others.
Que. Away, my lord ! you are slow ; for shame,
away !
King. Can we outrun the heavens ? good Mar-
garet, stay.
Que. What are you made of ? you'll nor fight
nor fly :
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 loved,
And where this breach now in our fortunes made
May readily be stopp'd.
Re-enter young Clifford.
Y. Cli. But that my heart 's on future mischief
set,
I would speak blasphemy ere bid you fly :
But fly you must ; uncurable discomfit
Reigns in the hearts of all our present parts.
Away, for your relief ! and we will live
To see their day and them our fortune give :
Away, my lord, away ! Exeunt.
ACT V., Sc. 3.
KING HENRY VI. PART II.
537
Scene III. Fields near Saint Allan's.
Alarum. Retreat. Enter York, Richard, War-
wick and Soldiers, with drum and colours.
York. Of Salisbury, who can report of him,
That winter lion, who in rage forgets
Aged contusions and all brush of time,
And, like a gallant in the brow of youth,
Eepairs him with occasion ? This happy day
Is not itself, nor have we won one foot,
If Salisbury be lost.
Ric. My noble father,
Three times to-day I holp him to his horse,
Three times bestrid him ; thrice I led him off,
Persuaded him from any further act :
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.
Enter Salisbury.
Sal. Now, by my sword, well hast thou fought
to-day ;
By the mass, so did we all. I thank you, Richard :
God knows how long it is I have to live ;
And it hath pleased him that three times to-day
You have defended me from imminent death.
Well, lords, we have not got that which we
have :
'Tis not enough our foes are this time fled,
Being opposites of such repairing nature.
York. I knoW our safety is to follow them ;
For, as I hear, the king is fled to London,
To call a present court of parliament.
Let us pursue him ere the writs go forth.
What says Lord Warwick ? shall we after
them ?
War. After them ! nay, before them, if we
can.
Now, by my faith, lords, 'twas a glorious day :
Saint Alban's battle won by famous York
Shall be eternized in all age to come.
Sound drums and trumpets, and to London all :
And more such days as these to us befall !
Exeunt.
KING HENEY YI. -PART III.
NAMES OF THE ACTORS.
KING HENRY THE SIXTH.
EDWARD, PRINCE OF WALES, his son.
LEWIS XI., King of France.
DUKES OF SOMERSET and EXETER.
EARLS OF OXFORD, NORTHUMBERLAND and WESTMORELAND.
LORD CLIFFORD.
RICHARD PLANTAGENET, Duke of York.
EDWARD, Earl of March, afterwards King Edward I
EDMUND, Earl of Rutland, f , .
GEORGE, afterwards Duke of Clarence,
RICHARD, afterwards Duke of Gloucester,
DUKE OF NORFOLK.
MARQUESS OF MONTAGUE.
EARLS OF WARWICK and PEMBROKE.
LORD HASTINGS.
LORD STAFFORD.
" Duke of York -
HENRY, Earl of Richmond, a youth.
LORD RIVERS, brother to Lady Grey.
SIR WILLIAM STANLEY.
SIR JOHN MONTGOMERY.
SIR JOHN SOMERVILLE.
Tutor to Rutland. Mayor of York.
Lieutenant of the Tower. A Nobleman.
Two Keepers. A Huntsman.
A Son that has killed his father.
A Father that has killed his son.
QUEEN MARGARET.
LADY GREY, afterwards Queen to Edward IY.
BONA, sister to the French Queen.
Soldiers, Attendants, Messengers, Watchmen, &c.
This drama, like the two foregoing, appeared first in the folio of 1623. It is founded on The
True Tragedie of Richard, Duke of TorTce, published by Millington in 1595. The
authorities for the costume are mainly the same as for thai of the first and
second parts ; but there are several representations of Edward IY.
and his court, chiefly in manuscripts. An illumination at
Lambeth shows Rivers presenting a book to the King,
and is often, but erroneously, said to contain
a picture of Caxton, the first Eng-
lish printer. The scene is
laid partly in France
but chiefly in
England.
KING HENRY YI. PART III.
Act I.
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 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,
W r hose 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 Buck-
ingham,
Is either slain or wounded dangerously ;
I cleft his beaver with a downright blow :
That this is true, father, behold his blood.
Hon. And, brother, here 's the Earl of Wilt-
shire's blood,
Whom I encounter'd as the battles join'd.
Ric. Speak thou for me and tell them what I did.
York. Richard hath best deserved of all my sons.
But is your grace dead, my Lord of Somerset ?
