March,
Who was the Son of Edmond Mortimer,

Who married Philip, fole Daughter

Unto Lionel, Duke of Clarence.

So, if the Iffue of the eldeft Son

Succeed before the younger, I am King.

War. What plain proceeding is more plain than this?
Henry doth claim the Crown from John of Gaunt,
The fourth Son; York claims it from the third:
Till Lionel's Iffue fail, he fhould not Reign.

Kk 3

It

It fails not yet, but flourisheth in thee
And in thy Sons, fair Slips of fuch a Stock.
Then Father Salisbury, kneel we together,
And in this private Plot be we the first,
That fhall falute our rightful Soveraign
With honour of his Birth-right to the Crown.
Both. Long live our Soveraign Richard, England's King.
Tork. We thank you, Lords:

But I am not your King, 'till I be crown'd;
And that my Sword be ftain'd

With Heart-blood of the House of Lancaster:
And that's not fuddenly to be perform'd,
But with Advice and filent Secrecy.
Do you, as I do, in thefe dangerous Days,
Wink at the Duke of Suffolk's Infolence,
At Beauford's Pride, at Somerset's Ambition,
At Buckingham, and all the Crew of them,
'Till they have fnar'd the Shepherd of the Flock,
That virtuous Prince, the good Duke Humphry:
'Tis that they feck; and they, in feeking that,
Shall find their Deaths, if York, can Prophefie.

Sal. My Lord, here break we off; we know your Mind at full.

War. My Heart affures me, that the Earl of Warwick Shall one day make the Duke of York a King.

Tork. And Nevil, this I do affure my felf. Richard fhall live to make the Earl of Warwick The greatest Man in England, but the King. Sound Trumpets. Enter King Henry, and State, with Guard, to banish the Dutchess.

K. Henry. Stand forth, Dame Eleanor Cobham,
Glofter's Wife:

In fight of God, and us, your Guilt is great,
Receive the fentence of the Law for fin,
Such as by God's Book are adjudg'd to death.
You four from hence to Prifon, back again
From thence, unto the place of Execution;
The Witch in Smithfield fhall be burn'd to Ashes,
And you three fhall be ftrangled on the Gallows.
You Madam, for you are more nobly born,
Defpoyled of your Hononr in your Life,

[Exeunt.

Shall

Shall after three Days open Penance done,
Live in your Country here, in Banishment,
With Sir John Stanly, in the Isle of Man.
Elean. Welcome is Banishment, welcome
Death.

were my

Glo. Eleanor, the Law thou feeft hath judged thee;
I cannot juftifie, whom the Law condemns.
Mine Eyes are full of Tears, my Heart of Grief.
Ah Humphry, this dishonour in thine Age,
Will bring thy Head with forrow to the Ground.
I beseech your Majefty give me leave to go;
Sorrow would folace, and my Age would ease.
K. Henry. Stay Humphry, Duke of Glofter;
E'er thou go, give up thy Staff,

Henry will to himself Protector be,

And God fhall be my Hope, my Stay, my Guide,
And Lanthorn to my Feet.

And go in peace, Humphry, no lefs belov'd,
Than when thou wert Protector to thy King.

Q. Mar. I fee no reafon, why a King of years
Should be to be protected like a Child:
God and King Henry govern England's Realm:
Give up your Staff, Sir, and the King his Realm.
Glo. My Staff? Here, noble Henry, is my Staff:
As willingly do I the fame refign,

As e'er thy Father Henry made it mine;
And even as willingly at thy feet I leave it,
As others would ambitiously receive it.

Farewel good King; when I am dead and gone,

My honourable Peace attend thy Throne.

[Exit Glo'fter.

Q. Mar. Why now is Henry King, and Margaret Queen.

And Humphry, Duke of Glo'fter, fcarce himself,

That bears fo fhrewd a maim; two Pulls at once;

His Lady banish'd, and a Limb lopt off,

This Staff of Honour raught, there let it ftand,

Where beft it fits to be, in Henry's Hand.

Suf. Thus droops this lofty Pine, and hangs his fprayes, Thus Eleanor's Pride dies in her younger days.

