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Where I must take like feat unto my Fortune,
And to my humble feat confirm my felf.

K. Lew. Why fay, fair Queen, whence fprings this deep despair?

Queen. From fuch a cause as fills mine Eyes with Tears,
And stops my Tongue, while Heart is drown'd in Cares.
K. Lew. Whate'er it be, be thou ftill like thy felf,
And fit thee by our fide.

Yield not thy Neck to Fortune's yoak,

[Seats her by him.

But let thy dauntless Mind ftill ride in triumph

Over all mifchance..

Be plain, Queen Margaret, and tell thy Grief,

It fhall be eas'd, if France can yield relief.

Queen. Those gracious Words revive my drooping Thoughts,
And give my Tongue-ty'd Sorrows leave to speak.
Now therefore be it known to Noble Lewis,

That Henry, fole poffeffor of my Love,

Is, of a King, become a banish'd Man.
And forc'd to live in Scotland a Forlorn;
While proud ambitious Edward, Duke of York,
Ufurps the Regal Title, and the Seat
Of England's true anointed lawful King.
This is the cause that I, poor Margaret,
With this my Son Prince Edward, Henry's Heir,
Am come to crave thy juft and lawful Aid:
And if thou fail us, all our hope is done.
Scotland hath Will to help, but cannot help:
Our People, and our Peers, are both mifs-led,
Our Treasure feiz'd, our Soldiers put to flight,
And, as thou feeft, our felves in heavy plight.

K.Lew. Renowned Queen, with patience calm the Storm,
While we bethink a means to break it off.

Queen. The more we ftay, the ftronger grows our Foe. K. Lew. The more I ftay, the more I'll fuccour thee. Queen. O, but impatience waiteth on true Sorrow. And fee where comes the breeder of my Sorrow.

Enter Warwick.

K. Lew. What's he approacheth boldly to our prefence?
Queen. Our Earl of Warwick, Edward's greatest Friend.
K. Lew. Welcome, brave Warwick, what brings thee to
[He defcends. She arifeth.
Queen.

France?

1

Queen. Ay, now begins a fecond Storm to rife,
For this is he that moves both Wind and Tide.

War. From worthy Edward, King of Albion,
My Lord and Sovereign, and thy vowed Friend,
I come (in Kindnefs and unfeigned Love)
First to do greetings to thy Royal Perfon,
And then to crave a League of Amity;
And laftly, to confirm that Amity

With Nuptial Knot, if thou vouchfafe to grant
That vertuous Lady Bona, thy fair Sifter,

To England's King in lawful Marriage.

Queen. If that go forward, Henry's hope is done.
War. And gracious Madam,

In our King's behalf,

[Speaking to Bona.

I am commanded, with your leave and favour,
Humbly to kifs your Hand, and with my Tongue
To tell the paffion of my Sovereign's Heart;
Where Fame, late entring at his heedful Ears,
Hath plac'd thy Beauty's Image, and thy Virtue.

Queen. King Lewis, and Lady Bona, hear me speak,
Before you anfwer Warwick. His demand
Springs not from Edward's well-meant honeft Love,
But from Deceit, bred by Neceffity:
For how can Tyrants fafely govern home,
Unless Abroad they purchace great Alliance?
To prove him Tyrant, this reafon may fuffice;
That Henry liveth ftill; but were he dead,

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Yet here Prince Edward ftands, King Henry's Son.
Look therefore Lewis, that by this League and Marriage
Thou draw not on thy Danger and Dishonour:

For though Ufurpers fway the Rule a while,

Yet Heavens are juft, and Time fuppreffeth Wrongs.
War. Injurious Margaret.

Prince. And why not Queen?

War. Because thy Father Henry did ufurp,
And thou no more art Prince than the is Queen...
Oxf. Then Warwick difannuls great John of Gaunt,
Which did fubdue the greatest part of Spain;
And after John of Gaunt, Henry the Fourth,
Whofe Wisdom was a Mirror to the wifeft;
And after that wife Prince, Henry the Fifth,

Who by his Prowefs conquered all France:
From these our Henry lineally defcends.

War. Oxford, how haps it in this fmooth Difcourfe,
You told not, how Henry the Sixth hath loft
All that, which Henry the Fifth had gotten;
Methinks thefe Peers of France fhould fmile at that.
But for the reft; you tell a Pedigree

Of threefcore and two Years, a filly time

To make prefcription for a Kingdom's worth.

Oxf. Why Warwick, canft thou fpeak against my Liege Whom thou obey'dft thirty and fix Years,

And not bewray thy Treafon with a blush?

War. Can Oxford, that did ever fence the right,
Now buckler falfhood with a Pedigree?
For fhame leave Henry, and call Edward King.

