Q. Mar. My lord of Suffolk, say, is this the guise, Is this the fashion in the court of England? Is this the government of Britain's isle, And this the royalty of Albion's king? What, shall king Henry be a pupil still, Under the surly Gloster's governance? Am I a queen in title and in style, And must be made a subject to a duke? I tell thee, Poole, when in the city Tours Thou ran'st a tilt in honour of my love, And stol'st away the ladies' hearts of France; I thought king Henry had resembled thee, In courage, courtship, and proportion: But all his mind is bent to holiness,

To number Ave-Maries on his beads;

His champions are — the prophets and apostles :
His weapons, holy saws of sacred writ;
His study is his tilt-yard, and his loves
Are brazen images of canonized saints.
I would, the college of cardinals

Would choose him pope, and carry him to Rome,
And set the triple crown upon his head;
That were a state fit for his holiness.

Suf. Madam, be patient: as I was cause
Your highness came to England, so will I
In England work your grace's full content.

Q. Mar. Beside the haught protector, have we
Beaufort,

The imperious churchman; Somerset, Buckingham,
And grumbling York: and not the least of these,
But can do more in England than the king.

Suf. And he of these that can do most of all, Cannot do more in England than the Nevils: Salisbury, and Warwick, are no simple peers.

Q. Mar. Not all these lords do vex me half so much,
As that proud dame, the lord protector's wife.
She sweeps it through the court with troops of ladies,
More like an empress than duke Humphrey's wife;
Strangers in court do take her for the queen:
She bears a duke's revenues on her back,
And in her heart she scorns her poverty:
Shall I not live to be aveng'd on her?
She vaunted 'mongst her minions t'other day,
The very train of her worst wearing-gown
Was better worth than all my father's lands,
Till Suffolk gave two dukedoms for his daughter.
Suf. Madam, myself have lim'd a bush for her;
And plac'd a quire of such enticing birds,
That she will light to listen to the lays,
And never mount to trouble you again.
So, let her rest: and, madam, list to me;
For I am bold to counsel you in this.
Although we fancy not the cardinal,

Yet must we join with him, and with the lords,
Till we have brought duke Humphrey in disgrace.
As for the duke of York, this late complaint 9
Will make but little for his benefit:
So, one by one, we'll weed them all at last,
And you yourself shall steer the happy helm.
Enter KING HENRY, YORK, and SOMERSET, con-
versing with him; DUKE and DUCHESS OF GLOSTER,
CARDINAL BEAUFORT, BUCKINGHAM, SALISBURY,
and WARWICK.

K. Hen. For my part, noble lords, I care not which; Or Somerset, or York, all's one to me.

York. If York have ill demean'd himself in France, Then let him be denay'd 4 the regentship.

Som. If Somerset be unworthy of the place,
Let York be regent, I will yield to him.
War. Whether your grace be worthy, yea, or no,
Dispute not that: York is the worthier.

Car. Ambitious Warwick, let thy betters speak.
War. The cardinal's not my better in the field.
Buck. Allin this presence, are thy betters, Warwick.
War. Warwick may live to be the best of all.
Sal. Peace, son;
and show some reason,

Buckingham,

Why Somerset should be preferr'd in this.

Q. Mar. Because the king, forsooth, will have it so. Glo. Madam, the king is old enough himself To give his censure 5; these are no woman's matters. Q.Mar. If he be old enough, what needs your grace To be protector of his excellence?

Glo. Madam, I am protector of the realm; And, at his pleasure, will resign my place.

Suf. Resign it then, and leave thine insolence. Since thou wert king, (as who is king but thou?) The commonwealth hath daily run to wreck : The dauphin hath prevail'd beyond the seas; And all the peers and nobles of the realm Have been as bondmen to thy sovereignty.

Car. The commons hast thou rack'd; the clergy's bags

Are lank and lean with thy extortions.

Som. Thy sumptuous buildings, and thy wife's attire,

Have cost a mass of public treasury.

Buck. Thy cruelty in execution, Upon offenders, hath exceeded law, And left thee to the mercy of the law.

Q. Mar. Thy sale of offices, and towns in France,— If they were known, as the suspect is great, Would make thee quickly hop without thy head.

[Exit GLOSTER. The QUEEN drops her fan. Give me my fan: what, minion! can you not? [Gives the DUCHESS a box on the ear.

I cry you mercy, madam; Was it you?
Duch. Was't I? yea, I it was, proud Frenchwoman!
K. Hen. Sweet aunt, be quiet: 'twas against her will.
Duch. Against her will! Good king, look to't in
time;

She'll hamper thee, and dandle thee like a baby:
But shall not strike dame Eleanor unreveng'd.

