Glo. O Nell, fweet Nell, if thou doft love thy Lord, Banifh the canker of ambitious thoughts; And may that thought, when I imagine ill Against my King and nephew, virtuous Henry, Be my laft breathing in this mortal world!

-My troublous dreams this night do make me fad. Elean. What dream'd my Lord? tell me, and I'l requite it

With fweet rehearsal of my morning's dream.
Gla. Methought this ftaff, mine office-badge in
court,

Was broke in twain; by whom I have forgot;
But, as I think, it was by th' Cardinal;
And on the pieces of the broken wand

Were plac'd the heads of Edmund Duke of Somerfet,
And William de la Pole first Duke of Suffolk.
This was the dream; what it doth bode, God knows.
Elean. Tut, this was nothing but an argument
That he that breaks a stick of Glo'fter's grove,
Shall lofe his head for his prefumption.

But lift to me, my Humphry, my fweet Duke;
Methought I fat in feat of majefty,

In the cathedral church of Westminster,

And in that chair where Kings and Queens were crown'd,

Where Henry and Margret kneel'd to me,
And on my head did fet the diadem.

Glo. Nay, Eleanor, then must Ichide outright,
Prefumptuous dame, ill-nurtur'd Eleanor,
Art thou not fecond woman in the realm,
And the Protector's wife, belov'd of him?
Haft thou not worldly pleafure at command,
Above the reach or compafs of thy thought?
And wilt thou still be hammering treachery,
To tumble down thy hufband and thyfelf,
From top of honour to difgrace's feet?
Away from me, and let me hear no more.
Elean. What, what, my Lord! are you fo choleric
With Eleanor, for telling but her dream?
Next time I'll keep my dreams unto myself,
And not be check'd.

Glo. Nay, be not angry, I am pleas'd again,

Enter Meffenger.

Mef. My Lord-Protector, 'tis his Highness' pleaYou do prepare to ride unto St Albans, [fure Whereas the King and Queen do mean to hawk. Glo. I go. Come, Nell, thou wilt ride with us? Elean. Yes, my good Lord, I'll follow presently. [Exit Gloucefter. Follow I muft, I cannot go before,

While Glofter bears this bafe and humble mind.
Were I a man, a Duke, and next of blood,
I would remove these tedious ftumbling-blocks,
And fmooth 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, We are alone; here's none but thee and I. [man; Enter Humé.

Hume. Jefus preferve your royal Majesty!
Elean What fay'ft thou? Majesty? I am but Grace.
Hume. But by the grace of God, and Hume's ad-
vice,

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
Highness

A fpirit rais'd from depth of under-ground,
That hall make answer to fuch questions
As by your Grace fhall be propounded him.

2

your

Elean. It is enough, I'll think upon the questions. When from St Albans we do make return,

We'll fee thofe things effected to the full.

ere, Hume, take this reward. Make merry, man, With thy confederates in this weighty cause.

Exit Eleanor. Hume. Hume muft make merry with the Duchefs

{{ gold;]

Marry, and shall. But how now, Sir John Hume?
Seal up our lips, and give no words but mum!
The buliness aiketh filent fecrefy.

Dame Eleanor gives gold to bring the witch;
Gold cannot come amifs, were the a devil:
Yet have 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 so: for, to be plain,

They, knowing Dame Eleanor's afpiring humour,
Have hired me to undermine the Duchefs,
And buz thefe 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 fhall go near
To call them both a pair of crafty knaves.
-Well, so it stands; and thus I fear, at laft,
Hume's knavery will be the Duchefs' wreck,
And her attainture will be Humphry's fall.
Sort how it will, 1 fhall have gold for all. [Exit.

SCENE V.

Changes to an Apartment in the Palace.

Enter three or four Petitioners, Peter the Armourer's man being one.

1 Pet. My mafters, let's ftand clofe; my LordProtector 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 firft, fure.

2 Pet. Come back, fool, this is the Duke of Suf folk, and not my Lord Frotector.

Suf. How now, fellow, wouldftany thing with me? 1 Pet. I pray, my Lord, pardon me; I took ye for my Lord Protector.

Q. Mar. Po my Lord Protector, [reading.] Are VOL. VI.

I

your fupplications to his Lordship? Let me fee them what is thine?

1 Pet. Mine is, an't please your Grace, against John Goodman, my Lord Cardinal's man, for keeps ing my houfe 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 Suffolk, for inclofing the commous of Long Melford. How now, Sir Knave?...

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

1

Suf. reads.] Against my master. Thomas Hornet, for faying that the Duke of York was rightful heir to the crown.

Q. Mar. What! did the Duke of York fay he was rightful heir to the crown?7.

Peter. That my matter 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 master with a purfuivant prefently; we'll hear more of your matter before the King. [Exit Peter guarded. 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, bafe cullions.-Suffolk, let them go.

All. Come, let's be gone. [Exeunt Petitioners. 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 still, Under the furly Glo'fter's governance? Am I a Queen in title and in style, And must be made a fubject to a Duke ? I tell thee, Pole, when in the city Tours Thou ran'it a-tilt in honour of my love, And ftol'it 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 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.

2. Mar. Befide the proud Protector, have we Beauford

Th'imperious churchman; Somerfet, Buckingham, And grumbling York: and not the leaft of thefe 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.

Q. Mar. Not all these Lords do vex me half fo

much t

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 the fcorns our poverty.
Shall I not live to be aveng'd on her ?
Contemptuous, bafe-born callat as fhe is,
She vaunted 'mongft her minions 1' other day,
The very train of her worst wearing gown
Was better worth than all my father's lands,.
Till Suffolk gave two dukedoms for his daughter!!
Suf. Madain, myself have lim'd a bush for her,..
And plac'd a quire of fuch enticing birds,
That he will light to listen to their lays,
Aud never mount to trouble you again!
So, let her reftand, Madam, lift to me;
For I am bold to counsel you in this;
Although we fancy not the Cardinal,