*Until the white rose, that I wear, be died * Even in the lukewarm blood of Henry's heart. "YORK. Richard, enough; I will be king, or die. Brother, thou shalt to London presently, • And whet on Warwick to this enterprise. Thou, Richard, fhalt unto the duke of Norfolk, 'And tell him privily of our intent.— You, Edward, fhall unto my lord Cobham, With whom the Kentishmen will willingly rife: In them I truft; for they are foldiers, 'Witty and courteous, liberal, full of spirit.3— 2 play: Brother, thou shalt to London prefently,] Thus the original 66 Edward, thou shalt to Edmond Brooke, lord Cobham, "And Richard, thou to London ftraight fhall poft, 66 My felf here in Sandall castle will provide "Both men and money, to further our attempts." MALONE. 3. Witty and courteous, liberal, full of fpirit.] What a blessed harmonious line have the editors given us! and what a promifing epithet, in York's behalf, from the Kentishmen being so witty! I cannot be fo partial, however, to my own county, as to let this compliment pafs. I make no doubt to read : -for they are foldiers, Wealthy and courteous, liberal, full of Spirit. Now these five characteristicks anfwer to Lord Say's defcription of them in the preceding play : "Kent, in the commentaries Cæfar writ, "Is term'd the civil'ft place in all this isle; THEOBALD, This is a conjecture of very little import. JOHNSON. • While you are thus employ'd, what resteth more, 'But that I feek occafion how to rife; 'And yet the king not privy to my drift, 'Nor any of the houfe of Lancafter? Enter a Meffenger.4 'But, ftay; What news? Why com'ft thou in fuch poft ? 'MESS. The queen, with all the northern earls and lords,5 I fee no reason for adopting Theobald's emendation. Witty anciently fignified, of found judgment. The poet calls Buckingham, "the deep revolving, witty Buckingham." STEEVENS. 4 Enter a Meffenger.] Thus the quartos; the folio reads, Enter Gabriel. STEEVENS. Gabriel was the actor who played this inconfiderable part. He is mentioned by Heywood, in his Apology for Actors, 1612. The correction has been made [by Mr. Theobald] from the old play. MALONE. 5 The queen, with all &c.] know not whether the author intended any moral inftruction, but he that reads this has a ftriking admonition against that precipitancy by which men often use unlawful means to do that which a little delay would put honeftly in their power. Had York ftaid but a few moments, he had faved his cause from the stain of perjury. JOHNSON. It will be no more than justice to York, if we recollect that this scene, fo far as refpects the oath, and his resolution to break it, proceeds entirely from our author's imagination. Neither the Earl of March nor Richard was then at Sandal; the latter being likewise a mere child, barely turned of eight years old. His appearance, therefore, and actions in this, and, at leaft, the two firft Acts of the following play, are totally unfupported by history and truth. It may be likewise observed that the Queen was not actually prefent at this battle, not returning out of Scotland till fome little time after. This infurrection, which the Duke, not in breach of, but in strict conformity with his oath to the King, and in dis • Intend here to befiege you in your castle: charge of his duty as protector of the realm, had marched from London to fupprefs, was headed by the Duke of Somerset, the Earl of Northumberland, and the Lord Nevil, who in direct violation of a mutual agreement, and before the day prefixed for the battle, fell fuddenly upon the Duke's army, made him and Salisbury prifoners, and treated him in the manner here described. See Whethamftede. Salisbury was next day killed at Pontefract by a baftard fon of the Duke of Exeter, and beheaded, with York, Rutland, and others, after death. W. Wyrcefter. RITSON. In October 1460, when it was established in parliament that the Duke of York fhould fucceed to the throne after Henry's death, the Duke and his two fons, the Earl of March, and the Earl of Rutland, took an oath to do no act whatsoever that might "found to the abridgement of the natural life of King Henry the Sixth, or diminishing of his reign or dignity royal." Having perfuaded the King to fend for the Queen and the Prince of Wales, (who were then in York,) and finding that she would not obey his requifition, he on the fecond of December fet out for his caftle in Yorkshire, with fuch military power as he had; a meffenger having been previously dispatched to the Earl of March, to defire him to follow his father with all the forces he could procure. The Duke arrived at Sandal Caftle on the 24th of December, and in a fhort time his army amounted to five thousand men. An anonymous Remarker, [the author of the preceding note,] however, very confidently afferts, that "this fcene, fo far as refpects York's oath and his refolution to break it, proceeds entirely from the author's imagination." His oath is on record; and what his refolution was when he marched from London at the head of a large body of men, and sent the message above stated to his fon, it is not very difficult to conjecture. MALONE. • — with twenty thousand men ;] In the quarto this speech ftands as follows: My lord, the queene with thirty thousand men "Are marching towards Wakefield, "To befiedge you in your caftle heere." STEEVENS. * YORK. Ay, with my fword. What! think'ft thou, that we fear them?< Edward and Richard, you fhall stay with me ;me;'My brother Montague fhall poft to London : *Let noble Warwick, Cobham, and the rest, * Whom we have left protectors of the king, * With powerful policy ftrengthen themselves, *And truft not fimple Henry, nor his oaths. * MONT. Brother, I go; I'll win them, fear it not: * And thus most humbly I do take my leave. [Exit. Enter Sir JOHN and Sir HUGH MORTIMER. YORK. Sir John, and Sir Hugh Mortimer, mine uncles! You are come to Sandal in a happy hour; The army of the queen mean to befiege us. SIR JOHN. She shall not need, we'll meet her in the field. YORK. What, with five thousand men? RICH. Ay, with five hundred, father, for a need. A woman's general; What fhould we fear? [A March afar off. Epw. I hear their drums; let's fet our men in order; And iffue forth, and bid them battle straight. 7 Five men to twenty! &c.] Thus, in the old play : "In Normandy, whereas the enemy "Hath been ten to one, and why should I now 66 Come, let us go. "Edw. Let us march away. I hear their drums." MALONE "I doubt not, uncle, of our victory. Many a battle have I won in France, 'When as the enemy hath been ten to one; Why should I not now have the like success? [Alarum. Exeunt. SCENE III. Plains near Sandal Castle. Alarums: Excurfions. Enter RUTLAND, and his Tutor.8 RUT. Ah, whither fhall I fly to 'fcape their hands !9 Ah, tutor! look, where bloody Clifford comes ! Enter CLIFFORD, and Soldiers. CLIF. Chaplain, away! thy priesthood faves thy life. As for the brat of this accurfed duke, Whose father' flew my father, he shall die. TUT. And I, my lord, will bear him company. CLIF. Soldiers, away with him. 8 his Tutor.] A priest called Sir Robert Afpall, Hall, Henry VI. fol. 99. RITSON. 9 Ah, whither &c.] This fcene in the old play opens with thefe lines: "Tutor. Oh, fly my lord, let's leave the castle, "And fly to Wakefield straight." MALONE. Whofe father-] i. e. the father of which brat, namely the Duke of York. MALONE. |