York. Lords, let him go. Pleafe it your Majefty, This is the day appointed for the Combate,

And ready are the Appellant and Defendant,
The Armourer and his Man, to enter the Lifts,
So please your Highness to behold the Fight.

O.Mar. Ay, good my Lord; for purpofely therefore Left I the Court, to fee this Quarrel try'd.

K. Henry. A God's Name fee the Lifts and all things fit, Here let them end it, and God defend the right. York. I never faw a Fellow worse bestead, Or more afraid to fight, than is the Appellant, The Servant of the Armourer, my Lords.

Enter at one Door the Armorer and his Neighbours, drinking to him fo much, that he is drunk; and he enters with a Drum before him, and his Staff with a Sand-bag fastned to it, and at the other Door his Man, with a Drum and a Sand-bag, and Prentices drinking to him.

I Neigh. Here, Neighbour Horner, I drink to you in a Cup of Sack; and fear not, Neighbour, you shall do well enough.

2 Neigh. And here, Neighbour, here's a Cup of Char

neco.

3 Neigh. And here's a Pot of good double Beer, Neigh bour; drink, and fear not your Man.

Arm. Let it come i'faith, and I'll pledge you all, and a Fig for Peter.

I Pren. Here Peter, I drink to thee, and be not afraid. 2 Pren. Be merry, Peter, and fear not thy Mafter; fight for the credit of the Prentices.

Peter. I thank you all; drink, and pray for me, I pray you, for I think I have taken my laft Draught in this World. Here Robin, if I die, I give thee my Apron; and Will, thou shalt have my Hammer; and here, Tom, take all the Mony that I have. O Lord blefs me, I Pray God, for I am never able to deal with my Mafter, he hath learn'd fo much to fence already.

Sal. Come, leave your drinking, and fall to blows. Sirrah, what's thy Name?

Peter. Peter, forfooth.
Sal. Peter? what more?

Peter. Thump.

Sal. Thump? Then fee thou thump thy Mafter well.

Arm

Arm. Mafters, I am come hither as it were upon my Man's Inftigation, to prove him a Knave, and my felf an honeft Man: And touching the Duke of York, I will take my Death, I never meant him any ill, nor the King nor the Queen, and therefore Peter have at thee with a downright

Blow.

Tork. Difpatch, this Knave's Tongue begins to double. Sound Trumpets, Alarum to the Combatants.

[They fight, and Peter strikes him down. Arm. Hold Peter, hold; I confefs, I confefs Treafon. York. Take away his Weapon: Fellow, thank God, and the good Wine in thy Mafter's way.

Peter. O God, have I overcome mine Enemy in this prefence? O Peter, thou haft prevail'd in right.

K. Henry. Go, take hence that Traitor from our fight, For by his death we do perceive his guilt.

And God in Juftice hath reveal'd to us

The Truth and Innocence of this poor Fellow,
Which he had thought to have murder'd wrongfully.
Come Fellow, follow us for thy Reward.

[Exeunt.

Enter Duke Humphry and his Men, in Mourning Cloaks. Glo. Thus fometimes hath the brightest day a Cloud;

And after Summer, evermore fucceeds

Barren Winter, with his wrathful nipping Cold;
So Cares and Joys abound, as Seafons fleet.

Sirs, what's a Clock?

Serv. Ten, my Lord.

Glo. Ten is the hour that was appointed me,
To watch the coming of my punish'd Dutchess:
Unneath the may endure the flinty Streets,
To tread them with her tender-feeling Feet.
Sweet Nell, ill can thy Noble Mind a-brook
The abject People gazing on thy Face,

With envious Looks ftill laughing at thy Shame,
That erft did follow thy proud Chariot Wheels,
When thou didst ride in Triumph thro' the Streets.
But foft, I think the comes, and I'll prepare
My Tear-ftain'd Eyes, to fee her Miferies.

Enter the Dutchess in a white Sheet, and a Taper burning
in her Hand, with a Sheriff and Officers.
Serv. So please your Grace, we'll take her from the Sheriff.

Glo