For you shall sup with Jesu Christ to-night. [tell. Y. Clif. Foul stigmatic, that's more than thou canst Rich. If not in heaven, you'll surely sup in hell. [Exeunt severally. SCENE II.-SAINT ALBANS. Alarums: Excursions. Enter WARWICK. How now, my noble lord? what, all a-foot? York. The deadly-handed Clifford slew my steed; Y. Clif. Shame and confusion! all is on the rout; Throw in the frozen bosoms of our part Hot coals of vengeance !-Let no soldier fly: He that is truly dedicate to war Hath no self-love; nor he, that loves himself, To cease 1-Wast thou ordain'd, dear father, And, in thy reverence and thy chair-days, thus Rich. So, lie thou there; For underneath an alehouse' paltry sign, The Castle in Saint Albans, Somerset Hath made the wizard famous in his death.- Q. Mar. Away, my lord! you are slow; for shame, away! [fly: Q. Mar. What are you made of? you'll not fight nor Sal. Now, by my sword, well hast thou fought to-day, York. I know our safety is to follow them; MARQUIS OF MONTAGUE, EARL OF WARWICK, EARL OF PEMBROKE, LORD HASTINGS, LORD STAFFORD, SIR JOHN SOMERVILLE. Tutor to RUTLAND. Mayor of York. Lieutenant of the Tower. A Nobleman. Two Keepers. his Sons. A Huntsman. of the DUKE OF YORK'S party. A Son that has killed his Father. A Father that has killed his Son. QUEEN MARGARET. LADY GREY, afterwards Queen to EDWARD IV. Soldiers, and other Attendants on KING HENRY and SCENE,-During part of the Third Act, in FRANCE; during all the rest of the Play, in ENGLAND. ACT I. SCENE I.-LONDON. The Parliament-House. 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 escaped our hands. York. While we pursued the horsemen of the north, He slily stole away, and left his men : 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, Charged our main battle's front, and, breaking in, Were by the swords of common soldiers slain. Edw. Lord Stafford's father, duke of Buckingham, Is either slain or wounded dangerous: I cleft his beaver with a downright blow; [Shewing his bloody sword. Mont. And, brother, here's the earl of Wiltshire's blood, [To YORK, shewing 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 deserved of all my sons.What, is your grace dead, my lord of Somerset? Norf. Such hope have all the line of John of Gaunt! Rich. Thus do I hope to shake king Henry's head. War. And so do I.-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; Norf. We'll all assist you; he that flies shall die. Rich. Arm'd as we are, let's stay within this house. War. The bloody parliament shall this be call'd, Unless Plantagenet, duke of York, be king, And bashful Henry deposed, 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, [WAR. leads YORK to the throne, who seats himself. Flourish. Enter KING HENRY, CLIFFORD, NORTHUMBERLAND, WESTMORELAND, EXETER, and others, with red roses in their hats. K. Hen. My lords, look where the sturdy rebel sits, K. Hen. Be patient, gentle earl of Westmoreland. North. Well hast thou spoken, cousin; be it so. [They advance to the DUKE. Thou factious duke of York, descend my throne, And kneel for grace and mercy at my feet; I am thy sovereign. [York. York. Thou art deceived, I am thine. In following this usurping Henry. Clif. Whom should he follow but his natural king? War. True, Clifford; and that's Richard, duke of York. K. Hen. And shall I stand, and thou sit in my throne? York. It must and shall be so. Content thyself. War. Be duke of Lancaster, let him be king. West. He is both king and duke of Lancaster; And that the lord of Westmoreland shall maintain. War. And Warwick shall disprove it. You forget That we are those which chased you from the field, And slew your fathers, and with colours spread March'd through the city to the palace gates. North. Yes, Warwick, I remember it to my grief; And, by his soul, thou and thy house shall rue it. Clif. Urge it no more; lest cat, instead of words, War. Poor Clifford! how I scorn his worthless threats! 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: Who made the Dauphin and the French to stoop, War. Talk not of France, sith thou hast lost it all. Father, tear the crown from the usurper's head. Edw. Sweet father, do so; set it on your head. Mont. [To YORK.] Good brother, as thou lov'st and honour'st arms, Let's fight it out, and not stand cavilling thus. [fly. Rich. Sound drums and trumpets, and the king will York. Sons, peace! [speak. K. Hen. Peace thou! and give king Henry leave to War. Plantagenet shall speak first:-hear him, lords; And be you silent and attentive too, For he that interrupts him shall not live. [throne, K. Hen. Think'st thou that I will leave my kingly 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 sorrowShall 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. York. 