EXETER My conscience tells me he is lawful king.
KING HENRY [aside]
All will revolt from me, and turn to him.
155
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: ’tis not thy southern power,
Of Essex, Norfolk, Suffolk, nor of Kent,
160
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,
165
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,
170
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 with his foot, and the soldiers show
themselves.]
KING HENRY
My Lord of Warwick, hear me but one word:
Let me for this my life-time reign as king.
175
YORK Confirm the crown to me and to mine heirs,
And thou shalt reign in quiet whilst thou liv’st.
KING HENRY
Convey the soldiers hence, and then I will.
WARWICK Captain, conduct them into Tuthill Fields.
Exeunt soldiers.
KING HENRY I am content: Richard Plantagenet,
180
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!
185
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. Exit.
190
NORTHUMBERLAND
Be thou a prey unto the house of York,
And die in bands for this unmanly deed! Exit.
CLIFFORD In dreadful war may’st thou be overcome,
Or live in peace abandon’d and despis’d! Exit.
WARWICK Turn this way, Henry, and regard them not.
195
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: [to York] I here entail
200
The crown to thee and to thine heirs for ever;
Conditionally that here thou take thine oath
To cease this civil war and, whilst I live,
To honour me as thy king and sovereign;
And neither by treason nor hostility
205
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.
210
EXETER
Accurs’d be he that seeks to make them foes!
[Sennet. Here they come down.]
YORK Farewell, my gracious lord; I’ll take my leave,
For I’ll to Wakefield to my castle. Exit with his sons.
WARWICK And I’ll keep London with my soldiers.
Exeunt.
NORFOLK And I to Norfolk with my followers. Exeunt.
215
FALCONBRIDGE
And I unto the sea from whence I came.
Exit.
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.
QUEEN MARGARET
Nay, go not from me; I will follow thee.
220
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.
225
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 would’st have left thy dearest heart-blood there,
230
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?
KING HENRY
Pardon me, Margaret; pardon me, sweet son:
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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
240
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, Salisbury Lord of Calais;
245
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,
250
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,
255
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,
260
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.
265
KING HENRY
Gentle son Edward, thou wilt stay with me?
QUEEN MARGARET Ay, to be murder’d by his enemi
es.
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.
270
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
275
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.
280
Flourish. Exeunt.
1.2 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 the DUKE OF YORK.
YORK Why, how now, sons and brother! at a strife?
What is your quarrel? How began it first?
5
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.
10
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.
15
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.
20
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;
25
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
30
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 dy’d
Even in the lukewarm blood of Henry’s heart.
YORK Richard, enough; I will be king, or die.
35
Brother, thou shalt to London presently,
And whet on Warwick to this enterprise.
Thou, Richard, shalt to the Duke of Norfolk straight
And tell him privily of our intent.
You, Edward, shall to Edmund Brook Lord Cobham,
40
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,
45
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.
50
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.
55
Let noble Warwick, Cobham, and the rest,
Whom we have left protectors of the King,
With powerful policy strengthen themselves,
The Arden Shakespeare Complete Works Page 231
