William Shakespeare
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- King Henry IV Part 1
- King Henry IV Part 2
- King Henry V
- King Henry VI Part 1
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- King Henry VI Part 3
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- A Lover's Complaint
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King Henry VI, Part 3 (c. 1590)
Illustration from Cassel's History of England - Century Edition, c. 1902" style="width: 272px; height: 300px; float: right;" class="PopBoxImageSmall" title="Click to magnify/shrink" onclick="Pop(this,50,'/');"/>ACT ONE
SCENE 1. London. The Parliament-house.
[Alarum. Enter DUKE of YORK, EDWARD, RICHARD, NORFOLK, MONTAGUE, WARWICK, and Soldiers.]
WARWICK.
- I wonder how the king escap'd our hands.
YORK.
- While we pursued the horsemen of the North,
- He slyly 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,
- Charg'd our main battle's front, and breaking in,
- Were by the swords of common soldiers slain.
EDWARD.
- Lord Stafford's father, Duke of Buckingham,
- Is either slain or wounded dangerously;
- I cleft his beaver with a downright blow.
- That this is true, father, behold his blood.
[Showing his bloody sword.]
MONTAGUE.
- And, brother, here 's the Earl of Wiltshire's blood,
[To York, showing his.]
- Whom I encounter'd as the battles join'd.
RICHARD.
- 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 sons.—
- But is your grace dead, my Lord of Somerset?
NORFOLK.
- Such hope have all the line of John of Gaunt!
RICHARD.
- Thus do I hope to shake King Henry's head.
WARWICK.
- 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,
- 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.
NORFOLK.
- 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.
WARWICK.
- And when the king comes, offer him no violence,
- Unless he seek to thrust you out perforce.
[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.
RICHARD.
- Arm'd as we are, let 's stay within this house.
WARWICK.
- 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 bywords to our enemies.
YORK.
- Then leave me not, my lords; be resolute.
- I mean to take possession of my right.
WARWICK.
- 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 crown.
[Warwick leads York to the throne, who seats himself.]
[Flourish. Enter KING HENRY, CLIFFORD, NORTHUMBERLAND, WESTMORELAND, EXETER, and the rest.]
KING HENRY.
- My lords, look where the sturdy rebel sits,
- Even in the chair of state! belike he means,
- Back'd by the power of Warwick, that false peer,
- To aspire unto the crown and reign as king.—
- Earl of Northumberland, he slew thy father;
- And thine, Lord Clifford; and you both have vow'd revenge
- On him, his sons, his favourites, and his friends.
NORTHUMBERLAND.
- If I be not, heavens be reveng'd on me!
CLIFFORD.
- The hope thereof makes Clifford mourn in steel.
WESTMORELAND.
- What! shall we suffer this? let 's pluck him down;
- My heart for anger burns; I cannot brook it.
KING HENRY.
- Be patient, gentle Earl of Westmoreland.
CLIFFORD.
- Patience is for poltroons, such as he;
- He durst not sit there had your father liv'd.
- My gracious lord, here in the parliament
- Let us assail the family of York.
NORTHUMBERLAND.
- Well hast thou spoken, cousin; be it so.
KING HENRY.
- Ah, know you not the city favours them,
- And they have troops of soldiers at their beck?
EXETER.
- But when the duke is slain, they'll quickly fly.
KING HENRY.
- Far be the thought of this from Henry's heart,
- To make a shambles of the parliament-house!
- Cousin of Exeter, frowns, words, and threats
- Shall be the war that Henry means to use.—
[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.
- I am thine.
EXETER.
- For shame, come down; he made thee Duke of York.
YORK.
- 'T was my inheritance, as the earldom was.
EXETER.
- Thy father was a traitor to the crown.
WARWICK.
- Exeter, thou art a traitor to the crown
- In following this usurping Henry.
CLIFFORD.
- Whom should he follow, but his natural king?
WARWICK.
- True, Clifford; and that 's Richard, Duke of York.
KING HENRY.
- And shall I stand, and thou sit in my throne?
YORK.
- It must and shall be so.
- Content thyself.
WARWICK.
- Be Duke of Lancaster; let him be king.
WESTMORELAND.
- He is both king and Duke of Lancaster;
- And that the Lord of Westmoreland shall maintain.
WARWICK.
- And Warwick shall disprove it. You forget
- That we are those which chas'd you from the field,
- And slew your fathers, and with colours spread
- March'd through the city to the palace gates.
