Too kind to them; but now have drawn our sword, And, if they send me not my Gaveston, We'll steel it on their crest[s], and poll their tops. Bald. This haught* resolve becomes your majesty, Not to be tied to their affection, As though your highness were a school-boy still, And must be aw'd and govern'd like a child. Enter the elder SPENSER† with his truncheon, and E. Spen. Long live my sovereign, the noble In peace triumphant, fortunate in wars! K. Edw. Welcome, old man: com'st thou in Edward's aid? Then tell thy‡ prince of whence and what thou art. E. Spen. Lo, with a band of bow-men and of Brown bills and targeteers, four hundred strong, K. Edw. Thy father, Spenser? Y. Spen. True, an it like your grace, That pours, in lieu of all your goodness shown, His life, my lord, before your princely feet. K. Edw. Welcome ten thousand times, old Spenser, this love, this kindness to thy king, And, Spenser, spare § them not, lay it on.- Y. Spen. My lord, here comes the queen. Enter QUEEN ISABELLA, PRINCE EDWARD, and Levune. K. Edw. Madam, what news? Q Isab. News of dishonour, lord, and dis content. Our friend Levune, faithful and full of trust, Hath seized Normandy into his hands: K. Edw. Welcome, Levune.-Tush, Sib, if this be all, Valois and I will soon be friends again.— P. Edw. Commit not to my youth things of more weight Than fits a prince so young as I to bear; On Atlas' shoulder shall not lie more safe Thou art not mark'd to many days on earth! be shipp'd, And this our son: Levune shall follow you God end them once! My lord, I take my leave, [Exit with PRINCE EDWARD. Enter ARUNDEL.* K. Edw. What, Lord Arundel, dost thou come alone? Arundel] Old eds. "Lord Matre." and "Lord Matreuis"; and so in all the other places of this scene, both in the dialogue and the prefixes, where I have substituted "Arundel" and "Arun.": compare the scene, p. 201, first col., in which Arundel delivers the king's message to the barons. This mistake (which has occurred before in the old eds., see note*, p. 202, and is afterwards repeated, see note *, p. 208) was occasioned most probably by the parts of Arundel and Matrevis having been played by one and the same actor. Arun. Yea, my good lord, for Gaveston is dead. K. Edw. [kneeling.] By earth, the common mother of us all, K. Edw. Ah, traitors, have they put my friend By heaven, and all the moving orbs thereof, to death? Tell me, Arundel, died he ere thou cam'st, Or didst thou see my friend to take his death? Begirt with weapons and with enemies round, K. Edw. And, tell me, would the rebels deny Y. Spen. Proud recreants! K. Edw. Yea, Spenser, traitors all! Arun. I found them at the first inexorable; K. Edw. Well, and how fortunes [it] that he Y. Spen. Some treason or some villany was cause. Arun. The Earl of Warwick seiz'd him on his For, being deliver'd unto Pembroke's men, -Y. Spen. A bloody part, flatly 'gainst law of speak, or shall I sigh and By this right hand, and by my father's sword, Treacherous Warwick! traitorous Mortimer ! Y. Spen. My lord, here's a messenger from the barons Desires access unto your majesty. Enter Herald with his coat of arms. Her. Long live King Edward, England's lawful lord! K. Edw. So wish not they, I wis, that sent Thou com'st from Mortimer and his complices: Her. The barons, up in arms, by me salute That deads the royal vine, whose golden leaves Y. Spen. My lord, refer your vengeance to the Empale your princely head, your diadem; sword Upon these barons; hearten up your men ; me] So 4tos 1598, 1612.-2to 1622 "my."-Compare, "My lords, I will be pledge for his return," p. 201, sec. col. ↑ Strake] So 4to 1598.-2tos 1612, 1622, "Stroke." Whose brightness such pernicious upstarts dim, * here's] So 4tos 1612, 1622.-2to 1598 "keres is." This granted, they, their honours, and their lives, Are to your highness vow'd and consecrate. Y. Spen. Ah, traitors, will they still display their pride? K. Edw. Away! tarry no answer, but be gone! Rebels, will they appoint their sovereign [Embraces Young SPENSER. Spenser from me. Now get thee to thy lords, And tell them I will come to chastise them For murdering Gaveston: hie thee, get thee gone! Edward, with fire and sword, follows at thy heels. [Exit Herald. My lord[s], perceive you how these rebels swell? Soldiers, good hearts defend your sovereign's right, For, now, even now, we march to make them stoop. Away! [Exeunt. Alarums, excursions, a great fight, and a retreat sounded, within. Re-enter KING EDWARD, the elder SPENSER, the younger SPENSER, BALDOCK, and Noblemen of the king's side. K. Edw. Why do we sound retreat? upon them, lords! This day I shall pour vengeance with my sword E. Spen. "Tis not amiss, my liege, for either part To breathe a while; our men, with sweat and dust All chok'd well near, begin to faint for heat; Enter the younger MORTIMER, LANCASTER, WARWICK, PEMBROKE, and others. Y. Mor. Look, Lancaster, yonder is Edward Among his flatterers. Lan. And there let him be, Till he pay dearly for their company. War. And shall, or Warwick's sword shall smite in vain. K. Edw. What, rebels, do you shrink and sound retreat? Y. Mor. No, Edward, no; thy flatterers faint and fly. Lan. They'd best betimes forsake thee and their trains,* For they'll betray thee, traitors as they are. Y. Spen. Traitor on thy face, rebellious Lancaster ! Pem. Away, base upstart! brav'st thou nobles thus? E. Spen. A noble attempt and honourable deed, Is it not, trow ye, to assemble aid T' appease the wrath of their offended king. Y. Mor. Then, Edward, thou wilt fight it to the last, And rather bathe thy sword in subjects' blood Than banish that pernicious company? K. Edw. Ay, traitors all, rather than thus be brav'd, Make England's civil towns huge heaps of stones, And ploughs to go about our palace-gates. War. A desperate and unnatural resolution !