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Enter King Henry with a prayer-book.

K. Henry. From Scotland am I ftol'n ev'n of pure

love,

To greet mine own land with my wifhful fight.
No, Harry, Harry, 'tis no land of thine,

I

Thy place is fill'd, thy fcepter wrung from thee;
Thy balm wafht oft, wherewith thou waft anointed:
No bending knee will call thee Cafar now,
No humble fuitors prefs to speak for Right,
No, not a man comes for redress to thee;
For how can I help them, and not myself?

Sink. Ay, here's a deer whofe fkin's a keeper's fee.
This is the quondam King, let's feize upon him.,

K. Henry. Let me embrace thefe four Adversities;
For wife men fay, it is the wifeft course.

Hum. Why linger we? let us lay hands upon him.
Sink. Forbear a while, we'll hear a little more.
K. Henry. My Queen and Son are gone to France
for aid.

And, as I hear, the great commanding Warwick

Is thither gone to crave the French King's Sifter
To wife for Edward. If this news be true,
Poor Queen and Son! your labour is but lost,
For Warwick is a fubtle orator,

And Lewis, a Prince foon won with moving words.
-By this account, then, Margaret may win him,
For the's a woman to be pitied much;

Her fighs will make a batt'ry in his breast,
Her tears will pierce into a marble heart,
The Tyger will be mild, while fhe doth mourn,
And Nero would be tainted with remorse,
To hear, and fee her plaints, her brinish tears.
-Ay, but she's come to beg, Warwick to give;

1 Thy balm washt off,]
This is an image very frequent
in the works of Shakespeare. So
again in this Scene,

I was anointed King.

It is common in thefe Plays to find the fame images, whether jocular or ferious, frequently recurring.

M 3

She,

She, on his left fide, craving aid for Henry;
He, on his right, afking a wife for Edward.
She weeps, and fays, her Henry is depos'd;
He fmiles, and fays, his Edward is, inftall'd;
That fhe, poor wretch, for grief can speak no more,
While Warwick tells his Title, fmooths the wrong,
*Inferreth arguments of mighty ftrength,
And in conclufion wins the King from her,
With promife of his fifter, and what elfe,
To strengthen, and fupport King Edward's place.
-O Margret, thus 'twill be, and thou, poor foul,
Art then forfaken, as thou went'st forlorn.,

Hum. Say, what art thou that talk'ft of Kings and
Queens?

K. Henry. More than I feem, and lefs than I was born to;

A man at least, for lefs I fhould not be;

And men may talk of Kings, and why not I?

Hum. Ay, but thou talk'ft, as if thou wert a King.
K. Henry. Why, fo I am in mind, and that's enough,
Hum. But if thou be a King, where is thy Crown?
K. Henry. My Crown is in my heart, not on my
head,

Not deck'd with Diamonds and Indian Stones,
Not to be feen; my Crown is cail'd Content,
A Crown it is, that feldom Kings enjoy.

Hum. Well, if you be a King crown'd with Cons

tent,

Your crown Content and you must be contented
To go along with us. For, as we think,
You are the King, King Edward hath depos'd,
And we his fubjects, fworn in all allegiance,
Will apprehend you as his enemy.

K. Henry. But did you never fwear, and break an
oath?

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Hum. No, never fuch an oath; nor will not now.
K. Henry. Where did you dwell when I was king of
England?

Hum. Here, in this country, where we now remain. K. Henry. I was anointed King at nine months old; My father and my grandfather were Kings,

And you were fworn true fubjects unto me;
And tell me then, have you not broke your oaths?
Sink. No, we were fubjects, but while you were King,
K. Henry. Why am I dead? do I not breathe a
man ?

Ah, fimple men, you know not what
you fwear.
Look, as I blow this feather from my face,
And as the air blows it to me again,
Obeying with my wind when I do blow,
And yielding to another when it blows,
Commanded always by the greater gust,
Such is the lightnefs of you common men.
-But do not break your oaths, for of that fin
My mild intreaty fhall not make you guilty.
Go where you will, the King shall be commanded,
And be you, Kings, command, and I'll obey.

Sink. We are true Subjects to the King, King Edward.

K. Henry So would you be again to Henry,

If he were feated as King Edward is.

Sink. We charge you in God's name, and in the King's,

To go with us unto the officers.

K. Henry. In God's name lead, your King's name be obey'd;

And what God will, that let your king perform;
And what he will, I humbly yield unto.

[Exeunt.

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SCENE II.
II. ...
Changes to the Palace.

Enter King Edward, Gloucester, Clarence, and
Lady Gray,

K. Edw. BR

ROTHER of Glofter, at St. Alban's field

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This lady's hufband, Sir John Gray, was flain,
His land then feiz'd on by the Conqueror;
Her fuit is now to repoffefs thofe lands,
Which we in juftice cannot well deny,
Because, in quarrel of the houfe of York,
The worthy gentleman did lofe his life.

Glo. Your Highness fhall do well to grant her fuit, It were difhonour to deny it her.

K. Edw. It were no lefs; but yet I'll make a pause. Glo. Yea! is it fo?

I fee, the lady hath a thing to grant,

Before the king will grant her humble fuit.

[Afide,

Clar. He knows the game; how true he keeps the wind?

Glo. Silence.

K. Edw. Widow we will confider of your fuit, And come fome other time to know our mind.

Gray. Right gracious Lord, I cannot brook delay, May't please your Highnefs to refolve me now, And what your pleasure is, fhall fatisfy me,

Glo. [Afide.] Ay, widow? then I'll warrant you all your lands,

And if what pleases him fhall pleasure you. -Fight clofer, or, good faith you'll catch a blow. ·Clar. Afide.] I fear her not, unless the chance to fall.

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Glo. [Afide.] God forbid that! for he'll take vantages. K. Edw. How many children haft thou, widow? tell me.

Clar. [Afide.] I think, he means to beg a child of her. Glo. [Afide.] Nay, whip me then: he'll rather give

her two.

Gray. Three, my moft gracious Lord.

Glo. [Afide.] You fhall have four, if you'll be ruled by him.

K. Edw. 'Twere pity they fhould lofe their father's

lands.

Gray. Be pitiful, dread Lord, and grant it then.
K. Edw. Lords, give us leave; I'll try this widow's

wit.

Glo. Ay, good leave have you, for you will have leave; Till youth take leave, and leave you to the crutch. [Gloucester and Clarence retire to the other fide. K, Edw. Now tell me, Madam, do you love your children?

Gray, Ay, full as dearly as I love myself.

K. Edw. And would you not do much to do them good?

Gray. To do them good, I would fuftain fome harm, K. Edw. Then get your husband's lands to do them good.

Gray. Therefore I came unto your Majesty.

K. Edw. I'll tell you how these lands are to be got,
Gray. So fhall you bind me to your Highness' fervice,
K. Edw. What fervice wilt thou do me, if I give
them?

Gray. What you command that refts in me to do,
K. Edw, But you will take exceptions to my boon?
Gray. No, gracious Lord, except I cannot do it,
K. Edw, Ay, but thou canst do what I mean to ask,
Gray. Why, then I will do what your Grace com-
mands.

Glo. He plies her hard, and much rain wears the marble,

Cler,

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