And still enjoy thy regal dignity.
Alen. Must he be then as shadow of himself?
Adorn his temples with a coronet;
And yet, in substance and authority,
Retain but privilege of a private man?
This proffer is absurd and reasonless.
Char. 'T is known already that I am possess'd
With more than half the Gallian territories,
And therein reverenc'd for their lawful king:
Shall I, for lucre of the rest unvanquish'd,
Detract so much from that prerogative,
As to be call'd but viceroy of the whole?
No, lord ambassador; I'll rather keep
That which I have, than, coveting for more,
Be cast from possibility of all.
[means
York. Insulting Charles! hast thou by secret
Used intercession to obtain a league ;
And, now the matter grows to compromise,
Stand'st thou aloof upon comparison?
Either accept the title thou usurp'st,
Of benefit proceeding from our king,
And not of any challenge of desert,
Or we will plague thee with incessant wars.
Reig. My lord, you do not well in obstinacy
To cavil in the course of this contract:
If once it be neglected, ten to one,
We shall not find like opportunity.
Alen. To say the truth, it is your policy,
To save your subjects from such massacre,
And ruthless slaughters, as are daily seen
By our proceeding in hostility:
And therefore take this compact of a truce,
Although you break it when your pleasure serves.
Aside, to Charles.
War. How say'st thou, Charles? shall our con-
Char. It shall:
[dition stand?
Only reserv'd, you claim no interest
In any of our towns of garrison.
York. Then swear allegiance to his majesty ;
As thou art knight, never to disobey,
Nor be rebellious to the crown of England,
Thou, nor thy nobles, to the crown of England.-
[Charles, and the rest, give tokens of fealty.
So, now dismiss your army when ye please;
Hang up your ensigns, let your drums be still,
For here we entertain a solemn peace. [Exeunt.
SCENE V.-London. A Room in the Palace.
Enter King Henry, in conference with Suffolk;
Gloster and Exeter following.
K. Hen. Your wond'rous rare description,
Of beauteous Margaret hath astonish'd me:
Her virtues, graced with external gifts,
Do breed love's settled passions in my heart:
And like as rigour of tempestuous gusts
Provokes the night est hulk against the tide,
So am I driven, by breath of her renown,
Either to suffer shipwrack, or arrive
Where I may have fruition of her love.
Suf. Tush my good lord! this superficial tale
Is but a preface of her worthy praise:
The chief perfections of that lovely dame
(Had I sufficient skill to utter them)
Would make a volume of enticing lines,
Able to ravish any dull conceit.
And, which is more, she is not so divine,
So full replete with choice of all delights,
But, with as humble lowliness of mind,
She is content to be at your command;
Command, I mean, of virtuous chaste intents,
To love and honour Henry as her lord.
K. Hen. And otherwise will Henry ne'er presume.
Therefore, my lord protector, give consent
That Margaret may be England's royal queen.
Glo. So should I give consent to flatter sin.
You know, my lord, your highness is betroth'd
Unto another lady of esteem;
How shall we then dispense with that contract,
And not deface your honour with reproach!
Suf. As doth a ruler with unlawful oaths;
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Her father is no better than an earl,
Although in glorious titles he excel.
Suf. Yes, my lord, her father is a king,
The king of Naples and Jerusalem;
And of such great authority in France
As his alliance will confirm our peace,
And keep the Frenchmen in allegiance.
Glo. And so the earl of Armagnac may do,
Because he is near kinsman unto Charles. [dower,
Exe. Beside, his wealth doth warrant a liberal
Where Reignier sooner will receive than give.
Suf. A dower, my lords! disgrace not so your king,
That he should be so abject, base, and poor,
To choose for wealth, and not for perfect love.
Henry is able to enrich his queen,
And not to seek a queen to make him rich:
So worthless peasants bargain for their wives,
As market-men for oxen, sheep, or horse.
Marriage is a matter of more worth
Than to be dealt in by attorneyship;
Not whom we will, but whom his grace affects,
Must be companion of his nuptial bed:
And therefore, lords, since he affects her most,
It most of all these reasons bindeth us,
In our opinions she should be preferr'd,
For what is wedlock forced but a hell,
An age of discord and continual strife?
