path: root/ed2-ead-annotated.txt

                  Written c. 1592
           Earliest Extant Edition: 1594

    DRAMATIS PERSONAE.                                                INTRODUCTION to the PLAY

    King Edward the Second.                                   The focus of Christopher Marlowe's Edward II is more
       Queen Isabella, Wife of King Edward the Second.    on personalities than politics, particularly spotlighting the
       Margaret, Niece to King Edward the Second,         king's obsessive attachment to his various favorites. The
         Daughter of the Earl of Gloucester.              consequences of Edward's irrational and unkingly behavior
       Prince Edward, his Son, afterwards King Edward     are catastrophic for all. The result is a tragedy in the true
          the Third.                                      sense of the word, a play with no heroes, a drama in which
    Earl of Kent, Brother of King Edward the Second.      the king's wounds are self-inflicted, and a story in which
                                                          those whose lives are intertwined with that of the king are
    Gaveston, the King's Favourite.                       left without any honourable options or recourse.

    The King's Party:                                                     OUR PLAY'S SOURCE
    Spenser, the elder.
    Spenser, the younger, his Son.                           The text of the play is adapted from the Mermaid
    Baldock.                                              edition of the plays of Christopher Marlowe, edited by
    The Earl of Arundel.                                  Havelock Ellis, and cited in the footnotes below at #4,
    Beaumont.                                             with some wording and spelling from the original 1594
    Levune, a Frenchman.                                  quarto reinstated.

    The King's Noble Opponents:                                     NOTES ON THE ANNOTATIONS
    The Earl of Warwick.
    The Earl of Pembroke.                                     References in the annotations to various editors refer to
      James, a retainer of Pembroke.                      the notes provided by these scholars for Edward II in their
    The Earl of Lancaster.                                individual collections of Marlowe's work, each volume
    The Earl of Leicester.                                cited fully below. Hutchison's book, however, is a standard
    Lord Berkeley.                                        biography of Edward.
    Mortimer, the elder.                                      Biographical and historical notes appearing in italics are
    Mortimer, the younger, his Nephew.                    adapted from the Dictionary of National Biography, edited
                                                          by Leslie Stephen and Sydney Lee (London: Smith, Elder,
    More of the King's Opponents:                         and Co., 1885-1900), unless otherwise noted.
    Archbishop of Canterbury.                                 The most commonly cited sources are listed in the
    Bishop of Coventry.                                   footnotes immediately below. The complete list of footnotes
    Bishop of Winchester.                                 appears at the end of this play.
    Trussel.                                                  Footnotes in the text correspond as follows:
    Sir John of Hainault.                                     1. Oxford English Dictionary (OED) online.
    Rice ap Howell.                                           2. Crystal, David and Ben. Shakespeare's Words.
                                                          London; New York: Penguin, 2002.
    The King's Jailers:                                       3. Ribner, Irving. The Complete Plays of Christopher
    Gurney.                                               Marlowe. New York: The Odyssey Press, 1963.
    Matrevis.                                                 4. Ellis, Havelock, ed. The Best Plays of the Old
    Lightborn.                                            Dramatists: Christopher Marlowe. London: Viztelly &
                                                          Co., 1887.
    Abbot, Monks, Herald, Lords, Three Poor Men, Mower,       5. Hutchison, Harold F. Edward II. New York: Stein and
    Champion, Messengers, Soldiers, and Attendants.       Day, 1971.
    Ladies.                                                   6. Briggs, William D. Marlowe's Edward II. London:

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         David Nutt, 1914.
            7. Tancock, Osborne William. Marlowe - Edward the
         Second. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1887.
            8. Dyce, Alexander. The Works of Christopher Marlowe.
         London: George Routledge and Sons, 1876.
            9. Schelling, Felix E. Christopher Marlowe. New York:
         American Book Company, 1912.
            10. Cunningham, Lt. Col. Francis. The Works of Chris-
         topher Marlowe. London: Chatto and Windus, 1879.
            11. Verity, A.W. Edward the Second. London: J.M. Dent
         and Co., 1896.
            14. Bevington, David, and Rasmussen, Eric. Doctor
         Faustus and Other Plays. Oxford: Oxford University
         Press, 1995.
            Historical and biographical notes which are not strictly
         necessary to understand the play, but provide background
         of possible interest, are supplied in italics.




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                            A. Our Story So Far.
        On 25 April 1284, at the castle of Carnarvon in Wales, a son was
    born to the English king, Edward I. According to an apocryphal story,
    the old king proclaimed that his son, also named Edward, was destined
    to be the sovereign of the Welsh.
        It was not until young Edward's older brother Alfonso died in
    August of 1284 that Edward became heir to the throne. During his
    childhood, Edward was presented with a foster brother, a child named
    Pierce (alternately Piers or Peter) Gaveston, the son of a Flemish
    knight who had fought with the king against the Scots. Gaveston
    became Edward's nearest friend and confidant, a relationship which
    eventually blossomed into an uncomfortably close love.
        Edward was trained to be a warrior, but he seems to have preferred
    such rustic pursuits as blacksmithing, raising horses, digging trenches
    and thatching houses. When they were older, Edward and Pierce joined
    the aging king in his later battles with the Scottish, acceptably
    acquitting themselves.
        In 1305, an immature Edward "invaded" the forests owned by the
    Treasurer and Bishop of Coventry, Walter Langton. When Langton
    criticized the prince for his trespass, Edward responded with insults;
    King Edward sided with his Treasurer, and banished his son from the
    court for six months. Young Edward never forgave the prelate;
    Edward's resentment would come back to haunt Langley when the old
    king died, as we will see in Act I of our play.
        The other important event of the junior Edward's life occurred in
    early 1307, when it was reported that he asked his father to give the
    lands of Ponthieu in France as a gift to Gaveston; the old king, enraged,
    and perhaps also worried about the too-near relationship between
    Gaveston and his son, banished his son's best friend from England on
    February 26.
        Just five months later, King Edward died, and young Edward
    ascended the throne. His first order of business was to recall his
    companion Gaveston.

                       B. Basic Timeline of the Play.
       Edward II can be basically divided into two halves:

       Part One: Act I.i - Act III.i; the Gaveston years (1307-1312).
       Transitional Scene: Act III.ii; the scene ties together Gaveston's
    removal in 1312 to Edward's military challenge to Lancaster at
    Boroughbridge in 1322.
       Part Two: Act III.iii - Act V.v; the final years of Edward's reign
    (1322-1327).
       Coda: Act V.vi, the final scene of the play; the end of the Mortimer
    era (1330).




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            C. Scene Breaks, Settings, and Stage Directions.
       Edward II was originally published in 1594; later editions, which
    included modest revisions, followed in 1598, 1612 and 1622. As usual,
    we lean towards adhering to the wording of the earliest quarto as much
    as possible. Words or syllables which have been added to the text to
    clarify the sense or repair the meter are identified by being surrounded
    by hard brackets [ ]; as such, they may be omitted by a director who
    wishes to remain truer to the original text.
        The quartos do not divide Edward II into numbered scenes, nor do
    they provide scene settings or identify asides. We have broken up the
    play into Acts and Scenes as suggested Ellis. We adopt the scene
    settings suggested by Dyce and Ellis, and the asides by Dyce.
        Finally, as is our normal practice, a good number of the quarto's
    stage directions have been modified, and others added, usually without
    comment, to give clarity to the action. Most of these changes are
    adopted from Dyce.

                         D. Annotations in Italics.
       Those annotations which appear in italics serve two distinct
    functions: they provide either:
       (1) biographical background on the characters, or
       (2) historical context for the events of the play,
           allowing the reader:
           (a) to see when in real time the events depicted
               in Edward II occurred, and
           (b) to know where Marlowe has deviated from
               historical reality, either by changing the
               timeline of events, or inventing action or
               characters out of thin air.
       The most important thing to note is that it is not necessary to read
    the italicized annotations in order to understand the play.




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            EDWARD the SECOND
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                       Written c. 1592
                Earliest Extant Edition: 1594


                                ACT I.
         SCENE I.
         A Street in London.

               Enter Gaveston, reading a letter that was brought Entering Character: Pierce Gaveston has been a close
                                              him from the king. companion of the new king, Edward II, since Edward was a
                                                                   boy - uncomfortably close, for many. In fact, the last king,
                                                                   Edward's father Edward I, had banished Gaveston from the
                                                                   kingdom in February 1307, perhaps because of the
                                                                   "inordinate love", as one chronicler put it, he had for young
                                                                   Edward.
                                                                      But now, only five months later, old King Edward has
                                                                   died (7 July 1307), and the new king, our Edward II, has
                                                                   wasted no time in recalling his friend Gaveston from exile -
                                                                   on 6 August, to be exact.

    1    Gav. “My father is deceased! Come, Gaveston,              1-2: Gaveston rereads the letter sent to him by his bosom-
    2    And share the kingdom with thy dearest friend.”              friend, the new king Edward.
         Ah! words that make me surfeit with delight!              = "fill me".
    4    What greater bliss can hap to Gaveston                    = happen.
         Than live and be the favourite of a king!
    6    Sweet prince, I come; these, these thy amorous lines
         Might have enforced me to have swum from France,          = compelled.
    8    And, like Leander, gasped upon the sand,
         So thou would’st smile, and take me in thine arms.        6-9: Marlowe's intention to have the relationship between
                                                                   Edward and Gaveston be understood as more than platonic is
                                                                   established in the first few lines of the play. Leander was a
                                                                   mythological youth who famously swam every night across
                                                                   the Hellespont (the modern Dardanelles in Turkey) to visit
                                                                   his love, Hero, a priestess of Aphrodite.
                                                                       Gaveston's use of phrases such as amorous and take me
                                                                   in thine arms solidify the point for those who missed the
                                                                   mythological allusion.
    10   The sight of London to my exiled eyes
         Is as Elysium to a new-come soul;                         11: Elysium = the section of Hades reserved for the blessed
                                                                      souls, ie. paradise.
                                                                        new-come = newly-arrived.
    12   Not that I love the city, or the men,
         But that it harbours him I hold so dear −
    14   The king, upon whose bosom let me die,                    = "swoon", but die was also used frequently to refer to
                                                                      sexual climax.
         And with the world be still at enmity.

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    16   What need the artic people love starlight,                  16-17: "why would the people of the Arctic admire the
         To whom the sun shines both by day and night?               stars, when the sun shines there 24 hours a day?" As
                                                                     Tancock7 notes, the nobles, whom Gaveston hates, are the
                                                                     stars, and Edward is the sun. Note the rhyming couplet of
                                                                     these lines.
                                                                        artic = usual early form of arctic.

    18   Farewell base stooping to the lordly peers!                 = "no longer will I have to servilely bow".
         My knee shall bow to none but to the king.
    20   As for the multitude, that are but sparks,                  20-21: Gaveston compares the masses of common people
         Raked up in embers of their poverty; −                      (multitudes) to mere sparks of a dying or dormant flame, in
                                                                     stark contrast to the sun that is Edward; the lines allude to
                                                                     the practice of keeping a fire alive overnight by raking ashes
                                                                     over the glowing coals.6

    22   Tanti; I'll fawn first on the wind                          22-23: Gaveston would rather defer to the lightest breeze
         That glanceth at my lips, and flieth away.                  than to ever bow again to a member of England's nobility.
                                                                         Tanti = "so much for you", an exclamation of contempt,
                                                                     perhaps accompanied by a rude gesture.23
                                                                         fawn = the quartos print fanne, but the line is short, and
                                                                     if, as Dyce8 notes, something has dropped out, it is
                                                                     impossible to recreate what is missing, so fanne is
                                                                     universally emended to fawn.
                                                                         glanceth at = brushes against.

    24   But how now, what are these?                                = who.

    26                                      Enter three Poor Men. Entering Characters: the Poor Men approach Gaveston
                                                                        to inquire as to whether he might hire them on in any
                                                                        capacity.

    28   Men. Such as desire your worship's service.                 28-34: as often happens in Marlowe's plays, dialogue
                                                                        comprised of speeches of less than a line slips in and
                                                                        out of verse and into prose.
    30   Gav. What canst thou do?
    32   1st P. Man. I can ride.
    34   Gav. But I have no horse[s]. − What art thou?
    36   2nd P. Man. A traveller.
    38   Gav.              Let me see − thou would’st do well
         To wait at my trencher and tell me lies at dinner-time;     39: wait at my trencher = ie. "act as my waiter".
                                                                           trencher = dinner plate.
                                                                           tell me lies = entertain the diners with exaggerated
                                                                        tales of his travels.

    40   And as I like your discoursing, I'll have you. −            40: "and if I like your stories, I'll hire you."
         And what art thou?
    42
         3rd P. Man. A soldier, that hath served against the Scot.   43: Edward's father, Edward I, known as the "Hammer of the
                                                                     Scots", fought numerous campaigns against England's
                                                                     northern neighbors (his enemies included the now-lionized
                                                                     William Wallace and Robert Bruce). Elizabethan drama is
                                                                     filled with ex-soldiers who have been reduced to poverty
                                                                     since they mustered out.
    44
         Gav. Why, there are hospitals for such as you;              = basically poorhouses for disabled soldiers. Gaveston's


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    46   I have no war, and therefore, sir, be gone.                    suggestion is insulting.6,7

    48   3rd P. Man. Farewell, and perish by a soldier's hand,       48-49: the tendency of an ungrateful society to forget about
         That would’st reward them with an hospital!                    those who have fought on its behalf is frequently alluded
                                                                        to in Elizabethan drama.
                                                                           That would'st = "you who would".
    50
         Gav. [Aside] Ay, ay, these words of his move me as much     51-53: like the goose imitating the porcupine's mythological
    52   As if a goose should play the porpentine,                   ability to shoot its quills, the ex-soldier has no capacity to
         And dart her plumes, thinking to pierce my breast.          hurt - or even affect - Gaveston in any way.
                                                                        51-55: the words spoken in the aside allow Gaveston to
                                                                     share his true feelings with the audience; the aside ends with
                                                                     a dash (−) at the end of line 55.
                                                                        porpentine = alternate form of porcupine.
                                                                        dart = shoot.

    54   But yet it is no pain to speak men fair;                    54-55: Gaveston recognizes that his best tactic is to dis-
         I'll flatter these, and make them live in hope. −           semble pleasantly with the poor men; too bad he will not
                                                                     remember this moment when he is dealing with the nobles of
                                                                     England!

    56   You know that I came lately out of France,                  = recently.
         And yet I have not viewed my lord the king.                 = seen.
    58   If I speed well, I'll entertain you all.                    = "am successful". = hire, take into service.

    60   Men. We thank your worship.
    62   Gav. I have some business. Leave me to myself.
    64   Poor Men. We will wait here about the court.
    66                                         [Exeunt Poor Men.] 66: the Poor Men disappear from the play,
    68   Gav. Do. These are not men for me:
         I must have wanton poets, pleasant wits,                    = ie. poets who write about love or sexual desire.1 Note how,
                                                                     in this speech, Gaveston's descriptions of the myriad ways he
                                                                     and the king will while away the hours becomes saturated
                                                                     with sexual imagery.
    70   Musicians, that with touching of a string
         May draw the pliant king which way I please.                = pliable.
    72   Music and poetry is his delight;
         Therefore I'll have Italian masques by night,               73: a masque was a brief play or show, usually with music
                                                                     and dancing, and involving the portrayal of gods and
                                                                     allegorical characters; Gaveston means he will arrange such
                                                                     shows for Edward's entertainment.
                                                                         The masque was thought at the time to have originated in
                                                                     Italy, but they were actually of English conception. 6
                                                                     Masques also were not introduced into English society until
                                                                     the 16th century.1,3
                                                                         Lines 72-73 provide us with another rhyming couplet.
    74   Sweet speeches, comedies, and pleasing shows;
         And in the day, when he shall walk abroad,                  = outside of the palace.
    76   Like sylvan nymphs my pages shall be clad;                  76: Gaveston's young male servants (pages) will be dressed
                                                                        like nymphs of the woods (sylvan nymphs), which
                                                                        were definitely female.

         My men, like satyrs grazing on the lawns,                   77: satyrs = a race of mythical half-men, half-goats, known
                                                                        for their healthy sexual appetites.


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                                                                             grazing = strolling or passing over.22

    78    Shall with their goat-feet dance the antic hay.               = grotesquely-performed country dances.1,2

          Sometime a lovely boy in Dian's shape,                        = dressed or disguised as Diana, the Roman goddess
                                                                           of the hunt and of virginity; until the Restoration, all
                                                                           women's parts on-stage were played by boys.9

    80    With hair that gilds the water as it glides,                  80: note the wordplay of gilds and glides.
          Crownets of pearl about his naked arms,                       = small crowns, but used here to mean "bracelets".
    82    And in his sportful hands an olive-tree,                      = playful or merry.1 = ie. olive branch.
          To hide those parts which men delight to see,                 83: oh dear!
    84    Shall bathe him in a spring; and there hard by,               = himself. = close by, with bawdy pun.

          One like Actæon peeping through the grove,                    85-88: the reference is to the famous mythological story of
    86    Shall by the angry goddess be transformed,                    Actaeon, a young man who accidentally stumbled onto
          And running in the likeness of an hart                        Diana bathing naked in the woods; the virgin goddess
    88    By yelping hounds pulled down, and seem to die −              punished Actaeon by turning him into a stag (hart), and he
                                                                        was torn apart by his own dogs.
          Such things as these best please his majesty.
    90    My lord! here comes the king, and the nobles
          From the parliament. I'll stand aside.                        = Gaveston positions himself so that he can hear the ensuing
                                                                           conversation without being seen; it was an important
                                                                           convention of Elizabethan drama that characters could
                                                                           confidently spy on each other without being discovered.
    92
                                                            [Retires.] = steps back.
    94
               Enter King Edward, Lancaster, the elder Mortimer, Entering Characters: King Edward II is attended by
    96                Young Mortimer, Kent, Warwick, Pembroke some of England's leading nobles; Lancaster, Pembroke
                                                 and Attendants. and Warwick are earls, and together with the Mortimers
    98                                                                  are bitter enemies of Gaveston. The Earl of Kent is Edmund,
                                                                        the half-brother of King Edward.
                                                                           By convention, the Earls are referred to by their titles
                                                                        rather than their given names: e.g., Thomas, Earl of
                                                                        Lancaster, is simply called Lancaster, etc.
                                                                           The reader need not worry about distinguishing between
                                                                        the different nobles, as they all basically act towards and feel
                                                                        the same way about Edward and Gaveston. The only peer
                                                                        who stands out from the crowd is the Younger Mortimer
                                                                        (nephew of the Elder Mortimer), who is somewhat more hot-
                                                                        headed than his companions; Young Mortimer also enjoys
                                                                        an especially close friendship with King Edward's wife
                                                                        Isabel.

                                                                           As a matter of history, neither Kent nor the Mortimers
                                                                        were involved in the Gaveston affair: the Mortimers, as the
                                                                        leading nobles of the marches, or borders, of Wales, were
                                                                        busy these years (1307-1312) ruling all of Wales; Edmund,
                                                                        the Earl of Kent, was too young to take part in politics,
                                                                        having been born in 1301.
          K. Edw. Lancaster!
    100
          Lanc. My lord.
    102
          Gav. [Aside] That Earl of Lancaster do I abhor.               = Thomas, second Earl of Lancaster (1277?-1322), was
    104                                                                 a first cousin of King Edward II, his father being Edmund
                                                                        Crouchback, who was Edward I's brother (see the Family

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                                                                         Tree on our website's Edward II page). As one of the most
                                                                         powerful barons in England, Lancaster, who by all reports
                                                                         was an unpleasant man, particularly resented the upstart
                                                                         Gaveston.
          K. Edw. Will you not grant me this? −
    106                                 [Aside] In spite of them
          I'll have my will; and these two Mortimers,
    108   That cross me thus, shall know I am displeased.                = thwart.

    110   E. Mort. If you love us, my lord, hate Gaveston.
    112   Gav. [Aside] That villain Mortimer! I'll be his death.
    114   Y. Mort. Mine uncle here, this earl, and I myself,             = the Elder Mortimer. = ie. Lancaster or Warwick.14
          Were sworn to your father at his death,                        = ie. had. = a disyllable: SWO-ern. = ie. Edward I.
    116   That he should ne'er return into the realm:                    = ie. Gaveston; none of the characters on the stage is aware
                                                                            that Gaveston has already returned to London - never
                                                                            mind that he is eavesdropping on the discussion!

          And know, my lord, ere I will break my oath,                   = before.
    118   This sword of mine, that should offend your foes,              = ie. "that I should be using against England's enemies".

          Shall sleep within the scabbard at thy need,                   119-121: ie. if Edward recalls Gaveston, then Young
    120   And underneath thy banners march who will,                     Mortimer will refuse to fight on behalf of England in the
          For Mortimer will hang his armour up.                          future. Note how Mortimer, in his rising anger, has switched
                                                                         pronouns in addressing the king, from the proper and
                                                                         respectful you to the familiar and contemptuous thou.
    122
          Gav. [Aside] Mort dieu!                                        123: "God's death", a French oath. With this swear,
                                                                            Gaveston puns on the name of Mortimer.
    124
          K. Edw. Well, Mortimer, I'll make thee rue these words.        = regret.

    126   Beseems it thee to contradict thy king? −                      = "is it seemly for you"; note that it was acceptable, indeed
                                                                            correct, for the sovereign to address his subjects as thou,
                                                                            to signal his superiority in status.

          Frown'st thou thereat, aspiring Lancaster?                     = ambitious.1
    128   The sword shall plane the furrows of thy brows,                = make smooth.
          And hew these knees that now are grown so stiff.               = ie. an ironic comment, referring indignantly to the refusal
    130   I will have Gaveston; and you shall know                          of the nobles to bend their knees to the king.
          What danger 'tis to stand against your king.
    132
          Gav. [Aside] Well done, Ned!                                   = Ned is a nickname for Edward. It derives from the
    134                                                                     ancient use of "mine" for "my": "mine Ed" transmuted
                                                                            into "my Ned", just as "mine Ellie" morphed into "my
                                                                            Nellie".
          Lanc. My lord, why do you thus incense your peers,
    136   That naturally would love and honour you,
          But for that base and óbscure Gaveston?                        = obscure was often stressed on its first syllable, as here.

    138   Four earldoms have I, besides Lancaster −                      138-9: Lancaster inherited the titles of Lancaster,
          Derby, Salisbury, Lincoln, Leicester, −                        Leicester and Derby from his father; he then received
                                                                         Lincoln and Salisbury through his wife Alice, the daughter
                                                                         and heiress of Henry of Lacy.9

    140   These will I sell, to give my soldiers pay,                    140-2: Lancaster overtly threatens rebellion.
          Ere Gaveston shall stay within the realm;                      = before.

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    142   Therefore, if he be come, expel him straight.               = immediately.

    144   Kent. Barons and earls, your pride hath made me mute;       144-5: Edward's half-brother Edmund, the Earl of Kent,
          But now I'll speak, and to the proof, I hope.                  berates the nobles for challenging the king so rudely.
                                                                           mute = speechless.
                                                                           to the proof = to the point, or irrefutably.3,6
    146   I do remember, in my father's days,
          Lord Percy of the North, being highly moved,                = riled, angered.
    148   Braved Moubery in presence of the king;                     = challenged, insulted.
          For which, had not his highness loved him well,
    150   He should have lost his head; but with his look             = ie. would have been executed. = ie. the king's
                                                                      countenance.
          Th' undaunted spirit of Percy was appeased,                 = a monosyllable here: spir't.

    152   And Moubery and he were reconciled:                         146-152: there is no historical basis for this anecdote, though
                                                                      there is a flavour of the quarrel between Bolingbroke and
                                                                      Mowbray (Maubery) during the reign of Richard II, as
                                                                      portrayed in the opening scene of Shakespeare's Richard II.6

          Yet dare you brave the king unto his face. −                = defy.
    154   Brother, revenge it, and let these their heads              = Kent addresses his half-brother the king.

          Preach upon poles, for trespass of their tongues.           155: Preach upon poles = it had long been a tradition in
    156                                                               England to cut off the heads of traitors (after they have been
                                                                      hanged and eviscerated) and place them on poles, which
                                                                      were then displayed on London Bridge.
                                                                         trespass = committing an offense with.
          War. O, our heads!
    158
          K. Edw. Ay, yours; and therefore I would wish you grant −
    160
          War. Bridle thy anger, gentle Mortimer.                     161: perhaps spoken as an aside.
    162
          Y. Mort. I cannot, nor I will not; I must speak. −          = double negatives were perfectly acceptable in the 16th
                                                                         century; the second negative intensifies the negation.

    164   Cousin, our hands I hope shall fence our heads,             164: Cousin = Mortimer addresses the king, to whom he was
                                                                      distantly related; cousin was used loosely as a term of
                                                                      address to any of one's kin.
                                                                         fence = protect.

          And strike off his that makes you threaten us. −            = ie. Gaveston's.
    166   Come, uncle, let us leave the brain-sick king,              = foolish or mad.1
          And henceforth parlè with our naked swords.                 = ie. "do our talking"; the verb here is parle, not parley,
                                                                         though the meanings of the two words are identical.
    168
          E. Mort. Wiltshire hath men enough to save our heads.       = Schelling9 notes that there is no known connection
                                                                         between the Mortimers and the county of Wiltshire.
    170
          War. All Warwickshire will love him for my sake.            = ie. Gaveston; both this line, and Lancaster's first line at
                                                                         173, are spoken ironically.6
    172
          Lanc. And northward Gaveston hath many friends. −           = ie. in the north of England; Lancaster is in the county of
    174   Adieu, my lord; and either change your mind,                   Lancashire, located in north-west England.
          Or look to see the throne, where you should sit,
    176   To float in blood; and at thy wanton head,                  = self-indulgent, pleasure-seeking.1
          The glozing head of thy base minion thrown.                 = fawning. = favourite, but also referring to a homosexual
    178                                                                  lover.

                                                               11�
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                   Exeunt all except King Edward, Kent, Gaveston
    180                                           and Attendants.
    182   K. Edw. I cannot brook these haughty menaces;               = endure.
          Am I a king, and must be overruled? −
    184   Brother, display my ensigns in the field;                   = banners of the army.
          I'll bandy with the barons and the earls,                   = exchange blows, probably derived from the sport of
    186   And either die or live with Gaveston.                          bandy, an early version of tennis.8

    188   Gav. I can no longer keep me from my lord.
    190                                           [Comes forward.]
    192   K. Edw. What, Gaveston! welcome! − Kiss not my hand −       192: Gaveston salutes Edward formally, kneeling and
                                                                         kissing his hand.
          Embrace me, Gaveston, as I do thee.                         = Edward's use of thee signals his affection for his friend.
    194   Why shouldst thou kneel? Know'st thou not who I am?
          Thy friend, thyself, another Gaveston!                      = ie. "I am another you;" this linguistic mingling of identities
                                                                         was a common short-hand way to emphasize how two
                                                                         people were the closest of friends.

    196   Not Hylas was more mourned of Hercules,                     196: another reference to inter-male love: Hylas was a
          Than thou hast been of me since thy exíle.                  young favourite of Hercules, and sailed with the great hero
                                                                      on the Argonaut as they accompanied Jason in search of the
                                                                      golden fleece. When the ship stopped at Mysia, Hylas went
                                                                      to fetch water, where he was seduced or abducted by some
                                                                      water nymphs who were enchanted by his beauty. He was
                                                                      never seen again. Hercules, distraught, searched in vain for
                                                                      his minion; with Hercules inconsolable and unwilling to give
                                                                      up his search, the Argonauts sailed on without him. 20
                                                                          of (line 196) = by.
    198
          Gav. And since I went from hence, no soul in hell           = "from here", though technically redundant, as hence
    200   Hath felt more torment than poor Gaveston.                     alone means "from here".

    202   K. Edw. I know it. − Brother, welcome home my friend. = ie. addressing the Earl of Kent.
          Now let the treacherous Mortimers conspire,
    204   And that high-minded Earl of Lancaster: −             = ie. proud-minded.6
          I have my wish, in that I joy thy sight;              = the transitive use of joy as a verb was favoured by
                                                                         Marlowe.
    206   And sooner shall the sea o'erwhelm my land,
          Then bear the ship that shall transport thee hence.         = often used, as here, for than.

    208   I here create thee Lord High Chamberlain,                   208-210: of these offices and titles, only the earldom of
          Chief Secretary to the state and me,                        Cornwall was actually bestowed on Gaveston.
    210   Earl of Cornwall, King and Lord of Man.                        The Chamberlain was a high officer of the sovereign's
                                                                      court: he was not only in charge of the royal household, but
                                                                      he also controlled access to the king; the only two men
                                                                      known to have served as Edward's Chamberlain were John
                                                                      Charlton and Hugh Despenser the Younger (Warner,
                                                                      Household of Edward II).12
                                                                         The title Lord of Man is anachronistic: the Isle of Man, in
                                                                      the northern Irish Sea, had been historically controlled by
                                                                      Norway, and the Scots had only wrested Man away from the
                                                                      Norwegians in 1263. Edward I captured it by 1290, and
                                                                      Robert Bruce in turn had taken it in 1313. Man was ruled
                                                                      directly by whichever sovereign controlled it, until 1333,
                                                                      when Edward III gave the island to William Montecute, who


                                                                12�
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                                                                      became the King of Man. The title Lord Of Man was
                                                                      introduced in the 16th century.
    212   Gav. My lord, these titles far exceed my worth.
    214   Kent. Brother, the least of these may well suffice          214-5: even the least prestigious of these titles would
          For one of greater birth than Gaveston.                        be enough for one born into a higher rank than was
                                                                         Gaveston.
    216
          K. Edw. Cease, brother: for I cannot brook these words. −   = bear.
    218   Thy worth, sweet friend, is far above my gifts,
          Therefore, to equal it, receive my heart;                   = ie. Gaveston's worth, ie. value to Edward.

    220   If for these dignities thou be envíed,                      = high offices. = hated.8
          I'll give thee more; for, but to honour thee,               = "for no other reason but".7
    222   Is Edward pleased with kingly regiment.                     = authority or rule.

          Fear'st thou thy person? thou shalt have a guard:           = "are you afraid for your personal safety?"
    224   Wantest thou gold? go to my treasury:                       = "do you lack, ie. need, money?"

          Wouldst thou be loved and feared? receive my seal,          225-7: Edward offers to give Gaveston authority to uni-
    226   Save or condemn, and in our name command                    laterally punish those who offend him, or to do or take
          Whatso thy mind affects, or fancy likes.                    whatever he wants, with the king's authorization and pre-
                                                                      approval!
                                                                          Whatso = whatsoever.
                                                                          affects = ie. is drawn to.
    228
          Gav. It shall suffice me to enjoy your love,                = "be enough for".
    230   Which whiles I have, I think myself as great                = "while I have it".

          As Cæsar riding in the Roman street,                        231-2: Gaveston alludes to the well-known Roman practice
    232   With captive kings at his triumphant car.                   of parading Rome's captured enemies' monarchs and leaders
                                                                      before the public in the spectacles known as triumphs.

    234                               Enter the Bishop of Coventry. Entering Character: in June 1305, Bishop Walter Langton
                                                                      reproved prince Edward for invading his woods; insults were
                                                                      traded, but the old king Edward I sided with the cleric (who
                                                                      also served as the king's Treasurer), and banished the prince
                                                                      from the court for six months. Young Edward did not forget
                                                                      the episode, and the moment he would get his revenge on the
                                                                      prelate has finally arrived.

                                                                      Walter Langton (d. 1321) first appears in the records as a
                                                                      clerk of Edward I's chancery, and from there steadily rose
                                                                      from one position to the next in the service of the king; his
                                                                      career culminated in his appointment as Treasurer in 1295,
                                                                      and he remained the closest advisor to the old king to the
                                                                      end of Edward's life. Langton further was elected Bishop of
                                                                      Coventry in 1296.
                                                                          At some point in time, Langton and the Archbishop of
                                                                      Canterbury, Robert Winchelsea, had become mortal
                                                                      enemies, and when a number of outrageous charges were
                                                                      brought against Langton in 1301, he received no support
                                                                      from his Archbishop. The Treasurer was charged with
                                                                      "living in adultery with his step-mother", and then
                                                                      murdering her husband, a knight whose son was making
                                                                      these spurious accusations; Langton was further charged
                                                                      with "pluralism, simony, and intercourse with the devil",
                                                                      who was said to frequently appear to him in person.
                                                                          Suspended from office, Langton travelled to Rome to

                                                               13�
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                                                                       defend himself personally in front of the pope, and finally, in
                                                                       1303, he was declared innocent.
    236   K. Edw. Whither goes my lord of Coventry so fast?
    238   Bish. of Cov. To celebrate your father's exequies.           = funeral rites.
          But is that wicked Gaveston returned?                           It took a long time to get Edward I buried: he died on 7
                                                                       July 1307, and his body was removed to Waltham Abbey; he
                                                                       was not buried until 27 October, at Westminster Abbey.
    240
          K. Edw. Ay, priest, and lives to be revenged on thee,        241-2: at the time Edward I exiled Gaveston in February
    242   That wert the only cause of his exíle.                          1307, the bishop had been the old king's most trusted
                                                                          advisor.
                                                                            priest = a term of abuse for the bishop.
                                                                            exile = often stressed, as here, on the second syllable.

    244   Gav. 'Tis true; and but for reverence of these robes,        = ie. "your vestments"; Gaveston suggests the Bishop's
          Thou should’st not plod one foot beyond this place.             religious office is the only thing protecting his life.
    246
          Bish. of Cov. I did no more than I was bound to do;
    248   And, Gaveston, unless thou be reclaimed,                     = recalled, but perhaps with a further sense of "reformed".

          As then I did incense the parliament,                        249-250: As then…I now = "then I will do as I did back
                                                                          then, which was to urge (incense) the Parliament to
                                                                          order you out of England."

    250   So will I now, and thou shalt back to France.                = "you shall go back"; note the common grammatical
                                                                          construction of this phrase: in the presence of a verb of
                                                                          intent (shalt), the verb of action (go) may be omitted.

    252   Gav. Saving your reverence, you must pardon me.              '= common formula for "excuse what I am about to say",
                                                                          but here referring to what he is doing, which is violently
                                                                          grabbing the Bishop.8 Gaveston is ironic.

    254                              [Laying hands on the Bishop.] 254: we include in this edition a number of clarifying stage
                                                                          directions, like this one, which were added by Dyce.

    256   K. Edw. Throw off his golden mitre, rend his stole,          256: mitre = tall headdress worn by a bishop.1
                                                                            rend = tear.
                                                                            stole = vestment worn over the shoulders by
                                                                          ecclesiastics, consisting of a narrow strip of linen.1

          And in the channel christen him anew.                        = gutter.
    258
          Kent. Ah, brother, lay not violent hands on him!
    260   For he'll complain unto the see of Rome.                     = ie. the pope. The Bishop of Coventry's long career was
                                                                       filled with controversial episodes, causing him to appeal to
                                                                       the pope on several occasions; hence, Kent's comment is
                                                                       sarcastic, and not expressing genuine alarm at Edward's
                                                                       violence against the prelate.
    262   Gav. Let him complain unto the see of hell!
          I'll be revenged on him for my exíle.
    264
          K. Edw. No, spare his life, but seize upon his goods:
    266   Be thou lord bishop and receive his rents,                   = the Bishop was notorious for his great wealth and
                                                                          extensive properties, whose rents, ie. income, were
                                                                          estimated at 5000 marks annually.36
          And make him serve thee as thy chaplain:
    268   I give him thee − here, use him as thou wilt.                = treat.



                                                                14�
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    270   Gav. He shall to prison, and there die in bolts.               = shackles.2

    272   K. Edw. Ay, to the Tower, the Fleet, or where thou wilt.       272: the Tower = London's dreaded Tower of London, the
                                                                         fortress, castle and prison, and the final address for many of
                                                                         England's traitors and criminals, as well as numerous
                                                                         unlucky royal family members.
                                                                             the Fleet = one of London's notorious prisons, first built
                                                                         in the 11th century, eventually becoming famous as a
                                                                         debtor's prison.6
                                                                             where thou wilt = "wherever you wish."

    274   Bish. of Cov. For this offense be thou accurst of God!         = by.

    276   K. Edw. Who's there? Convey this priest [un]to the Tower.      = Edward calls for a guard.

    278   Bish. of Cov. True, true.                                      278: the exact meaning of this line has been lost to history,
                                                                         but Bevington14 takes a stab at it: he suggests the bishop is
                                                                         ironically, and with grim humour, commenting on convey's
                                                                         meanings of (1) conduct, and (2) make away with, as in a
                                                                         theft, applying the term to himself.

    280   K. Edw. But in the meantime, Gaveston, away,                   = ie. "go!"
          And take possession of his house and goods.
    282   Come, follow me, and thou shalt have my guard
          To see it done, and bring thee safe again.                     = safely back (again).6
    284
          Gav. What should a priest do with so fair a house?             285-6: Gaveston mocks the great wealth of the Bishop.
    286   A prison may beseem his holiness.                              286: a prison is a more fitting abode for the ascetic lifestyle
                                                                            expected of a man of the cloth.

    288                                                      [Exeunt.] Postscript to the life of the Bishop of Coventry: as depicted
                                                                         here, Walter Langton was indeed arrested on his way to
                                                                         arrange for the internment of Edward I. The new king seized
                                                                         all of the Bishop's property and wealth, including 50,000
                                                                         pounds of silver, and gave most of it to Gaveston.
                                                                             For the next five years, the Bishop was kept in various
                                                                         prisons around England, including the Tower, until he was
                                                                         finally freed on 23 January 1312. Langton served Edward
                                                                         afterwards, their break having been repaired, at least to a
                                                                         small degree, till his death in 1321. Langton never received
                                                                         back any of the great fortune that had been taken from him
                                                                         14 years before.



          ACT I, SCENE II.
          London.                                                        Scene II: Ellis4 suggests "Westminster" for the setting.


                             Enter on one side the two Mortimers; = ie. from one side of the stage.
                             on the other, Warwick and Lancaster.
     1    War. 'Tis true, the bishop 's in the Tower,
     2    And goods and body given to Gaveston.                          2: not only did Gaveston get all the bishop's property, but
                                                                            he was also given responsibility for the cleric's im-
                                                                            prisonment.
                                                                               given = a monosyllable here, the v essentially omitted:
                                                                            gi'en.



                                                                 15�
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                                                                        Gaveston appointed two brothers named Felton to be the
                                                                     bishop's jailers; following the Frenchman's instructions, they
                                                                     moved Langton "maliciously" from castle to castle, all over
                                                                     England.
    4    Lanc. What! Will they tyrannize upon the church?
         Ah, wicked king! accursèd Gaveston!
    6    This ground, which is corrupted with their steps,
         Shall be their timeless sepulchre or mine.                  = untimely; Lancaster suggests somebody will suffer an
                                                                        early death.
    8
         Y. Mort. Well, let that peevish Frenchman guard him sure;   9: ie. "that Frenchman Gaveston better be on guard for
                                                                         his own life."
                                                                            peevish = spiteful or hateful, or foolish.1,6
                                                                            sure = securely.
    10   Unless his breast be sword-proof, he shall die.
    12   E. Mort. How now! Why droops the Earl of Lancaster?         12: Lancaster appears dejected.

    14   Y. Mort. Wherefore is Guy of Warwick discontent?            = why.

    16   Lanc. That villain Gaveston is made an earl.
    18   E. Mort. An earl!                                           18: that a relative nobody like Gaveston has been raised to
                                                                     a rank equal to those of the most powerful men of the realm
                                                                     is an insult beyond bearing!
    20   War. Ay, and besides Lord Chamberlain of the realm,
         And Secretary too, and Lord of Man.
    22
         E. Mort. We may not, nor we will not suffer this.           = tolerate.
    24
         Y. Mort. Why post we not from hence to levy men?            25: "why don't we ride hastily (post) out of here and raise
                                                                        an army?"
    26
         Lanc. "My Lord of Cornwall" now at every word!              27: the chroniclers of the time wrote that by the king's
                                                                     command, it was forbidden to address Gaveston in any way
                                                                     other than by his title, "an unusual practice at that period." 36

    28   And happy is the man whom he vouchsafes,                    = grants.2
         For vailing of his bonnet, one good look.                   29: ie. if a man removes his hat in Gaveston's presence, he
                                                                        gets an approving look from the Frenchman.
                                                                           vailing = (removing and) lowering.
                                                                           bonnet = could refer to head-wear of either sex.11
    30   Thus, arm in arm, the king and he doth march:
         Nay more, the guard upon his lordship waits;                = ie. Gaveston.
    32   And all the court begins to flatter him.
    34   War. Thus leaning on the shoulder of the king,
         He nods and scorns and smiles at those that pass.
    36
         E. Mort. Doth no man take exceptions at the slave?          = object to.1
    38
         Lanc. All stomach him, but none dares speak a word.         = resent him, or consider him with ill-will.8
    40
         Y. Mort. Ah, that bewrays their baseness, Lancaster!        = betrays.
    42   Were all the earls and barons of my mind,                   42: "if all the nobles of the land thought as I do".
         We'll hale him from the bosom of the king,                  = usually emended to We'd. = drag.
    44   And at the court-gate hang the peasant up,
         Who, swoln with venom of ambitious pride,                   = ie. swollen.


                                                             16�
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    46   Will be the ruin of the realm and us.
                                                                      1-46: the conversation reflects the genuine feelings of the
                                                                      nobles at the time; Gaveston's overbearing and supercilious
                                                                      attitude gravely offended practically every member of the
                                                                      upper class who encountered him.
    48   War. Here comes my Lord of Canterbury's grace.
    50   Lanc. His countenance bewrays he is displeased.              = betrays, shows.

    52     Enter the Archbishop of Canterbury and an Attendant. Entering Character: Cleric and theologian Robert
                                                                      Winchelsea (d. 1313) had been elected Archbishop of
                                                                      Canterbury in 1292. Over the many years he held this office,
                                                                      he had been a champion of the rights of the clergy over the
                                                                      crown, and fought and reconciled numerous times with
                                                                      Edward I, primarily over the right of the church to refuse to
                                                                      fund Edward's wars. Edward finally forced the elderly
                                                                      prelate into exile in May of 1306.
                                                                         Staying at the papal court in Bordeaux, Winchelsea
                                                                      suffered a paralyzing stroke from which he never fully
                                                                      recovered. Edward's death in February of 1307 led to
                                                                      Winchelsea's recall by the new young king, but his illness
                                                                      kept the Archbishop from returning in time to take part in
                                                                      Edward's coronation.
                                                                         Winchelsea quickly proved himself to be one of
                                                                      Gaveston's most implacable enemies, and when Gaveston
                                                                      was banished in the spring of 1308, the Archbishop
                                                                      promised Gaveston to excommunicate him should he return.

    54   A. of Cant. First, were his sacred garments rent and torn,   54-56: the Archbishop of Canterbury describes Gaveston's
         Then laid they violent hands upon him; next,                    treatment of the Bishop of Coventry to his Attendant.

    56   Himself imprisoned, and his goods asseized:                  = assize was a legal term describing the seizure of im-
                                                                         movable (usually real) property; here it means simply
                                                                         "seized".
         This certify the Pope; − away, take horse.                   = "go inform the Pope."
    58
                                                  [Exit Attendant.]
    60
         Lanc. My lord, will you take arms against the king?
    62
         A. of Cant. What need I? God himself is up in arms,
    64   When violence is offered to the church.
    66   Y. Mort. Then will you join with us, that be his peers,      = peers in England refers to any and all of the inherited titles
         To banish or behead that Gaveston?                              of nobility - duke, marquis, earl, viscount, baron - though
                                                                         in Edward II's time there were only earls and barons. 6
    68
         A. of Cant. What else, my lords? For it concerns me near;    = ie. "of course".
    70   The bishopric of Coventry is his.                            70: though not historically accurate, Edward, in line 266 of
                                                                      Scene i, had given Walter Langton's position of Bishop of
                                                                      Coventry to Gaveston.

