But, as the rest, so fell that noble earl, Plan. Of which, my lord, your honour is the last. Plan. Thy grave admonishments prevail with me ; But yet, methinks, my father's execution Was nothing less than bloody tyranny. Mor. With silence, nephew, be thou politic; As princes do their courts, when they are cloy'd Plan. Ŏ, uncle, would some part of my young years Might but redeem the passage of your age! Mor. Thou dost then wrong me, as the slaught'rer doth, Which giveth many wounds, when one will kill. Only, give order for my funeral ; And so farewell and fair be all thy hopes! And prosperous be thy life, in peace, and war! [Dies. In prison hast thou spent a pilgrimage, [Exeunt Keepers bearing out MORT. [2] That is, I acknowledge thee to be my heir; the consequences which may be collected from thence, I recommend it to thee to draw. HEATH. [3] We are to understand the speaker as reflecting on the ill fortune of Mortimer, in being always made a tool of by the Percies of the North in their rebellious intrigues; rather than in asserting his claim to the crown, in support of his own princely ambition. WARB. And therefore haste I to the parliament; Or make my ill the advantage of my good. ACT III. [Exit. SCENE I-The same. The Parliament-House. Flourish. Enter King HENRY, EXETER, GLOSTER, the Bishop of WINCHESTER, RICHARD PLANTAGENET, WARWICK, SOMERSET, and SUFFOLK; GLOSTER offers to put up a bill,4 WINCHESTER Snatches it, and tears it. Win. COM'ST thou with deep premeditated lines, As I with sudden and extemporal speech Glo. Presumptuous priest! this place commands my Or thou shouldst find thou hast dishonour'd me. Thou art a most pernicious usurer; Win. Gloster, I defy thee.-Lords, vouchsafe [4] That is articles of accusation, for in this sense of the word bill was sometimes used. MAL. As he will have me, How am I so poor? Glo. As good? Thou bastard of my grandfather !— 4 Win. Ay, lordly sir; For what are you, I pray, Glo. Am I not the protector, saucy priest? Glo. Thou art reverent Touching thy spiritual function, not thy life. War. Roam thither then. 5 Som. My lord, it were your duty to forbear. War. Ay, see the bishop be not overborne. Som. Methinks, my lord should be religious, And know the office that belongs to such. War. Methinks, his lordship should be humbler ; It fitteth not a prelate so to plead. Som. Yes, when his holy state is touch'd so near. War. State holy, or unhallow'd, what of that? Is not his grace protector to the king? Plan. Plantagenet, I see, must hold his tongue; Lest it be said, Speak, sirrah, when you should; Must your bold verdict enter talk with lords? Else would I have a fling at Winchester. K.Hen. Uncles of Gloster, and of Winchester, The special watchmen of our English weal; [Aside. [4] The Bishop of Winchester was an illegitimate son of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, by Katharine Swynford, whom the duke afterwards married. MAL. [5] Roam to Rome. To roam is supposed to be derived from the cant of vagabonds, who often pretended a pilgrimage to Rome. JOHNS. I would prevail, if prayers might prevail, That two such noble peers as ye, should jar! That gnaws the bowels of the commonwealth. [A noise within; Down with the tawny coats! What tumult's this? War. An uproar, I dare warrant, Begun through malice of the bishop's men. [A noise again; Stones! stones ! Enter the Mayor of London, attended. May. O, my good lords,-and virtuous Henry,— The bishop and the duke of Gloster's men, Have fill'd their pockets full of pebble-stones; That many have their giddy brains knock'd out: And we, for fear, compell'd to shut our shops. Enter, skirmishing, the Retainers of GLOSTER and WINCHESTER, with bloody pates. K.Hen. We charge you, on allegiance to ourself, To hold your slaughtʼring hands, and keep the peace. Pray, uncle Gloster, mitigate this strife. 1 Serv. Nay, if we be Forbidden stones, we'll fall to it with our teeth. 2 Serv. Do what ye dare, we are as resolute. [Skirmish again. Glo. You of my household, leave this peevish broil, And set this unaccustom'd fight aside." 3 Serv. My lord, we know your grace to be a man, Just and upright; and, for your royal birth, Inferior to none, but his majesty: And, ere that we will suffer such a prince, We, and our wives and children, all will fight, 1 Serv. Ay, and the very parings of our nails Shall pitch a field when we are dead. [Skirmish again. Glo Stay, stay, I say! And, if you love me, as you say you do, Let me persuade you to forbear a while. K.Hen. O, how this discord doth afflict my soul ! -Can you, my lord of Winchester, behold My sighs and tears, and will not once relent? Or who should study to prefer a peace, War. My lord protector, yield ;—yield, Winchester: War. Behold, my lord of Winchester, the duke Hath banish'd moody discontented fury, As by his smoothed brows it doth appear: Why look you still so stern, and tragical? Glo. Here, Winchester, I offer thee my hand. War. Sweet king!-the bishop hath a kindly gird. Glo. Ay; but, I fear me, with a hollow heart.- Betwixt ourselves, and all our followers: So help me God, as I dissemble not ! Win. So help me God, as I intend it not ! [Aside. [8] That is, feels an emotion of kind remorse. JOHNS. |