And pitied me, and kindly kifs'd my cheek;
Bade me rely on him, as on my father,
And he would love me dearly as his child.

Duch. Ah! that deceit thould fteal fuch gentle fhape. And with a virtuous vizard hide deep vice! He is my fon, ay, and therein my shame; Yet from my dugs he drew not this deceit.

Son. Think you my uncle did diffemble, grandam? Duch. Ay, boy.

Son. I cannot think it.

Hark what noife is this?

Enter the Queen with her hair about her ears, Rivers and Doriet after her.

Queen Ah! who shall hinder me to wail and weep To chide my fortune, and torment myself?

I'll join with black despair against my foul,
And to myself become an enemy.

Duch. What means this fcene of rude impatience?
Queen. To make an act of tragic violence.
Edward, my Lord, thy fon, our King, is dead.
Why grow the branches when the root is gone ?
Why wither not the leaves that want their fap?
If you will live, lament; if die, be brief;
That our swift winged fouls may catch the King's ;
Or, like obedient fubjects follow him,

To his new kingdom of perpetual reft

Duch. Ah! fo much int'reft have I in thy forrow, As I had title to thy Noble husband.

I have bewept a worthy husband's death,
And liv'd by looking on his images.

But now two mirrors of his princely femblance
Are crack'd in pieces by malignant death;
And I for comfort have but one falfe glafs,
That grieves me when I fee my thame in him.
Thou art a widow, yet thou art a mother,
And haft the comfort of thy children left:

But Death hath fnatch'd my husband from mine arms,
And pluck'd two crutches from my feeble hands,
Clarence and Edward. O, what caufe have I
(Thine being but a moiety of my grief).

To overgo thy plaints, and drown thy cries!
Son. Ah, aunt! you wept not for our father's death:

How can we aid you with our kindred-tears?

Daugh. Our fatherless diftrefs was left unmoan'd, Your widow-dolours likewife be unwept!

Queen. Give me no help in lamentation,

I am not barren to bring forth complaints * :
Ah, for my husband, for my dear Lord Edward!

Chil. Ah, for our father, for our dear Lord Clarence! Duch. Alas, for both, both mine, Edward and Clarence!

Queen. What ftay had I but Edward? and he's gone. Chil. What tay had we but Clarence? and he's gone. Duch. What stays had I but they? and they are gone. Queen. Was never widow had fo dear a lofs. Chil. Were never orphans had so dear a loss. Duch. Was never mother had fo dear a lofs. Alas! I am the mother of thefe griefs; Their woes are parcell'd, mine are general. She for an Edward weeps, and fo do I; I for a Clarence weep, fo doth not she; Thefe babes for Clarence weep, and fo do I. Alas! you three, on me threefold diftrefs'd Pour all your tears; I am your forrow's nurse, And I will pamper it with lamentations.

Dorf. Comfort, dear mother; God is much difpleas'd.
That with unthankfulness you take his doing.
In common worldly things tis call'd ungrateful
With dull unwillingness to pay a debt,

Which with a bounteous hand was kindly lent:
Much more to be thus opposite with Heav'n;
For it requires the royal debt it lent you.

Riv. Madam, bethink you like a careful mother, Of the young Prince your fon ; fend straight for him, Let him be crown'd; in him your comfort lives. Drown defp'rate forrow in dead Edward's grave, And plant your joys in living Edward's throne.

bring forth complaints:

All Springs reduce their currents to mine eyes,
That I, being govern'd by the wat'ry moon,
May fend forth. plenteous tears to drown the world.
Ah, for my husband, &c.

Enter Gloucefter, Buckingham, Stanley, Haflings, and Ratcliff.

Glo. Sifter, have comfort: all of us have caufe
To wail the dimmin; of our fhining star;

But none can help our harms by wailing them.
Madam, my mother, I do cry you mercy;

I did not fee you

I crave your bleffing.

-Humbly on my knee

Duch. God bless thee, and put meeknefs in thy breaft, Love, charity, obedience, and true duty.

Glo. Amen, and make me dié a good old man!

That is the butt-end of a mother's blefing;

I marvel that her grace did leave it out.

[Afide.

Buck. You cloudy princes, and heart-forrowing peers,
That bear this mutual heavy load of moan,
Now chear each other in each other's love.
Though we have spent our harvest of this King,
We are to reap the harvest of his son.

