And may direct his courfe 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 should be

To no apparent likelihood of breach,

put

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

That it is meet fo few fhould fetch the Prince.
Haft. And fo fay I.

Glo. Theh be it fo; and go we to determine,
Who they shall be that ftrait shall poft to Ludlow.
Madam, and you my fifter, will you go,

To give your cenfures in this weighty business? [Exeunt.
[Manent Buckingham and Gloucefter.
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 story we late talk'd of,

To part the Queen's proud kindred from the Prince.
Glo. My other felf, my counfel's confiftory,

My oracle, my prophet!My dear coufin, (5)
I, as a child, will go by thy direction.

Tow'rd Ludlow then, for we'll not stay behind. [Exeunt.

SCENE changes to a Street near the Court.

1

3

Enter one Citizen at one door, and another at the other.

1 Cit.

Hear

G°

Ood-morrow, neighbour, whither away fo faft? z Cit. I promise you, I hardly know myfelf; you the news abroad?

(5) My other felf, my Counsel's Confiftory,

My Oracle, my Prophet, my dear Coufin !] I have altered the Pointirg of this Paffage, by the Direction of my ingenious Friend Mr. Worburton: because, by this new Regulation, a frange and ridiculous Anticlimax is prevented.

1 Cit. 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 speed!
1 Cit. Give you good-morrow, Sir.

3

Cit. Doth the news hold of good King Edward's death? 2 Cit. Ay, Sir, it is too true; God help, the while! Cit. Then, maiters, look to see a troublous world. CiteNo, no, by God's good grace his fon fhall reign. 3 Cit. Woe to that land, that's govern'd by a child! 2 Cit. In him there is a hope of government: Which in his non-age, counfel 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 fixth Was crown'd in Paris, but at nine months old.

3 Cit.Stood the ftate fo? no, no, good friends, God wot; For when this land was famously enrich'd

With politick grave counfel; then the King
Had virtuous uncles to protect his Grace.

I Cit. Why, fo 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 Glofter;

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.

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

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

2 Cit. Truly, the hearts of men are full of fear:

You

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 inftinct men's minds mistrust
Enfuing danger; as by proof we fee,
The waters fwell before a boift'rous ftorm.
But leave it all to God. Whither away?

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

SCENE changes to the Court

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

Arch.

I

Heard, they lay the last night at Northampton, At Stony Stratford they do reft to-night: To-morrow, or next day, they will be here. Dutch. I long with all my heart to fee the Prince; I hope, he is much grown fince laft I faw him. Queen. But I hear, net; they fay, my fon of York Has almoft overta'en him in his growth.

York. Ay, mother, but I would not have it fo. Dutch. Why, my young coufin, it is good to grow. York. Grandam, one night as we did lit at fupper, My uncle Rivers talk'd how I did grow.

More than my brother. Ay, quoth my uncle Glofter,
Small herbs have grace, great weeds do grow apace.
And fince, methinks, I would not grow fo fait,
Because sweet flow'rs are flow, and weeds make haste.
Dutch. Good faith, good faith, the faying did not hold
In him, that did object the same to thee.

He was the wretched'ft thing, when he was young;
So long a growing, and fo leifurely,

That, if his rule were true, he should be gracious,
York. And fo, no doubt, he is, my gracious Madam.
Dutch. I hope, he is; but yet let mothers doubt.
York. Now, by my troth, if I had been remember'd,
I could have giv'n my uncle's Grace a flout
To touch his growth, nearer than he touch'd mine.
Dutch, How, my young York? I pr'ythee, let me hear it,

York.

York. Marry, they fay, my uncle grew fo faft,
That he could gnaw a cruft at two hours old;
'Twas full two years ere I could get a tooth.
Grandam, this would have been a biting jeft.

Dutch. I pr'ythee, pretty York, who told thee this?
York. Grandam, his nurse.

Dutch. His nurfe! why, fhe was dead ere thou waft born. York. If 'twere not the, I cannot tell who told me. Queen. A parlous boy-go to, you are too fhrewd. Dutch. Good Madam, be not angry with a child. Queen. Pitchers have ears.

Enter a Meffenger.

Arch. Here comes a meffenger: what news?
Mef. Such news, my Lord, as grieves me to report.
Queen. How doth the Prince?

Mef. Well, Madam, and in health.

Dutch. What is thy news?

Mef. Lord Rivers and Lord Gray are fent to Pomfret, With them Sir Thomas Vaughan, prifoners.

Dutch. Who hath committed them?

Mef. The mighty Dukes,

Glofter and Buckingham.

Arch. For what offence?

Mef. The fum of all I can, I have difclos'd: Why, or for what, the Nobles were committed, Is all unknown to me, my gracious lady.

Queen. Ah me! I fee the ruin of my houfe;
The tyger now hath feiz'd the gentle hind.
Infulting tyranny begins to jut

Upon the innocent and awlefs throne;
Welcome, deftruction, blood and maffacre!
I fee, as in a map, the end of all.

Dutch. Accurfed and unquiet wrangling days!
How many of you have mine eyes beheld?
My husband loft his life to get the crown,
And often up and down my fons were toft,
For me to joy, and weep, their gain, and lofs.
And being feated, and domeftick broils
Clean over-blown, themfelves, the conquerors

Make

Make war upon themfelves, blood against blood,
Self against felf; O moft prepofterous

And frantick outrage! end thy damned spleen;
Or let me die, to look on death no more. (6)
Queen. Come, come, my boy, we will to fanctuary.
Madam, farewel.

Dutch. Stay, I will go with
Queen. You have no caufe.
Arch. My gracious lady, go,

you.

And thither bear your treasure and your goods.
For my part, I'll refign unto your Grace
The feal I keep; and fo betide it me,
As well I tender you, and all of yours!
Go, I'll conduct you to the fanctuary.

[Exeunt.

SCENE, in London.

The Trumpets found. Enter Prince of Wales, the Dukes of Gloucester and Buckingham, Archbishop, with others.

BUCKINGHAM.

Gl. Welcome, dear coufin,my thought's Sovereign. The weary way hath made you melancholy.

(6) Or let me die, to look on Earth no more,] This is the Reading of all the Copies, from the firft Edition, put out by the Players, downwards. But the old Dutchess had no Antipathy to the World, or looking upon the Earth in general: Her complaints are reftrained to the calamitous Days fhe had feen, the Miferics and Slaughters of civil Wars at home: during the Procefs of which he had been witnefs to fo many Murders, fuch Havock and Destruction; that she very reasonably wishes, that fuch Outrage may cease, or that the may not live to behold any more Friends maffacred. I have the refore reftored the Reading of the old Quarto in 1597 (which is copied by all the other authentick Quarto's;) by which the Thought is finely and properly improved.

Or let me die, to look on Death no more.

Prince.