Act II.
Scene III.
Scene III.—The Same. A Hall of Justice.
Trumpets sounded. Enter KING HENRY,
QUEEN MARGARET, GLOUCESTER,
YORK, SUFFOLK, and SALISBURY; the
DUCHESS OF GLOUCESTER,MARGERY
JOURDAIN, SOUTHWELL, HUME, and
BOLINGBROKE, under guard.
K. Hen. Stand forth. Dame Eleanor Cobham,
Gloucester's wife.
In sight of God and us, your guilt is great:
Receive the sentence of the law for sins
Such as by God's book are adjudg'd to death.
You four, from hence to prison back again;
From thence, unto the place of execution:
The witch in Smithfield shall be burn'd to ashes,
And you three shall be strangled on the gallows.
You, madam, for you are more nobly born,
Despoiled of your honour in your life,
Shall, after three days' open penance done,
Live in your country here, in banishment,
With Sir John Stanley, in the Isle of Man.
Duch. Welcome is banishment; welcome
were my death.
Glo. Eleanor, the law, thou seest, hath judged
thee:
I cannot justify whom the law condemns.—
[Exeunt the DUCHESS, and the other
Prisoners, guarded.
Mine eyes are full of tears, my heart of grief.
Ah, Humphrey! this dishonour in thine age
Will bring thy head with sorrow to the ground.
I beseech your majesty, give me leave to go;
Sorrow would solace and mine age would ease.
K. Hen. Stay, Humphrey, Duke of Glou-
cester: ere thou go,
Give up thy staff: Henry will to himself
Protector be; and God shall be my hope,
My stay, my guide, and lantern to my feet.
And go in peace, Humphrey; no less belov'd
Than when thou wert protector to thy king.
Q. Mar. I see no reason why a king of
years
Should be to be protected like a child.
God and King Henry govern England's helm!
Give up your staff, sir, and the king his realm.
Glo. My stair! here, noble Henry, is my
staff:
As willingly do I the same resign
As e'er thy father Henry made it mine;
And even as willingly at thy feet I leave it
As others would ambitiously receive it.
Farewell, good king! when I am dead and
gone,
May honourable peace attend thy throne.
[Exit.
Q. Mar. Why, now is Henry king, and Mar-
garet queen;
And Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, scarce
himself,
That bears so shrewd a maim: two pulls at
once;
His lady banish'd, and a limb lopp'd off;
This staff of honour raught: there let it stand,
Where it best fits to be, in Henry's hand.
Suf. Thus droops this lofty pine and hangs
his sprays;
Thus Eleanor's pride dies in her youngest
days.
York. Lords, let him go. Please it your ma-
jesty
This is the day appointed for the combat;
And ready are the appellant and defendant,
The armourer and his man, to enter the lists,
So please your highness to behold the fight.
Q. Mar. Ay, good my lord; for purposely
therefore
Left I the court, to see this quarrel tried.
K. Hen. O' God's name, see the lists and all
things fit:
Here let them end it; and God defend the
right!
York. I never saw a fellow worse bested,
Or more afraid to fight, than is the appellant,
The servant of this armourer, my lords.
Enter, on one side, HORNER, and his Neigh-
bours drinking to Mm so much that he is
drunk; and he enters bearing his staff with
a sand-bag fastened to it; a drum before
him: on the other side, PETER, with a drum
and a sand-bag; and Prentices drinking to
him.
First Neigh. Here, neighbour Horner, I drink
to you in a cup of sack: and fear not, neighbour,
you shall do well enough.
Sec. Neigh. And here, neighbour, here's
a cup
of charneco.
Third Neigh. And here's a pot of good double
beer, neighbour: drink, and fear not your
man.
Hor. Let it come, i' faith, and I'll pledge
you
all; and a fig for Peter!
First Pren. Here, Peter, I drink to thee;
and be not afraid.
Sec. 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 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 mas-
ter 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 down-
right blow!
York. Dispatch: this knave's tongue begins
to double.
Sound, trumpets, alarum to the combatants.
[Alarum. They fight, and PETER strikes
down his Master.
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!
K. Hen. Go, 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 wrong-
fully.
Come, fellow, follow us for thy reward.
[Sound a flourish. Exeunt.
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