York. I thank thee, Clifford: Say, what news with

thee?

look:

Nay, do not fright us with an angry
We are thy fovereign, Clifford, kneel again;
For thy miftaking fo, we pardon thee.

Cliff. This is my king, York, I do not mistake;
• But thou mistak'st me much, to think I do :-
To Bedlam with him! is the man grown mad?
K. Hen. Ay, Clifford; a bedlam and ambitious hu

mour 5

Makes him oppofe himself against his king.

Clif. He is a traitor; let him to the Tower,
And chop away that factious pate of his.
2. Mar. He is arrested, but will not obey;

His fons, he fays, fhall give their words for him.
York. Will you not, fons?

Edw. Ay, noble father, if our words will ferve.

Rich. And if words will not, then our weapons fhall. * Clif. Why, what a brood of traitors have we here! York. Look in a glafs, and call thy image fo; I am thy king, and thou a falfe-heart traitor.Call hither to the ftake my two brave bears", That, with the very fhaking of their chains, * They may astonish these fell lurking curs1; * Bid Salisbury, and Warwick, come to me.

Drums.

a bedlam and ambitious humour-] The word bedlam was not used in the reign of king Henry the Sixth, nor was Bethlehem Hofpital (vulgarly called Bedlam) converted into a houfe or hofpital for lunaticks till the reign of king Henry the Eighth, who gave it to the city of London for that purpose. GREY.

Shakspeare was led into this anachronism by the author of the elder play. MALONE.

Call hither to the ftake my two brave bears,

Bid Salisbury and Warwick come-] The Nevils, earls of Warwick, had a bear and ragged staff for their cognizance. SIR J. HAWK. fell lurking curs:] Curs who are at once a compound of cruelty and treachery. STEEVENS.

3 Bid Salisbury, and Warwick, come to me.] Here in the old play the following lines are found:

King. Call Buckingham, and bid him arm himself.
York. Call Buckingham and all the friends thou haft ;
Both thou and they fhall curfe this fatal hour.

R 3

Buckingham

Drums. Enter WARWICK and SALISBURY, with forces.

Clif. Are these thy bears? we'll bait thy bears to
death,

• And manacle the bear-ward in their chains,
If thou dar'ft bring them to the baiting-place.
Rich. Oft have I feen a hot o'er-weening cur
Run back and bite, because he was withheld9;
Who, being fuffer'd with the bear's fell paw,
Hath clapp'd his tail between his legs, and cry'd:
And fuch a piece of fervice will you do,

*

*If you oppose yourselves to match lord Warwick. Clif. Hence, heap of wrath, foul indigefted lump, *As crooked in thy manners as thy shape!

York. Nay, we fhall heat you thoroughly anon. Clif. Take heed, left by your heat you burn yourselves. *K. Hen. Why, Warwick, hath thy knee forgot to

bow?

Old Salisbury,-fhame to thy filver hair,

Thou mad mif-leader of thy brain-fick fon!—
What, wilt thou on thy death-bed play the ruffian,
* And feek for forrow with thy fpectacles?-
*O, where is faith? O, where is loyalty?
*If it be banish'd from the frofty head,

* Where fhall it find a harbour in the earth ?—
Wilt thou go dig a grave to find out war,
And fhame thine honourable age with blood?
Why art thou old, and want'ft experience?
*Or wherefore doft abuse it, if thou haft it?
For fhame! in duty bend thy knee to me,

Buckingham accordingly enters immediately with his forces. Shak fpeare, we fee, has not introduced him in the present scene, but has availed himfelf of thofe lines below. MALONE.

9 Oft have I feen, &c.] Bear-baiting was anciently a royal fport. See Stow's Account of Queen Elizabeth's amufements of this kind; and Langham's Letter concerning that Queen's Entertainment at Kenelzworth Caftle. PERCY.

- being fuffer'd-] Being fuffer'd to approach to the bear's fell paw. Such may be the meaning. I am not however fure but the poet meant, being in a state of fufferance or pain. MALONE.

* That

That bows unto the grave with mickle age.
* Sal. My lord, I have confider'd with myself
The title of this moft renowned duke ;
And in my confcience do repute his grace
The rightful heir to England's royal feat.

* K. Hen. Haft thou not fworn allegiance unto me?
* Sal. I have.

*K. Hen. Canft thou dispense with heaven for such an oath?

* Sal. It is great fin, to swear unto a fin'; But greater fin, to keep a finful oath. * Who can be bound by any folemn vow To do a murderous deed, to rob a man, To force a spotlefs virgin's chastity, To reave the orphan of his patrimony, To wring the widow from her custom'd right; * And have no other reason for this wrong, * But that he was bound by a folemn oath?

