March. Enter WARWICK, MARQUESS OF MONTAGUE, and their army.

War. How now, fair lords! What fare? what news abroad? 95
Rich. Great Lord of Warwick, if we should recount

Our baleful news, and at each word's deliverance
Stab poniards in our flesh till all were told,

The words would add more anguish than the wounds.
O valiant lord, the Duke of York is slain!
Edw. O Warwick! Warwick! that Plantagenet

Which held thee dearly as his soul's redemption,
Is by the stern Lord Clifford done to death.
War. Ten days ago I drown'd these news in tears,
And now, to add more measure to your woes,
I come to tell you things sith then befallen.
After the bloody fray at Wakefield fought,
Where your brave father breath'd his latest gasp,
Tidings, as swiftly as the posts could run,
Were brought me of your loss and his depart.
I, then in London, keeper of the king,

100

105

ΙΙΟ

omitted); Enter Montacute

95. Enter Montague .] Enter the Earle of Warwike, Montague, with drum, ancient, and souldiers Q (March Ff. 95-100. How now . . Great. recount Our baleful news . . Ah Warwike? should we report . slaine Q.

O valiant slain !] 62-67. How now. the balefull Newes Ah valiant.

death Q. 104-110. Ten days

101-103. O Warwick!

dearly as ... death] 68-70. Ah Warwike deere: I, euen as . .
sith then depart] 71-77. Ten daies
Was brought... departure Q.
oath and your succession] 78-86. I then in
heires and your succession Q.

those newes

119. I, then in

entercept

since then intercept your late

95. What fare] Not again in Shakespeare.

97, 98. word's . . . Stab poniards] Compare Hamlet, III. ii. 414, and Much Ado About Nothing, 11. i. 255: "she speaks poniards and every word stabs." 103. done to death] See 2 Henry VI. III. ii. 244, and below, III. iii. 103. Occurs again in Much Ado About Nothing. And in Whetstone's Promos and Cassandra, Part I. IV. iv. (1578): "Is my Audrugio done to death." Slain.

See 1. iv. 108.

104. drown'd . . . in tears] A very favourite expression. I find it about fifteen times in Shakespeare's plays. It is six times in the dubious Titus Andronicus, however.

108. his latest gasp] See again v. ii. 41 below. "Last gasp" and "latter

III et seq. I, then in London .] Hall describes these events (252, rept.): "The Quene still came forwarde with her Northern people, entendyng to subuerte and defaict all conclusions and agrementes, enacted and assented to in the last Parliament. And so after her long iorney she came to the town of Sainct Albons; whereof ye duke of Northfolke, ye erle of Warwycke, and other, whom ye duke of Yorke had lefte to gouerne the kyng in his absence, being advertised, by the assent of ye kyng, gathered together a great hoste,

Muster'd my soldiers, gather'd flocks of friends,

And very well appointed, as I thought,

March'd toward Saint Alban's to intercept the queen,
Bearing the king in my behalf along ;

115

For by my scouts I was advertised

That she was coming with a full intent
To dash our late decree in parliament,

Touching King Henry's oath and your succession.
Short tale to make, we at Saint Alban's met,
Our battles join'd, and both sides fiercely fought :
But whether 'twas the coldness of the king,
Who look'd full gently on his war-like queen,
That robb'd my soldiers of their heated spleen;
Or whether 'twas report of her success;
Or more than common fear of Clifford's rigour,
Who thunders to his captives blood and death,
I cannot judge: but, to conclude with truth,
Their weapons like to lightning came and went ;
Our soldiers', like the night-owl's lazy flight,

and set forward toward Sainct Albons, hauyng the Kyng in their company, as the head and chefetayn of the warre, and so not mynding to differre the time any further, vpon shrouetuesday early in the morning, set upon their enemies. Fortune that day so fauored the Quene, that her parte preuayled, & the duke and the erle were discomfited and fled . . . after the victorie obtayned, and the kynge brought to the Quene. Happy was the Quene in her two battayls but unfortunate was the kyng in all his enterprises, for where his person was present, ther victory fled ever from him to the other parte, and he commonly was subdued & vanquished." See this passage continued at "dub him presently," below, II. ii. 59.

...

113. And... thought] Introduced from Q by Steevens. For "well appointed," see 1 Henry VI. IV. ii. 21; and Golding's Ovid: "a traine Of well appointed men of warre new levied (vii. 1121, 1122).

118. dash] frustrate. Compare Grafton's Continuation of Hardyng,

I 20

125

130

struck their friends] 88-99. Shortcaptaines... I cannot tell . . .

