To signify thou camest to bite the world :
And, if the rest be true which I have heard,

55 Thou camestGlou. I'll hear no more: die, prophet, in thy speech :

[Stabs him. For this, amongst the rest, was I ordain'd. K. Hen. Ay, and for much more slaughter after this. O! God forgive my sins, and pardon thee.

[Dies. 60 Glou. What! will the aspiring blood of Lancaster

Sink in the ground? I thought it would have mounted.
See how my sword weeps for the poor king's death!
O, may such purple tears be always shed
From those that wish the downfall of our house ! 65
If any spark of life be yet remaining,
Down, down to hell; and say I sent thee thither,

[Stabs him again.

57, 58. I'll hear . . . die, prophet . For ... ordain'd] 46, 47. Die prophet

Ile heare for .. ordainde Q. 59, 60. Ay, and pardon thee) 48, 49. I and ... pardon thee. He dies Q. 61-65. What . in the . thought . O, may ... shed ..

wish house) 50-54. What? . into the. had thought

. Now maie shed, For such as seeke : : . house e. 66, 67. If ... life ... Down thither] 55, 56. If ... life remaine in thee, Stab him againe. Downe . . thither Q.

.

61, 62. aspiring blood of Lancaster The whole point of Greene's passage is

. mounted] Dyce, arguing that Mar- that he makes Flaminius the bearer of a lowe had a large share in the compila. special message, to his father, in hell. tion of the Contention and True Tra- The likeness is only vague. Similar gedie, produced parallels of these two passages may be produced from other lines from his Edward the Second (pp. writers. Lodge in The Wounds of 184, b, 212, b): “Frownst thou thereat, Civil War (Hazlitt's Dodsley, vii. aspiring Lancaster," and "highly scorn- 146) :ing that the lowly earth Should drink his Go, soldiers ... blood, mounts up to the air.” As I Hasten their death .. believe the True Tragedie is earlier Go, take them hence, and when we than Edward II., these coincidences meet in hell, prove something else. For

“ earth Then tell me, princes, if I did not drinking blood," see 11. iii. 15, 23 (note). well." For "aspiring,” see Part I. v. iv. 99. But especially see the origin in Faerie

66. spark of life] Another passage, in Queene, 1. v. 13, when the faithful knight The Spanish Tragedy : “O speak if any subdues his faithless foe :sparke of life remaine" (11. v. 17, Boas). “And to him said: 'Goe now, proud

67. Down, down ...I sent thee] Miscreant Collier advanced these lines as a proof Thyselfe thy message do to ger. that Greene wrote this play, on the man beare. likeness of them to a passage in Al- Goe say, his foe thy shield with phonsus (Grosart, xiii. 347):

his doth beare'. “Go packe thou hence unto the Therewith his heauie hand,” etc. Stygian lake.

This is Greene's source. Shakespeare And if he ask thee who did send probably thought of neither. Another thee downe,

80

I, that have neither pity, love nor fear.
Indeed, 'tis true that Henry told me of;
For I have often heard my mother say

70
I came into the world with my legs forward.
Had I not reason, think ye, to make haste,
And seek their ruin that usurp'd our right?
The midwife wonder'd, and the women cried
“O! Jesus bless us, he is born with teeth.”

75
And so I was; which plainly signified
That I should snarl and bite and play the dog.
Then, since the heavens have shaped my body so,
Let hell make crook'd my mind to answer it.
I have no brother, I am like no brother;
And this word “love,” which greybeards call divine,
Be resident in men like one another
And not in me: I am myself alone.
Clarence, beware; thou keep'st me from the light;
But I will sort a pitchy day for thee;
For I will buzz abroad such prophecies
That Edward shall be fearful of his life ;
And then, to purge his fear, I'll be thy death.
King Henry and the prince his son are gone :
Clarence, thy turn is next, and then the rest,

90
Counting myself but bad till I be best.
I'll throw thy body in another room,
And triumph, Henry, in thy day of doom.

(Exit, with the body.