'Twas by rebellion against his king. K. Hen. [Aside.] I know not what to say; my title's [Aloud. Tell me, may not a king adopt an heir? [weak. York. What then? K. Hen. An if he may, then am I lawful king; York. He rose against him, being his sovereign, 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, But 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 me. York. Why whisper you, my lords, and answer not? Exe. My conscience tells me he is lawful king. [him. K. Hen. [Aside.] All will revolt from me, and turn to North. Plantagenet, for all the claim thou lay'st, Think not that Henry shall be so deposed. War. Deposed he shall be in despite of all. North. Thou art deceived: 'tis not thy southern power, Of Essex, Norfolk, Suffolk, nor of Kent,Which makes thee thus presumptuous Can set the duke up in despite of me. and proud, Clif. King Henry, be thy title right or wrong, K. Hen. O Clifford, how thy words revive my heart! [He stamps, and the Soldiers shew themselves. K. Hen. My lord of Warwick, hear me but one word; Let me for this my lifetime reign as king. York. Confirm the crown to me and to mine heirs, And thou shalt reign in quiet while thou liv'st. K. Hen. I am content: Richard Plantagenet, Clif. What wrong is this unto the prince your son? Cf. Come, cousin, let us tell the queen these news. West. Farewell, faint-hearted and degenerate king, In whose cold blood no spark of honour bides. North. Be thou a prey unto the house of York, Ant die in bands for this unmanly deed! Cf. In dreadful war mayst thou be overcome! Or live in peace, abandon'd and despised! [Exeunt NORTHUMBERLAND, CLIFFORD, and WESTMORELAND. War. Turn this way, Henry, and regard them not. Ere. 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:-I here entail The crown to thee and to thine heirs for ever; K. Hen. And long live thou, and these thy forward K. Ien. And I, with grief and sorrow, to the court. K. Hen. Exeter, so will I. [Going. [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 had died a maid, And never seen thee, never borne thee son, Seeing thou hast proved so unnatural a father! Hath he deserved to lose his birthright thus? Hadst thou but loved him half so well as I, 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. Prince. Father, you cannot disinherit me: If you be king, why should not I succeed? K. Hen. Pardon me. Margaret;-pardon me, sweet The earl of Warwick and the duke enforced me. Q. Mar. Enforced thee! art thou king, and wilt be forced? I shame to hear thee speak. Ah, timorous wretch! The northern lords that have forsworn thy colours, K. Hen. Stay, gentle Margaret, and hear me speak. gone. K. Hen. Gentle son Edward, thou wilt stay with me? Q. Mar. Ay, to be murder'd by his enemies. Prince. When I return with victory from the field, I'll see your grace: till then, I'll follow her. Q. Mar. Come, son, away; we may not linger thus. The loss of those three lords torments my heart: Eze. And I, I hope, shall reconcile them all. [Exeunt. SCENE II-A Room in Sandal Castle, near Wakefield, in YORKSHIRE. Enter EDWARD, RICHARD, and MONTAGUE. Rich. Brother, though I be youngest, give me leave. Edw. No, I can better play the orator. Mont. But I have reasons strong and forcible. Enter YORK. York. Why, how now, sons and brother! at a strife? What is your quarrel? how began it first? Edw. No quarrel, but a slight contention. Rich. About that which concerns your grace and us; The crown of England, father, which is yours. York. Mine, boy? not till king Henry be dead. Rich. Your right depends not on his life or death. Edw. Now you are heir, therefore enjoy it now: By giving the house of Lancaster leave to breathe, It will outrun you, father, in the end. York. I took an oath that he should quietly reign. Edw. But, for a kingdom, any oath may be broken: I'd break a thousand oaths to reign one year. Rich. No; God forbid your grace should be forsworn. York. I shall be if I claim by open war. Rich. I'll prove the contrary, if you'll hear me speak. Entil the white rose, that I wear, be dyed York. Richard, enough; I will be king, or die.- Sir John. She shall not need, we'll meet her in the York. What, with five thousand men? [field. Rich. Ay, with five hundred, father, for a need. A woman's general; what should we fear? [A march afar off. Edw. I hear their drums; let's set our men in order, And issue forth, and bid them battle straight. York. Five men to twenty-though the odds be great, I doubt not, uncle, of our victory. Many a battle have I won in France, Whenas the enemy hath been ten to one; Why should I not now have the like success? [Alarum. Exeunt. SCENE III.-Plains near Sandal Castle. Alarums: Excursions. Enter RUTLAND and his Tutor. Rut. Ah, whither shall I fly to 'scape their hands? Ah, tutor, look where bloody Clifford comes! Enter CLIFFORD and Soldiers. Clif. Chaplain, away: thy priesthood saves thy life. Tut. And I, my lord, will bear him company. Tut. Ah, Clifford, murder not this innocent child, [Exit, forced off by Soldiers. Clif. How now! is he dead already? Or is it fear That makes him close his eyes?