66

540: thynkyng that by this means al his purpose was dashed" (1543).

120. Short tale to make] Again in Hamlet, 11. ii. 146. This expression is in Gascoigne's Steel Glas (Arber, p. 50), 1576; and in Whetstone's Promos and Cassandra, Part I. III. i. (1578). Later it is in Greene's Groatsworth of Wit (Grosart, xii. 122); in The Troublesome Raigne of King John, and in Peele's Tale of Troy. See Grafton's Continuation of Hardyng, 461 (1543): "but ye duke, to make a short tale, would by no meanes deliuer theim."

121. Our battles join'd] See above, I. i. 15.

130. night-owl] Again in Twelfth Night and Richard II. Shakespeare has later a pleasant friendly tone towards the owl, very much truer in perception than his contemporaries. Golding's "wicked wretch Nyctyminee" passage (ii. 742-752) perhaps told on the poor bird heavily. With Spenser and Peele he is the "deathful owl," the "ghastly owl," the "tragic owl." Golding calls him elsewhere "filthy fowl" from Ovid. But Tar

Or like an idle thresher with a flail,

Fell gently down, as if they struck their friends.
I cheer'd them up with justice of our cause,
With promise of high pay and great rewards:
But all in vain; they had no heart to fight,
And we in them no hope to win the day;
So that we fled: the king unto the queen;
Lord George your brother, Norfolk and myself,
In haste, post-haste, are come to join with you;
For in the marches here we heard you were,
Making another head to fight again.

Edw. Where is the Duke of Norfolk, gentle Warwick?

And when came George from Burgundy to England?
War. Some six miles off the duke is with the soldiers;
And for your brother, he was lately sent
From your kind aunt, Duchess of Burgundy,
With aid of soldiers to this needful war.

Rich. 'Twas odds, belike, when valiant Warwick fled:
Oft have I heard his praises in pursuit,
But ne'er till now his scandal of retire.

War. Nor now my scandal, Richard, dost thou hear;

145

150

133-141. I cheer'd... our cause... heart to fight, And we ... fight again] 100-108. I cheerd... the cause... harts to fight, Nor we fight againe Q. 142, 143. Where is... And when... England?] 109-111. Thankes gentle Warwike, How farre hence is the Duke with his power? And when . . . England? Q. 144-147. Some six the soldiers; And for . . . to this needful war] 112-115. Some fiue his power, But as for... gainst this needfull warre Q. 148-150. 'Twas odds . . . his praises. his scandal of retire] 116118. Twas ods thy praises... thy scandall of retire Q. 151-156. Nor now this strong... prayer] 119-124. Nor now ... that this right... praier Q.

...

quin, the night owl, catches the dove in Lucrece.

131. an idle] Corrects the "a lazy" of the Folios. Inserted by Capell.

139. haste, post-haste] Written on dispatches, and hence common in poetry :

"he hath vouchsaft In hast, post hast, to send

Me doune from heaven" (Gascoign, Princely Pleasures (Nichols' Progresses, i. 510), 1575). See Othello, 1. ii. 37.

141. Making another head] Compare Coriolanus, III. i. 1, and 1 Henry IV. IV. i. 80. And see "gathered head," 1 Henry VI. 1. iv. 100 (note). It is a technical expression in Machiavel's Arte of Warre (trans. Whitehouse, 1560), Tudor reprint, p. 84.

144. the soldiers] Theobald inserted the better expression of the Quartos, "his power."

143-146. George from Burgundy

kind aunt] Hall accounts for George's absence: "The Duches of Yorke... sent her two yonger sonnes, George and Richard, ouer the sea, to the citie of Utrecht in Almayn; where they were of Philippe duke of Burgoyne well receyued and fested, and so there thei remayned, till their brother Edwarde had obteyned the Realme" (253).

149. Oft have I heard] See note at "Oft have I seen ." in 2 Henry VI. III. ii. 161. Occurs again in Love's Labour's Lost, Richard III., and Titus Andronicus, "Oft have you heard . . ."