Whereas the contrary bringeth forth bliss,
And is a pattern of celestial peace.
Whom should we match with Henry, being a king,
But Margaret, that is daughter to a king?
Her peerless feature, joined with her birth,
Approves her fit for none but for a king:
Her valiant courage, and undaunted spirit,
(More than in women commonly is seen,)
Will answer our hope in issue of a king;
For Henry, son unto a conqueror,
Is likely to beget more conquerors,
If with a lady of so high resolve
As is fair Margaret he be link'd in love.
Then yield, my lords; and here conclude with me,
That Margaret shall be queen, and none but she.
K. Hen. Whether it be through force of your report,
My noble lord of Suffolk; or for that
My tender youth was never yet attaint
With any passion of inflaming love,
I cannot tell; but this I am assur'd,
I feel such sharp dissension in my breast,
Such fierce alarums both of hope and fear,
As I am sick with working of my thoughts.
Take, therefore, shipping; post, my lord, to
Agree to any covenants; and procure [France;
That lady Margaret do vouchsafe to come
To cross the seas to England, and be crown'd
King Henry's faithful and anointed queen:
For your expenses and sufficient charge,
Among the people gather up a tenth.
Be gone, I say; for, till you do return,
I rest perplexed with a thousand cares.
And you, good uncle, banish all offence:
If you do censure me by what you were,
Not what you are, I know it will excuse
This sudden execution of my will.
And so conduct me, where, from company,
I may revolve and ruminate my grief. [Exit.
Glo. Ay, grief, I fear me, both at first and last.
[Exeunt Gloster and Exeter.
Suf. Thus Suffolk hath prevail'd: and thus he
As did the youthful Paris once to Greece; [goes,
With hope to find the like event in love,
But prosper better than the Trojan did.
Margaret shall now be queen, and rule the king;
But I will rule both her, the king, and realm. [Ex.
PERSONS REPRESENted.
LORD SCALES, governor of the
Tower.
Sir HUMPHREY STAFFORD, and
his Brother.
Sir JOHN STANLEY.
A Sea-Captain, Master, and
Master's Mate, and WALTER
WHITMORE.
Two gentlemen, prisoners with
Suffolk.
A Herald.
HUME and SOUTHWELL, two
priests.
BOLINGBROKE, a conjurer; and
a Spirit raised by him.
THOMAS HORNER, an armour-
er; and PETER, his man.
Clerk of Chatham.
Mayor of Saint Alban's. SIMP-
COX, an impostor.
SCENE 1.-London. A Room of State in the
Two Murderers.
JACK CADE,
a rebel; and GEORGE, JOHN, DICK; SMITH, the weaver; MICHAEL, &c., his followers.
ALEXANDER IDEN, a Kentish gentleman.
MARGARET, Queen to King
Henry.
ELEANOR, Duchess of Gloster.
MARGERY JOURDAIN, a witch.
Wife to Simpcox.
Lords, Ladies, and Attendants;
Petitioners, Aldermen, a Bea-
dle, Sheriff, and Officers; Citi-
zens, Prentices, Falconers,
Guards, Soldiers, Messengers,
&c.
Here are the articles of contracted peace, [Charles,
Between our sovereign, and the French king
For eighteen months concluded by consent.
Glo. [Reads.] 'Imprimis, It is agreed between the
French king, Charles, and William de la Poole,
England, that the said Henry shall espouse the lady
Margaret, daughter unto Reignier king of Naples,
Sicilia, and Jerusalem; and crown her queen of
England, ere the thirtieth of May next ensuing.-
Item,-That the duchy of Anjou and the county
of Maine shall be released and delivered to the
king her father'-
Flourish of Trumpets: then hautboys. Enter, on one side, King Henry, Duke of Gloster, Salis-marquess of Suffolk, ambassador for Henry king of bury, Warwick, and Cardinal Beaufort; on the other, Queen Margaret, led in by Suffolk; York, Somerset, Buckingham, and others following. Suf. As by your high imperial majesty I had in charge at my depart for France, As procurator to your excellence, To marry princess Margaret for your grace; So, in the famous ancient city, Tours,In presence of the kings of France and Sicil The dukes of Orleans, Calaber, Bretaigne, and Alençon, [bishops,
Seven earls, twelve barons, and twenty reverend
I have perform'd my task, and was espous'd:
And humbly now upon my bended knee,
In sight of England and her lordly peers.
