Glou. Nay, be not angry, I am pleas'd again.
Enter Meffenger.

Mef. My Lord Protector, 'tis his Highness' pleasure,
You do prepare to ride unto St. Albans,

Whereas the King and Queen do mean to hawk.

Glou. I go: come, Nell, thou too wilt ride with us?
[Exit Gloucefter.
Elean. Yes, my good Lord, I'll follow prefently.
Follow I muft, I cannot go before,
While Glo'fter bears this bafe and humble mind.
Were I a man, a Duke, and next of blood,
I would remove these tedious ftumbling-blocks,
And smooth my way upon their headless necks:
And being a woman, I will not be flack
To play my part in fortune's pageant.

Where are you there? Sir John! nay, fear not, man,
We are alone, here's none but thee and I.

Enter Hume.

Hume. Jefus preferve your Royal Majesty!

Elean. What fay'ft thou? Majefty? I am but Grace. Hume. But by the grace of God, and Hume's advice, Your Grace's title fhall be multiply'd.

Elean. What fay'st thou, man? haft thou as yet conferr'd With Margery Jordan the cunning witch,

And Roger Bolingbrook the conjurer?

And will they undertake to do me good?

Hume. This they have promifed, to fhew your Highness
A Spirit rais'd from depth of under ground,
That fhall make answer to such questions
As by your Grace fhall be propounded him.

Elean. It is enough, I'll think upon the questions:
When from St. Albans we do make return,
We'll fee those things effected to the full.

Here, Hume, take this reward, make merry, man,
With thy confederates in this weighty cause. [Exit Eleanor.
Hume. Hume must make merry with the Dutchefs' gold:
Marry and fhall; but how now, Sir John Hume?
Seal up your lips, and give no words, but mum!
The bufinefs afketh filent fecrecy.

Dame Eleanor gives gold to bring the witch:

Gold

Gold cannot come amifs, were fhe a devil.
Yet have I gold flies from another coaft:
I dare not fay from the rich Cardinal,

And from the great and new-made Duke of Suffolk;
Yet I do find it fo: for to be plain,

They (knowing Eleanor's afpiring humour)
Have hired me to undermine the Dutchess,
And buz these conjurations in her brain.
They fay, a crafty knave does need no broker;
Yet am I Suffolk's and the Cardinal's broker.
Hume, if you take not heed, you shall go near
To call them both a pair of crafty knaves.
Well, fo it ftands; and thus I fear at last,
Hume's knavery will be the Dutchess' wreck,
And her attainture will be Humphry's fall:
Sort how it will, I fhall have gold for all.

[Exit.

SCENE V. The Palace. Enter three or four Petitioners, the Armorer's man being one. 1 Pet. My mafters, let's ftand clofe; my Lord Protector will come this way by and by, and then we may deliver our fupplications in quill.

2 Pet. Marry, the Lord protect him, for he's a good man, Jefu blefs him!

Enter Suffolk and Queen.

1 Pet. Here a' comes methinks, and the Queen with him: I'll be the first fure.

2 Pet. Come back, fool, this is the Duke of Suffolk, and not my Lord Protector.

Suf. How now, fellow, would't any thing with me? 1 Pet. I pray, my Lord, pardon me; I took ye for my Lord Protector.

Q. Mar. To my Lord Protector? [Reading.] Are your fupplications to his Lordship? let me fee them; what is thine?

1 Pet. Mine is, an't pleafe your Grace, against John Goodman, my Lord Cardinal's man, for keeping my house and lands, and wife, and all from me.

Suf. Thy wife too? that's fome wrong indeed. What's yours? what's here? [Reads.] Against the Duke of Suf

B. 2

folk,

folk, for inclofing the Commons of Melford. How Knave?

now, Sir

2 Pet. Alas, Sir, I am but a poor petitioner of our whole township.

3 Pet. Against my mafter, Thomas Horner, for faying, that the Duke of York was rightful heir to the crown.

Q. Mar. What! did the Duke of York say he was rightful heir to the crown?

3 Pet. That my mistress was? no, forfooth ; my mafter faid that he was; and that the King was an ufurper. Suf. Who is there? Take this fellow in, and fend for his mafter with a purfuivant, prefently; we'll hear more of your matter before the King.

