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Som. O monstrous traitor!-I arrest thee, York,

Of capital treason 'gainst the king and crown.

Obey, audacious traitor: kneel for grace.

York. Would'st have me kneel? first let me ask of thee,

If they can brook I bow a knee to man??

Sirrah, call in my sons to be my bail;

[Exit an Attendant.

I know, ere they will have me go to ward,

They'll pawn their swords for my enfranchisement.
Q. Mar. Call hither Clifford; bid him come amain,
To say, if that the bastard boys of York

Shall be the surety for their traitor father.
York. O! blood-bespotted Neapolitan,
Outcast of Naples, England's bloody scourge,
The sons of York, thy betters in their birth,
Shall be their father's bail; and bane to those
That for my surety will refuse the boys.

Enter EDWARD and RICHARD PLANTAGENET, with Forces, at one side; at the other, with Forces also, old CLIFFORD and his Son.

See where they come: I'll warrant they'll make it

good.

Q. Mar. And here comes Clifford, to deny their

bail.

Clif. Health and all happiness to my lord the king!

[Kneels.

York. I thank thee, Clifford say, what news with

thee?

Nay, do not fright us with an angry look:

We are thy sovereign, Clifford, kneel again;

[blocks in formation]

If they can brook I bow a knee to man?] Thus all the old copies, and the sense seems to be, "first let me ask of thee, Somerset, if they (i.e. his sons, mentioned in the next line) can brook that I should bow a knee to man?" Theobald substituted these for "thee," and modern editors have followed him, some with and some without notice that it was a variation from the authentic text. To Mr. Amyot I owe the suggestion that no alteration is required.

For thy mistaking so, we pardon thee.

Clif. This is my king, York: I do not mistake; But thou mistak'st me much, to think I do.

To Bedlam with him! is the man grown mad?

K. Hen. Ay, Clifford; a bedlam and ambitious humour

Makes him oppose himself against his king.

Clif. He is a traitor: let him to the Tower, And chop away that factious pate of his.

Q. Mar. He is arrested, but will not obey: His sons, he says, shall give their words for him. York. Will you not, sons?

Edw. Ay, noble father, if our words will serve. Rich. And if words will not, then our weapons shall. Clif. Why, what a brood of traitors have we here! York. Look in a glass, and call thy image so; I am thy king, and thou a false-heart traitor.— Call hither to the stake my two brave bears, That with the very shaking of their chains They may astonish these fell lurking curs: Bid Salisbury, and Warwick, come to me.

Drums. Enter WARWICK and SALISBURY, with Forces. Clif. Are these thy bears? we'll bait thy bears to

death,

And manacle the bear-ward in their chains,
If thou dar'st bring them to the baiting place.

Rich. Oft have I seen a hot o'erweening cur
Run back and bite, because he was withheld;
Who, being suffer'd with the bear's fell paw,
Hath clapp'd his tail between his legs, and cry'd:
And such a piece of service will you do,

If

you oppose yourselves to match lord Warwick. Clif. Hence, heap of wrath, foul indigested lump,

As crooked in thy manners as thy shape3!

3 As crooked in thy manners as thy shape!] In the stage-direction of the quarto "Contention," he is called "crook-back Richard" on his entrance.

York. Nay, we shall heat you thoroughly anon. Clif. Take heed, lest by your heat you burn yourselves.

K. Hen. Why, Warwick, hath thy knee forgot to bow?

Old Salisbury,―shame to thy silver hair,

Thou mad misleader of thy brain-sick son!-
What, wilt thou on thy death-bed play the ruffian,
And seek for sorrow with thy spectacles?

O! where is faith? O! where is loyalty?
If it be banish'd from the frosty head,
Where shall it find a harbour in the earth?-
Wilt thou go dig a grave to find out war,
And shame thine honourable age with blood?
Why art thou old, and want'st experience?
Or wherefore dost abuse it, if thou hast it?
For shame! in duty bend thy knee to me,
That bows unto the grave with mickle age.
Sal. My lord, I have consider'd with myself
The title of this most renowned duke;
And in my conscience do repute his grace

The rightful heir to England's royal seat.

K. Hen. Hast thou not sworn allegiance unto me? Sal. I have.

K. Hen. Canst thou dispense with heaven for such an oath?

Sal. It is great sin to swear unto a sin,

But greater sin to keep a sinful oath.
Who can be bound by any solemn vow
To do a murderous deed, to rob a man,
To force a spotless virgin's chastity,
To reave the orphan of his patrimony,
To wring the widow from her custom'd right,
And have no other reason for this wrong,
But that he was bound by a solemn oath?

Q. Mar. A subtle traitor needs no sophister.

K. Hen. Call Buckingham, and bid him arm himself.

York. Call Buckingham, and all the friends thou

hast,

I am resolv'd for death, or dignity*.

Clif. The first I warrant thee, if dreams prove true. War. You were best to go to bed, and dream again, To keep thee from the tempest of the field.

Clif. I am resolv'd to bear a greater storm,
Than any thou canst conjure up to-day;
And that I'll write upon thy burgonet,

Might I but know thee by thy household badge.
War. Now, by my father's badge, old Nevil's crest,
The rampant bear chain'd to the ragged staff,
This day I'll wear aloft my burgonet,
(As on a mountain-top the cedar shows,
That keeps his leaves in spite of any storm)
Even to affright thee with the view thereof.
Clif. And from thy burgonet I'll rend thy bear,
And tread it underfoot with all contempt,
Despite the bear-ward that protects the bear.
Y. Clif. And so to arms, victorious father,
To quell the rebels, and their 'complices.

Rich. Fie! charity! for shame! speak not in spite, For you shall sup with Jesu Christ to-night.

Y. Clif. Foul stigmatic, that's more than thou canst tell.

Rich. If not in heaven, you'll surely sup in hell.

[Exeunt severally.

4 - for death, or dignity.] The folio reads, “ and dignity." The necessary emendation was made by Pope.

5 Might I but know thee by thy HOUSEHOLD badge.] These four lines are exactly the same in the folio as in the quarto, excepting that the former has housed for "household" of the latter. "Household" is of course right, and housed a misprint. The editor of the second folio substituted house's for housed of the first folio.

• Foul STIGMATIC,] "A stigmatic (says Steevens) is one on whom nature has set a mark of deformity, a stigma." "Stigmatic" also signified a person who has been branded with a hot iron for some crime. Richard is again called "stigmatic" in "Henry VI." part iii. Act ii. sc. 2.

SCENE II.

Saint Albans.

Alarums: Excursions. Enter WARWICK.

War. Clifford of Cumberland! 'tis Warwick calls; And if thou dost not hide thee from the bear, Now, when the angry trumpet sounds alarm, And dead men's cries do fill the empty air, Clifford, I say, come forth and fight with me! Proud northern lord, Clifford of Cumberland, Warwick is hoarse with calling thee to arms.

Enter YORK.

How now, my noble lord! what, all a-foot?

York. The deadly-handed Clifford slew my steed; But match to match I have encounter'd him, And made a prey for carrion kites and crows Even of the bonny beast he lov'd so well.

Enter CLIFFORD.

War. Of one or both of us the time is come.

York. Hold, Warwick! seek thee out some other

chace,

For I myself must hunt this deer to death.

War. Then, nobly, York; 'tis for a crown thou

fight'st.

As I intend, Clifford, to thrive to-day,

It grieves my soul to leave thee unassail'd.

[Exit WARWICK.

Clif. What seest thou in me, York? why dost thou

pause?

York. With thy brave bearing should I be in love, But that thou art so fast mine enemy.

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