But be thou mild, and blush not at my shame :
Nor stir at nothing till the axe of death
Hang over thee, as sure it shortly will;
For Suffolk, he that can do all in all

With her that hateth thee, and hates us all,

And York, and impious Beaufort, that false priest,
Have all lim❜d bushes to betray thy wings;

And, fly thou how thou canst, they'll tangle thee.
But fear not thou until thy foot be snar'd,
Nor never seek prevention of thy foes.

Glo. Ah, Nell, forbear; thou aimest all awry:

I must offend before I be attainted;
And had I twenty times so many foes,

And each of them had twenty times their power,
All these could not procure me any scathe,
So long as I am loyal, true, and crimeless.
Would'st have me rescue thee from this reproach?
Why, yet thy scandal were not wip'd away,
But I in danger for the breach of law.
Thy greatest help is quiet, gentle Nell;
I pray thee, sort thy heart to patience :

These few days' wonder will be quickly worn.

Enter a Herald.

50

60

Herald. I summon your Grace to his Majesty's par- 70

liament, holden at Bury the first of this next month.

Glo.

And my consent ne'er ask'd herein before?

This is close dealing.

Well, I will be there.

[Exit Herald.

My Nell, I take my leave :-and, Master Sheriff,

Let not her penance exceed the King's commission.

57 prevention, hindrance by anticipation. (R)

59 attainted, convicted of treason. (R)

62 scathe, harm. (R) 68 sort, adapt. syllabic. (R)

patience is tri

78 close, secret. (R)

Sheriff. An't please your Grace, here my commission

stays;

And Sir John Stanley is appointed now

To take her with him to the Isle of Man.

Glo. Must you, Sir John, protect my lady here? Stanley. So am I given in charge, may 't please your Grace.

Glo.

Entreat her not the worse, in that I pray You use her well. The world may laugh again; And I may live to do you kindness if

You do it her and so, Sir John, farewell.

Duch. What, gone, my lord, and bid me not farewell?

Glo. Witness my tears, I cannot stay to speak.

[Exeunt GLOSTER and Servants.

Duch. Art thou gone too? All comfort go with thee, For none abides with me: my joy is death;

Death, at whose name I oft have been afear'd,
Because I wish'd this world's eternity. -
Stanley, I pr'ythee, go and take me hence;

I care not whither, for I beg no favour,
Only convey me where thou art commanded.

Stan. Why, Madam, that is to the Isle of Man ;
There to be us'd according to your state.

Duch. That's bad enough, for I am but reproach: And shall I, then, be us'd reproachfully?

Stan. Like to a Duchess, and Duke Humphrey's lady:

According to that state you shall be us'd.

79 here? Rolfe explains, "Now, from this point." It might mean "Who is here?". i. e. this, my lady, but for the use of here three lines above. (R)

81 Entreat her not the worse.

So, "they entreated them spitefully," Matthew xxii. 6, and "he shall be spitefully entreated," Luke xviii. 32. (w)

82 The world may laugh again, i. e. fortune may smile again. (R)

Duch. Sheriff, farewell, and better than I fare, Although thou hast been conduct of my shame! Sher. It is my office; and, Madam, pardon me. Duch. Ay, ay, farewell: thy office is discharg'd. Come, Stanley, shall we go?

Stan. Madam, your penance done, throw off this sheet,

And go we to attire you for our journey.

Duch. My shame will not be shifted with my sheet : No; it will hang upon my richest robes,

And shew itself, attire me how I can.

Go, lead the way: I long to see my prison.

100

110

[Exeunt.

A sennet. Enter to the parliament, King HENRY, Queen MARGARET, Cardinal BEAUFORT, SUFFOLK, YORK, BUCKINGHAM, and others.

ING HENRY. I muse, my Lord of Gloster is

KING

not come :

"Tis not his wont to be the hindmost man,

Whate'er occasion keeps him from us now.

Q. Mar. Can you not see? or will you not observe The strangeness of his alter'd countenance?

With what a majesty he bears himself;

How insolent of late he is become,

How proud, how peremptory, and unlike himself?
We know the time since he was mild and affable;

101 conduct, conductor. (R)

1 [A sennet.] Sennet, like tucket, meant the sounding of an instrument, not the instrument itself. . . . (w) [The folio adds

Salisbury and Warwick to the per-
sons entering and there seems to
be no good reason for omitting
them.] muse, wonder. (R)
9 since, when. (R)