Nor. Such hope have all the line of John of
Gaunt !
Ric. Thus do I hope to shake King Henry's
head.
War. And so do I. Yictorious 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 '11 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.
They go up.
War. And when the king comes, offer him no
violence,
I Unless he seek to thrust you out perforce.
York. The queen this day here holds her par-
liament,
But little thinks we shall be of her council :
By words or blows here let us win our right.
Ric. 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,
Dares stir a wing, if Warwick shake his bells.
I '11 plant Plantagenet, root him up who dares :
Resolve thee, Richard ; claim the English crown.
Flourish. Enter King, Clifford, Northumber-
land, Westmoreland, Exeter and the rest.
King. 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.
North. If I be not, heavens be revenged on me !
Cli. The hope thereof makes Clifford mourn in
steel.
Wes. What, shall we suffer this ? let's pluck
him down :
My heart for anger burns ; I cannot brook it.
King. Be patient, gentle Earl of Westmoreland.
Cli. Patience is for poltroons, such as he :
He durst not sit there, had your father lived.
My gracious lord, here in the parliament
Let us assail the family of York.
North. Well hast thou spoken, cousin : be it so.
King. Ah, know you not the city favours them,
And they have troops of soldiers at their beck ?
Exe. But when the duke is slain, they '11
quickly fly.
King. 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.
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.
Exe. For shame, come down : he made thee
Duke of York.
York. 'Twas my inheritance, as the earldom was.
Exe. Thy father was a traitor to the crown.
War. Exeter, thou art a traitor to the crown
In following this usurping Henry.
Cli. Whom should he follow but his natural
king?
War. True, Clifford; and that's Richard
Duke of York.
King. And shall I stand, and thou sit in my
throne ?
York. It must and shall be so : content thyself.
540
KING HENRY VLPART III.
ACT I., Sc. 1.
War. Be Duke of Lancaster ; let him be king.
Wes. He is both king and Duke of Lancaster;
And that the Lord of Westmoreland shall main-
tain.
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, t remember it to my grief ;
And, by his soul, thou and thy house shall rue it.
Wes. Plantagenet, of thee and these thy sons,
Thy kinsmen and thy friends, I '11 have more lives
Than drops of blood were in my father's veins.
Cli. 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 worthless
threats !
York. Will you we show our title to the crown ?
If not, our swords shall plead it in the field.
King. 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 seized upon their towns and provinces.
War. Talk not of France, sith thou hast lost it
all.
King. The lord protector lost it, and not I :
When I was crown'd I was but nine months old.
Ric. 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.
Mon. Good brother, as thou lovest and hon-
ourest arms,
Let's fight it out and not stand cavilling thus.
Ric. Sound drums and trumpets, and the king
will fly.
York. Sons, peace !
King. Peace, thou ! and give King Henry leave
to speak.
War. Plantagenet shall speak first : hear him,
lords ;
And be you silent and attentive too,
For he that interrupts him shall not live.
King. 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.
War. Prove it, Henry, and thou shalt be king.
King. Henry the Fourth by conquest got the
crown.
York. 'Twas by rebellion against his king.
King. [ Aside. \ I know not what to say ; my
title 's weak.
Tell me, may not a king adopt an heir ?
York. What then?
King. 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.
War. Suppose, my lords, he did it uncon-
strain'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.
King. Art thou against us, Duke of Exeter ?
f 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.
King. All will revolt from me, and turn to him.
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 and proud,
Can set the duke up in despite of me.
Cli. 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. O Clifford, how thy words revive my
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 over the chair of state, where now he sits,
Write up his title with usurping blood.
He stamps ivith his foot, and the Soldiers
show themselves.
King. 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 thou livest.
King. I am content : Richard Plantagenet,
Enjoy the kingdom after my decease.
Cli. What wrong is this unto the prince your
son !
War. What good is this to England and him-
self!
Wes. Base, fearful and despairing Henry !
Cli. How hast thou injured both thyself and us !
Wes. I cannot stay to hear these articles.
North. Nor I.
Cli. Come, cousin, let us tell the queen these
news.
Wes. 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,
And die in bands for this unmanly deed !
Cli. In dreadful war mayst thou be overcome,
Or live in peace abandon'd and despised !
Exeunt North., 'Cli. and Wes.
War. Turn this way, Henry, and regard them
not.
Exe. They seek revenge and therefore will not
yield.
King. Ah, Exeter !
War. Why should you sigh, my lord ?
King. Not for myself, Lord Warwick, but my
son,
ACT I., Sc. 2.
