That in his nonage, council under him, And, in his full and ripen'd years, himself, No doubt fhall then, and till then, govern well. 1 Cit. So ftood the ftate, when Henry the fixth Was crown'd in Paris but at nine months old.

3

Cit. Stood the ftate fo? no, no, good friends,
God wot;

For then this land was famously enrich'd

With politick grave counfel; then the king
Had virtuous uncles to protect his grace.

1 Cit. Why, fo hath this, both by his father and mother.

3 Cit. Better it were, they all came by his father, Or, by his father, there were none at all:

For emulation now who fhall be neareft,
Will touch us all too near, if God prevent not.
O, full of danger is the duke of Glofter;

And the queen's fons, and brothers, haughty, and proud:

And were they to be rul'd, and not to rule,
This fickly land might folace as before.

1 Cit. Come, come, we fear the worft; all will be

well.

3 Cit. When clouds are feen, wife men put on their

cloaks;

When great leaves fall, then winter is at hand;
When the fun fets, who doth not look for night?
Untimely storms make men expect a dearth.
All may be well; but, if God fort it fo,
'Tis more than we deferve, or I expect.

2 Cit. Truly, the hearts of men are full of fear: You cannot reafon almoft with a man

• Which in his nonage

-] The word which has no antecedent, nor can the fenfe or connection be easily restored by any change. I believe a line to be loft, in which fome mention was made of the land or the people. JOHNSON.

The quarto reads, that. STEEVENS.

That looks not heavily, and full of dread.

3 Cit. Before the days of change, ftill is it fo: By a divine inftinct, men's minds mistrust Enfuing danger; as by proof, we see, The waters fwell before a boift'rous ftorm. But leave it all to God. Whither away? 2 Cit. Marry, we were fent for to the juftices. 3 Cit. And fo was I; I'll bear you company. [Exeunt,

SCENE IV.

A room in the palace.

Enter Archbishop of York, the young Duke of York, the Queen, and the Dutchess of York.

Arch. Last night, I heard, they lay at Northampton, At Stony Stratford they do reft to-night: To-morrow, or next day, they will be here.

Dutch. I long with all my heart to fee the prince; I hope, he is much grown fince laft I faw him. Queen. But I hear, no; they fay, my fon of York Has almoft overta'en him in his growth.

York. Ay, mother, but I would not have it fo. Dutch. Why, my young coufin? it is good to grow, York. Grandam, one night as we did fit at fupper, My uncle Rivers talk'd how I did grow

More than my brother. Ay, quoth my uncle Glofter,
Small herbs have grace, great weeds do grow apace:
And fince, methinks, I would not grow so fast,
Because sweet flowers are flow, and weeds make hafte.
Dutch. Good faith, good faith, the faying did not

hold

In him, that did object the fame to thee.

He was the wretched'ft thing, when he was young;

-the wretched'ft thing,] Wretched is here ufed in a fenfe yet retained in familiar language, for taltry, pitiful, being below expectation. JOHNSON.

So

So long a growing, and fo leifurely,

That, if his rule were true, he fhould be gracious.
Arch. And fo, no doubt, he is, my gracious madam.
Dutch, I hope he is, but yet let mothers doubt.
York. Now, by my troth, if I had been remem-
ber'd,

I could have given my uncle's grace a flout
To touch his growth, nearer than he touch'd mine.
Dutch. How, my young York? I pr'ythee, let me
hear it.

York. Marry, they fay, my uncle grew fo faft,
That he could gnaw a cruft at two hours old;
'Twas full two years ere I could get a tooth.
Grandam, this would have been a biting jest.
Dutch. I pr'ythee, pretty York, who told thee this?
York. Grandam, his nurse.

Dutch. His nurfe! why she was dead ere thou waft born.

York. If 'twere not fhe, I cannot tell who told me. Queen. A per❜lous boy:-go to, you are too fhrewd. Dutch. Good madam, be not angry with the child. Queen. Pitchers have ears.

Enter a Messenger.

Arch. Here comes a meffenger: what news?
Mef. Such news, my lord, as grieves me to report.
Queen. How doth the prince?

Mef. Well, madam, and in health.

Dutch. What is thy news?

Mef. Lord Rivers, and lord Grey,

Are fent to Pomfret, prifoners; and with them,

Sir Thomas Vaughan.

Dutch. Who hath committed them?

Mef. The mighty dukes, Glofter, and Buckingham.

-been remember'd] To be remembered is in Shakespeare, to have one's memory quick, to have one's thoughts about one. JOHNSON.

Queen.

2

Queen. For what offence?

Mef. The fum of all I can, I have disclos'd;
Why, or for what, the nobles were committed,
Is all unknown to me, my gracious lady.

Queen. Ah me! I fee the ruin of my house!
The tyger now hath feiz'd the gentle hind:
Infulting tyranny now begins to jut
Upon the innocent and awless throne:
Welcome destruction, blood, and maffacre!
I fee, as in a map, the end of all.

Dutch. Accurfed and unquiet wrangling days!
How many of you have mine eyes beheld?
My husband loft his life to get the crown;
And often up and down my fons were toft,
For me to joy, and weep, their gain, and loss:
And being feated, and domeftick broils
Clean over-blown, themselves, the conquerors,
Make war upon themselves; brother to brother,
Blood to blood, self against self; O prepofterous
And frantick outrage, end thy damned fpleen;
* Or let me die, to look on death no more.

Queen. Come, come, my boy, we will to fanctuary. -Madam, farewell.

Dutch. Stay, I will go with you.

Queen. You have no cause.

* For what offence?] This question is given to the archbishop in former copies, but the meffenger plainly speaks to the queen or dutchefs. JOHNSON.

3

-awless] Not producing awe, not reverenced. To jut upon is to encroach. JOHNSON.

4 Or let me die, to look on earth more.] This is the reading of all the copies, from the first edition put out by the players, downwards. But I have reftored the reading of the old quarto in 1597, which is copied by all the other authentic quarto's, by which the thought is finely and properly improved.

Or let me die, to look on death no more. THEOBALD. This quarto printed in 1597 I have never feen, neither was it in Theobald's collection of the old copies, which the late Mr. Tonfon poffeffed entire. STEEVENS.

Arch.

Arch. My gracious lady, go,

And thither bear your treasure and your goods.
For my part, I'll refign unto your grace
The feal I keep; and so betide it me,
As well I tender you, and all of yours!

Come, I'll conduct you to the fanctuary. [Exeunt.

ACT III. SCENE I.

IN

LONDON.

The trumpets found. Enter Prince of Wales, the Dukes of Gloucester and Buckingham, Archbishop, with others.

BUCKINGHAM.

WELCOME, fweet prince, to London, ' to your

WELC

chamber.

Glo. Welcome, dear coufin, my thought's fovereign: The weary way hath made you melancholy.

Prince. No, uncle; but our crosses on the way
Have made it tedious, wearifome, and heavy;
I want more uncles here to welcome me.

Glo, Sweet prince, the untainted virtue of your years
Hath not yet div'd into the world's deceit :
No more can you diftinguish of a man,

Than of his outward fhew; which, God he knows,
Seldom, or never, jumpeth with the heart.

Those uncles, which you want, were dangerous;
Your attended to their fugar'd words,

grace

But look'd not on the poifon of their hearts.

God keep you from them, and from fuch falfe friends. Prince. God keep me from falfe friends! but they

were none.

-to your chamber.] London was anciently called Ca

mera regia, POPE.

Glo.