But this I know,—they have demeaned themselves In blood of those that had encountered him; And when the hardiest warriors did retire, Richard cried,-Charge! and give no foot of ground! ' And cried,—A crown, or else a glorious tomb! • A sceptre, or an earthly sepulchre ! With this we charged again; but, out, alas! 'We bodged' again; as I have seen a swan With bootless labor swim against the tide, And spend her strength with overmatching waves. [A short alarum within. Ah, hark! the fatal followers do pursue; · And I am faint, and cannot fly their fury: And, were I strong, I would not shun their fury. The sands are numbered that make up my life; Here must I stay, and here my life must end. Enter QUEEN MARGARET, CLIFFORD, NORTHUMBERLAND, and Soldiers. 'Come, bloody Clifford,-rough Northumberland,— North. Yield to our mercy, proud Plantagenet. York. My ashes, as the Phoenix, may bring forth 1 Bodged is probably the same as budged, from bouger (French). In the following passage, Coriolanus speaks of his army who had fled from their adversaries. "The mouse ne'er shunned the cat, as they did budge 2 Noontide point on the dial. • A bird that will revenge upon you all; And, in that hope, I throw mine eyes to heaven, Scorning whate'er you can afflict me with. Why come you not? what! multitudes, and fear? Clif. So cowards fight, when they can fly no further; So doves do peck the falcon's piercing talons; So desperate thieves, all hopeless of their lives, Breathe out invectives 'gainst the officers. York. O, Clifford, but bethink thee once again, And in thy thought o'errun my former time. *And, if thou canst for blushing, view this face; And bite thy tongue that slanders him with cowardice, Whose frown hath made thee faint and fly ere this. Clif. I will not bandy with thee word for word; But buckle with thee blows, twice two for one. [Draws. Q. Mar. Hold, valiant Clifford! for a thousand causes, I would prolong awhile the traitor's life. Wrath makes him deaf; speak thou, Northumberland. And ten to one is no impeach of valor. [They lay hands on YORK, who struggles. Clif. Ay, ay, so strives the woodcock with the gin. North. So doth the cony struggle in the net. [YORK is taken prisoner. York. So triumph thieves upon their conquered booty; So true men yield, with robbers so o'ermatched. North. What would your grace have done unto him now? 1 Prize here means an advantage that may be taken; unless we can imagine that it may signify licitum est, "it is prized or esteemed lawful in war," &c. Price, prise, and prize, were used indiscriminately by our ancestors. Q. Mar. Brave warriors, Clifford and Northumber land, Come make him stand upon this molehill here; • That raught1 at mountains with outstretched arms, And made a preachment of your high descent? Or, with the rest, where is your darling Rutland ? I give thee this to dry thy cheeks withal. Alas, poor York! but that I hate thee deadly, I should lament thy miserable state. I pr'ythee, grieve, to make me merry, York; 1 Reached. [Putting a paper crown on his head.2 2 According to Hall, the paper crown was not placed on York's head till after he was dead; but Holinshed, after having copied Hall, says :"Some write that the duke was taken alive and in derision caused to stand upon a molehill, on whose heade they put a garland instead of a crown, which they had fashioned and made of segges or bulrushes, and having so crowned him with that garlande, they kneeled down afore him, as the Jews did to Christe, in scorne, saying to him, Hayle, king without rule, hayle, king without heritage, hayle, duke and prince without people or Ay, marry, sir, now looks he like a king! Is crowned so soon, and broke his solemn oath? Till our king Henry had shook hands with death. Now in his life, against your holy oath? O, 'tis a fault too, too unpardonable!— Off with the crown; and, with the crown, his head; And, whilst we breathe, take time to do him dead. Clif. That is my office, for my father's sake. Q. Mar. Nay, stay; let's hear the orisons he makes. York. She wolf of France, but worse than wolves of France, 'Whose tongue more poisons than the adder's tooth! How ill-beseeming is it, in thy sex, To triumph like an Amazonian trull, Upon their woes, whom fortune captivates! But that thy face is, visorlike, unchanging, Made impudent with use of evil deeds, I would assay, proud queen, to make thee blush. Thy father bears the type of king of Naples, Yet not so wealthy as an English yeoman. That beggars, mounted, run their horse to death. possessions. And, at length having thus scorned hym with these and diverse other the like despitefull woordes, they strooke off his heade, which (as ye have heard) they presented to the queen." 1 Impale, encircle with a crown. 2 i. e. the crown, the emblem or symbol of royalty. But, God he knows, thy share thereof is small. Or as the south to the septentrion. O, tiger's heart, wrapped in a woman's hide! And yet be seen to bear a woman's face? 'Thou stern, obdurate, flinty, rough, remorseless. For raging wind blows up incessant showers. And, when the rage allays, the rain begins. These tears are my sweet Rutland's obsequies; And every drop cries vengeance for his death,— 'Gainst thee, fell Clifford,—and thee, false French woman. North. Beshrew me, but his passions 2 move me so, That hardly can I check my eyes from tears. York. That face of his the hungry cannibals Would not have touched, would not have stained with blood; But you are more inhuman, more inexorable, O, ten times more,-than tigers of Hyrcania. Keep thou the napkin, and go boast of this; [He gives back the handkerchief. And, if thou tell'st the heavy story right, Upon my soul, the hearers will shed tears; 1 Government, in the language of the time, signified evenness of temper, and decency of manners. 2 Passions for griefs. |