1 Watch. Why, no; for he hath made a solemn vow Never to lie and take his natural rest,

Till Warwick or himself be quite suppress'd.

2 Watch. To-morrow then, belike, shall be the day, If Warwick be so near as men report.

3 Watch. But say, I pray, what nobleman is that, That with the king here resteth in his tent?

1 Watch. 'Tis the lord Hastings, the king's chiefest friend.

3 Watch. O! is it so? But why commands the king,

That his chief followers lodge in towns about him,
While he himself keeps in the cold field"?

2 Watch. 'Tis the more honour, because more dan

gerous.

3 Watch. Ay, but give me worship and quietness; I like it better than a dangerous honour.

If Warwick knew in what estate he stands,

"Tis to be doubted, he would waken him.

1 Watch. Unless our halberds did shut up his pas

sage.

2 Watch. Ay; wherefore else guard we his royal

tent,

But to defend his person from night-foes?

Enter WARWICK, CLARENCE, OXFORD, SOMERSET, and Forces".

War. This is his tent; and see, where stand his

guard.

Courage, my masters! honour now, or never!
But follow me, and Edward shall be ours.

1 Watch. Who goes there?

6 While he himself KEEPS in the cold field?] So all the old editions. Malone and other modern editors change "keeps" to keepeth.

7- and Forces.] The old stage-direction adds, Silent all, in the same way that in "The Winter's Tale," Vol. iii. p. 471, Silence is given as a stage-direction, to indicate suspense on the entrance of Hermione to her trial.

2 Watch. Stay, or thou diest.

[WARWICK, and the rest, cry all-WARWICK ! WARWICK! and set upon the Guard; who fly, crying-Arm! Arm! WARWICK, and the rest, following them.

Drums beating, and Trumpets sounding, re-enter WARWICK, and the rest, bringing the King out in his Gown, sitting in a Chair: GLOSTER and HASTINGS fly over the stage.

Som.

What are they that fly there? War. Richard, and Hastings: let them go; here's

the duke.

K. Edw. The duke! why, Warwick, when we parted

lasts,

Thou call'dst me king!

War.
Ay, but the case is alter'd:
When you disgrac'd me in my embassade,
Then I degraded you from being king,
And come now to create you duke of York.
Alas! how should you govern any kingdom,
That know not how to use ambassadors,
Nor how to be contented with one wife,
Nor how to use your brothers brotherly,
Nor how to study for the people's welfare,
Now how to shroud yourself from enemies?

K. Edw. Yea, brother of Clarence, art thou here too?

Nay then, I see that Edward needs must down.—

Yet, Warwick, in despite of all mischance,
Of thee thyself, and all thy complices,
Edward will always bear himself as king:

8 The duke! why, Warwick, when we parted LAST,] The word "last" is not in the folio, but as the line is exactly the same in " The True Tragedy," excepting that "last" is added at the close of it, we may presume that it dropped out in the press. We have had other instances of the same kind with short words at the beginnings and ends of lines, which might more easily accidentally escape from those situations than from any other.

Though fortune's malice overthrow my state,
My mind exceeds the compass of her wheel.

War. Then, for his mind be Edward England's king: [Takes off his Crown. But Henry now shall wear the English crown,

And be true king indeed; thou but the shadow.-
My lord of Somerset, at my request,

See that forthwith duke Edward be convey'd

Unto my brother, archbishop of York.

When I have fought with Pembroke and his fellows, I'll follow you, and tell what answer

Lewis, and the lady Bona, send to him:

Now, for a while farewell, good duke of York.

K. Edw. What fates impose, that men must needs abide:

It boots not to resist both wind and tide.

[Exit King EDWARD, led out; SOMERSET with him.

Oxf. What now remains, my lords, for us to do, But march to London with our soldiers?

War. Ay, that's the first thing that we have to do; To free king Henry from imprisonment,

And see him seated in the regal throne.

[Exeunt.

SCENE IV.

London. A Room in the Palace.

Enter Queen ELIZABETH and RIVERS.

Riv. Madam, what makes you in this sudden change? Q. Eliz. Why, brother Rivers, are you yet to learn, What late misfortune is befallen king Edward?

Riv. What! loss of some pitch'd battle against Warwick?

Q. Eliz. No, but the loss of his own royal person.

VOL. V.

X

Riv. Then, is my sovereign slain?

Q. Eliz. Ay, almost slain, for he is taken prisoner; Either betray'd by falsehood of his guard,

Or by his foe surpris'd at unawares :

And, as I farther have to understand,

Is new committed to the bishop of York',

Fell Warwick's brother, and by that our foe.

Riv. These news, I must confess, are full of grief; Yet, gracious madam, bear it as you may:

Warwick may lose, that now hath won the day.

Q. Eliz. Till then, fair hope must hinder life's decay; And I the rather wean me from despair,

For love of Edward's offspring in my womb:
This is it that makes me bridle passion,
And bear with mildness my misfortune's cross;
Ay, ay, for this I draw in many a tear,
And stop the rising of blood-sucking sighs,
Lest with my sighs or tears I blast or drown
King Edward's fruit, true heir to th' English crown.
Riv. But, madam, where is Warwick then become?
Q. Eliz. I am informed, that he comes towards

London,

To set the crown once more on Henry's head.

Guess thou the rest; king Edward's friends must down: But to prevent the tyrant's violence,

(For trust not him that hath once broken faith)
I'll hence forthwith unto the sanctuary,

To save at least the heir of Edward's right:
There shall I rest secure from force, and fraud.

9 Is new committed to the bishop of York,] The copies of "The True Tragedy" sometimes differ from each other, though not materially. In this scene, in the quarto, 1595, the queen says,

"And led away as prisoner into York,"

while the quarto, 1600, has prison for "prisoner." In a scene shortly subsequent, Sir John Montgomery says, according to the quarto, 1595,

66

Ay, now my sovereign speaketh like himself;"

which line the quarto, 1600, injures, by substituting speaks for "speaketh," and the edition without date, but printed about 1619, has it "speaketh," but omits "like," and thus destroys the sense of the passage. The variations between the copies of 1595 and 1600 are generally errors of the press.

Come therefore; let us fly while we may fly:
If Warwick take us we are sure to die.

[Exeunt.

SCENE V.

A Park near Middleham Castle in Yorkshire.

Enter GLOSTER, HASTINGS, Sir WILLIAM STANLEY, and
Others.

Glo. Now, my lord Hastings, and sir William
Stanley,

Leave off to wonder why I drew you hither,

Into this chiefest thicket of the park.

Thus stands the case. You know, our king, my

brother,

Is prisoner to the bishop here, at whose hands

He hath good usage and great liberty,

And often, but attended with weak guard,
Comes hunting this way to disport himself.
I have advertis'd him by secret means,
That if about this hour he make this way,
Under the colour of his usual game,

He shall here find his friends, with horse and men,
To set him free from his captivity.

Enter King EDWARD, and a Huntsman.

Hunt. This way, my lord, for this way lies the game. K. Edw. Nay, this way, man: see, where the huntsmen stand.

Now, brother of Gloster, lord Hastings, and the rest,
Stand you thus close to steal the bishop's deer?

Glo. Brother, the time and case requireth haste:
Your horse stands ready at the park corner.
K. Edw. But whither shall we then?