Hor. Let it come, i' faith, and I'll pledge you all; and a fig for Peter!

1 Pren. Here, Peter, I drink to thee; and be not afraid. 2 Pren. Be merry, Peter, and fear not thy master: fight for credit of the prentices.

Peter. I thank you all: drink, and pray for me, I pray you, for, I think, I have taken my last draught in this world. -Here, Robin, an if I die, I give thee my apron; and, Will, thou shalt have my hammer:—and here, Tom, take all the money that I have.-O Lord, bless me! I pray God, for I am never able to deal with my master, he hath learnt so much fence already.

Sal. Come, leave your drinking, both, and fall to blows".Sirrah, what's thy name?

Peter. Peter, forsooth.

Sal. Peter! what more?

Peter. Thump.

Sal. Thump! then see thou thump thy master well.

Hor. Masters, I am come hither, as it were, upon my man's instigation, to prove him a knave, and myself an honest man: and touching the duke of York, I will take my death, I never meant him any ill, nor the king, nor the queen; and therefore, Peter, have at thee with a downright blow'.

York. Despatch: this knave's tongue begins to double. Sound, trumpets, alarum to the combatants.

[Alarum. They fight, and PETER hits his Master on the head and fells him3.

Hor. Hold, Peter, hold!-I confess, I confess treason.

[Dies.

York. Take away his weapon.-Fellow, thank God, and the good wine in thy master's way.

Peter. O God! have I overcome mine enemies in this presence? O Peter! thou hast prevailed in right.

8 Come, leave your drinking BOTH, and fall to blows.] corr. fo. 1632. A line seems to have been intended.

1

"Both" is from the

have at thee with a downright blow.] After these words modern editors have introduced "as Bevis of Southampton fell upon Ascapart," from "The First Part of the Contention," 1594. But there are many passages much more important, sometimes to the extent of ten or twelve lines, omitted in the folio, which we should be without excuse for leaving out in our text, if we did not exclude this needless reference to the old romance. The presumption of course is, that Shakespeare himself rejected it; but we add it in a note for the information of the reader, though we exclude it from the play.

2

and fells him.] Such is the stage-direction in the old "Contention," 1594.

3

K. Hen. Go, and take hence that traitor from our sight; For by his death we do perceive his guilt:

And God in justice hath reveal'd to us

The truth and innocence of this poor fellow,

Which he had thought to have murder'd wrongfully.
Come, fellow; follow us for thy reward.

SCENE IV.

The Same. A Street.

[Exeunt.

Enter GLOSTER and Servants, in mourning cloaks.

Glo. Thus, sometimes hath the brightest day a cloud;
And after summer evermore succeeds

Barren winter, with his wrathful nipping cold:
So, cares and joys abound, as seasons fleet.—
Sirs, what's o'clock ?

Serv.

Ten, my lord.

4

Glo. Ten is the hour that was appointed me
To watch the coming of my punish'd duchess:
Uneath may she endure the flinty streets,
To tread them with her tender-feeling feet.
Sweet Nell, ill can thy noble mind abrook
The abject people, gazing on thy face

With envious looks, still laughing at thy shame',
That erst did follow thy proud chariot wheels,

When thou didst ride in triumph through the streets.

But, soft! I think, she comes; and I'll prepare

My tear-stain'd eyes to see her miseries.

Enter the Duchess of GLOSTER, in a white sheet, with verses upon her back, her feet bare, and a taper burning in her hand; Sir JOHN STANLEY, a Sheriff, and Officers.

Serv. So please your grace, we'll take her from the sheriff.

3 GO, AND take hence] "And" is from the corr. fo. 1632: it is clearly of no value, excepting as it perfects the line.

4 UNEATH may she endure] "Uneath" is scarcely, or not easily; from un and eath, easy. We have lost eath, but, happily, not yet "uneath."

5 With ENVIOUS looks, STILL laughing at thy shame,] Envy and envious are often used by our old writers for hatred and hateful, or malicious. The editor of the folio, 1632, inserted the word still in the middle of this line; and though it is not found either in the folio, 1623, or in the old "Contention," from which Shakespeare adopted the line, it seems required.

6

- with VERSES upon her back,] This part of the stage-direction is derived

Glo. No, stir not, for your lives: let her pass by.
Duch. Come you, my lord, to see my open shame ?
Now thou dost penance too. Look, how they gaze:
See, how the giddy multitude do point,
And nod their heads, and throw their eyes on thee.
Ah, Gloster! hide thee from their hateful looks;
And in thy closet pent up rue my shame,
And ban thine enemies', both mine and thine.
Glo. Be patient, gentle Nell: forget this grief.
Duch. Ah, Gloster! teach me to forget myself;
For, whilst I think I am thy married wife,
And thou a prince, protector of this land,
Methinks, I should not thus be led along,
Mail'd up in shame, with papers on my back,
And follow'd with a rabble, that rejoice
To see my tears, and hear my deep-fet groans.
The ruthless flint doth cut my tender feet;
And when I start the envious people laugh,
And bid me be advised how I tread.