    72                                      Enter Queen Isabella. Entering Character: born in 1292, Isabella (1292-1358)
                                                                      was the daughter of King Philip IV (the Fair) of France. In
                                                                      1298, as part of a truce arranged by the pope between the
                                                                      warring kings of England and France, an engagement
                                                                      between the child-princess and Edward I's son Edward
                                                                      (himself only 14 years old) was arranged; the betrothal
                                                                      became official in May 1303 at the conclusion of a


                                                              17�
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                                                                         permanent peace.
                                                                             When the old king died, and our Edward ascended the
                                                                         throne, he was still a bachelor; it was only in January of
                                                                         1308, 11 months after Edward I had died, that young
                                                                         Edward finally crossed over to France and married Isabella
                                                                         at Boulogne.
                                                                             Returning with Edward to England, Isabella was
                                                                         crowned queen on 25 February at Westminster.
                                                                             Almost immediately, Edward II distanced himself from
                                                                         his new and still very young bride, neglecting her to the
                                                                         point that her two uncles, Charles of Valois and Louis of
                                                                         Evreux, who had accompanied her to England, departed the
                                                                         island-nation in disgust. The new king even gave all of the
                                                                         wedding gifts they had received from Isabella's father, Philip
                                                                         IV, to Gaveston.

    74    Y. Mort. Madam, whither walks your majesty so fast?            = to where.

    76    Q. Isab. Unto the forest, gentle Mortimer,                     = a metaphor for "away from the world". 9
          To live in grief and baleful discontent;                       = deadly, malignant.1
    78    For now my lord the king regards me not,
          But dotes upon the love of Gaveston.
    80    He claps his cheeks, and hangs about his neck,                 = pats.
          Smiles in his face, and whispers in his ears;
    82    And when I come, he frowns, as who should say,                 = "as if to say".
          "Go whither thou wilt, seeing I have Gaveston."                = "to wherever you wish".
    84
          E. Mort. Is it not strange that he is thus bewitched?
    86
          Y. Mort. Madam, return unto the court again:
    88    That sly inveigling Frenchman we'll exíle,
          Or lose our lives; and yet, ere that day come,
    90    The king shall lose his crown; for we have power,
          And courage too, to be revenged at full.
    92
          A. of Cant. But yet lift not your swords against the king.
    94
          Lanc. No; but we will lift Gaveston from hence.                = ie. steal.14
    96
          War. And war must be the means, or he'll stay still.           = "or he will always (still) be a presence in England."
    98
          Q. Isab. Then let him stay; for rather than my lord
    100   Shall be oppressed by civil mutinies,                          = tumults.7
          I will endure a melancholy life,
    102   And let him frolic with his miniön.
    104   A. of Cant. My lords, to ease all this, but hear me speak: −   = only.14
          We and the rest, that are his counsellors,
    106   Will meet, and with a general consent
          Confirm his banishment with our hands and seals.               = a disyllable: BAN'SH-ment.
    108
          Lanc. What we confirm the king will frustrate.                 109: Lancaster is pessimistic: he expects Edward will find a
                                                                         way to ignore any order of the barons to banish Gaveston
                                                                         from England.
                                                                            frustrate = a tri-syllable here: FRUS-ter-ate.8
    110
          Y. Mort. Then may we lawfully revolt from him.                 111: if the king refuses to enforce a law passed by a ga-


                                                                 18�
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    112                                                                   thering of nobles - ie. Parliament - says Mortimer, then the
                                                                          peers may legally overthrow him.
          War. But say, my lord, where shall this meeting be?
    114
          A. of Cant. At the New Temple.                                  = the New Temple was the home of the Templars, the
                                                                          ancient military order founded in 1118 A.D. in Jerusalem. It
                                                                          was referred to as New because it was the order's second
                                                                          English headquarters, built in 1184. Councils and
                                                                          parliaments were known to meet there on occasion.
    116
          Y. Mort. Content.                                               117: "fine."
    118
          A. of Cant. And in the meantime, I'll entreat you all           = ask, invite.

    120   To cross to Lambeth, and there stay with me.                    = the Palace of Lambeth, located opposite London on the
                                                                          south side of the Thames (hence the need to cross to get to
                                                                          it), was, and still is, the London residence of the Archbishop
                                                                          of Canterbury.

    122   Lanc. Come, then, let's away.                                   = go.

    124   Y. Mort. Madam, farewell.
    126   Q. Isab. Farewell, sweet Mortimer; and, for my sake,            = this is the first of several hints in the first half of Edward
          Forbear to levy arms against the king.                          II of a special connection between the Younger Mortimer
                                                                          and Queen Isabella; indeed, rumours of an affair between the
                                                                          pair are mentioned repeatedly by the king and his partisans.

                                                                             Historically, the two probably did not even meet until
                                                                          1325 when they were both on the continent; besides that,
                                                                          Isabella was only a teenager at this time.
    128
          Y. Mort. Ay, if words will serve; if not, I must.               129: if words alone can convince the king to separate from
    130                                                                   Gaveston, then the nobles will not rebel; but if Edward
                                                                          ignores them, then the nobles will have no choice but to raise
                                                                          their arms against him.
                                                              [Exeunt.]


          ACT I, SCENE III.
          A Street.

                                          Enter Gaveston and Kent.
     1    Gav. Edmund, the mighty Prince of Lancaster,                    = Edmund is the given name of the Earl of Kent.
     2    That hath more earldoms than an ass can bear,
          And both the Mortimers, two goodly men,                         = Gaveston is, of course, sarcastic here and in the next line.
     4    With Guy of Warwick, that redoubted knight,                     = revered or formidable.1,2
          Are gone towards Lambeth − there let them remain.               1-5: the king and his court are aware that the nobles are
     6                                                                       planning to meet; more than one editor has noted the
                                                                             pointlessness of this scene.
                                                              [Exeunt.]


          ACT I, SCENE IV.

                                                                  19�
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         The New Temple, London.                                     Scene IV: while the Archbishop suggested above that the
                                                                     barons will meet at the New Temple, Ellis argues that the
                                                                     setting is more likely the king's palace at Westminster, given
                                                                     Edward's multiple entrances and exits in this scene. Of
                                                                     course, Marlowe was always careless about identifying the
                                                                     exact location of his scenes.
                          Enter Lancaster, Warwick, Pembroke,
                           the Elder Mortimer, Young Mortimer,
                   the Archbishop of Canterbury and Attendants.
    1    Lanc. Here is the form of Gaveston's exile;                 = document.1
    2    May it please your lordship to subscribe your name.         = sign.

    4    A. of Cant. Give me the paper.
    6                 [He subscribes, as the others do after him.]
    8    Lanc. Quick, quick, my lord; I long to write my name.
    10   War. But I long more to see him banished hence.             = from here.

    12   Y. Mort. The name of Mortimer shall fright the king,
         Unless he be declined from that base peasant.               = ie. turned away from.8
    14
                         Enter King Edward, Gaveston and Kent. 15: Bevington suggests that Edward sits on a throne, and that
                                                                        Gaveston stands right next to him.
    16
         K. Edw. What, are you moved that Gaveston sits here?        = angered. = ie. is next to him.
    18   It is our pleasure; we will have it so.
    20   Lanc. Your grace doth well to place him by your side,
         For nowhere else the new earl is so safe.
    22
         E. Mort. What man of noble birth can brook this sight?      = tolerate.
    24   Quam male conveniunt!                                       24: Latin: "how poorly they fit together," or "how ill-
         See what a scornful look the peasant casts!                    matched they are," referring to Edward and Gaveston.
    26
         Pemb. Can kingly lions fawn on creeping ants?               27: though the Earl of Pembroke has appeared previously
                                                                        with the disaffected nobles, this is his first line of the
                                                                        play.
    28
         War. Ignoble vassal, that, like Phaëton,                    29-30: the reference is to the well-known and oft referred-
    30   Aspir'st unto the guidance of the sun!                      to story of Phaeton, the son of the sun-god Helios: as an
                                                                     adolescent, Phaeton begged his father to let him drive the
                                                                     chariot that pulled the sun across the sky. After much
                                                                     pleading, Helios reluctantly acquiesced, but warned his son
                                                                     to be careful. Phaeton could not control the horses, and
                                                                     would have crashed onto the earth, burning it, had not Zeus
                                                                     killed him first with a thunderbolt.
                                                                         Warwick's point is that Gaveston, like Phaeton, has taken
                                                                     on a role he is unqualified for, as a guide or close advisor to
                                                                     the king (the sun).
    32   Y. Mort. Their downfall is at hand, their forces down:
         We will not thus be faced and over-peered.                  = defied or intimidated.2 = scorned or condescended to,1
    34                                                                  with perhaps a weak pun on peer.
         K. Edw. Lay hands [up]on that traitor Mortimer!
    36
         E. Mort. Lay hands [up]on that traitor Gaveston!            37: several of the Attendants seize Gaveston; Edward's


                                                            20�
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    38                                                                   order is ignored.
         Kent. Is this the duty that you owe your king?
    40
         War. We know our duties − let him know his peers.
    42
         K. Edw. Whither will you bear him? Stay, or ye shall die.    = to where. = stop. = plural form of "you".
    44
         E. Mort. We are no traitors; therefore threaten not.
    46
         Gav. No, threaten not, my lord, but pay them home.           = "pay them back," ie. "punish them as they deserve."1
    48   Were I a king −
    50   Y. Mort. Thou villain, wherefore talk'st thou of a king,     = why.

         That hardly art a gentleman by birth?                        51: as noted before, in a land as class-conscious as was
    52                                                                England, the nobles were naturally outraged that Gaveston,
                                                                      the son of a French knight, has been given a title to match
                                                                      their own; Mortimer's point is that Gaveston is barely
                                                                      (hardly)1 a gentleman, a rank below that of noble.
         K. Edw. Were he a peasant, being my miniön,
    54   I'll make the proudest of you stoop to him.                  = bow down.

    56   Lanc. My lord, you may not thus disparage us. −              = dishonour or vilify.1,3
         Away, I say, with hateful Gaveston!                          = detestable.1
    58
         E. Mort. And with the Earl of Kent that favours him.         59: for the first time, resentment against the king's brother
    60                                                                   Edmund is expressed.
                         [Attendants remove Kent and Gaveston.]
    62
         K. Edw. Nay, then, lay violent hands upon your king!         63-66: Edward, weak, easily gives in to despondency.
    64   Here, Mortimer, sit thou in Edward's throne:
         Warwick and Lancaster, wear you my crown.                    64-65: compare these lines to Scene XXII.82 of Marlowe's
    66   Was ever king thus over-ruled as I?                          The Massacre of Paris, in which King Henry of France
                                                                      complains to the Duke of Guise, "Guise, wear our crown,
                                                                      and be thou King of France". A close study of Marlowe's
                                                                      works reveals that he reused ideas, expression, and even
                                                                      whole phrases repeatedly across his plays and poems.
    68   Lanc. Learn then to rule us better, and the realm.
    70   Y. Mort. What we have done, our heart-blood shall            = the sense is, "we will uphold with our blood if necessary".
            maintain.                                                       heart-blood = blood of the heart, understood to be
                                                                         the vital force that gives a being life

    72   War. Think you that we can brook this upstart[’s] pride?     = put up with.

    74   K. Edw. Anger and wrathful fury stops my speech.             = "leaves me speechless".

    76   A. of Cant. Why are you moved? Be patiënt, my lord,          = angry.
         And see what we your counsellors have done.
    78
         Y. Mort. My lords, now let us all be resolute,               79-80: Mortimer admonishes his fellows: if they fail to stick
    80   And either have our wills, or lose our lives.                   together, or if they back down now, they will likely be
                                                                         hanged as traitors.

    82   K. Edw. Meet you for this, proud overdaring peers?           = "is this why you meet". = foolhardy in their daring. 1
                                                                            As easily as he fell into despair, Edward regains his
                                                                         fortitude.

         Ere my sweet Gaveston shall part from me,                    = before.

                                                                21�
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    84    This isle shall fleet upon the ocean,                           = float.

          And wander to the unfrequented Inde.                            85: unfrequented = the stresses fall on the first and third
                                                                             syllables.
                                                                                Inde = the Indian Ocean; several works of the 1580's
                                                                             refer to the sea of Inde.
    86
          A. of Cant. You know that I am legate to the Pope;              87-89: the archbishop issues a thinly-veiled threat to the
                                                                             king.
    88    On your allegiance to the see of Rome,
          Subscribe, as we have done, to his exíle.                       87-89: Throughout pre-Reformation English history, indeed
                                                                          throughout most of the history of the Catholic church,
                                                                          European sovereigns struggled to keep complete authority to
                                                                          do as they pleased, even as they acknowledged the pope to
                                                                          be the leader, at least in spiritual matters, of the western
                                                                          world.
                                                                              The problem, of course, was that the pope, and through
                                                                          him his locally-placed bishops, frequently understood their
                                                                          moral authority to extend to political questions, and so a
                                                                          king or queen's governing wishes often clashed with the will
                                                                          of the church.
                                                                              The pope, at least until the Reformation in England,
                                                                          ultimately held the upper hand, however, as he had in his
                                                                          possession, and frequently exercised, his overarching power
                                                                          to excommunicate monarchs (and in extreme cases could
                                                                          impose an interdict, as occurred under the reign of King
                                                                          John, in which the entire population of England was banned
                                                                          from receiving any of the sacraments - excepting baptism,
                                                                          confession and last rites - or receiving a Christian burial).13
    90
          Y. Mort. Curse him, if he refuse; and then may we               = excommunicate.7
    92    Depose him and elect another king.
    94    K. Edw. Ay, there it goes! But yet I will not yield:
          Curse me, depose me, do the worst you can.
    96
          Lanc. Then linger not, my lord, but do it straight.             = ie. "sign this right now."
    98
          A. of Cant. Remember how the bishop was abused!
    100   Either banish him that was the cause thereof,
          Or I will presently discharge these lords                       101-102: perhaps the most terrifying power (at least from
    102   Of duty and allegiance due to thee.                             a monarch's perspective) claimed to be possessed by the
                                                                          church was its ability to release a nation's subjects from duty
                                                                          and loyalty to their sovereign.
                                                                              In 1570, for example, as part of the church's program to
                                                                          reclaim England for the mother church, Pope Pius V issued a
                                                                          papal bull in which he not only excommunicated Queen
                                                                          Elizabeth, but also declared "the nobles, subjects and people
                                                                          of the said realm and all others who have in any way sworn
                                                                          oaths to her, to be forever absolved from such an oath and
                                                                          from any duty arising from lordship. fealty and obedience." 30

    104   K. Edw. [Aside] It boots me not to threat; I must speak fair:   = "is useless for me"
          The legate of the Pope will be obeyed. −                        105: Edward recognizes the that neither the archbishop nor
                                                                             the nobles are bluffing.

    106   My lord, you shall be Chancellor of the realm;                  106f: the king tries to bribe the nobles with high offices,
          Thou, Lancaster, High Admiral of our fleet;                        if only they will allow Gaveston to remain in England.
    108   Young Mortimer and his uncle shall be earls;

                                                                 22�
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          And you, lord Warwick, President of the North;
    110   And thou of Wales. If this content you not,
          Make several kingdoms of this monarchy,                      = separate.
    112   And share it equally amongst you all,
          So I may have some nook or corner left,                      = a predecessor to "nook and cranny".1
    114   To frolic with my dearest Gaveston.
    116   A. of Cant. Nothing shall alter us − we are resolved.
    118   Lanc. Come, come, subscribe.                                 = "sign!"

    120   Y. Mort. Why should you love him whom the world
             hates so?
    122   K. Edw. Because he loves me more than all the world.
          Ah, none but rude and savage-minded men
    124   Would seek the ruin of my Gaveston;
          You that be noble-born should pity him.
    126
          War. You that are princely-born should shake him off:
    128   For shame subscribe, and let the lown depart.                = scoundrel.38

    130   E. Mort. Urge him, my lord.
    132   A. of Cant. Are you content to banish him the realm?         = ie. from the.

    134   K. Edw. I see I must, and therefore am content:
          Instead of ink, I'll write it with my tears.
    136
                                                       [Subscribes.] 137: Gaveston's banishment was announced by Edward on
    138                                                                   18 May 1308.
          Y. Mort. The king is love-sick for his miniön.
    140
          K. Edw. 'Tis done − and now, accursèd hand, fall off!
    142
          Lanc. Give it me − I'll have it published in the streets.    = the proclamation, not Edward's hand! = proclaimed.
    144
          Y. Mort. I'll see him presently despatched away.             = immediately.
    146
          A. of Cant. Now is my heart at ease.
    148
          War.                                 And so is mine.
    150
          Pemb. This will be good news to the common sort.
    152
          E. Mort. Be it or no, he shall not linger here.              = "whether it is or isn't".
    154
                                  [Exeunt all except King Edward.]
    156
          K. Edw. How fast they run to banish him I love!
    158   They would not stir, were it to do me good.                  = the modern equivalent would be "they would not lift a
                                                                          finger".
          Why should a king be subject to a priest?                    = contemptuous term for the archbishop.

    160   Proud Rome! that hatchest such imperial grooms,              160: Rome = ie. the Catholic church and its representatives.
                                                                            imperial = ie. imperious.
                                                                            grooms = servants (meant insultingly, as in "lowly


                                                                 23�
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                                                                          household servants").

          With these thy superstitious taper-lights,                   161: superstitious = contemptuous term commonly used to
                                                                       describe those Catholic works, objects and practices which
                                                                       Protestants found objectionable.
                                                                          taper-lights = candles.

    162   Wherewith thy antichristian churches blaze,                  162: Wherewith = with which.
                                                                           antichristian churches = in Elizabethan times, as it was
                                                                       illegal to practice Catholicism, such questioning of the
                                                                       legitimacy of the entire Catholic church was encouraged.

          I'll fire thy crazèd buildings, and enforce                  163: fire = burn.
    164   The papal towers to kiss the lowly ground!                      crazed = corrupt or ruined.1,3
                                                                          163-4: enforce…ground! = metaphor for reducing the
                                                                       Catholic churches to ashes.

                                                                         162-4: compare these lines to Marlowe's The Massacre at
                                                                       Paris, Scene XXVI.105-111:
                                                                            Tell her, for all this...
                                                                            ...the papal monarch goes
                                                                            To wrack, and [th’] antichristian kingdom falls:
                                                                            ...
                                                                            I'll fire his crazèd buildings, and enforce
                                                                            The papal towers to kiss the holy earth.

          With slaughtered priests may Tiber's channel swell,          = often emended to make. = Rome's primary river.
    166   And banks raised higher with their sepulchres!
          As for the peers, that back the clergy thus,
    168   If I be king, not one of them shall live.                    = "am really a".

    170                                          Re-enter Gaveston. 170ff: here we see a good example of the playwright's
                                                                       tactic known as Compression of Time: in the brief time it
                                                                       took Edward to speak his 12-line soliloquy, the audience
                                                                       subconsciously allows for what must have been a significant
                                                                       period of real time to have passed, sufficient for the
                                                                       spreading of the news of Gaveston's exile to have taken
                                                                       place.
                                                                          The technique is an excellent one for speeding up the
                                                                       pace of the play and increasing dramatic tension.
    172   Gav. My Lord, I hear it whispered everywhere,
          That I am banished and must fly the land.
    174
          K. Edw. 'Tis true, sweet Gaveston – O! were it false!        = ie. "if only it were".
    176   The legate of the Pope will have it so,
          And thou must hence, or I shall be deposed.                  = ie. "must go from here".
    178   But I will reign to be revenged of them;                     = on.
          And therefore, sweet friend, take it patiently.
    180   Live where thou wilt, I'll send thee gold enough;            180: thanks to Edward's generosity (and Gaveston's own
                                                                       amassing of wealth during his time in England), Gaveston
                                                                       never suffered financially during his periods of exile.

          And long thou shall not stay, or if thou dost,               = ie. remain away from England.
    182   I'll come to thee; my love shall ne'er decline.              = literally, "turn away from your direction."

    184   Gav. Is all my hope turned to this hell of grief?
    186   K. Edw. Rend not my heart with thy too-piercing words:

                                                                24�
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          Thou from this land, I from myself am banished.              187: "if you are sent out of England, it will be as if I am
    188                                                                banished from myself;" as noted earlier, in Elizabethan
                                                                       drama, a bosom friend was frequently described as a "second
                                                                       self".
          Gav. To go from hence grieves not poor Gaveston;
    190   But to forsake you, in whose gracious looks
          The blessedness of Gaveston remains:
    192   For nowhere else seeks he felicity.                          = happiness.

    194   K. Edw. And only this torments my wretched soul,
          That, whether I will or no, thou must depart.                = common elliptical phrase (ie. one with omitted words),
                                                                          meaning "whether I desire it or not".1

    196   Be Governor of Ireland in my stead,                          196-7: as a way to at least partially frustrate the intended
          And there abide till fortune call thee home.                 effect of Gaveston's exile, Edward actually did send his
    198   Here take my picture, and let me wear thine;                 favourite to be lieutenant, or governor, of Ireland, where
                                                                       interestingly, he served successfully, reducing tensions and
                                                                       rebuilding fortresses, and the like.
    200                                  [They exchange pictures.]
    202   O, might I keep thee here as I do this,
          Happy were I! but now most miserable!                        = "would I be".
    204
          Gav. 'Tis something to be pitied of a king.                  = by.
    206
          K. Edw. Thou shalt not hence − I'll hide thee, Gaveston.     = go.
    208
          Gav. I shall be found, and then 'twill grieve me more.
    210
          K. Edw. Kind words and mutual talk makes our grief
             greater:
    212   Therefore, with dumb embracement, let us part −              = silent.
          Stay, Gaveston, I cannot leave thee thus.                    = "don't go yet".
    214
          Gav. For every look, my lord drops down a tear:              = the quartos print lord, but many editors emend it to love.
    216   Seeing I must go, do not renew my sorrow.
    218   K. Edw. The time is little that thou hast to stay,           218: Gaveston was actually given until 25 June - a full
          And, therefore, give me leave to look my fill:                  month - to leave England.
    220   But, come, sweet friend, I'll bear thee on thy way.
    222   Gav. The peers will frown.
    224   K. Edw. I pass not for their anger − Come, let's go;         = care.
          O that we might as well return as go!
    226
                                             Enter Queen Isabella. 227: the quartos have Kent entering with the queen, but
    228                                                                   since he has no role in the scene, most editors omit him.
          Q. Isab. Whither goes my lord?
    230
          K. Edw. Fawn not on me, French strumpet! get thee gone!      = whore; interestingly, Marlowe gives Edward here an
    232                                                                ahistorical reason (other than his attraction to Gaveston) to
                                                                       explain his turning away from the queen - her suspected
                                                                       affair with Mortimer.
          Q. Isab. On whom but on my husband should I fawn?
    234
          Gav. On Mortimer! with whom, ungentle queen −

                                                                 25�
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    236   I say no more − judge you the rest, my lord.
    238   Q. Isab. In saying this, thou wrong'st me, Gaveston:
          Is't not enough that thou corrupt'st my lord,
    240   And art a bawd to his affectiöns,                          240: a bawd = ie. one who ministers to the king's lust.
          But thou must call mine honour thus in question?              affections = inclinations.
    242
          Gav. I mean not so; your grace must pardon me.
    244
          K. Edw. Thou art too familiar with that Mortimer,
    246   And by thy means is Gaveston exiled;                       246: as a matter of history, Isabella was only in her mid-
          But I would wish thee reconcile the lords,                    teens during the Gaveston years, and played no role in
    248   Or thou shalt ne'er be reconciled to me.                      either his presence in or banishment from England.

    250   Q. Isab. Your highness knows it lies not in my power.
    252   K. Edw. Away, then! touch me not − Come, Gaveston.
    254   Q. Isab. Villain! 'tis thou that robb'st me of my lord.
    256   Gav. Madam, 'tis you that rob me of my lord.               256: ie. by (allegedly) being the cause of his exile.

    258   K. Edw. Speak not unto her; let her droop and pine.        = languish, be dejected. = waste away with suffering. 1

    260   Q. Isab. Wherein, my lord, have I deserved these words?    260: "what have I done to deserve these words from you?"
          Witness the tears that Isabella sheds,
    262   Witness this heart, that sighing for thee, breaks,
          How dear my lord is to poor Isabel!
    264
          K. Edw. And witness Heaven how dear thou art to me:        265: Edward is cruelly sarcastic: he may even put an arm
                                                                        around Gaveston as he speaks this line.
                                                                          Heaven is normally pronounced as a one-syllable
                                                                        word, the v essentially omitted: Hea'n.

    266   There weep: for till my Gaveston be repealed,              266: Gaveston = occasionally, as here, a disyllable: perhaps
          Assure thyself thou com'st not in my sight.                   pronounced as Gav's-ton.
    268                                                                   repealed = recalled, ie. his order of exile rescinded.
                                   [Exeunt Edward and Gaveston.]
    270
          Q. Isab. O miserable and distressèd queen!
    272   Would, when I left sweet France and was embarked,
          That charming Circes, walking on the waves,                273-4: Circes, or Circe, was an enchantress who famously
    274   Had changed my shape, or at the marriage-day               turned Odysseus' men into swine after feeding them food
                                                                     laced with magic potions in Book X of the Odyssey. The
                                                                     episode alluded to here is from Book XIV of Ovid's
                                                                     Metamorphoses, in which Circe, in love with the sea-god
                                                                     Glaucus, walks across water on her way to changing her
                                                                     rival for Glaucus' affection, the beautiful sea-nymph Scylla,
                                                                     into a monster.
                                                                        Charming is thus meant literally, in the sense of one who
                                                                     employs charms.

          The cup of Hymen had been full of poison,                  = Hymen was the god of marriage; the reference is to a
                                                                        wedding toast.
    276   Or with those arms that twined about my neck
          I had been stifled, and not lived to see                   = suffocated or strangled.1
    278   The king my lord thus to abandon me!                       277-8: note the rhyming couplet.



                                                               26�
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          Like frantic Juno will I fill the earth                     279-282: Isabella compares herself to Juno, the queen of
    280   With ghastly murmur of my sighs and cries;                  the gods, whose own husband Jupiter (Jove) frequently
          For never doted Jove on Ganymede                            sought affection in the arms of others, usually to her great
    282   So much as he on cursèd Gaveston:                           anger or dismay; Ganymede was a Trojan prince whom Jove
                                                                      so admired for his beauty that he carried him off to Mt.
                                                                      Olympus to serve as the cup-bearer of the gods.
                                                                          Note that Isabella has searingly employed a simile of
                                                                      intra-male love to which to compare Edward's affection for
                                                                      Gaveston.
          But that will more exasperate his wrath;
    284   I must entreat him, I must speak him fair,
          And be a means to call home Gaveston:
    286   And yet he'll ever dote on Gaveston;
          And so am I for ever miserable.
    288
                         Re-enter Lancaster, Warwick, Pembroke,
    290                  the Elder Mortimer and Young Mortimer.
    292   Lanc. Look where the sister of the king of France
          Sits wringing of her hands, and beats her breast!
    294
          War. The king, I fear, hath ill-entreated her.              = ie. ill-treated.
    296
          Pemb. Hard is the heart that injures such a saint.
    298
          Y. Mort. I know 'tis ‘long of Gaveston she weeps.           = on account of.2
    300
          E. Mort. Why? he is gone.
    302
          Y. Mort.             Madam, how fares your grace?
    304
          Q. Isab. Ah, Mortimer! now breaks the king's hate forth,
    306   And he confesseth that he loves me not.
    308   Y. Mort. Cry quittance, madam, then, and love not him.      = "get even with him", or "give him the same treatment".

    310   Q. Isab. No, rather will I die a thousand deaths:
          And yet I love in vain; − he'll ne'er love me.
    312
          Lanc. Fear ye not, madam; now his minion's gone,
    314   His wanton humour will be quickly left.                     = capricious or self-indulgent frame of mind.1,2

    316   Q. Isab. O, never, Lancaster! I am enjoined                 = "being forced".
          To sue unto you all for his repeal:                         = beg or entreat. = recall.
    318   This wills my lord, and this must I perform,                = "this is what the king commands".
          Or else be banished from his highness' presence.
    320
          Lanc. For his repeal, madam! he comes not back,
    322   Unless the sea cast up his shipwrack[ed] body.
    324   War. And to behold so sweet a sight as that,
          There's none here but would run his horse to death.         = ie. "who would not".
    326
          Y. Mort. But, madam, would you have us call him home?
    328
          Q. Isab. Ay, Mortimer, for till he be restored,
    330   The angry king hath banished me the court;                  = from the.

                                                                27�
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          And, therefore, as thou lov'st and tender'st me,              = cares for or esteems; while Mortimer and Isabella may
    332   Be thou my advocate unto these peers.                            not be carrying on an affair as yet, the line is suggestive
                                                                           of a connection between them.
    334   Y. Mort. What! would you have me plead for Gaveston?
    336   E. Mort. Plead for him he that will, I am resolved.           336: "I don't care if anyone else pleads with me to recall
                                                                           Gaveston, my mind is firmly made up against it."
    338   Lanc. And so am I, my lord: dissuade the queen.
    340   Q. Isab. O, Lancaster! let him dissuade the king,
          For 'tis against my will he should return.
    342
          War. Then speak not for him, let the peasant go.
    344
          Q. Isab. 'Tis for myself I speak, and not for him.
    346
          Pemb. No speaking will prevail; and therefore cease.          = ie. avail.8
    348
          Y. Mort. Fair queen, forbear to angle for the fish            = fish.
    350   Which, being caught, strikes him that takes it dead;          = "kills him who catches it."
          I mean that vile torpedo, Gaveston,                           = torpedo is an ancient name for the electric ray; it was
                                                                           believed in antiquity to have the ability to electrocute
                                                                           anyone who touched it with a rod or stick.

    352   That now, I hope, floats on the Irish seas.                   352: ie. who is now on a ship heading to Ireland.

    354   Q. Isab. Sweet Mortimer, sit down by me a while,
          And I will tell thee reasons of such weight                   = gravity.
    356   As thou wilt soon subscribe to his repeal.
    358   Y. Mort. It is impossible; but speak your mind.
    360   Q. Isab. Then thus; but none shall hear it but ourselves.
    362                            [Talks to Young Mortimer apart.]
    364   Lanc. My lords, albeit the queen win Mortimer,                364: "even if Isabella can convince Mortimer to take her
          Will you be resolute, and hold with me?                          side".
    366
          E. Mort. Not I, against my nephew.
    368
          Pemb. Fear not; the queen's words cannot alter him.
    370
          War. No? Do but mark how earnestly she pleads!                = observe.
    372
          Lanc. And see how coldly his looks make denial!
    374
          War. She smiles; now, for my life, his mind is changed!       = an oath.
    376
          Lanc. I'll rather lose his friendship, I, than grant.         = consent.1
    378
          Y. Mort. Well, of necessity it must be so. −
    380   My lords, that I abhor base Gaveston,
          I hope your honours make no questiön,
    382   And therefore, though I plead for his repeal,
          'Tis not for his sake, but for our avail;                     = advantage.
    384   Nay, for the realm's behoof, and for the king's.              = benefit.


                                                                  28�
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    386   Lanc. Fie, Mortimer, dishonour not thyself!               = "for shame!"
          Can this be true, 'twas good to banish him?
    388   And is this true, to call him home again?
          Such reasons make white black, and dark night day.
    390
          Y. Mort. My lord of Lancaster, mark the respect.          = "consider the special circumstances".1,3
    392
          Lanc. In no respect can contraries be true.               393: ie. it cannot be beneficial to both banish and recall
                                                                       Gaveston.
    394
          Q. Isab. Yet, good my lord, hear what he can allege.      395: good my lord = common inversion, meaning "my
    396                                                                good lord".
                                                                         allege = "offer as a reason."1
          War. All that he speaks is nothing; we are resolved.
    398
          Y. Mort. Do you not wish that Gaveston were dead?
    400
          Pemb. I would he were!                                    = wish.
    402
          Y. Mort. Why then, my lord, give me but leave to speak.   = permission.
    404
          E. Mort. But, nephew, do not play the sophister.          = one who makes superficially convincing, but actually
                                                                    deceptive, arguments. In antiquity, professional sophists
                                                                    taught their students how to make logical arguments that
                                                                    could prove even the most absurd points. Such teachers
                                                                    were, unsurprisingly, frequently derided.
    406
          Y. Mort. This which I urge is of a burning zeal           = comes from.
    408   To mend the king and do our country good.                 = put right.
          Know you not Gaveston hath store of gold,                 = an abundance.
    410   Which may in Ireland purchase him such friends
          As he will front the mightiest of us all?                 = confront; Mortimer suggests Gaveston has enough
                                                                        wealth to raise his own army, one large enough to
                                                                        challenge any of the nobles.

    412   And whereas he shall live and be beloved,                 = wherever.8
          'Tis hard for us to work his overthrow.
    414
          War. Mark you but that, my lord of Lancaster.             = consider; Warwick is being persuaded after all.
    416
          Y. Mort. But were he here, detested as he is,
    418   How easily might some base slave be suborned              = bribed or persuaded.
          To greet his lordship with a poniard,                     = dagger.

    420   And none so much as blame the murtherer,                  = ie. murderer; murder is sometimes spelled murther
                                                                       in the quarto, but not consistently (the same goes for
                                                                       murdered / murthered, etc.). We follow the quarto's
                                                                       spelling in each case.

          But rather praise him for that brave attempt,             = excellent undertaking; Briggs6 points out that an Eliza-
                                                                       bethan audience would not have found assassination as
                                                                       distasteful as a modern theatre-goer would (p. 127).

    422   And in the chronicle enroll his name                      = history books; London at this time had an official civic
          For purging of the realm of such a plague!                   position known as the Chronologer of the City of
    424                                                                London, whose job it was to record the happenings of
                                                                       the city for posterity. The playwright Thomas Middleton
                                                                       even held the paid post in the 1620's (Taylor, p. 45). 15

                                                             29�
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          Pemb. He saith true.
    426
          Lanc. Ay, but how chance this was not done before?      = ie. "did it happen that".
    428
          Y. Mort. Because, my lords, it was not thought upon.
    430   Nay, more, when he shall know it lies in us
          To banish him, and then to call him home,               431-2: Mortimer suggests that the combined act of banishing
    432   'Twill make him vail the top-flag of his pride,         and then recalling Gaveston will humble him enough to
                                                                  convince him to give up his arrogant behaviour.
                                                                     vail the top-flag = a nautical metaphor: a ship might
                                                                  lower (vail) a sail in a show of respect to another.

          And fear t’ offend the meanest nobleman.                = ie. "even the basest".
    434
          E. Mort. But how if he do not, nephew?                  = ie. "what". = ie. modify his behaviour.
    436
          Y. Mort. Then may we with some colour rise in arms;     437: "then this will give us a pretext (colour) to rise in
                                                                     rebellion."
    438   For howsoever we have borne it out,                     = Bevington suggests "argue our position".
          Tis treason to be up against the king;                  = ie. up in arms.14

    440   So shall we have the people of our side,                440-2: the people, in their present mood, are, out of love
          Which for his father's sake lean to the king,           for Edward I, sympathetic to his son the present king; but
    442   But cannot brook a night-grown mushrump,                when Gaveston returns, he can be expected to behave so
                                                                  offensively, that the masses will turn against Edward, thus
                                                                  making the barons' task easier.
                                                                     brook = tolerate.
                                                                     mushrump = alternate from of mushroom, commonly
                                                                  used to describe one who has risen quickly, and usually
                                                                  undeservedly, in status; mushrump is likely tri-syllabic here:
                                                                  MUSH-e-rump.10

          Such a one as my lord of Cornwall is,                   = Mortimer sarcastically names Gaveston by his undeserved
                                                                     title.14
    444   Should bear us down of the nobility.                    = "vanquish us", or "go up against us."1

          And when the commons and the nobles join,               = act together.
    446   'Tis not the king can buckler Gaveston;                 446: "even the king will not be able to protect (buckler)
                                                                     Gaveston."
          We'll pull him from the strongest hold he hath.         = castle.
    448   My lords, if to perform this I be slack,
          Think me as base a groom as Gaveston.                   = "as low a creature".
    450
          Lanc. On that condition, Lancaster will grant.
    452
          War. And so will Pembroke and I.                        453: feeling Warwick's acceptance on behalf of Pembroke
    454                                                           is presumptuous, some editors split line 453 into two
                                                                  speeches:
                                                                        Pemb. And so will Pembroke.
                                                                        War. And I.
          E. Mort. And I.
    456
          Y. Mort. In this I count me highly gratified,
    458   And Mortimer will rest at your command.                 457-8: our Younger Mortimer is Roger Mortimer, eighth
                                                                  Baron of Wigmore and first Earl of March (1287?-1330),
                                                                  and nephew of the Elder Mortimer. When Roger's father
s22537@stu.ykpaoschool.cn                                                                  died in 1304, Edward I actually appointed Gaveston to be
                                                                  Roger's guardian! Roger and his uncle spent the early years

                                                            30�
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                                                                      of Edward II's reign administering their enormous
                                                                      properties along the Welsh border region and in Ireland.
    460   Q. Isab. And when this favour Isabel forgets,
          Then let her live abandoned and forlorn. −
    462   But see, in happy time, my lord the king,                   = "by luck".14
          Having brought the Earl of Cornwall on his way,             463: ie. the king accompanied Gaveston to his point of
                                                                         departure.
    464   Is new returned; this news will glad him much;              = "gladden"; this use of glad as a verb was common
                                                                         through the 19th century, and may even predate glad's
                                                                         use as an adjective.1
          Yet not so much as me; I love him more
    466   Than he can Gaveston; would he loved me
          But half so much, then were I treble-blessed!               = triple-blessed; treble, or triple, was a common intensifier.

                                                                      Edward's Return: note the Compression of Time employed
                                                                      in the scene; in the time it took to act out the last 200 lines,
                                                                      the king has escorted Gaveston to his port of departure
                                                                      (historically the city of Bristol, about 100 miles from
                                                                      London), and returned to the Palace.
    468
                                Re-enter King Edward, mourning. = ie. obviously grieving, perhaps wearing mourning
    470                                                                   clothing.14
          K. Edw. He's gone, and for his absence thus I mourn.
    472   Did never sorrow go so near my heart
          As doth the want of my sweet Gaveston;                      = absence.
    474   And, could my crown's revénue bring him back,               = in this era, revenue was often stressed on its second
          I would freely give it to his enemies,                         syllable.
    476   And think I gained, having bought so dear a friend.
    478   Q. Isab. Hark, how he harps upon his miniön!                = listen.

    480   K. Edw. My heart is as an anvil unto sorrow,
          Which beats upon it like the Cyclops' hammers,              = the one-eyed giants were imagined to work as assistants
                                                                         to the smith-god Vulcan, hammering out lightning bolts
                                                                         for Jupiter.
    482   And with the noise turns up my giddy brain,                 = turns upside-down, ie. upsets.1 = dizzy.1
          And makes me frantic for my Gaveston.
    484   Ah! had some bloodless Fury rose from hell,                 484: had = if only.
                                                                         bloodless Fury = the Furies were goddesses who
                                                                      tormented those guilty of certain egregious crimes as a
                                                                      means of punishing them. They are bloodless in the sense
                                                                      that they are incorporeal spirits.

          And with my kingly sceptre strook me dead,                  = alternate form of struck.
    486   When I was forced to leave my Gaveston!
    488   Lanc. Diablo! What passions call you these?                 = "the Devil!"

    490   Q. Isab. My gracious lord, I come to bring you news.
    492   K. Edw. That you have parlèd with your Mortimer!            = spoken; the root verb is parle, not "parley", though the
                                                                         meanings are identical.

    494   Q. Isab. That Gaveston, my lord, shall be repealed.         = recalled.

    496   K. Edw. Repealed! The news is too sweet to be true!
    498   Q. Isab. But will you love me, if you find it so?


                                                                31�
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    500   K. Edw. If it be so, what will not Edward do?
    502   Q. Isab. For Gaveston, but not for Isabel.
    504   K. Edw. For thee, fair queen, if thou lovest Gaveston;
          I'll hang a golden tongue about thy neck,                = ie. a necklace or pendant displaying a symbolic charm in
    506   Seeing thou hast pleaded with so good success.              the shape of a tongue.

    508   Q. Isab. No other jewèls hang about my neck
          Than these, my lord; nor let me have more wealth         = presumably referring to Edward's arms, which he likely
                                                                      has thrown about Isabella's neck in ecstatic gratitude.
    510   Than I may fetch from this rich treasury. −
          O, how a kiss revives poor Isabel!                       511: a kiss likely accompanies the embrace.
    512
          K. Edw. Once more receive my hand; and let this be
    514   A second marriage 'twixt thyself and me.
    516   Q. Isab. And may it prove more happy than the first!
          My gentle lord, bespeak these nobles fair,               = "address these nobles amiably".
    518   That wait attendance for a gracious look,                518: That wait attendance = ie. "who wait in attendance".1
          And on their knees salute your majesty.                       gracious look = kindly or benevolent look (from
    520                                                               Edward).1
          K. Edw. Courageous Lancaster, embrace thy king!
    522   And, as gross vapours perish by the sun,                 = thick mists or fogs.1
          Even so let hatred with thy sovereign's smile.           = ie. "so let hatred between us also perish".
    524   Live thou with me as my companiön.
    526   Lanc. This salutation overjoys my heart.
    528   K. Edw. Warwick shall be my chiefest counselor:          = Briggs calls this a "double superlative" (p. 127). 6

          These silver hairs will more adorn my court              = Edward refers to Warwick's silver hairs, though he may
                                                                        only have been in his 40's at the time.
    530   Than gaudy silks, or rich imbrothery.                    = embroidery, an occasionally-used alternate form.
          Chide me, sweet Warwick, if I go astray.
    532
          War. Slay me, my lord, when I offend your grace.
    534
          K. Edw. In solemn triumphs and in public shows,          = pageants or spectacles.1
    536   Pembroke shall bear the sword before the king.
    538   Pemb. And with this sword Pembroke will fight for you.
    540   K. Edw. But wherefore walks young Mortimer aside?        = why.
          Be thou commander of our royal fleet;
    542   Or, if that lofty office like thee not,                  = pleases.
          I make thee here Lord Marshal of the realm.              = a high office, commander of the armies. As a matter of
                                                                      history, the title and position of Lord Marshal was
                                                                      hereditary, belonging to the Marshall family, and was
                                                                      never held by Mortimer.
    544
          Y. Mort. My lord, I'll marshal so your enemies,          = "lead" or "conduct", but Mortimer means marshal as a
    546   As England shall be quiet, and you safe.                    humorous substitute for "militarily crush".

