1 Pet. Mine is, an't please your grace, against John Goodman, my lord cardinal's man, for keeping my house, and lands, and wife and all, from me.

Suf. Thy wife too! that is some wrong indeed.— What's your's?-What's here? [Reads.] "Against the duke of Suffolk, for enclosing the commons of Melford.” -How now, sir knave?

2 Pet. Alas! sir, I am but a poor petitioner of our whole township.

Peter. [Presenting his Petition.] Against my master, Thomas Horner, for saying, that the duke of York was rightful heir to the crown?

Q. Mar. What say'st thou? Did the duke of York say, he was rightful heir to the crown.

Pet. That my master was? No, forsooth: my master said, that he was; and that the king was an usurper.

Suf. Who is there? [Enter Servants.]-Take this fellow in, and send for his master with a pursuivant presently. We'll hear more of your matter before the king. [Exeunt Servants with PETER. Q. Mar. And as for you, that love to be protected Under the wings of our protector's grace,

Begin your suits anew, and sue to him.

[Tears the Petition. Away, base cullions!-Suffolk, let them go.

1 That my MASTER was?] The old copy has mistress for "master," an error occasioned, no doubt, by master having been denoted in the MS. from which this play was printed merely by the letter M. It may be worth while here to insert the reading of the quarto, "First Part of the Contention," &c., as in some degree it confirms Malone's alteration of mistress to "master." Peter is there called, in the prefixes, Peter Hump.

"Peter Hump. Mary, sir, I come to tell you that my master said that the duke of Yorke was true heire unto the crowne, and that the king was an usurer. Queene. An usurper, thou wouldst say.

"Peter. Yea forsooth, an usurper.

66

Queene. Didst thou say the king was an usurper?

"Peter. No forsooth; I said my master said so, th' other day, when we were

scouring the duke of Yorkes armour in our garret."

In the old copies, quarto and folio, Peter is called "the armourer's man" in the stage-direction:-"Enter three or four Petitioners, the Armourer's man being one."

All. Come, let's be gone.

[Exeunt Petitioners.

Q. Mar. My lord of Suffolk, say, is this the guise,
Is this the fashion in the court of England?
Is this the government of Britain's isle,
And this the royalty of Albion's king?
What! shall king Henry be a pupil still,
Under the surly Gloster's governance?
Am I a queen in title and in style,

And must be made a subject to a duke?
I tell thee, Poole, when in the city Tours
Thou ran'st a tilt in honour of my love,
And stol'st away the ladies' hearts of France,
I thought king Henry had resembled thee,
In courage, courtship, and proportion;

But all his mind is bent to holiness,

To number Ave-Maries on his beads:

His champions are the prophets and apostles;
His weapons, holy saws of sacred writ;
His study is his tilt-yard, and his loves
Are brazen images of canoniz'd saints.
I would, the college of the cardinals?

Would choose him pope, and carry him to Rome,
And set the triple crown upon his head:
That were a state fit for his holiness.

Suf. Madam, be patient: as I was cause
Your highness came to England, so will I
In England work your grace's full content.

Q. Mar. Beside the haughty protector, have we
Beaufort,

The imperious churchman; Somerset, Buckingham,
And grumbling York: and not the least of these,
But can do more in England than the king.

Suf. And he of these that can do most of all,
Cannot do more in England than the Nevils:

2 I would, the college of THE cardinals] Malone omits "the," to the destruction of the metre, as it stands in the folio, 1623. There is no corresponding line in the quarto.

Salisbury, and Warwick, are no simple peers.

Q. Mar. Not all these lords do vex me half so much, As that proud dame, the lord protector's wife:

She sweeps it through the court with troops of ladies,
More like an empress than duke Humphrey's wife.
Strangers in court do take her for the queen:
She bears a duke's revenues on her back,
And in her heart she scorns our poverty.
Shall I not live to be aveng'd on her?
Contemptuous base-born callat as she is,
She vaunted 'mongst her minions t'other day,
The very train of her worst wearing gown
Was better worth than all my father's lands,
Till Suffolk gave two dukedoms for his daughter.
Suf. Madam, myself have lim'd a bush for her;
And plac'd a quire of such enticing birds,
That she will light to listen to the lays,
And never mount to trouble you again.
So, let her rest; and, madam, list to me,
For I am bold to counsel you in this.
Although we fancy not the cardinal,

Yet must we join with him, and with the lords,
Till we have brought duke Humphrey in disgrace.
As for the duke of York, this late complaint

Will make but little for his benefit:

So, one by one, we'll weed them all at last,
And you yourself shall steer the happy helm.

