DRAMATIS PERSONE.

KING EDWARD THE SECOND.

PRINCE EDWARD, his Son, afterwards King Edward the Third.

EARL of KENT, Brother of King Edward the Second. GAVESTON.

WARWICK.

LANCASTER.

PEMBROKE.

ARUNDEL.

LEICESTER.

BERKELEY.

MORTIMER, the elder.

MORTIMER, the younger, his Nephew.

SPENSER, the elder.

SPENSER, the younger, his Son.

ARCHBISHOP of CANTERBURY.

BISHOP of COVENTRY.

BISHOP of WINCHESTER.

BALDOCK.

BEAUMONT.

TRUSSEL.

GURNEY.

MATREVIS.

LIGHTBORN.

SIR JOHN of HAINAULT.

LEVUNE.

RICE AP HOWEL.

Abbot, Monks, Herald, Lords, Poor Men, James, Mower, Champion, Messengers, Soldiers, and Attendants.

QUEEN ISABELLA, Wife of King Edward the Second. Niece to King Edward the Second, daughter of the Duke of Gloucester.

Ladies.

Enter GAVESTON, reading a letter.1

AV. "My father is deceased! Come,

Gaveston,

And share the kingdom with thy dearest friend."

Ah! words that make me surfeit with delight!

What greater bliss can hap to Gaveston

Than live and be the favourite of a king!

Sweet prince, I come; these, these thy amorous lines
Might have enforced me to have swum from France,
And, like Leander, gasped upon the sand,

So thou would'st smile, and take me in thine arms.
The sight of London to my exiled eyes

Is as Elysium to a new-come soul;
Not that I love the city, or the men,

The scene is a street in London,

But that it harbours him I hold so dear--
The king, upon whose bosom let me lie,
And with the world be still at enmity.
What need the arctic people love starlight,
To whom the sun shines both by day and night?
Farewell base stooping to the lordly peers!
My knee shall bow to none but to the king.
As for the multitude, that are but sparks,
Raked up in embers of their poverty;-
Tanti; I'll fawn first on the wind

That glanceth at my lips, and flieth away.
But how now, what are these?

Enter three Poor Men.

Men. Such as desire your worship's service.
Gav. What canst thou do?

1st P. Man. I can ride.

Gav. But I have no horse. What art thou?

2nd P. Man. A traveller.

Gav. Let me see-thou would'st do well

To wait at my trencher and tell me lies at dinner

time;

And as I like your discoursing, I'll have you.

And what art thou?

3rd P. Man. A soldier, that hath served against the Scot.

Gav. Why, there are hospitals for such as you;

I have no war, and therefore, sir, begone.

3rd P. Man. Farewell, and perish by a soldier's hand,

That would'st reward them with an hospital.

Gav. Ay, ay, these words of his move me as much

As if a goose would play the porcupine,

And dart her plumes, thinking to pierce my breast,

But yet it is no pain to speak men fair;
I'll flatter these, and make them live in hope.
You know that I came lately out of France,
And yet I have not viewed my lord the king;
If I speed well, I'll entertain you all,

All. We thank your worship.

[Aside.

[Exeunt.

Gav. I have some business. Leave me to myself.
All. We will wait here about the court.
Gav. Do; these are not men for me:
I must have wanton poets, pleasant wits,
Musicians, that with touching of a string
May draw the pliant king which way I please.
Music and poetry is his delight;

Therefore I'll have Italian masks by night,
Sweet speeches, comedies, and pleasing shows;
And in the day, when he shall walk abroad,
Like sylvan nymphs my pages shall be clad ;
My men, like satyrs grazing on the lawns,
Shall with their goat-feet dance the antic hay.'
Sometime a lovely boy in Dian's shape,
With hair that gilds the water as it glides,
Crownets of pearl about his naked arms,
And in his sportful hands an olive-tree,
To hide those parts which men delight to see,
Shall bathe him in a spring; and there hard by,
One like Acteon pecping through the grove,
Shall by the angry goddess be transformed,
And running in the likeness of an hart

By yelping hounds pulled down, shall seem to die ;-
Such things as these best please his majesty.

Here comes my lord the king, and the nobles

From the parliament.

I'll stand aside.

1 Or heydeguy, a rural dançe,

[Retires.

Enter KING EDWARD, LANCASTER, the Elder Mortimer,

Young MORTIMER, KENT, WARWICK, PEMBROKE, and Attendants.

K. Edw. Lancaster !

Lan. My lord.

Gav. That Earl of Lancaster do I abhor.

[Aside.

K. Edw. Will you not grant me this? In spite of them I'll have my will; and these two Mortimers, That cross me thus, shall know I am displeased. [Aside. E. Mor. If you love us, my lord, hate Gaveston. Gav. That villain Mortimer! I'll be his death. [Aside. Y. Mor. Mine uncle here, this earl, and I myself, Were sworn to your father at his death,

That he should ne'er return into the realm:

And know, my lord, ere I will break my oath,

This sword of mine, that should offend your foes,
Shall sleep within the scabbard at thy need,

And underneath thy banners march who will,
For Mortimer will hang his armour up.

Gav. Mort Dieu!

[Aside.

K. Edw. Well, Mortimer, I'll make thee rue these words. Beseems it thee to contradict thy king?

Frown'st thou thereat, aspiring Lancaster?

The sword shall plane the furrows of thy brows,
And hew these knees that now are grown so stiff.

I will have Gaveston; and you shall know

What danger 'tis to stand against your king.

Gav. Well done, Ned!

[Aside.

Lan. My lord, why do you thus incense your peers,

That naturally would love and honour you

But for that base and obscure Gaveston?
Four earldoms have I, besides Lancaster-
Derby, Salisbury, Lincoln, Leicester,--