War. Depos'd he fhall be, in defpight of thee.

North. Thou art deceiv'd: 'tis not thy fouthern Power Of Effex, Norfolk, Suffolk, nor of Kent,

Which makes thee thus prefumptuous and proud,
Can fet the Duke up in defpight of me.

Clif King Henry, be thy Title right or wrong,
Lord Clifford vows to fight in thy defence;
May that ground gape, and fwallow me alive,
Where I fhall kneel to him, that flew my father!
K. Henry. Oh, Clifford, how thy words revive my
heart!

York. Henry of Lancaster, refign thy Crown:
Wat mutter you, or what confpire you, lords?
War. Do right unto this princely Duke of York,
Or I will fill this Houfe with armed men;

And, o'er the Chair of State, where now he fits,
Write up his title with ufurping blood.

[He ftamps with his foot, and the foldiers fhew themselves! K. Henry. My lord of Warwick, hear me but one word;

Let me but reign in Quiet, while I live.

York. Confirm the Crown to me and to mine heirs, And thou fhalt reign in quiet while thou liv'ft.

K. Henry. I am content: Richard Plantagenet,
Enjoy the Kingdom after my decease.

Clif. What wrong is this unto the Prince your fon
War. What good is this to England and himself?
Weft. Bafe, fearful and defpairing Henry!
Clif. How haft thou injur'd both thy felf and us!!
Weft. I cannot ftay to hear thefe articles.

North. Nor I.

Clif. Come, Coufin, Tet us tell the Queen thefe news. Weft. Farewel, faint hearted and degen'rate King, In whofe cold blood no fpark of honour bides.

North. Be thou a prey unto the Houfe of York; And die in bands for this unmanly deed!

Clif. In dreadful war may't thou be overcome, Or live in peace abandon'd and despis'd !---

[Exeunt Nor. Clif. Westm. War. Turn this way, Henry, and regard them not.

Exe. They feek revenge, and therefore will not yield.
K. Henry. Ah, Exeter!

War. Why should you figh, my lord?

K. Henry. Not for myfelf, lord Warwick, but my fon; Whom I unnaturally thall difinherit.

But be it, as it may; I here entaile

The Crown to thee, and to thine heirs for ever;
Conditionally, that here thou take an oath
To cease this Civil War; and, whilft I live,
To honour me as thy King and Sovereign:
Neither by treafon nor hoftility

To feek to put me down, and reign thyfelf.

York. This oath I willingly take,. and will perform. War. Long live King Henry! Plantagenet, embrace him.

K. Henry. And long live thou, and these thy forward
fons!

York. Now York and Lancafer are reconcil'd.
Exe. Accurft be he, that feeks to make them foes!
[Sennet. Here they come down..
York. Farewel, my gracious lord, I'll to my Caftle.
War. And I'll keep London with my foldiers.
Norf. And I to Norfolk with my followers.
Mont. And I unto the fea, from whence I came.

[Exeunt York, Warwick, Norfolk and Montague.. K. Henry. And I with grief and forrow to the Court. Enter the Queen, and the Prince of Wales.

Exe. Here comes the Queen, whofe looks bewray her anger:

I'll fteal away.

K. Henry. So, Exeter, will I.

[Going

Queen. Nay, go not from me; I will follow thee

K. Henry. Be patient, gentle Queen, and I will stay..
Queen. Who can be patient in fuch extreams?

Ah, wretched man! would I had dy'd a maid,,
And never seen thee, never borne thee fon,
Seeing thou haft prov'd fo unnatural a father.
Hath he deferv'd to lofe his birth-right thus ??
Hadit thou but lov'd him half fo well as I,,

Or

Or felt that pain which I did for him once,
Or nourisht him, as I did with my blood;
Thou wouldst have left thy dearest heart-blood there,
Rather than made that favage Duke thine heir,
And difinherited thine only fon.

If

Prince. Father, you cannot difinherit me :

you be King, why should not I fucceed?

K. Henry. Pardon me, Margʻret; pardon me, sweet

fon;

The Earl of Warwick and the Duke enforc'd me.

Queen. Enforc'd thee? art thou King, and wilt be forc'd?

