Glo. And yet, methinks, your grace hath not done well,

To give the heir and daughter of Lord Scales

Unto the brother of your loving bride:

She better would have fitted me, or Clarence;

But in your bride you bury brotherhood. 10

Clar. Or else you would not have bestow'd the heir

Of the lord Bonville on your new wife's son,
And leave your brothers to go speed elsewhere.

K. Edw. Alas, poor Clarence! is it for a wife,

That thou art malcontent? I will provide thee.

Clar. In choosing for yourself you show'd your judgment; Which being shallow you shall give me leave

To play the broker in mine own behalf;

And to that end I shortly mind to leave you.

K. Edw. Leave me, or tarry, Edward will be king,

And not be tied unto his brother's will.

Q. Eliz. My lords, before it pleas'd his majesty

To raise my state to title of a queen,

Do me but right, and you must all confess

That I was not ignoble of descent: 11

And meaner than myself have had like fortune.
But as this title honours me and mine,

So your dislikes, to whom I would be pleasing,

Do cloud my joys with danger and with sorrow.
K. Edw. My love, forbear to fawn upon their frowns.
What danger, or what sorrow can befal thee,

So long as Edward is thy constant friend,
And their true sovereign whom they must obey?
Nay, whom they shall obey, and love thee too,
Unless they seek for hatred at my hands;
Which if they do, yet will I keep thee safe,

And they shall feel the vengeance of my wrath.

Glo. I hear, yet say not much, but think the more.

[Aside.

Enter a Messenger.

K. Edw. Now, messenger, what letters, or what news, From France?

Mess. My sovereign liege, no letters, and few words; But such as I, without your special pardon,

Dare not relate.

10) Eure junge Frau lässt Euch Eure Brüder vergessen. 11) Sie war mütterlicherseits mit Heinrich V. verwandt.

12 them.

K. Edw. Go to, we pardon thee: therefore, in brief,
Tell me their words as near as thou canst guess
What answer makes king Lewis unto our letters?

Mess. At my depart these were his very words:
Go tell false Edward, thy 13 supposed king,

That Lewis of France is sending over maskers,

To revel it with him and his new bride."

K. Edw. Is Lewis so brave? belike, he thinks me Henry. But what said lady Bona to my marriage?

Mess. These were her words, utter'd with mild disdain: ,Tell him, in hope he 'll prove a widower shortly,

I'll wear the willow garland for his sake."

K. Edw. I blame not her, she could say little less; She had the wrong: but what said Henry's queen ?

For I have heard, that she was there in place. 14

Mess. "Tell him," quoth she, my mourning weeds are done, 15 And I am ready to put armour on."

K. Edw. Belike, she minds to play the Amazon. But what said Warwick to these injuries?

Mess. He, more incens'd against your majesty Than all the rest, discharg'd me with these words: Tell him from me, that he hath done me wrong, And therefore I'll uncrown him ere 't be long."

K. Edw. Ha! durst the traitor breathe out so proud words?

Well, I will arm me, being thus forewarn'd:

They shall have wars, and pay for their presumption.

But say, is Warwick friends with Margaret?

Mess. Ay, gracious sovereign: they are so link'd in friendship,

That young prince Edward marries Warwick's daughter.

Clar. Belike, the elder; Clarence will have the younger. 16

Now, brother king, farewell, and sit you fast,
For I will hence to Warwick's other daughter;

That, though I want a kingdom, yet in marriage

I may not prove inferior to yourself.
You, that love me and Warwick, follow me.
Glo. Not I.

My thoughts aim at a further matter: I

Stay not for the love of Edward, but the crown.

[Exit CLAR., and Sox. follows.

[Aside.

12) to guess = ungefähr treffen, aus der Erinnerung zusammenbringen.

13) thy in den Qs., in Uebereinstimmung mit den hier wiederholten Worten des französischen Königs (Vgl. A. 3, Sc. 3). Die Fol. hat the, was Rowe zuerst verbesserte.

14) in place am Platze, anwesend.

15) mit meinen Trauerkleidern ist's vorüber. Vgl. A. 3, Sc. 3, Anm. 9.

Die citirten

Worte Margarethens lauten eigentlich (A. 3, Sc. 3) my mourning weeds are laid aside. 16) So steht der Vers in Qs. und Fol. Theobald stellte, indem er mehr der Geschichte als dem Dichter folgte, elder und younger um. Vgl. A. 3, Sc. 3, Anm. 38.

K. Edw. Clarence and Somerset both gone to Warwick!
Yet am I arm'd against the worst can happen,
And haste is needful in this desperate case.
Pembroke, and Stafford, you in our behalf 17
Go levy men, and make prepare for war;
They are already, or quickly will be landed:

Myself in person will straight follow you. [Exeunt PEMBROKE and STAFFORD.

But, ere I go, Hastings, and Montague,

Resolve my doubt. You twain, of all the rest,
Are near to Warwick by blood, and by alliance:
Tell me if you love Warwick more than me?
If it be so, then both depart to him:

19

Mont. So God help Montague as he proves true!
Hast. And Hastings as he favours Edward's cause!
K. Edw. Now, brother Richard, will you stand by us?
Glo. Ay, in despite of all that shall withstand
K. Edw. Why so; then am I sure of victory.
Now therefore let us hence; and lose no hour,
Till we meet Warwick with his foreign power.

SCENE II.

A Plain in Warwickshire.

you.

[Exeunt.

Enter WARWICK and OXFORD with French and other Forces. 1

War. Trust me, my lord, all hitherto goes well:

The common people by numbers swarm to us. 2

Enter CLARENCE and SOMErset.

