With whom an upright zeal to right prevails,
More than the nature of a brother's love !—

[GLOSTER and CLARENCE whisper. Come, Clarence, come; thou wilt, if Warwick

call.

Clar. Father of Warwick, know you what this means?

SCENE II-A Field of Battle near BARNET.

Alarums and Excursions. Enter King EDWARD, bringing in WARWICK wounded.

K. Edw. So, lie thou there: die thou, and die our fear;

I will not ruinate my father's house,

Who gave his blood to limes the stones together, And set up Lancaster. Why, trow'st thou, Warwick,

That Clarence is so harsh, so blunt,10 unnatural,
To bend the fatal instruments of war
Against his brother, and his lawful king?
Perhaps thou wilt object my holy oath:
To keep that oath, were more impiety
Than Jephthah's, when he sacrific'd his daughter.
I am so sorry for my trespass made,

That, to deserve well at my brother's hands,
I here proclaim myself thy mortal foe;
With resolution, wheresoe'er I meet thee
(As I will meet thee, if thou stir abroad),
To plague thee for thy foul misleading me.
And so, proud-hearted Warwick, I defy thee,
And to my brother turn my blushing cheeks.-
Pardon me, Edward, I will make amends;-
And, Richard, do not frown upon my faults,
For I will henceforth be no more unconstant.
K. Edw. Now welcome more, and ten times
more belov'd,

Than if thou never hadst deserv'd our hate.
Glo. Welcome, good Clarence; this is brother-
like.

War. Oh, passing" traitor, perjur'd and unjust! K. Edw. What! Warwick, wilt thou leave the town, and fight?

Or shall we beat the stones about thine ears?
War. Alas! I am not coop'd here for defence.
I will away towards Barnet presently,
And bid thee battle, Edward, if thou dar'st.

K. Edw. Yes, Warwick, Edward dares, and leads the way.—

Lords, to the field; Saint George and victory! [March. Exeunt.

7. Taking the red rose out of his hat. This and the previous stage direction are not given in the Folio. They are taken from "The True Tragedie," &c., which gives-" Richard and Clarence whisper together, and then Clarence takes his red rose out of his hat, and throwes it at Warwicke." The present one is needful, as explaining the gist of Clarence's accompanying words.

8. To lime. Here used for 'to cement.'

9 Trow'st. 'Think'st,' 'believ'st' See Note 47, Act ii., "Second Part Henry VI."

10. Blunt. Here used for 'dull,' obtuse,' 'insensible.' IT. Passing. 'Surpassing,'' excessive,' 'exceeding,' 'egregious.'

[Exit.

War. Ah! who is nigh? come to me, friend or foe,

And tell me who is victor, York or Warwick ?
Why ask I that? my mangled body shows,
My blood, my want of strength, my sick heart

shows,

That I must yield my body to the earth,
And, by my fall, the conquest to my foe.
Thus yields the cedar to the axe's edge,1
Whose arms gave shelter to the princely eagle,
Under whose shade the ramping lion slept,
Whose top-branch overpeer'd Jove's spreading tree,
And kept low shrubs from winter's powerful wind.
These eyes, that now are dimm'd with death's
black veil,

Have been as piercing as the mid-day sun,

To search the secret treasons of the world:
The wrinkles in my brows, now fill'd with blood,
Were liken'd oft to kingly sepulchres;

For who liv'd king, but I could dig his grave?
And who durst smile when Warwick bent his brow?
Lo, now my glory smear'd in dust and blood!
My parks, my walks, my manors that I had,
Even now forsake me; and of all my lands
Is nothing left me but my body's length!
Why, what is pomp, rule, reign, but carth and

dust?

And, live we how we can, yet die we must.

Enter OXFORD and SOMERSET,

Som. Ah, Warwick! Warwick, wert thou as we are,

We might recover all our loss again:

The queen from France hath brought a puissant power;

Even now we heard the news; ah! couldst thou fly.

12. Bug. 'Bugbear.' See Note 95, Act i., "Taming of the Shrew." "Fear'd" is here used actively for 'frightened,' 'alarmed.' See Note 4, Act ii., "Merchant of Venice." 13. Sit fast. An idiom equivalent to the more modern and usual one, 'stand fast,' expressing 'be firm,' and here meaning 'remain where thou art.'

14. Thus yielas the cedar, &c. The construction in this sentence presents an instance of the transposition which is of not uncommon occurrence in these three plays of Henry VI., See, and of which we have pointed out several instances. among others, Note 33, Act iv. "Whose arms," which, in accordance with usual construction, seems to refer to "axe," in accordance with transposed construction really refers to "cedar."

War. Why, then I would not fly.-Ah! Montague,

If thou be there, sweet brother, take my hand,
And with thy lips keep in my soul awhile!
Thou lov'st me not; for, brother, if thou didst,
Thy tears would wash this cold congealed blood,
That glues my lips, and will not let me speak.
Come quickly, Montague, or I am dead.

Som. Ah! Warwick, Montague hath breath'd his last;

And to the latest gasp cried out for Warwick,
And said, "Commend me to my valiant brother."
And more he would have said; and more he
spoke,

Which sounded like a cannon in a vault,15
That might not be distinguish'd; 13 but at last
I well might hear, deliver'd with a groan,

SCENE III.-Another part of the Field. Flourish. Enter King EDWARD in triumph; with 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,17
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 storın.

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.

