That your attempts may overlive the hazard, And fearful meeting of their opposite. Mowb. Thus do the hopes we have in him touch ground, And dash themselves to pieces. Hast. Enter a Messenger. Now, what news? Mess. West of this forest, scarcely off a mile, In goodly form, comes on the enemy; And, by the ground they hide, I judge their number Upon, or near, the rate of thirty thousand. Mowb. The just proportion that we gave them out. Let us sway1 on, and face them in the field. Enter WESTMORELAND. Arch. What well-appointed leader fronts us here? Mowb. I think it is my lord of Westmoreland. West. Health and fair greeting from our general, The prince lord John and duke of Lancaster. Arch. Say on, my lord of Westmoreland, in peace; What doth concern your coming? West. Then, my lord, Unto your grace do I in chief address The substance of my speech. If that rebellion 1 To sway was sometimes used for a rushing, hasty movement. 2 Baret distinguishes between bloody, full of blood, sanguineous, and bloody, desirous of blood, sanguinarius. In this speech Shakspeare uses the word in both senses. 3 Guarded is a metaphor taken from dress; to guard being to ornament with guards or facings. Of base and bloody insurrection With your fair honors. You, lord archbishop,- Whose beard the silver hand of peace hath touched; 2 Arch. Wherefore do I this?-so the question stands. Briefly to this end.-We are all diseased; And purge the obstructions, which begin to stop I have in equal balance justly weighed What wrongs our arms may do, what wrongs we suffer, 1 Formerly all bishops wore white, even when they travelled."-Hody's History of Convocations, p. 141. This white investment was the episcopal rochet. 2 Warburton very plausibly reads glaives; Steevens proposed greaves. It should be remarked that greaves, or leg-armor, is sometimes spelled graves. 3 The old copies read, "from our most quiet there." Warburton made the alteration. By the rough torrent of occasion; And have the summary of all our griefs, When we are wronged, and would unfold our griefs, 2 Even by those men that most have done us wrong. West. When ever yet was your appeal denied? Arch. My brother general, the commonwealth, I make my quarrel in particular.* West. There is no need of any such redress Or, if there were, it not belongs to you. Mowb. Why not to him, in part; and to us all, That feel the bruises of the days before; And suffer the condition of these times 1 In Holinshed, the archbishop says, "Where he and his companie were in armes, it was for feare of the king, to whom he could have no free accesse, by reason of such a multitude of flatterers as were about him." 26 Examples which every minute instances or supplies;" which even the present minute presses on their notice. 3 This line is omitted in the folio. 4 The second line of this obscure speech is omitted in the folio. Something appears to be wanting to render it intelligible. Johnson proposes to substitute the word quarrel for brother in the first line, and suggests the following paraphrase: "My general cause of discontent is public mismanagement; my particular cause a domestic injury done to my natural brother," who had been beheaded by the king's order. To lay a heavy and unequal hand Upon our honors? West. O, my good lord Mowbray,' it is the time, And not the king, that doth you injuries. 3 O, when the king did throw his warder down, His own life hung upon the staff he threw; Then threw he down himself; and all their lives, That by indictment, and by dint of sword, Have since miscarried under Bolingbroke. West. You speak, lord Mowbray, now you know not what. The earl of Hereford was reputed then Who knows, on whom fortune would then have smiled? 1 The thirty-seven following lines are not in the quarto. 2 i. e. their lances fixed in the rest for the encounter. 3 The perforated part of the helmets, through which they could see to direct their aim (visiere, Fr.). 4 This is a mistake; he was duke of Hereford. He ne'er had borne it out of Coventry; For all the country, in a general voice, Cried hate upon him; and all their prayers, and love, And blessed, and graced indeed, more than the king. To know your griefs; to tell you from his grace, Mowb. But he hath forced us to compel this offer, And it proceeds from policy, not love. West. Mowbray, you overween, to take it so. Upon mine honor, all too confident Mowb. Well, by my will, we shall admit no parley. West. That argues but the shame of your offence. A rotten case abides no handling. Hast. Hath the prince John a full commission, In very ample virtue of his father, To hear, and absolutely to determine Of what conditions we shall stand upon ? West. That is intended in the general's name. I muse, you make so slight a question. Arch. Then take, my lord of Westmoreland, this schedule; For this contains our general grievances.— Each several article herein redressed; All members of our cause, both here and hence, That are insinewed to this action, Acquitted by a true, substantial form, |