God and King Henry govern England's realm:
Give up your staff, Sir, and the king his realm.
Glo. My ftaff? here, noble Henry, is my staff:
As willingly do I the fame refign,

As e'er thy father Henry made it mine;
And even as willing at thy feet I leave it,
As others would ambitiously receive it.

Farewel, good King; when I am dead and gone,
May honourable peace attend thy throne. [Exit Glo'fter.
Q. Mar. Why,now is Henry King, and Margret Queen.
And Humphry, Duke of Glofter, scarce himself,
That bears fo fhrew'd a maim; two pulls at once;
His lady banish'd, and a limb lopt off:

This staff of honour raught, there let it stand,
Where beft it fits to be, in Henry's hand.

Suf. Thus droops this lofty pine, and hangs his fprayes; Thus Eleanor's pride dies in her younger days.

York. Lords, let him go. Please it your Majesty,
This is the day appointed for the combat,
And ready are th' appellant and defendant,
The armourer and his man, to enter the lifts,
So please your Highness to behold the fight.

Q. Mar. Ay, good my lord; for purposely therefore Left I the court, to fee this quarrel try'd.

K. Henry. A'God's name, fee the lifts and all things fit;
Here let them end it, and God guard the right!
York. I never faw a fellow worse bestead,

Or more afraid to fight, than is th' apellant!
The fervant of the armourer, my lords.

Enter at one door the armourer and his neighbours, drink ing to him fo much, that he is drunk; and he enters with a drum before him, and his ftaff with a fand-bag faftned to it (6); and at the other door his man, with a drum and fand-bag, and prentices drinking to him.

1 Neigh. Here, neighbour Horner, I drink to you in a cup

(6) With a Sand-bag faften'd to it.] As, according to the Old Laws of Duels, Knights were to fight with the Lance and

Sword;

a cup of fack; and fear not, neighbour, you fhall do well enough.

2 Neigh. And here, neighbour, here's a cup of char

neco.

3 Neigh. And here's a pot of good double beer, neighbour; drink, and fear not your man.

Arm. Let it come, i'faith, and I'll pledge you all ; and a fig for Peter.

Pren. Here, Peter, I drink to thee, and be not afraid.

2 Pren. Be merry, Peter, and fear not thy mafter; fight for the credit of the prentices.

Peter. I thank you all; drink, and pray for me, I pray you; for, I think, I have taken my laft draught in this world. Here, Robin: if I die, I give thee my a pron; and, Will, thou fhalt have my hammer; and here, Tom, take all the mony that I have. O Lord, blefs me I pray God; for I am never able to deal with my mafter, he hath learn'd so much fence already.

Sal. Come, leave your drinking, and fall to blows. Sirrah, what's thy name?

Peter. Peter, forfooth.
Sal. Peter? what more?

Peter. Thump.

Sal. Thump? Then fee thou thump thy mafter well. Arm. Mafters, I am come hither as it were upon my man's inftigation, 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 downright blow.

York. Difpatch: this knave's tongue begins to double. Sound trumpets; alarum to the combatants.

[They fight, and Peter frikes him down.

Sword; fo thofe of inferior Rank fought with an Ebon Staff or Battoon, to the farther End of which was fix'd a Bag cram'd hard with Sand. To this Cuftom Hudibras has alluded in these humourous Lines:

Engag'd with Money-bags, as bold
As Men with Sand-bags did of old,

Mr, Warburton.

Arm.

Arm. Hold, Peter, hold; I confess, I confefs treafon.

[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 enemy in this prefence?

O Peter, thou haft prevail'd in right.

K. Henry. Go, take hence that traitor from our fight,' For by his death we do perceive his guilt. And God in juftice hath reveal'd to us The truth and innocence of this poor fellow, Which he had thought to murder wrongfully. Come, fellow, follow us for thy reward.

SCENE, the Street.

[Exeunt

Enter Duke Humphry and his Men, in Mourning Cloaks

Glo.