15. Like a cannon in a vault. "The True Tragedie," &c., gives 'clamour,' instead of "cannon" here; which, being the Folio word and presenting an image of a powerful sound deadened, we retain; otherwise, the expression 'clamour' is perhaps preferable.

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.
[Flourish. Exeunt.

16. That might not be distinguish'd. The Folio, instead of "might," prints 'mought' here, which was an old form of the

SCENE IV.-Plains near TEWKSBURY. March. Enter Queen MARGARET, Prince EDWARD, SOMERSET, OXFORD, and Soldiers.

2. 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 overboard,
The cable broke, the holding anchor lost,
And half our sailors swallow'd in the flood?
Should leave the helm, and, like a fearful lad,
Yet lives our pilot still is 't meet that he
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 sav'd?
Ah! what a shame: ah! what a fault were this.

Say, Warwick was our anchor; what of that?
And Montague our topmast; 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

wreck.

As good to chide the waves as speak them fair.
And what is Edward but a ruthless sea?
What Clarence but a quicksand of deceit ?
And Richard but a ragged fatal rock ?
All these the enemies to our poor barque.
Say you can swim; alas! 'tis but awhile:
Tread on the sand; why, there you quickly sink:
Bestride the rock; the tide will wash you off,
Or else you famish,-that's a threefold death.

word. We content ourselves with this mention of the circumstance, and do not retain it in the text, as Shakespeare ordinarily uses the more modern form.

17. Have arriv'd our coast. "Arriv'd" is here used as a verb active. Shakespeare elsewhere thus employs it; and so does Milton.

This speak I, lords, to let you understand, If 18 case some one of you would fly from us, That there's no hop'd-for mercy with the brothers More than with ruthless waves, with sands, and 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.

I speak not this as doubting any here;
For, did I but suspect a fearful man,
He should have leave to go away betimes;
Lest, in our need, he might infect another,
And make him of like spirit to himself.
If any such be here,-as Heaven forbid !—
Let him depart before we need his help.

Oxf. Women and children of so high a courage And warriors faint! why, 'twere perpetual

shame.

Oh, brave young prince! thy famous grandfather
Doth live again in thee: long mayst thou live
To bear his image and renew his glories!

Som. And he that will not fight for such a hope,
Go home to bed, and, like the owl by day,
If he arise, be mock'd and wonder'd at.

2. Mar. Thanks, gentle Somerset ;-sweet Oxford, thanks.

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.

Oxf. I thought no less: it is his policy

To haste thus fast, to find us unprovided.

Som. But he's deceiv'd; we are in readiness. 2. Mar. This cheers my heart, to see your forwardness.

Oxf. Here pitch our battle; hence we will not budge.

Flourish and March. Enter, at a distance, King EDWARD, CLARENCE, GLOSTER, and Forces.

K. Edw. Brave followers, yonder stands the thorny wood,

I need not add more fuel to your fire,
For well I wot 19 ye blaze to burn them out:
Give signal to the fight, and to it, lords.

2. Mar. Lords, knights, and gentlemen, what I should say,

My tears gainsay; 20 for every word I speak,
Ye see, I drink the water of mine eyes.21
Therefore, no more but this:-Henry, your sove-
reign,

Is prisoner to the foe; his state usurp'd,
His realm a slaughter-house, his subjects slain,
His statutes cancell'd, and his treasure spent ;
And yonder is the wolf that makes this spoil.
You fight in justice: then, in God's name, lords,
Be valiant, and give signal to the fight.

[Exeunt both Armies.

For bearing arms, for stirring up my subjects, And all the trouble thou hast turn'd me to:23

for "mine eyes," which the parallel passage in "The True Tragedie," &c., shows to be right.

22. Hammes' Castle. The Castle of Ham, in Picardy. 23. All the trouble thou hast turn'd me to. An idiomatic expression, of which other instances are found in Shakespeare. See Note 19, Act i., "Tempest ;" and in Act v., sc. 5, of "Merry Wives of Windsor," the queen of the fairies says-"The flame will back descend, and turn him to no pain."

Prince. Speak like a subject, proud ambitious York!

Suppose that I am now my father's mouth; Resign thy chair,24 and where I stand kneel thou, Whilst I propose the selfsame words to thee, Which, traitor, thou wouldst have me answer to. 2. Mar. Ah! that thy father had been so resolv'd.

Glo. That you might still have worn the petticoat,

And ne'er have stol'n the breech from Lancaster.
Prince. Let Æsop fable in a winter's night;25
His currish riddles sort not with this place.
Glo. By heaven, brat, I'll plague you for that word.
2. Mar. Ay, thou wast born to be a plague to men.

24. Chair. Here used for assumed royal seat or position,' 'usurped throne.'

25. Let Esop fable, &c. The prince calls Richard "sop," as a fleer at his deformity.

Glo. For heaven's sake, take away this captive scold.

Prince. Nay, take away this scolding crookback rather.

K. Edw. Peace, wilful boy, or I will charm your tongue.26

Clar. Untutor'd lad, thou art too malapert. Prince. I know my duty; you are all undutiful:

Lascivious Edward,-and thou perjur'd George,-
And thou mis-shapen Dick,-I tell ye all

I am your better, traitors as ye are;—
And thou usurp'st my father's right and mine.
K. Edw. Take that, the likeness of this railer
here. 27

[Stabs him.

26. Charm your tongue. 'Make your tongue spell-bound,' 'make you silent as if by incantation.' See Note 13, Act iv., "Second Part Henry VI."

27. The likeness of this railer here. "The" has been altered

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