That even our corn shall seem as light as chaff,
And good from bad find no partition.

Arch. No, no, my lord; Note this, -the king is

weary

Of dainty and such picking grievances:2

For he hath found, to end one doubt by death,
Revives two greater in the heirs of life.

And therefore will he wipe his tables clean;3
And keep no tell-tale to his memory,
That may repeat and history his loss

To new remembrance: For full well he knows,
He cannot so precisely weed this land,
As his misdoubts present occasion:
His foes are so enrooted with his friends,
That, plucking to unfix an enemy,
He doth unfasten so, and shake a friend.
So that this land, like an offensive wife,
That hath enrag'd him on to offer strokes;
As he is striking, holds his infant up,
And hangs resolv'd correction in the arm
That was uprear'd to execution.

Hast. Besides, the king hath wasted all his rods
On late offenders, that he now doth lack
The very instruments of chastisement:
So that his power, like to a fangless lion,
May offer, but not hold.

Arch.

"Tis very true:

And therefore be assur'd, my good lord marshal,
If we do now make our atonement well,

Our

peace will, like a broken limb united, Grow stronger for the breaking.

Morb.

Be it so.

Here is return'd my lord of Westmoreland.

•

3

-picking grievances:] Picking means piddling, insignificant. wipe his tables clean;] Alluding to a table-book of slate, ivory, &c.

Re-enter WESTMORELAND.

West. The prince is here at hand: Pleaseth your lordship,

To meet his grace just distance 'tween our armies? Mowb. Your grace of York, in God's name then set forward.

Arch. Before, and greet his grace: - my lord, we [Exeunt.

come.

९

SCENE II.

Another Part of the Forest.

Enter, from one side, MOWBRAY, the Archbishop, HASTINGS, and Others: from the other side, Prince JOHN of LANCASTER, WESTMORELAND, Officers and Attendants. P. John. You are well encounter'd here, my cousin Mowbray :

Good day to you, gentle lord archbishop:
And so to you, lord Hastings, and to all. -
My lord of York, it better show'd with you,
When that your flock, assembled by the bell,
Encircled you, to hear with reverence
Your exposition on the holy text;

Than now to see you here an iron man,a
Cheering a rout of rebels with

your drum,
Turning the word to sword, and life to death.
That man, that sits within a monarch's heart,
And ripens in the sunshine of his favour,
Would he abuse the countenance of the king,
Alack, what mischiefs might he set abroach,
In shadow of such greatness! With you, lord bishop,
Who hath not heard it spoken,

It is even so:

an iron man,] i. e. clad in armour.

How deep you were within the books of God?
To us, the speaker in his parliament;
To us, the imagin'd voice of God himself;
The very opener, and intelligencer,

Between the grace, the sanctities of heaven,
And our dull workings: O, who shall believe,
But
you misuse the reverence of your place;
Employ the countenance and grace of heaven,
As a false favourite doth his prince's name,
In deeds dishonourable? You have taken up,"
Under the counterfeited zeal of God,
The subjects of his substitute, my father;
And, both against the peace of heaven and him,
Have here up-swarm'd them.

Arch.

Good my lord of Lancaster,

I am not here against your father's peace:

But, as I told my lord of Westmoreland,
The time misorder'd doth, in common sense,'
Croud us, and crush us, to this monstrous form,
To hold our safety up. I sent your grace
The parcels and particulars of our grief;

The which hath been with scorn shov'd from the court,

Whereon this Hydra son of war is born:

Whose dangerous eyes may well be charm'd asleep,

With grant of our most just and right desires;
And true obedience of this madness cur'd,
Stoop tamely to the foot of majesty.

Mowb. If not, we ready are to try our fortunes
To the last man.

Hast.

And though we here fall down,

We have supplies to second our attempt;

If they miscarry, theirs shall second them:

5

workings:] i. e. labours of thought.

6 You have taken up,] To take up is to levy, to raise in arms.

7

in common sense,] Common sense is the general sense of general danger. JOHNSON.

Whose dangerous eyes may well be charm'd asleep,] Alluding to the dragon charmed to rest by the spells of Medea.

And so, success of mischief? shall be born;
And heir from heir shall hold this quarrel up,
Whiles England shall have generation.

P. John. You are too shallow, Hastings, much too shallow,

To sound the bottom of the after-times.

West. Pleaseth your grace, to answer them directly,
How far-forth you do like their articles?

P. John. I like them all, and do allow them well:
And swear here by the honour of my blood,
My father's purposes have been mistook;
And some about him have too lavishly
Wrested his meaning and authority. —

My lord, these griefs shall be with speed redress'd;
Upon my soul, they shall. If this may please you,
Discharge your powers unto their several counties,
As we will ours: and here, between the armies,
Let's drink together friendly, and embrace;
That all their eyes may bear those tokens home,
Of our restored love, and amity.

Arch. I take your princely word for these redresses.
P. John. I give it you, and will maintain my word:
And thereupon I drink unto your grace.

Hast. Go, captain, [to an Officer,] and deliver to the

army

This news of peace; let them have pay, and part:
I know, it will well please them; hie thee, captain.
[Exit Officer.
Arch. To you, my noble lord of Westmoreland.
West. I pledge your grace: And, if you knew what

pains

I have bestow'd, to breed this present peace,
You would drink freely: but my love to you
Shall show itself more openly hereafter.

Arch. I do not doubt you.

And so, success of mischief-] Success for succession.
and do allow -] i. e. approve.

I am glad of it:

Health to my lord, and gentle cousin, Mowbray.
Mowb. You wish me health in very happy season;
For I am, on the sudden, something ill.

Arch. Against ill chances, men are ever merry;2
But heaviness foreruns the good event.

West. Therefore be merry, coz; since sudden sorrow Serves to say thus, Some good thing comes-to

morrow.

Arch. Believe me, I am passing light in spirit.

Morb. So much the worse, if your own rule be true. [Shouts within. P. John. The word of peace is render'd; Hark, how

they shout!

Mowb. This had been cheerful, after victory.

Arch. A peace is of the nature of a conquest; For then both parties nobly are subdued,

And neither party loser.

P. John.

Go, my lord,

And let our army be discharged too. —

[Exit WESTMOreland.

And, good my lord, so please you, let our trains3

March by us; that we may peruse
We should have cop'd withal.

Arch.

the men

Go, good lord Hastings,

[Exit HASTINGS.

And, ere they be dismiss'd, let them march by.

P. John. I trust, my lords, we shall lie to-night to

Re-enter WESTMORELAND.

Now, cousin, wherefore stands our army

2

still?

Against ill chances men are ever merry ;] Thus the poet describes Romeo as feeling an unaccustomed degree of cheerfulness just before he hears the news of the death of Juliet.

3

let our trains, &c.] That is, our army on each part, that we may both see those that were to have opposed us.