Q. Mo. Aye, but, my lord, let me alone for that, For Catherine must have her will in France. As I do live, so surely shall he die,

And Henry then shall wear the diadem;

And if he grudge or cross his mother's will,

I'll disinherit him and all the rest ;

For I'll rule France, but they shall wear the crown: And if they storm, I then may pull them down. Come, my lord, let's go.

SCENE III.

[Exeunt.

Enter five or six PROTESTANTS, with books, and kneel
together. Enter also GUISE, and others.
GUISE. Down with the Hugonots! murder them!
1 PRO. O Monsieur de Guise, hear me but speak!
GUISE. No, villain, no! that tongue of thine,
That hath blasphem'd the holy Church of Rome,
Shall drive no plaints into the Guise's ears,
To make the justice of my heart relent.

Tue! tue! tue! let none escape. [They kill them.
So, drag them away.

[Exeunt.

Enter KING CHARLES, supported by NAVARRE and EPERNOUNE; the QUEEN MOTHER, the CARDINAL, and PLESHE.

CHAR. Oh! let me stay, and rest me here awhile; A griping pain hath seiz'd upon my heart;

A sudden pain, the messenger of death.

Q. Mo. Oh, say not so, thou kill'st thy mother's heart.

CHAR. I must say so, pain forceth me to complain.

NAV. Comfort yourself, my lord, I have no doubt But God will sure restore you to your health.

CHAR. Oh, no, my loving brother of Navarre,
I have deserv'd a scourge, I must confess;
Yet is there patience of another sort,

Than to misdo the welfare of their king:

God grant my nearest friends may prove no worse.
Oh! hold me up, my sight begins to fail,
My sinews shrink, my brain turns upside down,
My heart doth break, I faint and die.

[Dies.

Q. Mo. What? art thou dead, sweet son, speak

to thy mother;

Oh! no, his soul is fled from out his breast,
And he nor hears nor sees us what we do.

My lords, what resteth now for to be done,
But that we presently dispatch ambassadors
To Poland, to call Henry back again,
To wear his brother's crown and dignity?
Epernoune, go, see it presently be done,
And bid him come without delay to us.
EPER. Madam, I will.

[Exit.

Q. Mo. And now, my lords, after these funerals

be done,

We will, with all the speed we can, provide

For Henry's coronation from Polonia.

Come, let us take his body hence.

[The king's body is borne out, and exeunt all but

Navarre and Pleshe.

NAV. And now, Navarre, whilst that these broils

do last,

My opportunity may serve me fit

To steal from France, and hie me to my home;
For here's no safety in the realm for me.

And now that Henry is call'd from Poland,
It is my due, by just succession.

And therefore, as speedily as I can perform,
I'll muster up an army secretly,

For fear that Guise, join'd with the king of Spain,
Might seek to cross me in my enterprise.

But God, that always doth defend the right,
Will shew his mercy, and preserve us still.
PLESHE. The virtues of our poor religion,
Cannot but march, with many graces more,
Whose army
shall discomfort all your foes,
And at the length, in Pampeluna crown
(In spite of Spain, and all the popish pow'r,
That holds it from your highness wrongfully,)
Your majesty her rightful lord and sov'reign.
NAV. Truth, Pleshe, and God so prosper me in
all,

As I intend to labour for the truth,

And true profession of his holy word.

Come, Pleshe, let us away, while time doth serve.

[Exeunt.

SCENE IV.

Trumpets sounded within, and a cry of "Vive le Roi," two or three times.

Enter HENRY, crowned; QUEEN MOTHER, CARDINAL, GUISE, EPERNOUNE, MUGERON, the CUTPURSE, and others.

ALL. Vive le Roi, Vive le Roi.

[A flourish of Trumpets.

Q. Mo. Welcome from Poland, Henry, once

again!

Welcome to France, thy father's royal seat!
Here hast thou a country void of fears;
A warlike people to maintain thy right;
A watchful senate for ordaining laws;
A loving mother to preserve thy state;
And all things that a king may wish besides:
All this, and more, hath Henry with his crown.
CARD. And long may Henry enjoy all this, and

more.

ALL. Vive le Roi, Vive le Roi.

[A flourish of Trumpets. KING. Thanks to you all. The guider of all

crowns,

Grant that our deeds may well deserve your loves;
And so they shall, if fortune speed my will,

And yield our thoughts to height of my deserts.
What say our minions? Think they Henry's heart
Will not both harbour love and majesty ?
Put off that fear, they are already join'd;

No person, place, or time, or circumstance,
Shall slack my love's affection from his bent;
As now you are, so shall you still persist;
Removeless from the favours of your king.

MUGE. We know that noble minds change not

their thoughts,

For wearing of a crown, in that your grace

Hath worn the Poland diadem before

You were invested with the crown of France.

KING. I tell thee, Mugeron, we will be friends,. And fellows too, whatever storms arise.

MUGE. Then may it please your majesty to give me leave.

To punish those that do profane this holy feast.
KING. How mean'st thou that?

[Mugeron cuts off the Cutpurse's ear, for cutting
the gold buttons off his cloak.

CUTP. Oh, Lord, mine ear!

MUGE. Come, sir, give me my buttons, and here's

your ear.

GUISE. Sirrah, take him away.

KING. Hands off, good fellow, I will be his bail For this offence. Go, sirrah, work no more Till this our coronation day be past. And now, our rites of coronation done, What now remains but for awhile to feast, And spend some days in barriers, tournay, tilt, And like disports, such as do fit the court? Let's go my lords, our dinner stays for us.

[Exeunt all but the Queen Mother and Curdinal.