(Exit DUCHESS.

Buck. Lord Cardinal, I will follow Eleanor, And listen after Humphrey, how he proceeds: She's tickled now; her fume can need no spurs, She'll gallop fast enough to her destruction. [Exit BUCKINGHAM.

Re-enter GLOSTER.

With walking once about the quadrangle,
Glo. Now, lords, my choler being over-blown,

I come to talk of commonwealth affairs.
As for your spiteful false objections,
Prove them, and I lie open to the law:
But Heaven in mercy so deal with my soul,
As I in duty love my king and country!
But, to the matter that we have in hand:
I say, my sovereign, York is meetest man
To be your regent in the realm of France.
Suf. Before we make election, give me leave
To show some reason, of no little force,
That York is most unmeet of any man.
York. I'll tell thee, Suffolk, why I am unmeet.
First, for I cannot flatter thee in pride:

5 Censure here means simple judgment or opinion

And kept asunder: — You, madam, shall with us: — Stafford, take her to thee.

[Exit DUCHESS from above. We'll see your trinkets here all forth-coming; All.-Away!

Let him shun castles;
Safer shall he be upon the sandy plins,
Than where castles mounted stand.
Come, come, my lords;

These oracles are hardily attain'd,

her well:

The king is now in progress towards Sint Alban's,
With him, the husband of this lovely Idy:
Thither go these news, as fast as horse canarry them;
A sorry breakfast for my lord protector.
Buck. Your grace shall give me leave,

York,

y lord of

Enter KING HENRY, QUEEN MARGARET, GLOSTER,
CARDINAL, and SUFFOLK, with Falconers hollaing.
Q. Mar. Believe me, lords, for flying at the brook',
I saw not better sport these seven years' day:
Yet, by your leave, the wind was very high;
And, ten to one, old Joan had not gone out.

K. Hen. But what a point, my lord, your falcon made,

And what a pitch she flew above the rest!
To see how God in all his creatures works!
Yea, man and birds, are fain of climbing high.
Suf No marvel, an it like your majesty,
My lord protector's hawks do tower so well;
They know their master loves to be aloft,
And bears his thoughts above his falcon's pitch.
Glo. My lord, 'tis but a base ignoble mind
That mounts no higher than a bird can soar.
Car. I thought as much; he'd be above the clouds.
Glo. Ay, my lord cardinal; How think you by that?
Were it not good, your grace could fly to heaven?
K. Hen. The treasury of everlasting joy!
Car. Thy heaven is on earth; thine eyes and thoughts
Beat on a crown, the treasure of thy heart;
Pernicious protector, dangerous peer,
That smooth'st it so with king and commonweal!
Glo. What, cardinal, is your priesthood grown
peremptory?

Tantæne animis cœlestibus iræ?

Churchmen so hot? good uncle, hide such malice; With such holiness can you do it?

lord;

Suf. No malice, sir; no more than well becomes
So good a quarrel, and so bad a peer.
Glo. As who, my lord?
Suf.
Why, as you, my
An't like your lordly lord-protectorship.
Glo. Why, Suffolk, England knows thine insolence.
Q. Mar. And thy ambition, Gloster.
K. Hen.
I pr'ythee, peace,
Good queen; and whet not on these furious peers,
For blessed are the peacemakers on earth.

1 The falconer's term for hawking at water-fowl.
• Fond.

Car. Let me blessed for the peace I make, Against this proud protector with my sword! Glo. 'Faith, holy uncle, 'would 'twere come to that! [Aside to the Cardinal. Car. Marry, when thou dar'st. [Aside. Glo. Make up no factious numbers for the matter, In thine own person answer thy abuse. [Aside. Cur. Ay, where thou dar'st not peep: an if thou dar'st, This evening on the east side of the grove. K. Hen. How now, my lords?

[Aside. Car. Believe me, cousin Gloster, Had not your man put up the fowl so suddenly, We had had more sport sword.

Glo. True, uncle.

Come with thy two-hand [Aside to GLOSTer.

Car. Are you advis'd? — the east side of the grove?
Glo. Cardinal, I am with you.
K. Hen.

[Aside. Why, how now, uncle Gloster? Glo. Talking of hawking; nothing else, my lord.— K. Hen. The winds grow high; so do your stomachs, lords.

How irksome is this musick to my heart!
When such strings jar, what hope of harmony?
I pray, my lords, let me compound this strife.
Enter an Inhabitant of Saint Alban's, crying,
A Miracle!

Glo. What means this noise?
Fellow, what miracle dost thou proclaim?
Inhab. A miracle! a miracle!