Oxf. Call him my King, by whofe injurious doom
My elder Brother, the Lord Aubrey Vere

Was done to Death? and more than fo, my Father,
Even in the downfall of his mellow'd Years,
When Nature brought him to the door of Death?
No Warwick, no; while Life upholds this Arm,
This Arm upholds the Houfe of Lancaster.
War. And I the Houfe of York.

K. Lew. Queen Margaret, Prince Edward, and Oxford Vouchfafe at our requeft, to ftand aside,

While I ufe farther Conference with Warwick.

not.

[They stand aloof. Queen. Heavens grant that Warwick's Words bewitch him

K. Lew. Now Warwick, tell me even upon thy Confcience, Is Edward your true King? for I were loath.

To link with him that were not lawful chofen.

War. Thereon I pawn my Credit, and mine Honour.
K. Lew. But is he gracious in the Peoples Eyes?
War. The more, that Henry was unfortunate.
K. Lew. Then further; all diffembling fet afide,
Tell me for truth, the measure of his love
Unto our Sifter Bona.

War. Such it feems,

As may befeem a Monarch like himself:
My felf have aften heard him fay and fwear,

That

That this his Love was an external Plant,
Whereof the Root was fix'd in Virtue's ground,
The Leaves and Fruit maintain'd with Beauty's Sun,
Exempt from Envy, but not from Difdain,
Unless the Lady Bona quit his pain.

K. Lew. Now Sifter, let us hear your firm refolve.
Bona. Your grant, or your denial, fhall be mine.
Yet I confefs, that often e'er this Day, [Speaks to Warwick.
When I have heard your King's defert recounted,
Mine Ear hath tempted Judgment to defire.

K. Lew. Then Warwick, this:

Our Sifter fhall be Edward's.

And now forthwith fhall Articles be drawn,
Touching the Jointure that your King must make,
Which with her Dowry fhall be counterpois'd:
Draw near, Queen Margaret, and be a witness,
That Bona fhall be Wife to th' English King.
Prince. To Edward, but not to the English King.
Queen. Deceitful Warwick, it was thy device,
By this Alliance to make void my Suit;
Before thy coming, Lewis was Henry's Friend.
K. Lew. And ftill is Friend to him and Margaret;
But if your Title to the Crown be weak,

As

may appear by Edward's good Success;
Then 'tis but reafon that I be releas'd
From giving Aid, which late I promised.
Yet fhall you have all kindness at my Hand,
That your Eftate requires, and mine can yield.
War. Henry now lives in Scotland at his eafe,
Where having nothing, nothing can he lose.
And as for you your felf, our quondam Queen,
You have a Father able to maintain you,

And better it were you troubled him, than France.
Queen. Peace, impudent and fhameless Warwick, peace,
Proud fetter up, and puller down of Kings,

I will not hence, 'till with my Talk and Tears
(Both full of Truth) I make King Lewis behold
Thy fly Conveyance, and thy Lord's falfe Love.

[Poft blowing a Horn within. For both of you are Birds of felf fame Feather.

K. Lew.

K.Lew. Warwick, this is fome Poft to us, or thee.

Enter a Poft.

Poft. My Lord Ambassador,

Thefe Letters are for you;

Sent from your Brother, Marquefs Montagne.
These from our King unto your Majefty.

And Madam, thefe for you,

From whom I know not.

[To Warwick.

[To K. Lew.

[To the Queen.

[They all read their Letters.

Oxf. I like it well, that our fair Queen and Mistress

Smiles at her News, while Warwick frowns at his.

Prince. Nay, mark how Lewis ftamps as he were nettled.

I hope all's for the best.

K. Lew. Warwick, what are thy News?

And yours, fair Queen?

Queen. Mine fuch as fills my Heart with unhop Joys. War. Mine full of Sorrow, and Heart's Difcontent.

K. Lew. What! has your King Married the Lady Gray? And now, to footh your Forgery and his,

Sends me a Paper to perfwade me Patience?
Is this Alliance that he feeks with France?
Dare he prefume to fcorn us in this manner?
Queen. I told your Majefty as much before:
This proveth Edward's Love, and Warwick's Honefty.
War. King Lewis, I here protest in fight of Heaven,
And by the hope I have of Heav'nly Blifs,
That I am clear from this Mifdeed of Edward's;
No more my King; for he dishonours me,
But moft himself, if he could fee his Shame.
Did I forget, that by the House of York
My Father came untimely to his Death?
Did I let pafs th' abufe done to my Niece?
Did I impale him with the Regal Crown?
Did I put Henry from his Native Right?
And am I guerdon'd at the laft with Shame?
Shame on himself, for my Defert is Honour.
And to repair my Honour loft for him,
I here renounce him, and return to Henry.
My Noble Queen, let former grudges pals,
And henceforth I am thy true Servitor:
I will revenge his wrong to Lady Bona,
And replant Henry in his former ftate.
VOL. IV.

B

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