Deliver up my title in the queen
To your most gracious hands, that are the substance
Of that great shadow I did represent;
The happiest gift that ever marquess gave,
The fairest queen that ever king receiv'd.
K. Hen. Suffolk, arise.-Welcome, queen Mar-
I can express no kinder sign of love, [garet:
Than this kind kiss.-O Lord, that lends me life,
Lend me a heart replete with thankfulness!
For thou hast given me, in this beauteous face,
A world of earthly blessings to my soul,
If sympathy of love unite our thoughts.
Q. Mar. Great king of England, and my gracious
The mutual conference that my mind hath had,
By day, by night,-waking, and in my dreams,-
In courtly company, or at my beads,-
With you mine alder-liefest sovereign,
Makes me the bolder to salute my king
With ruder terms, such as my wit affords,
And over-joy of heart doth minister.
K. Hen. Uncle, how now?
1
Glo.
Pardon me, gracious lord;
Some sudden qualm hath struck me at the heart,
And dimmed mine eyes; that I can read no further.
K. Hen. Uncle of Winchester, I pray, read on.
Car. 'Item,-It is further agreed between them,
that the duchies of Anjou and Maine shall be re-
leased and delivered over to the king her father;
and she sent over of the king of England's own
proper cost and charges, without having any dowry.
K. Hen. They please us well.-Lord marquess,
kneel down;
We here create thee the first duke of Suffolk,
And girt thee with the sword. Cousin of York,
We here discharge your grace from being regent
In the parts of France, till term of eighteen month
Be full expir'd. Thanks, uncle Winchester,
Gloster, York, Buckingham, Somerset,
Salisbury, and Warwick;
We thank you all for this great favour done,
In entertainment to my princely queen.
Come, let us in; and with all speed provide
To see her coronation be perform'd.
[Exeunt King, Queen, and Suffolk,
Glo. Brave peers of England, pillars of the state,
To you duke Humphrey must unload his grief;
Your grief, the common grief of all the land.
What did my brother Henry spend his youth,
His valour, coin, and people, in the wars?
Did he so often lodge in open field,
In winter's cold, and summer's parching heat,
To conquer France, his true inheritance?
And did my brother Bedford toil his wits,
To keep by policy what Henry got?
Brave York, Salisbury, and victorious Warwick,
[Flourish. Receiv'd deep scars in France and Normandy?
K. Hen. Her sight did ravish; but her grace in
Her words y-clad with wisdom's majesty, speech,
Makes me from wondering fall to weeping joys;
Such is the fulness of my heart's content.
Lords, with one cheerful voice welcome my love.
All. [Kneeling. Long live queen Margaret, Have you yourselves, Somerset, Buckingham,
England's happiness!
Q. Mar. We thank you all.
Suf. My lord protector, so it please your grace Or hath mine uncle Beaufort, and myself,
With all the learned council of the realm, Studied so long, sat in the council-house, Early and late, debating to and fro
His insolence is more intolerable
Than all the princes in the land beside;
If Gloster be displac'd, he 'll be protector.
Despite duke Humphrey, or the cardinal.
How France and Frenchmen might be kept in awe? Buck. Or thou, or I, Somerset, will be protector,
And hath his highness in his infancy
Been crown'd in Paris, in despite of foes?
And shall these labours, and these honours, die?
Shall Henry's conquest, Bedford's vigilance,
Your deeds of war, and all our counsel, die?
O peers of England, shameful is this league!
Fatal this marriage! cancelling your fame;
Blotting your names from books of memory;
Razing the characters of your renown;
Defacing monuments of conquer'd France;
Undoing all, as all had never been!
[course,
Car. Nephew, what means this passionate dis-
This peroration with such circumstance?
For France, 't is ours; and we will keep it still.
