The Same. A Hall of Justice. | |
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Trumpets sounded. Enter KING HENRY, QUEEN MARGARET, GLOUCESTER, YORK, SUFFOLK, and SALISBURY; the DUCHESS OF GLOUCESTER, MARGERY JOURDAIN, SOUTHWELL, HUME, and BOLINGBROKE, under guard. | |
| K. Hen. Stand forth, Dame Eleanor Cobham, Gloucester’s wife. | |
| In sight of God and us, your guilt is great: | 4 |
| Receive the sentence of the law for sins | |
| Such as by God’s book are adjudg’d to death. | |
| You four, from hence to prison back again; | |
| From thence, unto the place of execution: | 8 |
| The witch in Smithfield shall be burn’d to ashes, | |
| And you three shall be strangled on the gallows. | |
| You, madam, for you are more nobly born, | |
| Despoiled of your honour in your life, | 12 |
| Shall, after three days’ open penance done, | |
| Live in your country here, in banishment, | |
| With Sir John Stanley, in the Isle of Man. | |
| Duch. Welcome is banishment; welcome were my death. | 16 |
| Glo. Eleanor, the law, thou seest, hath judged thee: | |
| I cannot justify whom the law condemns.— [Exeunt the DUCHESS, and the other Prisoners, guarded. | |
| Mine eyes are full of tears, my heart of grief. | |
| Ah, Humphrey! this dishonour in thine age | 20 |
| Will bring thy head with sorrow to the ground. | |
| I beseech your majesty, give me leave to go; | |
| Sorrow would solace and mine age would ease. | |
| K. Hen. Stay, Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester: ere thou go, | 24 |
| Give up thy staff: Henry will to himself | |
| Protector be; and God shall be my hope, | |
| My stay, my guide, and lantern to my feet. | |
| And go in peace, Humphrey; no less belov’d | 28 |
| Than when thou wert protector to thy king. | |
| Q. Mar. I see no reason why a king of years | |
| Should be to be protected like a child. | |
| God and King Henry govern England’s helm! | 32 |
| Give up your staff, sir, and the king his realm. | |
| Glo. My staff! here, noble Henry, is my staff: | |
| As willingly do I the same resign | |
| As e’er thy father Henry made it mine; | 36 |
| And even as willingly at thy feet I leave it | |
| As others would ambitiously receive it. | |
| Farewell, good king! when I am dead and gone, | |
| May honourable peace attend thy throne. [Exit. | 40 |
| Q. Mar. Why, now is Henry king, and Margaret queen; | |
| And Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, scarce himself, | |
| That bears so shrewd a maim: two pulls at once; | |
| His lady banish’d, and a limb lopp’d off; | 44 |
| This staff of honour raught: there let it stand, | |
| Where it best fits to be, in Henry’s hand. | |
| Suf. Thus droops this lofty pine and hangs his sprays; | |
| Thus Eleanor’s pride dies in her youngest days. | 48 |
| York. Lords, let him go. Please it your majesty | |
| This is the day appointed for the combat; | |
| And ready are the appellant and defendant, | |
| The armourer and his man, to enter the lists, | 52 |
| So please your highness to behold the fight. | |
| Q. Mar. Ay, good my lord; for purposely therefore | |
| Left I the court, to see this quarrel tried. | |
| K. Hen. O’ God’s name, see the lists and all things fit: | 56 |
| Here let them end it; and God defend the right! | |
| York. I never saw a fellow worse bested, | |
| Or more afraid to fight, than is the appellant, | |
| The servant of this armourer, my lords. | 60 |
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Enter, on one side, HORNER, and his Neighbours drinking to him so much that he is drunk; and he enters bearing his staff with a sand-bag fastened to it; a drum before him: on the other side, PETER, with a drum and a sand-bag; and Prentices drinking to him. | |
| First Neigh. Here, neighbour Horner, I drink to you in a cup of sack: and fear not, neighbour, you shall do well enough. | |
| Sec. Neigh. And here, neighbour, here’s a cup of charneco. | |
| Third Neigh. And here’s a pot of good double beer, neighbour: drink, and fear not your man. | 64 |
| Hor. Let it come, i’ faith, and I’ll pledge you all; and a fig for Peter! | |
| First Pren. Here, Peter, I drink to thee; and be not afraid. | |
| Sec. Pren. Be merry, Peter, and fear not thy master: fight for credit of the prentices. | |
| Peter. I thank you all: drink, and pray for me, I pray you; for, I think, I have taken my last draught in this world. Here, Robin, an if I die, I give thee my apron: and, Will, thou shalt have my hammer: and here, Tom, take all the money that I have. O Lord bless me! I pray God, for I am never able to deal with my master, he hath learnt so much fence already. | 68 |
| Sal. Come, leave your drinking and fall to blows. Sirrah, what’s thy name? | |
| Peter. Peter, forsooth. | |
| Sal. Peter! what more? | |
| Peter. Thump. | 72 |
| Sal. Thump! then see thou thump thy master well. | |
| Hor. Masters, I am come hither, as it were, upon my man’s instigation, to prove him a knave, and myself an honest man: and touching the Duke of York, I will take my death I never meant him any ill, nor the king, nor the queen; and therefore, Peter, have at thee with a downright blow! | |
| York. Dispatch: this knave’s tongue begins to double. | |
| Sound, trumpets, alarum to the combatants. [Alarum. They fight, and PETER strikes down his Master. | 76 |
| Hor. Hold, Peter, hold! I confess, I confess treason. [Dies. | |
| York. Take away his weapon. Fellow, thank God, and the good wine in thy master’s way. | |
| Peter. O God! have I overcome mine enemies in this presence? O Peter! thou hast prevailed in right! | |
| K. Hen. Go, take hence that traitor from our sight; | 80 |
| For by his death we do perceive his guilt: | |
| And God in justice hath reveal’d to us | |
| The truth and innocence of this poor fellow, | |
| Which he had thought to have murder’d wrongfully. | 84 |
| Come, fellow, follow us for thy reward. [Sound a flourish. Exeunt. | |