    548   K. Edw. And as for you, Lord Mortimer of Chirke,         = Roger Mortimer, Lord of Chirk (1256?-1326), our Elder
                                                                   Mortimer, was one of the leading magnates of the marches,
                                                                   or borderlands, between England and Wales. The senior
                                                                   Mortimer fought in many of campaigns of Edward I, and


                                                             32�
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                                                                        when Edward II ascended the throne, he entrusted Mortimer
                                                                        with all the royal castles in Wales. With a weak monarch on
                                                                        the English throne, Mortimer ruled all of Wales "like a king"
                                                                        from 1307-1321, with the assistance of his nephew, our
                                                                        Young Mortimer.
                                                                           Chirk is just across the English border in Wales.
          Whose great achievements in our foreign war
    550   Deserves no common place, nor mean reward,                    550: ie. "have earned you a special office or position, or
                                                                           notable reward".
          Be you the general of the levied troops,
    552   That now are ready to assail the Scots.                       551-2: the reference is to the historical appointment of the
                                                                        Younger (not the Elder) Mortimer as warden and lieutenant
                                                                        of Ireland in 1316, in which role he travelled to Ireland and
                                                                        defeated the armies of the Scottish, who had invaded the
                                                                        Emerald Isle in 1315 as part of what they hoped might
                                                                        become a general Celtic uprising against the English - or as
                                                                        a launching pad to an invasion of western England.
    554   E. Mort. In this your grace hath highly honoured me,
          For with my nature war doth best agree.
    556
          Q. Isab. Now is the king of England rich and strong,
    558   Having the love of his renownèd peers.
    560   K. Edw. Ay, Isabel, ne'er was my heart so light. −
          Clark of the crown, direct our warrant forth                  561: Clark of the crown = the position of Clark (or Clerk)
    562   For Gaveston, to Ireland:                                     of the Crown in Chancery was not created until 1331, during
                                                                        the reign of Edward III.
                                                                            warrant = a written order, here authorizing Gaveston to
                                                                        return to England.

    564                              Enter Beaumont with warrant. Entering Character: Beaumont is apparently one Lord
                                                                        Henry de Beaumont, identified in the chronicles as a
                                                                        supporter of the king, at least until 1323.6 No Beaumont was
                                                                        ever appointed to the position of Clerk of the Court.16

    566                          Beaumont fly,                          = ie. "go quickly".

          As fast as Iris or Jove's Mercury.                            567: the references are to the famous messengers of the
    568                                                                 gods; Iris, most well-known as the goddess of the rainbow,
                                                                        served Juno, the queen of the gods, while Mercury served
                                                                        Jove, the king. In the Iliad, Homer describes Iris as "swift-
                                                                        footed as the wind",17a and Hermes (the Greek name for
                                                                        Mercury) as "swift as the gale over the ocean waves and
                                                                        boundless earth".17b
          Beau. It shall be done, my gracious lord.
    570
                                                     [Exit Beaumont.]
    572
          K. Edw. Lord Mortimer, we leave you to your charge.           = office or duty.
    574   Now let us in, and feast it royally.                          = "let us go in".
          Against our friend the Earl of Cornwall comes,                = in preparation for.
    576   We'll have a general tilt and tournament;                     = jousting.
          And then his marriage shall be solemnized;
    578   For wot you not that I have made him sure                     = know. = "engaged him to be married"
          Unto our cousin, the Earl of Gloucester's heir?               577-9: Edward means his niece Margaret. As a matter
    580                                                                    of history, Gaveston married Margaret the year of
                                                                           Edward's ascension to the throne, 1307.
          Lanc. Such news we hear, my lord.

                                                                33�
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    582
          K. Edw. That day, if not for him, yet for my sake,          583-5: "on the day of the tournament (triumph), in which
    584   Who in the triumph will be challenger,                      Gaveston, for whom I know you don't want to do anything,
          Spare for no cost; we will requite your love.               intends to be the challenger, please, for my sake, spare no
                                                                      expense to make the program successful, and I will repay
                                                                      your efforts!" (Bevington, p. 147).14
    586
          War. In this, or aught your highness shall command us.      = anything.
    588
          K. Edw. Thanks, gentle Warwick. Come, let's in and revel.   = common adjective used to signal kindly feelings or
                                                                         affection to the addressee.
    590
                                [Exeunt all except the Mortimers.] The Wallingford Tournament of 1307: late in this year,
    592                                                               Gaveston sponsored a tournament to celebrate his marriage
                                                                      to Margaret, and perhaps to ingratiate himself a bit with the
                                                                      nobles. In the early 14th century, the main event was what
                                                                      was called a melee, in which two teams of knights charged
                                                                      at each other, trying to unhorse their opponents, and then
                                                                      continuing to fight on foot as necessary.
                                                                          Unfortunately, Gaveston's team, which was made up of
                                                                      younger knights, appears to have decisively defeated their
                                                                      higher-ranking and older opponents, which only served to
                                                                      increase the barons' antipathy towards the Frenchman
                                                                      (Warner, The Tournament of Wallingford, 1307). 31
          E. Mort. Nephew, I must to Scotland: thou stayest here.
    594   Leave now t’ oppose thyself against the king:               = cease.
          Thou seest by nature he is mild and calm,
    596   And, seeing his mind so dotes on Gaveston,
          Let him without controlment have his will.                  = restraint. = "do as he pleases."

    598   The mightiest kings have had their miniöns:                 600-3: Mortimer alludes to a number of rulers who have had
                                                                      close male friends, the relationships often considered to
                                                                      cross the line into homosexuality.

          Great Alexander loved Hephaestiön,                          599: Hephestion was Alexander the Great's lifelong
                                                                         friend and greatest subordinate general.
    600   The conquering Hercules for Hylas wept,                     600: we have already met Hylas in line 196 of the play's
                                                                         opening scene.

          And for Patroclus stern Achilles drooped.                   601: after Achilles withdrew from the fighting against the
                                                                      Trojans, he could usually be found lounging with his bosom-
                                                                      buddy Patroklos. It was only after Hector slew Patroklos
                                                                      that the enraged Achilles rejoined the fight, leading to the
                                                                      climactic events of the Iliad.
    602   And not kings only, but the wisest men:
          The Roman Tully loved Octavius;                             603: Tully is Cicero, the famous Roman orator. Cicero
                                                                      supported Julius Caesar's great-nephew Octavian, who
                                                                      called Cicero "father", in the wars against Mark Antony, in
                                                                      the period after the assassination of Caesar; unfortunately,
                                                                      when the second triumvirate was formed between Octavian,
                                                                      Antony and Lepidus, Octavian allowed Cicero to be
                                                                      included on the list of proscribed individuals, and he was
                                                                      accordingly killed on 7 December 43 B.C. 35

    604   Grave Socrates wild Alcibiades.                             604: Alcibiades was the greatest, and most controversial, of
                                                                      Athens' generals, in the 5th century B.C. He had been a
                                                                      student of Socrates, and the two fought together in the
                                                                      Peloponnesian War, each supposedly having saved the life


                                                               34�
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                                                                   of the other at some point.35

          Then let his grace, whose youth is flexible,             = ie. the king. = easily molded or guided, complaisant. 1
    606   And promiseth as much as we can wish,
          Freely enjoy that vain lightheaded earl;
    608   For riper years will wean him from such toys.            608: "when he is older, he will no longer occupy himself
                                                                      with such trifles (toys)."

    610   Y. Mort. Uncle, his wanton humour grieves not me;        = frivolous or lewd inclinations.
          But this I scorn, that one so basely born                = ie. Gaveston.
    612   Should by his sovereign's favour grow so pert,           = impertinent.
          And riot it with the treasure of the realm,              = ie. "and dissipate the kingdom's wealth through his
                                                                      extravagance".
    614   While soldiers mutiny for want of pay.                   = lack.

          He wears a lord's revénue on his back,                   615: Gaveston's clothes cost more than a wealthy noble
                                                                   could expect to earn in rent from his lands; the desire to wear
                                                                   the extravagant fashions favoured by the Elizabethans led
                                                                   more than one man to sell his lands so that he could afford to
                                                                   be stylish.6

    616   And, Midas-like, he jets it in the court,                616: Midas-like = allusion to the proud mythical king
                                                                      whose touch turned everything, including his wardrobe,
                                                                      to gold.
                                                                         jets it = struts.

          With base outlandish cullions at his heels,              617: foreign rogues, referring to the sycophantic retinue
                                                                   which follows Gaveston around.8 Briggs notes that the
                                                                   English nobility, which still spoke French in the 14th
                                                                   century, would not have likely felt the same bias against
                                                                   foreigners as the later Elizabethans did.6

    618   Whose proud fantastic liveries make such show,           = uniforms or outfits.
          As if that Proteus, god of shapes, appeared.             = famous "old man of the sea", a sea-god who famously
                                                                      could change himself into any shape or form, especially
                                                                      when a human tried to restrain him.

    620   I have not seen a dapper Jack so brisk;                  620: "I have never seen any knave (Jack) so finely dressed
                                                                      (brisk)2;" dapper is used contemptuously here.

          He wears a short Italian hooded cloak,                   621-3: the Elizabethans frequently mocked the continental
                                                                       fashions affected by courtiers.
    622   Larded with pearl, and in his Tuscan cap                 = lined.1
          A jewèl of more value than the crown.
    624   Whiles other walk below, the king and he                 = usually emended to the later quartos' while others.
          From out a window laugh at such as we,
    626   And flout our train, and jest at our attire.             = "mock our retinues".

          Uncle, 'tis this that makes me impatient.                = irate;2 Mortimer's complaints seem to be historically
    628                                                            accurate: though Gaveston had proven himself to be a good
                                                                   soldier and skilled servant of England, his impossibly
                                                                   overbearing attitude was the ultimate cause of his downfall.
                                                                   More than one commentator has written that, if only
                                                                   Gaveston had made an effort to win the favour of the nobles,
                                                                   the lives of both he and the king would more likely have been
                                                                   spared.
          E. Mort. But, nephew, now you see the king is changed.
    630


                                                            35�
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          Y. Mort. Then so am I, and live to do him service:
    632   But whiles I have a sword, a hand, a heart,                632-3: the scene essentially ends, as was often the case
          I will not yield to any such upstart.                         in Elizabethan drama, with a rhyming couplet.
    634   You know my mind: come, uncle, let's away.
    636                                                 [Exeunt.] 636: the Elder Mortimer makes no further appearances in our
                                                                     play; however, the real Lord of Chirk went on to fight at
                                                                     Bannockburn in 1314, in Scotland again in 1319 and 1320,
                                                                     and also fought with his nephew in the Despenser Wars of
                                                                     1321-2.

                                                                     Gaveston's 1309 Return from Exile: the king deserves
                                                                     much actual credit for engineering the return of his favourite
                                                                     after Gaveston was forced out of England in mid-1308.
                                                                     Edward successfully pursued a strategy of winning over his
                                                                     noble opponents one at a time, by doing them favours and
                                                                     bestowing gifts on them.
                                                                        For example, Edward: (1) confirmed the Earl of
                                                                     Gloucester's inheritance of the stewardship of England; (2)
                                                                     sided with the Archbishop of Canterbury in a dispute with
                                                                     the Florentine Frescobaldi family; and (3) gave
                                                                     Scarborough Castle as a gift to Henry Percy (who does not
                                                                     appear in our play).
                                                                        Edward also dismissed several of his disliked counselors,
                                                                     and convinced the pope to drop the church's threat to
                                                                     excommunicate Gaveston should he return to England.
                                                                        Gaveston arrived home in July 1309, when he was
                                                                     received by Edward at Chester in western England
                                                                     (Hutchison, p. 62-63).5
    638

                             END OF ACT I.




                                                               36�
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                                ACT II.
         SCENE I.
         A hall in the Earl of Gloucester's mansion.                 Scene I: the Earl of Gloucester has just died.


                               Enter Young Spenser and Baldock. Entering Characters: Young Spenser is Hugh le
                                                                     Despenser, the younger, a baron who is portrayed here as a
                                                                     retainer of the just-deceased Earl of Gloucester. Baldock is
                                                                     an educated man who also serves the Gloucesters, but more
                                                                     in the way of a household servant.

                                                                        Hugh le Despenser, the younger, (d. 1326) was married
                                                                     to Eleanor, the eldest daughter of the Earl of Gloucester.
                                                                     Contrary to Marlowe's portrayal of him as a partisan of
                                                                     Edward's in the Gaveston years, Despenser was a member of
                                                                     the opposition barons' party until long after Gaveston's
                                                                     demise. However, he never served Gloucester.
                                                                        Robert de Baldock (d. 1327) was a reasonably well-
                                                                     connected cleric who also never worked for Gloucester. The
                                                                     real Baldock instead attached himself to Edward's court as
                                                                     early in his career as possible, believing this was the fastest
                                                                     way to gain power and status for himself. Indeed, he grew
                                                                     wealthy as he was granted multiple ecclesiastical positions,
                                                                     also becoming Edward's Chancellor (Secretary) in 1323. His
                                                                     fortune was closely tied to that of the Despensers.

    1    Bald. Spenser,                                              1-3: As the scene opens, we learn that the Earl of Gloucester
    2    Seeing that our lord the Earl of Gloucester's dead,            has died, and Spenser and Baldock must decide to
         Which of the nobles dost thou mean to serve?                   whom they should turn their loyalties.
                                                                          The real Gloucester did not die until the post-
                                                                        Gaveston era, which ran from 1307 to 1312.
    4
         Spen. Not Mortimer, nor any of his side,                    = faction.
    6    Because the king and he are enemies.
         Baldock, learn this of me: a factious lord                  = rebellious.2
    8    Shall hardly do himself good, much less us;
         But he that hath the favour of a king,
    10   May with one word advance us while we live:                 = ie. "promote us" or "raise us in status".
         The liberal Earl of Cornwall is the man                     = generous.
    12   On whose good fortune Spenser's hope depends.               11-12: out of pure self-interest, Spenser suggests he will
                                                                        seek to join the king's party by becoming a retainer of
                                                                        Gaveston's.

    14   Bald. What, mean you then to be his follower?               = a feudal notion, in which one gains protection and
                                                                        patronage from another of superior status in return
                                                                        for services rendered.
    16   Y. Spen. No, his companion; for he loves me well,
         And would have once preferred me to the king.               = recommended; the line suggests Spenser was once a close
    18                                                                  friend of Gaveston's.
         Bald. But he is banished; there's small hope of him.
    20
         Y. Spen. Ay, for a while; but, Baldock, mark the end.       = ie. "just see what will happen"
    22   A friend of mine told me in secrecy
         That he's repealed and sent for back again;                 = recalled; it seems unlikely, given the joyous reconciliation
                                                                        between the barons and the king at the end of the last
                                                                        scene, that Gaveston's recall was much of a secret.

                                                               37�
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    24   And even now a post came from the court
         With letters to our lady from the king;                   = our lady is Margaret de Clare, Gloucester's sister; she
    26   And as she read she smiled, which makes me think             had been pegged to become Gaveston's wife ever since
         It is about her lover Gaveston.                              her uncle, our King Edward II, ascended the throne.
    28
         Bald. 'Tis like enough; for, since he was exíled,
    30   She neither walks abroad, nor comes in sight.             30: she never goes out, instead remaining hidden and alone.
         But I had thought the match had been broke off,
    32   And that his banishment had changed her mind.
    34   Y. Spen. Our lady's first love is not wavering;
         My life for thine, she will have Gaveston.                = "I'll bet my life against yours".
    36
         Bald. Then hope I by her means to be preferred,           = advanced or promoted in rank.

    38   Having read unto her since she was a child.               38: Baldock has attended university, which would have
                                                                   made him exceptionally able in reading and writing; this
                                                                   education is referred to, both directly and indirectly, multiple
                                                                   times throughout our play. Baldock here is indicating he too
                                                                   will follow the king's party.
                                                                      read unto her = "tutored her".14

    40   Y. Spen. Then, Baldock, you must cast the scholar off,    40f: in this speech, Spenser teases the educated Baldock for
                                                                   his modest dress, academic ways and fastidious manners,
                                                                   and instructs him on how to behave if he wants to advance at
                                                                   court. Learned characters in Elizabethan drama were
                                                                   frequently portrayed as bookish and embarrassingly
                                                                   unfashionable. Briggs suggests the targets here are Puritans,
                                                                   whose unstylish habits and overnice manners would have
                                                                   overlapped with those of a scholar.
         And learn to court it like a gentleman.
    42   'Tis not a black coat and a little band,                  42: black coat = traditional outerwear of a scholar (Ribner,
                                                                   p. 303).3
                                                                      little band = a modest collar or ruff which fit closely
                                                                   around the neck. The engraving of Shakespeare by
                                                                   Droesheut shows the poet wearing one. The unfashionable
                                                                   Baldock will have to learn to dress in the colorful and
                                                                   outlandish styles which were so favoured by members of the
                                                                   (Elizabethan) court.

         A velvet-caped cloak, faced before with serge,            = trimmed. = a woolen fabric, worn mostly by the poor. 1
    44   And smelling to a nosegay all the day,                    = bouquet of flowers or herbs.
         Or holding of a napkin in your hand,                      = handkerchief.
    46   Or saying a long grace at a table's end,                  = a monosyllable here.
         Or making low legs to a nobleman,                         = deep bows.
    48   Or looking downward with your eyelids close,              = ie. in extreme modesty and obsequiousness.
         And saying, "Truly, an't may please your honour,"         = if it.
    50   Can get you any favour with great men;
         You must be proud, bold, pleasant, resolute,
    52   And now and then stab, as occasion serves.                52: "and occasionally kill somebody if necessary."

    54   Bald. Spenser, thou know’st I hate such formal toys,      = superficialities.
         And use them but of mere hypocrisy.
    56   Mine old lord whiles he lived was so precise,             = ie. Gloucester. = fastidious.
         That he would take exceptions at my buttons,
    58   And being like pins' heads, blame me for the bigness;     = ie. "even when they were as tiny as pins' heads".



                                                             38�
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         Which made me curate-like in mine attire,                    = "which made me look like a cleric - or Puritan? - in my
                                                                      appearance", because of the unfashionable simplicity of his
                                                                      dress. Churchmen in general were expected to dress in black
                                                                      or other such somber colours.

    60   Though inwardly licentiöus enough,                           60-63: Baldock contrasts his true inner character with how
         And apt for any kind of villainy.                            he was forced to behave as a servant of Gloucester: though
    62   I am none of these common pedants, I,                        he is innately immoral (licentious) enough - actually capable
         That cannot speak without propterea quod.                    of performing any discreditable act - he is still more of a
                                                                      "regular guy" than a typical academic who can only
                                                                      communicate by speaking in the overly-formal and artificial
                                                                      style taught in universities (a pedant).
                                                                         propterea quod = Latin for "because": Verity11 suggests
                                                                      the sense of the line is that pedants "cannot speak without
                                                                      giving a reason for everything they say", emphasizing the
                                                                      degree to which such pedants are married to their sophistry.
    64
         Y. Spen. But one of those that saith, quandoquidem,          = also Latin for "because". The exact meaning of the
                                                                      exchange is unclear. Briggs suggests that of the two Latin
                                                                      synonyms, the former was more formal and out of favor
                                                                      (hence Baldock's sneering use of the phrase), while the latter
                                                                      reflected a more casual approach to language (p. 136). 6
                                                                      Spenser's point may be that despite Baldock's attempt to
                                                                      distance himself from the language of the pedants, he still
                                                                      retains a hint of affected speech.

    66   And hath a special gift to form a verb.                      = "say exactly the right thing", or "turn a phrase neatly." 9
                                                                         Spenser continues to mildly tease Baldock for his
                                                                         learning.
    68   Bald. Leave off this jesting, here my lady comes.
    70                    Enter King Edward’s Niece (Margaret). Entering Character: Margaret de Clare (1293-1342), like
                                                                      her brother the Earl of Gloucester, was the issue of Edward's
                                                                      sister Joan of Acre and her husband, the now-deceased 7th
                                                                      Earl of Gloucester, and hence the king's niece.

    72   Marg. The grief for his exíle was not so much,               = as great.
         As is the joy of his returning home.
    74   This letter came from my sweet Gaveston: −
         What needst thou, love, thus to excuse thyself?              75: "why do you feel the need to ask for my forgiveness?"
    76   I know thou couldst not come and visit me:
         [Reads] “I will not long be from thee, though I die.”
    78   This argues the entire love of my lord;                      78: "this is evidence of how unqualified is Gaveston's love
         [Reads] “When I forsake thee, death seize on my heart.”         for me."
    80   But rest thee here where Gaveston shall sleep.               = ie. near her bosom; see line 82.

    82                            [Puts the letter into her bosom.]
    84   Now to the letter of my lord the king. −
         He wills me to repair unto the court                         = commands or desires. = go.
    86   And meet my Gaveston? Why do I stay,                         = hesitate or delay.
         Seeing that he talks thus of my marriage-day? −
    88   Who's there? Baldock!                                        = common exclamation used to call for a servant.
         See that my coach be ready, I must hence.                    89: coach = an anachronism: early editors have long
    90                                                                   pointed out that coaches, referring to enclosed carriages,
                                                                         were not introduced into England until Elizabeth's time.7,8
                                                                           hence = ie. go from here.
         Bald. It shall be done, madam.

                                                             39�
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    92
          Marg. And meet me at the park pale presently.                = boundary (pale) of our estate's grounds (park)".1 Note
    94                                                                    also the double-alliteration in this line.
                                                     [Exit Baldock.]
    96
          Spenser, stay you and bear me company,                       97-98: an interesting mix of address forms: Margaret uses
    98    For I have joyful news to tell thee of;                      the polite you in 97, but the informal thee in 98, suggesting
                                                                       an additional degree of intimacy, as she is excited to share
                                                                       her happy gossip with him.7

          My lord of Cornwall is a-coming over,                        99: a-coming = the ancient prefix a- acts as an intensifier.1
    100   And will be at the court as soon as we.                         over = ie. over the water, to England from Ireland.

    102   Y. Spen. I knew the king would have him home again.
    104   Marg. If all things sort out, as I hope they will,           = work out.
          Thy service, Spenser, shall be thought upon.                 105: ie. "your service to me will be remembered."
    106
          Y. Spen. I humbly thank your ladyship.
    108
          Marg. Come lead the way, I long till I am there.             = feel a yearning.
    110
                                                           [Exeunt.] Gloucester's death and Margaret's marriage: Marlowe has
                                                                       hopelessly (and presumably deliberately, for dramatic
                                                                       efficiency) mangled the chronology of events: Margaret, the
                                                                       niece of Edward, actually married Gaveston in 1307, the
                                                                       year Edward ascended the throne, and the year before he
                                                                       was exiled to Ireland. The Earl of Gloucester, sister of
                                                                       Margaret and thus nephew of Edward, did not die until 1314
                                                                       at the Battle of Bannockburn.



          ACT II, SCENE II.
          Before the castle at Tynemouth in northern England.          Scene II: the royal party awaits the return of Gaveston
                                                                       from Ireland at Tynemouth on England's north-east coast.

                                                                          Gaveston, returning from Ireland in 1309, was met by the
                                                                       king at Chester in western England, logically enough; yet
                                                                       here Edward and the court are awaiting Gaveston's return
                                                                       by sea from Ireland on England's north-east shore, about as
                                                                       circuitous a trip as one can make from the Emerald Isle.
                                                                          The reason for this is that Marlowe is now beginning to
                                                                       fold into his plot the events that occurred after Gaveston was
                                                                       exiled yet a third time in 1311, specifically the nobles' open
                                                                       revolt against Edward and his favourite, the main action of
                                                                       which took place in and around Tynemouth in 1312.
            Enter King Edward, Queen Isabella, Kent, Lancaster,
           Young Mortimer, Warwick, Pembroke, and Attendants.

     1    K. Edw. The wind is good, I wonder why he stays;             = is delayed.

     2    I fear me he is wracked upon the sea.                        = common formula for "I fear". = ie. wrecked.

     4    Q. Isab. Look, Lancaster, how passionate he is,              = sorrowful;8 the line is likely spoken out of the king's
          And still his mind runs on his miniön!                          hearing.
     6
          Lanc. My lord. −

                                                               40�
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    8
         K. Edw. How now! what news? is Gaveston arrived?
    10
         Y. Mort. Nothing but Gaveston! What means your grace?
    12   You have matters of more weight to think upon;
         The king of France sets foot in Normandy.                    13: Mortimer is concerned that France is looking to regain
                                                                      control of this English province. France and England had
                                                                      always vied for supremacy in major swaths of what is now
                                                                      western France.
    14
         K. Edw. A trifle! We'll expel him when we please.            = ie. "I'll"; Edward employs the royal "we".

    16   But tell me Mortimer, what's thy device,                     = Edward has commanded the nobles to each come up
                                                                         with a device - a design or painting on a shield, usually
                                                                         accompanied by a motto - to be presented as part of the
                                                                         festivities celebrating Gaveston's return.6

         Against the stately triumph we decreed?                      = ie. made in preparation for. = pageant or tournament.1
    18
         Y. Mort. A homely one, my lord, not worth the telling.       = modest.2
    20
         K. Edw. Prithee let me know it.                              = please, an abbreviated form of "I pray thee".
    22
         Y. Mort. But seeing you are so desirous, thus it is:         = ie. desirous to know.
    24   A lofty cedar-tree, fair flourishing,
         On whose top-branches kingly eagles perch,
    26   And by the bark a canker creeps me up,                       26: "and up the bark creeps a caterpillar (canker)".
                                                                         creeps me up = a grammatical form known as the "ethical
                                                                      dative"; the redundant me behaves as an intensifier,
                                                                      indicating extra interest on the part of the speaker. The
                                                                      ethical dative could also be employed by a poet simply to get
                                                                      an extra syllable into a line to help it fit the meter, without
                                                                      otherwise changing the line's meaning.
         And gets unto the highest bough of all.
    28   The motto: Æque tandem.                                      = Latin: "Equal in the end."
                                                                         24-28: The symbolism of the tableau is not lost on
                                                                      Edward: the king himself is the tree, up which the canker -
                                                                      clearly Gaveston - climbs higher and higher until it has
                                                                      reached parity with, and even surpassed in status, the nobles
                                                                      themselves (represented by the eagles); this is at least how
                                                                      Edward will interpret the painting.
    30   K. Edw. And what is yours, my lord of Lancaster?
    32   Lanc. My lord, mine's more obscure than Mortimer's.          = abstract, ambiguous.1
         Pliny reports there is a flying fish                         33-37: the flying fish represents Gaveston.
    34   Which all the other fishes deadly hate,
         And therefore, being pursued, it takes the air:
    36   No sooner is it up, but there's a fowl
         That seizeth it: this fish, my lord, I bear,
    38   The motto this: Undique mors est.                            = Latin for "Death is on all sides".9
                                                                         32-38: there is no such description of flying fish in Pliny
                                                                      the Elder's famous Naturalis historia; Tancock observes the
                                                                      source of this bit of trivia was the Principle Navigations, or
                                                                      Hakluyt's Voyages (1584), English writer Richard Hakluyt's
                                                                      compendium of the voyage-narratives of the great English
                                                                      maritime travelers of the 16th century. The story of John
                                                                      Hawkin's second voyage (1564-5) describes the flying fish
                                                                      of Florida, which leap out of the water to escape the bonito

                                                                41�
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                                                                    fish, their natural enemy, only to be caught in mid-air by a
                                                                    certain sea-fowl, which enjoys a meal of both the flying fish
                                                                    and the bonitos.26

                                                                       The Roman Pliny the Elder (A.D. 23-70) was a life-long
                                                                    student of history and nature, and is most well-known today
                                                                    for having written the "Naturalis historia", a monumental
                                                                    ten-volume encyclopedia of what is still called natural
                                                                    history. The work is most well-known for its incredibly
                                                                    fanciful descriptions of "known facts" regarding animals,
                                                                    such as that "coupling is performed back to back by the
                                                                    elephant, the camel, the tiger, the lynx, the rhinoceros, the
                                                                    lion, the dasy-pus, and the rabbit" (Bostock, 9.43).19
    40   K. Edw. Proud Mortimer! ungentle Lancaster!
         Is this the love you bear your sovereign?
    42   Is this the fruit your reconcilement bears?
         Can you in words make show of amity,
    44   And in your shields display your rancourous minds!         = ie. full of ill-will or animosity.
         What call you this but private libelling
    46   Against the Earl of Cornwall and my brother?               = ie. still meaning Gaveston.
                                                                           40-46: Dyce assigns this speech to Kent, based on the
                                                                       use of my brother in the last line. He may be right to do
                                                                       so.

    48   Q. Isab. Sweet husband, be content; they all love you.     = ie. "be not so agitated."

    50   K. Edw. They love me not that hate my Gaveston.
         I am that cedar; shake me not too much;
    52   And you the eagles; soar ye ne'er so high,
         I have the jesses that will pull you down;                 = a term from falconry: a jess was a strap attached to the
                                                                       leg of a hawk, to which a leash could be attached. 4

    54   And Æque tandem shall that canker cry                      54-55: Gaveston will be the one to exclaim "equal in the
         Unto the proudest peer of Brittany.                           end", with reason, to all the nobles of England.
                                                                         Brittany = common term for Britain.
    56   Though thou compar'st him to a flying fish,
         And threatenest death whether he rise or fall,
    58   'Tis not the hugest monster of the sea,                    58-59: there is not a sea-creature (ie. nobleman) or harpy
         Nor foulest harpy that shall swallow him.                  large enough to swallow (ie. destroy) Gaveston.
    60                                                                 harpies = disgusting mythical monsters, often pictured as
                                                                    birds with the heads of maidens, who were wont to drop filth
                                                                    on food, rendering it inedible.20 Their mention in this line is
                                                                    not really apropos.
         Y. Mort. If in his absence thus he favours him,
    62   What will he do whenas he shall be present?                = when.

    64   Lanc. That shall we see; look, where his lordship comes!
    66                                            Enter Gaveston. = Gaveston was actually exiled twice during Edward II's
                                                                    reign: the first time from the spring of 1308 to July 1309 -
                                                                    this was when Gaveston when to Ireland - the second time
                                                                    from October 1311 to only November or December. The first
                                                                    exile ended when Edward received Gaveston at Chester; the
                                                                    second ended less publicly, as Gaveston seems to have snuck
                                                                    back into England before Christmas.
                                                                        After this second exile, Edward in early 1312 officially
                                                                    proclaimed the return of his favourite. The nobles responded
                                                                    by openly taking arms against the king (as is portrayed later
                                                                    in this scene).

                                                             42�
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                                                                     Edward and Gaveston fled north, first to Newcastle
                                                                  (about a dozen miles up the River Tyne), then to the castle at
                                                                  Tynemouth, at the mouth (naturally) of the Tyne.
                                                                     Marlowe has essentially omitted the details of the second
                                                                  exile; the situating of the scene at Tynemouth puts us in
                                                                  1312, after Gaveston's final return to England.

    68   K. Edw. My Gaveston!
         Welcome to Tynemouth! Welcome to thy friend!             = friend was an ambiguous word, as it was frequently used
                                                                  to mean "lover", in addition to its normal sense.
                                                                     It appears the entire court has travelled to the north of
                                                                  England to meet Gaveston. Tynemouth is on the shore of
                                                                  north-east England, facing the North Sea.

    70   Thy absence made me droop and pine away;                 = "languish" and "waste away with suffering". Marlowe was
                                                                       partial to using the two verbs together.

         For, as the lovers of fair Danaë,                        71-72: a reference to the popular myth of Danae: Acrisius,
    72   When she was locked up in a brazen tower,                the king of Argos, received an oracle that the future son of
                                                                  his daughter Danae would grow up to kill him. To prevent
                                                                  this event, Acrisius kept Danae locked away in a bronze
                                                                  (brazen) tower or underground apartment. Zeus visited her
                                                                  in the form of a shower of gold, which impregnated her,
                                                                  resulting in the birth of the Greek hero Perseus.

         Desired her more, and waxed outrageöus,                  = grew wild or unrestrained.2 There is no mythological basis
                                                                     for suggesting that Danae had any lovers, waxing out-
                                                                     rageous or not.6

    74   So did it fare with me: and now thy sight                = ie. like the yearning of Danae's invented lovers, Edward's
                                                                  desire to see Gaveston only increased when he was not
                                                                  permitted to see him during his exile. Edward is hardly
                                                                  flattering himself in comparing himself to the desperate
                                                                  suitors of a maiden.
                                                                      The first quarto actually prints "So it did sure with me";
                                                                  editors generally accept Dyce's emendation of sure to fare,
                                                                  the word which appeared in the 1622 edition.
         Is sweeter far than was thy parting hence
    76   Bitter and irksome to my sobbing heart.
    78   Gav. Sweet lord and king, your speech preventeth mine,   = anticipateth.
         Yet have I words left to express my joy:
    80   The shepherd nipped with biting winter's rage
         Frolics not more to see the painted spring               = brightly colourful or decked with flowers.1,11
    82   Than I do to behold your majesty.
    84   K. Edw. Will none of you salute my Gaveston?
    86   Lanc. Salute him? Yes; welcome, Lord Chamberlain!        86-92: the nobles are no doubt unenthusiastic, or sarcastic,
                                                                  in their welcomes, which may even be accompanied by rude
                                                                  gestures or the turning of their backs.
                                                                      The scene is based on a noted incident in which the Earl
                                                                  of Lancaster, meeting Edward in the north of England in
                                                                  1311, insultingly refused to salute Gaveston.
    88   Y. Mort. Welcome is the good Earl of Cornwall!
    90   War. Welcome, Lord Governor of the Isle of Man!
    92   Pemb. Welcome, master Secretary!

                                                           43�
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    94    Kent. Brother, do you hear them?
    96    K. Edw. Still will these earls and barons use me thus?        = treat.

    98    Gav. My lord, I cannot brook these injuries.                  = endure. = wrongs, insults.

    100   Q. Isab. [Aside] Ay me, poor soul, when these begin to jar!   = quarrel.

    102   K. Edw. Return it to their throats, I'll be thy warrant.      102: Return it to their throats = early version of the
                                                                        expression "throw it back in their faces".
                                                                           I'll be thy warrant = "I will be your surety against any
                                                                        harm that may be forthcoming as a result of anything you
                                                                        say in response." Gaveston gladly takes Edward up on his
                                                                        offer to insult the peers.

    104   Gav. Base, leaden earls, that glory in your birth,            = worthless, ie. an antonym for "golden". 1
          Go sit at home and eat your tenants' beef;
    106   And come not here to scoff at Gaveston,
          Whose mounting thoughts did never creep so low                = soaring.
    108   As to bestow a look on such as you.
    110   Lanc. Yet I disdain not to do this for you.                   104-110: note that both Gaveston and Lancaster use you to
                                                                        address each other, keeping the thinnest veneer of formality
                                                                        in the exchange; at 120, however, Gaveston switches to thee,
                                                                        an unambiguous demonstration of contempt.

    112             [Draws his sword and offers to stab Gaveston.] = threatens or attempts; the stage directions here and at lines
                                                                           124 and 130 were added by Dyce.

    114   K. Edw. Treason, treason! Where's the traitor?                114: Bevington notes that it was considered treasonous to
                                                                           draw a weapon in the presence of the monarch.

    116   Pemb. [Pointing to Gaveston] Here, here!                      116: the stage direction was suggested by Bevington.

    118   K. Edw. Convey hence Gaveston; they'll murder him.            = "get Gaveston out of here."

    120   Gav. The life of thee shall salve this foul disgrace.         = remedy, make up for.

    122   Y. Mort. Villain! thy life unless I miss mine aim.            = ie. "you are dead".

    124                                         [Wounds Gaveston.] 124: no such event ever actually took place.
                                                                           Here is as good a place as any to mention Gaveston's
                                                                        entertaining, but unfortunately fatal, habit of giving insulting
                                                                        nicknames to the nobles he should have been wooing instead
                                                                        of provoking: Warwick, for example, he called "the black
                                                                        hound of Ardern", Lancaster was "the fiddler", and
                                                                        Gloucester "whoreson". Gaveston's continuing inability to
                                                                        recognize how beneficial it would have been for him to
                                                                        mollify the barons is, for us looking back, highly frustrating.

    126   Q. Isab. Ah! furious Mortimer, what hast thou done?           126: the queen's use of thou to Mortimer, in contrast with
                                                                           that of Gaveston and the barons, is an affectionate one.

    128   Y. Mort. No more than I would answer, were he slain.          = ie. answer for.

    130                            [Exit Gaveston with Attendants.]
    132   K. Edw. Yes, more than thou canst answer, though he live;
          Dear shall you both abye this riotous deed.                   133: "you both (Lancaster and Mortimer) shall pay dearly
    134   Out of my presence! Come not near the court.                     for (abye) this disorderly (riotous) deed."23



                                                                  44�
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    136   Y. Mort. I'll not be barred the court for Gaveston.          = ie. barred from. = ie. because of.

    138   Lanc. We'll hale him by the ears unto the block.             = ie. where he would be beheaded.

    140   K. Edw. Look to your own heads; his is sure enough.          = safe.

    142   War. Look to your own crown, if you back him thus.           = "support or stand behind Gaveston like this."

    144   Kent. Warwick, these words do ill beseem thy years.          144: Warwick was only in his 30's at the time, hardly old;
                                                                          alternatively, Kent can simply be commenting on such
                                                                          poor judgment being shown by a supposed adult.

    146   K. Edw. Nay, all of them conspire to cross me thus;          = thwart.
          But if I live, I'll tread upon their heads
    148   That think with high looks thus to tread me down. −
          Come, Edmund, let's away, and levy men;                      = raise an army.
    150   'Tis war that must abate these barons' pride.
    152             [Exit King Edward, Queen Isabella, and Kent.]
    154   War. Let's to our castles, for the king is moved.            = angry.

    156   Y. Mort. Moved may he be, and perish in his wrath!
    158   Lanc. Cousin, it is no dealing with him now;                 = ie. there.
          He means to make us stoop by force of arms;                  = bow down, ie. submit.
    160   And therefore let us jointly here protest,                   = vow (to each other).
          To prosecute that Gaveston to the death.                     = pursue.
    162
          Y. Mort. By Heaven, the abject villain shall not live!       = contemptible.
    164
          War. I'll have his blood, or die in seeking it.
    166
          Pemb. The like oath Pembroke takes.
    168
          Lanc. And so doth Lancaster.
    170   Now send our heralds to defy the king;                       = renounce (our) allegiance to.1
          And make the people swear to put him down.
    172
                                               [Enter a Messenger.]
    174
          Y. Mort. Letters! From whence?
    176
          Mess. From Scotland, my lord.
    178
                                       [Giving letters to Mortimer.]
    180
          Lanc. Why, how now, cousin, how fare all our friends?
    182
          Y. Mort. My uncle's taken prisoner by the Scots.             = at Act I.iv.593, the Elder Mortimer announced he was
                                                                          going north to join the war against the Scots. There is no
                                                                          historical basis for this development.
    184
          Lanc. We'll have him ransomed, man; be of good cheer.        185: prisoners of rank were typically held for ransom.
    186
          Y. Mort. They rate his ransom at five thousand pound.        187: according to the Bank of England's online inflation
                                                                       calculator, the modern value of the Elder Mortimer's ransom
                                                                       is 5 million pounds.34


                                                                45�
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    188   Who should defray the money but the king,
          Seeing he is taken prisoner in his wars?
    190   I'll to the king.                                           190: "I'll go to the king." Note that the word of action (go)
                                                                      is omitted here, where a word of intent (will) is present, a
                                                                      common grammatical construction. The effect is repeated
                                                                      immediately below in lines 195, 217 and 225.
    192   Lanc. Do, cousin, and I'll bear thee company.
    194   War. Meantime, my lord of Pembroke and myself
          Will to Newcastle here, and gather head.                    195: will to = will go to.
    196                                                                   Newcastle = Newcastle is about a dozen miles up the
                                                                      River Tyne; Tynemouth, where the court is at the moment, is
                                                                      at the mouth of the river.
                                                                          gather head = raise an army; such a force would be made
                                                                      up of like-minded nobles and the knights who owe them a
                                                                      feudal obligation of military service.
          Y. Mort. About it then, and we will follow you.
    198
          Lanc. Be resolute and full of secrecy.
    200
          War. I warrant you.                                         201: "I guarantee it."
    202
                                   [Exit Warwick with Pembroke.]
    204
          Y. Mort. Cousin, and if he will not ransom him,             = if. = ie. Edward.
    206   I'll thunder such a peal into his ears,                     = discharge or volley.1
          As never subject did unto his king.
    208
          Lanc. Content, I'll bear my part – Holla! who's there?      209: content = "good", or "don't worry".
    210                                                                    Holla! who's there? = Lancaster calls for one of
                                                                         the king's guards to take him and Younger Mortimer to
                                                                         see Edward.
                                                      Enter Guard.
    212
          Y. Mort. Ay, marry, such a guard as this doth well.         213: marry = an oath, derived from the name of the Virgin
    214                                                               Mary.
                                                                         such…well = Bevington suggests the guard may consist
                                                                      of several men; Mortimer thus is pointing out that the king
                                                                      has done smartly to protect himself so well.
          Lanc. Lead on the way.
    216
          Guard. Whither will your lordships?                         217: "to where (wither) do your lordships wish to go?"
    218
          Y. Mort. Whither else but to the king?
    220
          Guard. His highness is disposed to be alone.
    222
          Lanc. Why, so he may, but we will speak to him.
    224
          Guard. You may not in, my lord.
    226
          Y. Mort. May we not?
    228
                                    Enter King Edward and Kent. 229: the scene moves to inside Tynemouth Castle;8 the
    230                                                               audience is to understand that Lancaster and Mortimer have
                                                                      forced their way into the fortress.
          K. Edw. How now!

                                                                46�
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    232   What noise is this? who have we there, is't you?
    234                                                       [Going.]
    236   Y. Mort. Nay, stay, my lord, I come to bring you news;
          Mine uncle's taken prisoner by the Scots.
    238
          K. Edw. Then ransom him.
    240
          Lanc. 'Twas in your wars; you should ransom him.               241: considering their recent treatment of Gaveston, the
                                                                            nobles can hardly expect the king to be responsive to
                                                                            their request.
    242
          Y. Mort. And you shall ransom him, or else −                   = according to the OED, this was the first time in English
    244                                                                     literature that this phrase, with its still current use as an
                                                                            implied threat, was employed.1
          Kent. What! Mortimer, you will not threaten him?
    246
          K. Edw. Quiet yourself, you shall have the broad seal,         247-8: Edward means Mortimer will be given royal sanction
    248   To gather for him thoroughout the realm.                       to travel around England to collect alms (gather for him) to
                                                                         pay his uncle's ransom - an insult to Mortimer indeed, who
                                                                         would expect the king to hand over 5000 pounds.
                                                                             The broad seal is the Great Seal of England, whose wax
                                                                         impression on a document is proof of the authenticity of a
                                                                         document; there were severe laws against vagabonds, but a
                                                                         royal license to beg would immunize one against
                                                                         punishment.6
                                                                             thoroughout = ie. throughout, a common alternate form.

    250   Lanc. Your minion Gaveston hath taught you this.               250: "this was Gaveston's idea", or "Gaveston taught you
                                                                            to treat us this way."
    252   Y. Mort. My lord, the family of the Mortimers
          Are not so poor, but, would they sell their land,              = "if they were to".
    254   Would levy men enough to anger you.                            = Dyce emends Would to a later quarto's T'would.
          We never beg, but use such prayers as these.
    256
                                               [Striking his sword.] = patting or putting his hand to.1 The stage direction is
    258                                                                     Briggs'.6
          K. Edw. Shall I still be haunted thus?
    260
          Y. Mort. Nay, now you’re here alone, I'll speak my mind.
    262
          Lanc. And so will I, and then, my lord, farewell.
    264
          Y. Mort. The idle triumphs, masks, lascivious shows,           = foolish. = ie. masques, brief plays.
    266   And prodigal gifts bestowed on Gaveston,                       = wasteful.
          Have drawn thy treasure dry, and made thee weak;               = ie. treasury.