Glo. Ay, uncle, we will keep it, if we can ;
But now it is impossible we should:
Suffolk, the new-made duke, that rules the roast,
Hath given the duchies of Anjou and Maine
Unto the poor king Reignier, whose large style
Agrees not with the leanness of his purse.
Sal. Now, by the death of him that died for all,
hese counties were the keys of Normandy :-
But wherefore weeps Warwick, my valiant son?
War. For grief, that they are past recovery:
For were there hope to conquer them again,
My sword should shed hot blood, mine eyes no tears.
Anjou and Maine! myself did win them both;
Those provinces these arms of mine did conquer:
And are the cities that I got with wounds
Deliver'd up again with peaceful words?
Mort Dieu !
York, For Suffolk's duke, may he be suffocate,
That dims the honour of this warlike isle !
France should have torn and rent my very heart
Before I would have yielded to this league.
I never read but England's kings have had.
Large sums of gold, and dowries, with their wives:
And our king Henry gives away his own,
To match with her that brings no vantages.
Glo. A proper jest, and never heard before,
That Suffolk should demand a whole fifteenth,
For costs and charges in transporting her!
She should have stay'd in France, and starv'd in
Before
[France,
Car. My lord of Gloster, now you grow too hot, It was the pleasure of my lord the king.
Glo. My lord of Winchester, I know your mind; 'T is not my speeches that you do mislike, But 't is my presence that doth trouble you. Rancour will out: Proud prelate, in thy face I see thy fury: if I longer stay We shall begin our ancient bickerings. Lordings, farewell; and say, when I am gone, I prophesied-France will be lost ere long. Car. So, there goes our protector in a rage. 'T is known to you he is mine enemy: Nay, more, an enemy unto you all; And no great friend, I fear me, to the king. Consider, lords,-he is the next of blood, And heir apparent to the English crown; Had Henry got an empire by his marriage, And all the wealthy kingdoms of the west, There's reason he should be displeas'd at it. Look to it, lords; let not his smoothing words Bewitch your heart; be wise, and circumspect. What, though the common people favour him, Calling him-Humphrey,the good duke of Gloster;' Clapping their hands, and crying with loud voice Jesu maintain your royal excellence!' With-God preserve the good duke Humphrey !' I fear me, lords, for all this flattering gloss, He will be found a dangerous protector. Buck. Why should he then protect our sovereign, He being of age to govern of himself? Cousin of Somerset, join you with me, And all together with the duke of Suffolk, We'll quickly hoise duke Humphrey from his seat. Car. This weighty business will not brook delay; I'll to the duke of Suffolk presently. [Exit. Som. Cousin of Buckingham, though Humphrey's And greatness of his place, be grief to us, Ipride, let us watch the haughty cardinal.
[Exeunt Buckingham and Somerset. Sal. Pride went before, ambition follows him. While these do labour for their own preferment,. Behoves it us to labour for the realm.
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I never saw but Humphrey duke of Gloster
Did bear him like a noble gentleman.
Oft have I seen the haughty cardinal-
More like a soldier than a man o' the church,
As stout and proud as he were lord of all,-
Swear like a ruffian, and demean himself
Unlike the ruler of a common-weal.
Warwick, my son, the comfort of my age!
Thy deeds, thy plainness, and thy house-keeping,
Hath won the greatest favour of the commons,
Excepting none but good duke Humphrey.
And, brother York, thy acts in Ireland,
In bringing them to civil discipline;
Thy late exploits, done in the heart of France,
When thou wert regent for our sovereign,
Have made thee fear'd and honour'd of the people:
Join we together for the public good,
In what we can, to bridle and suppress
The pride of Suffolk, and the cardinal,
With Somerset's and Buckingham's ambition;
And, as we may, cherish duke Humphrey's deeds.
While they do tend the profit of the land.
War. So God help Warwick, as he loves the land,.
And common profit of his country!
York. And so says York, for he hath greatest cause.. Sal. Then let's make haste away, and look unto the main.
War. Unto the main ! O father, Maine is lost;
That Maine, which by main force Warwick did win,.
