Jourdain.
Kin.
Stand forth, dame Eleanor Cobham, Gloster's wife:
In sight of God, and us, your guilt is great;
Receive the sentence of the law, for sins note
Such as by God's book are adjudg'd to death.—
You four, from hence to prison back again;
From thence, unto the place of execution:
The witch in Smithfield shall be burnt to ashes,
-- 36 --
And you three shall be strangl'd on the gallows.—
You, madam, for you are more nobly born,
Despoiled of your honour in your life,
Shall, after three days' open penance done,
Live in your country here, in banishment,
With sir John Stanley, in the isle of Man.
Dut.
Welcome is banishment, welcome were my death.
Glo.
Eleanor, the law, thou see'st, hath judged thee;
I cannot note justify whom the law condemns.—
[Exeunt Officers, with Dutchess, and the other Prisoners.
Mine eyes are full of tears, my heart of grief.
Ah, Humphrey, this dishonour in thine age
Will bring thy head with sorrow to the ground!—
'Beseech note your majesty, give me leave to go;
Sorrow would solace, and mine age would ease note.
Kin.
Stay, Humphrey duke of Gloster: ere thou go,
Give up thy staff; Henry will to himself
Protector be; and God shall be my hope,
My stay, my guide, and lanthorn to my feet:
And go in peace, Humphrey; no less belov'd,
Than when thou wert protector to thy king.
Que.
I see no reason, why a king of years
Should be to be protected like a child:—
Give up your staff, sir,14Q0805 and the king his realm.
Glo.
My staff?—here, noble Henry, is my staff:
As willingly note do I the same resign,
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.
Farewel, good king: When I am dead and gone,
May honourable peace attend thy throne!
[Exit.
Que.
Why, now is Henry king, and Margaret queen;
-- 37 --
And Humphrey, duke of Gloster, scarce himself,
That bears so shrewd a maim; two pulls at once,—
His lady banish'd, and a limb lopt off,
This staff of honour raught:—There let it stand,
Where it best fits to be, in Henry's † hand.
Suf.
Thus droops this lofty pine, and hangs his sprays;
Thus Eleanor's pride dies in her youngest days.
Yor.
Lords, let him go.—Please it your majesty,
This is the day appointed for the combat;
And ready are the appellant and defendant,
The armourer and his man, to enter the lists,
So please your highness to behold the fight.
Que.
Ay, good my lord; for purposely therefóre
Left I the court, to see this quarrel try'd.
Kin.
O'God's name, see the lists and all things fit;
Here let them end it, And God defend the right!
Yor.
I never saw a fellow worse bested,
Or more afraid to fight, than is the appellant,
The servant of this armourer, my lords.
Drums. Enter, on one Side, the Armourer, and
certain of his Neighbours, drinking to him so much,
that he is drunk; and he enters bearing his Staff,
with a Sand bag fasten'd to it; Drum before him:
On the other Side, Enter his Man, and Prentices
drinking to him; bearing a like Staff; Drum likewise before him.14Q0806
1 N.
Here, neighbour Horner, I drink to you in a
cup of sack; And fear not, neighbour, you shall do
well enough.
2 N.
And here, neighbour, here's a cup of charneco.
3 N.
And here's a pot of good double-beer, neighbour:
drink, and fear not your man.
-- 38 --
Arm.
Let it come, i'faith, and I'll pledge you all;
And a fig for Peter!
1 P.
Here, Peter, I drink to thee; and be not afraid.
2 P.
Be merry, Peter, and fear not your master:
fight for credit of the prentices.
Pet.
I thank you all: drink, and pray for me, I
pray you; for, I think, I have taken my last draught
in this world—Here, &dagger2; Robin, an if I die, I give thee
my apron;—and, Will, thou shalt have my &dagger2; hammer:—
and here, Tom, take all the &dagger2; 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?
Pet.
Peter, forsooth.
Sal.
Peter! what more?
Pet.
Thump.
Sal.
Thump! then see thou thump thy master well.
Arm.
Masters, I am come hither, as it were, upon
my man's instigation, to prove him a knave, and myself
an honest man: and touching the duke of York,—I will
take my death, I never meant him any ill, nor the
king, nor the queen; And therefore, Peter, have at thee
with a down-right blow.
Yor.
Dispatch;—this knave's tongue begins to double.—
Sound trumpets, 'larum note to the combatants.
Alarum. They fight; and Peter strikes down his Master.
Arm.
Hold, Peter, hold! I confess, I confess treason.
Yor.
Take away his weapon:—Fellow, thank God,
and the good wine in thy master's way.
Pet.
O God! have I overcome mine enemy note in this
-- 39 --
presence? O Peter, thou hast prevail'd in right!
Kin.
Go, take away that note traitor from our sight;
For, by his death, we do perceive his guilt:
And God, in justice, hath reveal'd to us
The truth and innocence of this poor fellow,
Which he had thought to have murther'd wrongfully.—
Come, fellow, follow us for thy reward.
[Flourish. Exeunt.
Edward Capell [1767], Mr William Shakespeare his comedies, histories, and tragedies, set out by himself in quarto, or by the Players his Fellows in folio, and now faithfully republish'd from those Editions in ten Volumes octavo; with an introduction: Whereunto will be added, in some other Volumes, notes, critical and explanatory, and a Body of Various Readings entire (Printed by Dryden Leach, for J. and R. Tonson [etc.], London) [word count] [S10601].