Ah, Humphrey ! can I bear this shameful yoke?
Trow'st thou, that e'er I'll look upon the world,
Or count them happy that enjoy the sun?
No; dark shall be my light, and night my day :
To think upon my pomp, shall be my hell.
Sometime I'll say I am duke Humphrey's wife,
And he a prince, and ruler of the land;
Yet so he rul'd, and such a prince he was,
As he stood by, whilst I, his forlorn duchess,
Was made a wonder, and a pointing-stock,

To every idle rascal follower.

But be thou mild, and blush not at my shame:
Nor stir at nothing, till the axe of death

Hang over thee, as, sure, it shortly will;

from the old "Contention," 1594. It is omitted in the folio; and modern editors, by substituting papers for "verses," have left it doubtful what kind of papers were fixed upon the dress of the Duchess.

7 And BAN thine enemies,] i. e. And curse thine enemies. See " Henry VI., Part I.," A. v. sc. 3, Vol. iii. p. 724, &c.

66

8 MAIL'D up in shame,] Johnson tells us, that "Mail'd up in shame" means 'wrapped up, bundled up in disgrace." The Rev. Mr. Dyce ("Remarks," p. 128) quotes very appositely from Randle Holmes' Acc. of Arm., b. ii. p. 239, "to mail a hawk, is to wrap her up in a handkerchief," as the Duchess was inclosed in the white sheet. He admits, however, as we stated in our first edition, that "mail'd up in " are words applied to armour, which is all we contended for.

For Suffolk,

he that can do all in all

With her, that hateth thee, and hates us all,

And York, and impious Beaufort, that false priest,
Have all lim❜d bushes to betray thy wings;

And, fly thou how thou canst, they'll tangle thee.
But fear not thou, until thy foot be snar'd,
Nor never seek prevention of thy foes.

Glo. Ah, Nell! forbear; thou aimest all awry:
I must offend before I be attainted;

And had I twenty times so many foes,

And each of them had twenty times their power,
All these could not procure me any scathe,
So long as I am loyal, true, and crimeless.
Wouldst have me rescue thee from this reproach?
Why, yet thy scandal were not wip'd away,
But I in danger for the breach of law.
Thy greatest help is quiet, gentle Nell;
I pray thee, sort thy heart to patience:

These few days' wonder will be quickly worn.

Enter a Herald.

Her. I summon your grace to his majesty's parliament, holden at Bury the first of this next month.

Glo. And my consent ne'er ask'd herein before ?

This is close dealing.-Well, I will be there.- [Exit Herald. My Nell, I take my leave :-and, master sheriff,

Let not her penance exceed the king's commission.

Sher. An't please your grace, here my commission stays; And sir John Stanley is appointed now

To take her with him to the isle of Man.

Glo. Must you, sir John, protect my lady here?

Stan. So am I given in charge, may't please your grace. Glo. Entreat her not the worse, in that I pray You use her well. The world may laugh again; And I may live to do you kindness, if

You do it her: and so, sir John, farewell.

[Going.

9 ENTREAT her not the worse,] "Entreat" was not unfrequently put for treat, especially when, as here, a syllable was wanted to complete the line: see "Richard II.," A. iii. sc. 1, Vol. iii. p. 262. In the corresponding passage of the old" Contention," 1594, we find this very word employed in its more ordinary sense; for Gloster there says,

"use her ne'er the worse, In that I entreat you use her well."

Duch. What! gone, my lord, and bid me not farewell?
Glo. Witness my tears, I cannot stay to speak.

[Exeunt GLOSTER and Servants.

Duch. Art thou gone so1? All comfort go with thee,

For none abides with me: my joy is—death;

Death, at whose name I oft have been afear'd,
Because I wish'd this world's eternity.-
Stanley, I pr'ythee, go, and take me hence;
I care not whither, for I beg no favour,
Only convey me where thou art commanded.

Stan. Why, madam, that is to the isle of Man ;
There to be us'd according to your state.

Duch. That's bad enough, for I am but reproach: And shall I, then, be us'd reproachfully?

Stan. Like to a duchess, and duke Humphrey's lady:
According to that state you shall be used.

Duch. Sheriff, farewell, and better than I fare,
Although thou hast been conduct of my shame.
Sher. It is my office; and, madam, pardon me.
Duch. Ay, ay, farewell: thy office is discharg'd.-
Come, Stanley, shall we go?

Stan. Madam, your penance done, throw off this sheet,
And go we to attire you for our journey.

Duch. My shame will not be shifted with my sheet:

No; it will hang upon my richest robes,

And show itself, attire me how I can.
Go, lead the way: I long to see my prison.

[Exeunt.

ACT III. SCENE I.

The Abbey at Bury.

A Sennet. Enter to the Parliament, King HENRY, Queen MARGARET, Cardinal BEAUFORT, SUFFOLK, YORK, BUCKINGHAM, and others.

K. Hen. I muse, my lord of Gloster is not come : "Tis not his wont to be the hindmost man,

1 Art thou gone so?] The corr. fo. 1632 has "so" for to of the folio, 1623. The only person gone was Gloster, with his servants, and "Art thou gone too," the usual text, must therefore be wrong.

A Sennet.] The etymology of "sennet" has been disputed, but it certainly meant a sounding of trumpets, and may have been derived from the Fr. sonner,