A CT V.

SCENE, in the fields near London.

Enter York, and his army of Irish, with drum and colours.

F

YORK.

ROM Ireland thus comes York to claim his Right,
And pluck the Crown from feeble Henry's head.
Ring, bells, aloud; burn, bonfires, clear and
bright,

To entertain great England's lawful King!
Ah Majefty! who would not buy thee dear?
Let them obey, that know not how to rule.
This hand was made to handle nought but gold.
I cannot give due action to my words,
Except a fword, or fcepter, ballance it.
A fcepter fhall it have, have I a foul,
On which I'll tofs the Flower-de-luce of France.

Enter Buckingham.

Whom have we here? Buckingham to disturb me?
The King hath fent him, fure: I muft diffemble.
Buck. York, if thou meanest well, I greet thee well.
York. Humphry of Buckingham, I accept thy greeting..
Art thou a meffenger, or come of pleasure?

Buck. A meffenger from Henry our dread Liege,
To know the reason of these Arms in Peace?
Or why, thou, being a Subject as I am,
Against thy oath and true allegiance sworn,
Should'ft raise fo great a power without his leave?
Or dare to bring thy force fo near the Court?

York

York. Scarce can I speak, my choler is fo great. I could hew up rocks and fight with flint, am fo angry at these abject terms.

And now, like Ajax Telamonius,

On fheep or oxen could I frend my fury.
I am far better born than is the King:

More like a King, more kingly in my thoughts.
But I must make fair weather yet a while,
Till Henry be more weak and I more strong.
O Buckingham! I pr'ythee, pardon me,
That I have giv'n no answer all this while;
My mind was troubled with deep melancholy.
The caufe, why I have brought this army hither,
Is to remove proud Somerfet from the King,
Seditious to his Grace and to the State.

[Afide

Buck. That is too much prefumption on thy part; But if thy arms be to no other end,

The King hath yielded unto thy demand:

The Duke of Somerfet is in the Tower.

York. Upon thine Honour is he prifoner ?
Buck. Upon mine Honour, he is prifoner.

York. Then, Buckingham, I do difmifs my Powers.
Soldiers, I thank you all; disperse your felves;
Meet me to morrow in St. George's field,

You fhall have Pay and every thing you wish.
And let my Sovereign, virtuous Henry,
Command my eldest fon; nay all my fons,
As pledges of my fealty and love,

I'll fend them all as willing as I live;

Lands, goods, horfe, armour, any thing I have

Is his to ufe, fo Somerfet may die.

Buck. York, I commend this kind fubmiffion, We twain will go into his Highness' tent.

[Exeunt.

SCENE changes to the King's Pavilion.

Enter King Henry, and Attendants.

Re-enter Bucking⚫

ham, and York, attended.

K. Henry. That thus he marcheth with thee arm in

Uckingham, doth York intend no Harm to us,

arm?

York...

York. In all fubmiffion and humility,

York doth present himself unto your Highness.

K. Henry. Then what intend thefe forces thou doft bring? York. To heave the traitor Somerset from hence, And fight agajnft that monftrous Rebel Cade; Whom, fince, I heard to be difcomfited.

Enter Iden with Cade's head.

Iden. If one fo rude, and of fo mean condition,
May pafs into the presence of a King,
Lo, I prefent your Grace a traitor's head;
The head of Cade, whom I in Combat flew.

K. Henry. The head of Cade? great God! how just art thou?

O, let me view his vifage being dead,

That, living, wrought me fuch exceeding trouble. Tell me, my friend; art thou the man, that flew him? Iden. I was, an't like your Majelly.

K. Henry. How art thou call'd? and what is thy degree? Iden. Alexander Iden, that's my name,

A poor Efquire of Kent, that loves the King.

Buck. So please it you, my lord, 'twere not amifs
He were created Knight, for his good fervice.

K. Henry. Iden, kneel down; rife up a Knight:
We give thee for reward a thousand marks,
And will, that thou henceforth attend on us.
Iden. May Iden live to merit fuch a bounty,
And never live but true unto his Liege!

