K. Henry. Poor Soul! God's goodness hath been great to thee:

Let never day or night unhallowed pass,

But ftill remember what the Lord hath done.

Queen. Tell me, good fellow, cam'ft thou here by chance,

Or of devotion, to this holy fhrine?

Simp. God knows, of pure devotion; being call'd A hundred times and oftner, in my sleep,

By good Saint Alban; who faid," Simpcox, come; (5) "Come, offer at my fhrine, and I will help thee.

Wife. Moft,true, forfooth; and many a time and oft Myfelf have heard a voice to call him fo.

Car. What, art thou lame?

Simp. Ay, God Almighty help me!
Suf. How cam'ft thou fo?

Simp. A fall off of a tree.

Wife. A plum-tree, master.

Glo. How long haft thou been blind?

Simp. O, born fo, master.

Glo What, and would'st climb a tree?

Simp. But once in all my life, when I was a youth. Wife. Too true, and bought his climbing very dear. Glo. Mass, thou lov'dit plums well, that would'st venture fo.

Simp. Alas, good Sir, my wife defir'd fome damfons, And made me climb, with danger of my life.

Glo. A fubtle knave! but yet it shall not serve: Let's fee thine eyes; wink now, now open them ;

(5)

who faid, Simon, come;

Come offer at my Shrine, and I will help thee.] The Editions here are all at odds with the Hiftory.-For why, Simon? The Chronicles, that take notice of Glo'fter's detecting this pretended Miracle, tell us, that the Impoftor, who afferted himfelf to be cur'd of Blindness, was call'd Saunder Simpcox. Simon was therefore a Corruption thro' the Negligence of the Copyifts, and continued by the Indolence of the Editors. Nor have we need of going back to Chronicles to fettle this Point, fince our Poet, in the Course of this very Scene, gives us the Fellow's Names correfpondent with the History.

*In my opinion, yet, thou fee'ft not well.

Simp. Yes, mafter, clear as day; I thank God and Saint Alban.

Glo. Say'ft thou me fo? what colour is this cloak of? Simp. Red, master, red as blood..

Glo. Why, that's well faid: what colour is my gown

of?

Simp. Black, forfooth, coal black, as jet:

K. Henry. Why then thou know't what colour jet is

Suf. And yet, I think, jet did he never fee.
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, mafter.

Glo. What's thine own name ?

Simp. Saunder Simpcox, an if it please you, mafter. Glo. Saunder, fit there, the lying'ft knave in Chriftendom.

If thou hadst been born blind,

Thou might'ft as well know all our names, as thus
To name the feveral colours we do wear.

Sight may diftinguish colours:

But fuddenly to nominate them all,

It is impoffible.

My Lords, Saint Alban here hath done a miracle:
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 mafters of Saint Albans,
Have ye not beadles in your town,
And things call'd whips?

Mayor. Yes, my lord, if it please your Grace.
Glo. Then fend for one presently.

Mayor. Sirrah, go fetch the beadle hither straight.

B. 39

[Exit Mellenger

Glo.

Glo. Now fetch me a ftool hither. Now, Sirrah, if you mean to fave yourself from whipping, leap me over this ftool, and run away.

Simp. Alas, mafter, I am not able to ftand alone: you go about to torture me in vain.

Enter a Beadle with Whips.

Glo. Well, Sir, we must have you find your legs. Sirrah, beadle, whip him 'till he leap over that fame ftool. Bead. I will, my lord. Come on, Sirrah, off with your doublet quickly.

Simp. Alas, mafter, what fhall I do? I am not able to ftand.

[After the beadle bath bit him once, he leaps over the ftool

and runs away; and they follow and cry, A miracle! K. Henry. O God, feeft thou this, and bear'ft fo long! Queen. It made me laugh to fee the villain run. Glo. Follow the knave, and take this drab away. Wife. Alas, Sir, we did it for pure need.