And would have kept, so long as breath did last:
Main chance, father, you meant; but I meant Maine;
Which I will win from France, or else be slain.
[Exeunt Warwick and Salisbury.
York. Anjou and Maine are given to the French;
Paris is lost; the state of Normandy
Stands on a tickle point, now they are gone:
Suffolk concluded on the articles;
The peers agreed; and Henry was well pleas'd
To change two dukedoms for a duke's fair daughter
I cannot blame them all: What is 't to them?
'T is thine they give away, and not their own. [lage,
Pirates may make cheap pennyworths of their pil-
And purchase friends, and give to courtesans,
Still revelling, like lords, till all be gone:
While as the silly owner of the goods
Weeps over them, and wrings his hapless hands
And shakes his head, and trembling stands aloof,
While all is shar'd, and all is borne away;
Ready to starve, and dare not touch his own.
So York must sit, and fret, and bite his tongue,
While his own lands are bargain'd for and sold.
Methinks, the realms of England, France, and Ire-
Bear that proportion to my flesh and blood [land,
As did the fatal brand Althea burn'd,
Unto the prince's heart of Calydon.
Anjou and Maine, both given unto the French!
Cold news for me; for I had hope of France,
Even as I have of fertile England's soil.
A day will come when York shall claim his own;
And therefore I will take the Nevils' parts,
And make a show of love to proud duke Humphrey,
And, when I spy advantage, claim the crown,
For that's the golden mark I seek to hit:
Nor shall proud Lancaster usurp my right,
Nor hold the sceptre in his childish fist,
Nor wear the diadem upon his head,
Whose church-like humours fit not for a crown.
Then, York, be still awhile, till time do serve:
Watch thou, and wake, when others be asleep,
To pry into the secrets of the state;
Till Henry, surfeiting in joys of love, [queen,
With his new bride, and England's dear-bought
And Humphrey with the peers be fall'n at jars:
Then will I raise aloft the milk-white rose,
With whose sweet smell the air shall be perfum'd;
And in my standard bear the arms of York,
To grapple with the house of Lancaster;
And, force perforce, I'll make him yield the crown, Whose bookish rule hath pull'd fair England down. [Exit.
SCENE II.-The same. A Room in the Duke of
Gloster's House.
Enter Gloster and the Duchess.
Duch. Why droops my lord, like over-ripen'd corn,
Hanging the head at Ceres' plenteous load?
Why doth the great duke Humphrey knit his brows,
As frowning at the favours of the world?
Why are thine eyes fix'd to the sullen earth,
Gazing on that which seems to dim thy sight?
What see'st thou there? king Henry's diadem,
Enchas'd with all the honours of the world?
If so, gaze on, and grovel on thy face,
Until thy head be circled with the same.
Put forth thy hand, reach at the glorious gold:
What, is 't too short? I'll lengthen it with mine:
And, having both together heav'd it up,
We'll both together lift our heads to heav'n;
And never inore abase our sight so low
As to vouchsafe one glance unto the ground.
Glo. O Nell, sweet Nell, if thou dost love thy lord,
Banish the canker of ambitious thoughts:
And may that thought, when I imagine ill
Against my king and nephew, virtuous Henry,
Be my last breathing in this mortal world!
My troublous dream this night doth make me sad.
Duch. What dream'd my lord? tell me, and I'll
requite it
Duch. What say st thou, man? hast thou as yet
conferr'd
With Margery Jourdain, the cunning witch;
And will they undertake to do me good? [higliness
With Roger Bolingbroke, the conjurer?
Hume. This they have promised,-to show your
A spirit rais'd from depth of under ground,
That shall make answer to such questions,
As by your grace shall be propounded him.
Duch. It is enough; I'll think upon the questions;
When from St. Alban's we do make return,
We'll see these things effected to the full.
Here, Hume, take this reward; make merry, man,
With thy confederates in this weighty cause.
Exit Duchess.
Hume. Hume must make merry with the duchess'
gold:
Marry, and shall. But how now, sir John Hume?
Seal up your lips, and give no words but-muin!
The business asketh silent secrecy.
Dame Eleanor gives gold, to bring the witch:
Gold cannot come amiss, were she a devil.
