War. Now, by my father's badge, old Nevil's crest,
The rampant bear chain'd to the ragged staff,
This day I'll wear aloft my burgonet,
(As on a mountain-top the cedar shows,
That keeps his leaves in spite of any storm),
Even to affright thee with the view thereof.

Clif. And from thy burgonet I'll rend thy bear
And tread it under foot with all contempt,
Despight the bear-ward that protects the bear.
Y.Clif. And so to arms, victorious father,
To quell the rebels, and their complices,

Rich. Fie charity, for shame! speak not in spite,
For you shall sup with Jesu Christ to-night.

Y.Clif. Foul stigmatic, 'that's more than thou canst tell. Rich. If not in heaven, you'll surely sup in hell, [Exeunt severally.

SCENE II.

Saint Albans. Alarums: Excursions. Enter WARWICK.

War. Clifford of Cumberland, 'tis Warwick calls!
And if thou dost not hide thee from the bear,
Now, when the angry trumpet sounds alarm,
And dying men's cries do fill the empty air,-
Clifford, I say, come forth, and fight with me!
Proud northern lord, Clifford of Cumberland,
Warwick is hoarse with calling thee to arms.
Enter YORK.

-How now, my noble lord? what, all a-foot?
York. The deadly-handed Clifford slew my steed :
But match to match I have encounter'd him,
And made a prey for carrion kites and crows
Even of the bonny beast he lov'd so well.

Enter CLIFFORD,

War. Of one or both of us the time is come.

York. Hold, Warwick, seek thee out some other chace, For I myself must hunt this deer to death.

War. Then, nobly, York; 'tis for a crown thou fight'st.

As I intend, Clifford, to thrive to-day,

It grieves my soul to leave thee unassail'd. [Exit WAR.

[1] A stigmatic is one on whom nature has set a mark of deformity, a stigma. STEEV.A stigmatic originally and properly signified a person who has been branded with a hot iron for some crime. MAL.

Clif. What seest thou in me, York? why dost thou

pause?

York. With thy brave bearing should I be in love, But that thou art so fast mine enemy.

Clif. Nor should thy prowess want praise and esteem, But that 'tis shewn ignobly, and in treason.

York. So let it help me now against thy sword,

As I in justice and true right express it!

Clif. My soul and body on the action both!— York. A dreadful lay !2— Address thee instantly. [Fight, and CLIFFORD falls.3

[Dies.

Clif. La fin couronne les œuvres. York. Thus war hath given thee peace, for thou art still. Peace with his soul, heaven, if it be thy will! [Exit.

Enter Young CLIFFORD.

Y.Clif. Shame and confusion! all is on the rout ;
Fear frames disorder, and disorder wounds
Where it should guard. O war, thou son of hell,
Whom angry heavens do make their minister,
Throw in the frozen bosoms of our part

Hot coals of vengeance !4-Let no soldier fly;
He that is truly dedicate to war,

Hath no self-love; nor he, that loves himself,
Hath not essentially, but by circumstance,
The name of valour.-O, let the vile world end,
[Seeing his dead father.
And the premised flames of the last day
Knit earth and heaven together !5
Now let the general trumpet blow his blast,
Particularities and petty sounds

To cease!-Wast thou ordain'd, dear father,
To lose thy youth in peace, and to achieve

[2] A dreadful wager, a tremendous stake. JOHNS.

[3] Our anthor, in making Clifford fall by the hand of York, has departed from the truth of history; a practice not uncommon to him when he does his utmost to make his characters considerable. This circumstance, however, serves to prepare the reader or spectator for the vengeance afterwards taken by Clifford's son on York and Rutland It is remarkable, that at the beginning of the third part of this historical play, the poet has forgot this Occurrence, and there represents Clifford's death as it really happened:

"Lord Clifford and lord Stafford all abreast

"Charg'd our main battle's front; and breaking in,
"Were by the swords of common soldiers slain."

PERCY!

[4] This phrase is scriptural. So in the 140th Psalm: "Let hot burning

coals fall upon them." STEEV.

[5] Premised, for sent before their time. The sense is, let the flames, reserved for the last day, be sent now. WARB.