Enter Queen Margaret and Somerset.

K. Henry. See, Buckingham, Somerset comes with the Queen;

Go, bid her hide him quickly from the Duke.

Q. Mar. For thousand Yorks he shall not hide his head, But boldly ftand and front him to his face.

York. How now? is Somerset at liberty?

Then, York, unloofe thy long imprifon'd thoughts,
And let thy tongue be equal with thy heart.
Shall I endure the fight of Somerfet?

Falfe King? why haft thou broken faith with me,

Knowing

Knowing how hardly I can brook abuse?
King did I call thee? no, thou art no King:
Nor fit to govern and rule multitudes,

Which durft not, no, nor canft not rule a traitor.
That head of thine doth not become a Crown:
Thy hand is made to grafp a palmer's staff,
And not to grace an awful princely scepter.
That gold must round engirt these brows of mine,
Whofe fmile and frown (like to Achilles' fpear)
Is able with the change to kill and cure.
Here is a hand to hold a scepter up,

And with the fame to act controlling laws :
Give place; by heav'n, thou fhalt rule no more
O'er him, whom heav'n created for thy ruler.

Som. O monftrous traitor! I arreft thee, York,
Of capital treafon 'gainst the King and Crown;
Obey, audacious traitor, kneel for grace.

York. Sirrah, call in my fons to be my bail; (12) Would't have me kneel? First, let me ask of these, If they can brook I bow a knee to man.

I know, ere they will let me go to Ward,
They'll pawn their fwords for my enfranchisement.
Q. Mar. Call hither Clifford, bid him come amain,
To fay, if that the baftard boys of York

Shall be the Surety for their traitor father.
York. O blood befpotted Neapolitan,

Out caft of Naples, England's bloody scourge !
The Sons of York, thy Betters in their Birth,
Shall be their father's bail, and bale to those (13)
(12) Would't bave me kneel? First, let me ask of these,
If they can brook I bow a knee to man.

Sirrab, call in my Sons to be my bail.] As thefe Lines have hitherto stood, I think the Sense perplex'd and obscure. I have ventur'd to transpose them, and make a slight Alteration, by the Advice of my ingenious Friend Mr. Warburton.

(13) Shall be their Father's Bail, and Bane to those,] Confidering, how our Author loves to play on Words familiar in their Sound, but opposite in their Signification. I make no doubt but I have here restor'd his genuine Reading. Bale, (from whence our common Adjective, baleful) fignifies, Detriment, Ruin, Miffortune, &c.

That

That for my furety will refuse the boys.

Enter Edward and Richard.

See, where they come; I'll warrant, they'll make it good. Enter Clifford.

Q. Mar. And here comes Clifford, to deny their bail. Clif. Health and all Happiness to my lord the King! York. I thank thee, Clifford; fay, what news with

look:

thee?
Nay, do not fright us with an angry
We are thy Sovereign, Clifford, kneel again;
For thy miftaking fo, we pardon thee.

Clif. This is my King, York, I do not mistake;
But thou mistak'ft me much, to think I do;
To Bedlam with him, is the man grown mad?

K. Henry. Ay, Clifford, a Bedlam and ambitious hu

mour

Makes him oppose himself against his King.

Clif. He is a traitor, let him to the Tower,
And crop away that factious pate of his.

Q. Mar. He is arrefted, but will not obey:
His fons, he fays, fhall give their words for him.
York. Will you not, fons?

E. Plan. Ay, noble father, if our words will ferve.
R. Plan. And if words will not, then our weapons
fhall.

Clif. Why, what a brood of traitors have we here? York. Look in a glass, and call thy image fo. I am thy King, and thou a falfe-heart traitor; Call hither to the ftake my two brave bears, That with the very fhaking of their chains They may aftonish these fell-lurking curs; Bid Salisbury and Warwick come to me.

Enter the Earl of Warwick and Salisbury.

Clif. Are these thy bears? we'll bait thy bears to death, And manacle the bearward in their chains,

If thou dar'ft bring them to the baiting-place.

R. Plan