Percy. Because your lordship was proclaimed traitor. But he, my lord, is gone to Ravenspurg, To offer service to the duke of Hereford ; And sent me o'er by Berkley, to discover What power the duke of York had levy'd there ; Then with directions to repair to Ravenspurg.

North. Have you forgot the duke of Hereford, boy?

Percy. No, my good lords for that is not forgot, Which ne'er I did remember :'to my knowledge, I never in my life did look on him. North. Then learn to know him now; this is the

duke. Percy. My gracious lord, I tender you my service, Such as it is, being tender, , raw, and young; Which elder days Thall ripen, and confirm To more approved service and desert.

Boling. I thank thee, gentle Percy : and be sure, I count myself in nothing else so happy, As in a soul remembring my good friends ; And as my fortune ripens with thy love, It shall be still thy true love's recompence: My heart this covenant makes, my hand thus seals it.

North. How far is it to Berkley? And what ftir Keeps good old York there, with his men of war?

Percy. There stands a castle by yon tuft of trees, Mann'd with three hundred men, as I have heard : And in it are the lords of York, Berkley, and Sey

mour; None else of name and noble estimate.

Enter Ross and Willoughby.
North. Here come the lords of Ross and Willoughby,
Bloody with spurring, fiery-red with haste.
Boling. Welcome, my lords: I wot, your love pur-

fues
A banish'd traitor ; all my treasury
Is yet but unfelt thanks, which, more enrich’d,
Shall be your love and labour's recompence.

Ross. Ross. Your presence makes us rich, most noble lord. Willo. And far furmounts our labour to attain it. Boling. Evermore, thanks, the exchequer of the

poor, Which, till my infant fortune comes to years, Stands for my bounty. But who comes here?

Enter Berkley. Norih. It is my lord of Berkley, as I guess. Berk. My lord of Hereford, my message is to you.

Boling. My lord, my answer is to Lancaster;
And I am come to seek that name in England:
And I must find that title in your tongue,
Before I make reply to aught you say.
Berk. Mistake me not, my lord ; 'tis not my mean-

ing
To raze one title of your honour out :-
To you, my lord, I come (what lord you will)
From the most glorious of this land,
The duke of York; to know, what pricks you on
To take advantage of the absent time 2,
And fright our native peace with felf-born arms.

Enter York, attended.
Boling. I shall not need transport my words by you.
Here comes his grace in person. My noble uncle !

[Kneels. York. Shew me thy humble heart, and not thy knee, Whose duty is deceivable and falfe.

Boling. My gracious uncle !

York. Tut, tut !
Grace me no grace, nor uncle me no uncle:-
I am no traitor's uncle; and that word grace,
In an ungracious mouth, is but propliane.

? – the absent time,] For unprepared. Not an inelegant fynecdoche. WARBURTON. He means nothing more than, time of tbe king's alforce.

JOHNSON,

Why

Why have those banish'd and forbidden legs
Dar'd once to touch a dust of England's ground?
But more than why; why, have they dar'd to march
So many miles upon her peaceful bosom,
Frighting her pale-fac'd villages with war,
3 And oftentation of despised arms ?
Com'ít thou because the anointed king is hence ?
Why, foolish boy, the king is left behind,
And in my loyal bofom lies his

power.
Were I but now the lord of such hot youth,
As when brave Gaunt, thy father, and myself
Rescu'd the Black Prince, that young Mars of men,
From forth the ranks of many thousand French;
Oh! then, how quickly should this arm of mine,
Now prisoner to the palsy, chastize thee,
And minister correction to thy fault.

Boling. My gracious uncle, let me know my fault; 4 On what condition stands it, and wherein ?

York. Even in condition of the worst degree,
In gross rebellion, and detested treason.
Thou art a banilh'd man, and here art come,
Before the expiration of thy time,
In braving arms against thy sovereign.

Boling. As I was banish’d, I was banish'd Hereford;
But as I come, I come for Lancaster.

3 And oftentation of DESPISED arms ??] But sure the oitentation of despised arms would not fright any one.

We should read, --DISPOSED arms, i. e. forces in battle array.

WARBURTON. This alteration is harsh. Sir T. Hanmer reads despightful. Mr. Upton gives this paffage as a proof that our author uses the passive participle in an active sense. The copies all agree. Perhaps the old duke means to treat him with contempt as well as with severity, and to infinuate that he defpifes his power, as being able to master it. In this sense all is right. JOHNSON. So in this play,

We'll make foul weather with despised tears. STEEVENS, * Op what condition-] It Mould be, in what condition, i. e. in what degree of guilt. The particles in the old editions are of little credit. JOHNSON.

And,

And, noble uncle, I beseech your grace,
Look on my wrongs with an indifferent eye.
You are my father, for, methinks, in you
I fee old Gaunt alive: 0 then, my father!
Will

you permit, that I shall stand condemn'd
A wand'ring vagabond; my rights and royalties
Pluck'd from my arms perforce, and given away
To upstart unthrifts ? 5 Wherefore was I born ?
If that my cousin king be king of England,
It must be granted I am duke of Lancaster.
You have a son, Aumerle, my noble kinsinan;
Had you first dy'd, and he been thus trod down,
He should have found his uncle Gaunt a father,
To rouse his wrongs, and chase them to the bay.
I am deny'd to fue my livery here,
And yet my letters patents give me leave:
My father's goods are all distrain’d, and fold,
And these, and all, are all amiss employ'd.
What would you have me do?

have me do? I am a subject,
And challenge law : attornies are deny’d me;
And therefore personally I lay my claim
Το

my inheritance of free descent. North. The noble duke hath been too much abus'd. Ross

. It stands your grace upon, to do him right. Willo

. Bafe men by his endowments are made great. York. My lords of England, let me tell you this I have had feeling of my cousin's wrongs, And labour'd all I could to do him right. But

, in this kind to come, in braving arms, Be his own carver, and cut out his way, To find out right with wrongs, it may not be ;

, And you, that do abet him in this kind, Cherish rebellion, and are rebels all.

North. The noble duke hath sworn, his coming is But for his own : and, for the right of that,

$

Wherefore was I born?] To what purpose serves birth and lineal succession ? lam dule of Lancaster by the fame right of birth as the king is king of England. Johnso

L

We

SON.

Vol. V.

with us

We all have strongly sworn to give him aid ;
And let him ne'er fee joy that breaks that oath.

York. Well, well, I see the issue of these arms;
I cannot mend it, I must needs confess,
Because my power is weak, and all ill left:
But if I could, by him that gave me life,
I would attach you all, and make you stoop
Unto the sovereign mercy of the king :
But since I cannot, be it known to you,
I do remain as neuter. So fare you well
Unless you please to enter in the castle,
And there repofe you for this night.

Boling. An offer, uncle, that we will accept.
But we must win your grace to go
To Bristol-castle ; which, they say, is held
By Bushy, Bagot, and their complices,
The caterpillars of the common-wealth,
Which I have sworn to weed, and pluck away.
York. It may be, I will with

you. But yet I'll paule, For I am loath to break our country's laws. Nor friends nor foes, to me welcome you are : Things past redress are now with me past care.

(Exeunt. OS CENE IV.

In Wales. Enter Salisbury and a captain. Cap. My lord of Salisbury, we have staid ten days, And hardly kept our countrymen together,

And