    268   The murmuring commons, overstretchèd, break.                   268: "the inhabitants of England, who are complaining under
                                                                         their breaths, have been bled dry by taxes, and are at their
                                                                         breaking point."
                                                                            break = the quartos end the sentence with hath,
                                                                         suggesting a concluding sentence to the speech may have
                                                                         been lost; we accept Dyce's emendation of hath to break.

                                                                            Mortimer's complaint is historical: the chronicles
                                                                         describe Gaveston's large-scale embezzlement of the wealth
                                                                         of England, which was of such a degree that, as the National


                                                                 47�
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                                                                 Biography wrote, the "commons groaned under the
                                                                 exactions of (Edward's) purveyors and collectors."

    270   Lanc. Look for rebellion, look to be deposed;          270-6: Lancaster lists a number of foreign policy disasters
                                                                    that have occurred under Edward's neglectful watch.

          Thy garrisons are beaten out of France,                271: in 1324, the French king began to attack English
    272   And, lame and poor, lie groaning at the gates.            possessions in western France; see the later note at
                                                                    Act III.ii.99.

          The wild Oneyl, with swarms of Irish kerns,            273-4: the reference is to the O'Neills of Ireland, who sent
    274   Lives uncontrolled within the English pale.            aid to the Bruces (Robert and his brother Edward) of
                                                                 Scotland when the Scots, buoyed by their spectacular
                                                                 success at Bannockburn, invaded Ireland in 1315, perhaps to
                                                                 begin a general Celtic uprising against the English, or to use
                                                                 Ireland as a staging ground for attacking England from the
                                                                 west. Edward Bruce, with the consent of O'Neill of Tyrone,
                                                                 was even crowned king in Dublin in 1317.35 The quixotic
                                                                 adventure ended when Edward was killed in battle in 1318,
                                                                 and Robert had returned home to protect his own borders.
                                                                     kerns = Irish foot-soldiers, understood to be made up of
                                                                 the scum of society.8,10
                                                                     the English pale = the Pale was used to describe those
                                                                 parts of Ireland under English control, primarily in the
                                                                 region of Dublin.1,6

          Unto the walls of York the Scots make road,            275-6: for make and draw, the quartos actually printed
    276   And unresisted draw away rich spoils.                  made and drave (a past tense form of "drive") respectively,
                                                                 but because the clauses should be in the past tense, we
                                                                 accept Dyce's emendation of the words to make and draw.
                                                                    275: road = inroads; Lancaster is describing extensive
                                                                 raiding of northern England by the Scottish.

                                                                 275-6: Whereas Edward's father was known as the "Hammer
                                                                 of the Scots", our Edward might appropriately have earned
                                                                 the nickname "Washcloth of the Scots". Two invasions of
                                                                 Scotland (1307, 1310) during the Gaveston years (1307-
                                                                 1312) accomplished nothing. A third invasion led to one of
                                                                 the greatest defeats in English history, the Battle of
                                                                 Bannockburn, in 1314. Edward spent most of two later years
                                                                 (1318-1320) leading troops in Scotland, but the natives
                                                                 avoided battle, and, led by Robert Bruce, managed to raid
                                                                 England regularly behind Edward's army.
                                                                    One last expedition in 1322 was a further failure, but it
                                                                 did result finally in a 13-year truce with the Scots. In the
                                                                 intervening years the Scots continued to raid northern
                                                                 England regularly, and a weak Edward combined with
                                                                 unsupportive barons did little to stop them.

    278   Y. Mort. The haughty Dane commands the narrow seas,    278: haughty = arrogant.
          While in the harbour ride thy ships unrigged.             narrow seas = the phrase referred to both the English
                                                                 Channel and that part of the Irish Sea directly west of
                                                                 England.1,7
                                                                    There is no historical foundation for this claim about the
                                                                 Danish, though it is true that the Danes were among the
                                                                 dominant sea-faring powers in Marlowe's own day.6
    280
          Lanc. What foreign prince sends thee ambassadors?      = note that the nobles, in their disdain for Edward, address
                                                                    him using the inappropriate and highly insulting thee,
                                                                    rather than the expected, respectful you.

                                                           48�
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    282
          Y. Mort. Who loves thee, but a sort of flatterers?          = crew.
    284
          Lanc. Thy gentle queen, sole sister to Valois,              = Isabella was the lone daughter of King Philip IV of
    286   Complains that thou hast left her all forlorn.              France; Isabella also had three brothers, all kings of
                                                                      France: Charles IV, Philip V, and Louis X.
                                                                          To avoid overcomplicating the plot, Marlowe basically
                                                                      has Charles IV as the king of France throughout the events
                                                                      of the play, though he did not actually come to the throne
                                                                      until 1322, a decade after the final removal of Gaveston from
                                                                      England.
                                                                          Unfortunately, Marlowe repeatedly refers to Charles IV
                                                                      as Valois, confusing him with his (and Isabella's) uncle
                                                                      Charles of Valois and her cousin Philip V of Valois, who
                                                                      ascended the throne in 1328, after the events of the play
                                                                      (except for the last scene).

    288   Y. Mort. Thy court is naked, being bereft of those          288-290: briefly, England's nobles no longer appear at court,
          That make a king seem glorious to the world;                   their natural hangout.
    290   I mean the peers, whom thou shouldst dearly love:
          Libels are cast again thee in the street;                   = defamatory leaflets or pamphlets.7 = against.8
    292   Ballads and rhymes made of thy overthrow.
    294   Lanc. The northern borderers, seeing the houses burnt,      = those inhabitants of England living near enough to the
          Their wives and children slain, run up and down,               Scottish border to be victims of Scottish raids.
    296   Cursing the name of thee and Gaveston.
    298   Y. Mort. When wert thou in the field with banner spread,    298-9: When wert…once? = as shown by the details in
          But once? and then thy soldiers marched like players,       the note above at lines 275-6, this criticism of Edward is not
                                                                      quite fair: Edward tried multiple times during his reign to
                                                                      bring the Scots to heel. He just wasn't very good at it.
                                                                         players = actors.
    300   With garish robes, not armour; and thyself,
          Bedaubed with gold, rode laughing at the rest,              = garishly adorned; Mortimer describes Edward's sole
                                                                         journey to Scotland with an army as a joke and a lark.
                                                                         His description is based on a passage in one of the
                                                                         chronicles.

    302   Nodding and shaking of thy spangled crest,                  = helmet covered with gold sparkles.
          Where women's favours hung like labels down.                = tokens of love.11 = ribbons.22
    304
          Lanc. And thereof came it, that the fleering Scots,         = mocking or sneering.
    306   To England's high disgrace, have made this jig;             = satirical song or ditty;9 the following bit of doggerel
                                                                         actually appears in one of the ancient chronicles.10
    308   “Maids of England, sore may you mourn, −
            For your lemans you have lost at Bannocksbourn, −         309: lemans = sweethearts.2
                                                                         Bannocksbourn = the Battle of Bannockburn occurred
                                                                      in 1314, two years after the final removal of Gaveston from
                                                                      the court. At Bannockburn, 6000 Scots, led by Robert Bruce,
                                                                      crushed an army of 15,000 English infantry supported by
                                                                      2500 heavy cavalry (Hutchison, p. 79). 5
    310      With a heave and a ho!
            What weeneth the king of England                          311: "what was Edward thinking"; to ween is to imagine.23

    312     So soon to have woon Scotland? −                          = won, an alternate form; contemporary evidence suggests
                                                                         woon could be pronounced to rhyme with soon.

               With a rombelow!”                                      = a nonsense word, used in the refrains of songs. 1

                                                                49�
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    314
          Y. Mort. Wigmore shall fly, to set my uncle free.           = ie. Mortimer's castle at Wigmore will be sold to raise
                                                                         funds to free his uncle.8 Young Mortimer himself had
                                                                         the title of the eighth Lord of Wigmore.
    316
          Lanc. And when 'tis gone, our swords shall purchase more.   = "get us even more money" , ie. by force.
    318   If ye be moved, revenge it as you can;                      = aroused to anger. = "if", or "as best as".
          Look next to see us with our ensigns spread                 = standards.
    320
                            [Exit Lancaster with Young Mortimer.]
    322
          K. Edw. My swelling heart for very anger breaks!
    324   How oft have I been baited by these peers,
          And dare not be revengèd, for their power is great!         325: a line with 12 syllables, known as an alexandrine.
    326   Yet, shall the crowing of these cockerels                   = young cocks.2
          Affright a lion? Edward, unfold thy paws,                   = symbolizing the king, Edward.
    328   And let their lives' blood slake thy fury's hunger.
          If I be cruël and grow tyrannous,
    330   Now let them thank themselves, and rue too late.            = regret it.

    332   Kent. My lord, I see your love to Gaveston
          Will be the ruin of the realm and you,
    334   For now the wrathful nobles threaten wars;
          And therefore, brother, banish him forever.
    336
          K. Edw. Art thou an enemy to my Gaveston?
    338
          Kent. Ay, and it grieves me that I favoured him.
    340
          K. Edw. Traitor, begone! Whine thou with Mortimer.
    342
          Kent. So will I, rather than with Gaveston.
    344
          K. Edw. Out of my sight, and trouble me no more!
    346
          Kent. No marvel though thou scorn thy noble peers,          = ie. "it's no surprise that".
    348   When I thy brother am rejected thus.
    350                                                 [Exit Kent.] 350: as mentioned earlier, Edward's half-brother Edmund,
                                                                      first Earl of Kent, born in 1301, was too young to play any
                                                                      part in the Gaveston drama.
    352   K. Edw. Away! −
          Poor Gaveston, that hast no friend but me,
    354   Do what they can, we'll live in Tynemouth here;
          And, so I walk with him about the walls,                    = ie. "so long as".
    356   What care I though the earls begirt us round? −             = "surround us".
          Here comes she that is cause of all these jars.
    358
                  Enter Queen Isabella with King Edward’s Niece Entering Characters: Margaret has brought her family's
    360              (Margaret de Clare), two Ladies-in-Waiting,  servants Baldock and Young Spencer with her to intro-
                         Gaveston, Baldock, and Young Spenser.    duce to the king.
    362
          Q. Isab. My lord, 'tis thought the earls are up in arms.
    364
          K. Edw. Ay, and 'tis likewise thought you favour 'em.
    366


                                                                50�
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          Q. Isab. Thus do you still suspect me without cause?
    368
          Marg. Sweet uncle! speak more kindly to the queen.
    370
          Gav. My lord, dissemble with her, speak her fair.          371: Gaveston likely speaks this line as an aside to the king.
    372
          K. Edw. Pardon me, sweet, I [had] forgot myself.
    374
          Q. Isab. Your pardon 's quickly got of Isabel.
    376
          K. Edw. The younger Mortimer is grown so brave,
    378   That to my face he threatens civil wars.
    380   Gav. Why do you not commit him to the Tower?               380: a bit of foreshadowing.

    382   K. Edw. I dare not, for the people love him well.
    384   Gav. Why, then we'll have him privily made away.           = secretly made to disappear, with all that connotes.

    386   K. Edw. Would Lancaster and he had both caroused           = if only. = toasted and drank.
          A bowl of poison to each other's health!
    388   But let them go, and tell me what are these.               388: "but forget about them for now; tell me who are these
                                                                        two", referring to Young Spenser and Baldock.
    390   Marg. Two of my father's servants whilst he lived, −
          May't please your grace to entertain them now.             = employ. The request, made as it is by Edward's niece,
                                                                        is not out of line.
    392
          K. Edw. Tell me, where wast thou born? what is             393: arms = coat of arms, which offered status to the bearer.
             thine arms?
    394
          Bald. My name is Baldock, and my gentry                    = rank of gentleman; gentry is tri-syllabic here: GEN-te-ry.

    396   I fetch'd from Oxford, not from heraldry.                  396: the rank of gentleman was not a clearly defined one in
                                                                     Elizabethan times; if one could raise one's wealth and status
                                                                     to a level wherein one did not have to work manually for a
                                                                     living, one could claim gentleman status. The rank could
                                                                     automatically be assumed if the College of Arms granted
                                                                     one a coat of arms (as the Shakespeares received in the
                                                                     1590's), but was also claimed by those who attended college.
                                                                        The name Oxford, as applied to the university, did not
                                                                     enter the English language until the 15th century. 1
                                                                        We have seen in an earlier scene how Baldock is assigned
                                                                     the role of the "educated" character.

    398   K. Edw. The fitter art thou, Baldock, for my turn.         = needs. Baldock will be appointed Edward's Chancellor,
                                                                        or secretary, thanks to his literacy.
          Wait on me, and I'll see thou shalt not want.              399: "if you serve me, I will see to it that you will not be
    400                                                                 lacking", ie. he will be well taken care of.
          Bald. I humbly thank your majesty.
    402
          K. Edw. Knowest thou him, Gaveston?                        403: Edward now regards Young Spenser.
    404
          Gav.                                    Ay, my lord;
    406   His name is Spenser, he is well-allied.                    = of a good family.6
          For my sake, let him wait upon your grace;
    408   Scarce shall you find a man of more desert.                = ie. more deserving.

    410   K. Edw. Then, Spenser, wait upon me. For his sake          = ie. Gaveston's.


                                                               51�
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          I'll grace thee with a higher style ere long.                 = greater title. In 1313, after Gaveston's removal, Young
    412                                                                    Despenser was appointed the king's Chamberlain, but
                                                                           by the barons, not the king.
          Spen. No greater titles happen unto me,
    414   Than to be favoured of your majesty!                          = "by". Note the rhyming couplet of 413-4.

    416   K. Edw. Cousin, this day shall be your marriage-feast; −      = ie. meaning Margaret; cousin was a generic form of
                                                                           address for any of one's kin.
          And, Gaveston, think that I love thee well,
    418   To wed thee to our niece, the only heir                       418-9: Gloucester actually had three sisters who shared
          Unto the Earl of Gloucester late deceased.                    his immense estate: the earl had properties "extending over
                                                                        twenty-three English counties, to say nothing of his immense
                                                                        possessions in Wales and Ireland." Needless to say, there
                                                                        was plenty of wealth for everybody.
    420
          Gav. I know, my lord, many will stomach me,                   = resent.
    422   But I respect neither their love nor hate.                    = value, care for.1

    424   K. Edw. The headstrong barons shall not limit me;
          He that I list to favour shall be great.                      = choose.
    426   Come, let's away; and, when the marriage ends,                = ie. "when the marriage ceremony is over".
          Have at the rebels, and their 'complices!                     = the phrase to have at (someone) was used to signal a
    428                                                                    desire to begin a confrontation.
                                                            [Exeunt.]


          ACT II, SCENE III.
          The neighbourhood of Tynemouth Castle.

                Enter Kent, Lancaster, Young Mortimer, Warwick, Entering Characters: Kent, having broken with his brother
                                           Pembroke, and others. the king, looks to join up with the nobles who have already
                                                                        declared themselves Edward's enemies.

     1    Kent. My lords, of love to this our native land               = for.
     2    I come to join with you and leave the king;
          And in your quarrel and the realm's behoof                    = "for the good of the realm".
     4    Will be the first that shall adventure life.                  = "risk my".

     6    Lanc. I fear me, you are sent of policy,                      6-7: Lancaster, not unreasonably, worries Kent has been
          To undermine us with a show of love.                             sent to spy on them on behalf of the king.
     8                                                                        of policy = in deceit.9
          War. He is your brother; therefore have we cause
    10    To cast the worst, and doubt of your revolt.                  10: cast = think, ie. believe.8
                                                                              doubt of your revolt = "suspect the legitimacy of your
                                                                           supposed turning against your brother."

    12    Kent. Mine honour shall be hostage of my truth:               = a pledge for.11
          If that will not suffice, farewell, my lords.                 13: if Kent's word is not good enough, then he will not be
                                                                           interested to pursue a relationship with the other men.
    14
          Y. Mort. Stay, Edmund: never was Plantagenet                  = the Plantagenet line ruled England for over three cen-
    16    False of his word, and therefore trust we thee.                  turies, beginning with Henry II in 1154, and ending with
                                                                           Richard III in 1485.
    18    Pemb. But what's the reason you should leave him now?
    20    Kent. I have informed the Earl of Lancaster.

                                                                52�
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    22   Lanc. And it sufficeth. Now, my lords, know this,                = "that's good enough for me."
         That Gaveston is secretly arrived,                               23: there is an inconsistency: in Act II.ii.66ff, all the nobles
    24   And here in Tynemouth frolics with the king.                        were present to welcome Gaveston to Tynemouth.
         Let us with these our followers scale the walls,
    26   And suddenly surprise them unawares.
    28   Y. Mort. I'll give the onset.                                    = ie. signal to attack.

    30   War.                        And I'll follow thee.
    32   Y. Mort. This tottered ensign of my ancestors,                   = tattered.

         Which swept the desert shore of that dead sea                    33-34: the name of Mortimer could be traced back to the
    34   Whereof we got the name of Mortimer,                             family's origins in Normandy and the village of Mortemer, 35
                                                                          but Young Mortimer, more romantically, asserts the name
                                                                          can be traced to an ancestor's heroic participation in one of
                                                                          the Crusades to the Levant along the Dead Sea - mer mort in
                                                                          French.

         Will I advance upon this castle[’s] walls. −                     = the quartos print this castle walls; an alternative emen-
                                                                             dation would be these castle walls.

    36   Drums, strike alarum, raise them from their sport,               36: alarum = the call to arms.
                                                                             raise…sport = "let's rouse the king and his companions
                                                                          from their leisure activities"; no doubt Mortimer is hinting at
                                                                          the king's lewd relationship with his favourite.

         And ring aloud the knell of Gaveston!                            = ie. death knell.
    38
         Lanc. None be so hardy as to touch the king;
    40   But neither spare you Gaveston, nor his friends.
                                                             [Exeunt.]


         ACT II, SCENE IV.
         Inside Tynemouth Castle.

                                                            [Alarums.] = stage direction added by Bevington, to indicate the battle
                                                                             has commenced.
                Enter severally King Edward and Young Spenser. = individually, ie. from opposite directions.
    1    K. Edw. O tell me, Spenser, where is Gaveston?
    2
         Spen. I fear me he is slain, my gracious lord.
    4
         K. Edw. No, here he comes; now let them spoil and kill.          = plunder; Edward again displays emotional detachment
                                                                             from the rebellion of the barons - so long as Gaveston
                                                                             is safe, the attackers can do as they wish.
    6
                     Enter Queen Isabella, King Edward’s Niece, = ie. Margaret, now Gaveston's husband.
    8                                     Gaveston, and Nobles.
    10   Fly, fly, my lords, the earls have got the hold;                 = flee, ie. "run away!" = castle.
         Take shipping, and away to Scarborough.                          = "escape by sea"; Tynemouth Castle is on a small penin-
                                                                             sula jutting into the North Sea.

                                                                  53�
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    12   Spenser and I will post away by land.                        = hurriedly ride.

    14   Gav. O stay, my lord, they will not injure you.
    16   K. Edw. I will not trust them; Gaveston, away!
    18   Gav. Farewell, my lord.
    20   K. Edw. Lady, farewell.
    22   Marg. Farewell, sweet uncle, till we meet again.             22: Margaret will accompany her husband Gaveston by
                                                                         boat to the castle at Scarborough, about 70 miles south
                                                                         of Tynemouth.
    24   K. Edw. Farewell, sweet Gaveston; and farewell, niece.
    26   Q. Isab. No farewell to poor Isabel thy queen?
    28   K. Edw. Yes, yes, for Mortimer, your lover's sake.
    30   Q. Isab. Heaven can witness I love none but you.
    32                             [Exeunt all but Queen Isabella.] 32: historically speaking, Edward and Gaveston fled by
                                                                      boat together to Scarborough; from there Edward went
                                                                      alone to York, hoping to divert the army of the nobles in
                                                                      order to save Gaveston.
    34   From my embracements thus he breaks away.
         O that mine arms could close this isle about,
    36   That I might pull him to me where I would!                   = ie. want to.
         Or that these tears, that drizzle from mine eyes,
    38   Had power to mollify his stony heart,
         That, when I had him, we might never part.                   38-39: a rhyming couplet.
    40
                     Enter Lancaster, Warwick, Young Mortimer, 41-42: the barons enter Tynemouth Castle.
    42                               and others. Alurums within.
    44   Lanc. I wonder how he scaped!
    46   Y. Mort.                     Who's this? The queen!
    48   Q. Isab. Ay, Mortimer, the miserable queen,
         Whose pining heart her inward sighs have blasted,            = tormented. = brought to grief.
    50   And body with continual mourning wasted:
         These hands are tired with haling of my lord                 = ie. attempting to drag.2
    52   From Gaveston, from wicked Gaveston,
         And all in vain; for, when I speak him fair,                 = ie. kindly to Edward.
    54   He turns away, and smiles upon his miniön.
    56   Y. Mort. Cease to lament, and tell us where's the king?
    58   Q. Isab. What would you with the king? Is't him you seek?    = ie. "do you want with".

    60   Lanc. No, madam, but that cursèd Gaveston.
         Far be it from the thought of Lancaster
    62   To offer violence to his sovereign!
         We would but rid the realm of Gaveston:
    64   Tell us where he remains, and he shall die.
    66   Q. Isab. He's gone by water unto Scarborough;
         Pursue him quickly, and he cannot 'scape;

                                                              54�
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    68    The king hath left him, and his train is small.               = retinue.

    70    War. Forslow no time, sweet Lancaster; let's march.           = "let us not delay"; forslow = an awesome and ancient
                                                                          verb, meaning "to be slow".1
    72    Y. Mort. How comes it that the king and he is parted?
    74    Q. Isab. That this your army, going several ways,             = separate.
          Might be of lesser force, and with the power                  = army.
    76    That he intendeth presently to raise,
          Be easily suppressed; therefore be gone!                      74-77: Edward's strategy, as described by Isabella, is to hope
                                                                        that the barons will split up their army to hunt for the king
                                                                        and Gaveston separately, and that in the meantime Edward
                                                                        can raise an army which will defeat the smaller barons'
                                                                        armies in detail.
    78
          Y. Mort. Here in the river rides a Flemish hoy;               = small passenger vessel used mainly along a coast.7
    80    Let's all aboard, and follow him amain.                       = quickly;2 Mortimer suggests they all go after Gaveston.

    82    Lanc. The wind that bears him hence will fill our sails:      = from here.
          Come, come, aboard, 'tis but an hour's sailing.               = their little sailboat would have to go impossibly fast to
    84                                                                     make it to Scarborough 70 miles away in an hour.
          Y. Mort. Madam, stay you within this castle here.
    86
          Q. Isab. No, Mortimer; I'll to my lord the king.
    88
          Y. Mort. Nay, rather sail with us to Scarborough.
    90
          Q. Isab. You know the king is so suspiciöus,
    92    As if he hear I have but talked with you,
          Mine honour will be called in questiön;
    94    And therefore, gentle Mortimer, be gone.
    96    Y. Mort. Madam, I cannot stay to answer you,
          But think of Mortimer as he deserves.                         97: Mortimer speaks of himself in the third person.
    98
                                [Exeunt all except Queen Isabella.]
    100
          Q. Isab. So well hast thou deserved, sweet Mortimer,
    102   As Isabel could live with thee forever.
          In vain I look for love at Edward's hand,
    104   Whose eyes are fixed on none but Gaveston.
          Yet once more I'll impórtune him with prayer:                 = beg.
    106   If he be strange and not regard my words,                     = distant, aloof.
          My son and I will over into France,                           107: My son = here is the play's first mention of Edward's
                                                                           oldest son, the future Edward III.
                                                                              over = ie. go over.
    108   And to the king my brother there complain,
          How Gaveston hath robbed me of his love:
    110   But yet I hope my sorrows will have end,                      = ie. end.
          And Gaveston this blessèd day be slain.
    112
                                                            [Exeunt.]


          ACT II, SCENE V.


                                                                55�
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         The open country at or near Scarborough.

                                        Enter Gaveston, pursued. Entering Character: the barons have landed at Scar-
                                                                      borough, and are in pursuit of Gaveston.

    1    Gav. Yet, lusty lords, I have escaped your hands,         = insolent.1
    2    Your threats, your larums, and your hot pursuits;         = calls to arms.

         And though divorcèd from king Edward's eyes,              = ie. separated.
    4    Yet liveth Pierce of Gaveston unsurprised,                = ie. not yet caught unawares by those chasing him.

         Breathing, in hope (malgrado all your beards,             = "notwithstanding anything you do";1 malgrado is Italian
    6    That muster rebels thus against your king),                  for "in spite of"; the Anglo-Norman word maugre was
         To see his royal sovereign once again.                       the normal word to use in this expression, ie. "maugre
    8                                                                 your beard".
                           Enter Warwick, Lancaster, Pembroke,
    10                         Young Mortimer, Soldiers, James, = James is one of Pembroke's men.
                              and other Attendants of Pembroke.
    12
         War. Upon him, soldiers, take away his weapons!           13: Gaveston actually surrendered voluntarily to the
    14                                                                barons from within Scarborough Castle in return
                                                                      for a promise of his safety on 19 May 1312.
         Y. Mort. Thou proud disturber of thy country's peace,
    16   Corrupter of thy king; cause of these broils,             = this turmoil.
         Base flatterer, yield! and were it not for shame,         = give up.
    18   Shame and dishonour to a soldier's name,                  17-18: note the rhyming couplet.
         Upon my weapon's point here should’st thou fall,
    20   And welter in thy gore.                                   = soak. Mortimer's reticence to personally slay Gaveston
                                                                   reflects a common concern amongst honourable Elizabethan
                                                                   characters, who do not wish to be seen as having debased
                                                                   themselves by clashing with or killing one of inferior rank or
                                                                   otherwise low background.
    22   Lanc.               Monster of men!
         That, like the Greekish strumpet, trained to arms         23-24: Lancaster unflatteringly compares Gaveston to a
    24   And bloody wars so many valiant knights;                  woman, Helen of Troy, whom he blames for causing the
                                                                   decade-long Trojan War. He calls Helen a whore (strumpet)
                                                                   for having run off with the Trojan prince Paris at the time
                                                                   she was queen to Menelaus, King of Sparta.
                                                                      trained = lured.2
         Look for no other fortune, wretch, than death!
    26   Kind Edward is not here to buckler thee.                  = Dyce emends to Kind to King. = protect.

    28   War. Lancaster, why talk'st thou to the slave? −
         Go, soldiers, take him hence, for, by my sword,
    30   His head shall off: − Gaveston, short warning             = come off.
         Shall serve thy turn: it is our country's cause,          = needs.
    32   That here severely we will execute                        32: severely = strictly or ironhandedly (in punishment). 1
         Upon thy person. − Hang him at a bough.                         execute = carry out or perform, but also grimly
    34                                                                punning on execute's more obvious meaning.
         Gav. My lord! −
    36
         War.           Soldiers, have him away; −                 = take.
    38   But for thou wert the favourite of a king,                = because.7
         Thou shalt have so much honour at our hands −             39: Warwick probably gestures a hanging; in the next line
    40                                                                (line 41), Gaveston perceives the signal.6 With so much
                                                                      honour, Warwick is sarcastic.


                                                             56�
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         Gav. I thank you all, my lords: then I perceive
    42   That heading is one, and hanging is the other,                = ie. beheading.

         And death is all.                                             33-43: the last part of the conversation alludes to the custom
                                                                       of executing persons of high rank by beheading, while
                                                                       members of the lesser classes were dispatched by hanging;
                                                                       the hanging of nobles was generally reserved for traitors, and
                                                                       in a sense was meant to express societal scorn towards the
                                                                       victim; in other words, if one who was liable to be hanged
                                                                       was granted execution by beheading, it was seen as the
                                                                       bestowing of a favour. Thus, even at the moment of death,
                                                                       Englishmen were honour- and class-conscious!
    44
                                               Enter Earl of Arundel. Entering Character: Edward Fitzalan, Earl of Arundel
    46                                                                 (1285-1326). The earl was actually a bitter enemy of
                                                                       Gaveston, and a full-throated supporter of Gaveston's
                                                                       capture and dispatching. His role here as the king's
                                                                       messenger is fictional.
         Lanc. How now, my lord of Arundel?
    48
         Arun. My lords, King Edward greets you all by me.
    50
         War. Arundel, say your message.
    52
         Arun. His majesty,
    54   Hearing that you had taken Gaveston,                          54: note the extreme Compression of Time: the king is many
                                                                       miles away, yet he has already received the news of
                                                                       Gaveston's capture, which took place on stage only a
                                                                       moment ago, and he has even sent a messenger who has
                                                                       already arrived!

         Entreateth you by me, yet but he may                          = "begs you through me". = that.
    56   See him before he dies; for why, he says,                     = because.8
         And sends you word, he knows that die he shall;
    58   And if you gratify his grace so far,                          = "grant the king just this one request".
         He will be mindful of the courtesy.                           59: "he will remember your kindness in this matter." The
    60                                                                    humiliating subservience of Edward towards the barons
                                                                          is cringe-worthy.
         War. How now!
    62
         Gav.          Renowmèd Edward, how thy name                   = "renowned", a common early form.
    64   Revives poor Gaveston!
    66   War.                    No, it needeth not; −                 66: the sense is, "don't even bother being revived - there is
                                                                          no chance any favour will be done on your behalf."
         Arundel, we will gratify the king                             67-68: a polite formula: "we would be happy to indulge the
    68   In other matters: he must pardon us in this. −                   king in other matters, but not this one."
         Soldiers, away with him!
    70
         Gav. Why, my lord of Warwick,
    72   Will not these delays beget my hopes? −                       72: the sense may be, "you don’t think that delaying my
                                                                       execution just to say good-bye to the king actually will give
                                                                       me an expectation (hope) that I will somehow escape my
                                                                       fate?" Dyce and Cunningham10 comment on the lack of
                                                                       clarity of the line.

         I know it, lords, it is this life you aim at,                 73-74: Having spoken sarcastically to Warwick, Gaveston
    74   Yet grant King Edward this.                                      addresses the other lords more soberly.7

                                                                57�
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    76    Y. Mort.                  Shalt thou appoint                76-77: Shalt thou…grant? = "do you think you can in-
          What we shall grant? − Soldiers, away with him: −              struct us on what favours we shall grant?"
    78    Thus we'll gratify the king,
          We'll send his head by thee; let him bestow                 = a morbidly humorous line: Gaveston's head will be sent
                                                                         back to Edward to satisfy his wish to see the Frenchman
                                                                         one more time!
    80    His tears on that, for that is all he gets
          Of Gaveston, or else his senseless trunk.                   = ie. Gaveston's headless body, which would be without
                                                                         possession of any of the physical senses.
    82
          Lanc. Not so, my lord, lest he bestow more cost             = "no, we should not do this". = ie. Edward.
    84    In burying him than he hath ever earned.                    84: him and he refer to Gaveston; Lancaster in these lines
                                                                         adds more dark humour to the proceedings.
    86    Arun. My lords, it is his majesty's request,
          And in the honour of a king he swears,                      = ie. on.8
    88    He will but talk with him, and send him back.
    90    War. When? can you tell? Arundel, no; we wot,               90: When? Can you tell? = phrase expressing the scornful
                                                                      rejection of a request.6
                                                                         Arundel = the preferred pronunciation of Arundel is
                                                                      unclear; half the time, Arundel's location in a sentence
                                                                      suggests its second syllable is stressed (a-RUN-del), as here,
                                                                      and the other half, the first syllable (A-run-del).
                                                                         wot = know.

          He that the care of realm remits,                           91-92: "anybody who, like Edward, slackens (remits)22
    92    And drives his nobles to these exigents                        in ruling his kingdom, and forces his nobles to pursue
                                                                         these extreme measures (exigents)".

          For Gaveston, will, if he seize him once,                   = the quartos print zease, a word which appears nowhere
    94    Violate any promise to possess him.                            else in literature; sease (the likely intended spelling),
                                                                         however, was an alternate form of seize; some editors,
                                                                         probably incorrectly, emend zease to sees.

    96    Arun. Then if you will not trust his grace in keep,         = custody.6
          My lords, I will be pledge for his return.                  97: Arundel takes on himself responsibility for returning
    98                                                                   Gaveston to the barons; the pledge of one's honour
                                                                         was taken seriously in old England.
          Y. Mort. ’Tis honourable in thee to offer this;
    100   But for we know thou art a noble gentleman,                 = but because.

          We will not wrong thee so,                                  101-2: the sense seems to be, "we will not allow you to
    102   To make away a true man for a thief.                           injure your own honour by allowing you to depart
                                                                         (make away) with a thief in your company, as if he
                                                                         were an honest (true) man."

    104   Gav. How mean'st thou, Mortimer? that is over-base!         = too low, ie. beyond the pale.

    106   Y. Mort. Away, base groom, robber of king's renowm!         = servant. = Mortimer explains why he referred to Gaves-
                                                                         ton as a thief - he has "stolen", ie. sullied, the king's
                                                                         good reputation (renowm = renown).

          Question with thy companiöns and mates.                     = ie. "you can debate the issue with".1
    108
          Pemb. My Lord Mortimer, and you, my lords, each one,
    110   To gratify the king's request therein,
          Touching the sending of this Gaveston,               = concerning.


                                                                58�
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    112   Because his majesty so earnestly
          Desires to see the man before his death,
    114   I will upon mine honour undertake
          To carry him, and bring him back again;
    116   Provided this, that you my lord of Arundel
          Will join with me.
    118
          War.           Pembroke, what wilt thou do?
    120   Cause yet more bloodshed? is it not enough
          That we have taken him, but must we now
    122   Leave him on "had I wist," and let him go?                = a phrase of regret for a reckless deed: literally, "if I had
                                                                       only known".8

    124   Pemb. My lords, I will not over-woo your honours,         124: "well, I'm not going to beg you".
          But, if you dare trust Pembroke with the prisoner,
    126   Upon mine oath, I will return him back.
    128   Arun. My lord of Lancaster, what say you in this?
    130   Lanc. Why, I say, let him go on Pembroke's word.          130: as Pembroke is a proven member of the anti-Gaveston
                                                                       faction, he is more to be trusted than the king's man,
                                                                       Arundel.
    132   Pemb. And you, lord Mortimer?
    134   Y. Mort. How say you, my lord of Warwick?
    136   War. Nay, do your pleasures, I know how 'twill prove.     = ie. "this will turn out." Warwick is dubious about the
                                                                       wisdom of letting Gaveston out of their hands, even
                                                                       temporarily.
    138   Pemb. Then give him me.
    140   Gav.                     Sweet sovereign, yet I come
          To see thee ere I die.
    142
          War.        [Aside] Yet not perhaps,
    144   If Warwick's wit and policy prevail.                      = strategy; Warwick lets the audience know he has a plan.

    146   Y. Mort. My lord of Pembroke, we deliver him you:         = "to you."
          Return him on our honour. − Sound, away!                  = an order to a trumpeter to signal a call to march.1
    148
                 [Exeunt all except Pembroke, Arundel, Gaveston, 149-150: the scene now changes to southern England,
    150                     James, and other of Pembroke's men.]    somewhere along the journey of Pembroke's party to
                                                                       London.

    152   Pemb. My lord, you shall go with me.                      = Dyce emends the beginning of this short line to My lord
                                                                       of Arundel.
          My house is not far hence; out of the way
    154   A little, but our men shall go along.                     = ie. ahead.

          We that have pretty wenches to our wives,                 155-6: the sense is, "for those of us with pretty wives, it
    156   Sir, must not come so near and baulk their lips.          would be wrong to pass by so closely to home without
                                                                    dropping in to see them."
                                                                      wenches = wench was usually a playful term, without its
                                                                    modern negative connotation.
                                                                      to our wives = ie. "for our wives."
                                                                      baulk = ignore, avoid; or, disappoint.1
    158   Arun. 'Tis very kindly spoke, my lord of Pembroke;
          Your honour hath an adamant of power                      159-160: "your offer is powerful enough to attract even a


                                                              59�
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    160   To draw a prince.                                           king."14
                                                                        adamant = oft-referred to fabled stone with great
                                                                      magnetism.

    162   Pemb. So, my lord. − Come hether, James:                 = hither, ie. here, a common alternate form.
          I do commit this Gaveston to thee.                       163: Pembroke will actually leave Gaveston alone with his
                                                                      guards, and go visit with his wife, who is staying nearby.
    164   Be thou this night his keeper; in the morning
          We will discharge thee of thy charge: be gone.           = "relieve you of your responsibility"; note the light word-
                                                                      play with discharge and charge.
    166
          Gav. Unhappy Gaveston, whither goest thou now?           = unlucky.
    168
                [Exit with James and the other men of Pembroke.] = Gaveston stays momentarily behind and is addressed by
                                                                      the boy in the next line.
    170
          Horse-Boy. My lord, we'll quickly be at Cobham.          171: Cobham, near London, is presumably the party's
                                                                      destination for the evening.
    172
                               [Exeunt Horse-boy and Gaveston.] Pembroke's Departure: as a matter of history, Pembroke
                                                                   indeed was responsible for escorting Gaveston from
                                                                   Scarborough to London, where the Frenchman had been
                                                                   promised an opportunity to plead for his life before
                                                                   Parliament. After traveling for three weeks, Pembroke's
                                                                   party entered the village of Deddington, where Gaveston
                                                                   was deposited under the care of Pembroke's men acting as
                                                                   his guards. Pembroke abandoned his responsibility in order
                                                                   to visit his wife, who was at Bampton, about a dozen miles
                                                                   away from their present location at Deddington (Hutchison,
                                                                   p. 70).5
                                                                       The result of this negligent decision was disastrous for
                                                                   Gaveston, Pembroke, and the kingdom.


                              END OF ACT II.




                                                            60�
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                               ACT III.
         SCENE I.
         Another part of the open country.                          The Scene: historically speaking, this scene took place in
                                                                    Deddington Castle; Marlowe, typically, gives no clear
                                                                    indication as to his intentions in this regard.

                                Enter Gaveston mourning, James, = obviously grieving.
                                and the other men of Pembroke's.
    1    Gav. O treacherous Warwick! thus to wrong thy friend!      1ff: we now learn the contents of Warwick's plan, to which
    2                                                               he had alluded above at line 144 of the last scene: he and his
                                                                    personal soldiers have launched an assault to capture
                                                                    Gaveston away from Pembroke's men! Gaveston notes how
                                                                    Warwick's behavior is directly undermining the honour of
                                                                    Pembroke (thy friend), who had promised the Frenchman
                                                                    safe conduct.

                                                                       Warwick, who had been following Pembroke and
                                                                    Gaveston as they traveled from Scarborough to London,
                                                                    took advantage of Pembroke's absence to enter the castle at
                                                                    Deddington and capture Gaveston.
         James. I see it is your life these arms pursue.
    4
         Gav. Weaponless must I fall, and die in bands?             = bonds, shackles.
    6    O! must this day be period of my life?                     = the end.

         Centre of all my bliss! And ye be men,                     7: Centre of all my bliss! = Schelling suggests Gaveston is
                                                                    identifying Edward as the focal point of all that is joyful to
                                                                    him, and contrasting this thought to the notion that this is to
                                                                    be the last day of his life.9
                                                                       And ye be men = "if you are real men"; ye is the plural
                                                                    form of you.

    8    Speed to the king.                                         8: ie. "hurry (speed) to the king and get help!"

    10                            Enter Warwick and his Soldiers.
    12   War.             My lord of Pembroke's men,                12: Warwick addresses Gaveston's guards.
         Strive you no longer − I will have that Gaveston.          = "give up your defense of the prisoner", ie. "put down
    14                                                                 your weapons."
         James. Your lordship doth dishonour to yourself,
    16   And wrong our lord, your honourable friend.                = ie. Pembroke, his employer.

    18   War. No, James, it is my country's cause I follow. −       18-22: in this speech, Warwick addresses James, his own
                                                                       soldiers, James again, and finally Gaveston, in that order;
                                                                       the dashes indicate changes in addressee.
         Go, take the villain; soldiers, come away.
    20   We'll make quick work. − Commend me to your master,
         My friend, and tell him that I watched it well. −          21: My friend = meaning Pembroke, repeating James' use of
                                                                       your...friend to refer to Pembroke at line 16.
                                                                         watched = kept a watch on or protected his country's
                                                                       cause (line 18).1

    22   Come, let thy shadow parley with king Edward.              = spirit, ghost or soul.4,24 = talk.

    24   Gav. Treacherous earl, shall I not see the king?


                                                             61�
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    26   War. The king of Heaven perhaps, no other king.
         Away!
    28
              [Exeunt Warwick and his Soldiers, with Gaveston.] 29: Pembroke's men remain on stage.
                                                                           Warwick brought Gaveston to his castle at Warwick
                                                                        (only 25 miles from Deddington) and tossed him into the
                                                                        dungeon (Hutchison, p. 70).5
    30
         James. Come, fellows, it booted not for us to strive,          = "was of no use".
    32   We will in haste go certify our lord.                          = ie. "inform (certify) our master, Pembroke, of what has
                                                                           happened."2
    34                                                      [Exeunt.]


         ACT III, SCENE II.
         Near Boroughbridge, in Yorkshire.                              Scene II: Edward, we remember, had gone north in the
                                                                        hopes of drawing the barons' army away from their pursuit
                                                                        of Gaveston.
                                                                            Scene ii operates as a transition scene: till now, our play
                                                                        has been concerned with the earliest years of Edward's reign
                                                                        (ie. the Gaveston years), comporting roughly with the events
                                                                        of 1307-1312; after this scene, the play will focus on the
                                                                        events of the last years of Edward's reign (1322-7).
                Enter King Edward and Young Spenser, Baldock,
                               and Noblemen of the King’s side,
                              and Soldiers with drums and fifes.
    1    K. Edw. I long to hear an answer from the barons
    2    Touching my friend, my dearest Gaveston.                       = regarding.
         Ah! Spenser, not the riches of my realm
    4    Can ransom him! ah, he is marked to die!
         I know the malice of the younger Mortimer.
    6    Warwick I know is rough, and Lancaster
         Inexorable, and I shall never see
    8    My lovely Pierce, my Gaveston again!
         The barons overbear me with their pride.                       = oppress, are overbearing.1
    10
         Y. Spen. Were I King Edward, England's sovereign,
    12   Son to the lovely Eleanor of Spain,                            = ie. Eleanor of Castile, Edward's mother, who had
                                                                           married Edward I in 1254, and died in 1290.

         Great Edward Longshanks' issue, would I bear                   = Longshanks was a nickname given to Edward I in
                                                                           recognition of his great height - measured at 6 feet 9
                                                                           inches during an excavation.1

    14   These braves, this rage, and suffer uncontrolled               = shows of defiance, insults.3,24 = tolerate.
         These barons thus to beard me in my land,                      = openly oppose.2

    16   In mine own realm? My lord, pardon my speech:                  = Spenser recognizes that he is talking a a bit out of turn to
                                                                           Edward in this speech, but he no doubt realizes he need
                                                                           little fear any retribution from the weak king.

         Did you retain your father's magnanimity,                      = "if you had possessed".1 = courage.9
    18   Did you regard the honour of your name,                        = "if you had any concern for".
         You would not suffer thus your majesty

                                                                62�
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    20   Be counterbuffed of your nobility.                            = "to be insulted by".9
         Strike off their heads, and let them preach on poles!         = see the note at Act I.i.155.
    22   No doubt, such lessons they will teach the rest,
         As by their preachments they will profit much,                23: so that from the rebelling barons' severed heads'
                                                                       sermons,
    24   And learn obedience to their lawful king.                        the citizens will learn the lesson well.

