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THIRD PART

OF

KING HENRY VI.

LITERARY AND HISTORICAL Notice.

THE action of this play comprehends a period of sixteen years. It commences with the events immediately sueceeding the disastrous battle of St. Alban's, 1455, and concludes with the murder of King Henry VI. and the birth of Prince Edward, (afterwards Edward V.) 1471. Dr. Johnson says, " Of these three plays, I think the second the best. The truth is, they have not sufficient variety of action, for the incidents are too often of the same kind; yet many of the characters are well discriminated. King Henry and his queen, King F.dward, the Duke of Gloucester, and the Earl of Warwick, are very strongly and distinctly painted."

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SCENE, during part of the third Act, in France; during all the rest of the Play, in England.

ACT I.

SCENE I.-London -The ParliamentHouse.

Drums. Some Soldiers of YORK's party break in. Then, enter the Duke of YORK, EDWARD, RICHARD, NORFOLK, MONTAGUE, WARWICK, and others with White Roses in their Hats.

War. I wonder how the king escap'd our hands. York. While we pursued the horsemen of the He slily stole away, and left his men: [north, Whereat the great lord of Northumberland, Whose warlike ears could never brook retreat, Cheer'd up the drooping army; and himself, Lord Clifford, and lord Stafford, all abreast, Chang'd our main battle's front, and, break

ing in,

Were by the swords of common soldiers slain.

Edw. Lord Stafford's father, duke of Buckingham;

Is either slain, or wounded Jangerous: I cleft his beaver with a downright blow; That this is true, father, behold his blood. [Showing his bloody Sword. Mont. And, brother, here's the earl of Wiltshire's blood,

[To YORK, showing his Whom I encounter'd as the battles join'd. Rich. Speak thou for me, and tell them what I did,

[Throwing down the duke of SOMERSET'S Head.

York. Richard hath best deserv'd of all my

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FOUNDATIS

Rich. Thus do I hope to shake king Henry's head.

War. And so do 1.-Victorious prince of
York,

Before I see thee seated in that throne
Which now the house of Lancaster usurps,
I vow by heaven these eyes shall never close.
This is the palace of the fearful king,
And this the regal seat: possess it, York:
For this is thine, and not king Henry's heirs.
York. Assist me then, sweet Warwick, and I
will;

For hither we have broken in by force.

Norf. We'll all assist you; he that flies shall die.

York. Thanks, gentle Norfolk,-Stay by me, my lords ;

And, soldiers, stay, and lodge by me this night. War. And when the king comes, offer him no violence,

Unless he scek to thrust you out by force.

[They retire.

York. The queen, this day, here holds her

parliament,

But little thinks we shall be of her council :
By words, or blows, here let us win our right.
Rich. Arm'd as we are, let's stay within this
honse.

War. The bloody parliament shall this be call'd,

Unless Plantagenet, duke of York, be king; And bashful Henry depos'd, whose cowardice Hath made us by-words to our enemies.

York. Then leave me not, my lords: be resolute;

I mean to take possession of my right.

War. Neither the king, nor he that loves him best,

The proudest he that holds up Lancaster,
Dares stir a wing, if Warwick shake his bells.
I'll plant Plantagenet, root him up who dares :-
Resolve thee, Richard; claim the English

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Thy kinsmen, and thy friends, I'll have more lives,

Than drops of blood were in my father's veins. Clif. Urge it no more; lest that, instead of

words,

I send thee, Warwick, such a messenger,
As shall revenge his death, before I stir.
War. Poor Clifford! how I scorn his worth

less threats!

York. Will you we show our title to the crown?

If not, our swords shall plead it in the field.
K. Hen. What title hast thou, traitor, to the
crown?

Thy father was, as thou art, duke of York;
Thy grandfather, Roger Mortimer, earl of
March:

I am the son of Henry the Fifth,
Who made the Dauphin and the French to
stoop,

And seiz'd upon their towns and provinces. War. Talk not of France, sith thou hast lost

it all.

K. Hen. The lord protector lost it, and not I: When I was crown'd, I was but nine months old.

Rich. You are old enough now, and yet me

thinks, you lose :

Father, tear the crown from the usurper's head Edw. Sweet father, do so; set it on your head.

Mont. Good brother, [To YORK.] as thou lov'st aud honour'st arins,

Let's fight it out, and not stand cavilling thus. Rich. Sound drums and trumpets, and the king will fly.

