GLO. Now, lords, my choler being over-blown, With walking once about the quadrangle, I come to talk of commonwealth affairs. As for your spiteful false objections, Prove them, and I lie open to the law : But God in mercy so deal with my soul, As I in duty love my king and country! But, to the matter that we have in hand :I say, my sovereign, York is meetest man To be your regent in the realm of France.

SUF. Before we make election, give me leave To show some reason, of no little force, That York is most unmeet of any man.

YORK. I'll tell thee, Suffolk, why I am unmeet. First, for I cannot flatter thee in pride; Next, if I be appointed for the place, My lord of Somerset will keep me here, Without discharge, money, or furniture, Till France be won into the Dauphin's hands. Last time, I danc'd attendance on his will Till Paris was besieg'd, famish'd, and lost.

WAR. That I can witness; and a fouler fact Did never traitor in the land commit.

SUF. Peace, head-strong Warwick! WAR. Image of pride, why should I hold my peace?

Enter Servants of SUFFOLK, bringing in HORNER and PETER.

SUF. Because here is a man accus'd of treason; Pray God the duke of York excuse himself!

YORK. Doth any one accuse York for a traitor? K. HEN. What mean'st thou, Suffolk ? tell me, what are these?

SUF. Please it your majesty, this is the man That doth accuse his master of high treason: His words were these;-that Richard, duke of

York,

Was rightful heir unto the English crown;
And that your majesty was an usurper.

K. HEN. Say, man, were these thy words? HOR. An't shall please your majesty, I never said nor thought any such matter: God is my witness, I am faisely accused by the villain.

(*) First folio, fume needs.

a She'll gallop fast enough-] In the old text, we have "farre enough." Corrected by Pope; and by Mr. Collier's annotator. b By these ten bones,-] An old and a very common adjuration: thus, in the Mystery of "Candlemas-Day," 1512, quoted by Steevens:

"But by their bonys ten, thei be to you untrue." Again in Fletcher's "Monsieur Thomas," Act IV. Sc. 2:

PET. By these ten bones," my lords [holding up his hands], he did speak them to me in the garret one night, as we were scouring my lord of York's

armour.

YORK. Base dunghill villain, and mechanical, I'll have thy head for this thy traitor's speech:I do beseech your royal majesty,

Let him have all the rigour of the law.

HOR. Alas, my lord, hang me if ever I spake the words. My accuser is my prentice; and when I did correct him for his fault the other day, he did vow upon his knees he would be even with me: I have good witness of this; therefore, I beseech your majesty, do not cast away an honest man for a villain's accusation.

K. HEN. Uncle, what shall we say to this in

law?

GLO. This doom, my lord, if I may judge. Let Somerset be regent o'er the French, Because in York' this breeds suspicion; And let these have a day appointed them For single combat in convenient place; For he hath witness of his servant's malice: This is the law, and this duke Humphrey's doom. K. HEN. Then be it so.-My lord of Somerset, We make your grace regent over the French. SOM. I humbly thank your royal majesty. HOR. And I accept the combat willingly. PET. Alas, my lord, I cannot fight! for God's sake, pity my case! the spite of man prevaileth against me. O Lord, have mercy upon me! I shall never be able to fight a blow: O Lord, my heart!

GLO. Sirrah, or you must fight, or else be hang'd. [day K. HEN. Away with them to prison; and the Of combat shall be the last of the next month.— Come, Somerset, we'll see thee sent away.

[Exeunt.

a Exorcisms?] Mason was mistaken in asserting that Shakespeare's acceptation of exorcise, to raise spirits, not to lay them, was pécullar to him; it was the ordinary meaning of the word. See Minsheu, Dict. 1617. in voce "Co. juration," and Florio's "World of Words," 1611, under "Esorcisma."

b Well said,-] That is, well done. See note (b), p. 601, Vol. I. e The silent of the night,-] So reads the folio 1623; but

That time best fits the work we have in hand.
Madam, sit you, and fear not; whom we raise,
We will make fast within a hallow'd verge.
[Here they perform the ceremonies appertaining,

and make the circle; BOLINGBROKE OT
SOUTHWELL reads, Conjuro te, &c. It
thunders and lightens terribly; then the
Spirit riseth.

SPIR. Adsum.

M. JOURD. Asmath!

By the eternal God, whose name and power
Thou tremblest at, answer that I shall ask;
For, till thou speak, thou shalt not pass from hence.
SPIR. Ask what thou wilt:-that I had said and

done! d

BOLING. First, of the king: what shall of him become? [Reading out of a paper. SPIR. The duke yet lives that Henry shall depose;

But him outlive, and die a violent death.

[As the Spirit speaks, SOUTHWELL writes the

answer.

BOLING. What fates await the duke of Suffolk ? SPIR. By water shall he die, and take his end,

Steevens and Mason, as well as Mr. Collier's annotator, prefer the lection of the earlier version of the play,

"the silence of the night."

d That I had said and done!] This impatience of Asmath is conformable to the ancient belief that spirits called to earth by spells and incantations were intolerant of question and eager to be dismissed.

ACT I.]

Enter KING HENRY, QUEEN MARGARET, GLOU

CESTER, CARDINAL, and SUFFOLK, with
Falconers hollaing.

Q. MAR. Believe me, lords, for flying at the brook,(1)

I saw not better sport these seven years' day:
Yet, by your leave, the wind was very high;
And, ten to one, old Joan had not gone out.

K. HEN. But what a point, my lord, your falcon made,

And what a pitch she flew above the rest!-
To see how God in all his creatures works!
Yea, man and birds are fain of climbing high.
SUF. No marvel, an it like your majesty,
My lord protector's hawks do tower so well;
They know their master loves to be aloft,
And bears his thoughts above his falcon's pitch.
GLO. My lord, 'tis but a base ignoble mind

a Beat on a crown,-] Thus in "The Tempest," Act V.

Sc. 1:

"Do not infest your mind with beating on The strangeness of this business."

And in "Hamlet," Act III. Sc. 1:

"Whereon his brains still beating."

That mounts no higher than a bird can soar. CAR. I thought as much; he'd be above the clouds. [that? GLO. Ay, my lord cardinal,-how think you by Were it not good your grace could fly to heaven? K. HEN. The treasury of everlasting joy!

CAR. Thy heaven is on earth; thine eyes and thoughts

Beat on a crown, the treasure of thy heart;
Pernicious protector, dangerous peer,
That smooth'st it so with king and commonweal!
GLO. What, cardinal, is your priesthood grown