Yet have I gold, flies from another coast:
I dare not say from the rich cardinal,
And from the great and new-made duke of Suffolk;
Yet I do find it so: for, to be plain,
They, knowing dame Eleanor's aspiring humour,
Have hired me to undermine the duchess,
And buz these conjurations in her brain.
They say, A crafty knave does need no broker;
Yet am I Suffolk and the cardinal's broker.
Hume, if you take not heed, you shall go near
Well, so it stands: And thus, I fear, at last,
Hume's knavery will be the duchess' wrack:
And her attainture will be Humphrey's fall:
Sort how it will, I shall have gold for all.
SCENE III.-The same. A Room in the Palace.
Enter Peter, and others, with petitions.
With sweet rehearsal of my morning's dream.
Glo. Methought this staff, mine office-badge in To call them both a pair of crafty knaves.
Was broke in twain; by whom I have forgot,
But, as I think, it was by the cardinal;
And, on the pieces of the broken wand
Were plac'd the heads of Edmund duke of Somerset,
And William de la Poole first duke of Suffolk.
This was my dream; what it doth bode, God knows.
Duch. Tut, this was nothing but an argument,
That he that breaks a stick of Gloster's grove
Shall lose his head for his presumption.
But list to me, my Humphrey, my sweet duke:
Methought, I sat in seat of majesty,
In the cathedral church of Westminster, [crown'd;
And in that chair where kings and queens are
Where Henry, and dame Margaret, kneel'd to me,
And on my head did set the diadem.
Glo. Nay, Eleanor, then must I chide outright:
Presumptuous dame, ill-nurtur'd Eleanor!
Art thou not second woman in the realm:
And the protector's wife, belov'd of him?
Hast thou not worldly pleasure at command,
Above the reach or compass of thy thought?"
And wilt thou still be hammering treachery,
To tumble down thy husband and thyself,"
From top of honour to disgrace's feet?
Away from me, and let me hear no more.
Duch. What, what, my lord! are you so choleric
With Eleanor, for telling but her dream?
Next time, I'll keep my dreams unto myself,
And not be check'd.
Glo. Nay, be not angry, I am pleas'd again.
Enter a Messenger.
Mess. My lord protector, 't is his highness' pleasure,
You do prepare to ride unto St. Alban's,
Whereas the king and queen do mean to hawk.
Glo. I go.-Come, Nell, thou wilt ride with us?
Duch. Yes, my good lord, I'll follow presently.
[Exeunt Gloster and Messenger,
Follow I must, I cannot go before,
While Gloster bears this base and humble mind.
Were I a man, a duke, and next of blood,
I would remove these tedious stumbling-blocks,
And smooth my way upon their headless necks:
And, being a woman, I will not be slack
To play my part in fortune's pageant.
1 Pet. My masters, let 's stand close; my lord protector will come this way by and by, and then we may deliver our supplications in the quill.
2 Pet. Marry, the Lord protect him, for he 's a good man! Jesu bless him i
Enter Suffolk and Queen Margaret.
1 Pet. Here 'a comes, methinks, and the queen with him I'll be the first, sure.
2 Pet. Come back, fool; this is the duke of Suffolk, and not my lord protector.
Suf. How now, fellow? would'st anything with me? 1 Pet. I pray, my lord, pardon me! I took ye for my lord protector,
2. Mar. [Reading the superscription.] To my lord protector!' are your supplications to his lordship? Let me see them; What is thine?
1Pet. Mine is, an 't please your grace, against John Goodman, my lord cardinal's man, for keeping my house, and hands, and wife and all, from me.
Suf. Thy wife too? that is some wrong, indeed.What 's yours? What 's here? [Reads.] Against the duke of Suffolk, for enclosing the commions of Melford,'-How now, sir knave? [whole township. 2 Pet. Alas, sir, I am but a poor petitioner of our ter, Thomas Horner, for saying, That the duke of Peter. [Presenting his petition.] Against my masYork was rightful heir to the crown.