NORTHUMBERLAND.
- Yes, Warwick, I remember it to my grief;
- And, by his soul, thou and thy house shall rue it.
WESTMORELAND.
- Plantagenet, of thee, and these thy sons,
- Thy kinsmen, and thy friends, I'll have more lives
- Than drops of blood were in my father's veins.
CLIFFORD.
- Urge it no more; lest that instead of words
- I send thee, Warwick, such a messenger
- As shall revenge his death before I stir.
WARWICK.
- Poor Clifford! how I scorn his worthless threats!
YORK.
- Will you we show our title to the crown?
- If not, our swords shall plead it in the field.
KING HENRY.
- 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.
WARWICK.
- Talk not of France, sith thou hast lost it all.
KING HENRY.
- The lord protector lost it, and not I;
- When I was crown'd I was but nine months old.
RICHARD.
- You are old enough now, and yet, methinks, you lose.—
- Father, tear the crown from the usurper's head.
EDWARD.
- Sweet father, do so; set it on your head.
MONTAGUE.
- Good brother, as thou lov'st and honourest arms,
- Let's fight it out and not stand cavilling thus.
RICHARD.
- Sound drums and trumpets, and the king will fly.
YORK.
- Sons, peace!
KING HENRY.
- Peace thou, and give King Henry leave to speak.
WARWICK.
- Plantagenet shall speak first; hear him, lords,
- And be you silent and attentive too,
- For he that interrupts him shall not live.
KING HENRY.
- 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 sorrow—
- Shall be my winding sheet.—Why faint you, lords?
- My title's good, and better far than his.
WARWICK.
- Prove it, Henry, and thou shalt be king.
KING HENRY.
- Henry the Fourth by conquest got the crown.
YORK.
- 'T was by rebellion against his king.
KING HENRY.
- [Aside.] I know not what to say; my title's weak.—
- Tell me, may not a king adopt an heir?
YORK.
- What then?
KING HENRY.
- An if he may, then am I lawful king;
- For Richard, in the view of many lords,
- Resign'd the crown to Henry the Fourth,
- Whose heir my father was, and I am his.
YORK.
- He rose against him, being his sovereign,
- And made him to resign his crown perforce.
WARWICK.
- Suppose, my lords, he did it unconstrain'd,
- Think you 't were prejudicial to his crown?
EXETER.
- No; for he could not so resign his crown
- But that the next heir should succeed and reign.
KING HENRY.
- Art thou against us, Duke of Exeter?
EXETER.
- His is the right, and therefore pardon me.
YORK.
- Why whisper you, my lords, and answer not?
EXETER.
- My conscience tells me he is lawful king.
KING HENRY.
- [Aside.] All will revolt from me and turn to him.
NORTHUMBERLAND.
- Plantagenet, for all the claim thou lay'st,
- Think not that Henry shall be so depos'd.
WARWICK.
- Depos'd he shall be, in despite of all.
NORTHUMBERLAND.
- Thou art deceiv'd; 't is not thy southern power,
- Of Essex, Norfolk, Suffolk, nor of Kent,
- Which makes thee thus presumptuous and proud,
- Can set the duke up in despite of me.
CLIFFORD.
- 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 father!
KING HENRY.
- O Clifford, how thy words revive my heart!
YORK.
- Henry of Lancaster, resign thy crown.—
- What mutter you, or what conspire you, lords?
WARWICK.
- Do right unto this princely Duke of York,
- Or I will fill the house with armed men,
- And over the chair of state where now he sits
- Write up his title with usurping blood.
[He stamps, and the soldiers show themselves.]
KING HENRY.
- My Lord of Warwick, hear 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.
KING HENRY.
- I am content; Richard Plantagenet,
- Enjoy the kingdom after my decease.
CLIFFORD.
- What wrong is this unto the prince your son!
WARWICK.
- What good is this to England and himself!
WESTMORELAND.
- Base, fearful, and despairing Henry!
CLIFFORD.
- How hast thou injur'd both thyself and us!
WESTMORELAND.
- I cannot stay to hear these articles.
NORTHUMBERLAND.
- Nor I.
CLIFFORD.
- Come, cousin, let us tell the queen these news.
WESTMORELAND.
- Farewell, faint-hearted and degenerate king,
- In whose cold blood no spark of honour bides.
NORTHUMBERLAND.
- Be thou a prey unto the house of York,
- And die in bands for this unmanly deed!
CLIFFORD.
