*K. Hen. Peace to his soul, if God's good pleasure be! • Lord cardinal, if thou think'st on heaven's bliss, Hold up thy hand, make signal of thy hope.'He dies, and makes no sign. O, God, forgive him! 'War. So bad a death argues a monstrous life. 'K. Hen. Forbear to judge, for we are sinners all. • Close up his eyes, and draw the curtain close; And let us all to meditation. [Exeunt. ACT IV. SCENE I. Kent. The Sea-shore near Dover.1 Firing heard at sea. Then enter, from a boat, a Captain, a Master, a Master's Mate, WALTER WHITMORE, and others; with them SUFFOLK, and other Gentlemen, prisoners. *Cap. The gaudy, blabbing, and remorseful day *Is crept into the bosom of the sea; *And now loud-howling wolves arouse the jades *That drag the tragic, melancholy night, *Who with their drowsy, slow, and flagging wings * Clip dead men's graves, and from their misty jaws * Breathe foul, contagious darkness in the air. Therefore, bring forth the soldiers of our prize; *For, whilst our pinnace anchors in the Downs, *Here shall they make their ransom on the sand, *Or with their blood stain this discolored shore.Master, this prisoner freely give I thee; 1 There is a curious circumstantial account of the event on which this scene is founded in the Paston Letters, published by sir John Fenn, vol. i. p. 38, Letter x. The scene is founded on the narration of Hall, which is copied by Holinshed. And thou that art his mate, make boot of this;— The other, [Pointing to SUFFOLK.] Walter Whitmore, is thy share. * 1 Gent. What is my ransom, master? Let me know. Mast. A thousand crowns, or else lay down your head. Mate. And so much shall you give, or off goes yours. Cap. What, think you much to pay two thousand crowns, * And bear the name and port of gentlemen? *Cut both the villains' throats;-for die you shall. *The lives of those which we have lost in fight *Cannot be counterpoised with such a petty sum. *1 Gent. I'll give it, sir; and therefore spare my life. *2 Gent. And so will I, and write home for it straight. Whit. I lost mine eye in laying the prize aboard, And therefore, to revenge it, shalt thou die ; [TO SUFF. And so should these, if I might have my will. * 6 Cap. Be not so rash; take ransom; let him live. Suff. Look on my George; I am a gentleman; Rate me at what thou wilt, thou shalt be paid. Whit. And so am I; my name is Walter Whitmore. How now? Why start'st thou? What, doth death affright? Suff. Thy name affrights me, in whose sound is death. 'A cunning man did calculate my birth, And told me that by Water I should die. 1 The word cannot, which is necessary to complete the sense of the passage, is not in the old copy: it was supplied by Malone. 2 Suffolk had heard his name before without being startled by it. In the old play, as soon as ever the captain has consigned him to "Walter Whickmore," he immediately exclaims, "Walter!" Whickmore asks him why he fears him; and Suffolk replies, "It is thy name affrights me." The Poet here, as in other instances, has fallen into an impropriety by sometimes following and sometimes deserting his original. 'Yet let not this make thee be bloody-minded; Thy name is-Gaultier, being rightly sounded. 'Whit. Gaultier, or Walter, which it is, I care not; 'Ne'er yet did base dishonor blur our name, 'But with our sword we wiped away the blot; 'Therefore, when merchant-like I sell revenge, 'Broke be my sword, my arms torn and defaced, And I proclaimed a coward through the world! [Lays hold on SUFFOLK. Suff. Stay, Whitmore; for thy prisoner is a prince, The duke of Suffolk, William de la Poole. 6 Whit. The duke of Suffolk, muffled up in rags! Suff. Ay, but these rags are no part of the duke; Jove sometime went disguised, and why not I? Cap. But Jove was never slain, as thou shalt be. Suff. Obscure and lowly swain, king Henry's blood, 6 The honorable blood of Lancaster, • Must not be shed by such a jaded groom.1 And thought thee happy when I shook my head? Fed from my trencher, kneeled down at the board, When I have feasted with queen Margaret! *Remember it, and let it make thee crest-fallen; *Ay, and allay this thy abortive pride. * How in our voiding lobby hast thou stood, * And duly waited for my coming forth! • This hand of mine hath writ in thy behalf, * Whit. Speak, captain, shall I stab the forlorn swain? *Cap. First let my words stab him, as he hath me. *Suff. Base slave! thy words are blunt, and so art thou. 1 A jaded groom is a low fellow. Suffolk's boast of his own blood was hardly warranted by his origin. His great grandfather had been a merchant at Hull. Cap. Convey him hence, and on our longboat's side Cap. Thou dar'st not for thy own. Poole ? Poole? sir Poole? Lord! Ay, kennel, puddle, sink; whose filth and dirt Thy lips, that kissed the queen, shall sweep the ground; And thou, that smil'dst at good duke Humphrey's death, Against the senseless winds shall grin in vain, * Unto the daughter of a worthless king, * With goblets of thy mother's bleeding heart. * And now the house of York-thrust from the crown, * By shameful murder of a guiltless king, * And lofty, proud, encroaching tyranny * Burns with revenging fire; whose hopeful colors 1 To betroth in marriage. This enumeration of Suffolk's crimes seems to have been suggested by the Mirror for Magistrates. 2 Edward III. bore for his device the rays of the sun dispersing themselves out of a cloud.-Camden's Remaines. *The commons here in Kent are up in arms; * And all by thee.-Away! convey him hence. *Suff. O that I were a god, to shoot forth thunder *Upon these paltry, servile, abject drudges! * Small things make base men proud; this villain here, Being captain of a pinnace,' threatens more Than Bargulus the strong Illyrian pirate.2 'Drones suck not eagles' blood, but rob beehives. It is impossible, that I should die By such a lowly vassal as thyself. Thy words move rage, and not remorse, in me:3 'I go of message from the queen to France; 'I charge thee, waft me safely cross the channel. Cap. Walter, 6 'Whit. Come, Suffolk, I must waft thee to thy death. *Suff. Gelidus timor occupat artus ;*-'tis thee I fear. 'Whit. Thou shalt have cause to fear, before I leave thee. What, are ye daunted now? now will ye stoop? 6 1 Gent. My gracious lord, entreat him, speak him fair. Suff. Suffolk's imperial tongue is stern and rough, Used to command, untaught to plead for favor. Far be it we should honor such as these 1 A pinnace then signified a ship of small burden, built for speed. 2 "Bargulus, Illyrius Latro, de quo est apud Theopompum, magnas opes habuit."-Cicero de Officiis, lib. ii. c. 11. Shakspeare, as Dr. Farmer has shown, might have met with this pirate in some of the translations of his time: he points out two in which he is mentioned. In the old play it is, "Abradas the great Macedonian pirate." 3 This line in the original play is properly given to the captain. 4 The source from whence this line has been extracted has not yet been discovered. The following lines are the nearest which have been found in the classic poets: "Subitus tremor occupat artus." Virg. Æn. v. 446. "Ille quidem gelidos radiorum viribus artus." Ovid. Metam. iv. 247. |