For thousands more, that yet fufpect no peril,
Will not conclude their plotted tragedy.

Beauford's red fparkling eyes blab his heart's malice,
And Suffolk's cloudy brow his ftormed hate;
Sharp Buckingham unburdens with his tongue.
The envious load that lies upon his heart;
And dogged York, that reaches at the moon,
Whofe over-weening arm I have pluck'd back,
By falfe accufe doth level at my life.

And you, my fovereign lady, with the reft;
Caufelefs have laid difgraces on my head;
And with your best endeavour have stirr'd up,
My's liefeft Liege to be mine enemy:
Ay, all of you have laid your heads together;
(Myfelf had notice of your conventicles)
And all to make away my guiltless life.
I fhall not want falfe witnels to condemn me,
Nor store of treafons to augment my guilt:
The antient proverb will be well effected,
A ftaff is quickly found to beat a dog.

Car. My Liege, his railing is intolerable.
If those, that care to keep your royal perfon
From treafon's fecret knife and traitor's rage
Be thus upbraided, chid and rated at,
And the offender granted fcope of fpeech,
'Twill make them cool in zeal unto your Grace.
Suf. Hath he not twit our fovereign lady here
With ignominious words, though clarkly coucht?
As if the had fuborned fome to swear

Falfe allegations, to o'erthrow his state.

Q. Mar. But I can give the lofer leave to chide.
Glo Far truer fpoke than meant; I lofe indeed;
Befhrew the winners, for they play'd me falfe;
And well fuch lofers may have leave to speak.

Buck. He'll wreft the fenfe, and hold us here all day. -Lord Cardinal, he is your prifoner.

5 Liefeft is dearest.

Car

Car. Sirs, take away the Duke, and guard him fure. Glo Ah, thus King Henry throws away his crutch, Before his legs be firm to bear his body;

Thus is the thepherd beaten from thy fide,

And wolves are gnarling, who fhall knaw thee firft.
Ah, that my fear were falfe! ah, that it were!
For, good King Henry, thy decay I fear. [Exit guarded.

SCENE III.

K. Henry. My Lords, what to your wisdom seemeth beft,

Do or undo as if ourself were here.

Q. Mar. What, will your Highness leave the Parliament ?

K. Henry, Ay, Margaret, my heart is drown'd with

grief,

Whofe Hood begins to flow within my eyes,
My body round engirt with mifery,

For what's more miferable than difcontent ?
Ah, uncle Humphry! in thy face I fee
The map of honour, truth, and loyalty;
And yet, good Humphry, is the hour to come,
That e'er I prov'd thee falfe, or fear'd thy faith.
What low'ring ftar now envies thy estate?
That these great Lords, and Margaret our Queen,
Do feek fubverfion of thy harmless life,
That never didft them wrong, nor no man wrong.
And as the butcher takes away the calf,

And binds the wretch, and beats it when it ftrays,

Bearing

• And as the Butcher takes struggles to get loofe. And fo he elsewhere employs this Word. THIRLEY.

away the Calf,

And binds the wretch, and beats

it when it frays.] But how can it fray when it is bound? The Poet certainly intended, when it strives, i. e. when it

Bearing it to the bloody flaughter-house;
Even fo, remorflefs, have they borne him hence.
And as the dam runs lowing up and down,
Looking the way her harmless young one went,
And can do nought but wail her darling's lofs;
Even fo myfelf bewail good Glo'fter's cafe
With fad unhelpful tears, and with dimm'd eyes
Look after him, and cannot do him good,
So mighty are his vowed enemies..

His fortunes I will weep, and 'twixt each groan
Say, Who's a traitor ? "Glo'fter he is none.

4

[Exit. Q. Mar. 7 Free Lords, cold fnow melts with the fun's hot beams;

Henry my Lord is cold in great affairs,
Too full of foolish pity. Glo'fter's fhew
Beguiles him as the mournful crocodile
With forrow fnares relenting paffengers;
Or as the fnake, roll'd in a flowry bank,
With fhining checker'd flough, doth fting a child
That for the beauty thinks it excellent.
Believe me, Lords, were none more wife than I,
And yet herein I judge my own wit good,

This Glofter fhould be quickly rid the world,

To rid us from the fear we have of him.

