Suffolk.
As by your high imperial majesty
I had in charge at my depart for France,
As procurator to your excellence,
To marry princess Margaret for your grace;
So, in the famous ancient city, Tours,—
In presence of the kings of France and Sicile,
The dukes of Orleans, Calaber, Bretaigne, Alenson,
Seven earls, twelve barons, twenty reverend bishops,—
I have perform'd my task, and was espous'd:
And humbly now upon my bended knee,
In sight of England and her lordly peers,
Deliver up my title in the queen
To your most gracious hand, that are the substance
Of that great shadow I did represent;

The happiest gift that ever marquis gave,
The fairest queen that ever king receiv'd.

Kin.
Suffolk, arise.—Welcome, queen Margaret:
I can express no kinder sign of love,
Than this kind kiss.—O Lord, that lends mel ife,
Lend me a heart replete with thankfulness!
For thou hast given me, in this beauteous face,
A world of earthly blessings to my soul,
If sympathy of love unite our thoughts.

Que.
Great king of England, and my gracious lord;
The mutual conference that my mind hath had—
By day, by night; waking, and in my dreams;
In courtly company, or at my beads,—
With you mine alder-liefest sovereign,
Makes me the bolder to salute my king
With ruder terms; such as my wit affords,
And over-joy of heart doth minister.

Kin.
Her sight did ravish: but her grace in speech,
Her words y-clad with wisdom's majesty,
Makes me, from wond'ring, fall to weeping joys;
Such is the fulness of my heart's content.—
Lords, with one cheerful voice welcome my love.

All.
Long live queen Margaret, England's happiness!

Que.
We thank you all. [Flourish.

Suf.
My lord protector, so it please your grace,
Here are the articles of contracted peace,
Between our sovereign and the French king Charles,
For eighteen months concluded by consent.

Glo. [reads.]

Imprimis, it is agreed between the French king, Charles, and William de la Poole, marquis of Suffolk, embassador for Henry king of England, —that the said Henry shall espouse the lady Margaret, daughter to Reignier king of Naples, Sicily, and Jerusalem; and crown her queen of England, ere the thirtieth of May next ensuing. Item,—that the dutchies of Anjou and Maine shall be released and delivered to the king her fa&lblank;

Kin.
Uncle, how now?

Glo.
Pardon me, gracious lord;
Some sudden qualm hath struck me at the heart,
And dim'd mine eyes, that I can read no further.

Kin.
Uncle of Winchester, I pray, read on.

Car. [Taking the paper from Glo. and reading.]

Item, it is further agreed between them,—that the dutchies of Anjou and Maine shall be released and delivered to the king her father; and she sent over of the king of England's own proper costs and charges, without having any dowry.

Kin.
They please us well.—Lord marquis, kneel you down:
We here create thee the first duke of Suffolk,
And girt thee with the sword.—
Cousin of York, we here discharge your grace
From being regent in the parts of France,
'Till term of eighteen months be full expir'd.—
Thanks, uncle Winchester, Gloster, York, and Buckingham,
Somerset, Salisbury, and Warwick, thanks;
We thank you all for this great favour done,
In entertainment to my princely queen.
Come, let us in; and with all speed provide
To see her coronation be perform'd. [Exeunt King, Queen, and Suffolk.

Glo.
Brave peers of England, pillars of the state,
To you, duke Humphrey must unload his grief,
Your grief, the common grief of all the land.
What! did my brother Henry spend his youth,
His valour, coin, and people, in the wars?
Did he so often lodge in open field,
In winter's cold, and summer's parching heat,
To conquer France, his true inheritance?
And did my brother Bedford toil his wits,
To keep by policy what Henry got?
Have you yourselves, Somerset, Buckingham,
Brave York and Salisbury, victorious Warwick,
Receiv'd deep scars in France and Normandy?
Or hath mine uncle Beaufort, and myself,
With all the learned counsel of the realm,
Study'd so long, sat in the council-house,
Early and late, debating to and fro
How France and Frenchmen might be kept in awe?
Or hath his highness in his infancy
Been crown'd in Paris, in despight of foes;

And shall these labours, and these honours, die?
Shall Henry's conquest, Bedford's vigilance,
Your deeds of war, and all our counsel, die?
O peers of England, shameful is this league!
Fatal this marriage! cancelling your fame;
Blotting your names from books of memory;
Rasing the characters of your renown;
Reversing monuments of conquer'd France;
Undoing all, as all had never been* ^note!

Car.
Nephew, what means this passionate discourse?
This peroration with such circumstance?
For France, 'tis ours; and we keep it still.

Glo.
Ay, uncle, we will keep it, if we can;
But now it is impossible we should:
Suffolk, the new-made duke that rules the roast† ^note,
Hath given the dutchies of Anjou and Maine
Unto the poor king Reignier, whose large style
Agrees not with the leanness of his purse.

Sal.
Now, by the death of him that dy'd for all‡ ^note,
These counties were the keys of Normandy:—
But wherefore weeps Warwick, my valiant son?

War.
For grief that they are past recovery:
For, were there hope to conquer them again,
My sword should shed hot blood, mine eyes no tears.
Anjou and Maine! myself did win them both;
Those provinces these arms of mine did conquer:
And are the cities, that I got with wounds,
Deliver'd up again with peaceful words?
Mort Dieu!

Yor.
For Suffolk's duke—may he be suffocate,
That dims the honour of this warlike isle!
France should have torn and rent my very heart,
Before I would have yielded to this league.

I never read but England's kings have had,
Large sums of gold, and dowries, with their wives:
And our king Henry gives away his own,
To match with her that brings no vantages.

Glo.
A proper jest, and never heard before,
That Suffolk should demand a whole fifteenth,
For costs and charges in transporting her!
She should have stay'd in France, and starv'd in France,
Before—

Car.
My lord of Gloster, now you grow too hot;
It was the pleasure of my lord the king.