[Exit Servant. Q. Mar. And as for you that love to be protected Under the wings of our Protector's grace, Begin your fuits anew, and fue to him.

[Tears the fupplications.

Away, base cullions: Suffolk, let them go.

All. Come, let's be gone.

[Exeunt.

Q. Mar. My Lord of Suffolk, fay, is this the guife?

Is this the fashion in the Court of England?
Is this the government of Britain's Ifle?
And this the royalty of Albion's King?
What, fhall King Henry be a pupil ftill,
Under the furly Glo'fter's governance ?
Am I a Queen in title and in style,
And must be made a subject to a Duke ?
I tell thee, Pole, when in the city Tours
Thou ran'ft a tilt in honour of my love,
And ftol'ft away the ladies hearts of France;
I thought King Henry had refembled thee
In courage, courtship, and proportion :
But all his mind is bent to holiness,
To number Ave Maries on his beads;
His champions are the prophets and apostles,
His weapons holy faws of facred writ,
His ftudy is his tilt-yard, and his loves
Are brazen images of canoniz'd faints.
I would the college of the Cardinals
Would chufe him Pope, and carry him to Rome,

And

And fet the triple crown upon his head!

That were a ftate fit for his holiness.

Suf. Madam, be patient; as I was the caufe Your Highness came to England, fo will I

In England work your Grace's full content.

Mar. Befide the proud Protector, have we Beaufort Th' imperious churchman; Somerfet, 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 Nevills; Salifb'ry and Warwick are no fimple Peers.

6. Mar. Not all these Lords do vex me half so much,
As that proud dame, the Lord Protector's wife :
She fweeps it through the Court with troops of Ladies
More like an Empress than Duke Humphry's wife.
Strangers in Court do take her for the Queen;
She bears a Duke's revenues on her back,
And in her heart fhe fcorns our poverty.
Shall I not live to be aveng'd on her ?
Contemptuous base-born callat as fhe is,
She vaunted 'mong her minions t'other day,
The very train of her worft wearing gown
Was better worth than all my father's lands,
'Till Suffolk gave two Dukedoms for his Daughter.
Suf. Madam, my felf have lim'd a bush for her,
And plac'd a quire of such enticing birds,
That the will light to listen to their lays
And never mount to trouble you again.
So let her reft; and, Madam, lift to me,
For I am bold to counsel you in this;
Although we fancy not the Cardinal,

Yet muft we join with him and with the Lords,
'Till we have brought Duke Humphry 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 your felf fhall fteer the happy helm.

SCENE VI.

To them enter King Henry, Duke Humphry, Cardinal, Buckingham, York, Somerset, Salisbury, Warwick, and the Dutchess.

K. Henry. 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 himfelf in France,
Then let him be deny'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,
Difpute 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 prefence are thy betters, Warwick.
War. Warwick may live to be the best of all.

Sal. Peace, fon; and fhew some reason, Buckingham, Why Somerfet fhould be preferr'd in this.

Q. Mar. Because the King forfooth will have it so. Glou. Madam, the King is old enough himself To give his cenfure: these are no woman's matters. Q. Mar. If he be old enough, what needs your Grace To be Protector of his Excellence ?

Glou. Madam, I am Protector of the Realm,
And at his pleasure will refign my place.

Suf. Refign it then, and leave thine infolence.
Since thou wert King, (as who is King but thou?)
The common-wealth hath daily run to wreck.
The Dauphin hath prevail'd beyond the feas,
And all the Peers and Nobles of the Realm
Have been as bond-men to thy fov'reignty.

Car. The Commons haft thou rack'd, the Clergy's bags

Are lank and lean with thy extortions.

Som. Thy fumptuous buildings, and thy wife's attire, Have coft a mass of publick treafury.

Buck. Thy cruelty in execution

Upon offenders hath exceeded law,

And left thee to the mercy of the law.

Q. Mar. Thy fale of offices and towns in France, If they were known, as the fulpect is great,

2

Would