Why ask I that? my mangled body shows,

My blood, my want of strength, my sick heart shows,
That I must yield my body to the earth,

And, by my fall, the conquest to my foe.

Thus yields the cedar to the axe's edge,

Whose arms gave shelter to the princely eagle,
Under whose shade the ramping lion slept;

Whose top-branch overpeer'd Jove's spreading tree,

And kept low shrubs from winter's powerful wind.

5

These eyes, that now are dimm'd with death's black veil,
Have been as piercing as the mid-day sun,

To search the secret treasons of the world:

The wrinkles in my brows, now fill'd with blood,

Were liken'd oft to kingly sepulchres; 6

For who liv'd king, but I could dig his grave?

And who durst smile when Warwick bent his brow?
Lo, now my glory smear'd in dust and blood!
My parks, my walks, my manors that I had,
Even now forsake me; and, of all my lands,
Is nothing left me, but my body's length. 7

Why, what is pomp, rule, reign, but earth and dust?
And, live we how we can, yet die we must.

Som.

Enter OXFORD and SOMERRET.

Ah, Warwick, Warwick! wert thou as we are,
We might recover all our loss again.

The queen from France hath brought a puissant power;
Even now we heard the news. Ah, could'st thou fly!
War. Why, then I would not fly.

Ah, Montague!
If thou be there, sweet brother, take my hand,
And with thy lips keep in my soul awhile.
Thou lov'st me not; for, brother, if thou didst,
Thy tears would wash this cold congealed blood,
That glues my lips, and will not let me speak.
Come quickly, Montague, or I am dead.

Som. Ah, Warwick! Montague hath breath'd his last;

And to the latest gasp, cried out for Warwick,

+) whose arms sind die Zweige der Ceder.

8

5) So heisst die Eiche auch in As you like it (A. 3, Sc. 2) it may well be call'd Jove's tree. 6) Wenn Warwick seine Stirn drohend in Runzeln zusammenzog, so galt das als eine schlimme Vorbedeutung für einen König, den Warwick stürzen konnte. Vgl. A. 3, Sc. 3, Anm. 22.

7) d. h. so viel Land, wie mein Körper lang ist, für mein Grab. Die beiden folgenden Zeilen finden sich in den Qs. etwas später, in der letzten Rede Warwick's an Somerset.

*) wärest Du so frisch und gesund wie wir Beide.

And said

„Commend me to my valiant brother."

And more he would have said; and more he spoke,
Which sounded like a cannon in a vault,
That might not be distinguish'd: but, at last,
I well might hear, deliver'd with a groan,
"O, farewell Warwick!"

9

Fly, lords, and save yourselves;

[Dies.

War. Sweet rest his soul!
For Warwick bids you all farewell, to meet in heaven. 10
Oxf. Away, away, to meet the queen's great power!

[Exeunt, bearing off WARWICK's body.

SCENE III.

Another Part of the Field.

Flourish. Enter King EDWARD in triumph; with CLARENCE, GLOSTER, and the rest.

K. Edw. Thus far our fortune keeps an upward course,

And we are grac'd with wreaths of victory.
But, in the midst of this bright-shining day,
I spy a black, suspicious, threat'ning cloud,
That will encounter with our glorious sun,
Ere he attain his easeful western bed:

1

I mean, my lords, those powers, that the queen
Hath rais'd in Gallia, have arriv'd our coast,2
And, as we hear, march on to fight with us.

Clar. A little gale will soon disperse that cloud,

And blow it to the source from whence it came:

Thy very beams will dry those vapours up,

For every cloud engenders not a storm.

Glo. The queen is valu'd thirty thousand strong,

And Somerset, with Oxford, fled to her;

If she have time to breathe, be well assur'd,
Her faction will be full as strong as ours.

9) Sh. unterscheidet hier zwischen to say = etwas sagen, so sprechen, dass der Andre es versteht, und zwischen to speak etwas sprechen, ohne diese Nebenbeziehung des Verstanden werdens. Das spoke wird dann näher dahin charakterisirt, dass es dumpf klang, wie etwa der Schuss aus einem Geschütz in einem Gewölbe, wo der Ton zusammengehalten wird und sich nicht frei entwickeln kann. Das relative that bezieht sich nicht eigentlich auf cannon, sondern auf ein Subsantiv wie sound, das aus dem verbalen sounded zu entnehmen ist. Die Qs. haben clamour für cannon.

10) So lauten diese beiden Verse übereinstimmend in Qs. und Fol.

nehmen aus metrischen Gründen einige Aenderungen damit vor, indem sie lesen: O, farewell Warwick! War. Sweet rest to his soul! || Fly, lords, and save your selves: for Warwick bids || You all farewell, to meet again in heaven.

1) Wiederum eine Anspielung auf die Sonne im Wappenschilde der Yorks.

2) to arrive als transitives Verbum =

öfter bei Sh.

etwas erreichen, an Etwas anlegen, findet sich

K. Edw. We are advertis'd by our loving friends,
That they do hold their course toward Tewksbury.
We, having now the best at Barnet field,
Will thither straight, for willingness rids way; 3
And, as we march, our strength will be augmented

In every county as we go along.

[Flourish. Exeunt.

SCENE IV.

Plains near Tewksbury.

March. Enter Queen MARGARET, Prince EDWARD, SOMERSET, OXFORD, and Soldiers.

Q. Mar. Great lords, wise men ne'er sit and wail their loss,
But cheerly seek how to redress their harms.

What though the mast be now blown over-board,
The cable broke, the holding anchor lost,
And half our sailors swallow'd in the flood;
Yet lives our pilot still: is 't meet that he
Should leave the helm, and, like a fearful lad,

With tearful eyes add water to the sea,

And give more strength to that which hath too much; 1
Whiles in his moan the ship splits on the rock,
Which industry and courage might have sav'd?
Ah! what a shame, ah! what a fault were this.
Say, Warwick was our anchor; what of that?
And Montague our top-mast; what of him?

