Glo. I say no more than truth, so help me God! York. In your protectorship, you did devise Strange tortures for offenders, never heard of, That England was defam'd by tyranny.

121

Glo. Why, 'tis well known, that, whiles I was pro tector,

Pity was all the fault that was in me;

For I should melt at an offender's tears,

And lowly words were ransom for their fault.
Unless it were a bloody murderer,

Or foul felonious thief, that fleec'd poor passengers,

I never gave them condign punishment:

Murder, indeed, that bloody sin, I tortur'd
Above the felon, or what trespass else.

130

Suf. My lord, these faults are easy, quickly answer'd:

But mightier crimes are laid unto your charge,
Whereof you cannot easily purge yourself.
I do arrest you in his highness' name;
And here commit you to my lord cardinal
To keep, until your further time of trial.

K. Henry. My lord of Gloster, 'tis my special hopë, That you will clear yourself from all suspicion; 140 My conscience tells me you are innocent.

Glo. Ah, gracious lord, these days are dangerous! Virtue is chok'd with foul ambition,

And charity chas'd hence by rancour's hand;
Foul subornation is predominant,

And equity exil'd your highness' land.

I know, their complot is to have my life

e;

And,

And, if my death might make this island happy,

And prove the period of their tyranny,

I would expend it with all willingness:

150

But mine is made the prologue to their play;

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

160

Beaufort's red sparkling eyes blab his heart's malice,
And Suffolk's cloudy brow his stormy hate;
Sharp Buckingham unburdens with his tongue
The envious load that lies upon his heart;
And dogged York, that reaches at the moon,
Whose over-weening arm I have pluck'd back,
By false accuse doth level at my life :-
And you, my sovereign lady, with the rest,
Causeless have laid disgraces on my head;
And, with your best endeavour, have stirr'd
My liefest liege to be mine enemy :-
Ay, all of you have laid your heads together,
Myself had notice of your conventicles,
And all to make away my guiltless life :
I shall not want false witness to condemn me,
Nor store of treasons to augment my guilt;
The ancient proverb will be well affected→→
A staff is quickly found to beat a dog.

up

Car. My liege, his railing is intolerable:
If those, that care to keep your royal person
From treason's secret knife, and traitors' rage,
Be thus upbraided, chid, and rated at,
And the offender granted scope of speech,
'Twill make them cool in zeal unto your grace.

179

Suf.

Suf. Hath he not twit our sovereign lady here, With ignominious words, though clerkly couch'd As if she had suborned some to swear

False allegations to o'erthrow his state?

180

Q. Mar. But I can give the loser leave to chide. Glo. Far truer spoke, than meant: I lose, indeed ;Beshrew the winners, for they play me false !— And well such losers may have leave to speak.

Buck. He'll wrest the sense, and hold us here all day :

Lord cardinal, he is your prisoner.

Car. Sirs, take away the duke, and guard him

sure.

Glo. Ah, thus king Henry throws away his crutch, Before his legs be firm to bear his body: Thus is the shepherd beaten from thy side,

190

And wolves are gnarling who shall gnaw thee first. Ah, that my fear were false! ah, that it were!

For, good king Henry, thy decay I fear.

[Exit guarded. K. Henry, My lords, what to your wisdom seemeth

best,

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,

Whose flood begins to flow within mine eyes;

My body round engirt with misery ;

For what's more miserable than discontent?

2

200

Ah,

210

Ah, uncle Humphrey ! in thy face I see
The map of honour, truth, and loyalty;
And yet, good Humphrey, is the hour to come,
That e'er I prov'd thee false, or fear'd thy faith.
What low'ring star now envies thy estate,
That these great lords, and Margaret our queen,
Do seek subversion of thy harmless life?
Thou never didst them wrong, nor no man wrong:
And as the butcher takes away the calf,
And binds the wretch, and beats it when it strays,
Bearing it to the bloody slaughter-house;
Even so, remorseless, 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 loss;
Even so myself bewail good Gloster's case,
With sad 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? Gloster he is none.

220

[Exit.

Q. Mar. Free lords, cold snow melts with the sun's

hot beams.

Henry my lord is cold in great affairs,

Too full of foolish pity: and Gloster's shew
Beguiles him, as the mournful crocodile
With sorrow snares relenting passengers;

Or as the snake, roll'd on a flowering bank,
With shining checker'd slough, doth sting a child,
That, for the beauty, thinks it excellent.
F

230 Believe

Believe me, lords, were none more wise than I
(And yet, herein, I judge my own wit good)
This Gloster should be quickly rid the world,
To rid us from the fear we have of him.

Car. That he should die, is worthy policy;
But yet we want a colour for his death :
'Tis meet, he be condemn'd by course of law.
Suf. But, in my mind, that were no policy:
The king will labour still to save his life;
The commons haply rise to save his life;
And yet we have but trivial argument,

240

More than mistrust, that shews him worthy death. York. So that by this you would not have him die. Suf. Ah, York, no man alive so fain as I.

York. 'Tis York that hath more reason for his

death.

But, my lord cardinal, and you, my lord of Suffolk

Say as you think, and speak it from your souls-
Wer't not all one, an empty eagle were set

To guard the chicken from a hungry kite,
As place duke Humphrey for the king's protector?
Q. Mar. So the poor chicken should be sure of

death.

251

Suf. Madam, 'tis true: And wer't not madness

then,

To make the fox surveyor of the fold?
Who being accus'd a crafty murderer,
His guilt should be but idly posted over,
Because his purpose is not executed,

No;