- In dreadful war mayst thou be overcome,
- Or live in peace abandon'd and despis'd!
[Exeunt Northumberland, Clifford, and Westmoreland.]
WARWICK.
- Turn this way, Henry, and regard them not.
EXETER.
- They seek revenge, and therefore will not yield.
KING HENRY.
- Ah, Exeter!
WARWICK.
- Why should you sigh, my lord?
KING HENRY.
- 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;
- 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.]
WARWICK.
- Long live King Henry!—Plantagenet, embrace him.
KING HENRY.
- And long live thou, and these thy forward sons!
YORK.
- Now York and Lancaster are reconcil'd.
EXETER.
- Accurs'd be he that seeks to make them foes!
[Sennet. The Lords come forward.]
YORK. Farewell, my gracious lord; I'll to my castle.
WARWICK.
- And I'll keep London with my soldiers.
NORFOLK.
- And I to Norfolk with my followers.
- MONTAGUE.
- And I unto the sea from whence I came.
[Exeunt York and his Sons, Warwick, Norfolk, Montague, Soldiers, and Attendants.]
KING HENRY.
- And I, with grief and sorrow, to the court.
[Enter QUEEN MARGARET and the PRINCE OF WALES.]
EXETER.
- Here comes the queen, whose looks bewray her anger.
- I'll steal away.
KING HENRY.
- Exeter, so will I.
- [Going.]
QUEEN MARGARET.
- Nay, go not from me; I will follow thee.
KING HENRY.
- Be patient, gentle queen, and I will stay.
QUEEN MARGARET.
- 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 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 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 have 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?
KING HENRY.
- Pardon me, Margaret;—pardon me, sweet son;
- The Earl of Warwick and the duke enforc'd me.
QUEEN MARGARET.
- Enforc'd thee! art thou king, and wilt be
- forc'd?
- I shame to hear thee speak. Ah, timorous wretch!
- Thou hast undone thyself, thy son, and me,
- And given unto the house of York such head
- As thou shalt reign but by their sufferance.
- To entail him and his heirs unto the crown,
- What is it but to make thy sepulchre
- And creep into it far before thy time?
- Warwick is chancellor and the lord of Calais;
Stern Falconbridge commands the narrow seas;
- The duke is made protector of the realm;
- And yet shalt thou be safe? such safety finds
- The trembling lamb environed with wolves.
- Had I been there, which am a silly woman,
- The soldiers should have toss'd me on their pikes
- Before I would have granted to that act.
- But thou prefer'st thy life before thine honour;
- And seeing thou dost, I here divorce myself,
- Both from thy table, Henry, and thy bed,
- Until that act of parliament be repeal'd
- Whereby my son is disinherited.
- The northern lords that have forsworn thy colours
- Will follow mine if once they see them spread;
- And spread they shall be to thy foul disgrace
- And utter ruin of the house of York.
- Thus do I leave thee.—Come, son, let's away:
- Our army is ready; come, we'll after them.
KING HENRY.
- Stay, gentle Margaret, and hear me speak.
QUEEN MARGARET.
- Thou hast spoke too much already; get thee gone.
KING HENRY.
- Gentle son Edward, thou wilt stay with me?
QUEEN MARGARET.
- Ay, to be murther'd by his enemies.
PRINCE.
- When I return with victory from the field
- I'll see your grace; till then I'll follow her.
QUEEN MARGARET.
- Come, son, away! we may not linger thus.
[Exeunt Queen Margaret and the Prince.]
KING HENRY.
- Poor queen! how love to me and to her son
- Hath made her break out into terms of rage!
- Reveng'd may she be on that hateful duke
- Whose haughty spirit, winged with desire,
- Will cost my crown, and like an empty eagle
- Tire on the flesh of me and of my son.
- The loss of those three lords torments my heart;
- I'll write unto them, and entreat them fair.—
- Come, cousin, you shall be the messenger.
EXETER.
- And I, I hope, shall reconcile them all.
[Exeunt.]
[Enter EDWARD, RICHARD, and MONTAGUE.]
RICHARD.
- Brother, though I be youngest, give me leave.
EDWARD.
- No; I can better play the orator.
MONTAGUE.
- 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?
EDWARD.
- No quarrel, but a slight contention.
YORK.
- About what?
RICHARD.
- 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.
RICHARD.
- Your right depends not on his life or death.
EDWARD.
- 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.
EDWARD.
