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Than he can Gaveston; would he love me
But half so much, then were I treble-blessed!

Re-enter KING EDWARD, mourning.

K. Edw. He's gone, and for his absence thus I mourn. Did never sorrow go so near my heart

As doth the want of my sweet Gaveston;

And could my crown's revenue bring him back,

I would freely give it to his enemies,

And think I gained, having bought so dear a friend.
Q. Isab. Hark! how he harps upon his minion.
K. Edw. My heart is an anvil unto sorrow,
Which beats upon it like the Cyclops' hammers,
And with the noise turns up my giddy brain,
And makes me frantic for my Gaveston.
Ah! had some bloodless Fury rose from hell,
And with my kingly sceptre struck me dead,
When I was forced to leave my Gaveston!

Lan. Diablo! What passions call you these?
Q. Isab. My gracious lord, I come to bring you news.
K. Edw. That you have parleyed with your Mortimer!
Q. Isab. That Gaveston, my lord, shall be repealed.
K. Edw. Repealed! the news is too sweet to be true!
Q. Isab. But will you love me, if you find it so?
K. Edw. If it be so, what will not Edward do?
Q. Isab. For Gaveston, but not for Isabel.

K. Edw. For thee, fair queen, if thou lov'st Gaveston; I'll hang a golden tongue about thy neck,

Seeing thou hast pleaded with so good success.

Q. Isab. No other jewels hang about my neck Than these, my lord; nor let me have more wealth Than I may fetch from this rich treasury

O how a kiss revives poor Isabel !

K. Edw. Once more receive my hand; and let this be A second marriage 'twixt thyself and me.

Q. Isab. And may it prove more happy than the first! My gentle lord, bespeak these nobles fair,

That wait attendance for a gracious look,

And on their knees salute your majesty.

K. Edw. Courageous Lancaster, embrace thy king!
And, as gross vapours perish by the sun,
Even so let hatred with thy sovereign's smile.
Live thou with me as my companion.

Lan. This salutation overjoys my heart.

K. Edw. Warwick shall be my chiefest counsellor :

These silver hairs will more adorn my court
Than gaudy silks, or rich embroidery.
Chide me, sweet Warwick, if I go astray.

War. Slay me, my lord, when I offend your grace.
K. Edw. In solemn triumphs, and in public shows,
Pembroke shall bear the sword before the king.

Pem. And with this sword Pembroke will fight for you. K. Edw. But wherefore walks young Mortimer aside? Be thou commander of our royal fleet;

Or, if that lofty office like thee not,

I make thee here Lord Marshal of the realm.

Y. Mor. My lord, I'll marshal so your enemies,

As England shall be quiet, and you safe.

K. Edw. And as for you, Lord Mortimer of Chirke,
Whose great achievements in our foreign war
Deserves no common place, nor mean reward;

Be you

the general of the levied troops,

That now are ready to assail the Scots.

E. Mor. In this your grace hath highly honoured me, For with my nature war doth best agree.

Q. Isab. Now is the King of England rich and strong, Having the love of his renowned peers.

K. Edw. Ay, Isabel, ne'er was my heart so light. Clerk of the crown, direct our warrant forth

For Gaveston to Ireland:

Enter BEAUMONT with warrant.

Beaumont, fly

As fast as Iris or Jove's Mercury.

Bea. It shall be done, my gracious lord.

K. Edw. Lord Mortimer, we leave you to your charge.

Now let us in, and feast it royally.

Against our friend the Earl of Cornwall comes,
We'll have a general tilt and tournament;
And then his marriage shall be solemnised.
For wot you not that I have made him sure
Unto our cousin, the Earl of Gloucester's heir?
Lan. Such news we hear, my lord.

K. Edw. That day, if not for him, yet for
Who in the triumph will be challenger,
Spare for no cost: we will requit your love.

my sake,

[Exit.

War. In this, or aught your highness shall command us. K. Edw. Thanks, gentle Warwick: come, let's in and revel. [Exeunt all except the MORTIMERS.

I Affianced him.

E. Mor. Nephew, I must to Scotland; thou stayest here.
Leave now t'oppose thyself against the king.
Thou seest by nature he is mild and calm,
And, seeing his mind so doats on Gaveston,
Let him without controulment have his will.
The mightiest kings have had their minions :
Great Alexander loved Hephestion;

The conquering Hercules for Hylas wept ;
And for Patroclus stern Achilles drooped;
And not kings only, but the wisest men :
The Roman Tully loved Octavius;
Grave Socrates wild Alcibiades.

