York. Which now they hold by force, and not by

right;

For Richard the first son's heir being dead,

The Issue of the next fon should have reign'd.

Sal. But William of Hatfield dy'd without an heir.

York. The third fon, duke of Clarence, from whose

Line

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

Sal. This Edmond, in the reign of Bolingbroke,
As I have read, laid Claim unto the Crown;
And, but for Owen Glendower, had been King;
Who kept him in captivity, till he dy'd.
But, to the reft

York. His eldest sister, Anne,
My mother, being heir unto the Crown,
Married Richard Earl of Cambridge,
Who was the fon to Edmond Langley,
Edward the Third's fifth fon.

By her I claim the Kingdom; she was heir
To Roger Earl of March, who was the fon
Of Edmond Mortimer, who married Philip,
Sole daughter unto Lionel Duke of Clarence.
So, if the issue of the elder fon
Succeed before the younger, I am King.

War. What plain proceeding is more plain than this?
Henry doth claim the Crown from John of Gaunt,
The fourth fon; York here claims it from the third,
Till Lionel's issue fail, his should not reign;
It fails not yet, but flourisheth in thee
And in thy fons, fair flips of such a stock.
Then, father Salisbury, kneel we together,
And in this private Plot be we the first,
That shall falute our righful Sovereign

With honour of his birth-right to the Crown.

D 2

Both.

Both. Long live our Sov'reign Richard, England's King!

York. We thank you, Lords: but I am not your King, 'Till I be crown'd; and that my sword be stain'd With heart-blood of the House of Lancaster : And that's not fuddenly to be perform'd, But with advice and filent secrecy. Do you, as I do, in these dang'rous days, Wink at the Duke of Suffolk's Infolence, At Beauford's Pride, at Somerset's Ambition, At Buckingham, and all the crew of them; Till they have snar'd the shepherd of the flock. That virtuous Prince, the good Duke Humphry, 'Tis that they feek, and they in seeking that Shall seek their deaths, if York can prophefy.

Sal. My Lord, here break weoff; weknow your mind. War. My heart assures me, that the Earl of Warwick Shall one day make the Duke of York a King.

York. And, Nevill, this I do assure myself, Richard hall live to make the Earl of Warwick The greatest man in England, but the King. [Exeunt.

Changes to a House near Smithfield.

Sound Trumpets. Enter King Henry and Nobles; the Dutchess, Mother Jordan, Southwel, Hume, and Bolinbrook, under guard.

K. Henry. STAND forth, Dam

TAND forth, Dame Eleanor Cobbam,

In fight of God and us your guilt is great;
Receive the fentence of the law for sins,

Such as by God's Book are adjudg'd to death.
- You four from hence to prison back again;

[To the other prisoners.

From thence unto the place of execution.
The Witch in Smithfield shall be burn'd to afhes.
And you three shall be strangled on the gallows.

-You,

-You, Madam, for you are more nobly born,
Despoiled of your honour in your life,
Shall after three days open Penance done,
Live in your country here, in Banishment,
With Sir John Stanley in the Isle of Man.

Elean. Welcome is exile, welcome were my death.
Glo. The law, thou seest, hath judg'd thee, Eleanor;

I cannot justify, whom law condemns.

[Exeunt Eleanor, and the others, guarded.

Mine eyes are full of tears, my heart of grief.
Ah, Humphry! this dishonour in thine age
Will bring thy head with forrow to the ground,
I beseech your Majesty, give me leave to go;
Sorrow would Solace, and my age would Eafe. *

K. Henry. Stay Humphry, Duke of Glo'ster; ere

thou go,

( Give up thy staff; Henry will to himself
Protector be, and God shall be my hope,
My stay, my guide, and lanthorn to my feet.
And go in peace, Humphry, no less belov'd,
Than when thou wert Protector to thy King.
Q. Mar. I fee no reason, why a King of years
Should be to be protected like a child :
God and King Henry govern England's realm :
Give up your staff, Sir, and the king his realm.