    26   K. Edw. Yea, gentle Spenser, we have been too mild,
         Too kind to them; but now have drawn our sword,
    28   And if they send me not my Gaveston,
         We'll steel it on their crest[s], and poll their tops.        30: steel it = the phrase has caused much confusion for
                                                                       earlier editors; its likely meaning is "harden it" or "temper
                                                                       it", as Shakespeare used the verb steel in this manner
                                                                       multiple times.1
                                                                           crest = helmet.
                                                                           poll their tops = the image is of trimming off the top of a
                                                                       tree, suggesting "cut off their heads"; poll alone means to cut
                                                                       the head or top off of something.22
    30
         Bald. This haught resolve becomes your majesty,               = high, lofty.8 = well suits.
    32   Not to be tied to their affectiön,                            = ill-will or caprice.1,6

         As though your highness were a schoolboy still,               33-34: in a rather daring speech to the king, Baldock tells
    34   And must be awed and governed like a child.                   Edward he should not allow himself to be intimidated by the
                                                                       nobles, as if he were a small child.

                                                                       The Ordinances of 1311: in this year the barons forced
                                                                       Edward to accept a set of rules for running the kingdom,
                                                                       whose primary effect was to put the governance of England
                                                                       into the hands of 21 Ordainers, a committee made up of the
                                                                       leading nobles of England. The humiliation of Edward was
                                                                       complete. The entire subsequent history of Edward's reign
                                                                       can be viewed in the subtext of a struggle between Edward
                                                                       and the nobles over the legitimacy of the Ordinances.
                                                                          Edward was noted in the chronicles to complain "that he
                                                                       was treated like an idiot" (Tancock, p. 140).7
                                                                          Marlowe chose to completely ignore the existence of the
                                                                       Ordinances in our play.

    36                      [Enter the Elder Spenser, an old man, Entering Character: Hugh Despenser, later Earl of
                                with his truncheon and Soldiers.] Winchester (1262-1326), and father of Hugh Despenser
    38                                                                 the younger, fought with Edward I in numerous campaigns.
                                                                       The Elder Despenser took part in Edward II's coronation
                                                                       ceremony, and alone amongst the higher nobility took the
                                                                       latter Edward's side in the disagreements over Gaveston.
                                                                           truncheon = a short and thick stick, like a club.1
         E. Spen. Long live my sovereign, the noble Edward −
    40   In peace triumphant, fortunate in wars!
    42   K. Edw. Welcome, old man: com'st thou in Edward's aid?        = in 1312, the year Gaveston was eliminated by the barons,
                                                                          the Elder Spenser would have been 50 years old, the king
                                                                          only 28.
         Then tell thy prince of whence and what thou art.             = ie. king. = from where. = who.
                                                                             That the Elder Spenser was unknown to Edward is a
                                                                          fiction; see the note above at line 36.
    44
         E. Spen. Lo, with a band of bowmen and of pikes,              45-48: Spenser has brought a small army with him to fight
                                                                       on Edward's side.
                                                                          Lo = behold.

                                                                 63�
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                                                                          bowmen = the importance of the famous English
                                                                      longbow may have been recognized as early as in Edward I's
                                                                      reign.18
                                                                          pikes = the pike was the quintessential medieval polearm,
                                                                      a simple but long - generally up to 4 meters in length -
                                                                      thrusting spear.25 Both pikes here and brown bills in the next
                                                                      line refer specifically to men armed with those weapons.

    46   Brown bills and targeteers, four hundred strong,             46: brown bills = the bill was a shorter pole-arm, comprised
                                                                      of a pole with a combination of spear, blade, and hook (for
                                                                      pulling down cavalry) attached at one end. It was often
                                                                      painted brown.25
                                                                         targeteers = infantry carrying small round shields
                                                                      (targets).
         Sworn to defend king Edward's royal right,
    48   I come in person to your majesty,
         Spenser, the father of Hugh Spenser there,                   49-51: Spenser couches the reason for his service to Edward
    50   Bound to your highness everlastingly                            as gratefulness for the king's generous treatment of his
         For favours done, in him, unto us all.                          son.
    52
         K. Edw. Thy father, Spenser?
    54
         Y. Spen.                      True, an it like your grace,   = if it pleases.
    56   That pours, in lieu of all your goodness shown,              = who. = in return for.2
         His life, my lord, before your princely feet.
    58
         K. Edw. Welcome ten thousand times, old man, again.
    60   Spenser, this love, this kindness to thy king,
         Argues thy noble mind and disposition.                       = is evidence of.

    62   Spenser, I here create thee Earl of Wiltshire,               = actually, Edward granted the Elder Despenser the title
                                                                         of Earl of Winchester in 1322, ten years after the time
                                                                         of the present scene. Young Spenser never received an
                                                                         earldom.
         And daily will enrich thee with our favour,
    64   That, as the sunshine, shall reflect o'er thee.              = like.
         Beside, the more to manifest our love,                       = demonstrate.

    66   Because we hear Lord Bruce doth sell his land,               66-68: the reference is to an actual sale of land made by
         And that the Mortimers are in hand withal,                   a marcher noble, Lord William de Bruce, who, while
    68   Thou shalt have crowns of us t' outbid the barons:           arranging to unload some property in part to the Mortimers,
                                                                      was compelled to sell that land to the Younger Despenser,
                                                                      who obtained the king's help and influence to make the
                                                                      purchase.7
                                                                         in hand withal = negotiating for the purchase of the
                                                                      land.14
                                                                         crowns = coins worth five shillings.11
                                                                         of (line 68) = from.

         And, Spenser, spare them not, but lay it on. −               = ie. "pile them up with money".
    70   Soldiers, a largess, and thrice-welcome all!                 = Edward announces a gift of cash to Spenser's soldiers.

    72   Y. Spen. My lord, here comes the queen.
    74        Enter Queen Isabella, Prince Edward, and Levune. Entering Characters: Prince Edward, the king's eldest
                                                                      son, was born on 13 November 1312, after Gaveston's
                                                                      removal; here he is a young lad already.



                                                                64�
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                                                                       Levune is a Frenchman and a messenger of the queen's.
                                                                     He appears to be a non-historical character.
    76   K. Edw.                        Madam, what news?
    78   Q. Isab. News of dishonour, lord, and discontent.
         Our friend Levune, faithful and full of trust,
    80   Informeth us, by letters and by words,
         That Lord Valois our brother, king of France,               81: again, Marlowe incorrectly refers to King Charles IV of
                                                                     France as Valois, which was the name given to his and
                                                                     Isabella's uncle Charles of Valois.
    82   Because your highness hath been slack in homage,
         Hath seizèd Normandy into his hands.                        83: the disagreement was not over Normandy; see the note
                                                                        below at line 99.

    84   These be the letters, this the messenger.                   81-83: English homage: the English had always possessed,
                                                                     to one degree or another, various provinces in western
                                                                     France as their fiefdoms; the French kings were naturally
                                                                     eager to be seen as having granted these lands to the English
                                                                     sovereigns as feudal gifts, in return for which they frequently
                                                                     requested that the English kings pay them homage, or fealty,
                                                                     in acknowledgement of the French kings' superior status
                                                                     with respect to those lands. The English kings, just as
                                                                     naturally, and as monarchs in their own right, were reluctant
                                                                     to be viewed as subservient in any way to their French
                                                                     counterparts.

    86   K. Edw. Welcome, Levune. −Tush, Sib, if this be all,        = term of address for a kinswoman,1 though an earlier editor
         Valois and I will soon be friends again. −                     suggested Sib is an endearing nickname for Isabella.9
    88   But to my Gaveston: shall I never see,
         Never behold thee now? − Madam, in this matter,
    90   We will employ you and your little son;
         You shall go parley with the king of France. −              = discuss terms, negotiate.
    92   Boy, see you bear you bravely to the king,                  = yourself.
         And do your message with a majesty.
    94
         Pr. Edw. Commit not to my youth things of more weight       95-96: at the time of the event referred to here (see the note
    96   Than fits a prince so young as I to bear,                      below at line 99), Prince Edward was about 12 years
                                                                        old.

         And fear not, lord and father, Heaven's great beams         = squared timber, as a metaphor for the "structure" of the
                                                                        heavens.1
    98   On Atlas' shoulder shall not lie more safe,                 = Atlas was the Titan god responsible for carrying the
                                                                        heavens on his shoulders.

         Than shall your charge committed to my trust.               = command or responsibility.

                                                                        The incident alluded to here in lines 81-99 occurred in
                                                                     1323-5, when Charles, as a newly installed monarch,
                                                                     demanded that Edward perform homage to him for
                                                                     Aquitaine and Ponthieu, two provinces in France held by the
                                                                     English (Edward had formally paid such homage to Charles'
                                                                     brother and predecessor on the throne for the same lands in
                                                                     1320).
                                                                        Tensions rose when, in November 1323, English troops in
                                                                     Gascony (in south-west France) attacked a French force
                                                                     building a fort in Saint Sardos. In April 1324, Edward sent
                                                                     his brother the Earl of Kent as an ambassador to negotiate
                                                                     with Charles, but he did such a poor job of it that Charles
                                                                     invaded Gascony.

                                                               65�
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                                                                         Kent was then appointed to lead the English troops in
                                                                      defense against the French, but he failed at this too, and was
                                                                      forced to surrender at the city of La Réole in September
                                                                      1324.
    100
          Q. Isab. Ah, boy! this towardness makes thy mother fear     = willingness (to perform this duty).1
    102   Thou are not marked to many days on earth.                  102: Isabella's fears were misplaced: young Edward would
                                                                         go on to live to the age of 64, ruling England for a full
                                                                         half-century, from 1327 to 1377.

    104   K. Edw. Madam, we will that you with speed be shipped,      = command.
          And this our son; Levune shall follow you
    106   With all the haste we can dispatch him hence.               = from here.
          Choose of our lords to bear you company;
    108   And go in peace; leave us in wars at home.
    110   Q. Isab. Unnatural wars, where subjects brave their king;   = defy.
          God end them once! My lord, I take my leave,                = ie. once and for all.7
    112   To make my preparatiön for France.
    114                 [Exit Queen Isabella with Prince Edward.] 114: The Queen's Departure from England: in March
                                                                      1325, Isabella, as sister of the French king, was sent to
                                                                      diffuse the crisis. A solution was reached when Charles and
                                                                      Edward accepted a proposal made by both a papal
                                                                      representative and Isabella that Gascony be given to
                                                                      Edward's son, and that the prince cross to France to perform
                                                                      homage. This the prince did in September.
                                                                          The consequences of this visit were tragic for the king,
                                                                      and severely changed the course of English history.
    116                                             Enter Arundel.
    118   K. Edw. What, Lord Arundel, dost thou come alone?           = ie. without Gaveston.

    120   Arun. Yea, my good lord, for Gaveston is dead.
    122   K. Edw. Ah, traitors! Have they put my friend to death?
          Tell me, Arundel, died he ere thou cam'st,                  = ie. "did he die before you got there".
    124   Or didst thou see my friend to take his death?
    126   Arun. Neither, my lord; for, as he was surprised,
          Begirt with weapons and with enemies round,                 = surrounded.
    128   I did your highness' message to them all;                   = ie. gave, presented.
          Demanding him of them, entreating rather,                   = from. = "well, pleading, actually".
    130   And said, upon the honour of my name,
          That I would undertake to carry him                         = take.
    132   Unto your highness, and to bring him back.
    134   K. Edw. And tell me, would the rebels deny me that?
    136   Y. Spen. Proud recreants!                                   136: "arrogant traitors!7

    138   K. Edw.                Yea, Spenser, traitors all!
    140   Arun. I found them at the first inexorable;                 = unyielding.1
          The Earl of Warwick would not bide the hearing,             = ie. "listen to me".
    142   Mortimer hardly; Pembroke and Lancaster
          Spake least: and when they flatly had denied,               = note how Arundel employs archaic language, using words
                                                                         such as spake, bespake, strake and bare.
    144   Refusing to receive me pledge for him,                      = my.

                                                               66�
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          The Earl of Pembroke mildly thus bespake;                   = gently. = spoke.
    146   "My lords, because our sovereign sends for him,
          And promiseth he shall be safe returned,
    148   I will this undertake, to have him hence,
          And see him re-delivered to your hands."                    146-9: while not an exact quote of Pembroke's words at
                                                                         Act II.v.112-5, it is an accurate enough paraphrase.
    150
          K. Edw. Well, and how fortunes [it] that he came not?       = "does it happen".
    152
          Y. Spen. Some treason, or some villainy, was cause.         = ie. was the cause.
    154
          Arun. The Earl of Warwick seized him on his way;
    156   For being delivered unto Pembroke's men,                    156: "since Pembroke's men had been put in charge of
                                                                         guarding Gaveston".
          Their lord rode home thinking his prisoner safe;
    158   But ere he came, Warwick in ambush lay,                     = ie. returned.
          And bare him to his death; and in a trench
    160   Strake off his head, and marched unto the camp.             160: strake = this ancient word for "struck" appears fre-
                                                                         quently in late 16th century literature.1

                                                                      The Death of Gaveston: after Gaveston was kidnapped and
                                                                      brought to Warwick Castle, the earls Arundel, Lancaster and
                                                                      Hereford arrived, and they agreed with Warwick that the
                                                                      Frenchman should be executed immediately. Gaveston was
                                                                      brought to Blacklow Hill, about two miles north of Warwick,
                                                                      and beheaded. Warwick, in order to distance himself from
                                                                      the event, remained in his castle as Gaveston was killed,
                                                                      while the other nobles watched the murder from a distance
                                                                      (Hutchison, p. 71).5

    162   Y. Spen. A bloody part, flatly ‘gainst law of arms.         = role, referring to the deed.14 = absolutely.

    164   K. Edw. O shall I speak, or shall I sigh and die!
    166   Y. Spen. My lord, refer your vengeance to the sword
          Upon these barons; hearten up your men;
    168   Let them not unrevenged murther your friends!
          Advance your standard, Edward, in the field,                169: Edward has quickly managed to raise an army, fol-
                                                                         lowing the strategy described by Isabella at Act II.iv.
                                                                         74-77.
                                                                           standard = banner or military flag.

                                                                         Historically, after Gaveston was killed, Edward returned
                                                                      to London, and secured the city against the approaching
                                                                      troops of the barons, shutting the capital's gates against
                                                                      them.

    170   And march to fire them from their starting holes.           170: a hunted animal might be forced out of its hiding place
                                                                         (starting hole) by means of fire.

    172   K. Edw. [Kneeling] By earth, the common mother of           172-5: Edward utters an extraordinary series of vows,
             us all                                                      swearing on a host of valuable objects, promising to
                                                                         avenge the death of Gaveston.

          By Heaven, and all the moving orbs thereof,                 173: a reference to the Ptolemaic view of the universe, in
                                                                      which the earth, sitting in the center of the cosmos, is
                                                                      surrounded by nine or ten spheres (orbs), each containing
                                                                      one planet, or the moon or the sun, and one holding all the
                                                                      stars, each of which revolves around the earth.

                                                                67�
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    174   By this right hand, and by my father's sword,
          And all the honours 'longing to my crown,
    176   I will have heads, and lives for him, as many                  = ie. the lives of many men will be taken in exchange for
          As I have manors, castles, towns, and towers! –                   the life of Gaveston.
    178
                                                              [Rises.]
    180
          Treacherous Warwick! traitorous Mortimer!
    182   If I be England's king, in lakes of gore
          Your headless trunks, your bodies will I trail,
    184   That you may drink your fill, and quaff in blood,
          And stain my royal standard with the same,
    186   That so my bloody colours may suggest
          Remembrance of revenge immortally                              187-8: "my revenge on you (will be so terrible that it) will be
    188   On your accursèd traitorous progeny,                           remembered forever by your descendants, who will bear a
                                                                         permanent stain from your crime."
          You villains that have slain my Gaveston! −
    190   And in this place of honour and of trust,
          Spenser, sweet Spenser, I adopt thee here:                     191: ie. Young Spenser will take Gaveston's place in the
                                                                            king's heart and at his right hand.
    192   And merely of our love we do create thee                       = "purely out of my love to you".9
          Earl of Gloucester and Lord Chamberlain,
    194   Despite of times, despite of enemies.                          192-3: though Young Despenser was married to Eleanor,
                                                                         the last of the Earl of Gloucester's three daughters,
                                                                         Despenser himself was never given the title of earl
                                                                         (interestingly, his great-grandson Thomas would be invested
                                                                         Earl of Gloucester in 1397).
                                                                             Despenser was, however, made Edward's Chamberlain -
                                                                         the head of the household - in 1313, but he was appointed by
                                                                         Parliament, not the king, and was still hostile to the king at
                                                                         that point.

    196   Y. Spen. My lord, here is a messenger from the barons          = a disyllable: MESS'N-ger.
          Desires accéss unto your majesty.                              = access is typically stressed on its second syllable.
    198
          K. Edw. Admit him near.
    200
                                 Enter the Herald from the barons, = messenger.
    202                                      with his coat of arms. = could mean simply a shield, not necessarily displaying
                                                                            a heraldic device.1,14
    204   Her. Long live king Edward, England's lawful lord!
    206   K. Edw. So wish not they, I wis, that sent thee hither.        = surely. = to here.
          Thou com'st from Mortimer and his 'complices,
    208   A ranker rout of rebels never was.                             = more foul mob.2 Note the fine alliteration in the line.
          Well, say thy message.
    210
          Her. The barons up in arms, by me salute
    212   Your highness with long life and happiness;
          And bid me say, as plainer to your grace,                      = a complainant.1
    214   That if without effusiön of blood
          You will this grief have ease and remedy,                      215: "you will remedy this complaint of the lords".
    216   That from your princely person you remove
          This Spenser, as a putrifying branch
    218   That deads the royal vine, whose golden leaves                 = kills.
          Empale your princely head, your diadem,                        = encircles.


                                                                68�
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    220   Whose brightness such pernicious upstarts dim,                = dangerous. = because Spenser came out of nowhere to
                                                                           suddenly become the king's favourite, he is an upstart.

          Say they; and lovingly advise your grace,                     = the herald is careful to make sure Edward knows he is
                                                                           only repeating the words of others; such messengers
                                                                           were generally immune from punishment for the insults
                                                                           they were officially sanctioned to carry between parties.
    222   To cherish virtue and nobility,
          And have old servitors in high esteem,                        223: "and bring into your household more experienced and
                                                                           well-regarded advisors".
    224   And shake off smooth dissembling flatterers:                  224: "and get rid of your glib (smooth) false-faced syco-
                                                                           phants."
          This granted, they, their honours, and their lives,
    226   Are to your highness vowed and consecrate.                    = dedicated.11

    228   Y. Spen. Ah, traitors! will they still display their pride?   = always. = arrogance.

    230   K. Edw. Away, tarry no answer, but be gone!                   = "don't bother waiting for an answer".
          Rebels, will they appoint their sovereign                     = decide for.
    232   His sports, his pleasures, and his company?                   = entertainment.
          Yet, ere thou go, see how I do divorce
    234   Spenser from me. −
    236                                 [Embraces Young Spenser.]
    238                      Now get thee to thy lords,
          And tell them I will come to chastise them
    240   For murthering Gaveston; hie thee, get thee gone!             = "hurry!"
          Edward with fire and sword follows at thy heels.
    242
                                                       [Exit Herald.]
    244
          My lord[s], perceive you how these rebels swell? −            = grow arrogant.1
    246   Soldiers, good hearts, defend your sovereign's right,
          For now, even now, we march to make them stoop.               = a monosyllable: e'en. = "bow down before (us)".
    248   Away!

    250                                                     [Exeunt.] END OF PART ONE: thus ends the unofficial first half of
                                                                        the play, the saga of Gaveston (1307-1312). The remainder
                                                                        of the play comprises the story of the last years of the reign
                                                                        of Edward, followed by the period of usurpation by the
                                                                        Younger Mortimer.


                                                                        THE INTERVENING YEARS (1312-1322): the decade
                                                                        after the capture of Gaveston did not bring great
                                                                        improvement to the administration of the English
                                                                        government or the lives of the English lords or common
                                                                        citizens.
                                                                            Reconciliation (1312-1313). The Earl of Pembroke,
                                                                        outraged by the embarrassing abduction and execution of
                                                                        Gaveston after he had promised Gaveston's safety on his
                                                                        own honour, permanently broke with Lancaster. When
                                                                        Archbishop Winchelsea died in May 1313, the barons' party
                                                                        was further weakened, and after many long months of
                                                                        negotiations, largely mediated by Gloucester, the nobles
                                                                        submitted to Edward, a pardon was granted to all, and an
                                                                        uneasy peace was restored.

                                                                69�
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              Bannockburn and the Lancaster Years (1314-1317).
          The devastating loss to the outnumbered Scottish at
          Bannockburn (23-24 June 1314) signaled an opportunity for
          the barons to reassert their preeminence in governing
          England. Several of Edward's favourites, including the Elder
          Despenser, were removed from the court, and Lancaster was
          appointed both chief of the ruling Council and commander-
          in-chief of the armies facing the Scots. Edward was forced to
          reconfirm the Ordinances (see the note at line 34 earlier in
          Act III.ii), and was even placed on an allowance of 10£ per
          day.
             Rise of the Middle Party (1317-1320). At this time a
          large faction formed, centered around Pembroke, Arundel,
          the Elder Despenser, the Mortimers, and Bishop Langton.
          This Middle Party acted as a counterweight to Lancaster,
          who had a habit of raising his own armies and refusing to
          attend parliaments. On the other hand, though generally
          supportive of Edward, the Middle Party forced Edward to
          reconfirm the Ordinances, and caused the removal of his
          most hated advisors.
              Beginning of the Despenser Years (1320). Despite his
          portrayal in our play, the Younger Despenser had until 1320
          been a member of the barons' party; it was they who had
          appointed Despenser the king's Chamberlain in 1313. By
          1320, though, Young Despenser had become Edward's new
          favourite, and the Younger and Elder Despensers together
          became the de facto rulers of the kingdom. Insatiably
          greedy, the Despensers used their positions as a means to
          accumulate property and wealth, which, like Gaveston had
          done years earlier, they parked much of in safekeeping
          outside of England. The pair became feared because of their
          power and hated because of their rapaciousness.
              The Marcher Wars (1321). A land dispute led to a war
          between the marcher lords and the Younger Despenser; civil
          strife raged through much of Wales and western England.
          The Middle Party broke up, as most of its members, in
          hatred of the Despensers, joined the marcher lords, while
          Edward naturally supported Despenser (Pembroke and
          Arundel notably remained with the king). The barons' army
          ravaged the Despensers' home territory of Glamorgan in
          south Wales, then marched on London, and forced Edward
          to submit once again to their demands, which included
          exiling the Despensers in August 1321. The Elder
          Despenser, cooperative, went to the Continent, but the
          Younger Despenser became a dangerous pirate on the
          English Channel!
              Reemergence of Edward (October 1321). In this month
          a strange event occurred, in which Isabella, traveling to
          Canterbury, was not permitted to enter her own castle at
          Leeds to spend the night. The castle was occupied by the
          wife of Baron Badlesmere, an enemy of the king, and Lady
          Badlesmere had even fired on the royal party when Isabella
          ordered her guards to attack the castle. This slap in the face
          of royal authority was just what the doctor ordered, and
          Edward, reasserting his authority, raised an army which
          quickly grew to 30,000 strong. After capturing Leeds Castle,
          he marched west, and, in the most impressive episode of his
          life, chased the marcher lords up the Severn Valley.
              With Edward in the ascendant, the Despensers were
          called back from their brief exiles.

    70�
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                                                                           Surrender of Mortimers (January 1322). With
                                                                       Edward's forces closing in around the barons, the Mortimers
                                                                       - both senior and junior - surrendered to Edward near
                                                                       Shrewsbury, and were sent to the Tower. The remaining
                                                                       noble armies fled north.
                                                                           Final Blow to the Barons: the Battle of Boroughbridge
                                                                       (March 1322). With the barons' forces reduced, the royal
                                                                       army began to chase the fleeing army of Lancaster as he
                                                                       retreated north with the remaining rebellious barons,
                                                                       probably to find safety in Scotland. On March 16, Lancaster
                                                                       reached the village of Boroughbridge, only to find his way
                                                                       across the bridge blocked by a small loyalist army led by Sir
                                                                       Andrew Harclay. With elements of Edward's army on his
                                                                       tail, Lancaster had no choice but to force the bridge.

                                                                          This is where we are now in our play. In a very slick bit
                                                                       of plotting, Marlowe brilliantly took advantage of the fact
                                                                       that a decade earlier the king was already in Yorkshire when
                                                                       Gaveston surrendered at Scarborough, by bringing Edward
                                                                       directly to Boroughbridge immediately thereafter, and in
                                                                       doing so he seamlessly advances the plot from 1312 to 1322.



         ACT III, SCENE III.
         Boroughbridge, the battlefield.                               Scene III: we follow Cunningham in making this a separate
                                                                          scene.

                                Alarums, excursions, a great fight, = groups of soldiers cross back and forth across the stage,
                                     and a retreat sounded within.     simulating battle.

              Enter King Edward, the Elder Spenser, the Younger
                       Spenser, and Noblemen of the King's side. = likely including Arundel and the Bishop of Winchester,
                                                                          who enters again and speaks his first lines in the opening
                                                                          scene of Act V.14
    1    K. Edw. Why do we sound retreat? upon them, lords!
    2    This day I shall pour vengeance with my sword
         On those proud rebels that are up in arms,
    4    And do confront and countermand their king.                   = oppose.2

    6    Y. Spen. I doubt it not, my lord, right will prevail.
    8    E. Spen. 'Tis not amiss, my liege, for either part            = both sides.
         To breathe a while; our men, with sweat and dust              = rest.
    10   All choked well near, begin to faint for heat;
         And this retire refresheth horse and man.                     = withdrawal.2
    12
         Y. Spen. Here come the rebels.
    14
                     Enter Young Mortimer, Lancaster, Warwick,
    16                                  Pembroke, and others.
    18   Y. Mort. Look, Lancaster, yonder is Edward                    = Edward may be tri-syllabic here: ED-er-ward.
         Among his flatterers.
    20
         Lanc.                And there let him be
    22   Till he pay dearly for their company.


                                                                 71�
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    24   War. And shall, or Warwick's sword shall smite in vain.
    26   K. Edw. What, rebels, do you shrink and sound retreat?        26ff: as he did in the Tamburlaine plays, Marlowe gives his
                                                                       opposing factions a chance to exchange insults and jeers
                                                                       before (or in this case, during) a battle.

    28   Y. Mort. No, Edward, no; thy flatterers faint and fly.        = flee; from this point forward, each side addresses the
                                                                             other with thou as a way to express their contempt.

    30   Lanc. Thou'd best betimes forsake them and their trains,      30: betimes = at once.2
         For they'll betray thee, traitors as they are.                      trains = strategems.8
                                                                            30: the quarto reads, "Th'ad best betimes forsake thee
                                                                          and their trains," but we accept Briggs' emendation as
                                                                          making more sense.
    32
         Y. Spen. Traitor on thy face, rebellious Lancaster!           = ie. "back at you in your face", ie. "you are the traitor, not
                                                                          me!"
    34
         Pemb. Away, base upstart! Brav'st thou nobles thus?           = insults.
    36
         E. Spen. A noble attempt and honourable deed,                 37: Spenser puns weakly on noble. His response in this
                                                                          short speech is ironic.
    38   Is it not, trow ye, to assemble aid,                          = ie. "do you suppose".
         And levy arms against your lawful king!
    40
         K. Edw. For which, ere long, their heads shall satisfy,       = make repayment, atone.1
    42   T' appease the wrath of their offended king.
    44   Y. Mort. Then, Edward, thou wilt fight it to the last,
         And rather bathe thy sword in subjects' blood,
    46   Than banish that pernicious company?                          = villainous.1

    48   K. Edw. Ay, traitors all, rather than thus be braved,         = defied.
         Make England's civil towns huge heaps of stones,              = ie. "I will make". = municipal.1
    50   And ploughs to go about our palace-gates.                     50: ie. because the developed lands will be, by their de-
                                                                          struction, turned back into farmland.
    52   War. A desperate and unnatural resolution!
         Alarum! − to the fight!
    54   Saint George for England, and the barons' right!              54: common battle cry for the English, but an anachronistic
                                                                       one: George did not become England's patron saint until
                                                                       later in the 14th century. The earliest known literary use of
                                                                       St. George in a battle cry was 1442.1
    56   K. Edw. Saint George for England, and King Edward's
            right!
    58                [Alurums. Exeunt the two parties severally.] The Battle of Boroughbridge (22 March 1322): with the
                                                                       royalist command of the Earls of Surrey and Kent not far
                                                                       behind him, Lancaster tried to force the bridge at
                                                                       Boroughbridge, which was defended on the far side by
                                                                       another small army led by Sir Andrew Harclay. Harclay's
                                                                       longbowmen shattered the attack, and Lancaster was
                                                                       decisively repulsed. His second in command, the Earl of
                                                                       Hereford, was killed outright, impaled by a spear thrust up
                                                                       between the planks of the bridge. Lancaster surrendered the
                                                                       next day.



         ACT III, SCENE IV.

                                                                 72�
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         Another part of the battlefield at Boroughbridge.

                        Enter King Edward and all his followers, Entering Characters: the noble captives include Mortimer,
                              with the Barons and Kent captives. Lancaster and Warwick, and Edward's brother Edmund, the
                                                                      Earl of Kent. Notably, Pembroke is missing from the scene;
                                                                      in fact, Pembroke makes no further appearances in the play.

    1    K. Edw. Now, lusty lords, now not by chance of war,          = insolent.1 = luck.
    2    But justice of the quarrel and the cause,
         Vailed is your pride; methinks you hang the heads,           = lowered, ie. humbled.4 = ie. your.
    4    But we'll advance them, traitors: now 'tis time              = promote their heads - by cutting them off and raising
                                                                         them on poles.
         To be avenged on you for all your braves,                    = insults.9
    6    And for the murther of my dearest friend,
         To whom right well you knew our soul was knit,
    8    Good Pierce of Gaveston, my sweet favourite.
         Ah, rebels! Recreants! you made him away!                    = traitors. = ie. killed him.
    10
         Kent. Brother, in regard of thee, and of thy land,           = in consideration of, ie. for the good of.
    12   Did they remove that flatterer from thy throne.
    14   K. Edw. So, sir, you have spoke; away, avoid our
            presence!
    16                                                  [Exit Kent.] = Kent actually fought on his brother Edward's side
                                                                         throughout the wars with the barons.

    18   Accursèd wretches, was't in regard of us,                    = the king scornfully repeats Kent's phrase of line 11.
         When we had sent our messenger to request                    = a disyllable again: MESS'N-ger.
    20   He might be spared to come to speak with us,
         And Pembroke undertook for his return,                       = ie. took responsibility.
    22   That thou, proud Warwick, watched the prisoner,              = ie. guarded Gaveston, an ironic comment.
         Poor Pierce, and headed him ‘gainst law of arms?             = ie. beheaded. = against the established, if unofficial, rules
                                                                         of warfare.

    24   For which thy head shall overlook the rest,                  24: another grimly humorous reference to the placing of
                                                                         the rebels' heads on poles and set high up on London
                                                                         Bridge.

         As much as thou in rage outwent'st the rest.                 = outdid.
    26
         War. Tyrant, I scorn thy threats and menaces;
    28   It is but temporal that thou canst inflict.                  = worldly (punishment); Warwick's point is that Edward
                                                                         can harm their bodies, but not their souls (Ribner, p.
                                                                         324).3

    30   Lanc. The worst is death; and better die to live             = ie. in Heaven.
         Than live in infamy under such a king.                       = shame or disgrace.9
    32
         K. Edw. Away with them, my lord of Winchester!               = ie. the Elder Spenser, whom Edward actually created Earl
    34   These lusty leaders, Warwick and Lancaster,                     of Wiltshire at Act III.ii.62.
         I charge you roundly − off with both their heads!                   The Despensers, having been exiled in August 1321,
    36   Away!                                                           were recalled in mid-January 1322. The Elder Despen-
                                                                         ser was made Earl of Winchester by Parliament in May
                                                                         of the same year.

    38   War. Farewell, vain world!                                   = idle, worthless.

                                                              73�
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    40   Lanc.                  Sweet Mortimer, farewell!
    42   Y. Mort. England, unkind to thy nobility,
         Groan for this grief, behold how thou art maimed!
    44
         K. Edw. Go, take that haughty Mortimer to the Tower,        45: The Mortimers were not at the Battle of Boroughbridge;
    46   There see him safe bestowed; and for the rest,              both had surrendered to Edward in January in south-
         Do speedy execution on them all.                            west England, and were already in the Tower of London
    48   Begone!                                                     at the time of the battle.
                                                                           The reader may wonder why, as a matter of dramatic
                                                                     consistency, Marlowe does not have Edward execute
                                                                     Mortimer as he does the other rebels; the answer can be
                                                                     found in the note at the end of this scene.

    50   Y. Mort. What, Mortimer? Can raggèd stony walls             = roughly finished.6
         Immure thy virtue that aspires to Heaven?                   = "confine your power".2
    52   No, Edward, England's scourge, it may not be;
         Mortimer's hope surmounts his fortune far.                  = "expectations surpass".
    54
                                 [The captive Barons are led off.]
    56
         K. Edw. Sound drums and trumpets! March with me,
            my friends,
    58   Edward this day hath crowned him king anew.                 = ie. himself.

    60                 [Exuent all except Young Spenser, Levune,
                                                  and Baldock.]
    62
         Y. Spen. Levune, the trust that we repose in thee,          63-72: Spenser charges Levune with the responsibility of
                                                                     informing the King of France that Edward is once again in
                                                                     firm control of his realm; he is further to try to convince
                                                                     Charles not to give aid to his sister Queen Isabella, who has
                                                                     refused to return to England after having settled the homage
                                                                     question with Charles. Finally, the Frenchman is instructed
                                                                     to bribe Charles' advisors into also pressing their king to
                                                                     drop his support of Isabella.
                                                                        Levune has been assigned this mission in response to
                                                                     rumours which are now circulating that Isabella is plotting
                                                                     the overthrow of the king.

    64   Begets the quiet of King Edward's land.                     = ie. which may potentially bring peace to.
         Therefore be gone in haste, and with advice                 = wisely1 or judiciously.14
    66   Bestow that treasure on the lords of France,
         That, therewith all enchanted, like the guard               67-69: That…Danae = another reference to the maiden
    68   That suffered Jove to pass in showers of gold               who was locked in a tower to prevent her from meeting up
         To Danaë, all aid may be denied                             with any men, only to have the king of the gods (Jove)
                                                                     impregnate her while visiting her as a shower of gold.
                                                                        Marlowe has added a guard to the story, which he
                                                                     describes as being enchanted by Jove to admit him into the
                                                                     castle, just as Levune is with his bribes to enchant Charles'
                                                                     counselors.
                                                                        suffered = allowed.
    70   To Isabel, the queen, that now in France
         Makes friends, to cross the seas with her young son,        = ie. with the intention of crossing back into England.
    72   And step into his father's regiment.                        72: ie. take over royal rule (regiment) from the king.

    74   Lev. That's it these barons and the subtle queen

                                                              74�
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         Long leveled at.                                          = "have been aiming at;" leveled = aimed.
    76
         Bald.         Yea, but, Levune, thou seest
    78   These barons lay their heads on blocks together;          78: Baldock engages in word play: the barons had put their
                                                                   heads together (1) figuratively to plot the king's overthrow,
                                                                   and (2) literally on the chopping block.

         What they intend, the hangman frustrates clean.           = executioner.1 = cleanly, ie. completely.
    80
         Lev. Have you no doubts, my lords, I'll clap [so] close   = strike, stick or work so secretly.3,9 Clap has many
                                                                      shades of meaning, and previous editors have inter-
                                                                      preted the phrase differently.
    82   Among the lords of France with England's gold,
         That Isabel shall make her plaints in vain,               = complaints.

    84   And France shall be obdúrate with her tears.              84: ie. the French king shall respond to Isabella's tearful
                                                                      pleas with stubborn refusal.
                                                                         obdurate = usually stressed as here on the second
                                                                      syllable.

                                                                   81-84: the Holinshed chronicle tells how several barrels of
                                                                   silver, sent by the Despensers and intended for distribution
                                                                   amongst the French king's counselors, were captured by
                                                                   pirates, and eventually found their way to Hainaut, where
                                                                   the queen took up residence after leaving France. 6

    86   Spen. Then make for France amain − Levune, away!          = right away.2
         Proclaim King Edward's wars and victories.
    88
                                                        [Exeunt.] Edward's Victory Over the Barons: Edward showed a
                                                                   rare streak of vindictiveness in the aftermath of the victory at
                                                                   Boroughbridge: the Earl of Lancaster was tried in a
                                                                   kangaroo court and summarily beheaded at his own
                                                                   property, Pontefract Castle, and the peers Badlesmere,
                                                                   Clifford, and Mowbray, along with dozens of other knights,
                                                                   were hanged.
                                                                      The Parliament that met in May 1322 revoked the
                                                                   Ordinances, and the Despensers were recalled. Edward's
                                                                   victory was complete, and he was now fully and officially in
                                                                   charge his kingdom.

                                                                   Marlowe's Failure to have Edward Execute Mortimer: as
                                                                   a matter of internal logic, it makes no sense for Edward to
                                                                   execute Lancaster and all the other peers, but not Young
                                                                   Mortimer, who, in the play, acted with at least the same level
                                                                   of treason as Lancaster (in addition to the fact that he was
                                                                   allegedly adulterously involved with Isabella); of course,
                                                                   Mortimer has to remain alive as a historical matter - he will
                                                                   become the primary villain in this drama, but as Briggs
                                                                   pointed out, Marlowe has failed to provide an explanation
                                                                   for this inconsistency (p. 164).6


                            END OF ACT III.




                                                             75�
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                               ACT IV.
         SCENE I.
         London, near the Tower.

                                                          Enter Kent. = for his role in the rebellion, Kent was not executed, but
                                                                            banished from the court.

                                                                             The note at Act III.ii.99 described how Kent went to
                                                                         France in April 1324 to discuss the homage issue with
                                                                         Charles; after his failure as a negotiator and his surrender
                                                                         of the English troops resisting Charles' invasion of Gascony,
                                                                         Kent stayed in France. Isabella arrived in Paris in March
                                                                         1325, and, having successfully brokered a peace between
                                                                         Edward and Charles, remained in France, to be joined by
                                                                         her son the prince in September.
                                                                             Mortimer and Kent soon joined the queen in Paris.

    1    Kent. Fair blows the wind for France; blow gentle gale,         1ff: Kent is still in London. In lines 1-2, he apostrophizes
    2    Till Edmund be arrived for England's good! −                    to the wind to blow gently and towards France, so that he
                                                                         may escape England more easily.

         Nature, yield to my country's cause in this. −                  3: personified Nature is also invited to lend a helping hand,
                                                                            since to help him (Kent) is to help England.

    4    A brother? no, a butcher of thy friends!                        4: Kent alludes to the execution of the barons.
         Proud Edward, dost thou banish me thy presence?                 = arrogant. = ie. "from thy".
    6    But I'll to France, and cheer the wrongèd queen,
         And certify what Edward's looseness is.                         = "inform (her)". = immoral or unrestrained conduct. 1,7
    8    Unnatural king! to slaughter noblemen
         And cherish flatterers! − Mortimer, I stay                      = await.
    10   Thy sweet escape: − stand gracious, gloomy night,               10-11: stand gracious…device = a sort-of prayer, asking
         To his device.                                                     for favour from the Night for Young Mortimer's success
    12                                                                      in his attempt to escape imprisonment from the Tower.
                                                                               device = plan or scheme.
                                Enter Young Mortimer, disguised.
    14
         Y. Mort.     Holla! who walketh there?
    16   Is't you my lord?
    18   Kent. Mortimer, 'tis I;
         But hath thy potion wrought so happily?                         19: Mortimer escaped the Tower by arranging to give his
                                                                            guards wine laced with sedatives.
                                                                              wrought = worked.
    20
         Y. Mort. It hath, my lord; the warders all asleep,              = guards.
    22   I thank them, gave me leave to pass in peace.                   = permission.
         But hath your grace got shipping unto France?
    24
         Kent. Fear it not.
    26
                                                            [Exeunt.] Mortimer's Escape: Young Mortimer's escape from the
                                                                         Tower took place on 1 August 1323 - over a year after his
                                                                         imprisonment began. With the assistance of confederates
                                                                         within the Tower, Mortimer drugged the wine of his guards,
                                                                         who were celebrating the feast of St. Peter ad Vincula,

                                                                 76�
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                                                         knocking them out, and exited his cell through a hole cut into
                                                         its wall; passing through the kitchen of the king's apartment,
                                                         Mortimer made it to the roof, from which he left the fortress
                                                         by means of a rope ladder. Additional accomplices on the
                                                         outside were ready and waiting to whisk him away by boat
                                                         on the Thames (Hutchison, p. 129).5
                                                                The Elder Mortimer died in the Tower in 1326,
                                                         perhaps of starvation.

                                                         The Reassertion of the Despensers (1322-1326): after the
                                                         Battle of Boroughbridge in 1322, Edward found himself,
                                                         perhaps for the first time in his reign, without any strong
                                                         opposition. With Lancaster, Hereford, and most other
                                                         leaders of the opposing barons dead (Warwick had died of
                                                         illness in 1315), and the Mortimers in the Tower, the
                                                         Despensers resumed their arrogant and greedy ways -
                                                         although it may be said that the Younger Despenser proved
                                                         himself otherwise to be an able administrator of the
                                                         kingdom.

                                                         The Despensers' Big Mistake - Making an Enemy of
                                                         Isabella: despite Edward's lack of interest in his wife
                                                         (especially during the Gaveston years - though it must be
                                                         granted that Isabella was only in her mid-teens at the time),
                                                         Isabella had generally been treated well over the years, with
                                                         a sizable household of her own, and plenty of income to do
                                                         with as she wished.
                                                             However, the Despensers, hoping to keep the king as
                                                         isolated from others' influence as much as possible,
                                                         convinced Edward in 1324 of the need to sequester the
                                                         queen's lands, on the theory that she might be furtively
                                                         plotting with the King of France; in a further humiliation,
                                                         the Younger Despenser's wife was installed as the queen's
                                                         housekeeper, where she was officially charged with
                                                         reviewing all of Isabella's correspondence. Deprived of her
                                                         land and servants, and reduced to an allowance of 20
                                                         shillings a day, Isabella's hatred of the Despensers grew
                                                         complete.
                                                             In hindsight, it became clear that the greatest tactical
                                                         blunder committed by the Despensers was allowing Isabella
                                                         to leave England and travel to France in March 1325,
                                                         escaping their control; had she been kept in England, the
                                                         subsequent disasters to Edward and the Despensers might
                                                         never had happened.



    ACT IV, SCENE II.
    Paris.

             Enter Queen Isabella and Prince Edward. Scene II: it is now 1325. Having completed her mission in
                                                         France - a settling of the conflict over Edward's homage to
                                                         Charles IV - Isabella decided to stay in Paris, refusing to
                                                         return to an England run by the Spensers.

                                                            Eventually Isabella was joined by Young Mortimer, the
                                                         disgraced Earl of Kent, several bishops and a growing
                                                         number of disaffected nobles.