York. Sons, peace!

K. Hen. Peace thou! and give king Henry leave to speak.

War. Plantagenet shall speak first :-hear him, lords;

• Since.

And be you silent and attentive too,
For he that interrupts him shall not live.

K. Hen. Think'st thou, that I will leave my kingly throne,

Wherein my grandsire and my father sat?
No: first shall war unpeople this my realm;
Ay, and their colours, often borne in France;
And now in England, to our heart's great sor-
row,

Shall be my winding sheet.-Why faint you, lords?

My title's good, and better far than his.

War. But prove it, Henry, and thou shalt be king.

K. Hen. Henry the fourth by conquest got

the crown.

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king:

For Ricbard, in the view of many lords,
Resign'd the crown to Henry the fourth;
Whose heir my father was, and I am bis.
York. He rose against him, being his sove-
reign,

And made him to resign his crown perforce. War. Suppose, my lords, he did it unconstrain'd,

Think you, 'twere prejudicial to his crown? * Exe. No; for he could not so resign his crown,

Bu that the next heir should succeed and reign. K. Hen. Art thou against us, duke of Exeter ?

Exe. His is the right, and therefore pardon

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Of Essex, Norfolk, Suffolk, nor of Kent,
Which makes thee thus presumptuous and proud,
Can set the duke up, in despite of me.

Clif. King Henry, be thy title right or wrong,
Lord Clifford vows to fight in thy defence:
May that ground gape, and swallow me alive,
Where I shall kneel to him that slew my fa
ther!

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Exe. They seek revenge, and therefore will not yield.

K. Hen. Ah! Exeter :

War. Why should you sigh, my lord!

K. Hen. Not for myself, lord Warwick, but my son,

Whom I unnaturally shall disinherit.
But, be it as it may :-1 here entail
The crown to thee, and to thine heirs for
ever;

Conditionally, that here thou take an oath
To cease this civil war, and, whilst I live,
To honour me as thy king and sovereign;
And neither by treason, nor hostility,
To seek to put me down and reign thyself.
York. This oath I willingly take, and will

perform. [Coming from the Throne. War. Long live king Henry !-Plantagenet, embrace him.

K. Hen. And long live thou, and these thy forward sons!

York. Now York and Lancaster are recou cil'd.

Exe, Accurs'd be he that seeks to mkae thei foes!

[Senet. The Lords come forward. York. Farewell, my gracious lord; I'll to my

castle.

War. And I'll keep London, with my sol diers.

Norf. And I to Norfolk, with my followers. Mont. And I unto the sea, from whence I

camie.

[Exeunt YORK, and his Sons, WARWICK, NORFOLK, MONTAGUE, Soldiers, and Attendants.

K. Hen. And I with grief and sorrow to the court.

K. Hen. O Clifford, how thy words revive my Enter Queen MARGARET and the Prince of

heart!

York. Henry of Lancaster, resign thy crown :What mutter you, or what conspire you, lords? War. Do right unto this princely duke of York;

Or I will fill the house with armed men,
And, o'er the chair of state, where now he sits,
Write up his title with usurping blood.

He stamps and the Soldiers show them-
selves.

K. Hen. My lord of Warwick, hear me but one word;

Let me, for this my life-time, reign as king. York. Confirm the crown to me, and to mine heirs,

And thou shalt reign in quiet while thon liv'st. K. Hen. I am content: Richard Plantagenet, Enjoy the kingdom after my decease.

Cuf. What wrong is this unto the prince your

son?

War. What good is this to England and himself?

• I. e. Detrimental to the general rights of hereditary royalty.

WALES.

Exe. Here comes the queen, whose looks bewray her anger:

I'll steal away.

K. Hen. Exeter, so will I.

[Going.

Q. Mar. Nay, go not from me, I will follow thee.

K. Hen. Be patient, gentle queen, and I will stay.

Q. Mar. Who can be patient in such extremes ?

Ah! wretched man! 'would I bad died a maid,

And never seen thee, never borne thee son,
Seeing thou hast prov'd so unnatural a father!
Hath he deserv'd to lose his birthright thus ?
Hadst thou but lov'd him half so well as 1;
Or felt that pain which I did for him once;
Or nourish'd him, as I did with my blood;
Thou wouldst have left thy dearest heart-blood
there,

Rather than made that savage duke thine heir,
And disinherited thine only son.

Betray, discover.

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