- But for a kingdom any oath may be broken;
- I would break a thousand oaths to reign one year.
RICHARD.
- No; God forbid your grace should be forsworn.
YORK.
- I shall be, if I claim by open war.
RICHARD.
- I'll prove the contrary if you'll hear me speak.
YORK.
- Thou canst not, son; it is impossible.
RICHARD.
- An oath is of no moment, being not took
- Before a true and lawful magistrate
- That hath authority over him that swears.
- Henry had none, but did usurp the place;
- Then, seeing 't was he that made you to depose,
- Your oath, my lord, is vain and frivolous.
- Therefore, to arms! And, father, do but think
- How sweet a thing it is to wear a crown,
- Within whose circuit is Elysium
- And all that poets feign of bliss and joy.
- Why do we linger thus? I cannot rest
- Until the white rose that I wear be dyed
- Even in the lukewarm blood of Henry's heart.
YORK.
- Richard, enough; I will be king, or die.—
- Brother, thou shalt to London presently,
- And whet on Warwick to this enterprise.—
- Thou, Richard, shalt to the Duke of Norfolk,
- And tell him privily of our intent.—
- You, Edward, shall unto my Lord Cobham,
- With whom the Kentishmen will willingly rise.
- In them I trust; for they are soldiers,
- Witty, courteous, liberal, full of spirit.—
- While you are thus employ'd, what resteth more
- But that I seek occasion how to rise,
- And yet the king not privy to my drift,
- Nor any of the house of Lancaster?
[Enter a Messenger.]
- But stay.—What news? Why com'st thou in such post?
MESSENGER.
- The queen, with all the northern earls and lords,
- Intend here to besiege you in your castle.
- She is hard by with twenty thousand men,
- And therefore fortify your hold, my lord.
YORK.
- Ay, with my sword. What! think'st thou that we fear
- them?—
- Edward and Richard, you shall stay with me;
- My brother Montague shall post to London.
- Let noble Warwick, Cobham, and the rest,
- Whom we have left protectors of the king,
With powerful policy strengthen themselves,
- And trust not simple Henry nor his oaths.
MONTAGUE.
- Brother, I go; I'll win them, fear it not:
- And thus most humbly I do take my leave.
[Exit.]
[Enter SIR JOHN and SIR HUGH MORTIMER.]
YORK.
- Sir John and Sir Hugh Mortimer, mine uncles,
- You are come to Sandal in a happy hour;
- The army of the queen mean to besiege us.
SIR JOHN.
- She shall not need; we'll meet her in the field.
YORK.
- What, with five thousand men?
RICHARD.
- Ay, with five hundred, father, for a need.
- A woman-general! what should we fear?
[A march afar off.]
EDWARD.
- 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 3. Plains near Sandal Castle.
[Alarums. Enter RUTLAND and his TUTOR]
RUTLAND.
- Ah! whither shall I fly to scape their hands?
- Ah, tutor! look where bloody Clifford comes.
[Enter CLIFFORD and Soldiers.]
CLIFFORD.
- Chaplain, away! thy priesthood saves thy life.
- As for the brat of this accursed duke
- Whose father slew my father, he shall die.
TUTOR.
- And I, my lord, will bear him company.
CLIFFORD.
- Soldiers, away with him!
TUTOR.
- Ah, Clifford, murder not this innocent child,
- Lest thou be hated both of God and man.
[Exit, forced off by Soldiers.]
CLIFFORD.
- How now! is he dead already? Or is it fear
- That makes him close his eyes?—I'll open them.
RUTLAND.
- 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 threat'ning 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.
CLIFFORD.
- In vain thou speak'st, poor boy; my father's blood
- Hath stopp'd the passage where thy words should enter.
RUTLAND.
- Then let my father's blood open it again;
- He is a man, and, Clifford, cope with him.
CLIFFORD.
- Had I thy brethren here, their lives and thine
- Were not revenge sufficient for me.
- No; if I digg'd up thy forefathers' graves
- And hung their rotten coffins up in chains,
- It could not slake mine ire nor ease my heart.
- The sight of any of the house of York
- Is as a fury to torment my soul;
- And till I root out their accursed line
- And leave not one alive, I live in hell.
- Therefore—
RUTLAND.
- O, let me pray before I take my death!—
- To thee I pray; sweet Clifford, pity me!
- CLIFFORD.
- Such pity as my rapier's point affords.
RUTLAND.
- I never did thee harm; why wilt thou slay me?
