Son. Was ever fon, so ru'd a father's death?
Fath. Was ever father, fo bemoan'd his fon?

K. Henry. Was ever king, fo griev'd for fub-
jects' woe?

Much is your forrow; mine, ten times so much.
Son. I'll bear thee hence, where I may weep
my fill.
[Exit, with the body.
Fath. Thefe arms of mine fhall be thy wind-
ing-sheet;

My heart, fweet boy, fhall be thy fepulchre;
For from my heart thine image ne'er fhall go.
My fighing breast shall be thy funeral bell;
And fo obfequious will thy father be,
Sad for the lofs of thee, having no more,
As Priam was for all his valiant fons.

I'll bear thee hence; and let them fight that will,
For I have murder'd where I fhould not kill.

[Exit, with the body. K. Henry. Sad-hearted men, much overgone with care,

Here fits a king more woeful than you are.
Alarums. Excurfions. Enter the Queen, Prince of
Wales, and Exeter.

And thou this day had'ft kept thy throne in peace.
For what doth cherish weeds, but gentle air?
And what makes robbers bold, but too much lenity?
Bootlefs are plaints, and cureless are my wounds;
5 No way to fly, nor ftrength to hold out flight;
The foe is mercilefs, and will not pity;
And, at their hands, I have deferv'd no pity.
The air hath got into my deadly wounds,
And much effufe of blood doth make me faint :-
10 Come, York, and Richard, Warwick, and the reft;
I ftabb'd your father's bofoms, split my breast.

15

[He faints. Alarum and Retreat. Enter Edward, Clarence, Rickard, Montague, Warwick, and Soldiers. Edw. Now breathe we, lords; good fortune bids us paufe, [looks.And fmooth the frowns of war with peaceful Some troops purfue the bloody-minded queen ;That led calm Henry, though he were a king, 20 As doth a fail, fill'd with a fretting guft,

Nay, ftay not to expoftulate, make speed;
Or elfe come after, I'll away before.
K. Henry. Nay, take me with thee, good sweet
Not that I fear to ftay, but love to go
Whither the queen intends. Forward; away!

[Exeunt.

30

Command an argofy to stem the waves.

But think you, lords, that Clifford flew with them?
War. No, 'tis impoffible he should escape:
For, though before his face I speak the word,
Your brother Richard mark'd him for the grave;
And, wherefoe'er he is, he's furely dead.

[Clifford groans, and dies. Edw. Whofe foul is that which takes her heavy [parting.

leave?

Rich. A deadly groan, like life and death's de-
Edw. See who it is: and, now the battle's ended,
If friend, or foe, let him be gently us'd.

Rich. Revoke that doom of mercy, for 'tis
Clifford :

35 Who not contented that he lopp'd the branch
in hewing Rutland when his leaves put forth,
But fet his murdering knife unto the root
From whence that tender fpray did sweetly spring,
I mean, our princely father, duke of York.

40

War. From off the gates of York fetch down
the head,

Your father's head, which Clifford placed there :
Inftead whereof, let his fupply the room:
Meafure for measure must be answered. [houfe,

Edw. Bring forth that fatal fcritch-owl to our
That nothing fung but death to us and ours:
Now death fhall ftop his difmal threatening found,
And his ill-boding tongue no more shall speak.
[Attendants bring the body forward.
War. I think his understanding is bereft :-
Say, Clifford, doft thou know who speaks to thee?-
Dark cloudy death o'erfhades his beams of life,
And he nor fees, nor hears us what we say.
Rich. O, would he did! and fo, perhaps, he doth;
55Tis but his policy to counterfeit,