-I'll open them. Rut. So looks the pent-up lion o'er the wretch That trembles under his devouring paws; And so he walks, insulting o'er his prey, And so he comes, to rend his limbs asunder.Ah, gentle Clifford, kill me with thy sword, And not with such a cruel threatening look! Sweet Clifford, hear me speak before I die!I am too mean a subject for thy wrath: Be thou reveng'd on men, and let me live. blood Clif. In vain thou speak'st, poor boy; my father's Hath stopp'd the passage where thy words should enter. Rut. Then let my father's blood open it again; He is a man, and, Clifford, cope with him. Clif. Had I thy brethren here, their lives and thine Were not revenge sufficient for me: No; if I digg'd up thy forefathers' graves, Is as a fury to torment my soul; And till I root out their accursed line, [Lifting his hand Rut. 0, let me pray before I take my death :—• To thee I pray; sweet Clifford, pity me! Clif. Such pity as my rapier's point affords. Rut. I never did thee harm: why wilt thou slay me? Clif. Thy father hath. Rut. But 'twas ere I was born. Thou hast one son,-for his sake pity me; Ah, let me live in prison all my days; Thy father slew my father; therefore, dic. [CLIFFORD stabs him Rut. Dii faciant, laudis summa sit ista tua! [Dies. Clif. Plantagenet! I come, Plantagenet! And this thy son's blood cleaving to my blade, Shall rust upon my weapon, till thy blood, Congeal'd with this, do make me wipe off both. [Exit. SCENE IV.-The same. Alarum. Enter YORK. York. The army of the queen hath got the field: My uncles both are slain in rescuing me; And all my followers to the eager foe Or lambs pursued by hunger-starved wolves. My sons,-God knows what hath bechanced them: But this I know,-they have demean'd themselves And this is he was his adopted heir.But how is it that great Plantagenet And when the hardiest warriors did retire, A sceptre, or an earthly sepulchre!" We bodged again: as I have seen a swan Enter QUEEN MARGARET, CLIFFORD, NORTHUMBERLAND, and Soldiers. Come, bloody Clifford,-rough Northumberland, --- North. Yield to our mercy, proud Plantagenet. York. My ashes, as the phoenix, may bring forth Clif. So cowards fight when they can fly no further; York. O Clifford, but bethink thee once again, And in thy thought o'er-run my former time, And, if thou canst for blushing, view this face, And bite thy tongue, that slanders hina with cowardice, Whose frown hath made thee faint and fly ere this. Clif. I will not bandy with thee word for word; But buckle with thee blows, twice two for one. [D} Draws. Q. Mar. Hold, valiant Clifford! for a thousand causes I would prolong a while the traitor's life:Wrath makes him deaf; speak thou, Northumberland. North. Hold, Clifford; do not honour him so much To prick thy finger, though to wound his heart: What valour were it, when a cur doth grin, For one to thrust his hand between his teeth, When he might spurn him with his foot away? It is war's prize to take all vantages; And ten to one is no impeach of valour. [They lay hands on YORK, who struggles. Clif. Ay, ay, so strives the woodcock with the giu. North. So doth the coney struggle in the net. [YORK is taken prisoner. I pr'ythee, grieve, to make me merry, York; [Putting a paper crown on his head. Ay, marry, Sir, now looks he like a king! Ay, this is he that took king Henry's chair; Is crown'd so soon, and broke his solemn oath? Now in his life, against your holy oath? Off with the crown; and, with the crown, his head; Q. Mar. Nay, stay: let's hear the orisons he makes. France, Whose tongue more poisons than the adder's tooth! To triumph like an Amazonian trull Upon their woes whom fortune captivates? Made impudent with use of evil deeds, I would assay, proud queen, to make thee blush : To tell thee whence thou cam'st, of whom derived, Were shame enough to shame thee, wert thou not shameless. Thy father bears the type of king of Naples, Of both the Sicils, and Jerusalem; Yet not so wealthy as an English yeoman. As the Antipodes are unto us, Or as the south to the septentrion. O tiger's heart, wrapp'd in a woman's hide! And yet be seen to bear a woman's face? Thou stern, obdurate, flinty, rough, remorseless. York. That face of his the hungry cannibals As now I reap at thy too cruel hand!- My soul to heaven, my blood upon your heads! I should not for my life but weep with him, To see how inly sorrow gripes his soul. Q.Mar. What, weeping-ripe, my lord Northumberland? Think but upon the wrong he did us all, And that will quickly dry thy melting tears. Clif. Here's for my oath, here's for my father's death. [Stabbing him. Q. Mar. And here's to right our gentle-hearted king. [Stabbing him. York. Open thy gate of mercy, gracious God! [Dies. Q. Mar. Off with his head, and set it on York gates; So York may overlook the town of York. [Exeunt. |