Then let his grace, whose youth is flexible,
And promiseth as much as we can wish,
Freely enjoy that vain, light-headed earl;

For riper years will wean him from such toys.

Y. Mor. Uncle, his wanton humour grieves not me;

But this I scorn, that one so basely born

Should by his sovereign's favour grow so pert,

And riot it with the treasure of the realm.
While soldiers mutiny for want of pay,
He wears a lord's revenue on his back,
And Midas-like, he jets it in the court,
With base outlandish cullions at his heels,
Whose proud fantastic liveries make such show,
As if that Proteus, god of shapes, appeared.
I have not seen a dapper Jack so brisk;
He wears a short Italian hooded cloak,
Larded with pearl, and, in his Tuscan cap,
A jewel of more value than the crown.
While others walk below, the king and he
From out a window laugh at such as we,
And flout our train, and jest at our attire.
Uncle, 'tis this makes me impatient.

E. Mor. But, nephew, now you see the king is changed.
Y. Mor. Then so am I, and live to do him service:

But whiles I have a sword, a hand, a heart,

I will not yield to any such upstart.

You know my mind; come, uncle, let's away.

[Exeunt.

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B

ACT II

SCENE I.-A HALL IN GLOUCESTER HOUSE

Enter Young SPENCER and BALDOCK.

ALD. Spencer,

Seeing that our lord the earl of Gloucester's dead,

Which of the nobles dost thou mean to serve?

Y. Spen. Not Mortimer, nor any of his side;
Because the king and he are enemies.
Baldock, learn this of me, a factious lord
Shall hardly do himself good, much less us;
But he that hath the favour of a king

May with one word advance us while we live:
The liberal Earl of Cornwall is the man
On whose good fortune Spencer's hopes depends.

Bald. What, mean you then to be his follower?
Y. Spen. No, his companion; for he loves me well,
And would have once preferred me to the king.

Bald. But he is banished; there's small hope of him. Y. Spen. Ay, for a while; but, Baldock, mark the end. A friend of mine told me in secrecy

That he's repealed, and sent for back again;

And even now a post came from the court

With letters to our lady from the king;

And as she read she smiled, which makes me think
It is about her lover Gaveston.

Bald. 'Tis like enough; for since he was exiled
She neither walks abroad, nor comes in sight.
But I had thought the match had been broke off,
And that his banishment had changed her mind.

Y. Spen. Our lady's first love is not wavering;
My life for thine, she will have Gaveston.

Bald. Then hope I by her means to be preferred, Having read unto her since she was a child.

Y. Spen. Then, Baldock, you must cast the scholar off, And learn to court it like a gentleman.

'Tis not a black coat and a little band,

A velvet-caped coat, faced before with serge,
And smelling to a nosegay all the day,
Or holding of a napkin in your hand,
Or saying a long grace at a table's end,
Or making low legs to a nobleman,

Or looking downward with your eyelids close,

And saying, "Truly, an't may please your honour,"
Can get you any favour with great men ;
You must be proud, bold, pleasant, resolute,
And now and then stab, as occasion serves.

Bald. Spencer, thou know'st I hate such formal toys,
And use them but of mere hypocrisy.

Mine old lord while he lived was so precise,

That he would take exceptions at my buttons,

And being like pin's heads, blame me for the bigness;
Which made me curate-like in mine attire,
Though inwardly licentious enough,

And apt for any kind of villany.

I am none of these common pedants, I,
That can not speak without propterea quod.

Y. Spen. But one of those that saith, quandoquidem,
And hath a special gift to form a verb.

Bald. Leave off this jesting, here my lady comes.

Enter KING EDWARD'S Niece

Niece. The grief for his exile was not so much,
As is the joy of his returning home.

This letter came from my sweet Gaveston :
What need'st thou, love, thus to excuse thyself?

I know thou could'st not come and visit me:

[Reads.] "I will not long be from thee, though I die." This argues the entire love of my lord;

[Reads.] "When I forsake thee, death seize on my heart:" But stay thee here where Gaveston shall sleep.

[Puts the letter into her bosom.

Now to the letter of my lord the king.

He wills me to repair unto the court,
And meet my Gaveston? Why do I stay,
Seeing that he talks thus of my marriage-day?
Who's there? Baldock!

See that my coach be ready, I must hence.
Bald. It shall be done, madam.

6

Niece. And meet me at the park-pale presently.

Spencer, stay you and bear me company,
For I have joyful news to tell thee of;
My Lord of Cornwall is a-coming over,

And will be at the court as soon as we.

[Exit BALDOCK.

Y. Spen. I knew the king would have him home again.
Niece. If all things sort out, as I hope they will,

I Turn.

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