150

VI.
SCENE
Aloud Alarum. Enter Clifford, wounded.
Chf. Here burns my candle out, ay, here it dies, 45
Which, while it lafted, gave king Henry light.
Ah, Lancafter! I fear thine overthrow,
More than my body's parting with my foul.
My love and fear glew'd many friends to thee;
And, now I fall, thy tough commixture melts,
Impairing Henry, ftrength'ning mif-proud York.
The common people fwarm like fummer flies:
And whither fly the gnats, but to the fun?
And who shines now, but Henry's enemy?
O Phoebus! hadft thou never given confent
That Phaeton fhould check thy fiery steeds,
Thy burning car had never fcorch'd the earth:
And, Henry, hadft thou sway'd as kings should do,
And as thy father, and his father, did,
Giving no ground unto the houfe of York,
They never then had sprung like fummer flies-
1, and ten thousand in this lucklefs realm,
Had left no mourning widows for our deaths,

60

Because he would avoid such bitter taunts
As in the time of death he gave our father.
Cia. If fo thou think'ft, vex him with cager 2
words.

Rich. Clifford, ask mercy, and obtain no grace.
Edw. Clifford, repent in bootlefs penitence.
War. Clifford, devife excufes for thy faults.
Cla. While we devife fell tortures for thy faults.

Olfequious here implies careful of obfequies, or of funeral rites.

R$ 4

2 i. e. Sour, harsh words.

Rich.

5

And, having France thy friend, thou shalt not dread
The fcatter'd foe, that hopes to rife again;

For though they cannot greatly fting to hurt,
Yet look to have them buz, to offend thine ears.
First, will I fee the coronation;

And then to Britany I'll cross the sea,

To effect this marriage, fo it pleafe my lord. [be;
Edw. Even as thou wilt, fweet Warwick, let it
For on thy fhoulder do I build my feat;
10 And never will I undertake the thing,
Wherein thy counfel and confent is wanting.—
Richard, I will create thee duke of Glofter ;-
And George, of Clarence;-Warwick, as ourself,
Shall do, and undo, as him pleaseth best.

When Clifford cannot fpare his friends an oath :-
I know by that, he's dead; And, by my foul,
Would this right hand buy but an hour's life,
That I in all defpight might rail at him,
I'd chop it off; and with the iffuing blood
Stifle the villain, whofe unftanched thirst
York and young Rutland could not fatisfy. [head,]
War. Ay, but he's dead: Off with the traitor's 15
And rear it in the place your ther's stands.-
And now to London with triumphant march,
There to be crowned England's royal king.
From thence shall Warwick cut the fea to France,
And ask the lady Bona for thy queen:
So fhalt thou finew both these lands together;

Rich. Let me be duke of Clarence; George,

of Glofter;

For Glofter's dukedom is too ominous 1.

War. Tut, that's a foolish observation : Richard, be duke of Glofter: Now to London, 20 To fee thefe honours in poffeffion.

[Excurit

SCENE I.

A Wood in Lancashire.

Enter Sinklo, and Humphrey, with crefs-bows in their bands.

Sink UNI

INDER this the grown brake we'll
fhr ud ourselves;

For through this 3 laund anon the deer will come;}
And in this covert will we make our stand,
Culling the principal of all the deer.

130 K. Henry. Let me embrace thefe four adverfities; For wife men fay, it is the wifeft course.

35

Hum. I'll stay above the hill, fo both may shoot.40
Sink. That cannot be; the noife of thy cross-bow
Will fcare the herd, and fo my fhoot is loft.
Here ftand we both, and aim we at the best:
And, for the time fhall not feem tedious,
I'll tell thee what befel me on a day,
In this felf place where now we mean to ftand.
Hum. Here comes a man, let's stay till he be paft.

Enter King Henry, with a prayer-book.

