206 C. F. Tucker Brooke, 



2 Henry VI, III, i, 331-345 : 



" Now, York, or never, steel thy fearful thoughts, 



And change misdovbt to resolution : 



Be that thou hop'st to be, or what thou art 



Resign to death : it is not worth the enjoying. 



Let pale-fac'd fear keep with the mean-horn man. 



And find no harbour in a royal heart. 



Faster than spring-time showers comes thovght on thovght, 



And not a thought hut thinks on dignity. 



My hrain, more husy than the labouring spider, 



Weaves tedious snares to trap mine enemies. 



Well, nobles, well ; 'tis politicly done, 



To send me packing with a host of men : 



/ fear me you but warm the starved snake, 



Who, cherish'd in your breasts, will sting your hearts. 



'Twas men I lack'd, and you will give them me." 



The scene representing Cade's death (2 Henry VI, IV, x) is expanded 

 in the edition of 1623, not only in bad taste, by the introduction of 

 many lines of pure bombast, but also in a tone which shows that the 

 reviser failed utterly to realize the heroic quality in Cade which 

 Marlowe always brings out. The following parallels exemplify both 

 the intrusion of meaningless rant in the later version, and also the 

 change from the tragic view of Cade to the other very different view 

 which regarded him as a mere vulgar upstart, easily overthrown and 

 justly subjected to insult after death : 



Contention, p. 55, 1. 20 f.: 



" Eyden . . . Looke on me, my limmes are equall unto thine, 

 and every way as big ; then hand to hand, ile combat thee." 



2 Henry VI, IV, x, 48-57 : 



" I den . . . Oppose thy steadfast-gazing eyes to mine. 



See if thou canst out-face me with thy looks : 



Set hmb to limb, and thou art far the lesser ; 



Thy hand is but a finger to my fist ; 



Thy leg a stick compared with this truncheon ; 



My foot shall fight with all the strength thou hast ; 



And if mine arm be heaved in the air 



Thy grave is digg'd already in the earth. 



As for more words, whose greatness answers words. 



Let this my sword report what speech forbears." 