HUS fometimes hath the brightest day a cloud;

THU

And, after fummer, evermore fucceeds

The barren winter with his nipping cold;
So cares and joys abound, as seasons fleet.
Sirs, what's a-clock?

Serv. Ten, my Lord.

Glo. Ten is the hour that was appointed me,
To watch the coming of my punish'd dutchess:
Unneath may she endure the flinty streets,
To tread them with her tender-feeling feet.
Sweet Nell, ill can thy noble mind a-brook
The abject people gazing on thy face,
With envious looks ftill laughing at thy fhame;
That erft did follow thy proud chariot-wheels,
When thou didst ride in triumph thro' the streets.
But foft! I think, fhe comes; and I'll prepare
My tear ftain'd eyes to see her miseries.

Enter

Enter the Dutchess in a white Sheet, and a Taper burning in her hand, with Sir John Stanley, a Sheriff and Officers.

Serv. So please your Grace, we'll take her from the
Sheriff.

Glo. No, ftir not for your lives, let her pass by.

Elean. Come you, my lord, to see my open fhame ? Now thou doft penance too. Look, how they gaze ! See, how the giddy multitude de point,

And nod their heads, and throw their eyes on thee!
Ah, Glofter, hide thee from their hateful looks;
And in thy closet pent up, rue my shame,
And ban our enemies, both mine and thine.
Glo. Be patient, gentle Nell; forget this grief.
Elean. Ah! Glofter, teach me to forget myself:
For whilft I think I am thy marry'd wife,
And thou a prince, protector of this land;
Methinks, I fhould not thus be led along,
Mail'd up in fhame, with papers on my back;
And follow'd with a rabble, that rejoice
To fee my tears, and hear my deep-fetch'd groans.
The ruthless flint doth cut my tender feet;
And when I ftart, the cruel people laugh:
And bid me be advised how I tread.

Ah! Humphry, can I bear this fhameful yoak?
Trow'st thou, that e'er I'll look upon the world,
Or count them happy, that enjoy the fun?
No: dark shall be my light, and night my day.
To think upon my pomp, fhall be my hell.
Sometime I'll fay, I am Duke Humphry's wife,
And he a prince, and ruler of the land:
Yet fo he rul'd, and fuch a prince he was,
That he stood by, whilft I, his forlorn dutchefs,
Was made a wonder and a pointing-stock
To every idle, rascal follower.

But be thou mild, and blush not at my fhame,
Nor ftir at nothing, till the ax of death
Hang over thee, as, fure, it fhortly will.
For Suffolk, (he that can do all in all

With her, that hateth thee and hates us all)
And York, and impious Beauford, that false priest,
Have all lim'd bushes to betray thy wings;

And fly thou, how thou canft, they'll tangle thee:
But fear not thou, until thy foot be fnar'd,
Nor never feek prevention of thy foes.

Glo. Ah, Nell, forbear; thou aimest all awry..
I must offend, before I be attainted:
And, had I twenty times so many foes,
And each of them had twenty times their power,
All these could not procure me any scathe,
So long as I am loyal, true, and crimeless.
Wouldft have me rescue thee from this reproach?
Why, yet thy scandal were not wip'd away;
But I in danger for the breach of law.
Thy greatest help is quiet, gentle Nell:
I pray thee, fort thy heart to patience;
Thefe few days' wonder will be quickly worn.
Enter a Herald.

Her. I fummon your Grace to his Majefty's parliament holden at Bury, the firft of this next month.

Glo. And my confent ne'er ask'd herein before? This is close dealing. Well, I will be there;

FExit Herald. My Nell, I take my leave: and, mafter Sheriff, Let not her penance exceed the King's commiffion. Sher. An't please your Grace, here my commiffion stays:

And Sir John Stanley is appointed now,

To take her with him to the Isle of Man.

Glo. Muft you, Sir John, protect my lady here? Stan. So am I giv'n in charge, may't pleafe your Grace.

Glo. Entreat her not the worse, in that I pray You use her well; the world may laugh again; And I may live to do you kindness, if

You do it her and fo, Sir John, farewel.

Elean. What gone, my lord, and bid me not farewel ?

Gla