with SCENE_III.-Another part of the field. Flou-* That there's no hop'd-for mercy with the brothers, rish. Enter King Edward, in triumph; More than with ruthless waves, with sands, and Clarence, Gloster, and the rest. 'K. Edw. Thus far our fortune keeps an upward course, And we are grac'd with wreaths of victory. 'But, in the midst of this bright-shining day, 'I spy a black, suspicious, threat'ning cloud, "That will encounter with our glorious sun, 'Ere he attain his easeful western bed: I mean, my lords,—those powers, that the queen. Hath rais'd in Gallia, have arriv'd our coast, 'And, as we hear, march on to fight with us. Clar. A little gale will soon disperse that cloud, * And blow it to the source from whence it came: *Thy very beams will dry those vapours up; *For every cloud engenders not a storm. * Glo. The queen is valu'd thirty thousand strong, 'And Somerset, with Oxford, fled to her: 'If she have time to breathe, be well assur'd, Her faction will be full as strong as ours. K. Edw. We are advértis'd by our loving friends, That they do hold their course toward Tewksbury "We having now the best at Barnet field, ; 'Will thither straight, for willingness rids way; And, as we march, our strength will be augmented In every county as we go along. Strike up the drum; cry-Courage and away. [Exeunt. SCENE IV.-Plains near Tewksbury. March. Enter Queen Margaret, Prince Edward, Somerset, Oxford and soldiers. *Q. Mar. Great lords, wise men ne'er sit and wail their loss, But cheerly seek how to redress their harms. "What though the mast be now blown over-board, "The cable broke, the holding anchor lost, 'And half our sailors swallow'd in the flood? 'Yet lives our pilot still: Is't meet, that he 'Should leave the helm, and, like a fearful lad, *With tearful eyes add water to the sea, And give more strength to that which hath too much; Whiles, in his moan, the ship splits on the rock, *Which industry and courage might have saved? *Ah, what a shame! ah, what a fault were this! Say, Warwick was our anchor; What of that? 'And Montague our top-mast; What of him? 'Our slaughter'd friends the tackles; What of these ? 'Why, is not Oxford here another anchor? 'And Somerset another goodly mast? The friends of France our shrouds and tacklings? And, though unskilful, why not Ned and I For once allow'd the skilful pilot's charge? 'We will not from the helm, to sit and weep; * But keep our course, though the rough wind say -no, From shelves and rocks that threaten us with *As good to chide the waves, as speak them fair. (1) Know. (2) Unsay, deny. * rocks. Why, courage, then! what cannot be avoided, "Twere childish weakness to lament, or fear. * Prince. Methinks, a woman of this valiant spirit *Should, if a coward heard her speak these words, * Infuse his breast with magnanimity, * And make him, naked, foil a man at arms. For, did I but suspect a fearful man, I speak not this, as doubting any here: 'He should have leave to go away betimes; And warriors faint! why, 'twere perpetual shame.- Som. And he, that will not fight for such a hope, *Prince. And take his thanks, that yet hath nothing else. Enter a Messenger. 'Mess. Prepare you, lords, for Edward is at hand, 'Ready to fight; therefore be resolute. 'Orf. I thought no less it is his policy, Som. But he's deceiv'd, we are in readiness. Oxf. Here pitch our battle, hence we will not March. Enter, at a distance, King Edward, Clarence, Gloster, and forces. 'K. Edw. Brave followers, yonder stands the thorny wood, Which, by the heavens' assistance, and your 'Must by the roots be hewn up yet ere night. For well I wot, ye blaze to burn them out : My tears gainsay;2 for every word I speak, 'Is prisoner to the foe; his state usurp'd, [Exeunt both armies. SCENE V.-Another part of the same. Alar ums; Excursions :_ and afterwards a Retreat. Then Enter King Edward, Clarence, Gloster, and forces; with Queen Margaret, Oxford, and Somerset, prisoners. 'K. Edw. Now, here a period of tumultuous broils. Away with Oxford to Hammes' Castle' straight:" (3) A castle in Picardy. And men ne'er spend their fury on a child. For Somerset, off with his guilty head. *Shall have a high reward, and he his life? * Glo. It is: and, lo, where youthful Edward comes. Enter Soldiers with Prince Edward. K. Edw. Bring forth the gallant, let us hear him speak: What! can so young a thorn begin to prick! 'Edward, what satisfaction canst thou make, 'For bearing arms, for stirring up my subjects, * And all the trouble thou hast turn'd me to? Prince. Speak like a subject,proud ambitious York? Suppose that I am now my father's mouth; Resign thy chair, and, where I stand, kneel thou, Whilst I propose the self-same words to thee, Which, traitor, thou wouldst have me answer to. How sweet a plant have you untimely cropp'd! 