Hum. Why linger we? let us lay hands upon him.
Sink. Forbear awhile; we'll hear a little more.
K. Henry. My queen, and fon, are gone to France
for aid;

And, as I hear, the great commanding Warwick
Is thither gone, to crave the French king's fifter
To wife for Edward: If this news be true,
Poor queen, and fon, your labour is but loft;
For Warwick is a fubtle orator,

And Lewis a prince foon won with moving words.
By this account, then, Margaret may win him;
For fhe's a woman to be pity'd much :
Her fighs will make a battery in his breast;
45 Her tears will pierce into a marble heart;
The tyger will be mild, while the doth mourn;
And Nero will be tainted with remorse,
To hear, and fee, her plaints, her brinish tears.
Ay, but he's come to beg; Warwick, to give :

K. Henry. From Scotland am I ftol'n, even of 50 She, on his left fide, craving aid for Henry;

pure love,

He, on his right, afking a wife for Edward.
She weeps, and fays-her Henry is depos'd;
He fmiles, and fays-his Edward is install'd;
That the, poor wretch, for grief can speak no more;
Whiles Warwick tells his title, fimooths the wrong,
Inferreth arguments of mighty ftrength;
And, in conclufion, wins the king from her,
With promife of his fifter, and what elfe,
To ftrengthen and support king Edward's place.

To greet mine own land with my wifhful fight.
No, Harry, Harry, 'tis no land of thine;
Thy place is fill'd, thy fcepter wrung from thee,
Thy balm wash'd off, wherewith thou waft anoint-155
No bending knee will call thee Cæfar now, [ed:
No humble fuitors prefs to speak for right,
No, not a man comes for redress to thee;
For how can I help them, and not myfelf? [fee:
Sink. Ay, here's a deer whofe fkin's a keeper's 600 Margaret, thus 'twill be; and thou, poor foul,
This is the quandam king; let's feize upon him.

Art then forfaken, as thou went'ft forlorn.

Alluding, perhaps (fays Mr. Steevens), to the deaths of Thomas of Woodstock, and Humphrey, dukes of Glofter. 2 According to Hall and Holinfhed, the name of the perfon who teck K. Henry

was Cantlowe,

3 i. e. larun.

5 I fee the lady hath a thing to grant,

[leave, we have you; for you will have 35Till youth take leave, and leave you to your crutch. [Glofter and Clarence retire to the other fide.

(40)

Sink. We are true fubjects to the king, king 45 Grey. Therefore I came unto your majesty.

K. Edw. Why then, thy husband's lands I freely give thee.

Grey. I take my leave, with many thoufand

thanks.

Gio. The match is made; fhe feals it with a curt'fy. 5
K. Edw. But ftay thee, 'tis the fruits of love I

mean.

Grey. The fruits of love I mean, my loving liege. K. Edw. Ay, but I fear me, in another fenfe. What love, think'ft thou, I fue fo much to get? Grey. My love 'till death, my humble thanks, my prayers;

10

That love, which virtue begs, and virtue grants.
K. Edw. No, by my troth, I did not mean fuch
love.
[did. 15
Grey. Why, then you mean not as I thought you
K. Edw. But now you partly may perceive my
mind.

Grey. My mind will never grant what I perceive
Your highnefs aims at, if I aim aright.

K. Edw. To tell thee plain, I aim to lie with thee.
Grey. To tell you plain, I had rather lie in prifon.
K. Edw. Why, then thou fhalt not have thy
husband's lands.

20

Grey. Why, then mine honesty shall be my dower; 25 For by that lofs I will not purchase them.

K. Edw. Herein thou wrong'ft thy children mightily. [and me. Grey. Herein your highness wrongs both them But, mighty lord, this merry inclination Accords not with the fadness of my fuit; Please you difmifs me, either with ay, or no.

K. Edw. Ay; if thou wilt fay ay, to my request:
No; if thou doft say no, to my demand.

Grey. Then, no, my lord. My fuit is at an end.
Glo. The widow likes him not, the knits her

Anfwer no more, for thou shalt be my queen.
Glo. The ghoftly father now hath done his fhrift.
[Afide.

Clar. When he was made a fhriver, 'twas for
fhift.
[Afide.

K. Edw. Brothers, you mufe what chat we two

have had.