                                                 77�
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    1    Q. Isab. Ah, boy! our friends do fail us all in France:
    2    The lords are cruël, and the king unkind;                      = unkind is used to describe one's mistreatment of one's
         What shall we do?                                                 own kin. Chares is unkind because he will not support
    4                                                                      his sister Isabella in her scheming.
         Pr. Edw.       Madam, return to England,
    6    And please my father well, and then a fig                      = a strong expression of contempt, accompanied by a rude
                                                                           gesture, usually the placing of one's thumb between the
                                                                           first two fingers of a fist, or into one's mouth. 24

         For all my uncle's friendship here in France.                  7: the prince sarcastically curses the failure of Charles IV
                                                                        (his uncle through his mother Isabella) to give them any
                                                                        further aid.

                                                                           The National Biography suggests that the French king
                                                                        grew further embarrassed of Isabella's presence in his
                                                                        country because of her shameful affair with Mortimer.

    8    I warrant you, I'll win his highness quickly;                  = guarantee. = ie. "win over the king".
         'A loves me better than a thousand Spensers.                   = he.
    10
         Q. Isab. Ah, boy, thou art deceived, at least in this,
    12   To think that we can yet be tuned together.                    = be made harmonious, a musical metaphor.
         No, no, we war too far. Unkind Valois! −                       = "our disagreements are too great to repair." Dyce emends
                                                                           war to jar.

    14   Unhappy Isabel! when France rejects,                           = ie. "rejects me".
         Whither, oh! whither dost thou bend thy steps?                 = to where. = direct.
    16
                                       Enter Sir John of Hainault. Entering Character: Sir John of Hainaut was the brother
    18                                                                     of the Count of Hainaut, William II. Hainaut is in modern
                                                                           Belgium.
         Sir John. Madam, what cheer?
    20
         Q. Isab.                Ah, good Sir John of Hainault,
    22   Never so cheerless, nor so far distressed.
    24   Sir John. I hear, sweet lady, of the king's unkindness;
         But droop not, madam; noble minds contemn                      25-26: noble…Despair = a common sentiment: great
                                                                        persons do not wallow in despair, but gamely work out a
                                                                        plan to recover what has been lost.
                                                                           contemn = scorn.

    26   Despair; will your grace with me to Hainault,                  = go with.
         And there stay time's advantage with your son? −               = the sense is "await the improvement of the situation,
                                                                           which time will surely bring".

    28   How say you, my lord, will you go with your friends,           = ie. addressing Prince Edward.
         And shake off all our fortunes equally?                        = some editors emend shake off to share of; a more drastic
                                                                           change that has also been adopted is to emend fortunes
                                                                           to sorrows.
    30
         Pr. Edw. So pleaseth the queen my mother, me it likes.         = pleases.
    32   The King of England, nor the court of France,                  = ie. "neither the".
         Shall have me from my gracious mother's side,
    34   Till I be strong enough to break a staff;                      = take part in a fight or battle.
         And then have at the proudest Spenser's head.                  = a phrase used to indicate a readiness to begin a fight.
    36


                                                                  78�
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         Sir John. Well said, my lord.
    38
         Q. Isab. O, my sweet heart, how do I moan thy wrongs,     = bemoan, lament.1
    40   Yet triumph in the hope of thee, my joy! −
         Ah, sweet Sir John! even to the utmost verge              41-43: even to…Hainault = "Hainault, we would go with
    42   Of Europe, on the shore of Tanais,                        you, even if it was to the furthest parts of Europe, as repre-
         We will with thee to Hainault − so we will: −             sented by the River Tanais."
                                                                      even = almost always, as here, a monosyllable: e'en.
                                                                      utmost verge = outermost bounderies.1,2
                                                                      Tanais = the Don River of Russia, once considered to be
                                                                   the boundary between Europe and Asia.21

    44   The marquis is a noble gentleman:                         44-45: Isabella is referring to Sir John's brother, William II,
         His grace, I dare presume, will welcome me.               the Count of Hainaut. William will indeed welcome Isabella,
                                                                   providing her with money and troops; in return, his daughter
                                                                   will become engaged to Prince Edward, the future king of
                                                                   England!
    46   But who are these?
    48                          Enter Kent and Young Mortimer.
    50   Kent.          Madam, long may you live,
         Much happier than your friends in England do!
    52
         Q. Isab. Lord Edmund and lord Mortimer alive!
    54   Welcome to France! The news was here, my lord,
         That you were dead, or very near your death.
    56
         Y. Mort. Lady, the last was truest of the twain:          = the two, ie. the two alternatives Isabella just mentioned.
    58   But Mortimer, reserved for better hap,                    = fortune.
         Hath shaken off the thraldom of the Tower,                = captivity.
    60   And lives t' advance your standard, good my lord.         = banner (of the army).

    62   Pr. Edw. How mean you? and the king, my father, lives!
         No, my Lord Mortimer, not I, I trow.                      = "assure you."9 Prince Edward understands Mortimer is
                                                                      hinting at an invasion of England to overthrow his father,
                                                                      and wants no part of it.
    64
         Q. Isab. Not, son! why not? I would it were no worse.     65-66: Isabella only wishes that there were no greater ob-
    66   But, gentle lords, friendless we are in France.           stacle to their invading England than the prince's hesitation;
                                                                   but what is worse is that they have lost any support for their
                                                                   venture in France.7
                                                                      would (line 65) = wish.

    68   Y. Mort. Monsieur le Grand, a noble friend of yours,      = unknown and uncommented-on personage.
         Told us, at our arrival, all the news −
    70   How hard the nobles, how unkind the king
         Hath shewed himself; but madam, right makes room          71-72: right…want = "a righteous cause makes way where
                                                                      weapons fail." (Tancock, p. 147).7
                                                                        shewed = common alternate form of showed.

    72   Where weapons want; and, though a many friends            = ie. many; a variation on the more common, and still
                                                                      surviving, phrase, many a, as in many a friend. We
                                                                      also still say a great many friends.6

         Are made away, as Warwick, Lancaster,                     = have been murdered.




                                                             79�
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    74    And others of our party and faction;                         = ie. "side"; Marlowe uses a figure of speech known as a
                                                                          pleonasm, in which two or more words are redundant:
                                                                          party and faction mean the same thing.
          Yet have we friends, assure your grace, in England
    76    Would cast up caps, and clap their hands for joy,            = "who would toss". Note also the nice alliteration and
                                                                          assonance of cast, caps and clap in this line.
          To see us there, appointed for our foes.                     = armed or equipped (for war).2
    78
          Kent. Would all were well, and Edward well reclaimed,        = "I wish". = put right, or tamed, a term from falconry. 1
    80    For England's honour, peace and quietness.
    82    Y. Mort. But by the sword, my lord, ‘t must be deserved;     = earned.8
          The king will ne'er forsake his flatterers.
    84
          Sir John. My lords of England, sith th’ ungentle king        = ancient form of since. = unchivalrous.1
    86    Of France refuseth to give aid of arms
          To this distressèd queen, his sister here,
    88    Go you with her to Hainault; doubt ye not,
          We will find comfort, money, men and friends
    90    Ere long, to bid the English king a base. −                  = challenge Edward to an encounter;4 the reference is to
                                                                          a game called prisoner's base (or bars), in which two
                                                                          teams, occupying separate areas, try to capture members
                                                                          of the opposing team who enter their side.1

          How say, young prince? what think you of the match?          = contest, game.1
    92
          Pr. Edw. I think king Edward will outrun us all.             = ie. "come out on top"; with outrun, the prince glances
    94                                                                    back to the allusion to the game of prisoner's base. 14
          Q. Isab. Nay, son, not so; and you must not discourage
    96    Your friends, that are so forward in your aid.               = eager.

    98    Kent. Sir John of Hainault, pardon us, I pray;
          These comforts that you give our woeful queen
    100   Bind us in kindness all at your command.
    102   Q. Isab. Yea, gentle brother; and the God of Heaven          = brother-in-law, ie. Kent.
          Prosper your happy motion, good Sir John.                    = plan or proposal.6
    104
          Y. Mort. This noble gentleman, forward in arms,              = ready to fight.1
    106   Was born, I see, to be our anchor-hold. −
          Sir John of Hainault, be it thy renown,
    108   That England's queen and nobles in distress,
          Have been by thee restored and comforted.
    110
          Sir John. Madam, along, and you my lords, with me,           = ie. "go along".
    112   That England's peers may Hainault's welcome see.             111-2: the scene ends with a rhyming couplet.

    114                                                    [Exeunt.]


          ACT IV, SCENE III.
          An apartment in the king's palace at Westminster.


                       Enter King Edward, Arundel, the Elder and
                                    Younger Spenser, and others.

                                                               80�
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    1    K. Edw. Thus after many threats of wrathful war,
    2    Triumpheth England's Edward with his friends;
         And triumph, Edward, with his friends, uncontrolled!         = ie. Edward is, with his friends, no longer constrained
                                                                         (controlled) in his actions.
    4    My lord of Gloucester, do you hear the news?                 = ie. Young Spenser.

    6    Y. Spen. What news, my lord?
    8    K. Edw. Why, man, they say there is great execution          = much killing, slaughter; the phrase great execution was
                                                                         a common one.1
         Done through the realm; − my lord of Arundel,
    10   You have the note, have you not?                             = report.1

    12   Arun. From the Lieutenant of the Tower, my lord.
    14   K. Edw. I pray, let us see it.
    16                                            [Takes the note.]
    18                              What have we there?
         Read it, Spenser.
    20
                                [Hands the note to Young Spenser,
    22                                     who reads the names.] = ie. of those who were executed; Holinshead's Chronicles
                                                                      provides the names for Spenser to read. The entire relevant
                                                                      paragraph appears at the end of this scene (at line 80 below);
                                                                      a director may choose to have Spenser read off as many of
                                                                      the names as her or she wishes.

    24   Why, so; they barked apace a month ago:                      = ie. embarked (on their enterprise). = swifly. 1
         Now, on my life, they'll neither bark nor bite.              25: Edward puns on barked.
    26   Now, sirs, the news from France? Gloucester, I trow          = "am confident".
         The lords of France love England's gold so well
    28   As Isabell[a] gets no aid from thence.
         What now remains? Have you proclaimed, my lord,
    30   Reward for them can bring in Mortimer?
    32   Y. Spen. My lord, we have; and if he be in England,
         'A will be had ere long, I doubt it not.                     = "he". = captured.
    34
         K. Edw. If, dost thou say? Spenser, as true as death,        = ie. "if he is in England, you say?"
    36   He is in England's ground; our portmasters                   = on. = harbour-masters.
         Are not so careless of their king's command.
    38
                                               Enter a Messenger.
    40
         How now, what news with thee? from whence come
           these?
    42
         Post. Letters, my lord, and tidings forth of France; −       = news from.
    44   To you, my lord of Gloucester, from Levune.
    46                            [Gives letters to Young Spenser.]
    48   K. Edw. Read.
    50   Spen. [Reads] "My duty to your honour promised,              = many editors emend promised to premised, but a search of
                                                                      early literature shows that promised is correct: for example,

                                                             81�
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                                                                     from Holinshed's Chronicles (a commonly used source for
                                                                     Marlowe), we find the following: "...faithfull promise of his
                                                                     dutie and allegiance..."

         &c., I have, according to instructions in that behalf,      = "et cetera"; Spenser skips over the letter's formalities.
    52   dealt with the King of France his lords, and effected,      = ie. "France's".14
         that the queen, all discontented and discomforted, is       = vexed.11
    54   gone; whither, if you ask, with Sir John of Hainault,       = to where.
         brother to the marquis, into Flanders. With them are
    56   gone lord Edmund, and the lord Mortimer, having in
         their company divers of your nation, and others; and,       = ie. various persons.
    58   as constant report goeth, they intend to give King          = consistent.
         Edward battle in England, sooner than he can look for
    60   them. This is all the news of import.                       50-60: letters in Elizabethan drama are usually written, as
                                                                        here, in prose.

    62   Your honour's in all service, Levune".                      62: information regarding the treasonous activities of the
                                                                     queen was actually brought to Edward by Walter Stapleton,
                                                                     Bishop of Exeter, who had accompanied Prince Edward on
                                                                     his voyage to France.
    64   K. Edw. Ah, villains! hath that Mortimer escaped?
         With him is Edmund gone associate?
    66   And will Sir John of Hainault lead the round?               = a dance in which people move about in a ring. 1
         Welcome, a God's name, madam, and your son;                 = in.
    68   England shall welcome you and all your rout.                = mob or rabble.

         Gallop apace, bright Phoebus, through the sky,              69-73: Edward asks both Day and Night to hurry along, as
                                                                     he can barely wait for the day when Isabella and her rebels
                                                                     land on England's shores.
                                                                        69: Edward apostrophizes to the sun, which in myth was
                                                                     traditionally imagined to be pulled across the sky by a team
                                                                     of horses, driven by Apollo in his guise as the sun-god
                                                                     Phoebus.
                                                                        apace = swiftly.
                                                                        In these lines, we find another borrowing by Shakespeare,
                                                                     for Juliet's speech in Romeo and Juliet at Act III.ii, in which
                                                                     she too asks for Day and Night to pass swiftly:
                                                                            Gallop apace, you fiery-footed steeds,
                                                                            Towards Phoebus' lodging...

    70   And dusky night, in rusty iron car,                         70: personified Night's broken-down chariot is contrasted
         Between you both, shorten the time, I pray,                    with Apollo's brilliant car that is the sun.
    72   That I may see that most desirèd day,
         When we may meet these traitors in the field.
    74   Ah, nothing grieves me, but my little boy                   = young Edward was 14 years old at this time.
         Is thus misled to countenance their ills.                   = support. = evil deeds.11
    76   Come, friends, to Bristow, there to make us strong; −       = Bristol. = build an army.

         And, winds, as equal be to bring them in,                   = just.7

    78   As you injurious were to bear them forth!                   77-78: closing out the scene, Edward's prayer to the wind
                                                                     acts as a perfect counterpoise to his brother Edmund's orison
                                                                     to the same wind which opened Scene I of this Act.
                                                                         forth = ie. "away from England and to the continent."

    80                                                    [Exeunt.] List of Executed Nobles: excerpted below is the relevant
                                                                     paragraph from 1587's Chronicles, Volume 3, which lists
                                                                     those executed following the events at Boroughbridge

                                                              82�
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                                                                   (spelling modernized); some of these names may be read out
                                                                   by Spenser at line 22 above.

                                                                      On the same day, the lord William Tuchet, the lord
                                                                   William fitz William, the lord Warren de Lisle, the lord
                                                                   Henrie Bradborne, and the lord William; Chenie(?) barons,
                                                                   with John Page, an esquire, were drawn and hanged at
                                                                   Pomfret aforesaid, and then shortly after, Roger Lord
                                                                   Clifford, John Lord Mowbraie, and Sir Gosein d' Eeuill
                                                                   barons, were drawn and hanged at York. At Bristow in like
                                                                   manner were executed Sir Henrie de Willington, and Sir
                                                                   Henrie Montfort baronets; and at Glocester, the Lord John
                                                                   Gifford, and Sir William Elmebridge knight; and at London,
                                                                   the lord Henrie Teies baron; at Winchelsy, Sir Thomas
                                                                   Culpepper knight; at Windsor, the Lord Francis de Aldham
                                                                   baron; and at Canterbury, the Lord Bartholomew de
                                                                   Badelismere, and the Lord Bartholomew de Ashbornham,
                                                                   barons. Also at Cardiffe in Wales, Sir William Fleming
                                                                   knight was executed: diverse were executed in their
                                                                   countries, as Sir Thomas Mandit and others.



         ACT IV, SCENE IV.
         Near Harwich.                                             Scene IV: Harwich is a port-town in south-east England.


                     Enter Queen Isabella, Prince Edward, Kent,
                      Young Mortimer, and Sir John of Hainault.
    1    Q. Isab. Now lords, our loving friends and countrymen,    1-2: Isabella's opening lines allude to the same winds to
                                                                      which Edward prayed to close out the last scene.
    2    Welcome to England all, with prosperous winds!
         Our kindest friends in Belgia have we left,               = ie. Belgium, where Hainaut is found. = ie. left behind.

    4    To cope with friends at home: a heavy case                4: To cope…home = Isabella is referring to herself and her
                                                                   forces that have just landed in England (home) to offer battle
                                                                   (cope).1
                                                                      a heavy case = a sad situation.

         When force to force is knit, and sword and glaive         5: When force…knit = when Englishmen fight against each
                                                                      other.
                                                                         glaive = lance or other pole-arm, perhaps with a blade
                                                                      at one end.1,25

    6    In civil broils make kin and countrymen                   = turmoils.
         Slaughter themselves in others, and their sides           = when people kill their fellow countrymen in civil war,
                                                                      it is as if they are killing themselves.
    8    With their own weapons gored! But what's the help?
         Misgoverned kings are cause of all this wrack; −          = lawless or immoral.1 = ruin.
    10   And, Edward, thou art one among them all,
         Whose looseness hath betrayed thy land to spoil,          = laxness or lewdness.1,2
    12   And made the channels overflow with blood.                = gutters.
         Of thine own people patron shouldst thou be.              = protector.11
    14   But thou −
    16   Y. Mort. Nay, madam, if you be a warrior,



                                                             83�
�
         You must not grow so passionate in speeches. −             = expressive of emotion; Mortimer's admonishment is a
                                                                       common one: the inability to control one's emotions
                                                                       was viewed as a weakness.
    18   Lords,
         Sith that we are by sufferance of Heaven                   19-20: Sith…Arrived = "since Providence has permitted
    20   Arrived, and armèd in this prince's right,                    us to land safely".
         Here for our country's cause swear we to him
    22   All homage, fealty, and forwardness;                       = enthusiasm, zeal.2
         And for the open wrongs and injuries
    24   Edward hath done to us, his queen and land,
         We come in arms to wreak it with the sword;                = take revenge on it.1

    26   That England's queen in peace may repossess                26-27: That England's…honours = in Isabella's last years
                                                                       in England, the Despensers had stripped her of her land,
                                                                       servants and money.

         Her dignities and honours: and withal                      = moreover.
    28   We may remove these flatterers from the king,
         That havocs England's wealth and treasury.                 = waste or make havoc of; a rare use of havoc as a verb.1
    30                                                                 26-29: Mortimer justifies the invasion on two grounds:
                                                                    their desire to restore Isabella's property and position, and
                                                                    their intention to remove Edward's evil counselors.
                                                                       It was traditional for English rebels - both on stage and in
                                                                    real life - to provide spurious reasons for their actions,
                                                                    dissembling regarding their true and more discomfiting goal,
                                                                    the overthrow of the monarch.
         Sir John. Sound trumpets, my lord, and forward let
            us march.
    32   Edward will think we come to flatter him.                  32: ie. "if we continue to stand around talking, Edward will
                                                                       not take our actions seriously."14

    34   Kent. I would he never had been flattered more!            34: "it is too bad that this talk of ours is not the most flattery
                                                                    Edward ever received - as opposed to the greater and more
                                                                    damaging flattery heaped on him by his followers for all
                                                                    these years." (Bevington, p. 485).14

    36                                                   [Exeunt.] The Rebels Land in England: Isabella, Mortimer and
                                                                    Prince Edward landed with their army of less than a
                                                                    thousand at the eastern port of Harwich on 24 September
                                                                    1326. The queen's forces grew quickly as she marched west,
                                                                    while Edward, busily giving commands for the levying of
                                                                    forces that everyone ignored, fled towards Wales with his
                                                                    closest advisors, including both Despensers, Arundel, and
                                                                    Baldock.
                                                                       With royal authority now completely absent in London, a
                                                                    mob took over the city, freeing political prisoners from the
                                                                    Tower, and murdering Walter Stapleton, the Bishop of
                                                                    Exeter and supporter of Edward.



         ACT IV, SCENE V.
         Near Bristol.

               Enter King Edward, Baldock, and Young Spenser,
                                        flying about the stage.


                                                             84�
�
    1    Y. Spen. Fly, fly, my lord! the queen is over-strong;        1: the prefix over- was frequently used as an intensifier.

    2    Her friends do multiply, and yours do fail.                  2: Events moved quickly once Isabella landed in England.
                                                                         Most of Edward's followers abandoned him, as did the
                                                                         Council and Parliament.

         Shape we our course to Ireland, there to breathe.            = ie. "where we can finally rest in one place."
    4                                                                        3: the members of the royal party decided to make a
                                                                         dash for Ireland to try to save themselves.
         K. Edw. What! was I born to fly and run away,
    6    And leave the Mortimers conquerors behind?
         Give me my horse, and let's r'enforce our troops:            = reinforce, ie. encourage, give heart too. 9
    8    And in this bed of honour die with fame.                     = metaphor for a grave, per the OED. 1

    10   Bald. O no, my lord, this princely resolution                10-11: this princely…time = "this is the wrong moment to
         Fits not the time: away! we are pursued.                        show courage!"
    12
                                                          [Exeunt.] 13: some editors begin a new scene after the royalists
                                                                         leave the stage, but we may imagine Kent just missing
                                                                         his brother.
    14
                         Enter Kent alone, with sword and target. = small, round shield.
    16
         Kent. This way he fled, but I am come too late. −            17: Kent, repentant, had hoped to catch up with and rejoin
                                                                      Edward.
                                                                         In this speech (17-34), Kent explores his regret at having
                                                                      supported the rebels' cause; he likely feels the goal of
                                                                      removing the Spensers is a legitimate one, but that of
                                                                      deposing the king as one that goes too far.7
    18   Edward, alas! my heart relents for thee. −
         Proud traitor, Mortimer, why dost thou chase
    20   Thy lawful king, thy sovereign, with thy sword?
         Vild wretch! − and why hast thou, of all unkind,             21: Vild = vile.
                                                                          thou = Kent now addresses himself.
                                                                          of all unkind = most unnatural of all, in the sense that he
                                                                      is opposing his own brother.1
    22   Borne arms against thy brother and thy king? −
         Rain showers of vengeance on my cursèd head,
    24   Thou God, to whom in justice it belongs
         To punish this unnatural revolt! −
    26   Edward, this Mortimer aims at thy life!
         O fly him, then! − But, Edmund, calm this rage,
    28   Dissemble, or thou diest; for Mortimer                       = ie. "you better pretend you have no misgivings".
         And Isabel do kiss while they conspire:
    30   And yet she bears a face of love forsooth.                   30: Isabella makes an outward show of still being devoted to
                                                                         her husband.
                                                                            forsooth = truly.

         Fie on that love that hatcheth death and hate!               = shame.

    32   Edmund, away! Bristow to Longshanks' blood                   32-33: Bristow…false = the king's hopes for support in
                                                                      Bristol have proven illusory.
                                                                         Longshank's blood = ie. Longshank's issue, referring to
                                                                      our Edward II, whose father Edward I was nicknamed
                                                                      Longshanks.
                                                                         After leaving London, Edward went straight to Wales,
                                                                      where he appeared next at Tintern Abbey at Monmouthshire
                                                                      by 14 October. The king dispatched the Elder Despenser to

                                                              85�
�
                                                                     Bristol to try to raise support, but the city freely surrendered
                                                                     to Isabella at her appearance there on 26 October.

         Is false: be not found single for suspect:                  = Kent admonishes himself not to be caught alone in order
                                                                        to avoid Mortimer's suspicion (suspect).6
    34   Proud Mortimer pries near into thy walks.                   34: Mortimer is keeping a close eye on Kent's activities.

    36                     Enter Queen Isabella, Prince Edward,
                       Young Mortimer, and Sir John of Hainault.
    38
         Q. Isab. Successful battles gives the God of kings          39-40: typical complex sentence arrangement: the God of
    40   To them that fight in right and fear his wrath.                kings is the sentence's subject, who gives successful
                                                                        battles to those who fight etc.
         Since then successfully we have prevailed,
    42   Thanks be Heaven's great architect, and you. −              = ie. God. = ie. Mortimer.
         Ere farther we proceed, my noble lords,
    44   We here create our well-belovèd son,                        44-46: We here…realm = that the legitimate king was still
                                                                     alive, though missing, created a puzzling legal situation; the
                                                                     solution was to declare Prince Edward "Keeper of the
                                                                     Realm".
         Of love and care unto his royal person,
    46   Lord Warden of the realm, and sith the fates                = since.
         Have made his father so infortunate,
    48   Deal you, my lords, in this, my loving lords,
         As to your wisdoms fittest seems in all.
    50
         Kent. Madam, without offense, if I may ask,                 51-52: Edmund hesitantly inquires as to the queen's plans
    52   How will you deal with Edward in his fall?                     for the king.

    54   Pr. Edw. Tell me, good uncle, what Edward do you mean? 54: Tancock suggests that the prince is indirectly questioning
                                                                     Kent's disrespectful use of the king's name rather than his
                                                                     title, and not actual confusion as to which of the two
                                                                     Edwards he is referring to.7
    56   Kent. Nephew, your father: I dare not call him king.
    58   Y. Mort. My lord of Kent, what needs these questiöns?       = "what's the point of".
         'Tis not in her controlment, nor in ours,                   = control or power, ie. Isabella has nothing to do with this
    60   But as the realm and parliament shall please,                  decision.
         So shall your brother be disposèd of. −
    62   [Aside to the Queen]
         I like not this relenting mood in Edmund.                   63-64: Mortimer senses Kent is going soft, so they should
    64   Madam, 'tis good to look to him betimes.                       keep an eye on him.
                                                                          betimes = soon, before it is too late.1

    66   Q. Isab. My lord, the mayor of Bristow knows our mind.      = "understands what we want done," ie. "is on our side."

    68   Y. Mort. Yea, madam; and they scape not easily
         That fled the field.
    70
         Q. Isab.         Baldock is with the king.
    72   A goodly chancellor, is he not, my lord?                    72: Baldock had been appointed Chancellor, or king's
                                                                        secretary, in 1323.

    74   Sir John. So are the Spensers, th' father and the son.      74: Sir John means the Spensers are also with the king.

    76   Kent. This Edward is the ruin of the realm.                 76: Kent, perhaps feebly, tries to appear still anti-Edward.
                                                                         Bevington adds commas to the line as so: "This, Edward,
                                                                     is the ruin of the realm." Kent's line thus becomes a sad

                                                              86�
�
                                                                      aside, an apostrophizing to the king that the end of the line
                                                                      has been reached.

    78                Enter Rice ap Howell, with the Elder Spenser = Howell is a Welshman who was, until Isabella released
                                        prisoner, and Attendants.     him, a prisoner in the Tower of London. 9
    80
          Rice. God save Queen Isabel and her princely son!
    82    Madam, the mayor and citizens of Bristow,
          In sign of love and duty to this presence,
    84    Present by me this traitor to the state,                    83-84: Rice puns mildly with presence / present.
          Spenser, the father to that wanton Spenser,                 = unmanageable or self-indulgent.1

    86    That, like the lawless Catiline of Rome,                    86: Lucius Sergius Catalina (Cataline), a disaffected
          Revelled in England's wealth and treasury.                  nobleman of Rome, was accused of conspiring against the
                                                                      Republic in the mid-1st century B.C.; his plot exposed by
                                                                      Cicero, Catalina was killed in battle in 62 B.C.
                                                                         Previous editors have noted that Howell's analogy is a
                                                                      poor one; Catalina never greedily indulged himself in
                                                                      Rome's wealth, as did the Despensers.
    88
          Q. Isab. We thank you all.                                  78-89: The Capture of the Elder Despenser: the senior
    90                                                                Despenser, now 64 years of age, was arrested at Bristol at
                                                                      the same time the city handed itself over to Isabella. Rhys Ap
                                                                      Howell was not involved in the capture of Despenser;
                                                                      however, he was sent by Mortimer with the Earl of Leicester
                                                                      to capture the fleeing King Edward.
          Y. Mort.                  Your loving care in this
    92    Deserveth princely favours and rewards.
          But where's the king and th' other Spenser fled?
    94
          Rice. Spenser the son, created Earl of Gloucester,
    96    Is with that smooth-tongued scholar Baldock gone,           = flattering.
          And shipped but late for Ireland with the king.
    98
          Y. Mort. [Aside]
    100   Some whirlwind fetch them back, or sink them all. −
          They shall be started thence, I doubt it not.               101: started = a hunting term, meaning "driven from cover".
    102                                                                  thence = from there.
          Pr. Edw. Shall I not see the king my father yet?
    104
          Kent. [Aside]
    106   Unhappy's Edward, chased from England's bounds.             = unfortunate is.

    108   Sir John. Madam, what resteth? Why stand ye in a muse? = "what's to be done?" Isabella presumably appears
                                                                         pensive.

    110   Q. Isab. I rue my lord's ill fortune; but, alas!            110-1: Isabella continues to pretend to worry about her
          Care of my country called me to this war!                      husband the king.
    112
          Y. Mort. Madam, have done with care and sad complain;       = anxiety. = ie. complaint; most editors emend complain
                                                                         to complaint.
    114   Your king hath wronged your country and himself,
          And we must seek to right it as we may.
    116   Meanwhile, have hence this rebel to the block. −            = "away with". = ie. for beheading.
          Your lordship cannot privilege your head.                   117: Spenser should not expect to save his life by appealing
                                                                         to his title as Earl of Gloucester.
    118


                                                               87�
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          E. Spen. Rebel is he that fights against his prince;         = ie. king.

    120   So fought not they that fought in Edward's right.            120: "those who fight for Edward fight for a just cause,"
                                                                       with the implication that his opponents are to be considered
                                                                       nothing better than mere rebels.

    122   Y. Mort. Take him away; he prates. −                         = prattles.

    124                [Exeunt Attendants with the Elder Spenser.] 124: Despenser met a horrible traitor's death, being hanged
                                                                          and eviscerated before his own dying eyes (Hutchison,
                                                                          p. 136).5
    126                                   You, Rice ap Howell,
          Shall do good service to her majesty,
    128   Being of countenance in your country here,                   = high standing.2 = ie. Wales or the border region.
          To follow these rebellious runagates. −                      = fugitives or runaways.1,24
    130   We in meanwhile, madam, must take advice,                    = deliberate.1
          How Baldock, Spenser, and their complices,
    132   May in their fall be followed to their end.
    134                                                   [Exeunt.] Pursuit of Edward: the Earl of Leicester, Howell, and
                                                                       another former prisoner of the Tower, one William la Zouch,
                                                                       were sent by Mortimer to find Edward and his comrades. 6



          ACT IV, SCENE VI.
          Within the abbey at Neath.                                   Scene VI: by mid-November, Edward and his few
                                                                       remaining followers - including Arundel, Baldock and
                                                                       Younger Spenser - were in hiding at the abbey of Neath in
                                                                       south Wales.
            Enter the Abbot, Monks, King Edward, Young Spenser
                         and Baldock (the three latter disguised). = ie. as churchmen.
     1    Abb. Have you no doubt, my lord; have you no fear;           = ie. "have no doubt", an imperative.
     2    As silent and as careful will we be
          To keep your royal person safe with us,
     4    Free from suspect, and fell invasiön                         = treacherous intrusion or assault.1
          Of such as have your majesty in chase,                       = from.
     6    Yourself, and those your chosen company,
          As danger of this stormy time requires.
     8
          K. Edw. Father, thy face should harbour no deceit.
    10    O! hadst thou ever been a king, thy heart,
          Pierced deeply with [a] sense of my distress,
    12    Could not but take compassion of my state.                   = pity. = condition or situation; note the light wordplay
                                                                          with state here and stately at the beginning of the next
                                                                          line.

          Stately and proud, in riches and in train,                   = retinue.
    14    Whilom I was powerful and full of pomp:                      = once.
          But what is he whom rule and empery                          15: what is he = "who is he", ie. "is there anyone".
                                                                          empery = absolute power, ie. sovereignty.1
    16    Have not in life or death made miserable? −
          Come, Spenser; come Baldock, come, sit down by me;           = the second come is sometimes omitted for the sake of
                                                                          the meter.
    18    Make trial now of that philosophy,                           = "now test or try".



                                                                 88�
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         That in our famous nurseries of arts                       19-20: briefly, "that we learned about in our youth"; Edward
    20   Thou sucked'st from Plato and from Aristotle. −            employs a metaphor of babies nursing, sucking knowledge
                                                                    from their "mothers", the great philosophers.
                                                                       nurseries of arts = ie. universities.14
                                                                       20: both philosophers praised the virtue of the
                                                                    contemplative life, to which Edward alludes in the next line.

         Father, this life contémplative is Heaven.                 21-22: Edward now addresses the abbot; medieval philo-
    22   O that I might this life in quiet lead!                    sophy made a big deal of the ancient distinction between
                                                                    living an active life, as most actors on the nation's stage did,
                                                                    and the contemplative life, as a cleric might live.
                                                                        contemplative = stressed on its second syllable: con-
                                                                    TEM-pla-tive.
         But we, alas! are chased; and you, my friends,
    24   Your lives and my dishonour they pursue.
         Yet, gentle monks, for treasure, gold, nor fee,            = ie. "for neither".
    26   Do you betray us and our company.                          25-26: note the rhyming couplet.

    28   Monk. Your grace may sit secure,                           = ie. rest easy, knowing he is safe.
         If none but we do wot of your abode.                       = know.
    30
         Y. Spen. Not one alive, but shrewdly I suspect             = strongly.7
    32   A gloomy fellow in a mead below.                           = meadow.
         'A gave a long look after us, my lord;                     = he.
    34   And all the land, I know, is up in arms,
         Arms that pursue our lives with deadly hate.
    36
         Bald. We were embarked for Ireland; wretched we!
    38   With awkward winds and sore tempests driven                = unfavourable.1 = severe;1 sore is disyllabic: SO-er.
         To fall on shore, and here to pine in fear
    40   Of Mortimer and his confederates.                          37-40: Failed Sail to Ireland: before settling in at the
                                                                    priory, Edward's party attempted to sail to Ireland from
                                                                    Wales, but were blown back into the harbour at Cardiff by
                                                                    an uncooperative wind (Hutchison, p. 136).5
    42   K. Edw. Mortimer! Who talks of Mortimer?
         Who wounds me with the name of Mortimer,
    44   That bloody man? − Good father, on thy lap
         Lay I this head, laden with mickle care.                   = loaded. = much.
    46   O might I never open these eyes again!                     = usually emended to the later quartos' ope'.
         Never again lift up this drooping head!
    48   O nevermore lift up this dying heart!
    50   Spen. Look up, my lord. − Baldock, this drowsiness
         Betides no good; here even we are betrayed.                = bodes.
    52
                        Enter, with Welsh hooks, Rice ap Howell, Entering Characters: Howell reappears with men carrying
    54                                   a Mower, and Leicester. Welsh hooks, weapons comprised of a staff with a curved
                                                                    blade at one end (also called Welsh bills),1 and a Mower, a
                                                                    man who cuts grass with a scythe.22

    56   Mower. Upon my life, these be the men ye seek.             56: the Mower was the one who discovered and turned in the
                                                                    king; presumably Mower was the gloomy fellow in the
                                                                    meadow noticed by Spenser in line 32, where perhaps he
                                                                    working on the priory's property.

    58   Rice. Fellow, enough. − My lord, I pray, be short;         = Howell asks Edward to come along, and not drag out the
                                                                       scene.


                                                              89�
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          A fair commission warrants what we do.                      59: "we have valid authorization for what we are doing."
    60                                                                      warrants = guarantees or vouches for the authenticity
                                                                         of.1
          Leic. The queen's commission, urged by Mortimer;
    62    What cannot gallant Mortimer with the queen?                62: "there is nothing that Mortimer cannot convince the
                                                                         queen to do." That is, she is completely under Mortimer's
                                                                         influence.
          Alas! see where he sits, and hopes unseen
    64    T' escape their hands that seek to reave his life.          = take away.1

          Too true it is, Quem dies vidit veniens superbum,           65-66: from the 1st century A.D. play Thyestes, by the
    66    Hunc dies vidit fugiens jacentem.                           Roman philosopher and dramatist Seneca: "Whom the rising
                                                                      sun hath seen high in pride, him the setting sun hath seen
                                                                      laid low."32

          But, Leicester, leave to grow so passionate. −              = cease. = emotional or compassionate; Leicester strains
                                                                         to control his emotions.
    68    Spenser and Baldock, by no other names,                     = Leicester makes a point of refusing to address the pair by
                                                                         their respective titles of Chamberlain and Chancellor.
          I [do] arrest you of high treason here.
    70    Stand not on titles, but obey th' arrest:                   = "don't bother insisting".
          'Tis in the name of Isabel the queen. −
    72    My lord, why droop you thus?
    74    K. Edw. O day the last of all my bliss on earth,            74-75: O day…misfortune = "Oh, the last day during
          Center of all misfortune! O my stars,                       which I enjoyed all the power and trappings of a king, but
                                                                      now in which I lose everything!" This interpretation is
                                                                      suggested by Tancock.7

    76    Why do you lour unkindly on a king?                         = appear dark and threatening.1 Edward refers to the belief
                                                                         that the position of the stars at one's birth determines
                                                                         one's destiny.
          Comes Leicester, then, in Isabella's name
    78    To take my life, my company from me?
          Here, man, rip up this panting breast of mine,              = throbbing or heavily pumping heart.1
    80    And take my heart in rescue of my friends!                  = ie. "in exchange for the lives of".

    82    Rice. Away with them!
    84    Y. Spen.                It may become thee yet              = "do you honour"; though outwardly formal, Spenser uses
          To let us take our farewell of his grace.                      thee in addressing Leicester to signal a bit of scorn.
    86
          Abb. [Aside] My heart with pity earns to see this sight,    = grieves, feels compassion.23
    88    A king to bear these words and proud commands.              = forced to put up with. = arrogant.

    90    K. Edw. Spenser, ah, sweet Spenser, thus then must
             we part?
    92    Y. Spen. We must, my lord; so will the angry heavens.       = ie. so the angry heavens command.

    94    K. Edw. Nay, so will hell and cruël Mortimer;               = command.
          The gentle Heavens have not to do in this.                  = ie. nothing.
    96
          Bald. My lord, it is in vain to grieve or storm.
    98    Here humbly of your grace we take our leaves.
          Our lots are cast; I fear me, so is thine.                  = "our fates have been decided."1
    100
          K. Edw. In Heaven we may, in earth ne’er shall we meet: −   = on.

                                                               90�
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    102   And, Leicester, say, what shall become of us?                 = ie. "me" (the royal "we").

    104   Leic. Your majesty must go to Killingworth.                   = ie. Kenilworth Castle in Warwickshire, owned by the
                                                                           Lancasters, now a spectacular ruin.

    106   K. Edw. Must! 'Tis somewhat hard, when kings must go.         106: Edward emphasizes must in must go, lamenting that
                                                                           he has reached a point so low that he, a king, must take
                                                                           orders from others.

    108   Leic. Here is a litter ready for your grace,                  = a portable bed, carried by others.
          That waits your pleasure, and the day grows old.              = "it is getting late," ie. "let's go already."
    110
          Rice. As good be gone, as stay and be benighted.              111: "it is just as well to leave as to stay and be overcome
                                                                           by night." Perhaps proverbial.
    112
          K. Edw. A litter hast thou? lay me in a hearse,               = ie. "lay me instead". = coffin.
    114   And to the gates of hell convey me hence.                     = from here.

          Let Pluto's bells ring out my fatal knell,                    = Roman god of the underworld. = ie. death knell.

    116   And hags howl for my death at Charon's shore;                 116: hags = the term could refer to any of several infernal
                                                                           beings, such as Furies or departed souls.14
                                                                             Charon's shore = Charon was the old ferryman who
                                                                           shipped souls across the rivers of the underworld into
                                                                           Hades.

          For friends hath Edward none but these, and these,            = ie. the monks on the one hand, and Baldock and Spenser
    118   And these must die under a tyrant's sword.                       on the other.6

    120   Rice. My lord, be going: care not for these,                  = care is disyllabic: CAY-er.
          For we shall see them shorter by the heads.                   121: common and grimly humorous phrase, referring to
                                                                           the anticipated beheading of the captives.
    122
          K. Edw. Well, that shall be, shall be: part we must!          = the borrowing of the Italian phrase "que sera, sera" seems
                                                                           to have occurred in the 16th century; in fact, que sera,
                                                                           sera was the motto of the Earls of Bedford.1
    124   Sweet Spenser, gentle Baldock, part we must!
          Hence, feignèd weeds! Unfeignèd are my woes;                  = "off with you, deceptive clothing (weeds)!"
    126
                                           [Throws off his disguise.]
    128
          Father, farewell! Leicester, thou stay'st for me,             = waits.
    130   And go I must. Life, farewell, with my friends.
    132                       [Exeunt King Edward and Leicester.] 132: Edward's Capture: On 16 November 1326, the
                                                                        Welshman Rhys ap Howel led the Earl of Leicester to
                                                                        Edward's hiding place at the priory at Neath.
    134   Y. Spen. O! is he gone? is noble Edward gone?
          Parted from hence? never to see us more?
    136   Rent, sphere of Heaven! And, fire, forsake thy orb!           136: Rent = "tear yourself to pieces".
          Earth, melt to air! Gone is my sovereign.                        sphere of Heaven = another reference to the geocentric,
    138   Gone, gone, alas! never to make return.                       Ptolemaic view of the universe, in which the spheres
                                                                        containing the stars and planets revolve around the earth; the
                                                                        absolute outermost sphere (the sphere of Heaven) was
                                                                        thought to contain the throne of God, the angels, etc.
                                                                           fire, foresake thy orb = an allusion to the ancient
                                                                        cosmological notion that each of the four elements (air,
                                                                        earth, fire and water) had its own region - in the shape of a


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                                                                     sphere, or orb, in which the earth was at the center - in which
                                                                     it dominated; the fiery region was the uppermost region.

    140   Bald. Spenser, I see our souls are fleeting hence;         = departing from here.1
          We are deprived the sunshine of our life:
    142   Make for a new life, man; throw up thy eyes,               = "prepare for the afterlife".
          And heart and hand to Heaven's immortal throne;
    144   Pay nature's debt with cheerful countenance:               = common phrase referring to death, which all people
                                                                        "owe" to Nature.
          Reduce we all our lessons unto this,                       145-6: "all of life's lessons boil down to this: we live to die."
    146   To die, sweet Spenser, therefore live we all;                 ie. the purpose of life is to prepare for the afterlife.
          Spenser, all live to die, and rise to fall.
    148
          Rice. Come, come, keep these preachments till you          = ie. this preaching.

    150   come to the place appointed. You, and such as you are,     150: the place appointed = euphemism for the execution
          have made wise work in England; will your lordships           site.14
    152   away?                                                            150-1: You…England = Rice is sarcastic: "you and
                                                                        your ilk have done a fantastic job ruling England."

    154   Mower. Your lordship, I trust, will remember me?           154: the Mower uses the usual formula to hint at hopes that
                                                                        he will be rewarded for revealing the king's location to
                                                                        the authorities.

    156   Rice. Remember thee, fellow! What else? Follow me          = "of course!"
          to the town.
    158
                                                          [Exeunt.] Edward's Followers: Baldock and Young Despenser were
                                                                     captured at the priory alongside Edward; Arundel, who had
                                                                     gotten away, was caught the next day, 17 November.
                                                                     Arundel and Despenser were executed as traitors, receiving
                                                                     the full treatment - hanged until almost unconscious, then
                                                                     castrated and eviscerated.
                                                                        The cleric Baldock, interestingly, successfully claimed the
                                                                     "benefit of clergy", which meant that, as a churchman, he
                                                                     was exempt from being tried in a civil court. Baldock's
                                                                     escape was predicated on his being held in house arrest at
                                                                     the home of the unscrupulous Bishop Orleton of Hereford; a
                                                                     mob, however, was encouraged to break in and remove
                                                                     Baldock, tossing him into Newgate Prison after having
                                                                     severely beaten him. Baldock died shortly thereafter.


