And, for these great affairs do ask fome charge,
Towards our affistance, we do feize to us
The plate, coin, revenues, and moveables,
Whereof our uncle Gaunt did ftand poffefs'd.
YORK. How long fhall I be patient? Ah, how
long

Shall tender duty make me fuffer wrong?

Not Glofter's death, nor Hereford's banishment,
Not Gaunt's rebukes, nor England's private

wrongs,

Nor the prevention of poor Bolingbroke
About his marriage," nor my own difgrace,
Have ever made me four my patient cheek,
Or bend one wrinkle on my fovereign's face.-
I am the last of noble Edward's fons,
Of whom thy father, prince of Wales, was first;
In war was never lion rag'd more fierce,
In peace was never gentle lamb more mild,
Than was that young and princely gentleman:
His face thou haft, for even fo look'd he,
Accomplish'd with the number of thy hours;"
But, when he frown'd, it was against the French,
And not against his friends: his noble hand

St. Patrick freed the kingdom of Ireland from venomous reptiles
of every kind. So, in Decker's Honeft Whore, P. II. 1630:
that Irish Judas,

66

"Bred in a country where no venom profpers,
"But in his blood."

Again, in Fuimus Troes, 1635:

6

See also Tho.
"As Irish earth doth poison poisonous beafts." STEEVENS.
Cupton's Fourth Nor the prevention of poor Bolingbroke
Booke of Notable
Things 4. bl. l.

About his marriage, When the duke of Hereford, after his that court, and would have obtained in marriage the only daughter

banishment, went into France, he was honourably entertained at

of the duke of Berry, uncle to the French king, had not Richard prevented the match. STEEVENS.

Accomplish'd with the number of thy hours;] i. e. when he was of thy age. MALONE.

Did win what he did fpend, and spent not that
Which his triumphant father's hand had won:
His hands were guilty of no kindred's blood,
But bloody with the enemies of his kin.
O, Richard! York is too far gone with grief,
Or else he never would compare between.

K. RICH. Why, uncle, what's the matter?
YORK.

O, my liege,
Pardon me, if you please; if not, I pleas'd
Not to be pardon'd, am content withal.
Seek you to feize, and gripe into your hands,
The royalties and rights of banish'd Hereford?
Is not Gaunt dead? and doth not Hereford live?
Was not Gaunt juft? and is not Harry true?
Did not the one deferve to have an heir?
Is not his heir a well-deferving fon?

Take Hereford's rights away, and take from time
His charters, and his cuftomary rights;
Let not to-morrow then enfue to-day;
Be not thyfelf, for how art thou a king,
But by fair fequence and fucceffion?
Now, afore God (God forbid, I fay true!)
If you do wrongfully feize Hereford's rights,
Call in the letters patents that he hath
By his attornies-general to fue

His livery, and deny his offer'd homage,
You pluck a thousand dangers on your head,
You lofe a thousand well-difpofed hearts,
And prick my tender patience to those thoughts
Which honour and allegiance cannot think.

K. RICH. Think what you will; we seize into our hands

His plate, his goods, his money, and his lands.

8 deny his offer'd homage,] That is, refufe to admit the bamage, by which he is to hold his lands. JOHNSON.

YORK. I'll not be by, the while: My liege, farewell:

What will enfue hereof, there's none can tell;
But by bad courfes may be understood,

That their events can never fall out good. [Exit.

K. RICH. GO, Bufhy, to the earl of Wiltshire ftraight;

Bid him repair to us to Ely-house,

To fee this bufinefs: To-morrow next
We will for Ireland; and 'tis time, I trow;
And we create, in abfence of ourself,
Our uncle York lord governor of England,
For he is juft, and always lov'd us well.-
Come on, our queen: to-morrow must we part;
Be merry,
for our time of ftay is fhort. [Flourish.
[Exeunt King, Queen, BUSHY, AUMERLE,
GREEN, and BAGOT.

NORTH. Well, lords, the duke of Lancaster is dead.
Ross. And living too; for now his fon is duke.
WILLO. Barely in title, not in revenue.

NORTH. Richly in both, if justice had her right.
Ross. My heart is great; but it must break with
filence,

Ere't be difburden'd with a liberal tongue.

NORTH. Nay, fpeak thy mind; and let him ne'er speak more,

That speaks thy words again, to do thee harm! WILLO. Tends that thou'dft speak, to the duke of Hereford?

If it be fo, out with it boldly, man;

Quick is mine ear, to hear of good towards him.

Ross. No good at all, that I can do for him; Unless you call it good, to pity him,

Bereft and gelded of his patrimony.

NORTH. Now, afore heaven, 'tis fhame, fuch
wrongs are borne,

In him a royal prince, and many more
Of noble blood in this declining land.
The king is not himself, but bafely led
By flatterers; and what they will inform,
Merely in hate, 'gainst any of us all,
That will the king feverely profecute

Gainst us, our lives, our children, and our heirs.
Ross. The commons hath he pill'd with grievous

taxes,

And loft their hearts: the nobles hath he fin'd
For ancient quarrels, and quite loft their hearts.
WILLO. And daily new exactions are devis'd;
As blanks, benevolences, and I wot not what :
But wh

-ke to thee?"

vens,

NORTH. His noble kinfman:-Moft degenerate
king!

But, lords, we hear this fearful tempeft fing,
Yet feek no fhelter to avoid the ftorm:

We fee the wind fit fore upon our fails,
And yet we strike not," but fecurely perish."
Ross. We fee the very wreck that we must suffer,
And unavoided is the danger' now,

For fuffering fo the causes of our wreck.
NORTH. Not fo; even through the hollow eyes
of death,

I fpy life peering; but I dare not fay
How near the tidings of our comfort is.

WILLO. Nay, let us fhare thy thoughts, as thou
doft ours.

Ross. Be confident to speak, Northumberland:
We three are but thyfelf; and, fpeaking fo,
Thy words are but as thoughts; therefore, be bold.
NORTH. Then thus:-I have from Port le Blanc,
a bay

In Britany, receiv'd intelligence,

That Harry Hereford, Reignold lord Cobham,

—we hear this fearful tempeft fing,] So, in The Tempeft: -another form brewing; I bear it fing in the wind." STEEVENS.

9 And yet we strike not,] To frike the fails, is, to contract them when there is too much wind. JOHNSON.

2

but fecurely perifb.]

We perish by too great confidence in our fecurity. The word is ufed in the fame fenfe in The Merry Wives of Windfor: "Though Ford be a fecure fool," &c.

Again, in Troilus and Creffida, A& IV. fc. v:
""Tis done like Hector, but fecurely done."
See Dr. Farmer's note on this paffage. STEEVENS.
3 And unavoided is the danger-]
ufed for unavoidable. MALONE.

MALONE.

Unavoided is, I believe, here