Glo. The widow likes it not, for fhe looks fad.
K. Edw. You'd think it strange, if I fhould
Clar. To whom, my lord?

[marry her.

K. Edw. Why, Clarence, to myself.
Glo. That would be ten days' wonder, at the leaft.
Clar. That's a day longer than a wonder lafts.
Glo. By fo much is the wonder in extremes.
K. Edw. Well, jeft on, brothers: I can tell you
Her fuit is granted for her husband's lands. [both,
Enter a Nobleman.

Nob. My gracious lord, Henry your foe is taken,
And brought as prifoner to your palace gate.
K. Edw. See, that he be convey'd unto the
Tower :-

And gowe, brothers, to the man that took him,
To queftion of his apprehension.- [ably.
Widow, go you along:-Lords, ufe her honour-
[Exeunt King, Lady, Clarence, and Lords.
Gi. Ay, Edward will ufe women honourably.
Would he were wafted, marrow, bones, and all,
That from his loins no hopeful branch may spring,
To crofs me from the golden time I look for!
30 And yet, between my foul's defire and me,
(The luftful Edward's title buried)

35

K. Edw. [Afide.] Her looks do argue her re-40
plete with modefty;

Her words do fhew her wit incomparable;
All her perfections challenge fovereignty:
One way, or other, fhe is for a king;

And the fhall be my love, or elfe my queen.-
Say, that king Edward take thee for his queen?
Grey.'Tis better said than done, my gracious lord:
I am a fubject fit to jeft withal,

But far unfit to be a fovereign.

K. Edw. Sweet widow, by my state I fwear to thee,
I speak no more than what my foul intends;
And that is, to enjoy thee for my love.

Grey. And that is more than I will yield unto:
I know, I am too mean to be your queen;
And yet too good to be your concubine.

K. Edw. You cavil, widow; I did mean, my
queen.
[call you-father.
Grey. "Twill grieve your grace, my fons fhould
K. Edw. No more, than when my daughters call

thee mother.

Thou art a widow, and thou haft fome children;
And, by God's mother, I, being but a batchelor,
Have other fome: why, 'tis a happy thing
To be the father unto many fons.

Is Clarence, Henry, and his young fon Edward,
And all the unlook'd-for iffue of their bodies,
To take their rooms, ere I can place myself :
A cold premeditation for my purpose !
Why, then I do but dream on fovereignty;
Like one that ftands upon a promontory,
And fpies a far-off fhore where he would tread,
Wishing his foot were equal with his eye;
And chides the fea that funders him from thence,
Saying-he'll lade it dry to have his way:
So do I with the crown, being fo far off;
And fo I chide the means that keep me from it;
And fo I fay-I'll cut the caufes off,

45 Flattering me with impoffibilities.

My eye's too quick, my heart o'erweens too much,
Unless my hand and strength could equal them.
Well, fay there is no kingdom then for Richard;
What other pleasure can the world afford?

50 I'll make my heaven in a lady's lap,

And deck my body in gay ornaments,
And witch fweet ladies with my words and looks.
O miferable thought! and more unlikely,
Than to accomplish twenty golden crowns!
55 Why, love forfwore me in my mother's womb:
And, for I should not deal in her foft laws,
She did corrupt frail nature with fome bribe
To fhrink mine arm up like a wither'd shrub;
To make an envious mountain on my back,
6c Where fits deformity to mock my body;

To fhape my legs of an unequal fize;
To disproportion me in every part,
Like to a chaos, or an unlick'd bear-whelp,
That carries no impreffion like the dam.

And

Fleurifp. Enter Lewis the French King, Lady Bona,
Bourbon, Queen Margaret, Prince Edward, ber
Son, and the Earl of Oxford. Levis fits, and 40
rifab up again.

K. Lewis. Fair queen of England, worthy
Margaret,

Sit down with us; it ill befits thy state,

And birth, that thou shouldft stand, while Lewis 45 My lord and fovereign, and thy vowed friend,