KING HENRY VLPART III.
541
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 path
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 per-
form.
War. Long live King Henry ! Plantagenet,
embrace him.
King. And long live thou and these thy forward
sons !
York. Now York and Lancaster are reconciled.
Exe. Accursed be he that seeks to make them
foes ! Sennet. Here they come down.
York. Farewell, my gracious lord ; I '11 to my
castle.
War. And I '11 keep London with my soldiers.
Norf. And I to Norfolk with my followers.
Mon. And I unto the sea from whence I came.
Exeunt York and his Sons, Warwick,
Norfolk, Montague, their Soldiers, and
Attendants.
King. And I, with grief and sorrow, to the
court.
Enter Queen and the Prince of Wales.
Exe. Here comes the queen, whose looks be-
wray her anger :
I '11 steal away.
King. Exeter, so will I.
Que. Nay, go not from me ; I will follow thee.
King. Be patient, gentle queen, and I will stay.
Que. 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 have made that savage duke thine heir
And disinherited thine only son.
Pri. Father, you cannot disinherit me :
If you be king, why should not I succeed?
King. Pardon me, Margaret ; pardon me, sweet
son :
The Earl of Warwick and the duke enforced me.
Que. Enforced thee ! art thou king, and wilt
be forced ?
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 preferr'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 '11 after them.
King. Stay, gentle Margaret, and hear me speak.
Que. Thou hast spoke too much already : get
thee gone.
King. Gentle son Edward, thou wilt stay with
me ?
Que. Ay, to be murder'd by his enemies.
Pri. When I return with victory from the field
I '11 see your grace : till then I '11 follow her.
Que. Come, son, away ; we may not linger thus.
Exeunt Queen Margaret and the Prince.
King. Poor queen! how love to me and to her
son
Hath made her break out into terms of rage !
Revenged 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 '11 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.
Ric. Brother, though I be youngest, give me
leave.
Edw. No, I can better play the orator.
Mon. 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?
Ric. 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.
Ric. 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 would break a thousand oaths to reign one year.
Ric. No ; God forbid your grace should be
forsworn.
York. I shall be, if I claim by open war.
Ric. I '11 prove the contrary, if you '11 hear me
speak.
York. Thou canst not, son ; it is impossible.
Ric. An oath is of no moment, being not took
Before a true and lawful magistrate,
542
KING HENRY VL PART III.
ACT L, Sc. 3.
That hath authority over him that swears :
Henry had none, but did usurp the place ;
Then, seeing 'twas 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 comest thou in such
post?
~M.es. 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.
Mon. Brother, I go ; I '11 win them, fear it
not :
And thus most humbly I do take my leave. Exit.
Enter Sir John Mortimer 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 '11 meet her
in the field.
York. What, with five thousand men ?
Ric. Ay, with five hundred, father, for a need :
A woman 's general ; what should we fear ?
A march afar off.
Edw. I hear thoir 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,
When as the enemy hath been ten to one :
Why should I not now have the like success ?
Alarum. Exeunt.
Scene III. Field of Battle betwixt Sandal
Castle and Wakefield.
Alarums. 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.
Cli. Chaplain, away ! thy priesthood saves thy
life.
As for the brat of this accursed duke,
Whose father slew my father, he shall die.
Tut. And I, my lord, will bear him company.
Cli. Soldiers, away with him !
Tut. Ah, Clifford, murder not this innocent child,
Lest thou be hated both of God and man !
Exit, dragged off by Soldiers.
Cli. How now ! is he dead already ? or is it fear
That makes him close his eyes ? I '11 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 revenged on men, and let me live.
Cli. In vain thou speak' st, poor boy ; my
father's blood
Hath stopp'd the passage where thy words should
enter.
Rut. Then let my father's 1 blood open it again :
He is a man, and, Cliffordj cope with him.
Cli. 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,
I 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 Lifting his hand.
Rut. O, let me pray before I take my death !
To thee I pray; sweet Clifford, pity me !
Cli. Such pity as my rapier's point affords.
Rut. I never did thee harm : why wilt thou
slay me ?
Cli. Thy father hath.
Rut. But 'twas 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.
Cli. No cause !
Thy father slew my father ; therefore, die.
Stabs him.
Rut. Difaciant laudis summa sit ista tux.
Dies.
Cli. 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.
ACT I., Sc. 4.
KINO HENRY VLPART III.
543
Scene IV. Another part of the Field.
Alarum. Enter Richard, Duke of 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 pursued 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