Enter King HENRY, YORK, and SOMERSET; Duke and Duchess of GLOSTER, Cardinal BEAUFORT, BUCKINGHAM, SALISBURY, and WARWICK.

K. Hen. For my part, noble lords, I care not which; Or Somerset, or York, all's one to me.

3 base-born CALLAT-] "Callat" was a term of abuse applied to women of frequent occurrence in almost every writer of the time of Shakespeare, as well as considerably earlier. See, for its supposed etymology, "The Winter's Tale," Vol. iii. p. 466, note 2.

York. If York have ill demean'd himself in France, Then let him be denay'd the regentship*.

Som. If Somerset be unworthy of the place,
Let York be regent; I will yield to him.
War. Whether your grace be worthy, yea, or no,
Dispute not that York is the worthier.

Car. Ambitious Warwick, let thy betters speak.
War. The cardinal's not my better in the field.
Buck. All in this presence are thy betters, Warwick.
War. Warwick may live to be the best of all.

Sal. Peace, son!-and show some reason, Buckingham,

Why Somerset should be preferr'd in this.

Q. Mar. Because the king, forsooth, will have it so. Glo. Madam, the king is old enough himself

To give his censure. These are no women's matters. Q. Mar. If he be old enough, what needs your grace To be protector of his excellence?

Glo. Madam, I am protector of the realm,
And, at his pleasure, will resign my place.

Suf. Resign it, then, and leave thine insolence.
Since thou wert king, (as who is king but thou?)
The commonwealth hath daily run to wreck:
The Dauphin hath prevail'd beyond the seas,
And all the peers and nobles of the realm
Have been as bondmen to thy sovereignty.

Car. The commons hast thou rack'd; the clergy's bags Are lank and lean with thy extortions.

Som. Thy sumptuous buildings, and thy wife's attire, Have cost a mass of public treasury.

Buck. Thy cruelty, in execution

Upon offenders, hath exceeded law,

Then let him be DENAY'D the regentship.] To employ the verb "to denay for to deny was not unusual. In "Twelfth Night," Vol. iii. p. 364, we have “denay” used as a substantice, which some editors seem to have confounded with the verb.

5 To give his CENSURE.] sense of opinion or decision.

"Censure

was of old generally used merely in the

And left thee to the mercy of the law.

Q. Mar. Thy sale of offices, and towns in France,
If they were known, as the suspect is great,
Would make thee quickly hop without thy head.

[Exit GLOSTER. The Queen drops her Fan. Give me my fan: what, minion! can you not?

[Giving the Duchess a box on the ear.

I cry you mercy, madam: was it you?

Duch. Was't I? yea, I it was, proud French-woman : Could I come near your beauty with my nails,

I'd set my ten commandments in your face.

K. Hen. Sweet aunt, be quiet: 'twas against her will. Duch. Against her will! Good king, look to't in

time;

She'll hamper thee, and dandle thee like a baby:
Though in this place most master wear no breeches,
She shall not strike dame Eleanor unreveng'd".

[Exit Duchess.

Buck. Lord Cardinal, I will follow Eleanor, And listen after Humphrey, how he proceeds: She's tickled now; her fume can need no spurs',

6 She shall not strike dame Eleanor unreveng'd.] We give this part of the scene as it stands in "The First Part of the Contention," &c. It is to be observed, that it there follows the commitment of York.

"The Queene lets fall her glove, and hits the Dutchess of Gloster a boxe on

the eare.

"Queene. Give me my glove: why, minnion, can you not see?

I cry you mercy, madame, I did mistake.

I did not think it had been you.

"Elnor. Did you not, prowd French-woman?

Could I come neare your daintie visage with my nails,

I'de set my ten commandments in your face.

"Elnor. Against her will! good king, sheele dandle thee,

If thou wilt alwaies thus be rulde by her.

But let it rest: as sure as I do live,

She shall not strike dame Elnor unrevengede.

[She strikes her.

[Exit Elnor.

"King. Beleeve me, love, thou wert much too blame.

I would not for a thousand pounds of gold,

My noble uncle had been here in place!"

7 She's tickled now; her fume CAN need no spurs,] "Can" is from the second folio: it probably dropped out in the press.