'You have no children, butchers! if you had, 'The thought of them would have stirr'd up re morse: But, if you ever chance to have a child, Look in his youth to have him so cut off, 'As deathsmen! you have rid this sweet young prince! K. Edw. Away with her; go, bear her hence perforce. Q. Mar. Nay, never bear me hence, despatch Here sheath thy sword, I'll pardon thee my death: Clar. Didst thou not hear me swear, I would Q. Mar. Ah, that thy father had been so resolv'd! Q. Mar. Ay, But thou usest to forswear thyself; coat, And ne'er have stol'n the breech from Lancaster. back rather. 'K. Edw. Peace, wilful boy, or I will charm? your tongue. Clar. Untutor'd lad, thou art too malapert. What! wilt thou not? where is that devil's butcher, Q. Mar. So come to you, and yours, as to this K. Edw. He's sudden, if a thing comes in his head. Lascivious Edward, and thou perjur'd George,-Now march we hence: discharge the common sort And thou misshapen Dick,-I tell ye all, I am your better, traitors as ye are ; And thou usurp'st my father's right and mine. [Stabs him. * Clar. And there's for twitting me with perjury. Q. Mar. O, kill me too! [Clar. stabs him. [Offers to kill her. hold, for we have Glo. Why should she live, to fill the world with words?" 'K. Edw. What! doth she swoon? use means for her recovery. Glo. Clarence, excuse me to the king my brother: 'I'll hence to London on a serious matter: 'Ere ye come there, be sure to hear some news. Clar. What? what? Glo. The Tower, the Tower! [Exit. 'Q. Mar. O, Ned, sweet Ned! speak to thy 'Canst thou not speak?-O raitors! murderers!- (1) The prince calls Richard, for his crookedness, Æsop. (2) i. e. I will compel you to be as silent as if you were deprived of speech by enchantment. With pay and thanks, and let's away to London, Glo. Good day, my lord? What, at your book so hard? Where my poor young was lim'd, was caught and kill'd. 'Glo. Why, what a peevish' fool was that of Crete, Let hell make crook'd my mind to answer it. I have no brother, I am like no brother: And this word-love, which greybeards call divine Be resident in men like one another, And not in me; I am myself alone.Clarence, beware; thou keep'st me from the light; But I will sort a pitchy day for thee: For I will buzz abroad such prophecies, boy,That Edward shall be fearful of his life; And then, to purge his fear, I'll be thy death. 'King Henry, and the prince his son, are gone; Clarence, thy turn is next, and then the rest; Counting myself but bad, till I be best.— 'I'll throw thy body in another room, And triumph, Henry, in thy day of doom. [Exit. SCENE VII-The same. A room in the palace. King Edward is discovered sitting on his throne; Queen Elizabeth with the infant prince, Clarence, Gloster, Hastings, and others, near him. That taught his son the office of a fowl? 'And yet, for all his wings, the fool was drown'd. 'K. Hen. I, Dædalus; my poor boy, Icarus; Thy father, Minos, that denied our course; The sun, that sear'd the wings of my sweet "Thy brother Edward; and thyself, the sea, "Whose envious gulf did swallow up his life. *Ah, kill me with thy weapon, not with words! 'My breast can better brook thy dagger's point, Than can my cars that tragic history.*But wherefore dost thou come? is't for my life? Glo. Think'st thou I am an executioner? K. Hen. A persecutor, I am sure, thou art; 'If murdering innocents be executing, "Why, then thou art an executioner. Glo. Thy son I kill'd for his presumption. K. Hen. Hadst thou been kill'd, when first thou didst presume, Thou hadst not liv'd to kill a son of mine. And thus I prophesy,-that many a thousand, "Which now mistrust no parcel of my fear; And many an old man's sigh, and many a widow's, And many an orphan's water-standing eye,Men for their sons, wives for their husbands' fate, And orphans for their parents' timeless death,'Shall rue the hour that ever thou wast born. The owl shriek'd at thy birth, an evil sign; "The night-crow cried, aboding luckless time; Dogs howl'd, and hideous tempests shook down trees; The raven rook'd' her on the chimney's top, Glo. I'll hear no more ;-Dic, prophet, in thy For this, amongst the rest, was I ordain'd. K. Hen. Ay, and for much more slaughter after this. O God! forgive my sins, and pardon thee! [Dies. Glo. What, will the aspiring blood of Lancaster Sink in the ground? I thought it would have mounted. See, how my sword weeps for the poor king's death! 'O, may such purple tears be always shed 'From those that wish the downfal of our house!'If any spark of life be yet remaining, Down, down to hell; and say-I sent thee thither. [Stabs him again. I, that have neither pity, love, nor fear.Indeed, 'tis true, that Henry told me of; For I have often heard my mother say, I came into the world with my legs forward: Had I not reason, think ye, to make haste, "And seek their ruin that usurp'd our right? The midwife wonder'd; and the women cried, O, Jesus bless us, he is born with teeth! 