For there, they say, he daily doth frequent, Percy. My lord, some two days since I saw the prince, And told him of these triumphs held at Oxford. Percy. His answer was, he would unto the stews, He would unhorse the lustiest challenger. Boling. As dissolute as desperate; yet, through both I see some sparkles of a better hope, Which elder days may happily bring forth. But who comes here? Aum. Enter AUMERLE, hastily. Boling. What means Where is the king? Our cousin, that he stares and looks so wildly? majesty, I do beseech your To have some conference with your grace alone. Boling. Withdraw yourselves, and leave us here [Exeunt PERCY and Lords. alone. What is the matter with our cousin now? Aum. Forever may my knees grow to the earth, My tongue cleave to my roof within my mouth, 1 This is a very proper introduction to the future character of king Henry V., to his debaucheries in his youth, and his greatness in his manhood, as the Poet has described them. But it has been ably contended by Mr. Luders that the whole story of his dissipation was a fiction. At this period (i. e. 1400) he was but twelve years old, being born in 1388. 2 The folio reads sparks. Boling. Intended, or committed, was this fault? If but the first, how heinous e'er it be, To win thy after-love, I pardon thee. Aum. Then give me leave that I may turn the key, That no man enter till my tale be done. Boling. Have thy desire. [AUM. locks the door. York. [Within.] My liege, beware; look to thyself; Thou hast a traitor in thy presence there. Boling. Villain, I'll make thee safe. Aum. Stay thy revengeful hand; Thou hast no cause to fear. [Drawing. York. [Within.] Open the door, secure, fool-hardy king. Shall I, for love, speak treason to thy face? Open the door, or I will break it open. [BOLINGBROKE opens the door. Enter YORK. Boling. What is the matter, uncle? speak; Recover breath; tell us how near is danger, That we may arm us to encounter it. York. Peruse this writing here, and thou shalt know The treason that my haste forbids me show. Aum. Remember, as thou read'st, thy promise past. I do repent me; read not my name there; My heart is not confederate with my hand. York. 'Twas, villain, ere thy hand did set it down. I tore it from the traitor's bosom, king. Fear, and not love, begets his penitence; Forget to pity him, lest thy pity prove A serpent that will sting thee to the heart. Boling. O, heinous, strong, and bold conspiracy! O, loyal father of a treacherous son! Thou sheer,2 immaculate, and silver fountain, 1 The old copies read "If on," &c. Pope made the alteration. 2 Sheer is pellucid, transparent. VOL. III. 56 Thy overflow of good converts to bad; York. So shall my virtue be his vice's bawd; Thou kill'st me in his life; giving him breath, Boling. What shrill-voiced suppliant makes this eager cry? Duch. A woman, and thine aunt, great king; 'tis I. Speak with me, pity me, open the door; A beggar begs, that never begged before. Boling. Our scene is altered,-from a serious thing, And now changed to The Beggar and the King.-' My dangerous cousin, let your mother in; I know she's come to pray for your foul sin. Enter Duchess. Duch. O king, believe not this hard-hearted man; Love, loving not itself, none other can. York. Thou frantic woman, what dost thou make 2 here? Shall thy old dugs once more a traitor rear? Duch. Sweet York, be patient. liege. Hear me, gentle [Kneels. 1 It is probable that the old ballad of "King Cophetua and the Beggar Maid" is here alluded to. The reader will find it in the first volume of Dr. Percy's Reliques of Ancient Poetry. There may have been a popular interlude on the subject. 2 i. e. "what dost thou do here?" Boling. Rise up, good aunt. Not yet, I thee beseech Duch. Forever will I kneel1 upon my knees, And never see day that the happy sees, Till thou give joy; until thou bid me joy, By pardoning Rutland, my transgressing boy. Aum. Unto my mother's prayers, I bend my knee. [Kneels. York. Against them both, my true joints bended be [Kneels. 2 Ill mayst thou thrive, if thou grant any grace! We pray with heart, and soul, and all beside; Our knees shall kneel till to the ground they grow; Our prayers do out-pray his; then let them have Duch. moy.3 Duch. Dost thou teach pardon pardon to destroy? Ay, my sour husband, my hard-hearted lord, That sett'st the word itself against the word!— 1 Thus the folio. The quarto copies read walk. 2 This line is not in the folio. 3 i. e. excuse me—a phrase used when any thing is civilly declined. Speak, pardon, as 'tis current in our land; Boling. Good aunt, stand up. I do not sue to stand; Pardon is all the suit I have in hand. Boling. I pardon him, as God shall pardon me. Twice saying pardon, doth not pardon twain, Boling. I pardon him. Duch. With all my heart A god on earth thou art. Boling. But for our trusty brother-in-law,3-and the abbot,* With all the rest of that consorted crew, Destruction straight shall dog them at the heels.— new. 1 Thus "chopping churches" is changing one church for another, and chopping logic is discoursing or interchanging logic with another. To chop and change is still a common idiom. The old copies read, "I pardon him with all my heart." The transposition was made by Pope. 3 The brother-in-law meant was John duke of Exeter and earl of Huntingdon (own brother to Edward II.), who had married the lady Elizabeth, Bolingbroke's sister. 4 i. e. the abbot of Westminster. 5 Too, which is not in the old copies, was added by Theobald for the sake of the metre. |