                             END OF ACT IV.




                                                               92�
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                               ACT V.
         SCENE I.
         An apartment in Kenilworth (Killingworth) Castle.          Scene I: immediately after his capture, Edward was im-
                                                                    prisoned at the castle at Monmouth in Wales, where he was
                                                                    forced to relinquish the Great Seal of England (whose
                                                                    possessor could now issue documents and orders in the name
                                                                    of the king).
                                                                        Edward was shortly thereafter brought to Kenilworth
                                                                    Castle in Warwickshire, to be held under the watchful eye of
                                                                    the Earl of Leicester, who treated the king with leniency.
                                                                        It is now 20 January 1327.36

                                   Enter King Edward, Leicester, Entering Characters: a delegation has arrived at Leicester's
                           the Bishop of Winchester, and Trussel. Kenilworth Castle to visit the imprisoned Edward.
                                                                       The Bishop of Winchester was John Stratford (d. 1348),
                                                                    a native of Stratford-on-Avon. A lifelong cleric, Stratford
                                                                    was consecrated Bishop of Winchester in 1323, despite
                                                                    Edward II's desire to give the position to Robert Baldock;
                                                                    Stratford had obtained a papal bull in his favour, which
                                                                    Edward was compelled to follow. It was by Stratford's
                                                                    persuasion that Edward allowed the queen to travel to France
                                                                    to negotiate with Charles IV. The bishop was the drafter of
                                                                    the six Articles of Deposition for the 1327 Parliament, and
                                                                    was part of the delegation sent to Edward on 20 January - the
                                                                    date of our present scene - to ask for his abdication.
                                                                       At heart a constitutionalist, Stratford was held in
                                                                    suspicion by Mortimer after Edward's death, but served as
                                                                    Edward III's closest advisor and Chancellor for many years.
                                                                    Inevitably falling out of favour, but eventually reconciled to
                                                                    the king, Stratford spent his last years focusing on his
                                                                    ecclesiastical work, before finally dying in 1348. He had
                                                                    been appointed Archbishop of Canterbury in 1333.
                                                                       Trussel is the Baron Sir William Trussel (birth and death
                                                                    dates uncertain), a knight with a record of hostility toward
                                                                    Edward, he having fought with Lancaster at Boroughbridge
                                                                    in 1322. Trussel was the judge who sentenced the Elder
                                                                    Despenser to be hanged after his capture at Bristol. He went
                                                                    on to serve Edward III for many years as an ambassador and
                                                                    negotiator.
    1    Leic. Be patient, good my lord, cease to lament;
    2    Imagine Killingworth castle were your court,               = ie. is.
         And that you lay for pleasure here a space,                = stay, remain. = for a while.
    4    Not of compulsion or necessity.
    6    K. Edw. Leicester, if gentle words might comfort me,
         Thy speeches long ago had eased my sorrows;                = would have.
    8    For kind and loving hast thou always been.
         The griefs of private men are soon allayed,
    10   But not of kings. The forest deer, being struck,           10: not = ie. "not those".
         Runs to an herb that closeth up the wounds;                   10-11: The forest deer…wounds = deer were believed to
                                                                    have an instinctive knowledge of the healing properties of a
                                                                    herb known as dittany.6
                                                                       struck = ie. wounded.
    12   But when th’ imperial lion's flesh is gored,
         He rends and tears it with his wrathful paw,               = another pleonasm.
    14   [And] highly scorning that the lowly earth

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         Should drink his blood, mounts up into the air.             = rears up, so that his front paws are in the air.
    16   And so it fares with me, whose dauntless mind
         Th’ ambitious Mortimer would seek to curb,
    18   And that unnatural queen, false Isabel,                     = ie. because she would harm her husband; unnatural is
                                                                        used to describe one who lacks the normal protective
                                                                        feeling one has toward one's own family.

         That thus hath pent and mewed me in a prison;               = another pleonasm, as both pent and mewed mean
                                                                        "shut up".

    20   For such outrageous passions cloy my soul,                  = emotions. = fill, satiate.
         As with the wings of rancour and disdain                    = that.
    22   Full often am I soaring up to Heaven,
         To plain me to the gods against them both.                  = complain;1 the extra me is an intensifier, another example
    24   But when I call to mind I am a king,                           of the ethical dative. Edward uses the construction again
         Methinks I should revenge me of my wrongs,                     in line 25.
    26   That Mortimer and Isabel have done.
         But what are kings, when regiment is gone,                  = royal authority.
    28   But perfect shadows in a sunshine day?                      = ie. nothing more than mere shadows.
                                                                        perfect = utter or pure.1
         My nobles rule; I bear the name of king;
    30   I wear the crown, but am controlled by them,
         By Mortimer, and my unconstant queen,                       = unfaithful, disloyal.
    32   Who spots my nuptial bed with infamy;                       = stains; Edward alludes to Isabella's now-open adultery
                                                                        with Mortimer.

         Whilst I am lodged within this cave of care,                = ie. prison; care = anxiety; the phrase cave of care is
                                                                        pleasantly and simultaneously alliterative and assonant.

    34   Where sorrow at my elbow still attends,                     = "waits on me".
         To company my heart with sad laments,                       = ie. accompany.
    36   That bleeds within me for this strange exchange. −          = transformation.2
         But tell me, must I now resign my crown,
    38   To make usurping Mortimer a king?
    40   B. of Win. Your grace mistakes; it is for England's good,   40-41: Edward is wrong: it is his son, not Mortimer, who
         And princely Edward's right we crave the crown.                will assume the throne.
    42
         K. Edw. No, 'tis for Mortimer, not Edward's head;
    44   For he's a lamb, encompassèd by wolves,                     = ie. "the prince is". = surrounded.
         Which in a moment will abridge his life.                    = ie. at any. = shorten, ie. take.

    46   But if proud Mortimer do wear this crown,                   46-47: an allusion to the ancient Greek dramatist Euripides'
         Heavens turn it to a blaze of quenchless fire!              play Medea, in which the witch Medea, furious over her
                                                                     husband Jason's marriage to the daughter of the king of
                                                                     Corinth, gives the unsuspecting princess a gift of a crown
                                                                     which, when she puts it on, catches fire and burns her to
                                                                     death.6

    48   Or like the snaky wreath of Tisiphon,                       48-49: Tisiphone was one of the avenging female spirits
         Engirt the temples of his hateful head;                     known as the Furies. The ladies were imagined to be dressed
                                                                     in black and with hair of serpents (snaky wreath), and
                                                                     sometimes possessing wings.
                                                                        Engirt = encircle.
                                                                        hateful = detestable.

    50   So shall not England's vine be perishèd,                    50: so that the royal family line or name, ie. the house of


                                                              94�
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         But Edward's name survives, though Edward dies.                   Plantagenet, is not extinguished.
    52
         Leic. My lord, why waste you thus the time away?
    54   They stay your answer; will you yield your crown?              = "they are waiting for"; they refers to the members of
                                                                        Parliament, which met in January 1327 to select a new king.
                                                                        A delegation from Parliament had visited King Edward at
                                                                        Kenilworth and asked him to attend the session, but Edward
                                                                        had rudely denied their request.36
                                                                           On the 15th, the archbishop announced that Edward had
                                                                        been deposed; then, for three days, magnates from all across
                                                                        England swore their fealty and allegiance to Isabella and
                                                                        Prince Edward (Hutchison, p. 140).
                                                                           As previously mentioned, the embassy portrayed here
                                                                        took place on 20 January.36

    56   K. Edw. Ah, Leicester, weigh how hardly I can brook            56ff: throughout this speech and beyond, Edward
                                                                        experiences extreme mood swings, his emotions shifting
                                                                        violently between acceptance over the loss of his crown,
                                                                        despair, stubborn opposition, and ferocious anger.
                                                                           weigh = consider.14
                                                                           brook = bear.
         To lose my crown and kingdom without cause;
    58   To give ambitious Mortimer my right,
         That like a mountain overwhelms my bliss,                      = who.
    60   In which extreme my mind here murthered is.
         But what the heavens appoint, I must obey!                     = ie. fate has predetermined.
    62   Here, take my crown; the life of Edward too;
    64                                        [Taking off the crown.]
    66   Two kings in England cannot reign at once. −
         But stay a while, let me be king till night,                   67-68: Edward's reversal here from acceptance of his de-
    68   That I may gaze upon this glittering crown;                    position to pathetic pleading for its postponement replicates
                                                                        exactly his vacillation from acceptance of Gaveston's exile to
                                                                        pleading with him to stay; see Act I.iv.212-3.
                                                                           stay = delay.

         So shall my eyes receive their last content,                   = ie. moment of contentment.
    70   My head, the latest honour due to it,                          = final.
         And jointly both yield up their wishèd right.                  = ie. Edward's eyes and head. = desireable.1

    72   Continue ever, thou celestial sun;                             72-76: having just asked for permission to keep his crown
                                                                           till nightfall, Edward proceeds to entreat nature to stand
                                                                           still, so that the day lasts forever.

         Let never silent night possess this clime:                     = land.

    74   Stand still, you watches of the element;                       ‘= "various parts of the heavens", or "celestial spheres"
                                                                        (which, containing the planetary bodies, stars, sun and moon,
                                                                        revolve around the earth). The more common phrase was
                                                                        watches of the night, alluding to the three or so segments
                                                                        into which night was divided, but generally meaning simply
                                                                        "night-time".1

         All times and seasons, rest you at a stay,                     = motionless.14

    76   That Edward may be still fair England's king!                  72-76: Edward's pleading here contrasts with his petition
                                                                           at Act IV.iii.69-72, when he implored day and night to
                                                                           hurry along!

                                                               95�
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          But day's bright beam doth vanish fast away,
    78    And needs I must resign my wishèd crown.                      = it is necessary. = ie. desirable.
          Inhuman creatures! nursed with tiger's milk!
    80    Why gape you for your sovereign's overthrow!                  = "are you greedy for".11
          My diadem I mean, and guiltless life.                         = innocent.
    82    See, monsters, see, I'll wear my crown again!
    84                                       [Putting on the crown.]
    86    What, fear you not the fury of your king?
          But, hapless Edward, thou art fondly led;                     = unfortunate. = ie. "you are foolish (fond) to think you
                                                                           can change the course of events."
    88    They pass not for thy frowns as late they did,                88: ie. "no one is afraid of a stern look from you anymore".
                                                                           pass = care.
          But seeks to make a new-elected king;
    90    Which fills my mind with strange despairing thoughts,
          Which thoughts are martyrèd with endless torments,            = ruined or mutilated;1 martyred is tri-syllabic.
    92    And in this torment comfort find I none,
          But that I feel the crown upon my head;
    94    And therefore let me wear it yet a while.
    96    Trus. My lord, the parliament must have present news,         = immediate.
          And therefore say, will you resign or no?
    98
                                                  [The King rageth.] 99: Edward begins to angrily storm about.
    100
          K. Edw. I'll not resign, but whilst I live [be king]!
    102   Traitors, be gone! and join you with Mortimer!                = usually omitted for the sake of the meter.
          Elect, conspire, install, do what you will: −
    104   Their blood and yours shall seal these treacheries.           = attest to.14

    106   B. of Win. This answer we'll return; and so, farewell.
    108                                        [Going with Trussel.] 108: the bishop and Trussel begin to walk off the stage.
    110   Leic. Call them again, my lord, and speak them fair;          110-1: this threat by Leicester was historical: the delegates
          For if they go, the prince shall lose his right.                 threatened to pass the crown to someone outside the
    112                                                                    royal family if Edward refused to turn it over.
          K. Edw. Call thou them back, I have no power to speak.
    114
          Leic. My lord, the king is willing to resign.
    116
          B. of Win. If he be not, let him choose.
    118
          K. Edw. O would I might! but heavens and earth conspire
    120   To make me miserable! Here, receive my crown;
          Receive it? No, these innocent hands of mine
    122   Shall not be guilty of so foul a crime.
          He of you all that most desires my blood,
    124   And will be called the murtherer of a king,
          Take it. − What, are you moved? pity you me?                  125: Take it = after these words are spoken, a pause likely
                                                                        ensues, as none of those present is actually willing to be the
                                                                        one to physically remove the crown from the king's head.
                                                                           moved = ie. to pity.

    126   Then send for unrelenting Mortimer,                           = never giving in to compassion.1
          And Isabel, whose eyes, been turned to steel,                 = often emended to being.


                                                                  96�
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    128   Will sooner sparkle fire than shed a tear.
          Yet stay, for rather than I will look on them,               129-130: ie. "but wait, I would rather give up my crown
    130   Here, here!                                                     than have to see either of them again."

    132                                          [Gives the crown.]
    134             Now, sweet God of Heaven,
          Make me despise this transitory pomp,                        135-6: to assist him in dealing with the loss of his crown,
    136   And sit for aye enthronizèd in Heaven!                       Edward asks God to cause him to scorn his life on earth, and
                                                                       to begin his transition to his everlasting afterlife.
                                                                          transitory pomp = ie. his temporal and pomp-filled life
                                                                       on earth.1
                                                                          for aye = forever.
          Come, death, and with thy fingers close my eyes,
    138   Or if I live, let me forget myself.
    140   B. of Win. My lord −                                         140: the quartos call for Berkeley to enter here and speak
                                                                       this line, but we follow the decision of most of the editors to
                                                                       give this line to the bishop, and have Berkeley enter at line
                                                                       168 below.
    142   K. Edw. Call me not lord! away − out of my sight!
          Ah, pardon me: grief makes me lunatic.                       = mad.
    144   Let not that Mortimer protect my son;                        = ie. be appointed the Protector of; the position would
          More safety is there in a tiger's jaws,                         effectively allow Mortimer to rule England so long as
    146   Than his embracements. Bear this to the queen,                  young Edward was a minor.9
          Wet with my tears, and dried again with sighs;
    148
                                            [Gives a handkerchief.]
    150
          If with the sight thereof she be not moved,
    152   Return it back, and dip it in my blood.
          Commend me to my son, and bid him rule
    154   Better than I. Yet how have I transgressed,
          Unless it be with too much clemency?                         155: Briggs wonders if Edward is referring to his sparing
    156                                                                Mortimer, the man who has now deposed him, from
                                                                       execution after the Battle of Boroughbridge. 6
          Trus.   And thus most humbly do we take our leave.
    158
          K. Edw. Farewell;
    160
                     [Exeunt the Bishop of Winchester and Trussel
    162                                          with the crown.]
    164                   I know the next news that they bring
          Will be my death; and welcome shall it be;
    166   To wretched men, death is felicity.                          = happiness.

    168            Enter Berkeley, who gives a paper to Leicester. = the quartos print Bartley, but we go, as do later editors,
                                                                       with the historically correct name of Berkeley.
                                                                          Berkeley is Sir Thomas, Lord of Berkeley Castle (d.
                                                                       1361), which is about 20 miles north-west of Bristol.
                                                                          The Berkeleys had never been on the side of Edward.
                                                                       Thomas' grandfather had fought with, and been captured
                                                                       with, Lancaster at Boroughbridge, and his father Maurice
                                                                       fought with the Mortimers in the Marcher wars of 1321-22.
                                                                       Maurice married the Younger Mortimer's daughter
                                                                       Margaret, and surrendered with the Mortimers to Edward in
                                                                       January 1322. He was imprisoned at Wallingford, where he

                                                               97�
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                                                                        died in 1326. Maurice's son, our Thomas, had also been
                                                                        imprisoned by Edward, but released by Isabella at her
                                                                        return to England, and given back his family's estate.
                                                                           Thus Berkeley has no reason to feel much sympathy for
                                                                        the captured king.

    170   Leic. Another post! What news brings he?                      = messenger.

    172   K. Edw. Such news as I expect − come, Berkeley, come,
          And tell thy message to my naked breast.                      173: Edward histrionically invites Berkeley to deliver
    174                                                                    his anticipated message, which could be either a
                                                                           metaphorical or literal stab in the heart.
          Berk. My lord, think not a thought so villainous
    176   Can harbour in a man of noble birth.
          To do your highness service and devoir,                       = duty.23
    178   And save you from your foes, Berkeley would die.
    180   Leic. [Reading the paper]
          My lord, the council of the queen commands                    181-2: Leicester has been ordered to turn custody of
    182   That I resign my charge.                                         Edward over to Berkeley.

    184   K. Edw. And who must keep me now? Must you, my lord?
    186   Berk. Ay, my most gracious lord − so 'tis decreed.
    188   K. Edw. [Taking the paper]
          By Mortimer, whose name is written here!
    190   Well may I rent his name that rends my heart!                 = tear up.

    192                                                   [Tears it.]
    194   This poor revenge hath something eased my mind.
          So may his limbs be torn, as is this paper!
    196   Hear me, immortal Jove, and grant it too!                     = Jove was often used, as here, to mean God.8 = ie. this.

    198   Berk. Your grace must hence with me to Berkeley straight.     = "go from here".

    200   K. Edw. Whither you will; all places are alike,               = "take me wherever you wish"; Edward is resigned to his
                                                                           fate.
          And every earth is fit for burial.                            = piece of land.
    202
          Leic. Favour him, my lord, as much as lieth in you.           = "treat him well"; Mortimer and Isabella, understandably,
                                                                        are uncomfortable having an ex-king alive and in prison,
                                                                        where he would naturally attract sympathy, and even inspire
                                                                        plots to free him. So, as a first step in dispatching him, they
                                                                        have relieved Leicester, who was too lenient with the former
                                                                        king, of custody, and turned Edward over to Berkeley,
                                                                        perhaps with orders to treat him less kindly.
    204
          Berk. Even so betide my soul as I use him.                    205: "may my soul be rewarded or punished based on how
                                                                           I treat him."
                                                                              betide = become of or happen to.1
    206
          K. Edw. Mine enemy hath pitied my estate,                     = ie. "my jailer", meaning Leicester.14 = condition.
    208   And that's the cause that I am now removed.                   = ie. "moved from here to another place."

    210   Berk. And thinks your grace that Berkeley will be cruel?
    212   K. Edw. I know not; but of this am I assured,

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          That death ends all, and I can die but once.
    214   Leicester, farewell!
    216   Leic. Not yet, my lord; I'll bear you on your way.
                                                           [Exeunt.] Henry, the Earl of Leicester: Henry (1281?-1345) was the
                                                                      younger brother of our play's Thomas, Earl of Lancaster,
                                                                      and thus, like Lancaster, a son of Edmund Crouchback, a
                                                                      grandson of Edward I, and a first cousin of Edward II; after
                                                                      that, however, all resemblances between the two powerful
                                                                      lords ends, as Henry, unlike the blustering and incompetent
                                                                      Lancaster, was "courteous and kind-hearted, of sound
                                                                      judgment, religious, and apparently of high principle."
                                                                          Henry, though an opponent of the Despensers, did not
                                                                      participate in the treason of his brother; after Lancaster was
                                                                      executed in 1322, however, Kenilworth Castle, which should
                                                                      have passed to Henry, was confiscated by Edward.
                                                                          Henry eventually succeeded to the titles of Earl of
                                                                      Lancaster, Earl of Leicester, and Steward of England, all of
                                                                      which had been held by his brother (it is only for the sake of
                                                                      clarity in differentiating Henry from Thomas that Henry is
                                                                      referred to in this play as Leicester, rather than the superior
                                                                      title of Lancaster).
                                                                          Fired by revenge for the death of his brother, Leicester
                                                                      joined Isabella's faction upon her landing in England. After
                                                                      capturing the king, he brought him first to his castle at
                                                                      Monmouth, then by January 1327 to his castle at
                                                                      Kenilworth, which had been returned to him.
                                                                          During the era of the joint reign of Mortimer and
                                                                      Isabella, Leicester, though chief of the Council and guardian
                                                                      of the king, found his power and access to young Edward
                                                                      gradually reduced by Mortimer, leading to his becoming an
                                                                      outspoken enemy of the de facto ruler of England. Open war
                                                                      broke out, and Mortimer's forces raided and destroyed much
                                                                      of Leicester's property.
                                                                          It was Leicester who primarily encouraged and helped
                                                                      young King Edward to overthrow Mortimer.
                                                                          Troubled by increasingly poor eyesight, and finally
                                                                      completely blind by 1329, Leicester generally retired,
                                                                      building a hospital for elderly infirm men, before dying in
                                                                      1345.



          ACT V, SCENE II.
          An apartment in the royal palace.

                       Enter Queen Isabella and Young Mortimer.
     1    Y. Mort. Fair Isabel, now have we our desire;
     2    The proud corrupters of the light-brained king              2: proud corrupters = ie. the arrogant Spensers and Bal-
                                                                         dock.
                                                                            light-brained = frivolous, lacking gravitas.

          Have done their homage to the lofty gallows,                = the Chronicles state that the Elder Spenser was hanged
                                                                         on a "paire of gallowes of fiftie feet in heigth" (Tancock,
                                                                         quoting Holinshed chronicle, p. 159).7
     4    And he himself lies in captivity.

                                                               99�
�
         Be ruled by me, and we will rule the realm.                = common formula for "follow my guidance".
    6    In any case, take heed of childish fear,
         For now we hold an old wolf by the ears,                   = earlier editors suggest the wolf in this common proverb
                                                                       is England, not Edward.7,11
    8    That, if he slip, will seize upon us both,                 = be released.
         And gripe the sorer, being griped himself.                 = "seize us most viciously".

    10   Think therefore, madam, that imports as much               = "that suggests or signifies"; but as is usually emended to
                                                                       us, so the meaning of the clause changes to "that it is
                                                                       very important for us".

         T' erect your son with all the speed we may,               = place young Edward on the throne, ie. proclaim him king.
    12   And that I be protector over him;
         For our behoof will bear the greater sway                  13-14: "for our authority will carry greater weight when
    14   Whenas a king's name shall be under writ.                  (whenas) we can have our orders appear over the signature
                                                                    of a king.
                                                                       behoof = advantage.
                                                                       will = ie. it will; the later quartos print, and many editors
                                                                    emend to, 'twill.
                                                                       sway = influence, control.
                                                                       under writ = ie. signed below (past tense of underwrite).1
    16   Q. Isab. Sweet Mortimer, the life of Isabel,
         Be thou persuaded that I love thee well,                   = assured.11
    18   And therefore, so the prince my son be safe,               = ie. so long as.
         Whom I esteem as dear as these mine eyes,
    20   Conclude against his father what thou wilt,                = "decide what to do with".11
         And I myself will willingly subscribe.                     = sign on.
    22
         Y. Mort. First would I hear news that he were deposed,     23-24: Mortimer reveals he has not yet heard the result of
    24   And then let me alone to handle him.                          the embassy to Edward which was acted out in the
                                                                       previous scene.
    26                                          Enter Messenger.
    28   Y. Mort. Letters! From whence?
    30   Mess.                    From Killingworth, my lord.
    32   Q. Isab. How fares my lord the king?
    34   Mess. In health, madam, but full of pensiveness.           = sorrow.1

    36   Q. Isab. Alas, poor soul, would I could ease his grief!    = "if only"; Isabella hypocritically expresses concern for
                                                                       the king in front of others.
    38             Enter the Bishop of Winchester with the crown.
    40   Thanks, gentle Winchester.                                 40: it is not clear what exactly Isabella is thanking the
                                                                       bishop for; perhaps the bishop has handed the crown
                                                                       to the queen.

                 [To the Messenger] Sirrah, be gone.                = common form of address for a servant.
    42
                                                [Exit Messenger.]
    44
         B. of Win. The king hath willingly resigned his crown.
    46
         Q. Isab. O happy news! Send for the prince my son.
    48



                                                            100�
�
         B. of Win. Further, ere this letter was sealed, Lord
            Berkeley came,
    50   So that he now is gone from Killingworth;                     = Edward.
         And we have heard that Edmund laid a plot                     51-52: rumour has it that Kent, his change of heart complete,
    52   To set his brother free; no more but so.                         is plotting to free his brother Edward.
                                                                             no more but so = "that is all I know."

         The lord of Berkeley is so pitiful                            53: so = as; so is usually emended to as.
    54   As Leicester that had charge of him before.                        pitiful = ie. full of pity for the king, so that the king's
                                                                       imprisonment under Berkeley can be expected to be as mild
                                                                       as it was under Leicester.
    56   Q. Isab. Then let some other be his guardian.
    58   Y. Mort. Let me alone, here is the privy seal.                = "I'll deal with this." = the Great Seal of England.
                                                                           Edward had been forced to relinquish the Great Seal on
                                                                       20 November 1326, when he was still at Monmouth Castle.
                                                                       Mortimer's possession of the Seal was significant, as it
                                                                       meant he could now issue official documents with the force
                                                                       of law.
    60                            [Exit the Bishop of Winchester.]
    62   Who's there? –                                                62: Mortimer calls to his servants off-stage.
         [To Attendants within]                                        = off-stage.
    64   Call hither Gurney and Matrevis. −
         To dash the heavy-headed Edmund's drift,                      = ruin. = dull or stupid.1 = scheme.
    66   Berkeley shall be discharged, the king removed,               = ie. moved from Berkeley castle.
         And none but we shall know where he lieth.
    68
         Q. Isab. But, Mortimer, as long as he survives,
    70   What safety rests for us, or for my son?
    72   Y. Mort. Speak, shall he presently be dispatched and die?     = "Well, tell me what you want".

    74   Q. Isab. I would he were, so it were not by my means.         = "so long as it were not". Marlowe portrays Isabella as not
                                                                       only hypocritical but of weak stomach: she will pretend to be
                                                                       working on Edward's behalf in the presence of others, but is
                                                                       really as happy as Mortimer is to have him dead - so long as
                                                                       she does not have to be the one to "flip the switch".
                                                                          it were = Dyce emends to 'twere for the sake of the meter.

    76                                Enter Matrevis and Gurney. Entering Characters: Baron John Maltravers (1290?-
                                                                       1365) was knighted in 1306 and fought, and may have been
                                                                       taken prisoner, at Bannockburn in 1314. An early adherent
                                                                       of Lancaster and Mortimer, he fought at Boroughbridge
                                                                       against the king, and fled to Europe after Lancaster's
                                                                       execution. Maltravers joined Mortimer and Isabella in
                                                                       Hainaut, and returned to England as part of their invasion.
                                                                       As co-jailer of Edward at Berkeley Castle, Maltravers was
                                                                       said to have treated the king with great harshness, in
                                                                       contrast to Berkeley's kindlier handling.
                                                                          Gurney is one Sir Thomas Gurney (d. 1333), a knight
                                                                       who had served once in the household of Edward II, but took
                                                                       the side of the barons in the wars of 1321-2; arrested in
                                                                       1322, Gurney was imprisoned in the Tower of London, but
                                                                       released in 1324 (Warner, Regicide etc., Part Two).33
    78   Y. Mort. Enough. –
         Matrevis, write a letter presently
    80   Unto the lord of Berkeley from ourself                        = ie. "me"; Mortimer ostentatiously affects the royal "we",
                                                                          as if he were the king.

                                                                101�
�
          That he resign the king to thee and Gurney;                   = turn over.
    82    And when 'tis done, we will subscribe our name.               = sign.

    84    Mat. It shall be done, my lord.
    86                                                      [Writes.]
    88    Y. Mort.                   Gurney.
    90    Gurn.                             My lord.
    92    Y. Mort. As thou intend'st to rise by Mortimer,               92: "if you desire to be promoted by me".

          Who now makes Fortune's wheel turn as he please,              93: personified Fortune is frequently portrayed as spinning a
                                                                        wheel which arbitrarily raises or lowers individuals' luck and
                                                                        circumstances. Mortimer's hubris leads him to conclude that
                                                                        he is now in control of his fate.

    94    Seek all the means thou canst to make him droop,              94-5: Mortimer requires the king's new keepers to mistreat
          And neither give him kind word nor good look.                    their prisoner.
    96
          Gurn. I warrant you, my lord.
    98
          Y. Mort. And this above the rest: because we hear
    100   That Edmund casts to work his liberty,                        = schemes.
          Remove him still from place to place by night,                = "move Edward continuously".
    102   Till at the last he come to Killingworth,                     = the quarto prints And here, emended as shown by all the
                                                                           editors.
          And then from thence to Berkeley back again;
    104   And by the way, to make him fret the more,
          Speak curstly to him; and in any case                         = cursedly, ie. severely, crossly.8
    106   Let no man comfort him if he chance to weep,
          But amplify his grief with bitter words.                      104-7: not satisfied with inflicting physical discomfort
    108                                                                    on the king, Mortimer orders Matrevis and Gurney to
                                                                           psychologically torture him as well.
          Mat. Fear not, my lord, we'll do as you command.
    110
          Y. Mort. So, now away; post thitherwards amain.               = "ride out immediately."1
    112
          Q. Isab. Whither goes this letter? To my lord the king?       = the one Matrevis just wrote.
    114   Commend me humbly to his majesty,
          And tell him that I labour all in vain
    116   To ease his grief and work his liberty;
          And bear him this as witness of my love.
    118
                                                    [Gives a ring.]
    120
          Mat. I will, madam.
    122
                                   [Exeunt Matrevis and Gurney.]
    124
          Y. Mort. Finely dissembled. Do so still, sweet queen.         = "well faked!" = always.
    126   Here comes the young prince with the Earl of Kent.
    128   Q. Isab. Something he whispers in his childish ears.          = ie. Kent.

    130   Y. Mort. If he have such access unto the prince,
          Our plots and stratagems will soon be dashed.

                                                               102�
�
    132
          Q. Isab. Use Edmund friendly as if all were well.              = "act towards".
    134
                  Enter Prince Edward, and Kent talking with him.
    136
          Y. Mort. How fares my honourable Lord of Kent?
    138
          Kent. In health, sweet Mortimer: how fares your grace?
    140
          Q. Isab. Well, if my lord your brother were enlarged.          = freed.
    142
          Kent. I hear of late he hath deposed himself.                  = ie. resigned his crown.
    144
          Q. Isab. The more my grief.
    146
          Y. Mort. And mine.
    148
          Kent. [Aside] Ah, they do dissemble!                           149: Kent is not fooled by the pity affected by the ruling
    150                                                                     couple.
          Q. Isab. Sweet son, come hither, I must talk with thee.
    152
          Y. Mort. You being his uncle, and the next of blood,
    154   Do look to be Protector o’er the prince.                       = ie. "expect to be appointed Protector"; a strong Protector
                                                                         could effectively rule England during a monarch's minority,
                                                                         and as such was in a powerful position.
    156   Kent. Not I, my lord; who should protect the son,
          But she that gave him life? I mean the queen.
    158
          Pr. Edw. Mother, persuade me not to wear the crown:
    160   Let him be king − I am too young to reign.                     = the prince likely refers to his father, the deposed Edward.

    162   Q. Isab. But be content, seeing ‘tis his highness' pleasure.   162: Isabella explains it is the ex-king's wish that his son
                                                                            take the crown.
    164   Pr. Edw. Let me but see him first, and then I will.
    166   Kent. Ay, do, sweet nephew.
    168   Q. Isab. Brother, you know it is impossible.                   = meaning Kent; brother was a common form of address for
                                                                            one's brother-in-law,
    170   Pr. Edw. Why, is he dead?
    172   Q. Isab. No, God forbid.
    174   Kent. I would those words proceeded from your heart.           174: wish; Kent reveals his hand.

    176   Y. Mort. Inconstant Edmund, dost thou favour him,              176ff: the pretense of friendliness on both sides is dropped;
          That wast a cause of his imprisonment?                         Mortimer switches pronouns, now addressing Kent with the
    178                                                                  contemptuous thee.
                                                                            Inconstant = disloyal.
                                                                            That = ie. "you who were".
          Kent. The more cause have I now to make amends.
    180
          Y. Mort. [Aside to Queen Isabella]
    182   I tell thee, 'tis not meet that one so false                   = appropriate.
          Should come about the person of a prince. −                    = ie. be allowed to hang around.
    184   My lord, he hath betrayed the king his brother,                = addressing the prince.
          And therefore trust him not.
    186

                                                                 103�
�
          Pr. Edw. But he repents, and sorrows for it now.
    188
          Q. Isab. Come, son, and go with this gentle lord and me.    = ie. Mortimer.
    190
          Pr. Edw. With you I will, but not with Mortimer.
    192
          Y. Mort. Why, youngling, 'sdain'st thou so of Mortimer?     = "do you disdain".
    194   Then I will carry thee by force away.
    196                                 [Mortimer grabs Edward.] 196: stage direction added by Bevington, who suggests
                                                                      Mortimer's seizing of Edward may be meant to be "playful";
                                                                      Edward does not see it as so.

    198   Pr. Edw. Help, uncle Kent! Mortimer will wrong me.          196: Kent likely steps in to protect the prince.

    200   Q. Isab. Brother Edmund, strive not: we are his friends;
          Isabel is nearer than the Earl of Kent.                     201: basically, "I am closer in blood (nearer) to young
                                                                      Edward than you are - he is my son after all - and so you
                                                                      need not worry that I will harm him."
    202
          Kent. Sister, Edward is my charge, redeem him.              203: Kent assumes that since he is the prince's nearest male
    204                                                               relative, he has the right to be appointed his Protector. 14
                                                                         my charge = ie. "my responsibility"
                                                                         redeem him = "restore him (to me)."
          Q. Isab. Edward is my son, and I will keep him.
    206
          Kent. [Aside]
    208   Mortimer shall know that he hath wrongèd me! −
          Hence will I haste to Killingworth castle,
    210   And rescue agèd Edward from his foes,                       = Edward was only 43 years old, but the chronicles call him
          To be revenged on Mortimer and thee.                           old as a way to distinguish him from Edward his son. 6
    212
              [Exeunt on one side Queen Isabella, Prince Edward,
    214                  and Young Mortimer; on the other Kent.] Plots to Free Edward: though several plots to free the ex-
                                                                      king festered - one even succeeded in freeing him and hiding
                                                                      him for a while at Corfu Castle - Kent had no hand in any
                                                                      such plotting - at least while Edward was still alive.



          ACT V, SCENE III.
          Before Kenilworth (Killingworth) Castle.

                         Enter Matrevis and Gurney and Soldiers,
                                             with King Edward.
     1    Mat. My lord, be not pensive, we are your friends;
     2    Men are ordained to live in misery,                         2: Matrevis justifies Edward's treatment with some pop-
                                                                         psychology.
          Therefore, come, − dalliance dangereth our lives.           = idle delay.9 = endangers; a rare 16th century use of
     4                                                                   danger as a verb.1
          K. Edw. Friends, whither must unhappy Edward go?
     6    Will hateful Mortimer appoint no rest?                      = ie. grant.
          Must I be vexèd like the nightly bird,                      = tormented. = ie. the owl.
     8    Whose sight is loathsome to all wingèd fowls?
          When will the fury of his mind assuage?                     = abate, diminish.


                                                               104�
�
    10   When will his heart be satisfied with blood?
         If mine will serve, unbowel straight this breast,           = right now.
    12   And give my heart to Isabel and him;
         It is the chiefest mark they level at.                      13: an archery metaphor: it is the main target (mark) they
                                                                        aim (level) at.
    14
         Gurn. Not so, my liege. The queen hath given this charge    = given, like most two-syllable words with a medial v,
                                                                        is normally pronounced in a single syllable, with the
                                                                        v essentially omitted: gi'en.
    16   To keep your grace in safety;
         Your passions make your dolours to increase.                = emoting. = grief.2
    18
         K. Edw. This usage makes my misery increase.                = treatment.
    20   But can my air of life continue long                        = ie. breath.
         When all my senses are annoyed with stench?                 = distressed.7
    22   Within a dungeon England's king is kept,
         Where I am starved for want of sustenance.                  = ie. dying.
    24   My daily diet is heartbreaking sobs,
         That almost rents the closet of my heart;                   = tears apart. = the chamber or sac within which the heart
                                                                        sits.1,2
    26   Thus lives old Edward not relieved by any,
         And so must die, though pitièd by many.                     26-27: note the rhyming couplet.
    28   O, water, gentle friends, to cool my thirst
         And clear my body from foul excrements!                     = likely meaning "filth" generally.7
    30
         Mat. Here's channel water, as our charge is given;          = gutter. = "we were instructed to do."
    32   Sit down, for we'll be barbers to your grace.               32: ie. they will shave Edward's beard.

    34   K. Edw. Traitors, away! What, will you murther me,
         Or choke your sovereign with puddle water?
    36
         Gurn. No, but wash your face, and shave away your
            beard,
    38   Lest you be known, and so be rescuèd.                       37-38: Edward's keepers moved the king secretly from castle
                                                                     to castle, so as to prevent those who might be planning to
                                                                     rescue him from knowing where he was. One chronicle
                                                                     describes the rough shaving Edward was forced to endure of
                                                                     his beard and hair so as to make it more difficult for anyone
                                                                     to recognize him.6

    40   Mat. Why strive you thus? Your labour is in vain!           = "why do you bother to fight us?"

    42   K. Edw. The wren may strive against the lion's strength,    42: ie. even if it is futile to do so.
         But all in vain: so vainly do I strive
    44   To seek for mercy at a tyrant's hand.
    46                         [They wash him with puddle water,
                                        and shave off his beard.]
    48
         Immortal powers! that know the painful cares                = anxieties.
    50   That wait upon my poor distressèd soul,                     = attend.
         O level all your looks upon these daring men,               = aim.
    52   That wrong their liege and sovereign, England's king!
         O Gaveston, ‘tis for thee that I am wronged,
    54   For me, both thou and both the Spensers died!
         And for your sakes a thousand wrongs I'll take.             = "I'll suffer a thousand insults."
    56   The Spensers' ghosts, wherever they remain,                 = reside.

                                                              105�
�
          Wish well to mine; then tush, for them I'll die.
    58
          Mat. 'Twixt theirs and yours shall be no enmity.
    60    Come, come, away; now put the torches out.                    60-61: with the torches extinguished, the ensuing scene
          We'll enter in by darkness to Killingworth.                      with Kent is understood to occur in complete darkness. 14
    62
                                                         Enter Kent.
    64
          Gurn. How now, who comes there?
    66
          Mat. Guard the king sure: it is the Earl of Kent.
    68
          K. Edw. O gentle brother, help to rescue me!
    70
          Mat. Keep them asunder; thrust in the king.                   = apart. = ie. back into the castle.
    72
          Kent. Soldiers, let me but talk to him one word.
    74
          Gurn. Lay hands upon the earl for this assault.
    76
          Kent. Lay down your weapons, traitors! yield the king!
    78
          Mat. Edmund, yield thou thyself, or thou shalt die.
    80
          Kent. Base villains, wherefore do you gripe me thus?          = seize.
    82
          Gurn. Bind him, and so convey him to the court.               = ie. to Mortimer and Isabella.
    84
          Kent. Where is the court but here? here is the king;
    86    And I will visit him; why stay you me?
    88    Mat. The court is where lord Mortimer remains;                = resides.
          Thither shall your honour go; and so farewell.                = to there.
    90
                [Exeunt Matrevis and Gurney, with King Edward.] 91: the soldiers who entered with Matrevis and Gurney
                                                                           remain on stage, holding onto their new prisoner, Kent.
    92
          Kent. O, miserable is that commonweal,                        = nation.2
    94    Where lords keep courts, and kings are locked in prison!
    96    Sold. Wherefore stay we? on, sirs, to the court!              = "why (wherefore) do we delay?"

    98    Kent. Ay, lead me whither you will, even to my death,
          Seeing that my brother cannot be released.
    100
                                                             [Exeunt.] Edward's Mistreatment: What actually transpired in
                                                                        Berkeley Castle can never be known for sure; stories of the
                                                                        various degrees of psychological mistreatment and physical
                                                                        deprivation heaped on Edward appear in some of the
                                                                        chronicles (sort-of contemporary histories), but may be
                                                                        inventions of the authors, or nothing more than common
                                                                        gossip (Hutchison, p. 142).5



          ACT V, SCENE IV.
          An apartment in the royal palace.

                                                                106�
�
                                    Enter Young Mortimer, alone.
    1    Y. Mort. The king must die, or Mortimer goes down;
    2    The commons now begin to pity him:
         Yet he that is the cause of Edward's death                 3-4: Mortimer worries that when the prince grows up, he
    4    Is sure to pay for it when his son is of age;              will certainly be obliged to get revenge on the man -
                                                                    whoever it is - who kills the king.
                                                                       Line 4 is another example of an alexandrine, a line with
                                                                    12 syllables.
         And therefore will I do it cunningly.
    6    This letter, written by a friend of ours,                  = the Baker chronicle says the king's great enemy, Adam
         Contains his death, yet bids them save his life.              Orleton, the Bishop of Hereford, came up with the idea
                                                                       of the ambiguous letter described here (Hutchison, p.
                                                                       142).5
    8    [Reads]
         “Edwardum occidere nolite timere, bonum est":
    10   Fear not to kill the king, 'tis good he die.
         But read it thus, and that's another sense:                = ie. "if you read it with different punctuation".
    12   Edwardum occidere nolite, timere bonum est":
         Kill not the king, 'tis good to fear the worst.
    14   Unpointed as it is, thus shall it go,                      6-14: the letter of instruction, written in Latin, is
                                                                    unpunctuated (unpointed), and could, depending on how one
                                                                    chooses to read it, be interpreted as an order either to kill the
                                                                    king, or to not; Mortimer expects the jailers to infer the
                                                                    former.
                                                                       This story of the ambiguous letter is certainly a fiction,
                                                                    but definitely one too good for Marlowe to omit!

         That, being dead, if it chance to be found,                = ie. once Edward is dead. = ie. the letter.
    16   Matrevis and the rest may bear the blame,
         And we be quit that caused it to be done.                  17: we = I
                                                                       quit = ie. acquitted of responsibility.
                                                                       15-17: Mortimer believes he will be immune from blame
                                                                    for ordering the king's death, because (1) the letter will not
                                                                    be in his handwriting, and (2) it can be reasonably
                                                                    interpreted to say that Edward's life should in fact be saved.
    18   Within this room is locked the messenger
         That shall convey it, and perform the rest:
    20   And by a secret token that he bears,                       20: the messenger will deliver a token - some object, such
         Shall he be murdered when the deed is done. −                 as a ring - to Matrevis and Gurney, to prove the letter
    22   Lightborn, come forth!                                        and its severe instructions are indeed from Mortimer.

    24                                            Enter Lightborn. 24: Entering Character: the messenger Lightborn is
                                                                       fictional.
    26   Art thou so resolute as thou wast?
    28   Light. What else, my lord? and far more resolute.
    30   Y. Mort. And hast thou cast how to accomplish it?          = contrived, figured out.

    32   Light. Ay, ay, and none shall know which way he died.      32: "yes, yes, and nobody shall know how he died", ie.
                                                                       he will murder Edward in a way that will leave no
                                                                       marks or evidence of the crime.

    34   Y. Mort. But at his looks, Lightborn, thou wilt relent.    34: Mortimer tests Lightborn: "oh, I am sure that when you
                                                                       see the pitiful king in person, you will falter."


                                                             107�
�
    36   Light. Relent? ha, ha! I use much to relent.                   36: there seems to be a joke here by Lightborn, not
                                                                        commented on by any previous editor, no doubt because of
                                                                        its obscurity: relent also used to mean dissolve,1 so he may
                                                                        be chuckling over his practiced skill in dissolving poisons in
                                                                        water, as he describes in his next speech.
                                                                            use much = ie. "am much accustomed".

    38   Y. Mort. Well, do it bravely, and be secret.                   = well. = likely a trisyllable: SE-cer-et.

    40   Light. You shall not need to give instructiöns;
         'Tis not the first time I have killed a man:                   41-48: Lightborn describes the methods he has learned to
                                                                           dispose of another without leaving traceable evidence.