85

74-77. The

cried ...

was

68-73. I, that ... 'tis true . . say I came ... Had I

ye

ruin right'?] 57-62. I that twas true .. saie That I came And had 1.

you.

ruines rights ? Q. was; which

dog] 63-66. The women wept and the midwife cride indeed, which dogge Q. 78-83. Then.

my body ... brother brother . . . call ... alone) 67-72. Then since Heauen hath made my bodie

answere it. I had no father, I am like no father, I have no brothers, I am like no brothers, And ... tearme .. alone Q.

84-88. Clarence . . keep'st That Edward. death] 74-78. Clarence . keptst . . . As Edward death Q.

89-93. King Henry . the rest ... throw . . . doom] 79-83. Henry and his sonne are gone, thou Clarence next, And by one and one I will dispatch the rest ... drag doome. Exit. Q.

71 and 75.] See extract at l. 53. 91. bad till I be best] He is harping

85. sort a pitchy day] arrange a black on the old saw " bad is the best.' day. “Sort an hour " occurs in Lucrece, “Two evils here were, one must I chuse, 899; not again with regard to time. though bad were very best ” (Whetstone, For “ pitchy," see Part I. 11. ii. 2. Promos and Cassandra, Part II. III. ii.).

86. buzz) See Part II. 1. ii. 99 and Whetstone has it again in Censure of above, 11. vi. 95.

a Loyal Subject. Common later.

II *

SCENE VII.-The same. The palace. Flourish. Enter King EDWARD, Queen ELIZABETH, CLAR

ENCE, GLOUCESTER, HASTINGS, a Nurse with the young

Prince, and Attendants.

c)
K. Hen. Once more we sit in England's royal throne,

Re-purchas'd with the blood of enemies,
What valiant foemen, like to autumn's corn,
Have we mow'd down in tops of all their pride!
Three Dukes of Somerset, threefold renown'd

5
For hardy and undoubted champions ;
Two Cliffords, as the father and the son ;
And two Northumberlands : two braver men
Ne'er spurr'd their coursers at the trumpet's sound;
With them, the two brave bears, Warwick and Mon-
tague,

1ο
That in their chains fetter'd the kingly lion,
And made the forest tremble when they roar'd.
Thus have we swept suspicion from our seat,
And made our footstool of security.
Come hither, Bess, and let me kiss my boy.

15
Young Ned, for thee, thine uncles and myself
Have in our armours watch'd the winter's night,

Went all afoot in summer's scalding heat, SCENE VII. Flourish] F 1; omitted Q, F2, 3, 4. Enter ...] Enter King, Queene : Nurse, and Attendants Ff; Enter (Gloucester omitted) and others Q. 1-20. Once more . renown'd .. brave bears .. Went all afoot ... gain) 1-20. Once more .. i renowmd ... rough Beares ... Marcht all a foote . . . gaine Q. 3, 4. foemen.

mow'd down) “Who seeming sorely chauffed at Compare Troilus and Cressida, v. v. his band, 25:

As chained beare whom cruell dogs “the strawy Greeks, ripe for doe bait." his edge,

Referred to in Part II. v. i. 143-150. Fall down before him like the See" forest-bear above, II. ii. 13. mower's swath."

See note to “bear and ragged staff," And Henry V. 1!. iii. 13:—

Part II. v. i. 203. "mowing like grass

14. And made ... security] Marlowe Your fresh-fair virgins and your has this line in The Massacre at Paris flowering infants."

(Dyce, 238, a) :And Sonnet 6o.

“ But he doth lurk within his drowsy 4. tops of all their pride] Lodge has couch; this: "Unhappy Rome : Now to And makes his footstool eclipse, in top of all thy pride” (Wounds security" of Civil War (Hazlitt's Dodsley, vii. (first acted January, 1593, Dyce). 116)).

18. scalding] Not a happy term here, 10, 11. bears . . . in their chains] but “parching” had been used up. Alluding to the "chained beare" at the “Scalding sighs" in Soliman and Per. stake, as in Faerie Queene, 1. xii. 35:- seda is more natural,

.

on

That thou might'st repossess the crown in peace ;
And of our labours thou shalt reap the gain.