The broken rancour of your high-fwoln hearts,
But lately splinter'd, knit and join'd together,
Muft gently be preserv'd, cherish'd, and kept.
Me feemeth good, that, with fome little train,
Forthwith from Ludlow the young Prince be fetch'd
Hither to London, to be crown'd our King.

Riv. Why with fome little train, my Lord of Buckingham ?

Buck. Marry, my Lord, left by a multitude
The new-heal'd wound of malice fhould break out;
Which wou'd be fo much the more dangerous,
By how much the estate is yet ungovern'd.
Where every horfe bears his commanding rein,
And may direct his course as please himself,
As well the fear of harm, as harm apparent,
In my opinion ought to be prevented.

Glo. I hope the King made peace with all of us;
And the compact is firm and true in me.

Riv. And fo in me; and fo I think in all. Yet fince it is but green, it fhould be put To no apparent likelihood of breach,

Which haply by much company might be urg'd;
Therefore I fay, with Noble Buckingham,

That it is meet but few fhould fetch the Prince.

Haft. And fo fay I.

Glo. Then be it fo; and go we to determine Who they fhall be that ftrait fhall poft to Ludiow. Madam, and you my fifter, will you go,

To give your centures in this weighty business?

Manent Buckingham and Gloucester.

[Exeunt.

Buck My Lord, whoever journies to the Prince, For God's fake let not us two stay at home;

For by the way I ll fort occafion,

As index to the ftory we late talk'd of,

To part the Queen's proud kindred from the Prince.
Gle. My other felf, my counfel's confiftory,
-My dear coufin,
I, as a child, will go by thy direction.

My oracle, my prophet!

Tow'rd Ludlow then, for we'll not stay behind. [Exeunt. SCENE IV. Changes to a freet near the court. Enter one Citizen at one door, and another at the other.

1 Cit. Good morrow neighbour; whether away fo 2 Cit. I promise you I hardly know myself: [fast? Hear you the news abroad?

1 Git. Yes; the King is dead.

2 Cit. Ill news, by'r Lady; feldom comes a better: I fear, I fear, 'twill prove a giddy world,

Enter another Citizen.

3 Cit. Neighbours, God fpeed!

1 Cit. Give you good morrow, Sir.

3 Git. Doth the news hold of good King Edward's death?

2 Git Ay, Sir, it is too true; God help the while! 3 Cit. Then, Mafters look to fee a troublous world. 1 Cit. No, no, by God's good grace his fon fhall reign. 3 Cit Wo to that land that's govern'd by a child! 2 Cit In him there is a hope of government: Which in his nonage counsel under him,

And, in his full and ripen'd years, himself,
No doubt fhall then, and till then govern well.

1 Cit. So ftood the ftate when Henry the Sixth Was crown'd in Paris but at nine months old.

3 Cit. Stood the state so? no, no, good friends, God For then this land was famously inrich d [wot; With politic grave coun'el; then the King

Had virtuous uncles to protect his Grace.

1 Cit. Why, to hath this, both by his father and mother.

3 Cit. Better it were they all came by his father ;

Or by his father there were none at all :

For emulation who fhall now be nearest,

Will touch us all too near, if God prevent not.
O, full of danger is the Duke of Glo❜fter;

And the Queen's fons and brothers haughty, proud:
And were they to be rul'd, and not to rule,

This fickly land might folace as before.

I Git. Come, come, we fear the worft; all will be well. 3 Cit. When clouds are seen, wife men put on their cloaks;

When great leaves fall, then winter is at hand;
When the fun iets, who doth not look for night?
Untimely ftorms make men expect a dearth:
All may be well; but if God fort it so,
'Tis more than we deserve, or expect.

2 Cit Truly the hearts of men are full of fear: You cannot reafon almost with a man

That looks not heavily, and full of dread.

3 Cit Before the days of change, ftill is it fo;
By a divine instinct mens' minds mistrust
Enfuing danger; as by proof we fee

The waters fwell before a boift'rous storm.
But leave it all to God. Whither away?

2 Git. Marry, we were fent for to the juftices.
3 Cit. And fo was 1, I'll bear you company. [Exeunt.

SCENE V. Changes to the court.

Enter Archbishop of York, the young Duke of York, the Queen, and the Duchefs of York.

Arcb. I heard they lay the last night at Northampton,