Bolingbroke, under
guard.
&mlquo;K. Hen.
&mlquo;Stand forth, dame Eleanor Cobham, Gloster's wife:
&mlquo;In sight of God, and us, your guilt is great;
&mlquo;Receive the sentence of the law, for sins
&mlquo;Such as by God's book are adjudg'd to death.—
&mast;You four, from hence to prison back again;
[To Jourd. &c,
&mast;From thence, unto the place of execution:
&mast;The witch in Smithfield shall be burn'd to ashes,
&mast;And you three shall be strangled on the gallows.—
&mlquo;You, madam, for you are more nobly born,
&mlquo;Despoiled of your honour in your life,
&mlquo;Shall, after three days' open penance4 note done,
&mlquo;Live in your country here, in banishment,
&mlquo;With sir John Stanley, in the isle of Man.
&mlquo;Duch.
&mlquo;Welcome is banishment, welcome were my death.
-- 221 --
&mast;Glo.
&mast;Eleanor, the law, thou seest, hath judged thee;
&mast;I cannot justify whom the law condemns.—
[Exeunt the Duchess, and the other Prisoners, guarded.
&mlquo;Mine eyes are full of tears, my heart of grief.
&mlquo;Ah, Humphrey, this dishonour in thine age
&mlquo;Will bring thy head with sorrow to the ground!—
&mlquo;I beseech your majesty, give me leave to go;
&mlquo;Sorrow would solace, and mine age would ease5 note.
&mlquo;K. Hen.
&mlquo;Stay, Humphrey duke of Gloster: ere thou go,
&mlquo;Give up thy staff; Henry will to himself
&mlquo;Protector be: and God shall be my hope,
&mlquo;My stay, my guide, and lantern to my feet6 note;
&mlquo;And go in peace, Humphrey; no less belov'd,
&mlquo;Than when thou wert protector to thy king.
&mast;Q. Mar.
&mast;I see no reason, why a king of years
&mast;Should be to be protected like a child.—
&mlquo;God and king Henry govern England's helm7 note
&mlquo;Give up your staff, sir, and the king his realm.
-- 222 --
&mlquo;Glo.
&mlquo;My staff?—here, noble Henry, is my staff:
&mlquo;As willingly do I the same resign,
&mlquo;As e'er thy father Henry made it mine;
And even as willingly at thy feet I leave it,
As others would ambitiously receive it.
&mlquo;Farewell, good king: when I am dead and gone,
May honourable peace attend thy throne!
[Exit.
&mast;Q. Mar.
&mast;Why, now is Henry king, and Margaret queen;
&mast;And Humphrey, duke of Gloster, scarce himself,
&mast;That bears so shrewd a maim; two pulls at once,—
&mast;His lady banish'd, and a limb lopp'd off;
&mast;This staff of honour raught8 note
:—&mlquo;There let it stand,
&mlquo;Where it best fits to be, in Henry's hand.
&mast;Suf.
&mast;Thus droops this lofty pine, and hangs his sprays;
&mast;Thus Eleanor's pride dies in her youngest days9 note
.
-- 223 --
&mlquo;York.
&mlquo;Lords, let him go1 note.—Please it your majesty,
&mlquo;This is the day appointed for the combat;
&mlquo;And ready are the appellant and defendant,
&mlquo;The armourer and his man, to enter the lists,
&mlquo;So please your highness to behold the fight.
&mast;Q. Mar.
&mast;Ay, good my lord; for purposely therefore
&mast;Left I the court, to see this quarrel tried.
&mlquo;K. Hen.
&mlquo;O' God's name, see the lists and all things fit;
&mlquo;Here let them end it, and God defend the right!
&mast;York.
&mast;I never saw a fellow worse bested2 note,
&mast;Or more afraid to fight, than is the appellant,
&mast;The servant of this armourer, my lords.
Enter, on one side, Horner, and his Neighbours,
drinking to him so much that he is drunk; and he
enters bearing his staff with a sand-bag fastened
to it3 note
; a drum before him: at the other side, Peter,
with a drum and a similar staff; accompanied
by Prentices drinking to him.
1 Neigh.
Here, neighbour Horner, I drink to you
-- 224 --
in a cup of sack; And fear not, neighbour, you shall
do well enough.
2 Neigh.
And here, neighbour, here's a cup of
charneco4 note
.
3 Neigh.
And here's a pot of good double beer,
neighbour: drink, and fear not your man.
Hor.
Let it come, i' faith, and I'll pledge you all;
And a fig for Peter!
1 Pren.
Here, Peter, I drink to thee; and be
not afraid.
2 Pren.
Be merry, Peter, and fear not thy master;
fight for credit of the prentices.
Peter.
I thank you all: &mast; drink, and pray for me,
I pray you; for, I think, I have taken my last
draught in this world5 note
.&mast;—Here, Robin, an if I die,
-- 225 --
I give thee my apron; and, Will, thou shalt have my
hammer:—and here, Tom, take all the money that
I have.—O Lord, bless me, I pray God! for I am
never able to deal with my master, he hath learnt
so much fence already.
Sal.
Come, leave your drinking, and fall to
blows.—Sirrah, what's thy name?
Peter.
Peter, forsooth.
Sal.
Peter! what more?
Peter.
Thump.
Sal.
Thump! then see thou thump thy master
well.
Hor.
Masters, I am come hither, as it were,
upon my man's instigation, to prove him a knave,
and myself an honest man: &mast; and touching the
&mast;duke of York,—will take my death, I never
meant him any ill, nor the king, nor the queen:
&mast;And therefore, Peter, have at thee with a downright
blow, &mast; as Bevis of Southampton fell upon Ascapart6 note
.
&mast;York.
&mast;Despatch: this knave's tongue begins to
double7 note
.
-- 226 --
&mast;Sound trumpets, alarum to the combatants.
[Alarum. They fight, and Peter strikes down his Master.
Hor.
Hold, Peter, hold! I confess, I confess
treason.
[Dies.
&mast;York.
&mast;Take away his weapon:—Fellow, thank
-- 227 --
&mast;God, and the good wine in thy master's way.
&mlquo;Peter.
&mlquo;O God! have I overcome mine enemies
in this presence? O Peter, thou hast prevailed
in right!&mrquo;
K. Hen.
Go, take hence that traitor from our sight;
For, by his death, we do perceive his guilt8 note:
And God, in justice, hath reveal'd to us
The truth and innocence of this poor fellow,
Which he had thought to have murder'd wrongfully.—
Come, fellow, follow us for thy reward.
[Exeunt.
James Boswell [1821], The plays and poems of William Shakspeare, with the corrections and illustrations of various commentators: comprehending A Life of the Poet, and an enlarged history of the stage, by the late Edmond Malone. With a new glossarial index (J. Deighton and Sons, Cambridge) [word count] [S10201].