*

Glo. My staff? here, noble Henry, is my staff; As willingly do I the fame resign, As e'er thy father Henry made it mine; And even as willing at thy feet I leave it, As others would ambitiously receive it. Farewel, good King; when I am dead and gone, May honourable peace attend thy throne. [Exit Glo'ster.

* Sorrow would folace, and my age would Eafe.] That is, forrow would have, forrow requires folace, and age requires ease.

lines together is displeasing; and when it is confidered that much of this scene is written in rhyme, it will not appear improbable that the author wrote, govern England's helm.

• God and King Henry govern England's realm:) The word realm at the end of two D3

Q. Mar

H

Q. Mar. Why, now is Henry King, and Margret

Queen.

And Humphry, Duke of Glo'ster, scarce himself,
That bears so shrew'd a maim; two pulls at once;
His lady banish'd, and a limb loft off.
This staff of honour raught, there let it stand,
Where best it fits to be, in Henry's hand.

Suf. Thus drops this lofty pine, and hangs his

sprays;

Thus Eleanor's pride dies in her younger days.

York. Lords, let him go. Please it your Majesty,

This is the day appointed for the combat,
And ready are th' appellant and defendant,
The armourer and his man, to enter the lifts,
So please your Highness to behold the fight.

Q. Mar. Ay, good my Lord; for purposely therefore
Left I the court, to fee this quarrel try'd.

K. Henry, A'God's name, see the lifts and all things

fit;

Here let them end it, and God guard the right!
York. I never saw a fellow worse bestead,
Or more afraid to fight, than is th' appellant,
The servant of the armourer, my Lords.

SCENE VI.

Enter at one door the armourer and his neighbours, drinking to bim so much, that he is drunk, and be enters with a drum before him, and his staff with a Sand

3-worse bestead,] In a worse plight.

4 with a Sand-bag fastened to it.] As, according to the old laws of duels, Knights were to fight with the lance and fword; so those of inferior rank fought with an Ebon staff or battoon, to the farther end of which was

fix'd a bag cram'd hard with sand. To this custom Hudibras has alluded in these humourous lines,

Engag'd with money bags, as bold

As men with Sand-bags did of old.

WAREURTON.

bag bag fastened to it; and at the other door his man, with a drum and fand-bag, and prentices drinking to bim.

1 Neigh. Here, neighbour Horner, I drink to you in a cup of fack; and fear not, neighbour, you shall do well enough.

2 Neigh. And here, neighbour, here's a cup of char

neco.s

3 Neigh. And here's a pot of good double beer, neighbour; drink, and fear not your man.

Arm. Let it come, i'faith, and I'll pledge you all; and a fig for Peter.

1 Pren. Here, Peter, I drink to thee, and be not afraid.

2 Pren. Be merry, Peter, and fear not thy master; fight for the credit of the 'prentices.

Peter. I thank you all, drink, and pray for me, I pray you; for, I think, I have taken my last draught in this world. Here, Robin: if I die, I give thee my apron; and, Will, thou shalt have my hammer; and here, Tom, take all the mony that I have. O Lord, bless me I pray God; for I am never able to deal with my master, he hath learn'd fo much fence already.

s a cup of charneco.] On which the Oxford Editor thus criticises in his Index. This seems to bave been a cant word for fome trong liquor, which was apt to bring drunken fellows to the flocks, Since in Spanish Charniegos is a term used for the stocks. It was no cant word, but a common name for a fort of sweet wine, as appears from a passage in a pamphlet, intitled, The discovery of a London Monster, called the black dog of Newgate, printed 1612, Some drinking the neat

wine of Orleance, Some the Gafcony, fome the Bourdeaux. There wanted neither sherry, fack nor charneco, maligo nor amber-colour'd candy, nor liquorish ipocras, brown beloved baflard, fat aligant, or any quick-spirited liquor. And as charneca is, in Spanish, the name of a kind of turpentine tree, I imagine the growth of it was in some diftrict abounding with that tree; or that it had its name from a certain flavour resembling it.

D 4

WARBURTON.

Sal.