5

Tal. Ha, ha, ha.

Count. Laughest thou, wretch? thy mirth shall

turn to moan.

Tal. I laugh to fee your ladyfhip fo fond,
To think, that you have ought but Talbot's thadow
Whereon to practife your feverity.

Coun. Why? art not thou the man?
Tal. I am, indeed.

Count. Then have I fubftance too.

Tal. No, no, I am but fhadow of myself:
You are deceiv'd, my substance is not here;
For what you fee, is but the smallest part
And leaft proportion of humanity:

I tell you, Madam, were the whole frame here,
It is of fuch a fpacious lofty pitch,

Your roof were not fufficient to contain it.

Count. This is a riddling merchant for the nonce; He will be here, and yet he is not here: How can these contrarieties agree?

Tal. That will I fhew you prefently.

Winds his horn; drums firike up; a peal of Ordnance.
Enter Soldiers.

How fay you, Madam? are you now perfuaded,
That Talbot is but fhadow of himself?

These are his fubftance, finews, arms and firength,
With which he yoaketh your rebellious necks;
Razeth your cities, and fubverts your towns;
And in a moment makes them defolate.

Count. Victorious Talbot, pardon my abufe;
I find, thou art no lefs than fame hath bruited,
And more than may be gather'd by thy fhape.
Let my prefumption not provoke thy wrath;
For, I am forry, that with reverence

I did not entertain thee as thou art.

Tat. Be not difmay'd, fair lady; nor mifconftrue The mind of Talbot, as you did miflake

The outward compolition of his body.

What

What you have done, hath not offended me:
Nor other fatisfaction do I crave,

But only with your patience that we may
Tafte of your wine, and fee what cates you have;
For foldiers' ftomachs always ferve them well.

Count. With all my heart, and think me honoured To feaft fo great a warrior in my house. [Exeunt.

Changes to London, in the Temple garden. Enter Richard Plantagenet, Warwick, Somerset, Suffolk, and others.

Plan.

REAT lords and gentlemen, what means this filence?

GRE

Dare no man answer in a case of truth?

Suf. Within the Temple-hall we were too loud, The garden here is more convenient.

Plan. Then say at once, if I maintain'd the truth: Or else was wrangling Somerset in th' error?

Suf. Faith, I have been a truant in the law; I never yet could frame my will to it,

And therefore frame the law unto my will.

Som. Judge you, my lord of Warwick, then be

tween us.

War. Between two hawks, which flies the higher

pitch,

Between two dogs, which hath the deeper mouth,
Between two blades, which bears the better temper,
Between two horses, which doth bear him beft,
Between two girls, which hath the merrieft eye ;
I have, perhaps, fome fhallow fpirit of judgment:
But in these nice fharp quillets of the law,,
Good faith, I am no wiler than a daw.

Plan. Tut, tut, here is a mannerly forbearance.
The truth appears fo naked on my fide,
That any pur-blind eye may find it out.

Som.

Som. And on my fide it is fo well apparell'd, So clear, fo fhining, and fo evident,

That it will glimmer through a blind man's eye.
Plan. Since you are tongue-ty'd, and foloth to speak
In dumb fignificants proclaim your thoughts:
Let him, that is a true-born gentleman,
And ftands upon the honour of his birth,
If he suppose that I have pleaded truth,
From off this briar pluck a white rose with me.
Som. Let him that is no coward, and no flatterer,
But dare maintain the party of the truth,

1 Pluck a red rofe from off this thorn with me.

War. I love no colours; and without all colour Of base infinuating flattery,

I pluck this white rose with Plantagenet.

Suf. I pluck this red rofe with young Somerset, And fay withal, I think, he held the right.

Ver. Stay, lords and gentlemen, and pluck no more, 'Till you conclude, that he, upon whose fide The feweft roses are crop'd from the tree, Shall yield the other in the right opinion. Som. Good mafter Vernon, it is well objected; If I have feweft, I subscribe in filence.

Plan. And I.

Ver. Then for the truth and plainnefs of the cafe, I pluck this pale and maiden bloffom here, Giving my verdict on the white rofe fide.