Our slaughter'd friends the tackles; what of these?
Why, is not Oxford here another anchor,

And Somerset another goodly mast?

The friends of France our shrouds and tacklings? 2
And, though unskiful, why not Ned and I

For once allow'd the skilful pilot's charge?

We will not from the helm, to sit and weep,

But keep our course, though the rough wind say no,

3) ein bereiter, williger Muth schafft den Weg fort, verkürzt die Länge des Marsches. *) Die Qs. schliessen hier mit einem Reimpaar, das in etwas veränderter Fassung die Fol. am Schlusse des vierten Actes hat. Vgl. A. 4, Sc. 8, Anm. 13.

1) Dasselbe Gedankenspiel kehrt öfter bei Sh. wieder, so von einem Hirsch, dessen Thränen in den Bach fallen, in As you like it (A. 2, Sc. 1) the hairy fool || Stood on the extremest edge of the swift brook || Augmenting it with tears, und dann Poor deer Thou makest a testament, as worldings do || Giving thy sum of more to that which had too much.

tacklings ist dreisylbig (tackelings) zu lesen.

From shelves and rocks that threaten us with wreck.

As good to chide the waves, as speak them fair.
And what is Edward but a ruthless sea?

What Clarence but a quicksand of deceit?

And Richard but a ragged fatal rock? 3
All these the enemies to our poor bark.
Say, you can swim; alas! 't is but a while:
Tread on the sand; why, there you quickly sink:
Bestride the rock; the tide will wash you off,
Or else you famish; that 's a threefold death. 4
This speak I, lords, to let you understand,
In case some one of you would fly from us,

5

That there's no hop'd-for mercy with the brothers,
More than with ruthless waves, with sands, and rocks.
Why, courage, then! what cannot be avoided,

'T were childish weakness to lament, or fear.

Prince. Methinks, a woman of this valiant spirit Should, if a coward heard her speak these words, Infuse his breast with magnanimity,

7

And make him, naked, 6 foil a man at arms.
I speak not this, as doubting any here;
For, did I but suspect a fearful man,
He should have leave to go away betimes,
Lest, in our need, he might infect another,
And make him of like spirit to himself.
If any such be here, as God forbid!

Let him depart before we need his help.

Oxf. Women and children of so high a courage,
And warriors faint! why, 't were perpetual shame.
O, brave young prince! thy famous grandfather
Doth live again in thee: long may'st thou live,

To bear his image, and renew his glories!

Som. And he, that will not fight for such a hope,

Go home to bed, and, like the owl by day,

If he arise, be mock'd and wonder'd at.

3) Wie quicksand sich auf das vorhergehende shelves bezieht, so rock auf das vorhergehende rocks.

4) Der dreifache Tod ist: entweder ein Versinken in den Triebsand, oder ein Weggespültwerden von der Klippe, oder endlich ein Hungerssterben auf der Klippe. Genau genommen tritt noch eine vierte Todesart hinzu in den Worten say you can swim; alas! 'tis but a while.

5) scil. there is no more mercy to he hoped-for with the brothers than with ruthless

waves etc.

6) naked

unbewaffnet, ungerüstet. So in Othello (A. 5, Sc. 2) naked as I am I will

assault thee.

7) hielte ich nur einen Mann im Verdacht der Furchtsamkeit.

Q. Mar. Thanks, gentle Somerset: sweet Oxford, thanks.
Prince. And take his thanks, that yet hath nothing else.

Enter a Messenger.

Mess. Prepare you, lords, for Edward is at hand, Ready to fight: therefore, be resolute.

Oxf. I thought no less: it is his policy,

To haste thus fast to find us unprovided.

Som. But he 's deceiv'd: we are in readiness.

Q. Mar. This cheers my heart to see your forwardness.
Oxf. Here pitch our battle; hence we will not budge.

Flourish and March. Enter King EDWARD, CLARENCE, GLOSTER and Forces.

K. Edw. Brave followers, yonder stands the thorny wood, Which, by the heavens' assistance and your strength,

Must by the roots be hewn up yet ere night.

I need not add more fuel to your fire,

8

For, well I wot, ye blaze to burn them out.

Give signal to the fight, and to it, lords.

Q. Mar. Lords, knights, and gentlemen, what I should say, My tears gainsay; 9 for every word I speak,

Ye see, I drink the water of my eye. 10

Therefore, no more but this: Henry, your sovereign,

Is prisoner to the foe; his state usurp'd,

His realm a slaughterhouse, his subjects slain,
His statutes cancell'd, and his treasure spent;
And yonder is the wolf that makes this spoil.
You fight in justice: then, in God's name, lords,
Be valiant, and give signal to the fight.

SCENE V.

Another Part of the Same.

[Exeunt both Armies.

Alarums: Excursions: and afterwards a Retreat. Then enter King EDWARD, Clarence, GlostER, and Forces; with Queen MARgaret, Oxford, and SOMERSET, Prisoners.

E. Edw. Now, here a period of tumultuous broils.

Away with Oxford to Ham's castle straight:

8) them bezieht sich auf thorny wood = das Dorngehölz, als eine Masse von einzelnen Bäumen gefasst, nicht auf by the roots.

9) to gainsay

für nichtig erklären, widerrufen, ist dem to say entgegengestellt.

10) ich vergiesse solche Thränenströme, dass ich sie, wie sie von meinen Augen niederfliessen, wider Willen trinken muss.

1) Ham's castle ist das Schloss Ham in der Picardie.

dafür, Qs. und Fol. Hames.

Die Hgg. schreiben Hammes