    42   I learned in Naples how to poison flowers;                     42-47 the citizens of Naples had a reputation for being
                                                                           murderers generally and poisoners specifically.37

         To strangle with a lawn thrust down the throat;                43: the reference is to a weird type of assassination in which
                                                                        a cascade of water, forced down the victim's throat, carried
                                                                        with it a strip of linen (lawn), suffocating the poor wretch.7
                                                                           down = the first quarto prints through here, but the later
                                                                        editions' down makes more sense.
    44   To pierce the windpipe with a needle's point;
         Or, whilst one is asleep, to take a quill                      = small tube.1
    46   And blow a little powder in his ears:                          = ie. poison; Tancock notes the popularity of murder by
                                                                           poison in the 16th century.7

         Or open his mouth, and pour quicksilver down.                  47: open = emended by Dyce to ope' for the sake of the
                                                                           meter.
                                                                              quicksilver = mercury, a highly toxic metal which is
                                                                           liquid at room temperature.

    48   But yet I have a braver way than these.                        = "an even better way than these to kill him."

    50   Y. Mort. What's that?
    52   Light. Nay, you shall pardon me; none shall know my            52: the audience was expected to understand this vague
            tricks.                                                     allusion to the notorious manner in which Edward was
                                                                        reported to have been murdered - by having a red-hot poker
                                                                        inserted in his backside.
    54   Y. Mort. I care not how it is, so it be not spied.
         Deliver this to Gurney and Matrevis.
    56
                                                      [Gives letter.]
    58
         At every ten mile end thou hast a horse.                       59: there will be a fresh horse waiting for him every ten
    60   Take this;                                                     miles; Mortimer clearly intends for Lightborn to proceed
                                                                        as fast as he can. Berkeley Castle is about 100 miles from
                                                                        London.
    62                                               [Gives money.]
    64            Away! and never see me more!
    66   Light. No!                                                     66: Lightborn is surprised by this last instruction.

    68   Y. Mort. No;
         Unless thou bring me news of Edward's death.
    70
         Light. That will I quickly do. Farewell, my lord.
    72

                                                              108�
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                                                             [Exit.]
    74
         Y. Mort. The prince I rule, the queen do I command,           75f: Mortimer, alone, reviews his situation: he is finally the
                                                                          undisputed chief man of England.
    76   And with a lowly congè to the ground,                         = congee, ie. bow.
         The proudest lords salute me as I pass;
    78   I seal, I cancel, I do what I will.                           78: seal = use the great Seal to issue official documents.1
                                                                          cancel = annul legal documents.1
         Feared am I more than loved; − let me be feared,
    80   And when I frown, make all the court look pale.               = ie. from fear.

         I view the Prince with Aristarchus' eyes,                     81-82: Aristarchus was a 2nd century B.C. grammarian and
    82   Whose looks were as a breeching to a boy.                     schoolmaster who had a reputation for being a severe
                                                                       critic.11 Mortimer imagines him as a strict instructor, whose
                                                                       glance at a quivering pupil had the same effect as a whipping
                                                                       (breeching).
                                                                           Aristarchus' most lasting legacy was the dividing of the
                                                                       Iliad and Odyssey into 24 books each.

         They thrust upon me the protectorship,                        83: with Kent out of the way, Mortimer became the young
                                                                          king's Protector.

                                                                          Actually, Mortimer never held any formal positions in
                                                                       young Edward's administration, but all the key posts were
                                                                       held by his lackeys, so that he was the de facto ruler of
                                                                       England.

    84   And sue to me for that that I desire.                         84: the king's Council begged Mortimer to be the Protector,
                                                                          which is what he wanted anyway.

         While at the council-table, grave enough,                     85-88: Mortimer describes the false modesty with which he
                                                                          affected to be unqualified to accept the role of Protector.

    86   And not unlike a bashful Puritan,                             86: bashful = "hypocritically modest", a trait often assigned
                                                                       to Puritans (Briggs, p. 195).6
                                                                          Puritan = the quarto prints paretaine, assumed by all the
                                                                       editors to mean Puritan; the use of Puritan is of course a
                                                                       gross anachronism; neither the word Puritan, nor the
                                                                       Puritans as a group, appeared in England until after the
                                                                       Reformation, well into the 16th century.

         First I complain of imbecility,                               = incompetency.1
    88   Saying it is onus quam gravissimum;                           88: Latin: "a most heavy burden."
         Till being interrupted by my friends,
    90   Suscepi that provinciam as they term it;                      = Latin: "I accept that office or position." 6
         And to conclude, I am Protector now.
    92   Now is all sure: the queen and Mortimer                       = secure.
         Shall rule the realm, the king; and none rule us.             = ie. "and shall also rule, ie. control, young Edward."

    94   Mine enemies will I plague, my friends advance;               = promote: Mortimer's followers and dependents held all the
                                                                       key posts in the administration: for example, Adam Orleton,
                                                                       Bishop of Hereford, was Treasurer; and John Hotham,
                                                                       Bishop of Ely, Chancellor.

                                                                          Officially, a council of twelve lords were assigned to rule
                                                                       England in Edward's name, but it quickly became irrelevant,
                                                                       as Mortimer took over control of the government.



                                                             109�
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          And what I list command who dare control?                    = wish to. = object to or criticize.1,11

    96    Maior sum quam cui possit fortuna nocere.                    96: Latin: "I am too great for Fortune's power to injure."
                                                                          From Ovid's Metamorphosis (Humphries, p. 135).28

          And that this be the coronation day,                         97: Edward was crowned on 1 February 1327.
    98    It pleaseth me, and Isabel the queen.
    100                                           [Trumpets within.] 100ff: the scene now changes to Westminster.4
    102   The trumpets sound, I must go take my place.
    104            Enter King Edward the Third, Queen Isabella, Entering Characters: young Edward has been crowned
            the Archbishop of Canterbury, Champion and Nobles. king; Bevington suggests Edward should sit on a throne.
    106                                                                   The Champion's role is described in his speech at lines
                                                                       110-3 below.
          A. of Cant. Long live King Edward, by the grace of God,
    108   King of England and Lord of Ireland!                         = Lord of Ireland had been part of the English king's
                                                                          official title since the days of King John.
    110   Champ. If any Christian, heathen, Turk, or Jew,
          Dares but affirm that Edward's not true king,                = assert.
    112   And will avouch his saying with the sword,                   = make good, back up.23

          I am the champion that will combat him.                      110-3: the ceremonial role of the Champion of the King is
                                                                       as he describes here; he rides into Westminster Hall while
                                                                       the king is at dinner, throws down his gauntlet, and
                                                                       challenges anyone who disputes the king's right to the crown
                                                                       to single-combat. The king salutes the champion by drinking
                                                                       to him, and sends him a gilt cup filled with wine; the
                                                                       champion drinks the wine and keeps the cup.29
    114
          Y. Mort. None comes, sound, trumpets.                        115: presumably there is a brief pause before this line is
    116                                                                   spoken.
                                                  [Trumpets sound.]
    118
          Edw. III.                  Champion, here's to thee.
    120
                                                    [Gives a purse.]
    122
          Q. Isab. Lord Mortimer, now take him to your charge.         123: Isabella suggests Mortimer should now formally
    124                                                                   assume the role of Protector.14
                                 Enter Soldiers with Kent prisoner.
    126
          Y. Mort. What traitor have we there with blades and bills?   127: with blades and bills = ie. accompanied by soldiers.
    128                                                                    blades = swords.14
                                                                           bills = a bill was a pole-arm with a hook and spikes
                                                                       attached at one end.25
          Sold. Edmund, the Earl of Kent.
    130
          Edw. III. What hath he done?
    132
          Sold. 'A would have taken the king away perforce,            = he. = forcibly.
    134   As we were bringing him to Killingworth.
    136   Y. Mort. Did you attempt his rescue, Edmund? speak.
    138   Kent. Mortimer, I did; he is our king,
          And thou compell'st this prince to wear the crown.

                                                               110�
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    140
          Y. Mort. Strike off his head! He shall have martial law.        = ie. a military trial.
    142                                                                      Kent was actually tried and convicted in Parliament.
          Kent. Strike off my head! base traitor, I defy thee!
    144
          Edw. III. My lord, he is my uncle, and shall live.
    146
          Y. Mort. My lord, he is your enemy, and shall die.
    148
          Kent. Stay, villains!                                           = stop.
    150
          Edw. III. Sweet mother, if I cannot pardon him,
    152   Entreat my Lord Protector for his life.
    154   Q. Isab. Son, be content; I dare not speak a word.
    156   Edw. III. Nor I, and yet methinks I should command;
          But, seeing I cannot, I'll entreat for him −                    ="beg for his life."
    158   My lord, if you will let my uncle live,
          I will requite it when I come to age.                           = repay.
    160
          Y. Mort. 'Tis for your highness' good, and for the realm's. −
    162   How often shall I bid you bear him hence?                       162: to the guards: "how many times do I have to tell you
                                                                             to get him out of here?"
    164   Kent. Art thou king? must I die at thy command?
    166   Y. Mort. At our command. − Once more away with him.
    168   Kent. Let me but stay and speak; I will not go.
          Either my brother or his son is king,
    170   And none of both them thirst for Edmund's blood:                = "neither of them".
          And therefore, soldiers, whither will you hale me?              = drag.
    172
                        [Soldiers hale Kent away, to be beheaded.]
    174
          Edw. III. What safety may I look for at his hands,              175-6: Edward addresses Isabella.
    176   If that my uncle shall be murthered thus?
    178   Q. Isab. Fear not, sweet boy, I'll guard thee from thy foes;
          Had Edmund lived, he would have sought thy death.
    180   Come, son, we'll ride a-hunting in the park.
    182   Edw. III. And shall my uncle Edmund ride with us?               182: Briggs notes the inconsistency of the new king's por-
                                                                          trayal: having acted with such maturity till now, would
                                                                          young Edward really speak a line so naïve and childish as
                                                                          this? (p. 199).6
    184   Q. Isab. He is a traitor; think not on him; come.
    186                                                      [Exeunt.] Kent's Death: the true and tragic story of Edmund's
                                                                          downfall is quite different than what Marlowe portrays; long
                                                                          after Edward's death was announced, rumours of his
                                                                          survival persisted (just as many people in modern times
                                                                          believe the announced deaths of Elvis and John F. Kennedy
                                                                          were fabricated); so much so that even Kent came to believe
                                                                          them.
                                                                             Tricked by Mortimer into sending correspondence
                                                                          containing plans for springing the supposedly living king
                                                                          from Corfu Castle, Kent was arrested and sentenced to die

                                                                 111�
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                                                                        on 1 March 1330; however, when he was led to his execution
                                                                        spot in Winchester, no one could be found who was willing
                                                                        to behead him - a testament to the obvious fraud and deceit
                                                                        used to set him up and convict him. Finally, after a whole
                                                                        day of waiting, a condemned criminal was found who was
                                                                        given his pardon for removing Kent's head.
                                                                           Mortimer, for his part, was said to have admitted
                                                                        privately at a later date that Kent had been framed.



         ACT V, SCENE V.
         A hall in Berkeley Castle.

                                      Enter Matrevis and Gurney.
    1    Mat. Gurney, I wonder the king dies not.
    2    Being in a vault up to the knees in water,
         To which the channels of the castle run,                       = sewers.
    4    From whence a damp continually ariseth,
         That were enough to poison any man,
    6    Much more a king brought up so tenderly.                       6: Edward was tall and unusually strong, and seems to have
                                                                        surprised his keepers with his ability to survive the harsh
                                                                        treatment heaped on him.6
    8    Gurn. And so do I, Matrevis: yesternight
         I opened but the door to throw him meat,                       = food.
    10   And I was almost stifled with the savour.                      = smell.

    12   Mat. He hath a body able to endure
         More than we can inflict: and therefore now
    14   Let us assail his mind another while.                          = "again for a bit."

    16   Gurn. Send for him out thence, and I will anger him.           = from (in) there.

    18   Mat. But stay, who's this?                                     = hold on.

    20                                          Enter Lightborn.
    22   Light.               My Lord Protector greets you.
    24                                                [Gives letter.]
    26   Gurn. What's here? I know not how to conster it.               = construe, ie. interpret; Gurney, reading the letter, is
                                                                           confused by the lack of punctuation.

    28   Mat. Gurney, it was left unpointed for the nonce:              = unpunctuated. = for the occasion, ie. deliberately.
         “Edwardum occidere nolite timere.”
    30   That's his meaning.                                            29-30: as Mortimer hoped, Matrevis interprets the letter's
                                                                           meaning as "fear not to kill the king." See Act V.iv.9-14.
    32   Light. Know you this token? I must have the king.
    34                                                [Gives token.]
    36   Mat. Ay, stay awhile, thou shalt have answer straight.         = "hold on for a moment". = right away.
         [Aside to Gurney]
    38   This villain's sent to make away the king.                     = murder.

    40   Gurn. [Aside] I thought as much.

                                                              112�
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    42   Mat.         [Aside] And when the murder's done,
         See how he must be handled for his labour.                   = dealt with.

    44   Pereat iste! Let him have the king. −                        = Latin: "Let him perish himself." The Latin instruction is
                                                                      included in the letter, and Matrevis immediately understands
                                                                      its meaning: kill Lightborn after he has disposed of the king.

         What else? Here is the keys, this is the lake,               45: What else? = "Of course!"
                                                                          Here is the keys = in this era, keys could be referred to in
                                                                      either the singular or the plural.
                                                                          lake = dungeon, pit.1

    46   Do as you are commanded by my lord.                          = ie. Mortimer.

    48   Light. I know what I must do. Get you away,
         Yet be not far off, I shall need your help;
    50   See that in the next room I have a fire,
         And get me a spit, and let it be red-hot.
    52
         Mat. Very well.
    54
         Gurn. Need you anything besides?
    56
         Light. What else? A table and a feather-bed.                 = mattress filled with feathers.14
    58
         Gurn. That's all?
    60
         Light. Ay, ay; so, when I call you, bring it in.
    62
         Mat. Fear not thou that.
    64
         Gurn. Here's a light, to go into the dungeon.                = torch.
    66
                      [Gives a light, and then exit with Matrevis.] 69: Dyce suggests there is a change of scene to the dungeon
    68                                                                where Edward is kept; perhaps Lightborn pulls back a
                                                                      curtain to reveal the miserable quarters of the king.8
                                                                      Tancock, on the other hand, posits that Edward climbs up
                                                                      from out of the dungeon, and the scene simply continues. 7
         Light. So now
    70   Must I about this gear; ne'er was there any                  = business. = anyone.
         So finely handled as this king shall be.
    72   Foh, here's a place indeed, with all my heart!               72: Lightborn is impressed by Edward's bleak surroundings!

    74   K. Edw. Who's there? what light is that? wherefore           = why.
            comes thou?
    76   Light. To comfort you and bring you joyful news.
    78   K. Edw. Small comfort finds poor Edward in thy looks.
         Villain, I know thou com'st to murther me.
    80
         Light. To murther you, my most gracious lord!
    82   Far is it from my heart to do you harm.
         The queen sent me to see how you were used,                  = being treated.
    84   For she relents at this your misery:
         And what eyes can refrain from shedding tears,
    86   To see a king in this most piteous state?

                                                             113�
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    88    K. Edw. Weep'st thou already? list a while to me,           = listen.
          And then thy heart, were it as Gurney's is,
    90    Or as Matrevis', hewn from the Caucasus,                    90: Matrevis' heart is as hard as if it had been cut from the
                                                                         Caucasus Mountains.
          Yet will it melt, ere I have done my tale.                  = finished.
    92    This dungeon where they keep me is the sink
          Wherein the filth of all the castle falls.                  92-93: in a medieval castle, the "toilets" were up against one
    94                                                                inner wall, and all the waste would fall to a sewer below.
                                                                      The rebuilt Langley Castle, now a luxury hotel in
                                                                      Northumberland, has such fully restored "water closets"
                                                                      available for inspection.
          Light. O villains!
    96
          K. Edw. And there in mire and puddle have I stood
    98    This ten days' space; and, lest that I should sleep,        = for fear that.1
          One plays continually upon a drum.
    100   They give me bread and water, being a king;                 = ie. "though I am".7
          So that, for want of sleep and sustenance,                  = lack.
    102   My mind's distempered, and my body's numbed,                = deranged or disturbed.
          And whether I have limbs or no I know not.
    104   O, would my blood dropped out from every vein,
          As doth this water from my tattered robes.
    106   Tell Isabel, the queen, I looked not thus,                  = "I didn't look like this".
          When for her sake I ran at tilt in France,                  = ie. "jousted (on her behalf)". Actually, Edward did not
                                                                         have much of a penchant for participating in tournaments.
    108   And there unhorsed the Duke of Clerèmont.                   108: the title was of a French noble.

    110   Light. O speak no more, my lord! this breaks my heart.
          Lie on this bed, and rest yourself a while.                 = it is unclear when the feather-bed of line 57 is brought in;
                                                                      Lightborn had previously only asked for it to be made ready.
                                                                      If, at line 69, a curtain is indeed pulled back to "reveal" the
                                                                      dungeon, the bed might already be sitting there; or, as Dyce
                                                                      suggests, the bed was thrust on-stage after the exit of
                                                                      Matrevis and Gurney at line 67.
    112
          K. Edw. These looks of thine can harbour nought but         = nothing.
              death:
    114   I see my tragedy written in thy brows.                      114: a nice bit of theatrical self-reference.
          Yet stay; awhile forbear thy bloody hand,
    116   And let me see the stroke before it comes,
          That even then when I shall lose my life,                   = ie. at the very moment.11
    118   My mind may be more steadfast on my God.
    120   Light. What means your highness to mistrust me thus?
    122   K. Edw. What means thou to dissemble with me thus?
    124   Light. These hands were never stained with innocent
             blood,
          Nor shall they now be tainted with a king's.
    126
          K. Edw. Forgive my thought for having such a thought.       = perhaps the first thought should be fault: cf. Henry VI,
    128   One jewèl have I left; receive thou this.                      Part 3: "O monstrous fault, to harbour such a thought!"
                                                                         (Act III.ii).6
    130                                              [Gives jewel.]


                                                              114�
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    132   Still fear I, and I know not what's the cause,
          But every joint shakes as I give it thee.                       = ie. "to thee."
    134   O, if thou harbour'st murther in thy heart,
          Let this gift change thy mind, and save thy soul.
    136   Know that I am a king: O, at that name
          I feel a hell of grief! Where is my crown?
    138   Gone, gone! and do I [still] remain alive?
    140   Light. You're overwatched, my lord; lie down and rest.          = exhausted from being awake too long.2

    142   K. Edw. But that grief keeps me waking, I should sleep;         = "if not for the grief that".
          For not these ten days have these eye-lids closed.
    144   Now as I speak they fall, and yet with fear
          Open again. O wherefore sitt’st thou here?                      = why.
    146
          Light. If you mistrust me, I'll be gone, my lord.
    148
          K. Edw. No, no, for if thou mean'st to murther me,
    150   Thou wilt return again, and therefore stay.
    152                                                       [Sleeps.]
    154   Light. He sleeps.
    156   K. Edw. [Waking]
          O let me not die; yet stay, O stay a while!
    158
          Light. How now, my lord?
    160
          K. Edw. Something still buzzeth in mine ears,
    162   And tells me if I sleep I never wake;
          This fear is that which makes me tremble thus.
    164   And therefore tell me, wherefore art thou come?                 = why.

    166   Light. To rid thee of thy life. − Matrevis, come.
    168                                Enter Matrevis and Gurney.
    170   K. Edw. I am too weak and feeble to resist: −
          Assist me, sweet God, and receive my soul!
    172
          Light. Run for the table.
    174
          K. Edw. O spare me, or dispatch me in a trice.                  = quickly.
    176
                                       [Matrevis brings in a table.]
    178
          Light. So, lay the table down, and stamp his body,              = Dyce emends to on it for the sake of the meter.
    180   But not too hard, lest that you bruise his body.
    182                                [King Edward is murdered.] 182: as Edward is lying on the bed, the others lay the upside-
                                                                          down table over his body, and crush or suffocate the king by
                                                                          pressing (stamping)2 on it.
                                                                             Based on lines 184 below, Edward screams as he is
                                                                          murdered.

                                                                          What About the Red-Hot Poker? According to the
                                                                          Chronicles of Holinshed, the red-hot poker was inserted into

                                                                 115�
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                                                                     the king's rear even as they were pressing down on him as he
                                                                     lay under a table. We offer for your reading pleasure
                                                                     Holinshed's own words at the end of this scene.
                                                                        It may have been too much even for Marlowe, the street-
                                                                     wise veteran of Canterbury's hard streets, to put any explicit
                                                                     instruction regarding the poker into the stage-directions. A
                                                                     director may decided how graphic a portrayal of the king's
                                                                     death his or her company should present.

    184   Mat. I fear me that this cry will raise the town,          184-5: the Baker chronicle suggests, implausibly, that the
          And therefore, let us take horse and away.                    king's shrieks were audible to the townsfolk outside the
                                                                        castle (Hutchison, p. 142).5
    186
          Light. Tell me, sirs, was it not bravely done?             = excellently.
    188
          Gurn. Excellent well: take this for thy reward
    190
                               [Gurney stabs Lightborn, who dies.]
    192
          Come, let us cast the body in the moat,
    194   And bear the king's to Mortimer our lord.
          Away!
    196
                                           [Exeunt with the bodies.] The Chronicle's Report of the Death of Edward: despite
                                                                     Lightborn's instruction that the jailers have a red-hot spit
                                                                     ready to go, there is no stage instruction for its use; a modern
                                                                     director of the play can decide how disturbing he or she
                                                                     wants the murder-scene to be in this regard.
                                                                        The legend that a glowing poker was inserted into
                                                                     Edward's fundament can be traced back to the Chronicles of
                                                                     Holinshed; here following is Holinshed's graphic account of
                                                                     the last days of Edward (spelling slightly modernized to
                                                                     facilitate reading):

                                                                        "They lodged the miserable prisoner in a chamber over a
                                                                     foule filthie dungeon, full of dead carrion, trusting so to
                                                                     make an end of him, with the abhominable stench thereof:
                                                                     but he bearing it out strongly, as a man of a tough nature,
                                                                     continued still in life ...
                                                                        Wherevpon when they sawe that such practises would not
                                                                     serve their turn, they came suddenly one night into the
                                                                     chamber where he lay in bed fast asléepe, and with heauie
                                                                     featherbeds or a table (as some write) being cast vpon him,
                                                                     they kept him down and withall put into his fundament an
                                                                     horne, and through the same they thrust vp into his bodie an
                                                                     hot spit, or (as other have) through the pipe of a trumpet a
                                                                     plumbers instrument of iron made verie hot, the which
                                                                     passing vp into his intrailes, and being rolled to and fro,
                                                                     burnt the same, but so as no appearance of any wound or
                                                                     hurt outwardlie might be once perceived.
                                                                        His crie did move many within the castle and towne of
                                                                     Berkley to compassion, plainelie hearing him vtter a
                                                                     wailefull noise, as the tormentors were about to murther
                                                                     him, so that diuerse being awakened therewith (as they
                                                                     themselues confessed) prayed heartilie to God to receiue his
                                                                     soule, when they vnderstood by his crie what the matter
                                                                     meant."




                                                              116�
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         ACT V, SCENE VI.
         An apartment in the royal palace.

                              Enter Young Mortimer and Matrevis.
    1    Y. Mort. Is't done, Matrevis, and the murtherer dead?           = ie. Lightborn.
    2
         Mat. Ay, my good lord; I would it were undone!                  = wish.
    4
         Y. Mort. Matrevis, if thou now growest penitent
    6    I'll be thy ghostly father; therefore choose,                   = spiritual priest or confessor.
         Whether thou wilt be secret in this,                            = secret is tri-syllabic here: SE-cer-et.8
    8    Or else die by the hand of Mortimer.
    10   Mat. Gurney, my lord, is fled, and will, I fear,
         Betray us both; therefore let me fly.
    12
         Y. Mort. Fly to the savages!                                    13: ie. "Get the hell out of here!" Tancock wonders if
    14                                                                   Mortimer is anachronistically referring to America and its
                                                                         Indians here;7 a search of the era's literature confirms that
                                                                         savages was usually used to describe native Americans.
         Mat. I humbly thank your honour.
    16
                                                               [Exit.]
    18
         Y. Mort. As for myself, I stand as Jove's huge tree,            = "like an oak tree"; the oak was sacred to Jove.
    20   And others are but shrubs compared to me.
         All tremble at my name, and I fear none;
    22   Let's see who dare impeach me for his death!                    = accuse.

    24                                        Enter Queen Isabella.
    26   Q. Isab. Ah, Mortimer, the king my son hath news                26-27: Gurney has already spilled the beans about the king's
         His father's dead, and we have murdered him!                       murder; another example of Compression of Time.
    28
         Y. Mort. What if we have? The king is yet a child.
    30
         Q. Isab. Ay, ay, but he tears his hair, and wrings his hands,   = the second ay may be deleted for the meter's sake.
    32   And vows to be revenged upon us both.
         Into the council-chamber he is gone,
    34   To crave the aid and succour of his peers.                      = assistance; with aid, another pleonasm.
         Ay me! see where he comes, and they with him.
    36   Now, Mortimer, begins our tragedy.                              = another bit of ironic self-reference.

    38       Enter King Edward the Third, Lords and Attendants. 38: the king was murdered in 1327; though Marlowe
                                                                         depicts Edward's revenge against Mortimer as occurring
                                                                         immediately after his father's death, in reality the coup de
                                                                         grace took place three years later, in 1330.
                                                                            During the intervening three years, England fought
                                                                         another failed war against Scotland, with whom a
                                                                         "shameful" peace treaty was concluded which recognized
                                                                         Robert Bruce as the king of an independent Scotland; young
                                                                         Edward married Philippa, the daughter of William, Count of
                                                                         Hainaut, in 1328; and a bitter civil war took place between
                                                                         Leicester and Mortimer; all of which Marlowe has skipped
                                                                         over.

                                                                117�
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    40   1st Lord. Fear not, my lord, know that you are a king.
    42   Edw. III. Villain! −
    44   Y. Mort. How now, my lord!                                   = "stop!", or "hold!"8

    46   Edw. III. Think not that I am frighted with thy words!
         My father's murdered through thy treachery;
    48   And thou shalt die, and on his mournful hearse
         Thy hateful and accursèd head shall lie
    50   To witness to the world, that by thy means
         His kingly body was too soon interred.
    52
         Q. Isab. Weep not, sweet son!
    54
         Edw. III. Forbid not me to weep; he was my father;
    56   And had you loved him half so well as I,
         You could not bear his death thus patiently.
    58   But you, I fear, conspired with Mortimer.
    60   1st Lord. Why speak you not unto my lord the king?           60: addressed to Mortimer, who perhaps has turned his
                                                                         back to Edward.

    62   Y. Mort. Because I think [it] scorn to be accused.           = ie. "beneath me".
         Who is the man dares say I murdered him?
    64
         Edw. III. Traitor! in me my loving father speaks,
    66   And plainly saith, 'twas thou that murdered’st him.
    68   Y. Mort. But hath your grace no other proof than this?
    70   Edw. III. Yes, if this be the hand of Mortimer.              = handwriting.

    72                                           [Showing letter.] 70-72: if this is the letter with the ambiguous Latin in-
                                                                      struction, then there may be an inconsistency in the play, as
                                                                      that letter was clearly identified as written by a "friend" of
                                                                      Mortimer's. See Act V.iv.6.
    74   Y. Mort. [Aside] False Gurney hath betrayed me and
            himself.
    76   Q. Isab. [Aside] I feared as much; murther cannot be hid.
    78   Y. Mort. [I]t is my hand; what gather you by this?           = handwriting.

    80   Edw. III. That thither thou didst send a murtherer.          = to there.

    82   Y. Mort. What murtherer? Bring forth the man I sent.
    84   Edw. III. Ah, Mortimer, thou knowest that he is slain;
         And so shalt thou be too − Why stays he here?                = ie. "is Mortimer still here? get him out of here!"
    86   Bring him unto a hurdle, drag him forth;                     = cart for transporting the condemned to execution.

         Hang him, I say, and set his quarters up;                    87: in addition to being hanged and eviscerated, a traitor's
    88   And bring his head back presently to me.                     body was subject to the additional insult of being cut into
                                                                      quarters, which were then dispersed to various parts of the
                                                                      kingdom and exhibited as a warning to any who would dare
                                                                      oppose the king, and also as a testament to the king's
                                                                      incontrovertible power.
    90   Q. Isab. For my sake, sweet son, pity Mortimer!

                                                               118�
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    92    Y. Mort. Madam, entreat not, I will rather die,             = ask.
          Than sue for life unto a paltry boy.                        = beg.
    94
          Edw. III. Hence with the traitor! with the murderer!
    96
          Y. Mort. Base Fortune, now I see, that in thy wheel         97-101: Mortimer returns to consideration of, and revises
    98    There is a point, to which when men aspire,                 his opinion regarding his ability to control, the Wheel of
                                                                      Fortune; see Act V.ii.92-93.
          They tumble headlong down: that point I touched,
    100   And, seeing there was no place to mount up higher,          100-1: having reached the pinnacle of success, why should
          Why should I grieve at my declining fall? −                    Mortimer be surprised that the only direction left for him
    102   Farewell, fair queen; weep not for Mortimer,                   to go was down?
          That scorns the world, and, as a traveller,
    104   Goes to discover countries yet unknown.                     = ie. in the afterlife.

    106   Edw. III. What! suffer you the traitor to delay?            = permit.

    108                [Young Mortimer is taken away by 1st Lord
                                                 and Attendants.]
    110
          Q. Isab. As thou received'st thy life from me,
    112   Spill not the blood of gentle Mortimer!
    114   Edw. III. This argues that you spilt my father's blood,     = ie. "is evidence".
          Else would you not entreat for Mortimer.
    116
          Q. Isab. I spill his blood? no!
    118
          Edw. III. Ay, madam, you, for so the rumour runs.
    120
          Q. Isab. That rumour is untrue; for loving thee,
    122   Is this report raised on poor Isabel.
    124   Edw. III. I do not think her so unnatural.                  124: Edward addresses the lords: he wonders whether he is
                                                                      unfair in judging his mother so harshly.
                                                                         so unnatural = ie. so as to want to kill, or at least favour
                                                                      the death of, Edward; unnatural was used to describe
                                                                      feelings one has which run counter to those one is expected
                                                                      to have towards family.
    126   2nd Lord. My lord, I fear me it will prove too true.
    128   Edw. III. Mother, you are suspected for his death,
          And therefore we commit you to the Tower
    130   Till further trial may be made thereof:
          If you be guilty, though I be your son,
    132   Think not to find me slack or pitiful.                      128-132: Isabella's Fate: actually, Edward was quite
                                                                      lenient with Isabella, sending her to a "comfortable
                                                                      retirement" at Castle Rising in Norfolk, where she was
                                                                      visited frequently by her son the king. Though deprived of
                                                                      her extensive possessions, the queen was granted a more-
                                                                      than-generous 3000 pounds annual allowance. Isabella lived
                                                                      many more years before finally passing in 1358. She was
                                                                      buried near her beloved Mortimer (Packe, p. 53-54).27
    134   Q. Isab. Nay, to my death, for too long have I lived,
          Whenas my son thinks to abridge my days.                    = when.
    136
          Edw. III. Away with her, her words enforce these tears,

                                                               119�
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    138   And I shall pity her if she speak again.
    140   Q. Isab. Shall I not mourn for my belovèd lord,
          And with the rest accompany him to his grave?
    142
          2nd Lord. Thus, madam, 'tis the king's will you shall
            hence.
    144
          Q. Isab. He hath forgotten me; stay, I am his mother.
    146
          2nd Lord. That boots not; therefore, gentle madam, go.        147: "it's useless (that boots not) to pursue this any further."
    148
          Q. Isab. Then come, sweet death, and rid me of this grief.
    150
                                             [Exit with Attendants.]
    152
              Re-enter 1st Lord, with the head of Young Mortimer. 153: severed heads appear frequently on the Elizabethan
    154                                                                    stage.
          1st Lord. My lord, here is the head of Mortimer.
    156
          Edw. III. Go fetch my father's hearse, where it shall lie;    157: hearse = a wooden frame used in the funerals of
    158   And bring my funeral robes.                                   royal and noble persons, on which were placed candles and
                                                                        decorations such as "banners, heraldic devices, and lighted
                                                                        candles" and on which "it was customary for friends to pin
                                                                        short poems or epitaphs." (Skeat, p. 189). 23
                                                                           it = perhaps meaning Mortimer's head.14
    160                                        [Exeunt Attendants.]
    162                              Accursèd head,
          Could I have ruled thee then, as I do now,
    164   Thou had’st not hatched this monstrous treachery! −
          Here comes the hearse; help me to mourn, my lords.
    166
          [Re-enter Attendants with the hearse and funeral robes.]
    168
          Sweet father, here unto thy murdered ghost
    170   I offer up this wicked traitor's head;
          And let these tears, distilling from mine eyes,               = trickling, often said of tears.1
    172   Be witness of my grief and innocency.
    174                                                     [Exeunt.]
          FINIS.                                                        Postscript: The Unknowable Story of the Death of
                                                                        Edward and his Jailers: there will likely never be definitive
                                                                        answers to the questions raised over the circumstances
                                                                        surrounding Edward's death, nor even who exactly was
                                                                        involved. The following summary is adapted from the
                                                                        lengthy analysis of the matter by historian Katherine Warner
                                                                        in her website EdwardtheSecond.blogspot.
                                                                           What is known is that Leicester was required to hand
                                                                        custody of the king over to Berkeley and Maltravers on 3
                                                                        April 1327, and that they were charged with joint
                                                                        responsibility for his keeping. It is possible the pair took
                                                                        turns watching the king, alternating every month. What is
                                                                        more certain is that Maltravers was not even present at
                                                                        Berkeley Castle on the date of the king's death, and
                                                                        Berkeley, who lied about his location at the time, was.


                                                               120�
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           Additionally, at some point Berkeley actually appointed
           Gurney to watch over the king.
               In late March or the first day or so of April, Mortimer
           supposedly sent one William Ockley with instructions to
           Edward's jailers to "remedy the situation". A day or so after
           Ockley's arrival, the king's death was announced. It was
           Gurney who was sent by Berkeley to inform Parliament of
           the old king's death. It was stated that Edward died "of
           natural causes."
               After Mortimer's fall in 1330, Gurney, Ockley, and
           another obscure figure, Sir Simon Bereford, were convicted
           for the murder of Edward II; Maltravers was condemned to
           die for his leading role in the trial, conviction and execution
           of the Earl of Kent, but not Edward's death. Bereford was
           executed in December 1330.
               Gurney and Maltravers escaped to the continent before
           their sentences could be carried out. Gurney was later
           discovered and arrested in Spain in 1331, escaped, and was
           found and arrested again in Naples in 1333. Impoverished
           and ill, Gurney died before he could be brought back to
           England.
               Maltravers' story is more interesting: never arrested,
           Maltravers instead ended up working for Edward III in
           Flanders, eventually submitting to and being received by the
           king, and even officially pardoned for his role in Kent's
           death in 1351. His lands returned to him, Maltravers lived
           out his life in England, dying in 1364.
               The fate of Ockley is unknown: if he was executed, no
           record of the fact is extant. Berkeley was acquitted of all
           charges, and went on to live until 1361. The great leniency
           shown by Edward III toward the murderers of his father was
           exceptional (Warner, Regicide etc., Part Two).33




    121�
�
                       Marlowe's Invented Words.
        Like all writers of the era, Christopher Marlowe made up words when
    he felt like it, usually by adding prefixes and suffixes to known words,
    combining words, or using a word in a way not yet used before. The
    following is a list of words and phrases that research suggests first
    appeared in Edward II:
                      A. Words and Compound Words.
                    asseize (meaning "seize", unconfirmed)
              balk, baulk (meaning to disappoint, unconfirmed)
                         brisk (meaning finely dressed)
                               buckler (as a verb)
                                    curate-like
                                    Midas-like
                      mushroom (referring to an upstart)
                    my stars (as an expression of surprise)
                         or else (still the modern phrase
                        implying a threat, unconfirmed)
                                     over-woo
                                   port-master
                                 savage-minded
                                   sword-proof
                                         tanti
                                     targeteer
                                   too-piercing
                                 top-branch(es)
                                      top-flag
                          torpedo (applied to a person)
           tune (figuratively meaning to bring two people or things
                                  into harmony)
                                   velvet-caped
                      B. Expressions and Collocations.
       Collocations are words that are commonly, conventionally and
    familiarly used together (e.g. "blue sky"), but which when used
    collectively so do not rise to the level of what may be called an
    expression. All of the following expressions and collocations make
    their first appearance in Edward II, and were subsequently used by later
    writers, and some even continue to be used this day.
       Those collocations in quotation marks indicate an exactly worded
    formula that was reused regularly by later writers. Also, the words one,
    one's, and oneself are used as proxies for any pronoun, e.g. the entry
    "pull one's house down" represents all variations including "pull my
    house down", "pull your house down", etc.
                          "advance your standard"
                             "aims at thy life"
                                "air of life"
                             "base flatterer(s)"
                              "bliss on earth"
                           "bound everlastingly"
                              "bowl of poison"
                            "bowmen and pikes"

                                     122�
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             "brainsick king"
             "calm this rage"
         "cause of these broils"
               "celestial sun"
          "center of one's bliss"
             "channel water"
            "charming Circe"
        "countries yet unknown"
          "crownet(s) of pearl"
               "death seize"
              "desert shore"
              "die in bands"
          "downfall is at hand"
       "dried" with one's "sighs"
           "drop down a tear"
             "factious lord(s)"
             "feast it royally"
           "finely dissembled"
           "flatly had denied"
           "free from suspect"
             "full of secrecy"
               "full of trust"
              "funeral robes"
               "gaudy silks"
         "grieve and/or storm"
       "groaning" at the "gate(s)"
           "haughty menaces"
         "heart-breaking sobs"
      "hewn" from the "Caucasus"
              "hooded cloak"
            "ignoble vassal(s)"
            "immortal throne"
           "judge you the rest"
             "lame and poor"
     "lay hands upon" the "traitor"
              "levied troops"
                "long grace"
        "long life and happiness"
                 "low legs"
              "lowly ground"
           "make quick work"
          "man of more desert"
             "marked to die"
           "misgoverned king"
          "mounting thoughts"
            "mournful hearse"
             "new-come soul"
          "news of dishonour"
         "northern borderer(s)"
             "nursery of art"
    "one's mind runs on (something)"
                "paltry boy"
            "period of my life"
            "pitied my estate"

                 123�
�
                   "plots and stratagems"
                        "potion wrought"
                     "proud command(s)"
                       "rancorous mind"
                       "revenged at full"
                           "rue too late"
                        "senseless trunk"
                      "shipwrecked body"
                  "showers of vengeance"
                         "sighs and cries"
                         "so fair a house"
                  "soaring up to Heaven"
                         "soldier's hand"
                         "spangled crest"
                        "speak men fair"
                         "stay and speak"
                      "successful battles"
                          "tattered robe"
                      "the day grows old"
           "the sunshine of my (our, etc) life"
                   "timeless sepulchre(s)"
                "tottered / tattered ensign"
                       "unnatural revolt"
                          "upstart pride"
                           "vanish fast"
                       "witness the tears"
                         a "declining fall"
       collocation of garrisons and beaten out of
              collocation of pent and mewed
             collocation of straight and expel
               collocation of lard and pearl
             collocation of peal and thunder
                 (though not literal thunder)
          collocation of suffer and counterbuff
    collocation of undertake/undertook and return
                     one's "head shall off"
                 one's "name revives" one
                            sword-proof
    the expression "noble minds contemn despair"
                   to "amplify one's grief"
                    to "beget one's hopes"
                     to "begirt one round"
              to "bewray" one's "baseness"
         to "brook" the "sight" of something
                  to "charge one roundly"
                   to "cloy the/one's soul"
                 to "countenance one's ill"
                  to "drag" on a "hurdle"
               to "exasperate one's wrath"
                   to "gratify one's grace"
                       to "grow penitent"
                     to "live uncontrolled"
                    to "make white black"
                        to "post away by"

                        124�
�
                        to "run one's horse to death"
                       to be "bedaubed" with "gold"


                 C. Words and Expressions Incorrectly
                   Credited to Marlowe by the OED.
        The OED cites Edward II as being the publication containing the
    earliest use of the following words; however, research has shown that
    the OED is not correct in giving Marlowe credit for using these words
    first, ie. all of them appeared in works published before 1590.
                                    gloomy
                                   goat-feet
                      heavy-headed (meaning stupid)
         hooded (used to describe a garment, rather than a person)
                   Hymen (first use in English literature)
                                light-brained
     manent (as a stage direction, meaning to remain on stage, applied to
                            more than one person)
                                 night-grown
          nook and/or corner (a predecessor to nook and cranny)
                                  overdaring
                       shipwrecked (as an adjective)
                              smooth-tongued
                                unfrequented
                                   unrigged
                             vailing (as a noun)
                               wait attendance




                                     125�
�
                                      FOOTNOTES.
       Footnotes in the text correspond as follows:
       1. Oxford English Dictionary (OED) online.
       2. Crystal, David and Ben. Shakespeare's Words. London; New York: Penguin,
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       3. Ribner, Irving. The Complete Plays of Christopher Marlowe. New York: The
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       4. Ellis, Havelock, ed. The Best Plays of the Old Dramatists: Christopher
    Marlowe. London: Viztelly & Co., 1887.
       5. Hutchison, Harold F. Edward II. New York: Stein and Day, 1971.
       6. Briggs, William D. Marlowe's Edward II. London: David Nutt, 1914.
       7. Tancock, Osborne William. Marlowe - Edward the Second. Oxford: Clarendon
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       8. Dyce, Alexander. The Works of Christopher Marlowe. London: George
    Routledge and Sons, 1876.
       9. Schelling, Felix E. Christopher Marlowe. New York: American Book Company,
    1912.
       10. Cunningham, Lt. Col. Francis. The Works of Christopher Marlowe. London:
    Chatto and Windus, 1879.
       11. Verity, A.W. Edward the Second. London: J.M. Dent and Co., 1896.
       12. Kathryn Warner's Website, EdwardtheSecond.blogspot.com. Retrieved
    10/12/2107: Household of Edward II at edwardthesecond.
    blogspot.com/2007/06/household-of-edward-ii.html.
       13. University of Wisconsin Website. The Crisis of John's Reign. Retrieved
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    20114%20John%20in%20crisis.htm.
       14. Bevington, David, and Rasmussen, Eric. Doctor Faustus and Other Plays.
    Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1995.
       15. Taylor, Gary. Thomas Middleton: Lives and Afterlives, pp. 25-58. From
    Thomas Middleton, The Collected Works, edited by Gary Taylor and John Lavagnino.
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       16. Institute of Historical Research website. Clerk of the Crown in Chancery - list
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       17. Kline, Anthony S., trans. The Iliad by Homer. Poetry Translation website.
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       18. Historic UK website. The Longbow. Retrieved 10/11/2017: www.historic-
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       19. Bostock, John, and Riley, H.T., transl. Pliny the Elder. The Natural History.
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                                           126�
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       26. Payne, Edward John, ed. Richard Hakluyt. Voyages of the Elizabethan Seamen.
    Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1907.
       27. Pecke, Michael. King Edward III. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd, 1983.
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