Som. Prick not your finger as you pluck it off,
Left, bleeding, you do paint the white rofe red;
And fall on my fide fo against your will.

Ver. If I, my lord, for my opinion bleed,
Opinion fhall be furgeon to my hurt;
And keep me on the fide, where ftill I am.
Som. Well, well, come on; who elfe?

wyer. Unless my ftudy and my books be falfe, The argument, you held, was wrong in you;

[To Somerset.

In fign whereof I pluck a white rose too.
VOL. V.

Plan.

Plan. Now, Somerfet, where is your argument? Som. Here in my fcabbard, meditating that Shall die your white rose to a bloody red.

Plan. Mean time, your cheeks do counterfeit our
Rofes;

For pale they look with fear, as witnessing
The truth on our fide.

Som. No, Plantagenet,

'Tis not for fear, but anger, that thy cheeks
Blush for pure shame to counterfeit our Rofes;
And yet thy tongue will not confefs thy error.
Plan. Hath not thy Rofe a canker, Somerfet?
Som. Hath not thy Rofe a thorn, Plantagenet?
Plan. Ay, fharp and piercing to maintain his truth;
Whiles thy confuming canker eats his falfhood.
Som. Well, I'll find friends to wear my bleedingRofes,
That fhall maintain what I have faid is true,
Where falfe Plantagenet dare not be seen.

Plan. Now by this maiden blossom in my hand, * I fcorn thee and thy Fashion, peevish boy.

Suf. Turn not thy fcorns this way, Plantagenet. Plan. Proud Pool, I will; and scorn both him and thee.

Suf. I'll turn my part thereof into thy throat.
Som. Away, away, good William de la Pool!
We grace the Yeoman by converfing with him.
War. Now, by God's will, thou wrong'ft him,
Somerset.

His grandfather was Lyonel Duke of Clarence,
Third fon to the third Edward King of England:
Spring creftlefs Yeoman from fo deep a root?

*Ifcorn thee and thy Fashion,] So the old Copies read, and rightly. Mr. Theobald altered it to Faction, not confidering that by Fashion is meant the Badge of the Red-rofe, which Somerset said he and his Friends should be distinguish'd by. But Mr. Theobald as, If Faction was not the true reading, why fhould Suffolk immediately reply, Turn not thy Scorns this way, Plantagenet? Why? because Plantagenet had called Somerset, with whom Suffolk fided, peevish Boy.

Plan.

my

words

Plan. He bears him on the place's privilege,
Or durft not for his craven heart fay thus.
Som. By him that made me. I'll maintain
On any plot of ground in Chriftendom.
Was not thy father, Richard, Earl of Cambridge,
For treafon headed in our late King's days?
And by his treason stand'st not thou attainted,
Corrupted and exempt from ancient gentry?
His trefpafs yet lives guilty in thy blood;
And, till thou be reftor'd, thou art a yeoman.

Plan. My father was attached, not attainted;
Condemn'd to die for treafon, but no traitor;
And that I'll prove on better men than Somerset,
Were growing time once ripen'd to my will.
For your partaker Pool, and you yourself,
I'll note you
book of memory,
To fcourge you* for this apprehenfion;
Look to it well, and fay, you are well warn'd.

in my

Som. Ah, thou fhalt find us ready for thee ftill, And know us by thefe colours for thy foes: For these my friends, in spight of thee, fhall wear. Plan. And by my foul, this pale and angry rose, As cognizance of my blood-drinking hate, Will I for ever and my faction wear; Until it wither with me to my grave, Or flourish to the height of my degree.

Suf..Go forward, and be choak'd with thy ambition: And fo farewel, until I meet thee next.

[Exit. Som. Have with thee, Pool: farewel, ambitious

Richard.

[Exit. Plan. How I am brav'd, and muft perforce endure it!

War. This blot, that they object against your house,

Shall be wip'd out in the next Parliament,
Call'd for the truce of Winchester and Glofter:
And if thou be not then created York,
I will not live to be accounted Warwick.
Mean time, in fignal of my love to thee,

* for this apprehenfion ;] Apprehenfion, i. c. Opinion.

Q2

Against