— Alarum to the fight! Saint George for England, and the barons' right! K. Edw. Saint George for England, and King Edward's right! [Alarums. Exeunt the two parties severally. Enter KING EDWARD‡ an I his followers, with the Barons and KENT captive. K. Edw. Now, lusty lords, now not by chance of war, But justice of the quarrel and the cause, heads; But we'll advance them, traitors: now 'tis time Kent. Brother, in regard of thee and of thy land, Did they remove that flatterer from thy throne. K. Edw. So, sir, you have spoke: away, avoid our presence! [Exit Kent. Accursed wretches, was't in regard of us, *trains] i. e. stratagems. Is it] So 4tos 1612, 1622.-2to 1598 "It is." ↑ Enter King Edward, &c.] Another part of the field. § Vail'd] i. e. lowered. It is but temporal that thou canst inflict. Lan. The worst is death; and better die to live Than live in infamy under such a king. K. Edw. Away with them, my Lord of Winchester ! These lusty leaders, Warwick and Lancaster, War. Farewell, vain world! Lan. Sweet Mortimer, farewell! Y. Mor. England, unkind to thy nobility, Groan for this grief! behold how thou art maim'd! K. Edw. Go, take that haughty Mortimer to the Tower; There see him safe bestow'd; and, for the rest, Do speedy execution on them all. Be gone! Y. Mor. What, Mortimer, can ragged stony walls Immure thy virtue that aspires to heaven? No, Edward, England's scourge, it may not be; Mortimer's hope surmounts his fortune far. [The captive Barons are led of. K. Edw. Sound, drums and trumpets! March with me, my friends. Edward this day hath crown'd him king anew. [Exeunt all except the younger SPENSER, LEVUNE, and BALDOCK. Y. Spen. Levune, the trust that we repose in thee Begets the quiet of King Edward's land: To Isabel the queen, that now in France son, And step into his father's regiment.† * messenger] So 4to 1598-2tos 1612, 1622, "messengers." † regiment] i. e. rule, government. Till Edmund be arriv'd for England's good! Enter the younger MORTIMER disguised, Y. Mor. Holla! who walketh there? Is't you, my lord? Kent. Mortimer, 'tis I. But hath thy potion wrought so happily? § Y. Mor. It hath, my lord: the warders all asleep, I thank them, gave me leave to pass in peace. Enter QUEEN ISABELLA || and PRINCE EDWARD. The lords are cruel, and the king unkind. * levell'd] Old eds. "leuied." clap so] Old eds. "claps." Enter Kent] Scene, London, near the Tower. § But hath thy potion wrought so happily ?] For a highly poetical description of Mortimer's escape from the Tower, see the Third Book of The Barons' Wars by Drayton (who makes the Queen furnish Mortimer with the potion and watch his flight). || Enter Queen Isabella, &c.] Scene, Paris. do] So 4tos 1598, 1622.-to 1612 "goe." Enter SIR JOHN OF HAINAULT. Sir J. Madam, what cheer? Q. Isab. Ah, good Sir John of Hainault, Never so cheerless nor so far distrest! Sir J. I hear, sweet lady, of the king's unkindness: But droop not, madam; noble minds contemn Despair. Will your grace with me to Hainault, And there stay time's advantage with your son?— How say you, my lord? will you go with your friends, And shake off all our fortunes equally? P. Edw. So pleaseth the queen my mother, me it likes: The king of England, nor the court of France, Q. Isab. O my sweet heart, how do I moan thy wrongs, Yet triumph in the hope of thee, my joy !— Enter KENT and the younger MORTIMER. Kent. Madam, long may you live Much happier than your friends in England do! Q. Isab. Lord Edmund, and Lord Mortimer alive! Welcome to France! the news was here, my lord, That you were dead, or very near your death. Y. Mor. Lady, the last was truest of the twain: * dost] Qy. "must"? ton] Old eds. "or." The meaning seems to be,-We will with thee to Hainault, even if it were situated on the utmost verge of Europe, &c. But Mortimer, reserv'd for better hap, No, my Lord Mortimer, not I, I trow. Q Isab. Not, son! why not? I would it were no worse! But, gentle lords, friendless we are in France. yours, Told us, at our arrival, all the news,- room * part] Old eds. “partie" and "party." + appointed] i.e. accoutred, furnished with necessaries. deserv'd] Equivalent here to-earned. In p. 201, first col., we have had "earn'd" in the sense of "deserved." § sith] i. e. since. to bid the English king a base] To bid a base is to run fast, challenging another to pursue,-in allusion to the game of Prison-base or Prison-bars. say'st] Old eds. say (which might stand, if "How" were altered to "Now "). ** you] So 4tos 1598, 1622.-Not in 4to 1612. |