CLIFFORD.
- Thy father hath.
RUTLAND.
- But 't was ere I was born.
- Thou hast one son; for his sake pity me,
- Lest in revenge thereof, sith God is just,
- He be as miserably slain as I.
- Ah, let me live in prison all my days,
- And when I give occasion of offence,
- Then let me die, for now thou hast no cause.
CLIFFORD.
- No cause?
- Thy father slew my father; therefore, die. [Clifford stabs him.]
RUTLAND.
- Dii faciant laudis summa sit ista tuae! [Dies.]
CLIFFORD.
- 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.]
[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
- Turn back and fly like ships before the wind,
- Or lambs pursu'd by hunger-starved wolves.
- My sons—God knows what hath bechanced them;
- But this I know,—they have demean'd themselves
- Like men born to renown by life or death.
- Three times did Richard make a lane to me,
- And thrice cried 'Courage, father! fight it out!'
- And full as oft came Edward to my side
- With purple falchion painted to the hilt
- In blood of those that had encount'red him;
- And when the hardiest warriors did retire
- Richard cried 'Charge! and give no foot of ground!'
- And cried 'A crown, or else a glorious tomb!
- A sceptre, or an earthly sepulchre!'
- With this, we charg'd again; but, out, alas!
- We budg'd again, as I have seen a swan
- With bootless labour swim against the tide
- And spend her strength with overmatching waves.
[A short alarum within.]
- Ah, hark! the fatal followers do pursue,
- And I am faint and cannot fly their fury;
- And were I strong, I would not shun their fury.
- The sands are number'd that make up my life;
- Here must I stay, and here my life must end.—
[Enter QUEEN MARGARET, CLIFFORD, NORTHUMBERLAND, and Soldiers]
- Come, bloody Clifford, rough Northumberland,
- I dare your quenchless fury to more rage.
- I am your butt, and I abide your shot.
NORTHUMBERLAND.
- Yield to our mercy, proud Plantagenet.
CLIFFORD.
- Ay, to such mercy as his ruthless arm
- With downright payment show'd unto my father.
- Now Phaethon hath tumbled from his car,
- And made an evening at the noontide prick.
YORK.
- My ashes, as the phoenix, may bring forth
- A bird that will revenge upon you all;
- And in that hope I throw mine eyes to heaven
- Scorning whate'er you can afflict me with.
- Why come you not?—what! multitudes, and fear?
CLIFFORD.
- So cowards fight when they can fly no further;
- So doves do peck the falcon's piercing talons;
- So desperate thieves, all hopeless of their lives,
- Breathe out invectives 'gainst the officers.
YORK.
- O Clifford, but bethink thee once again,
- And in thy thought o'errun my former time;
And, if thou canst for blushing, view this face,
- And bite thy tongue, that slanders him with cowardice
- Whose frown hath made thee faint and fly ere this.
CLIFFORD.
- I will not bandy with thee word for word,
- But buckle with thee blows, twice two for one.
QUEEN MARGARET.
- Hold, valiant Clifford! for a thousand causes
- I would prolong awhile the traitor's life.—
- Wrath makes him deaf; speak thou, Northumberland.
NORTHUMBERLAND.
- 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.]
CLIFFORD.
- Ay, ay; so strives the woodcock with the gin.
NORTHUMBERLAND.
- So doth the cony struggle in the net.
[York is taken prisoner.]
YORK.
- So triumph thieves upon their conquer'd booty;
- So true men yield, with robbers so o'ermatch'd.
NORTHUMBERLAND.
- What would your grace have done unto him now?
QUEEN MARGARET.
- Brave warriors, Clifford and Northumberland,
- Come, make him stand upon this molehill here,
- That raught at mountains with outstretched arms,
- Yet parted but the shadow with his hand.—
- What! was it you that would be England's king?
- Was 't you that revell'd in our Parliament,
- And made a preachment of your high descent?
- Where are your mess of sons to back you now?
- The wanton Edward and the lusty George?
- And where's that valiant crook-back prodigy,
- Dicky your boy, that with his grumbling voice
- Was wont to cheer his dad in mutinies?
- Or, with the rest, where is your darling Rutland?
- Look, York; I stain'd this napkin with the blood
- That valiant Clifford with his rapier's point
- Made issue from the bosom of the boy,
- And, if thine eyes can water for his death,
- I give thee this to dry thy cheeks withal.
- Alas, poor York! but that I hate thee deadly
- I should lament thy miserable state.
