Speak gentle words, and humbly bend thy knee,

the

Call Edward king, and at his hands beg mercy? And he shall pardon thee these outrages.

WAR. Nay, rather, wilt thou draw thy forces hence,

Confess who set thee up and pluck'd thee down, Call Warwick patron, and be penitent?

And thou shalt still remain the duke of York. GLO. I thought, at least, he would have saidthe king;

Or did he make the jest against his will?

WAR. Is not a dukedom, sir, a goodly gift? GLO. Ay, by my faith, for a poor earl to give: I'll do thee service for so good a gift.

WAR. 'Twas I, that gave the kingdom to thy brother.

K. Eow. Why, then 'tis mine, if but by War

wick's gift.

WAR. Thou art no Atlas for so great a weight: And, weakling, Warwick takes his gift again; And Henry is my king, Warwick his subject.

K. Eow. But Warwick's king is Edward's prisoner:

And gallant Warwick, do but answer this,-
What is the body when the head is off?

GLO. Alas, that Warwick had no more forecast,
But, whiles he thought to steal the single ten,
The king was slily finger'd from the deck!"
You left poor Henry at the bishop's palace,
And, ten to one, you'll meet him in the Tower.
K. EDW. 'Tis even so; yet you are Warwick
still.

GLO. Come, Warwick, take the time; kneel down, kneel down :

Nay, when? strike now, or else the iron cools.
WAR. I had rather chop this hand off at a blow,
And with the other fling it at thy face,
Than bear so low a sail, to strike to thee.

K. EDW. Sail how thou canst, have wind and tide thy friend;

This hand, fast wound about thy coal-black hair, Shall, whiles thy head is warm, and new cut off, Write in the dust this sentence with thy blood,Wind-changing Warwick now can change no more.

Enter OXFORD, with Forces, drum, and colours. WAR. O cheerful colours! see, where Oxford comes !

OXF. Oxford, Oxford, for Lancaster!

[He and his Forces enter the city.

The king was slily finger'd from the deck!] A pack of cards was formerly termed a deck of cards; thus, in "Selimius, Emperor of the Turks," 1594, quoted by Steevens:

"Well, if I chance but once to get the deck
To deal about and shuffle as I would."

Nay, when?] This expression of impatience occurs again in "Richard the Second," and in "The Taming of the Shrew." note (f), p. 449, Vol. I.

See

Taking the red rose out of his hat.] The folio has no stage direc

GLO. The gates are open, let us enter too. K. EDW. So other foes may set upon our backs. Stand we in good array; for they, no doubt, Will issue out again and bid us battle: If not, the city being but of small defence, We'll quickly rouse the traitors in the same. WAR. O, welcome, Oxford! for we want thy help.

Enter MONTAGUE, with Forces, drum, and colours.

MONT. Montague, Montague, for Lancaster! [He and his Forces enter the city. GLO. Thou and thy brother both shall buy this

treason

Even with the dearest blood your bodies bear.

K. EDw. The harder match'd, the greater vic

tory:

My mind presageth happy gain and conquest.

Enter SOMERSET, with Forces, drum, and colours.

SOM. Somerset, Somerset, for Lancaster!

[He and his Forces enter the city. GLO. Two of thy name, both dukes of Somerset, Have sold their lives unto the house of York; And thou shalt be the third, if this sword hold.

Enter CLARENCE, with Forces, drum, and colours.

WAR. And lo, where George of Clarence

sweeps along,

Of force enough to bid his brother battle;
With whom an upright zeal to right prevails,
More than the nature of a brother's love :-
Come, Clarence, come; thou wilt, if Warwick
call.

CLAR. Father of Warwick, know you what this means?

[Taking the red rose out of his hat. Look, here I throw my infamy at thee! I will not ruinate my father's house, Who gave his blood to lime the stones together, And set up Lancaster. Why trow'st thou, Warwick,

That Clarence is so harsh, so blunt,a unnatural, To bend the fatal instruments of war

*

Against his brother and his lawful king?
Perhaps, thou wilt object my holy oath:
To keep that oath, were more impiety
Than Jephtha's, when he sacrific'd his daughter.
I am so sorry for my trespass made,
That, to deserve well at my brother's hands,
I here proclaim myself thy mortal foe;
With resolution, wheresoe'er I meet thee,
(As I will meet thee, if thou stir abroad,)
To plague thee for thy foul misleading me.
And so proud-hearted Warwick, I defy thee,
And to my brother turn my blushing cheeks.-
Pardon me, Edward, I will make ainends ;-
And, Richard, do not frown upon my faults,
For I will henceforth be no more unconstant.

K. EDW. Now welcome more, and ten times
more belov'd,

Than if thou never hadst deserv'd our hate. GLO. Welcome, good Clarence; this is brotherlike.

WAR. O passing traitor, perjur'd, and unjust!
K. EDW. What, Warwick, wilt thou leave the
town, and fight?

Or shall we beat the stones about thine ears?
WAR. Alas, I am not coop'd here for defence!
I will away towards Barnet presently,
And bid thee battle, Edward, if thou dar'st.

K. Edw. Yes, Warwick, Edward dares, and
leads the way :—

Lords, to the field! saint George, and victory! [March. Exeunt.

SCENE II.-A Field of Battle near Barnet.

Alarums and Excursions. Enter KING EDWARD, bringing in WARWICK wounded.

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,

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, And said-Commend me to my valiant brother. And more he would have said; and more he

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.

K. EDW. We are advértis'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; And, as we march, our strength will be augmented In every county as we go along.—

Strike up the drum! cry-Courage! and away. [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;

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?
And, though unskilful, 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,

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?
All these the enemies to our poor bark.
Say, you can swim; alas, 'tis but awhile:
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.
This speak I, lords, to let you understand,
If case some one of you would fly from us,
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,

And make him, naked, 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, 'twere 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.

Q. MAR. Thanks, gentle Somerset ;-sweet Oxford, thanks.

PRINCE. And take his thanks, that yet hath nothing else.

K. EDW. Bring forth the gallant, let us hear
him speak.

What! can so young a thorn begin to prick?—
Edward, what satisfaction canst thou make,
For bearing arms, for stirring up my subjects,
And all the trouble thou hast turn'd me to?

PRINCE. Speak like a subject, proud ambitious
York!

Suppose that I am now my father's mouth;
Resign thy chair, and where I stand kneel thou,
Whilst I propose the self-same words to thee,
Which, traitor, thou wouldst have me answer to.

Q. MAR. Ah, that thy father had been so resolv'd! GLO. That you might still have worn the petticoat,

And ne'er have stol'n the breech from Lancaster.
PRINCE. Let Esop fable in a winter's night;
His currish riddles sort not with this place.
GLO. By heaven, brat, I'll plague ye for that