Kent. Fields between Dartford and Blackheath. | |
| |
The KING’S camp on one side. On the other, enter YORK, and his army of Irish, with drum and colours. | |
| York. From Ireland thus comes York to claim his right, | |
| And pluck the crown from feeble Henry’s head: | 4 |
| Ring, bells, aloud; burn, bonfires, clear and bright, | |
| To entertain great England’s lawful king. | |
| Ah Sancta majestas, who would not buy thee dear? | |
| Let them obey that know not how to rule; | 8 |
| This hand was made to handle nought but gold: | |
| I cannot give due action to my words, | |
| Except a sword, or sceptre balance it. | |
| A sceptre shall it have, have I a soul, | 12 |
| On which I’ll toss the flower-de-luce of France. | |
| |
Enter BUCKINGHAM. | |
| Whom have we here? Buckingham, to disturb me? | |
| The king hath sent him, sure: I must dissemble. | 16 |
| Buck. York, if thou meanest well, I greet thee well. | |
| York. Humphrey of Buckingham, I accept thy greeting. | |
| Art thou a messenger, or come of pleasure? | |
| Buck. A messenger from Henry, our dread liege, | 20 |
| To know the reason of these arms in peace; | |
| Or why thou,—being a subject as I am,— | |
| Against thy oath and true allegiance sworn, | |
| Shouldst raise so great a power without his leave, | 24 |
| Or dare to bring thy force so near the court. | |
| York. [Aside.] Scarce can I speak, my choler is so great: | |
| O! I could hew up rocks and fight with flint, | |
| I am so angry at these abject terms; | 28 |
| And now, like Ajax Telamonius, | |
| On sheep or oxen could I spend my fury. | |
| I am far better born than is the king, | |
| More like a king, more kingly in my thoughts; | 32 |
| But I must make fair weather yet awhile, | |
| Till Henry be more weak, and I more strong. | |
| [Aloud.] Buckingham, I prithee, pardon me, | |
| That I have given no answer all this while; | 36 |
| My mind was troubled with deep melancholy. | |
| The cause why I have brought this army hither | |
| Is to remove proud Somerset from the king, | |
| Seditious to his Grace and to the state. | 40 |
| Buck. That is too much presumption on thy part: | |
| But if thy arms be to no other end, | |
| The king hath yielded unto thy demand: | |
| The Duke of Somerset is in the Tower. | 44 |
| York. Upon thine honour, is he a prisoner? | |
| Buck. Upon mine honour, he is a prisoner. | |
| York. Then, Buckingham, I do dismiss my powers. | |
| Soldiers, I thank you all; disperse yourselves; | 48 |
| Meet me to-morrow in Saint George’s field, | |
| You shall have pay, and everything you wish, | |
| And let my sov’reign, virtuous Henry, | |
| Command my eldest son, nay, all my sons, | 52 |
| As pledges of my fealty and love; | |
| I’ll send them all as willing as I live: | |
| Lands, goods, horse, armour, anything I have | |
| Is his to use, so Somerset may die. | 56 |
| Buck. York, I commend this kind submission: | |
| We twain will go into his highness’ tent. | |
| |
Enter KING HENRY, attended. | |
| K. Hen. Buckingham, doth York intend no harm to us, | 60 |
| That thus he marcheth with thee arm in arm? | |
| York. In all submission and humility | |
| York doth present himself unto your highness. | |
| K. Hen. Then what intend these forces thou dost bring? | 64 |
| York. To heave the traitor Somerset from hence, | |
| And fight against that monstrous rebel, Cade, | |
| Who since I heard to be discomfited. | |
| |
Enter IDEN, with CADE’S head. | 68 |
| Iden. If one so rude and of so mean condition | |
| May pass into the presence of a king, | |
| Lo! I present your Grace a traitor’s head, | |
| The head of Cade, whom I in combat slew. | 72 |
| K. Hen. The head of Cade! Great God, how just art thou! | |
| O! let me view his visage, being dead, | |
| That living wrought me such exceeding trouble. | |
| Tell me, my friend, art thou the man that slew him? | 76 |
