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 Frenchwoman.

North. Beshrew me, but his passions move me so

That hardly can I check my eyes from tears.

York. That face of his the hungry cannibals

Would not have touch'd, would not have stain'd with blood;
But you are more inhuman, more inexorable,

O, ten times more than tigers of Hyrcania.

See, ruthless queen, a hapless father's tears:

This cloth thou dipp'dst in blood of my sweet boy,
And I with tears do wash the blood away.
Keep thou the napkin, and go boast of this;
And if thou tell'st the heavy story right,

150, 151. Beshrew ... so That . . . tears] 135, 136. Beshrew move me so, As . . . mine eies teares Q. not Hyrcania] 137-140. That face 156-166. See, ruthless And I .

Upon my soul, the hearers will shed tears;

Yea, even my foes will shed fast-falling tears,

And say "Alas! it was a piteous deed."

There, take the crown, and with the crown my curse,

And in thy need such comfort come to thee

165

As now I reap at thy too cruel hand!

Hard-hearted Clifford, take me from the world;
My soul to heaven, my blood upon your heads!
North. Had he been slaughter-man to all my kin,

I should not for my life but weep with him,
To see how inly sorrow gripes his soul.

Q. Mar. What, weeping-ripe, my Lord Northumberland?
Think but upon the wrong he did us all,
And that will quickly dry thy melting tears.

Clif. Here's for my oath; here's for my father's death.

170

175

[Stabbing him.

Q. Mar. And here's to right our gentle-hearted king.

[Stabbing him.

York. Open thy gate of mercy, gracious God!
My soul flies through these wounds to seek out Thee.

Here, take two cruell hands Q. 152, 153. Hard-harted heads Q.

[Dies.

too cruel hand!] 141-151. See ruthlesse

I (Ay). 167, 168. Hard-hearted. heads] 169-171. Had . . . soul] 154-156. Had his hart Q.

he bin. of all... I could not chuse but weep. 172-180. What, weeping-ripe . . . thy melting · And here's. gentle-hearted king... gate of town of York] 157-165. What weeping ripe. thears. And thears.

How
Here's . . . here's
flies... Thee

your melting.

gentle hearted kind

gates of

foorth to meet with thee . . . towne of York. Exeunt Omnes Q. Stabbing Dies] omitted Q, Ff.

169. slaughter-man] See Part I. III. iii. 75 (note). In Q. It occurs in A Manifest Detection of the use of Dice-play (Percy reprint, p. 8), 1532 (?): "Go to; say on; lo! how gentle lambs are led to the slaughterman's fold."

171. inly] inward. Occurs again Two Gentlemen of Verona, II. vii. 18. Elsewhere an adverb. But the distinction is not a sound one.

171. Sorrow gripes his soul] Recalls a line in The First Part of Contention,

Thears flies [Stabbing

...

Q. Mar. Off with his head, and set it on York gates: So York may overlook the town of York.

ACT II

SCENE I-A Plain near Mortimer's Cross in
Herefordshire.

A March. Enter EDWARD, RICHARD, and their power.

Edw. I wonder how our princely father 'scaped,
Or whether he be 'scaped away or no

From Clifford's and Northumberland's pursuit.
Had he been ta'en we should have heard the news;
Had he been slain we should have heard the news;

5

Or had he 'scaped, methinks we should have heard
The happy tidings of his good escape.

How fares my brother? why is he so sad?

Rich. I cannot joy until I be resolv'd

Where our right valiant father is become.

IO

A March] Ff; omitted Q. Enter. .] Ff; Enter Edward and Richard, with drum and Souldiers Q. 1-7. I wonder how... good escape] omitted Q. sad?] 1, 2. Edw. After this dangerous fight and haplesse warre 9, 10. Rich. I cannot

8. How .

How doth my noble brother Richard fare? Q. become] 3, 4. Rich. I cannot . . . is become Q.

I. I wonder .] When Shakespeare wrote a new opening for the older one, in this scene, as he frequently does in these two plays, he perhaps forgot the almost identical first line of the first Act-which was in Q.

...

4-6. Had he Had he ... Or had he] The repetition of the initial words in poetical lines was carried to great excess at this time and earlier. In this play see Act ii., Scene v., where (as here) it is part of the finished play, not the Quarto version. For examples see Hawes' Pastime of Pleasure (1509), p. 102, reprint, where fourteen lines have same beginnings. Gascoigne's Steel Glas is loaded with the trick. Spenser abounds in iterations and repetitions, but in a more measured manner, and with due regard to eloquence.

is

I saw him in the battle range about,

And watch'd him how he singled Clifford forth.
Methought he bore him in the thickest troop
As doth a lion in a herd of neat ;

Or as a bear, encompass'd round with dogs,

Who having pinch'd a few and made them cry,
The rest stand all aloof and bark at him.
So fared our father with his enemies;
So fled his enemies my war-like father:
Methinks 'tis prize enough to be his son.
See how the morning opes her golden gates,

II-14. I saw him
see him beare himselfe, As doth
enemies] omitted Q.

As doth

in a midst

19, 20.

So fled
pride.

.

glorious

Loe

son] 7, 8. So fled. our valiant. in the aire Q. 21-25. See how suns?] 9-11. Edw.

Dazzle suns? Q.

15

20

sonne. Three sonnes appeare sun; How . love. Edw. how glorious sun, Dasell

(vii. 1018).

20. prize] "pride" of Quartos is preferable. But compare "prize" (privilege) above, 1. iv. 59.

21-24. the morning. prancing to his love] A variously put metaphor. See Psalm xix. 4, 5, and Faerie Queene, I. v. 2, where the "golden orientall gate" occurs:—

"And Phoebus, fresh as brydegroome to his mate, Came dauncing forth." And Peele, David and Bethsabe (473, a), where Dyce gives the reference to Spenser, as Jortin does on Faerie Queene to the Psalm, a reference given much earlier by Sylvester (1621 ed. p. 85) in a marginal note to the lines in Fourth Day of the First Week of Du Bartas (1591):—

"Thou seem'st (O Titan) like a Bride-groome brave,

Who from his chamber early issuing out

In rich array," etc.