In honour of a true Plantagenet,
And for alliance' fake,-declare the cause
My father, eart of Cambridge, loft his head.
Mor. That caufe, fair nephew, that imprison'd me
And hath detain'd me, all my flow'ring youth,
Within a loathfome dungeon, there to pine,
Was curfed inftrument of his decease.
Plant. Discover more at large what caufe that was
For I am ignorant, and cannot guess.
Mor. I will; if that my fading breath permit,
And death approach not ere my tale be done.
Henry the fourth, grandfather to this king,
Depos'd his nephew Richard; Edward's fon,
The first-begotten, and the lawful heir
Of Edward king, the third of that descent:
During whofe reign, the Percies of the north,
Finding his ufurpation moft unjust,
Endeavour'd my advancement to the throne:
The reafon mov'd thefe warlike lords to this,.
Was-for that (young Richard thus remov'd,
Leaving no heir begotten of his body)
I was the next by birth and parentage;
For by my mother I derived am
From Lionel duke of Clarence, the third for
To king Edward the Third, whereas he,
From John of Gaunt doth bring his pedigree,
Being but the fourth of that heroic line.
But mark; as, in this haughty great attempt,
They laboured to plant the rightful heir,
I loft my liberty, and they their lives.
Long after this, when Henry the fifth,—
Succeeding his father Bolingbroke,-did reign,
baughty great]-high fpirited.
Thy father, earl of Cambridge,-then deriv'd
From famous Edmund Langley, duke of York,—
Marrying my fifter, that thy mother was,
Again, in pity of my hard diftrefs,
Levied an army; weening to redeem,
And have install'd me in the diadem:
But, as the reft, fo fell that noble earl,
And was beheaded. Thus the Mortimers,
In whom the title refted, were fupprefs'd.
Plan. Of which, my lord, your honour is the laft.
Mor. True; and thou feeft, that I no iffue have;
And that my fainting words do 'warrant death:
Thou art my heir; the reft, I wish thee gather:
But yet be wary in thy ftudious care.
Plan. Thy grave admonishments prevail with me:
But yet, methinks, my father's execution
Was nothing less than bloody tyranny.
Mor. With filence, nephew, be thou politick;
-Strong-fixed is the house of Lancaster,
And, like a mountain, not to be remov'd.
But now thy uncle is removing hence;
As princes do their courts, when they are cloy'd
With long continuance in a fettled place.
Plan. O, uncle, 'would fome part of my young years
Might but redeem the paffage of your age!
Mor. Thou doft then wrong me; as the flaught'rer doth, Which giveth many wounds, when one will kill.
Mourn not, except thou forrow for my good;
Only, give order for my funeral;
And fo farewell; and fair be all thy hopes!
And profperous be thy life, in peace, and war!
h weening]-intending, hoping.
i warrant]-affuredly prognofticate.
Plan. And peace, no war, befall thy parting foul!
İn prison haft thou spent a pilgrimage,
And like a hermit over-pafs'd thy days.-
Well, I will lock his counfel in my breast;
And what I do imagine, let that rest.—
Keepers, convey him hence; and I myself
Will fee his burial 'better than his life.-
Here dies the dufky torch of Mortimer,
"Choak'd with ambition of the meaner fort:-
And, for those wrongs, thofe bitter injuries,
Which Somerfet hath offer'd to my house,-
I doubt not, but with honour to redress:
And therefore hafte I to the parliament;
Either to be restored to my blood,
my ill the advantage of my good.
Flourish. Enter king Henry, Exeter, Glofter, Winchester,
Warwick, Somerset, Suffolk, and Richard Plantagenet.
Glofter offers to put up a bill; Winchefter fnatches it, and
tears it.
Win. Com'st thou with deep premeditated lines,
With written pamphlets ftudiously devis'd,
Humphrey of Glofter? if thou canst accufe,
Or ought intend'ft to lay unto my charge,
1 better]-fuited to his quality.
Choak'd with ambition of the meaner fort:]-A martyr to the intrigues of others, not daring to affert his own claim to the crown. •ill the advantage of my good.]-ill ufage conduce in the end to my advancement-my will.
Do it without invention fuddenly;
As I with fudden and extemporal speech
Purpose to answer what thou canst object.
Glo. Prefumptuous prieft! this place commands my patience,
Or thou fhouldft find thou haft difhonour'd me.
Think not, although in writing I preferr'd
The manner of thy vile outrageous crimes,
That therefore I have forg'd, or am not able
Verbatim to rehearse the method of my pen:
No, prelate; fuch is thy audacious wickedness,
Thy lewd, peftiferous, and diffentious pranks,
As very infants prattle of thy pride.
Thou art a moft pernicious ufurer;
Froward by nature, enemy to peace;
Lafcivious, wanton, more than well befeems
A man of thy profeffion, and degree;
And for thy treachery, What's more manifeft?
In that thou laid't a trap to take my life,
As well at London-bridge, as at the Tower?
Befide, I fear me, if thy thoughts were fifted,
The king, thy fovereign, is not quite exempt
From envious malice of thy fwelling heart.
Win. Glofter, I do defy thee.-Lords, vouchsafe
To give me hearing what I fhall reply.
If I were covetous, perverse, ambitious,
As he will have me, How am I so poor?
Or how haps it, I feek not to advance
Or raise myself, but keep my wonted calling?
And for diffention, Who preferreth peace
More than I do,-except I be provok'd?
No, my good lords, it is not that offends;
It is not that, that hath incens'd the duke:
It is, because no one should fway but he;
No one, but he, should be about the king;
And that engenders thunder in his breast,
And makes him roar thefe accufations forth.
But he fhall know, I am as good-
Glo. As good?
Thou baftard of my grandfather!
Win. Ay, lordly fir; For what are you, I pray,
But one imperious in another's throne?
Glo. Am I not protector, faucy priest?
Win. And am not I a prelate of the church?
Glo. Yes, as an out-law in a castle keeps,
And ufeth it to patronage his theft.
Win. Unreverent Glofter !
Glo. Thou art reverent
Touching thy fpiritual function, not thy life.
Win. Rome fhall remedy this.
Glo. Roam thither then.
Som. My lord, it were your duty to forbear.
War. Ay, fee the bishop be not over-borne.
Sam. Methinks, my lord fhould be religious,
And know the office that belongs to fuch.
War. Methinks, his lordship should be humbler;
It fitteth not a prelate fo to plead.
Som. Yes, when his holy state is touch'd so near.
War. State holy, or unhallow'd, what of that?
Is not his grace protector to the king?
Rich. Plantagenet, I see, must hold his tongue;
Left it be faid, Speak, firrah, when you should;
Muft your bold verdiet enter talk with lords?
Elfe would I have a fling at Winchester.
K. Henry. Uncles of Glofter, and of Winchester,
The special watchmen of our English weal;
|