Glo.
My lord of Winchester, I know your mind;
'Tis not my speeches that you do mislike,
But 'tis my presence that doth trouble you.
Rancour will out, proud prelate; in thy face
I see thy fury: if I longer stay,
We shall begin our ancient bickerings:—
Lordings, farewel; and say, when I am gone,
I prophesy'd—France will be lost ere long. [Exit.

Car.
So, there goes our protector in a rage.
'Tis known to you, he is mine enemy:
Nay, more, an enemy unto you all;
And no great friend, I fear me, to the king.
Consider, lords,—he is the next of blood,
And heir apparent to the English crown;
Had Henry got an empire by his marriage,
And all the wealthy kingdoms of the west,
There's reason he should be displeas'd at it:
Look to it, lords; let not his smoothing words
Bewitch your hearts; be wise, and circumspect.
What though the common people favour him,
Calling him—Humphrey, the good duke of Gloster;
Clapping their hands, and crying with loud voice—
Heav'n maintain your royal excellence!
With—Heav'n preserve the good duke Humphrey!
I fear me, lords, for all this flattering gloss,
He will be found a dangerous protector* ^note.

Buc.
Why should he then protect our sovereign,
He being of age to govern of himself?—
Cousin of Somerset, join you with me,
And all together,—with the duke of Suffolk,—
We quickly hoise duke Humphrey from his seat.

Car.
This weighty business will not brook delay;
I'll to the duke of Suffolk presently. [Exit.

Som.
Cousin of Buckingham, though Humphrey's pride,
And greatness of his place be grief to us,
Yet let us watch the haughty cardinal;
His insolence is more intolerable
Than all the princes in the land beside;
If Gloster be displac'd, he'll be protector.

Buc.
Thou or I, Somerset, will be protector,
Despight duke Humphrey, or the cardinal* ^note. [Exeunt Buc. and Som.

Sal.
Pride goes before, ambition follows him.
While these do labour for their own preferment,
Behoves it us to labour for the realm.
I never saw but Humphrey duke of Gloster
Did bear him like a noble gentleman:
Oft have I seen the haughty cardinal—
More like a soldier, than a man o'the church;
As stout, and proud, as he were lord of all,—
Swear like a ruffian, and demean himself
Unlike the ruler of a common-weal.—
Warwick, my son, the comfort of my age,
Thy deeds, thy plainness, and thy housekeeping,
Hath won the greatest favour of the commons,
Excepting none but good duke Humphrey:—
And, brother York, thy acts in Ireland,
In bringing them to civil discipline;
Thy late exploits done in the heart of France,
When thou wert regent for our sovereign,
Have made thee fear'd, and honour'd, of the people:—
Join we together for the public good;
In what we can, to bridle and suppress
The pride of Suffolk, and the cardinal,

With Somerset's and Buckingham's ambition;
And, as we may, cherish duke Humphrey's deeds,
While they do tend to profit of the land.

War.
So Heav'n help Warwick, as he loves the land,
And common profit of his country.

Yor.
And so says York, for he hath greatest cause.

Sal.
Then let's make haste, and look unto the main.

War.
Unto the main! O, father, Maine is lost;
That Maine, which by main force Warwick did win,
And would have kept, so long as breath did last:
Main chance, father, you meant; but I meant, Maine;
Which I will win from France, or else be slain. [Exeunt War. and Sal.

&blquo;Yor.
&blquo;Anjou and Maine, are given to the French;
&blquo;Paris is lost; the state of Normandy
&blquo;Stands on a tickle point, now they are gone:
&blquo;Suffolk concluded on the articles;
&blquo;The peers agreed; and Henry was well pleas'd,
&blquo;To change two dukedoms for a duke's fair daughter.
&blquo;I cannot blame them all; What is't to them?
&blquo;'Tis thine they give away, and not their own.
&blquo;Pirates may make cheap penn'worth of their pillage,
&blquo;And purchase friends, and give to courtezans,
&blquo;Still revelling, like lords, 'till all be gone:
&blquo;While as the silly owner of the goods
&blquo;Weeps over them, and wrings his hapless hands,
&blquo;And shakes his head, and trembling stands aloof,
&blquo;While all is shar'd, and all is borne away;
&blquo;Ready to starve, and dares not touch his own.
&blquo;So York must sit, and fret, and bite his tongue,
&blquo;While his own lands are bargain'd for, and sold,
&blquo;Methinks, the realms of England, France, and Ireland,
&blquo;Bear that proportion to my flesh and blood,
&blquo;As did the fatal brand Althea burnt,
&blquo;Unto the prince's heart of Calydon.
Anjou and Maine, both given unto the French* ^note!

Cold news for me; for I had hope of France,
Even as I have of fertile England's soil.
A day will come, when York shall claim his own;
And therefore I will take the Nevils' parts,
And make a shew of love to proud duke Humphrey,
And, when I spy advantage, claim the crown,
For that's the golden mark I seek to hit:
Nor shall proud Lancaster usurp my right,
Nor hold the scepter in his childish fist,
Nor wear the diadem upon his head,
Whose church-like humour fits not for a crown.
Then, York, be still a while, 'till time do serve:
Watch thou, and wake, when others be asleep,
To pry into the secrets of the state;
'Till Henry, surfeiting in joys of love,
With his new bride, and England's dear-bought queen,
And Humphrey with the peers be fall'n at jars:
Then will I raise aloft the milk-white rose,
With whose sweet smell the air shall be perfum'd;
And in my standard bear the arms of York,
To grapple with the house of Lancaster;
And, force perforce, I'll make him yield the crown,
Whose bookish rule hath pull'd fair England down* ^note. [Exit.

Next section