Q. Mar. What say'st thou? Did the duke of York say, he was rightful heir to the crown?
master said, That he was; and that the king was an Peter. That my master was? No, forsooth: my
Suf. Who is there? [Enter Servants.Take this fellow in, and send for his master with a pursuivant presently:-we 'll hear more of your matter before the king. [Exeunt Servants, with Peter. Q. Mar. And as for you that love to be protected Under the wings of our protector's grace,
Where are you there? Sir John! nay, fear not, man, Begin your suits anew, and sue to him.
We are alone; here 's none but thee and I.
'Hume. Jesu preserve your royal majesty!
(Duch. What say'st thou, majesty! I am but grace.
Hume. But, by the grace of God, and Hume's ad-
Your grace's title shall be multiplied. [vice,
[Tears the petition
Away, base cullions I-Suffolk, let them go.
All. Come, let 's be gone. [Exeunt Petitioners.
Q. Mar. My lord of Suffolk, say, is this the guise,
Is this the fashions 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 rann'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-Marias 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 ioves
Are brazen images of canoniz'd saints.
I would the college of the cardinals
Would choose hiin 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 haughty 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 our poverty:
Shall I not live to be aveng'd on her?
Contemptuous base-born callat as she is,
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, madani, 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
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; Duke and
Duchess of Gloster, Cardinal Beaufort, Bucking-
ham, 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 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. All in this presence are thy betters, War-
War. Warwick may live to be the best of all.
Sal. Peace, son; and show some reason, Bucking-
Why Somerset should be preferr'd in this. [ham,
Q. Mar. Because the king, forsooth, will have it so.
Glo. Madam, the king is old enough himself
To give his censure; these are no women's matters.
Q. Mar. If he be old enough, what needs your
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 wrack:
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
Are lank and lean with thy extortion.
Som. Thy sumptuous buildings, and thy wife's at-
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, madain; was it you?
Duch. Was 't I? yea, I it was, proud French-wo-
Could I come near your beauty with my nails, [man:
I'd set my ten commandments in your face.
K. Hen. Sweet aunt, be quiet; 't was against her
will.
[time;
Duch. Against her will! Good king, look to 't in
She 'll hamper thee, and dandle thee like a baby.
Though in this place most master wear no breeches,
She shall not strike dame Eleanor unreveng'd.
Buck. Lord cardinal, I will follow Eleanor,
And listen after Humphrey, how he proceeds:
She 's tickled now: her fuine needs no spurs,
She 'll gallop far enough to her destruction.
[Exit Buckingham.
Glo. Now, lords, my choler being over-blown,
With walking once about the quadrangle,
I come to talk of commonwealth affairs.
As for your spiteful false objections,
Prove them, and I lie open to the law:
But God 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:
Next, if I be appointed for the place,
My lord of Somerset will keep me here,
Without discharge, money, or furniture,
Till France be won into the Dauphin's hands.
Last time, I danc'd attendance on his will,
Till Paris was besieg'd, famish'd, and lost.
War. That can I witness; and a fouler fact
Did never traitor in the land commit.
Suf. Peace, headstrong Warwick!
War. Image of pride, why should I hold my peace?
Enter Servants of Suffolk, bringing in Horner and
Suf. Because here is a man accus'd of treason:
Pray God, the duke of York excuse himself!
York. Doth any one accuse York for a traitor?
K. Hen. What mean'st thou, Suffolk? Tell me :
What are these?
Suf. Please it your majesty, this is the man
That doth accuse his master of high treason:
His words were these ;-that Richard, duke of York,
Was rightful heir unto the English crown;
And that your majesty was an usurper.
K. Hen. Say, man, were these thy words?
Hor. An 't shall please your majesty, I never said
nor thought any such matter: God is my witness, I
am falsely accused by the villain.
Pet. By these ten bones, my lords, [holding up
his hands] he did speak thein to me in the garret
one night, as we were scouring my lord of York's
armour.
York. Base dunghill villain, and mechanical,
I'll have thy head for this thy traitor's speech:-
I do beseech your royal majesty,
Let him have all the rigour of the law.
Hor. Alas, my lord, hang me, if ever I spake the
words. My accuser is my prentice; and when I did
correct him for his fault the other day, he did vow
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