- I prithee, grieve to make me merry, York;
- Stamp, rave, and fret, that I may sing and dance.
- What, hath thy fiery heart so parch'd thine entrails
- That not a tear can fall for Rutland's death?
- Why art thou patient, man? thou shouldst be mad;
- And I, to make thee mad, do mock thee thus.
- Thou wouldst be feed, I see, to make me sport;
- York cannot speak unless he wear a crown.—
- A crown for York!—and, lords, bow low to him.—
- Hold you his hands whilst I do set it on.—
[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;
- And this is he was his adopted heir.—
- But how is it that great Plantagenet
- Is crown'd so soon and broke his solemn oath?
- As I bethink me, you should not be king
- Till our King Henry had shook hands with Death.
- And will you pale your head in Henry's glory,
- And rob his temples of the diadem,
- Now in his life, against your holy oath?
- O, 't is a fault too too unpardonable.—
- Off with the crown, and with the crown his head!
- And whilst we breathe take time to do him dead.
CLIFFORD.
- That is my office, for my father's sake.
QUEEN MARGARET.
- Nay, stay; let's hear the orisons he makes.
YORK.
- She-wolf of France, but worse than wolves of France,
- Whose tongue more poisons than the adder's tooth,
- How ill-beseeming is it in thy sex
- To triumph, like an Amazonian trull,
- Upon their woes whom fortune captivates!
- But that thy face is, vizard-like, unchanging,
- 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 deriv'd,
- 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.
- Hath that poor monarch taught thee to insult?
- It needs not, nor it boots thee not, proud queen;
- Unless the adage must be verified,
- That beggars mounted run their horse to death.
- 'T is beauty that doth oft make women proud;
- But, God he knows, thy share thereof is small.
- 'T is virtue that doth make them most admir'd;
- The contrary doth make thee wond'red at.
- 'T is government that makes them seem divine;
- The want thereof makes thee abominable.
- Thou art as opposite to every good
- As the Antipodes are unto us,
- Or as the south to the Septentrion.
- O tiger's heart wrapp'd in a woman's hide!
- How couldst thou drain the life-blood of the child,
- To bid the father wipe his eyes withal,
- And yet be seen to bear a woman's face?
- Women are soft, mild, pitiful, and flexible;
- Thou stern, obdurate, flinty, rough, remorseless.
- Bid'st thou me rage? why, now thou hast thy wish:
- Wouldst have me weep? why, now thou hast thy will;
- For raging wind blows up incessant showers,
- And when the rage allays the rain begins.
- These tears are my sweet Rutland's obsequies,
- And every drop cries vengeance for his death,
- 'Gainst thee, fell Clifford, and thee, false Frenchwoman.
NORTHUMBERLAND.
- Beshrew me, but his passion moves me so
- That hardly can I check my eyes from tears.
YORK.
- That face of his the hungry cannibals
- Would not have touch'd, would not have stain'd with blood;
- But you are more inhuman, more inexorable,
- O, ten times more, than tigers of Hyrcania.
- See, ruthless queen, a hapless father's tears;
- This cloth thou dipp'dst in blood of my sweet boy,
- And I with tears do wash the blood away.
- Keep thou the napkin, and go boast of this;
- And if thou tell'st the heavy story right,
- Upon my soul, the hearers will shed tears,
- Yea, even my foes will shed fast-falling tears
- And say 'Alas! it was a piteous deed!'—
- There, take the crown, and with the crown my curse;
- And in thy need such comfort come to thee
- As now I reap at thy too cruel hand!—
- Hard-hearted Clifford, take me from the world;
- My soul to heaven, my blood upon your heads!
NORTHUMBERLAND.
- Had he been slaughter-man to all my kin,
- I should not, for my life, but weep with him,
- To see how inly sorrow gripes his soul.
QUEEN MARGARET.
- What! weeping-ripe, my Lord Northumberland?
- Think but upon the wrong he did us all,
- And that will quickly dry thy melting tears.
CLIFFORD.
- Here's for my oath, here's for my father's death.
[Stabbing him.]
QUEEN MARGARET.
- And here's to right our gentle-hearted king.
[Stabbing him.]
YORK.
- Open thy gate of mercy, gracious God!
- My soul flies through these wounds to seek out thee.
[Dies.]
QUEEN MARGARET.
- Off with his head, and set it on York gates;
- So York may overlook the town of York.
[Flourish. Exeunt.]