'And so I was; which plainly signifiedThat I should snarl, and bite, and play the dog. Then, since the heavens have shap'd my body so, Childish. No part of what my fears presage, K. Edw. Once more we sit in England's royal throne, Re-purchas'd with the blood of enemies. That in their chains fetter'd the kingly lion, Glo. I'll blast his harvest, if your head were laid, Work thou the way,—and thou shalt execute. [Aside. K. Edo. Clarence, and Gloster, love my lovely queen; And kiss your princely nephew, brothers both. Clar. The duty that I owe unto your majesty, seal upon the lips of this sweet babe. I K. Edw. Thanks, noble Clarence; worthy bro ther, thanks. 'Glo. And, that I love the tree from whence thou sprang'st, Witness the loving kiss I give the fruit :To say the truth, so Judas kiss'd his master; 'And cried-all hail!-when as he meant Aside. -all harm; K. Edw. Now am I seated as my soul delights, Having my country's peace, and brothers' loves. Clar. What will your grace have done with Margaret? Reignier, her father, to the king of France (3) To rook, signified to squat down or lodge on any thing. (4) Select, And hither have they sent it for her ransom. ** And now what rests, but that we spend the time The three parts of King Henry VI. are suspected, by Mr. Theobald, of being suppositious, and are declared, by Dr. Warburton, to be certainly not Shakspeare's. Mr. Theobald's suspicion arises from some obsolete words; but the phraseology is like the rest of our author's style, and single words, of which however I do not observe more than two, can conclude little. matter itself will defeat the artist. Of every author's works one will be the best, and one will be the worst. The colours are not equally pleasing, nor the attitudes equally graceful, in all the pictures of Titian or Reynolds. Dissimilitude of style and heterogeneousness of sentiment, may sufficiently show that a work does not really belong to the reputed author. But in these plays no such marks of spuriousness are found. The diction, the versification, and the figures, are Shakspeare's. These plays, considered without retives in verse, are more happily conceived, and gard to characters and incidents, merely as narramore accurately finished, than those of King John, Richard II. or the tragic scenes of King Henry IV. and V. If we take these plays from Shak speare, to whom shall they be given? What au thor of that age had the same easiness of expres sion and fluency of numbers? Of these three plays I think the second the best. Dr. Warburton gives no reason, but I suppose The truth is, that they have not sufficient variety him to judge upon deeper principles and more of action, for the incidents are too often of the same comprehensive views, and to draw his opinion from kind; yet many of the characters are well dis the general effect and spirit of the composition, criminated. King Henry, and his Queen, King which he thinks inferior to the other historical plays. Edward, the Duke of Gloucester, and the Earl of From mere inferiority nothing can be inferred; Warwick, are very strongly and distinctly painted in the productions of wit there will be inequality. Sometimes judgment will err, and sometimes the VOL. II. 2 A JOHNSON. And hate the idle pleasures of these days. Plots have I laid, inductions3 dangerous, SCENE 1-London. A street. Enter Gloster. By drunken prophecies, libels, and dreams, Gloster. Now is the winter of our discontent (1) Dances, To set my brother Clarence, and the king, Dive, thoughts, down to my soul! here Clarence comes. Enter Clarence, guarded, and Brakenbury. Brother, good day: What means this armed guard That waits upon your grace? Clar. His majesty, Tendering my person's safety, hath appointed This conduct to convey me to the Tower. Glo. Upon what cause? Clar. Because my name is-George. Glo. Alack, my lord, that fault is none of yours; He should, for that, commit your godfathers: O, belike, his majesty hath some intent, That you shall be new christen'd in the Tower. But what's the matter, Clarence? may I know? Clar. Yea, Richard, when I know; for I protest, As yet I do not: But, as I can learn, He hearkens after prophecies, and dreams; And from the cross-row plucks the letter G, And says-a wizard told him, that by G His issue disinherited should be; And, for my name of George begins with G, It follows in his thought, that I am he: These, as I learn, and such like toys" as these, Have mov'd his highness to commit me now. |