But, see, where Somerset and Clarence come!

Speak suddenly, my lords, are we all friends?

17) in unserm Namen und in unserem Interesse.

18) Die Antithese ist in den Qs. deutlicher ausgedrückt: I had rather have you open enemies than hollow friends.

19) to withstand = Widerstand leisten, ist dem to stand by

bei Jemandem Stand hal

ten, entgegengestellt. 1) Die Fol. hat Enter Warwick and Oxford in England with French soldiers. Der Zusatz in England wird durch das Auftreten der französischen Soldaten motivirt, die man sich natürlich in Frankreich dachte.

2) Dieser Vers erinnert an einen frühern der Qs., den die meisten Hgg. mit Unrecht in den Text der Fol. gesetzt haben: The common people swarm like summer flies. Vgl. A. 2, Sc. 6, Anm. 4.

Clar. Fear not that, my lord,

War. Then, gentle Clarence, welcome unto Warwick:

And welcome, Somerset. I hold it cowardice,

To rest mistrustful where a noble heart

Hath pawn'd an open hand in sign of love;

Else might I think, that Clarence, Edward's brother,

Were but a feigned friend to our proceedings:

But welcome, sweet Clarence; my daughter shall be thine.

And now what rests, but in night's coverture,

Thy brother being carelessly encamp'd,

His soldiers lurking in the towns 3 about,

And but attended by a simple guard,

We may surprise and take him at our pleasure?
Our scouts have found the adventure very easy:

That as Ulysses, and stout Diomede,
With sleight and manhood

stole to Rhesus' tents,

And brought from thence the Thracian fatal steeds;

So we, well cover'd with the night's black mantle,
At unawares may beat down Edward's guard,
And seize himself; I say not slaughter him,
For I intend but only to surprise him.

You, that will follow me to this attempt,

Applaud the name of Henry with your leader.
Why, then, let 's on our way in silent sort. 5

For Warwick and his friends, God and Saint George!

SCENE III.

[They all cry, HENRY!

[Exeunt.

EDWARD'S Camp near Warwick.

Enter certain Watchmen, to guard the King's tent.

1 Watch. Come on, my masters, each man take his stand:

The king by this is set him down to sleep.

2 Watch. What, will he not to bed?

1 Watch. Why, no; for he hath made a solemn vow

Never to lie and take his natural rest,

Till Warwick or himself be quite suppress'd.

3) Edward's Soldaten waren zerstreut in den verschiedenen Städten der Nachbarschaft untergebracht. Theobald's Verbesserung towns für town in Qs. und Fol erscheint nicht bloss durch den Sinn gefordert, sondern auch durch eine Rede des 3. Watchman in der nächsten Scene But why commands the king, || That his chief followers lodge in towns about him.

*) sleight

=

List, bezieht sich auf Ulysses, und manhood auf Diomede. Eine andere Anspielung auf die Ereignisse des Trojanischen Kriegs kam schon einmal in diesem Drame vor, vgl. A. 3, Sc. 3, Anm. 21.

5) in silent sort == in schweigender Haltung, so dass Niemand von uns ein Wort spricht.

2 Watch. To-morrow then, belike, shall be the day, If Warwick be so near as men report.

3 Watch.

But say, I pray, what nobleman is that,

That with the king here resteth in his tent?

1 Watch. "T is the lord Hastings, the king's chiefest friend. 3 Watch. O! is it so? But why commands the king,

That his chief followers lodge in towns about him,

While he himself keeps in the cold field?

2 Watch. 'T is the more honour, because more dangerous. 3 Watch. Ay, but give me worship and quietness;

I like it better than a dangerous honour.

If Warwick knew in what estate he stands,

"T is to be doubted, he would waken him. 1

1 Watch. Unless our halberds did shut up his passage.

2 Watch. Ay; wherefore else guard we his royal tent,

But to defend his person from night-foes?

Enter WARWICK, CLARENCE, OXFORD, SOMERSET, and Forces. 2
War. This is his tent; and see, where stand his guard.
Courage, my masters! honour now, or never! 3

But follow me, and Edward shall be ours.

1 Watch. Who goes there?

2 Watch. Stay, or thou diest.

[WARWICK, and the rest, cry all WARWICK WARWICK! and set upon the Guard; who fly, crying Arm! Arm! WARWICK, and the rest, following them.

Drums beating, and Trumpets sonnding, re-enter WARWICK, and the rest, bringing the King out in his gown, sitting in a chair: GLOSTER and HASTINGS fly over the stage.

Som.

What are they that fly there?

War. Richard, and Hastings: let them go; here's the duke. K. Edw. The duke! why, Warwick, when we parted last, 5 Thou call'dst me king!

War.

Ay, but the case is alter'd:

When you disgrac'd me in my embassade,

Wenn Warwick wüsste, in welcher Lage König Edward sich befindet, so ist's zu vermuthen, dass er ihn wecken, d. h. überraschen würde. to doubt =

kommt bei Sh. öfter vor.

2) Die Fol. fügt hinzu silent all.

3) Es gilt jetzt Ehre zu erwerben oder niemals.

vermuthen,

4) Sie bringen Edward aus seinem Zelt, in seinem Nachtgewand und auf dem Stuhl, auf

welchem er, seinem vorhererwähnten Gelübde gemäss, der Nachtruhe gepflogen hatte.

-

Diese letzten Bühnenweisungen finden sich in derselben Ausführlichkeit bereits in der Fol.

5) last, das in der Fol. zufällig ausgefallen ist, lässt sich aus den Qs. ergänzen.