| Iden. I was, an’t like your majesty. | |
| K. Hen. How art thou call’d, and what is thy degree? | |
| Iden. Alexander Iden, that’s my name; | |
| A poor esquire of Kent, that loves his king. | 80 |
| Buck. So please it you, my lord, ’twere not amiss | |
| He were created knight for his good service. | |
| K. Hen. Iden, kneel down. [He kneels.] Rise up a knight. | |
| We give thee for reward a thousand marks; | 84 |
| And will, that thou henceforth attend on us. | |
| Iden. May Iden live to merit such a bounty, | |
| And never live but true unto his liege! | |
| K. Hen. See! Buckingham! Somerset comes with the queen: | 88 |
| Go, bid her hide him quickly from the duke. | |
| |
Enter QUEEN MARGARET and SOMERSET. | |
| Q. Mar. For thousand Yorks he shall not hide his head, | |
| But boldly stand and front him to his face. | 92 |
| York. How now! is Somerset at liberty? | |
| Then, York, unloose thy long-imprison’d thoughts | |
| And let thy tongue be equal with thy heart. | |
| Shall I endure the sight of Somerset? | 96 |
| False king! why hast thou broken faith with me, | |
| Knowing how hardly I can brook abuse? | |
| King did I call thee? no, thou art not king; | |
| Not fit to govern and rule multitudes, | 100 |
| Which dar’st not, no, nor canst not rule a traitor. | |
| That head of thine doth not become a crown; | |
| Thy hand is made to grasp a palmer’s staff, | |
| And not to grace an awful princely sceptre. | 104 |
| That gold must round engirt these brows of mine, | |
| Whose smile and frown, like to Achilles’ spear, | |
| Is able with the change to kill and cure. | |
| Here is a hand to hold a sceptre up, | 108 |
| And with the same to act controlling laws. | |
| Give place: by heaven, thou shalt rule no more | |
| O’er him whom heaven created for thy ruler. | |
| Som. O monstrous traitor:—I arrest thee, York, | 112 |
| Of capital treason ’gainst the king and crown. | |
| Obey, audacious traitor; kneel for grace. | |
| York. Wouldst have me kneel? first let me ask of these | |
| If they can brook I bow a knee to man. | 116 |
| Sirrah, call in my sons to be my bail: [Exit an Attendant. | |
| I know ere they will have me go to ward, | |
| They’ll pawn their swords for my enfranchisement. | |
| Q. Mar. Call hither Clifford; bid him come amain, | 120 |
| To say if that the bastard boys of York | |
| Shall be the surety for their traitor father. [Exit BUCKINGHAM. | |
| York. O blood-bespotted Neapolitan, | |
| Outcast of Naples, England’s bloody scourge! | 124 |
| The sons of York, thy betters in their birth, | |
| Shall be their father’s bail; and bane to those | |
| That for my surety will refuse the boys! | |
| |
Enter EDWARD and RICHARD PLANTAGENET, with Forces at one side; at the other, with Forces also, Old CLIFFORD and his Son. | 128 |
| See where they come: I’ll warrant they’ll make it good. | |
| Q. Mar. And here comes Clifford, to deny their bail. | |
| Clif. [Kneeling.] Health and all happiness to my lord the king! | |
| York. I thank thee, Clifford: say, what news with thee? | 132 |
| Nay, do not fright us with an angry look: | |
| We are thy sov’reign, Clifford, kneel again; | |
| For thy mistaking so, we pardon thee. | |
| Clif. This is my king, York, I do not mistake; | 136 |
| But thou mistak’st me much to think I do. | |
| To Bedlam with him! is the man grown mad? | |
| K. Hen. Ay, Clifford; a bedlam and ambitious humour | |
| Makes him oppose himself against his king. | 140 |
| Clif. He is a traitor; let him to the Tower, | |
| And chop away that factious pate of his. | |
| Q. Mar. He is arrested, but will not obey: | |
| His sons, he says, shall give their words for him. | 144 |
| York. Will you not, sons? | |
| Edw. Ay, noble father, if our words will serve. | |
| Rich. And if words will not, then our weapons shall. | |
| Clif. Why, what a brood of traitors have we here! | 148 |
| York. Look in a glass, and call thy image so: | |
