K. HEN. All will revolt from me, and turn to

him.

NORTH. Plantagenet, for all the claim thou lay'st, Think not, that Henry shall be so depos'd.

'WAR. Depos'd he shall be, in despite of all. NORTH. Thou art deceiv'd: 'tis not thy southern

power,

Of Essex, Norfolk, Suffolk, nor of Kent,Which makes thee thus presumptuous and proud, Can set the duke up, in despite of me.

CLIF. King Henry, be thy title right or wrong, Lord Clifford vows to fight in thy defence: May that ground gape, and swallow me alive, 'Where I shall kneel to him that slew my father!

9

K. HEN. O Clifford, how thy words revive my heart!

YORK. Henry of Lancaster, resign thy crown:What mutter you, or what conspire you, lords?

WAR. Do right unto this princely duke of York; Or I will fill the house with armed men, And, o'er the chair of state, where now he sits, Write up his title with usurping blood.

[He stamps, and the Soldiers show themselves. K. HEN. My lord of Warwick, hear me but one word;

9 May that ground gape, and swallow me alive,] So, in Phaer's translation of the fourth Æneid:

cir "But rather would I wish the ground to gape for me

1

below." STEEVENS.

ZUSA

- hear but one word;] Hear is in this line, as in some other places, used as a dissyllable. See Vol. XI. p. 411, n. 4. The editor of the third folio, and all the subsequent editors, read -hear me but one word. MALONE.

The word-hear, in this place, may certainly pass as a disLet me, for this my life-time, reign as king. YORK. Confirm the crown to me, and to mine

heirs,

And thou shalt reign in quiet while thou liv'st. K. HEN. I am content: Richard Plantagenet, Enjoy the kingdom after my decease.2

CLIF. What wrong is this unto the prince your son?

WAR. What good is this to England, and him

self?

WEST. Base, fearful, and despairing Henry ! CLIF. How hast thou injur'd both thyself and us?

WEST. I cannot stay to hear these articles.
NORTH. Nor I.

CLIF. Come, cousin, let us tell the queen these

news.

* WEST. Farewell, faint-hearted and degenerate king,

* In whose cold blood no spark of honour bides. NORTH. Be thou a prey unto the house of York, And die in bands for this unmanly deed!

CLIF. In dreadful war may'st thou be overcome!

syllable. Respecting that referred to by Mr. Malone, I am of a contrary opinion. STEEVENS.

Since the third folio reads hear me but one word, which improves both the language and the metre, why should it not be followed? M. MASON.

2 I am content: &c.] Instead of this speech the old play has the following lines :

"King. Convey the soldiers hence, and then I will.
"War. Captaine, conduct them into Tuthilfields."

See Vol. XIII. p. 210, n. 9; p. 220, n. 6; p. 234, n. 1; p. 317, n. 3; p. 322, n. 3. MALONE.

Or live in peace, abandon'd, and despis'd!

[Exeunt NORTHUMBERLAND, CLIFFORD,

and WESTMORELAND.

* WAR. Turn this way, Henry, and regard them

not.

2

EXE. They seek revenge, and therefore will not

yield.

K. HEN. Ah, Exeter!

WAR.

Why should you sigh, my lord?

K. HEN. Not for myself, lord Warwick, but my

son,

Whom I unnaturally shall disinherit. But, be it as it may :-I here entail 'The crown to thee, and to thine heirs for ever; Conditionally, that here thou take an oath To cease this civil war, and, whilst I live, To honour me as thy king and sovereign; * And neither by treason, nor hostility, * To seek to put me down, and reign thyself.

3 They seek revenge,] They go away, not because they doubt the justice of this determination, but because they have been conquered, and seek to be revenged. They are not influenced by principle, but passion. JOHNSON.

* And neither-] Neither, either, whether, brother, rather, and many similar words, were used by Shakspeare as monosyllables. So, in A Midsummer-Night's Dream :

66

Either death or you I'll find immediately." The editor of the second folio, who appears to have been entirely ignorant of our author's metre and phraseology, not knowing this, omitted the word And. MALONE.

My ignorance must be content to accompany that of the editor of the second folio; for how either, brother, neither, or rather, can be pronounced as monosyllables, I am yet to learn.

The versification, however, in this and the preceding play is often so irregular, that I leave the passage before us as it stands in the first folio. STEEVENS.

YORK. This oath I willingly take, and will per[Coming from the Throne.

form.

WAR. Long live king Henry!-Plantagenet, embrace him.

K. HEN. And long live thou, and these thy forward sons!

YORK. Now York and Lancaster are reconcil'd. EXE. Accurs'd be he, that seeks to make them foes! [Senet. The Lords come forward. YORK. Farewell, my gracious lord; I'll to my castle.5

WAR. And I'll keep London, with my soldiers. NORF. And I to Norfolk, with my followers. MONT. And I unto the sea, from whence I came. [Exeunt YORK, and his Sons, WARWICK, NORFOLK, MONTAGUE, Soldiers, and Attendants.

* K. HEN. And I, with grief and sorrow, to the

court.

Enter Queen MARGARET and the Prince of Wales.

EXE. Here comes the queen, whose looks be

wray her anger :

I'll steal away.

K. HEN.

Exeter, so will I. [Going.

I'll to my castle.] Sandal Castle near Wakefield, in

5

Yorkshire. MALONE.

6

bewray-] i. e. betray, discover. So, in K. Lear :

"Mark the high noises, and thyself bewray."

Again, ibid:

"He did bewray his practice." STEEVENS.

Q. MAR. Nay, go not from me, I will follow thee.

K. HEN. Bepatient, gentle queen, and I will stay. Q. MAR. Who can be patient in such extremes? * Ah, wretched man! 'would I had died a maid, * And never seen thee, never borne thee son, * Seeing thou hast prov'd so unnatural a father! * Hath he deserv'd to lose his birthright thus? * Hadst thou but lov'd him half so well as I; * Or felt that pain which I did for him once; * Or nourish'd him, as I did with my blood;

* Thou wouldst have left thy dearest heart-blood

there,

* Rather than made that savage duke thine heir,

* And disinherited thine only son.

* PRINCE. Father, you cannot disinherit me:

* If you be king, why should not I succeed?

* K. HEN. Pardon me, Margaret ;-pardon me, sweet son;

* The earl of Warwick, and the duke, enforc'd me. * Q. MAR. Enforc'd thee! art thou king, and wilt be forc'd?

I shame to hear thee speak. Ah, timorous wretch! Thou hast undone thyself, thy son, and me; ' And given unto the house of York such head, * As thou shalt reign but by their sufferance. * To entail him and his heirs unto the crown, * What is it, but to make thy sepulchre,

7 Rather than made-] Old copy-Rather than have made. The compositor inadvertently repeated the word-have, from the preceding line. STEEVENS.

Rather is here used as a monosyllable. See p. 17, n. 4.

MALONE.

* What is it, but to make thy sepulchre,] The Queen's rer