Ifhame to hear thee speak; ah, tim'rous wretch!
Thou haft undone thy felf, thy fon, and me;
And given unto the House of York fuch head,
As thou shalt reign but by their fufferance.
To entail him and's heirs unto the Crown,
What is it but to make thy Sepulchre,
And creep into it far before thy time?
Warwick is Chancellor, and the lord of Calais;
Stern Faulconbridge commands the narrow feas;
The Duke is made Protector of the Realm;
And yet fhalt thou be fafe ?- fuch fafety finds
The trembling lamb, invironed with wolves.
Had I been there, which am a filly woman,
The foldiers fhould have tofs'd me on their pikes,
Before I would have granted to that Act..
But thou preferr'ft thy life before thine honour:
And, feeing thou doft, I here divorce myself.
Both from thy table, Henry, and thy bed;
Until that Act of Parliament be repealed,
Whereby my fon is difinherited.

The northern lords, that have forfworn thy Colours,,
Will follow mine, if once they see them fpread:
And spread they fhall be, to thy foul difgrace,
And utter Ruin of the House of York.

Thus I do leave thee; come, Son, let's away;.
Our army's ready; come, we'll after them.

K. Henry. Stay, gentle Margaret, and hear me speak,
Queen. Thou haft spoke too much already; get thee
K Henry.

gone.

K. Henry. Gentle fon Edward, thou wilt stay with

me?

Queen. Ay, to be murther'd by his enemies.-
Prince. When I return with victory from the field,
I'll fee your Grace; till then I'll follow her.
Queen. Come, fon, away; we may not linger thus.
[Exeunt Queen and Prince.
K. Henry. Poor Queen, how love to me and to her fon
Hath made her break out into terms of rage!
Reveng'd may fhe be on that hateful Duke,
Whofe haughty fpirit, winged with defire,
Will coft my crown; and like an empty eagle,
Fire on the flesh of me and of my ion!

The lofs of those three lords torments my heart;
I'll write unto them, and intreat them fair;
Come, coufin, you shall be the messenger.

Exe. And, as I hope, fhall reconcile them all.

[Exeunt: SCENE changes to Sandal-Cafile, near Wakefield, in Yorkshire.

Enter Richard, Edward, and Montague..

Rich. DROTHER, though I be youngest, give me LOT

B'

leave.

Edw. No, I can better play the orator.

Mont. But I have reasons strong and forcible.
Enter the Duke of York.

York. Why how now, fons and brother, at a ftrife? What is your quarrel? how began it first ?

Edw No quarrel, but a fweet contention. (2)

Fork. About what?

Rich. About that, which concerns your Grace and us ;

(2) No. Quarrel, but a flight Contention.] Thus the Players, firft, in their Edition; who did not understand, I prefume, the force of the Epithet in the old Quarto, which I have reftor'd;

-fweet Contention. i. e. the Argument of their difpute was upon a grateful Topick; the Question of their Father's immediate Right to the Crown.

The

The Crown of England, father; which is yours.
York. Mine, boy? not 'till king Henry be dead.
Rich. Your Right depends not on his life or death.
Edw. Now you are heir, therefore enjoy it now:
By giving the houfe of Lancafter leave to breathe,
It will out run you, father, in the end.

York I took an oath that he fhould quietly reign. Edw. But for a Kingdom any oath may be broken: I'd break a thousand oaths to reign one year.

Rich. No; God forbid, your Grace fhould be forfworn.

York. I fhall be, if I claim by open war.

Rich. I'll prove the contrary, if you'll hear me speak. York. Thou can't not, fon; it is impoffible.

Rich. An oath is of no moment, being not took

Before a true and lawful magistrate ;

That bath authority o'er him, that swears.
Henry had none; but did ufurp the place.
Then feeing 'twas he that made you to depose,
Your oath, my lord, is vain and frivolous;
Therefore, to arms: and, father, do but think:
How sweet a thing it is to wear a Crown;
Within whofe circuit is Elyfium,

And all that Poets feign of blifs and joy.
Why do we linger thus? I cannot rest,

Until the white Rofe, that I wear be dy'd

Even in the lukewarm blood of Henry's heart.

York. Richard, enough: I will be King, or die..

Brother, thou shalt to London prefently,

And whet on Warwick to this enterprize,

Thou, Richard, fhalt to th' Duke of Norfolk go,

And tell him privily of our intent.

You, Edward, fhall unto my lord Cobham,
With whom the Kentifhmen will willingly rife.
In them I trust; for they are foldiers,

Wealthy and courteous, liberal, full of fpirit. (3)

While

(3) Witty, courteous, liberal, full of spirit.] What a blessed harmonious Line have the Editors given us, and what a pro