Car. It ferves you well; my Lord, to fay fo much. Glo. I fay no more than truth, fo help me God! York. In your protectorship you did devife Strange tortures for offenders, never heard of; That England was defam'd by tyranny. Glo. Why, 'tis well known, that, while I was protector, Pity was all the fault that was in me, For I fhould melt at an offender's tears, And lowly words were ranfom for their fault; Or foul felonious thief that fleec'd poor paffengers, Suf. My Lord, thefe faults are eafy, quickly an fwer'd: + But mightier crimes are laid unto your charge, K. Henry My Lord of Glofter, 'tis my fpecial hope Glo. Ah, gracious Lord, thefe days are dangerous, Virtue is choak'd with foul ambition, And charity chas'd hence by Rancour's hand, And equity exil'd your Highness' Land.. And, if my death might make this ifland happy, thefe faults are easy,] Eafy is fight, inconfiderable, as in other paffages of this authour. VOL. V. E For For thousands more, that yet fufpect no peril, And you, my fovereign lady, with the rest; I shall not want falfe witness to condemn me, Car. My Liege, his railing is intolerable. False allegations, to o'erthrow his state. Q. Mar. But I can give the lofer leave to chide. Buck. He'll wreft the fenfe, and hold us here all day. --Lord Cardinal, he is your prifoner. 5 Liefet is dearest. Car Car. Sirs, take away the Duke, and guard him fure. Glo. Ah, thus King Henry throws away his crutch, Before his legs be firm to bear his body; Thus is the fhepherd beaten from thy fide, And wolves are gnarling, who fhall knaw thee first. For, good King Henry, thy decay I fear. [Exit guarded. SCENE III. K. Henry. My Lords, what to your wisdom feemeth best, Do or undo as if ourself were here. Q. Mar. What, will your Highnefs leave the Parliament ? K. Henry. Ay, Margaret, my heart is drown'd with grief, Whose food begins to flow within my eyes, My body round engirt with mifery, For what's more miserable than discontent ? And as the Butcher takes away the Calf, And binds the wretch, and beats it when it ftrays.] But how can it fray when it is bound? The Poet certainly intended, when it frives i. e. when it 6 Bearing it to the bloody flaughter-house; His fortunes I will weep, and 'twixt each groan 7 [Exit. Q. Mar. Free Lords, cold fnow melts with the fun's hot beams; Henry my Lord is cold in great affairs, believe that in this paffage, ther, fo that frive is the best word, but fray is the right. 7 Free Lords, &c.] By this fhe means, (as may be feen by the fequel) you, who are not bound up to fuch precife regards of religion as is the King; but are men of the World, and know how to live. WARBURTON And And yet we have but trivial argument, York.'Tis York, that hath more reafon for his death. But, my Lord Cardinal, and you, my Lord of Suffolk, Say as you think, and speak it from your fouls; Wer't not all one, an empty eagle were fet To guard the chicken from a hungry kite, As place Duke Humphry for the King's protector? Q. Mar. So the poor chicken should be fure of death. Suf. Madam, 'tis true; and wer't not madness, then, To make the fox furveyor of the fold? Who being accus'd a crafty murderer, His guilt fhould be but idly posted over, Because his purpose is not executed. No; let him die, in that he is a fox, By Nature prov'd an enemy to the flock, Before his chaps be ftain'd with crimson blood, As Humphry prov'd by reafons to my Liege; And do not stand on quillets how to flay him, Be it by ginns, by fnares, by fubtilty, Sleeping or waking, 'tis no matter how, * 'Tis York that hath more reafon for his death.] Why York had more reafon than the reft for defiring Humphry's death, is not very clear; he had only decided thedeliberationabout the regency of France in favour of Somerfet. ཧ 8 No; let him die, in that he is a fox By Nature prov'd an enemy to the flock, Before his chaps be flain'd with crimfan blood, As Humphry prov'd by reafons to my Liege.] The meaning of the fpeaker is not hard to be difcovered, but his expreffion is very much perplexed. He means that the fox may be lawfully killed, as being known to be by nature an enemy to sheep, even before he has actually killed them; fo Humphry may be properly deftroyed, as being proved by arguments to be the king's enemy. before he has committed any actual crime. Some may be tempted to read treafons for reafons, but the drift of the argument is to fhew that there may be reafon to kill him before any treafon has broken out. |