The silver livery of advised age ;6

And, in thy reverence, and thy chair-days, thus
To die in ruffian battle ?-Even at this sight,
My heart is turn'd to stone and, while 'tis mine,
It shall be stony. York not our old men spares ;
No more will I their babes : tears virginal
Shall be to me even as the dew to fire;
And beauty, that the tyrant oft reclaims,
Shall to my flaming wrath be oil and flax.
Henceforth, I will not have to do with pity;
Meet I an infant of the house of York,
Into as many gobbets will I cut it,
As wild Medea young Absyrtus did :7
In cruelty will I seek out my fame.
Come, thou new ruin of old Clifford's house;

As did Æneas old Anchises bear,

[Taking up the body.

So bear I thee upon my manly shoulders:
But then Æneas bare a living load,

Nothing so heavy as these woes of mine.

[Exit.

Enter RICHARD PLANTAGENET and SOMERSET, fighting, and SOMERSET is killed.

Rich. So, lie thou there ;

For, underneath an ale-house' paltry sign,

The Castle in St. Alban's, Somerset

Hath made the wizard famous in his death.8

Sword, hold thy temper; heart, be wrathful still;
Priests pray for enemies, but princes kill.

[Exit. Alarums: Excursions. Enter King HENRY, Queen MARGARET, and others, retreating.

Q.Mar.Away, my lord! you are slow; for shame,away! K.Hen. Can we outrun the heavens? good Margaret, stay.

Q.Mar. What are you made of? you'll not fight nor fly: Now is it manhood, wisdom, and defence,

[6] Advised is cautious, considerate. STEEV. [7] When Medea fled with Jason from Colchos, she murdered her brother Absyrtus, and cut his body into several pieces, that her father might be prevented for some time from pursuing her. See Ovid, Trist. Lib. III. El. 9. MAL.

[8] The death of Somerset here accomplishes that equivocal prediction given by Jourdan the witch, concerning this duke:

"Let him shun Castles :

Safer shall he be upon the sandy plains,
Than where Castles, mounted, stand."

i. e. the representation of a castle, mounted for a sign:

THEOBALD

To give the enemy way; and to secure us
By what we can, which can no more but fly.

[Alarum afar off If you be ta'en, we then should see the bottom Of all our fortunes: but if we haply scape, (As well we may, if not through your neglect,) We shall to London get; where you are lov'd; And where this breach, now in our fortunes made, May readily be stopp'd.

Enter young CLIFFORD.

Y.Clif. But that my heart's on future mischief set,
I would speak blasphemy ere bid you fly;
But fly you must; uncurable discomfit

Reigns in the hearts of all our present parts. 9
Away, for
your relief and we will live
To see their day, and them our fortune give:
Away, my lord, away!

[Exeunt.

SCENE IIT.

Fields near Saint Albans. Alarum: Retreat. Flourish: then enter YORK, RICHARD PLANTAGENET, WARWICK, and Soldiers, with Drum and Colours.

York. Of Salisbury, who can report of him;

That winter lion, who, in rage, forgets

Aged contusions and all brush of time ;*
And, like a gallant in the brow of youth,2
Repairs him with occasion? this happy day
Is not itself, nor have we won one foot,
If Salisbury be lost.

Rich. My noble father,

Three times to-day I holp him to his horse,
Three times bestrid him, thrice I led him off,

Persuaded him from any further act :

But still, where danger was, still there I met him ;
And like rich hangings in a homely house,

So was his will in his old feeble body.

But, noble as he is, look where he comes.

[9] Part and party were synonymously used. STEEV.

[Read, bruise of time. WARB.The brush of time, is the gradual detrition of time. STEEV.

[2] I read, the blow of youth; the blossom, the spring.

JOHNS.

The brow of youth is the height of youth, as the brow of a hill is its sum mit. STEEV.

Sal. Now, by my sword, well hast thou fought to-day; By the mass, so did we all.-I thank you, Richard: God knows, how long it is I have to live ;

And it hath pleas'd him, that three times to-day
You have defended me from imminent death.
Well, lords, we have not got that which we have ;3
'Tis not enough our foes are at this time fled,
Being opposites of such repairing nature. 4
York. I know, our safety is to follow them;
For, as I hear, the king is fled to London,
To call a present court of parliament.
Let us pursue him, ere the writs go forth :-
What says lord Warwick ? shall we after them?
War. After them! nay, before them, if we can.
Now by my faith, lords, 'twas a glorious day:
Saint Alban's battle, won by famous York,
Shall be eterniz'd in all age to come.—

Sound, drums and trumpets ;-and to London all :
And more such days as these to us befall!

[Exeunt.

[3] i. e. we have not secured, we are not sure of retaining, that which we have acquired. MAL.

[4] Being enemies that are likely so soon to rally and recover themselves from this defeat. MAL.