ACT III.

SCENE I.

A Wood in Lancashire.

Enter Sinklo and Humphry, with cross bows in their hands.

SINKLO.

UNDER this thick-grown brake we'll shroud

ourselves,

For through this laund anon the Deer will come;
And in this covert will we make our Stand,
Culling the principal of all the Deer.

Hum. I'll stay above the hill, fo both may fhoot.
Sink. That cannot be: the noife of thy cross-bow
Will fcare the herd, and fo my thoot is loft:
Here ftand we both, and aim we at the best.
And, for the time fhall not seem tedious,
I'll tell thee what befel me on a day,

In this felf-place where now we mean to ftand.
Hum. Here comes a man, let's stay till he be past.

Enter King Henry, with a prayer-book.

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

love,

pure

To greet mine own land with my wifhful fight:
No, Harry, Harry, 'tis no land of thine,
Thy place is fill'd, thy fcepter wrung from thee;
Thy balm wafht off, wherewith thou waft anointed:
No bending knee will call thee Cafar now,
No humble fuitors press to speak for Right:
No, not a man comes for redrefs to thee;
For how can I help them, and not myself?

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

K. Henry.

K. Henry. Let me embrace these four Adverfities; 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 loft:
For Warwick is a fubtle orator:

And Lewis, a Prince foon won with moving words.
By this account, then, Margaret may win him,
For fhe'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 he's come to beg, Warwick to give :
She, on his left fide, craving aid for Henry;
He, on his right, asking 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 else,
To ftrengthen, 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'st of Kings and
Queens?

K. Henry. More than I seem, and less than I was born to;

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

And

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, so 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 call'd Content ;
A Crown it is, that feldom Kings enjoy.

Hum. Well, if you be a King crown'd with Content,
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 Subjects, fworn in all allegiance,
Will apprehend you as his enemy.

K.Henry. But did you never fwear, and break an oath?
Hum. No, never such 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 Subjects 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,

2

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 guft;
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 fhall be commanded;
And be you Kings, command, and I'll obey.

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

K. Henry,

K. Henry. So would you be again to Henry, If he were seated 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.

S CE NE

Changes to the Palace.

[Exeunt.

II.

Enter King Edward, Gloucefter, Clarence, and

K. Edw.

Lady Gray.

BROTHER of Glo'ster, at St. Alban's

I

This lady's husband, 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 dishonour to deny it her.

K. Edward. 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.

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

Glo. Silence.

1 Sir John Gray,] Vid. Hall, 3d year of Edw. IV. folio 5. It was hitherto falfly printed Richard.

Mr. Pope.
K. Edw.

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 Highness to resolve me now? And what your Pleasure is, fhall fatisfy me.

Glo. Ay, widow? then I'll warrant you all lands,

your

An if what pleases him, fhall pleasure you:
Fight clofer, or, good faith, you'll catch a blow.
Clar. I fear her not, unless the chance to fall.
Glo. God forbid That! for he'll take vantages.
K. Edw. How many children haft thou, widow?
tell me.

Clar. I think, he means to beg a child of her.
Glo. Nay, whip me then: he'll rather give her two.
Gray. Three, my most gracious lord.

Glo. You fhall have four, if you'll be rul❜d by him. K. Edw. 'Twere pity they should lose 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. K. Edw. Now tell me, Madam, do you love your children?

Gray. Ay, full as dearly as I love my self.

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

Gray. To do them good, I would fuftain some 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.