*2. Mar. A fubtle traitor needs no fophifter.

• K. Hen. Call Buckingham, and bid him arm himfelf.

York. Call Buckingham, and all the friends thou haft, I am refolv'd for death, or dignity 2.

'Clif. The first I warrant thee, if dreams prove true. 'War. You were beft to go to bed, and dream again, To keep thee from the tempeft of the field.

Clif. I am refolv'd to bear a greater storm,

Than any thou canst conjure up to-day;

And that I'll write upon thy burgonet 3,

It is great fin, to frear unto a fin ; &c.] We have the fame fentiment in Love's Labour's Loft:

"It is religion, to be thus forfworn."

Again, in King John:

"It is religion that doth make vows kept;

"But thou doft fwear only to be forfworn;

"And most forfworn to keep what thou doft fwear." MALONE.

2 - for death, or dignity.] The folio reads-and dignity. The emendation was made by Mr. Pope. MALONE.

3

- burgonet,] is a belmet. JOHNSON.

Might I but know thee by thy houshold badge.
War. Now by my father's badge, old Nevil's creft,
The rampant bear chain'd to the ragged staff,
This day I'll wear aloft my burgonet,

(As on a mountain top the cedar fhews,
That keeps his leaves in fpight of any ftorm,)
Even to affright thee with the view thereof.
Clif. And from thy burgonet I'll rend thy bear,
And tread it under foot with all contempt,
Defpight the bear-ward that protects the bear.
1. Clif. And fo to arms, victorious father,
To quell the rebels, and their 'complices.
Rich. Fie! charity, for fhame! fpeak not in fpight,
For you fhall fup with Jefu Chrift to-night.

1. Clif. Foul ftigmatick, that's more than thou canst
tell.

• Rich. If not in heaven, you'll furely sup in hell.

SCENE II.

Saint Albans.

[Exeunt feverally.

Alarums; Excurfions. Enter WARWICK.

War. Clifford of Cumberland, 'tis Warwick calls! And if thou dost not hide thee from the bear, Now, when the angry trumpet founds alarm, And dead men's cries do fill the empty air,Clifford, I fay, come forth and fight with me! Proud northern lord, Clifford of Cumberland, Warwick is hoarfe with calling thee to arms.

4

thy houfhold badge.] The folio has boufed badge, owing probably to the transcriber's ear deceiving him. The true reading is found in the old play. MALONE.

5 Foul ftigmatick,] A ftigmatick is one on whom nature has fet a mark of deformity, a ftigma. STEEVENS.

This certainly is the meaning here. A ftigmatick originally and properly fignified a perfon who has been branded with a hot iron for fome crime. See Bullokar's English Expofiter, 1616. MALONE.

Enter

Enter YORK.

How now, my noble lord? what, all a-foot?
York. The deadly-handed Clifford flew my fteed;
But match to match I have encounter'd him,
And made a 'prey for carrion kites and crows
Even of the bonny beast he lov'd fo well.

Enter CLIFFORD.

• War. Of one or both of us the time is come. York. Hold, Warwick, feek thee out fome other chace, For I myself muft hunt this deer to death.

War. Then, nobly, York; 'tis for a crown thou

fight'it.

As I intend, Clifford, to thrive to-day,

It grieves my foul to leave thee unassail'd.

[Exit WARWICK.

Clif. What feeft thou in me, York?? why doft thou

paufe?

• York. With thy brave bearing should I be in love, But that thou art fo faft mine enemy.

Clif. Nor fhould thy prowefs want praise and efteem, But that 'tis fhewn ignobly, and in treason.

6 Even of the bonny beast be lov'd fo well.] In the old play: "The bonniest gray, that e'er was bred in North." MALONE. 7 What fee'st thou in me, York? &c.] Instead of this and the ten following lines, we find thefe in the old play, and the variation is worth noting:

York. Now, Clifford, fince we are fingled here alone,

Be this the day of doom to one of us;

For now my heart hath fworn immortal hate

To thee and all the houfe of Lancaster.

Clif. And here I ftand, and pitch my foot to thine,
Vowing ne'er to ftir till thou or I be slain;

For never fhall my heart be fafe at rest,

Till I have fpoil'd the hateful houfe of York.

[Alarums, and they fight, and York kills Clifford. York. Now Lancaster, fit fure; thy finews fhrink.

Come, fearful Henry, grovefing on thy face,
Yield up thy crown unto the prince of York.

[Exit York. MALONE.

• York.