Suf. Come to the king, and tell him what miracle. Inhab. Forsooth, a blind man at Saint Alban's shrine,

Within this half hour, hath receiv'd his sight;
A man, that ne'er saw in his life before.

K. Hen. Now, God be prais'd! that to believing souls

Gives light in darkness, comfort in despair!
Enter the Mayor of Saint Alban's, and his Brethren;
and SIMPCOX, borne between two Persons in a
Chair; his Wife, and a great Multitude following.
Car. Here come the townsmen on procession,
To present your highness with the man.

K. Hen. Great's his comfort in this earthly vale, Although by his sight his sin be multiplied.

Glo. Stand by my masters, bring him near the king, His highness' peasure is to talk with him.

K. Hen. God fellow, tell us here the circumstance, That we for nee may glorify the Lord. What, hast tiou been long blind, and now restor'd? Simp. Brn blind, an't please your grace. Wife. A, indeed was he.

Suf. What woman is this?

Wife. His wife, an't like your worship.

Glo. fadst thou been his mother, thou couldst have better told.

K. en. Where wert thou born?

Si. At Berwick in the north, an't like your grace. K. Hen. Poor soul! God's goodness hath been great to thee:

Let never day nor night unhallow'd pass,
But still remember what the Lord hath done.

Q. Mar. Tell me, good fellow, cam'st thou here by chance,

Or of devotion, to this holy shrine?

them :

In my opinion yet thou seest not well. Simp. Yes, master, clear as day; I thank God, and saint Alban.

Glo. Say'st thou me so? What colour is this cloak of?

Simp. Red, master; red as blood.

Glo. Why, that's well said: What colour is my gown of?

Simp. Black, forsooth; coal-black, as jet.
K. Hen. Why then, thou know'st what colour jet
is of?

Suf. And yet, I think, jet did he never see.
Glo. But cloaks, and gowns, before this day, a many.
Wife. Never, before this day, in all his life.
Glo. Tell me, sirrah, what's my name?
Simp. Alas, master, I know not.
Glo. What's his name?

Simp. I know not.

Glo. Nor his?

Simp. No, indeed, master.

Glo. What's thine own name?

Simp. Saunder Simpcox, an if it please you, master. Glo. Then, Saunder, sit thou there, the lyingest knave

In Christendom. If thou hadst been born blind,
Thou mightst as well have known our names, as thus
To name the several colours we do wear.
Sight may distinguish of colours; but suddenly
To nominate them all 's impossible.
My lords, saint Alban here hath done a miracle;
And would ye not think that cunning to be great
That could restore this cripple to his legs?

Simp. O, master, that you could!

Glo. My masters of Saint Alban's, have you not beadles in your town, and things called whips? May. Yes, my lord, if it please your grace. Glo. Then send for one presently.

May. Sirrah, go fetch the beadle hither straight. [Exit an Attendant.

Glo. Now fetch me a stool hither by-and-by. [A stool brought out.] Now, sirrah, if you mean to save yourself from whipping, leap me over this stool, and run away.

Simp. Alas, master, I am not able to stand alone: You go about to torture me in vain.

Re-enter Attendant, with the Beadle. Glo. Well, sir, we must have you find your legs. Sirrah beadle, whip him till he leap over that same stool.

Bead. I will, my lord.

with your doublet quickly.

Come on, sirrah; off

Simp. Alas, master, what shall I do? I am not able to stand.

[After the Beadle hath hit him once, he leaps over the stool, and runs away; and the People follow, and cry, A Miracle! K.Hen. O God, seest thou this, and bear'st so long? Q. Mar. It made me laugh to see the villain run. Glo. Follow the knave; and take this drab away. Wife. Alas, sir, we did it for pure need. Glo. Let them be whipped through every market town, till they come to Berwick, whence they came. [Exeunt Mayor, Beadle, Wife, &c. Car. Duke Humphrey has done a miracle to-day. Suf. True; made the lame to leap, and fly away. Glo. But you have done more miracles than I; You made, in a day, my lord, whole towns to fly. Enter BUCKINGHAM.

K. Hen. What tidings with our cousin Bucking

ham?

Buck. Such as my heart doth tremble to unfold. A sort 3 of naughty persons, vilely bent, Under the countenance and confederacy Of lady Eleanor, the protector's wife, The ring-leader and head of all this rout, Have practis'd dangerously against your state, Dealing with witches; and with conjurers: Whom we have apprehended in the fact; Raising up wicked spirits from under ground, Demanding of king Henry's life and death, And other of your highness' privy council, As more at large your grace shall understand.

Car. And so, 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. [Aside to GLOSTER. Glo. Ambitious churchman, leave to 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 meanest groom.

3 A company.