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 shame,

That hath dishonour'd Glo'fter's honeft name.

K. Henry. Well, for this night we will repofe us here: To-morrow toward London back again,

To look into this bufinefs thoroughly,

And call these foul offenders to their answers;

And poife the caufe in Juftice' equal fcales,

Whose beam ftands fure, whofe rightful caufe prevails.

[Flourish. Exeunt. SCENE IV. The Duke of York's Palace. Enter York, Salisbury, and Warwick.

York. Now, my good Lords of Salisbury and Warwick, Our fimple fupper ended, give me leave

In this close walk to fatisfy my self

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 Nevils are thy fubjects to command.

York. Then thus:

Edward the Third, my Lords, had seven fons:
The first, 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 Lancaster;
The fifth was Edmund Langley Duke of York;
The fixth was Thomas Woodstock Duke of Glofter;
William of Windfor was the feventh and last.
Edward the black Prince dy'd before his father,
And left behind him Richard, his only fon,
Who, after Edward the Third's death, reign'd King,
'Till Henry Bolingbroke Duke of Lancaster,
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 you all know,

C 3

Harmless

Harmless King Richard trait'rously was murther'd.
War. Father, the Duke hath told the very truth;
Thus got the house of Lancafter the crown.

York. Which now they hold by force, and not by right: For Richard the firft 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 whose line I claim the crown, had iffue Philippe, a daughter, Who married Edmund Mortimer Earl of March. Edmund had iffue, Roger Earl of March: Rager had iffue, Edmund, Anne, and Eleanor. Sal. This Edmund, 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 fister, Anne,

My mother, being heir unto the crown,
Married Richard Earl of Cambridge,
Who was the fon of Edmund Langley,
Edward the Third's fifth fon's fon, and by her
I claim the kingdom, for fhe then was heir
To Roger Earl of March, who was the fon
Of Edmund Mortimer, who married Philippe,
Sole daughter unto Lionel Duke of Clarence,
So, if the iffue 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 iffue fail, his fhould not reign;

It fails not yet, but flourisheth in thee
And in thy fons, fair flips of fuch a ftock.
Then, father Salisbury, kneel we together,
And in this private plot be we the firft,
That fhall falute our rightful Sovereign

With honour of his birth-right to the crown.

Both. Long live our Sovereign Richard, England's King! York. We thank you, Lords; but I am not your King

"Till I be crown'd, and that my fword be ftain'd
With heart-blood of the houfe of Lancaster:
And that's not fuddenly to be perform'd,
But with advice and filent fecrecy.
Do you, as I do, in these dang'rous days,
Wink at the Duke of Suffolk's infolence,
At Beaufort's pride, at Somerset's ambition,
At Bucking bam, and all the crew of them,
'Till they have fnar'd the fhepherd of the flock,
That virtuous Prince, the good Duke Humphry:
'Tis that they feek, and they in feeking that
Shall find their deaths, if York can prophefiè.

Sal. My Lord, here break we off; we know your mind. War. My heart affures me, that the Earl of Warwick Shall one day make the Duke of York a King.

York. And, Nevile, this I do affure my self: Richard fhall live to make the Earl of Warwick The greatest man in England but the King.

[Exeunt,

SCENE V. A Room of State. Sound trumpets. Enter King Henry, Queen Margaret and ftate, the Dutchefs, Mother Jordan, Southwel, Hume and Bolingbrook, with Guard.

K. Henry. Stand forth, dame Eleanor Cobham, Glo'fter's wife,

In fight of God and us your guilt is great;
Receive the fentence of the law for fins,
Such as by God's book are adjudg'd to death.
You four from hence to prifon back again;
From thence unto the place of execution;
The witch in Smithfield fhall be burn'd to afhes,
And
you three fhall be ftrangled on the gallows,
You, Madam, for you are more nobly born,
Defpoiled 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,
Glou. The law thou feeft hath judg'd thee, Eleanor,

I cannot juftifie whom law condemns.

[Ex, Eleanor and the others guarded.

Mine Eyes are full of tears, my heart of grief.
Ah, Humpbry! this difhonour in thine age
Will bring thy head with forrow to the ground.
'Befeech your Majesty give me leave to go;
Sorrow would folace, and my age would eafe.

K. Henry. Stay, Humphry, Duke of Glofter; ere thou go,
Give up thy staff; Henry will to himself
Protector be, and God fhall be my hope,
My ftay, 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
Should be to be protected like a child:
God and King Henry govern England's realm :
Give up your staff, Sir, and to th' King his realm.
Glou. My ftaff? here, noble Henry, is my staff":
As willingly do I the fame refign,

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.

years

Farewel, good King; when I am dead and gone,
May honourable peace attend thy throne ! [Exit Gloucester.
Q. Mar. Why, now is Henry King, and Marg' ret Queen.
And Humphry Duke of Glo'fter scarce himself,

That bears fo fhrewd a maim; two pulls at once;

His Lady banish'd, and a limb loft off:

This staff of honour raught, there let it ftand,

Where beft it fits to be, in Henry's hand.

Suf. Thus droops this lofty pine, and hangs his sprays, Thus Eleanor's pride dies in her younger days.

York. Lords, let him go. Please it your Majefty,
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 fee the lifts and all things fit; Here let them end it, and God guard the right!

York,

Tork. I never faw a fellow worfe beftead, Or more afraid to fight, than is th' appellant, The fervant of the armourer, my Lords.

SCENE VI.

Enter at one door the Armourer and bis Neighbours, drinking to bim fo much, that he is drunk; and be enters with a drum before him, and bis ftaff with a fand-bag fastned to it; and at the other door bis Man, with a drum and a fand-bag, and Prentices drinking to him.

*

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

2 Neigb. And here, neighbour, here's a cup of charneco. 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 fig for Peter.

I Pren. Here, Peter, I drink to thee, and be not afraid. 2 Pren. Be merry, Peter, and fear not thy mafter; 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 laft 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 blefs me I pray God! for I am never able to deal with my mafter, he hath learn'd so much to fence already.

Sal. Come, leave your drinking, and fall to blows. Sirrah, what's thy name?

Peter. Peter, forfooth.

Sal. Peter? what more?
Peter. Thump.

Sal. Thump? Then fee thou thump thy mafter well. Arm. Mafters, I am come hither as it were upon my man's inftigation, to prove him a knave and my felf an honeft man and touching the Duke of York, I will take my death I never meant him any ill, nor the King nor the

According to the old laws of Duels this was the manner of fighting appointed for inferior people, as thofe of a higher degree ufed the word and lance.

Queen,