For thou shalt know this strong right hand of mine
Can pluck the diadem from faint Henry's head,
And wring the awful sceptre from his fist,
Were he as famous and as bold in war
As he is famed for mildness, peace, and prayer.
Rich. I know it well, Lord Warwick; blame me not:
'Tis love I bear thy glories makes me speak.
But in this troublous time what's to be done?
Shall we go throw away our coats of steel,
And wrap our bodies in black mourning gowns,
Numbering our Ave-Maries with our beads?
Or shall we on the helmets of our foes
Tell our devotion with revengeful arms?
If for the last, say ay, and to it, lords.
War. Why, therefore Warwick came to seek you out,
And therefore comes my brother Montague.
Attend me, lords. The proud insulting queen,
With Clifford and the haught Northumberland,
And of their feather many moe proud birds,
Have wrought the easy-melting king like wax.
He swore consent to your succession,
His oath enrolled in the parliament;

And now to London all the crew are gone,

...

beside May

156. famed prayer] See Part II. 1. iii. 54-59 (and notes) for King Henry's disposition.

160. coats of steel] See "steeled coat," 1 Henry VI. 1. i. 81. Spenser has the expression here in Faerie Queene, 1. xi. 9:—

"And over all with brasen scales was armd,

Like plated cote of steele."

It is in the description of that old Dragon often referred to. Kyd uses the term in Cornelia, v. i. 5: "Whose coates of steele base Death hath stolne into."

Ave-Maries beads] We have had this line in Part II. 1. iii. 55. Compare Spenser's Faerie Queene, 1. i. 35:

"He tolde of Saintes and Popes, and evermore

155

160

165

170

ay, and to it, lords]

clad. I, and to it Lords Q.

swore ..

parliament] 134-141.

Parliament Q.

174-177. And

I think . . . strong] 142-145. But

To frustrate both his oath and what beside

175

May make against the house of Lancaster.

Their power, I think, is thirty thousand strong:
Now, if the help of Norfolk and myself,

With all the friends that thou, brave Earl of March,

Amongst the loving Welshmen canst procure,
Will but amount to five-and-twenty thousand,

180

Why, Via! to London will we march amain,
And once again bestride our foaming steeds,
And once again cry-Charge upon our foes!
But never once again turn back and fly.

Rich. Ay, now methinks I hear great Warwick speak.
Ne'er may he live to see a sunshine day,
That cries-Retire, if Warwick bid him stay.

Edw. Lord Warwick, on thy shoulder will I lean;

now

185

And when thou fail'st,-as God forbid the hour!- 190
Must Edward fall, which peril heaven forfend!

frustrate his oath or what besides May I gesse them fifty thousand strong Q. 178-181. Now... myself, With .. March, Amongst · procure, Will . thousand] 146-149. Now my selfe, Can but amount to 48 thousand, With March, Among procure Q. 182-185. Why, Via! upon our foes! . and fly] 150-153. Why via and flie Q. 186-188. Ay, now

now

if Warwick

...

when Warwike stay Q. 189-191. Lord. God... Must... forfend !] 157-159. Lord... faints, must

177-181. thirty thousand... fiveand twenty thousand] Note the wrongly altered numbers from Quarto. Holinshed gives King Edward's force at 48,660 before the battle of Towton. He quotes Wheathamsted that Henry's exceeded them by 20,000. The Quarto is nearer.

182. Via] See Love's Labour's Lost, v. i. 140, and v. ii. 112, and note (in this edition). Shakespeare has it again in Merry Wives of Windsor, Merchant of Venice, and Henry V. Whether The True Tragedie, or Love's Labour's Lost claim historical precedence for the use of the term is a question. Probably the former.

182. to London] See below, line 207, note.

182. march amain] "amain" is introduced from Q (Theobald); omitted in Ff. The expression "march amain" occurs again below, iv. viii. 4, IV. viii. 64, and Titus Andronicus, IV. iv. 65. 183-185. once again. And once again.. ... once again] For the emphasis

...

vpon the foe stay] 154-156. I, • fail'st,forefend Q.

-as

in this repetition, see again at 1. iv. 9 above, and note. A favourite method with Spenser.

183. foaming steeds] Spenser preceded this with "froth-fomy steed," Faerie Queene, 1. xi. 23. He has 'foaming_tar earlier, but "foamy oftener. The latter is once in Shakespeare, Twelfth Night.

187. live to see. day] Compare Spanish Tragedy, III. vi. 5 :— "But shall I never live to see the day

That I may come." 187. sunshine day] Occurs again in Richard II. IV. i. 221. In Spenser's Shepheard's Calender, January (Globe ed. 446, a): "All in a sunneshine day."

190. fail'st] Steevens reads "fall'st." He had better have taken "faint'st" of Q. See note at "join'st," 1 Henry VI. III. iii. 75.

191. heaven forfend] See 1 Henry VI. v. iv. 65. Again in Othello and Winter's Tale. A thoroughly Shakespearian ejaculation.