20 Glou. Aside.] I'll blast his harvest, if your head were laid ;

For yet I am not look'd on in the world.
This shoulder was ordain’d so thick to heave;
And heave it shall some weight, or break my back.
Work thou the way, and thou shalt execute.

25 K. Edw. Clarence and Gloucester, love my lovely queen';

And kiss your princely nephew, brothers both. Clar. The duty that I owe unto your majesty

I seal upon the lips of this sweet babe. l. Eliz. Thanks, noble Clarence ; worthy brother, thanks. 30 Glou. And, that I love the tree from whence thou sprang'st,

Witness the loving kiss I give the fruit.
[Aside.] To say the truth, so Judas kiss'd his master,

And cried “all hail !” when as he meant all harm.
K. Edw. Now am I seated as my soul delights,

35 Having my country's peace and brothers' loves. Clar. What will your grace have done with Margaret?

Reignier, her father, to the King of France
Hath pawn'd the Sicils and Jerusalem,
And hither have they sent it for her ransom.

40 K. Edw. Away with her, and waft her hence to France.

And now what rests, but that we spend the time

21-25. I'll

if ... thou shalt execute] 21-25. Ile ... and (if Q 3) thou shalt execute (that shalt Ff 1, 2) Q. 26-36. Clarence upon the lips

tree. · fruit .. when as he meant brothers' loves] 26-36. Clarence

upon the rosiate lips ... fruit ... child ... And so he cride . . and meant . . . brothers loues Q. 37-46. What . Reignier . Sicils. triumphs, mirthful ... pleasure . farewell sour . : : lasting joy) 37-46. What Ranard Cyssels triumphs and mirthfull . . . pleasures

farewell to sower ... lasting ioie. Exeunt Omnes. Finis. Q. 29. upon the lips] “ upon the rosiate “Queene Margaret lyke a prisoner was lips," 0. “ Roseal” was not a rare brought to London, where she re. word, but “roseate was later except as mayned till kyng Reiner her father a painter's colour term. “Rosate," ransomed her with

money, which “rosett,” and “oil-rosat,” are all in summe (as the French writers afferme) Holland's Pliny. And in Cunningham's he borrowed of Kyng Lewes ... to Revels Accounts (Shakespeare Soc. p. repaye so great a dutie, he solde to the 117). " Rosett . . . paynters percell” French King & his heires, the Kyngappears in 1577. Nashe calls women's domes of Naples and both the Siciles, breasts“ Roseate buds" (Christ's Teares with the county of Prouynce. ... After (Grosart, iv. 208), 1593).

the ransome payed, she was conveyed 33. Judas kiss'd] Lest this should in to Fraunce with small honor" (Hall, cause a charge of irreverence here, it p. 301). may be mentioned that this was a 40. sent it] Can only mean the money. familiar proverb. Many earlier ex- Identical in Q. The sum is stated at amples could be quoted, and later. 50,000 crowns by the French histories.

37. have done with Margaret ?] 41. waft] “ to carry or send over the

With stately triumphs, mirthful comic shows,
Such as befits the pleasure of the court ?
Sound drums and trumpets ! farewell sour annoy! 45
For here, I hope, begins our lasting joy.

[Exeunt.

sea

(Schmidt) occurs twice in this speare. “ Mirthful glee" is in Kyd's play, and in the last, but only once Cornelia, iv. ii. 193. elsewhere in Shakespeare, in King 45, 46. Sound drums ... joy) SimiJohn.

larly in Locrine, end of Act ii. :“Sound 43. triumphs] public rejoicings. See drums and trumpets, sound up cheerTwo Gentlemen of Verona, v. iv. fully, Sith we return with joy and vic160, 161. And 1 Henry VI. v. v. tory." See the last words of Part II. 31.

From these two Locrine derived the 43. mirthful] Not again in Shake. example.

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