Glo. Let them he whipt through every market town, 'till they come to Berwick, from whence they came. [Exit Beadle with the Woman.

Car. Duke Humphry 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. Henry. What tidings with our coufin Buckingham?
Buck. Such as my heart doth tremble to unfold:
A fort of naughty perfons, lewdly 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 dangeroufly against your ftate;
Dealing with witches and with conjurers,
Whom we have apprehended in the fact,
Raifing up wicked Spirits from under ground;
Demanding of King Henry's life and death,

And

And other of your Highness' privy council,
As more at large your Grace fhall understand.

Car. And fo, my lord Protector, by this means Your lady is forth coming, yet at London. This news, I think, hath turn'd your weapon's edge. 'Tis like, my lord, you will not keep your hour. [Afide to Glo'fter. Glo. Ambitious Church-man, leave t' afflict my heart! Sorrow and grief have vanquish'd all my powers; And vanquim'd as I am, I yield to thee,

Or to the meanest groom.

K. Henry. O God, what mifchiefs work the wicked
ones,

Heaping confufion on their own heads thereby !
Queen. Glofter, fee here the tainture of thy neft,
And look, thy felf be faultlefs, thou wert beft.

Glo. Madam, for myfelf, to heaven I do appeal,
How I have lov'd my King and common-weal:
And for my wife, I know not how it ftands.
Sorry am I to hear what I have heard;
Noble she is; but if the have forgot
Honour and Virtue, and convers'd with fuch
As, like to pitch, defile Nobility;

I banish her my bed and company:

And give her as a prey to law and fhame,

That hath dishonour'd Glofter's honest name.

K. Henry. Well, for this night we will repofe us here;

To morrow toward London back again,

To look into this business thoroughly.

And call these foul offenders to their anfwers ;

And poffe the Caufe in Juftice' equal fcales,

Whofe beam ftands fure, whofe rightful caufe prevails.

[Flourish. Exeunt

SCENE changes to the Duke of York's Palace. Enter York, Salisbury, and Warwick.

York. NOW, my good lords of Salisbury and War

wick,

Our fimple fupper ended, give me leave,

In this close walk to fatisfy myself;

In craving your opinion of my Title,
Which is infallible, to England's Crown.

Sal. My lord, I long to hear it thus at full..
War. Sweet York, begin; and if thy Claim be good,
The Nevills are thy fubjects to command.

York. Then thus:

Edward the Third, my lords, had feven fons:

The firft, Edward the black Prince, Prince of Wales;
The fecond, William of Hatfield; and the third,
Lionel Duke of Clarence; next to whom
Was John of Gaunt, the Duke of Lancafter;
The fifth was Edmond Langley, Duke of York;
The fixth, was Thomas of Woodstock, Duke of Glo'fter s
William of Windfor was the feventh and last.
Edward the black Prince dy'd before his father,
And left behind him Richard, his only son,
Who, after Edward the Third's death, reign'd King
'Till Henry, Bolingbroke, Duke of Lancafer,
The eldest fon and heir of John of Gaunt,
Crown'd by the name of Henry the Fourth,
Seiz'd on the realm; depos'd the rightful King;
Sent his poor Queen to France from whence the came,
And him to Pomfret; where, as all you know,
Harmless King Richard trait'roufly was murther'd..
War. Father, the Duke hath told the truth;
Thus got the house of Lancafter the Crown,

York. Which now they hold by force, and not by right For Richard the first fon's heir being dead,

The Iffue of the next fon fhould have reign'd.

Sal. But William of Hatfield dy'd without an heir.
York. The third fon, Duke of Clarence, from whofe

Line

I claim the Crown, had iffue Philip, a daughter,
Who married Edmond Mortimer, Earl of March.
Edmond had iffue; Roger Earl of March:
Roger had iffue, Edmond, Anne, and Eleanor.

Sal. This Edmond, in the reign of Bolingbroke,
As I have read, laid Claim unto the Crown;
And, but for Qwen Glendour, had been King;

Who