| I am thy king, and thou a false-heart traitor. | |
| Call hither to the stake my two brave bears, | |
| That with the very shaking of their chains | 152 |
| They may astonish these fell-lurking curs: | |
| Bid Salisbury and Warwick come to me. | |
| |
Drums. Enter WARWICK and SALISBURY, with Forces. | |
| Clif. Are these thy bears? we’ll bait thy bears to death, | 156 |
| And manacle the bear-ward in their chains, | |
| If thou dar’st bring them to the baiting-place. | |
| Rich. Oft have I seen a hot o’erweening cur | |
| Run back and bite, because he was withheld; | 160 |
| Who, being suffer’d with the bear’s fell paw, | |
| Hath clapp’d his tail between his legs, and cried: | |
| And such a piece of service will you do, | |
| If you oppose yourselves to match Lord Warwick. | 164 |
| Clif. Hence, heap of wrath, foul indigested lump, | |
| As crooked in thy manners as thy shape! | |
| York. Nay, we shall heat you thoroughly anon. | |
| Clif. Take heed, lest by your heat you burn yourselves. | 168 |
| K. Hen. Why, Warwick, hath thy knee forgot to bow? | |
| Old Salisbury, shame to thy silver hair, | |
| Thou mad misleader of thy brain-sick son! | |
| What! wilt thou on thy death-bed play the ruffian, | 172 |
| And seek for sorrow with thy spectacles? | |
| O! where is faith? O, where is loyalty? | |
| If it be banish’d from the frosty head, | |
| Where shall it find a harbour in the earth? | 176 |
| Wilt thou go dig a grave to find out war, | |
| And shame thine honourable age with blood? | |
| Why art thou old, and want’st experience? | |
| Or wherefore dost abuse it, if thou hast it? | 180 |
| For shame! in duty bend thy knee to me, | |
| That bows unto the grave with mickle age. | |
| Sal. My lord, I have consider’d with myself | |
| The title of this most renowned duke; | 184 |
| And in my conscience do repute his Grace | |
| The rightful heir to England’s royal seat. | |
| K. Hen. Hast thou not sworn allegiance unto me? | |
| Sal. I have. | 188 |
| K. Hen. Canst thou dispense with heaven for such an oath? | |
| Sal. It is great sin to swear unto a sin, | |
| But greater sin to keep a sinful oath. | |
| Who can be bound by any solemn vow | 192 |
| To do a murderous deed, to rob a man, | |
| To force a spotless virgin’s chastity, | |
| To reave the orphan of his patrimony, | |
| To wring the widow from her custom’d right, | 196 |
| And have no other reason for this wrong | |
| But that he was bound by a solemn oath? | |
| Q. Mar. A subtle traitor needs no sophister. | |
| K. Hen. Call Buckingham, and bid him arm himself. | 200 |
| York. Call Buckingham, and all the friends thou hast, | |
| I am resolv’d for death, or dignity. | |
| Clif. The first I warrant thee, if dreams prove true. | |
| War. You were best to go to bed and dream again, | 204 |
| To keep thee from the tempest of the field. | |
| Clif. I am resolv’d to bear a greater storm | |
| Than any thou canst conjure up to-day; | |
| And that I’ll write upon thy burgonet, | 208 |
| Might I but know thee by thy household badge. | |
| War. Now, by my father’s badge, old Nevil’s crest, | |
| The rampant bear chain’d to the ragged staff, | |
| This day I’ll wear aloft my burgonet,— | 212 |
| As on a mountain-top the cedar shows, | |
| That keeps his leaves in spite of any storm,— | |
| Even to affright thee with the view thereof. | |
| Clif. And from thy burgonet I’ll rend thy bear, | 216 |
| And tread it underfoot with all contempt, | |
| Despite the bear-ward that protects the bear. | |
| Y. Clif. And so to arms, victorious father, | |
| To quell the rebels and their complices. | 220 |
| Rich. Fie! charity! for shame! speak not in spite, | |
| For you shall sup with Jesu Christ to-night. | |
| Y. Clif. Foul stigmatic, that’s more than thou canst tell. | |
| Rich. If not in heaven, you’ll surely sup in hell. [Exeunt severally. | 224 |