Car. That he fhould die, is worthy policy, But yet we want a colour for his death; 'Tis meet, he be condemn'd by courfe of law. Suf. But, in my mind, that were no policy; The King will labour ftill to fave his life, The commons haply rife to fave his life, believe that in this paffage, as in many, there is a confufion of ideas, and that the poet had at once before him a butcher carrying a calf bound, and a butcher driving a calf to the flaughter, and beating him when he did not keep the path. Part of the line was fuggefted by one image and part by ano

ther, fo that frive is the best word, but tray is the right.

7 Free Lords, &c.-] By this fhe means, (as may be seen by the fequel) you, who are not bound up to fuch precife regards of religion as is the King; but are men of the World, and know how to live. WARBURTON.

And

And yet we have but trivial argument,
More than miftruft, that fhews him worthy death.
York. So that by this you would not have him die.
Suf. Ah, York, no man alive fo fain as I.

York.**Tis Fork, that hath more reafon for his death,
But, my Lord Cardinal, and you, my Lord of Suffolk,
Say as you think, and fpeak it from your fouls;
Wer't not all one, an empty eagle were fet

To guard the chicken from a hungry kite,
As place Duke Humphry for the King's protector?
Q. Mar. So the poor chicken fhould be fure of
death,

Suf. Madam, 'tis true; and wer't not madness, then,
To make the fox furveyor of the fold?
Who being accus'd a crafty murderer,
His guilt fhould be but idly posted over,
Because his purpose is not executed.
'No; let him die, in that he is a fox,
By Nature prov'd an enemy to the flock,
Before his chaps be ftain'd with crimson blood,
As Humphry prov'd by reafons to my Liege;
And do not stand on quillets how to flay him,
Be it by ginns, by fnares, by fubtilty,
Sleeping or waking, 'tis no matter how,

* 'Tis York that hath more reafon for his death.] Why York had more reason than the reft for defiring Humphry's death, is not very clear; he had only decided thedeliberationabout the regency of France in favour of Somerfet.

No; let him die, in that he

is a fox By Nature prov'd an enemy to the flock, Before his chaps be fain'd with crimson blood,

As Humphry prov'd by reafons to my Liege.] The meaning of the speaker is not hard to be

difcovered, but his expreffion is very much perplexed. He means that the fox may be lawfully killed, as being known to be by nature an enemy to fheep, even before he has actually killed them; fo Humphry may be properly deftroyed, as being proved by arguments to be the king's enemy. before he has committed any actual crime.

Some may be tempted to read treafons for reafons, but the drift of the argument is to fhew that there may be reafon to kill him before any treafon has broken

out.

E 3

So

So he be dead; for that is good deceit

Which mates him first, that first intends deceit. Owand
Q. Mar. Thrice-noble Suffolk, 'tis refolutely spoke.
Suf. Not refolute except fo much were done;
For things are often spoke and feldom meant,
But that my heart accordeth with my tongue,..
Seeing the deed is meritorious,

And to preserve my Sovereign from his foe,
Say but the word, and I will be his priest,

Car, But I would have him dead, my Lord of
Suffolk,

Ere you can take due orders for a priest...

Say, you confent, and cenfure well the deed, 2
And I'll provide his executioner,

I tender fo the fafety of my Liege.

Suf. Here is my hand, the deed is worthy doing,
Q. Mar. And fo fay I.

York. And I. And now we three, have spoke it,
It skills not greatly who impugns our doom.

Poft. Great Lords, from Ireland am I come amain

To fignify that Rebels there are up,

And put the Englishmen unto the fword.

Send fuccours, Lords, and ftop the rage betime,
Before the wound do grow incurable;

For being green, there is great hope of help.

Car. A breach, that craves a quick expedient ftop -What counfel give you in this weighty caufe? York. That Somerfet be fent a Regent thither; 'Tis meet, that lucky ruler be employ'd ;' Witnels the fortune he hath had in France,