Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB

Particularities and petty sounds

To cease! Wast thou ordain'd, dear father, 45
To lose thy youth in peace, and to achieve
The silver livery of advised age,

And, in thy reverence and thy chair-days, thus
To die in ruffian battle? Even at this sight
My heart is turn'd to stone; and while 't is
mine,

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

It shall be stony. York not our old men spares;
No more will I their babes. Tears virginal
Shall be to me even as the dew to fire,
And beauty that the tyrant oft reclaims
Shall to my flaming wrath be oil and flax.
Henceforth I will not have to do with pity.
Meet I an infant of the house of York,
Into as many gobbets will I cut it
As wild Medea young Absyrtus did.
In cruelty will I seek out my fame.

Come, thou new ruin of old Clifford's house.
As did Æneas old Anchises bear,

60

So bear I thee upon my manly shoulders;
But then Æneas bare a living load,
Nothing so heavy as these woes of mine.
[Exit, bearing off his father.]

65

[blocks in formation]

Fight: excursions. Enter KING, QUEEN, and others.

Queen. Away, my lord! you are slow; for shame, away!

King. Can we outrun the heavens? Good Margaret, stay.

Queen. What are you made of? You'll nor fight nor fly.

75

Now is it manhood, wisdom, and defence,
To give the enemy way, and to secure us
By what we can, which can no more but fly.
[Alarum afar off.
If you be ta'en, we then should see the bottom
Of all our fortunes; but if we haply scape,
As well we may, if not through your neglect,
We shall to London get, where you are lov'd,
And where this breach now in our fortunes made
May readily be stopp'd.

Re-enter YOUNG CLIFFORD.

79

Y. Clif. But that my heart's on future mischief set,

[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors]

But still, where danger was, still there I met him;

And like rich hangings in a homely house,
So was his will in his old feeble body.
But, noble as he is, look where he comes.

[blocks in formation]

By the mass, so did we all. I thank you,
Richard.

God knows how long it is I have to live;
And it hath pleas'd Him that three times to-

day

[blocks in formation]
[blocks in formation]

SCENE I. [London. The Parliament-house.] Alarum. Enter the DUKE OF YORK, EDWARD, RICHARD, NORFOLK, MONTAGUE, WARWICK, and Soldiers.

War. I wonder how the King escap'd our hands.

York. While we pursu'd 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,
Charg'd our main battle's front, and breaking
in

Were by the swords of common soldiers slain. Edw. Lord Stafford's father, Duke of Buckingham,

10

Is either slain or wounded dangerous;
I cleft his beaver with a downright blow.
That this is true, father, behold his blood.
Mont. And, brother, here's the Earl of Wilt-
shire's blood,

15

Whom I encount'red as the battles join'd.
Rich. Speak thou for me and tell them what
I did.

[Showing 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 ? Norf. Such hope have all the line of John of Gaunt!

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

20

[blocks in formation]
[blocks in formation]

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

55

On him, his sons, his favourites, and his friends.

North. If I be not, heavens be reveng'd on me!

Clif. The hope thereof makes Clifford mourn in steel.

West. What, shall we suffer this? Let's pluck him down.

My heart for anger burns; I cannot brook it. 60 K. Hen. Be patient, gentle Earl of Westmoreland.

Clif. 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.

65

North. Well hast thou spoken, cousin; be it

[blocks in formation]

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 Lan

caster;

And that the Lord of Westmoreland shall maintain.

War. 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. North. No, Warwick, I remember it to my grief;

And, by his soul, thou and thy house shall rue it.

West. Plantagenet, of thee and these thy

[merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small]

I send thee, Warwick, such a messenger As shall revenge his death before I stir.

100

War. 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. K. Hen. What title hast thou, traitor, to the crown?

Thy father was, as thou art, Duke of York; 185 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

[blocks in formation]

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, methinks, you lose.

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

head.

115

Mont. Good brother, as thou lov'st and hon

ourest arms,

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

King will fly.

York. Sons, peace!

[blocks in formation]

War. Plantagenet shall speak first. Hear him, lords;

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?

125

[ocr errors]
[blocks in formation]
[blocks in formation]

Whom I unnaturally shall disinherit.

196

But be it as it may. [To York.] 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. 200 York. This oath I willingly take and will perform.

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 reconcil'd.

Exe. Accurs'd be he that seeks to make them foes!

[Sennet.

205

Here they come down. York. Farewell, my gracious lord; I'll to my castle.

War. And I'll keep London with my soldiers. Norf. And I to Norfolk with my followers. Mont. And I unto the sea from whence I

[blocks in formation]
[blocks in formation]

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, 235
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; 240
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

245

Before I would have granted to that act.
But thou preferr'st thy life before thine hon-

[blocks in formation]
[merged small][ocr errors]

Mar. Ay, to be murder'd by his enemies. Prince. When I return with victory from the field

261

I'll see your Grace; till then I'll follow her. Q. Mar. Come, son, away; we may not linger thus.

[Exeunt Queen Margaret and the Prince.]

K. Hen. 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, 208
Whose haughty spirit, winged with desire,
Will coast 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.

270

I'll write unto them and entreat them fair.
Come, cousin, you shall be the messenger.
Exe. And I, I hope, shall reconcile them all.
[Exeunt.

[SCENE II. Sandal Castle.]

Enter RICHARD, EDWARD, 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 the DUKE OF 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. York. About what?

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.

10

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.

15

Edw. But for a kingdom any oath may be

broken.

I would break a thousand oaths to reign one

[blocks in formation]

York. Thou canst not, son; it is impossible. Rich. 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: 25

« ZurückWeiter »