Have practis'd dangerously against your state;
Dealing with witches and with conjurers,
Whom we have apprehended in the fact,
Raifing up wicked fpirits from under ground;
Demanding of King Henry's life and death,
And other of your Highnefs' privy council,
As more at large your Grace fhall understand.
Car. And fo, my Lord Protector, by this means
Your lady is forthcoming, yet at London.
This news I think hath turn'd your weapon's edge.
'Tis like, my Lord, you will not keep your hour.
[Afide to Gloucefter.
Glo. Ambitious churchman! leave t' afflict my heart!
Sorrow and grief have vanquish'd all my powers;
And vanquish'd as I am, I yield to thee,
Or to the meaneft groom.

K. Kenry. O God, what mischiefs work the wicked Heaping confufion on their own heads thereby!

[ones, Queen. Glo'fter, fee here the tainture of thy neft, And look thyfelf be faultlefs, thou wert beft.

Glo. Madam, for myself, to Heav'n I do appeal,
How I have lov'd the King and common-weal:
And for my wife, I know not how it ftands.
Sorry am I to hear what I have heard;
Noble fhe is; but if she have forgot
Honour and virtue, and convers'd with fuch
As, like to pitch, defile Nobility;
I banish her my bed and company,

And give her as a prey to law and shame,

That hath difhonour'd Glo'fter's honeft name.

K. Henry. Well, for this night we will repofe us here; To-morrow toward London back again,

To look into this business thoroughly,

And call these foul offenders to their answers;
And poife the caufe in Juftice' equal scales,

Whofe beam ftands fure, whofe rightful caufe prevails.

[Flourish. Exeunt.

Vol. V.

C

SCENE

SCENE IV. Changes to the Duke of York's palace.

Enter York, Salisbury, and Warwick.

York. Now, my good Lords of Salisbury and Warwick,
Our fimple fupper ended, give me leave,
In this close walk to fatisfy myfelf,

In craving your opinion of my title,
Which is infallible, to England's crown.

Sal. My Lord, I long to hear it thus at full.
War. Sweet York, begin; and if thy claim be good,
The Nevills are thy fubjects to command.

Tork. Then thus:

Edward the Third, my Lords, had seven fons:

The firft, Edward the Black Prince, Prince of Wales;
The fecond, William of Hatfield; and the third,
Lionel Duke of Clarence; next to whom

Was John of Gaunt, the Duke of Lancaster;
The fifth was Edmond Langley, Duke of York;

The fixth, was Thomas of Woodstock, Duke of Glo'fter;
William of Windfor was the feventh and laft.
Edward the Black Prince dy'd before his father,
And left behind him Richard, his only son,
Who, after Edward the Third's death, reign'd King;
Till Henry Bolingbroke, Duke of Lancaster,
The eldeft fon 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 trait'rously was murder'd.
War. Father, the Duke hath told the truth.

Thus got the houfe of Lancaster the crown.

York. Which now they hold by force, and not by right; For Richard, the first fon's heir being dead,

The iffue of the next fon fhould have reign'd.

Sal. But William of Hatfield dy'd without an heir. York. The third fon, Duke of Clarence, from whofe I claim the crown, had iffue Philippe, a daughter, [line Who married Edmond Mortimer, Earl of March.

Edmond had iffue; Roger Earl of March:
Roger had iffue; Edmond, Anne, and Eleanor.

Sal.

Sal. This Edmond, in the reign of Bolingbroke,
As I have read, laid claim unto the crown;

And, but for Owen Glendower, had been King;
Who kept him in captivity till he dy’d.
But to the rest-

York. His eldeft fifter, Anne,

My mother, being heir unto the crown,^
Married Richard Earl of Cambridge,
Who was the fon to Edmond Langley,
Edward the Third's fifth fon.

By her I claim the kingdom; fhe was heir
To Roger Earl of March; who was the fon
Of Edmond Mortimer, who married Philippe,
Sole daughter unto Lionel Duke of Clarence.
So, if the iffue of the elder fon

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 fon; York here claims it from the third.
Till Lionel's iffue fail, his should not reign;

It fails not yet, but flourisheth in thee,
And in thy fons, fair flips of fuch a stock.
Then, father Salisbury, kneel we together,
And in this private plot be we the first,
That shall falute our rightful Sovereign
With honour of his birthright to the crown:

Both. Long live our Sov'reign Richard, England's
King!!

York. We thank you, Lords: but I am not your King Till I be crown'd; and that my fword be stain'd

With heart-blood of the houfe of Lancaster:

And that's not fuddenly to be perform'd,

But with advice and filent fecrecy.

Do you, as I do, in these dang'rous days,
Wink at the Duke of Suffolk's infolence,
At Beaufort's pride, at Somerfet's ambition,
At Buckingham, and all the crew of them;
Till they have fnar'd the fhepherd of the flock,
That virtuous prince, the good Duke Humphry:
"Tis that they feek, and they in feeking that
Shall feek their deaths, if York can prophefy.

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

mind.

War. My heart affures me, that the Earl of Warwick Shall one day make the Duke of York a King. York. And, Nevil, this I do affure myfelf: Richard fhall live to make the Earl of Warwick The greatest man in England, but the King.

[Exeunt.

SCENE V. Changes to a boufe near to Smithfield.

Sound trumpets. Enter King Henry, Queen, and Nobles; the Dutchefs, Mother Jordan, Southwel, Hume, and Bolingbrook, under guard.

K. Henry. Stand forth, Dame Eleanor Cobham,
Glo'fter's wife.

In fight of God and us your guilt is great;
Receive the fentence of the law for fins,
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 afhes,
And you three shall be ftrangled on the gallows.
You, Madam, for you are more nobly born,
Defpoiled of your honour in your life,
Shall after three days open penance done,
Live in your country here, in banishment,
With Sir John Stanley, in the isle of Man.

Elean. Welcome is exile, welcome were my death.
Glo. The law, thou feeft, hath judg'd thee, Eleanor;
I cannot justify whom law condemns.

[Exeunt Eleanor, and others, guarded. 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 eafe.

[thou go,

K. Henry. Stay, Humphry, Duke of Glo'fter; ere Give up thy ftaff; Henry will to himself Protector be, and God fhall be my hope, My ftay, my guide, and lanthorn to my And go in peace, Humphry, no lefs belov'd, Than when thou wert Protector to thy King.

feet.

2. Mar.

years

2. Mar. I fee no reason why a King of
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 ftaff? here, Noble Henry, is my ftaff:
As willingly do I the fame refign,

As e'er thy father Henry made it mine;
And even as willing at thy feet I leave it,
As others would ambitiously receive it.
Farewell, good King; when I am dead and gone,
May honourable peace attend thy throne.

[Exit Gloucefter. 2. Mar. Why, now is Henry King, and Marg’ret

Queen.

And Humphry Duke of Glo'fter scarce himself,
That bears fo fhrewd a maim; two pulls at once;
. His Lady banish'd, and a limb lopp'd off;
This ftaff of honour raught, there let it stand,
Where beft it fits to be, in Henry's hand.

Suf. Thus droops this lofty pine, and hangs his fprays 3-
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 combat,
And ready are th' appellant and defendant,
The armourer and his man, to enter the lists;
So please your Highness to behold the fight.

2. Mar. Ay, good my Lord; for purposely 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 guard the right!

York. I never faw a fellow worse bestead, Or more afraid to fight, than is th' appellant! The fervant of the armourer, my Lords.

4

SCLNE