London. A Room in the Palace. | |
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Enter GLOUCESTER, CLARENCE, SOMERSET, MONTAGUE, and Others. | |
| Glo. Now tell me, brother Clarence, what think you | |
| Of this new marriage with the Lady Grey? | 4 |
| Hath not our brother made a worthy choice? | |
| Clar. Alas! you know, ’tis far from hence to France; | |
| How could he stay till Warwick made return? | |
| Som. My lords, forbear this talk; here comes the king. | 8 |
| Glo. And his well-chosen bride. | |
| Clar. I mind to tell him plainly what I think. | |
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Flourish. Enter KING EDWARD, attended; LADY GREY, as Queen; PEMBROKE, STAFFORD, HASTINGS, and Others. | |
| K. Edw. Now, brother Clarence, how like you our choice, | 12 |
| That you stand pensive, as half malcontent? | |
| Clar. As well as Lewis of France, or the Earl of Warwick; | |
| Which are so weak of courage and in judgment | |
| That they’ll take no offence at our abuse. | 16 |
| K. Edw. Suppose they take offence without a cause, | |
| They are but Lewis and Warwick: I am Edward, | |
| Your king and Warwick’s, and must have my will. | |
| Glo. And you shall have your will, because our king: | 20 |
| Yet hasty marriage seldom proveth well. | |
| K. Edw. Yea, brother Richard, are you offended too? | |
| Glo. Not I: | |
| No, God forbid, that I should wish them sever’d | 24 |
| Whom God hath join’d together; ay, and ’twere pity | |
| To sunder them that yoke so well together. | |
| K. Edw. Setting your scorns and your mislike aside, | |
| Tell me some reason why the Lady Grey | 28 |
| Should not become my wife and England’s queen: | |
| And you too, Somerset and Montague, | |
| Speak freely what you think. | |
| Clar. Then this is mine opinion: that King Lewis | 32 |
| Becomes your enemy for mocking him | |
| About the marriage of the Lady Bona. | |
| Glo. And Warwick, doing what you gave in charge, | |
| Is now dishonoured by this new marriage. | 36 |
| K. Edw. What if both Lewis and Warwick be appeas’d | |
| By such invention as I can devise? | |
| Mont. Yet to have join’d with France in such alliance | |
| Would more have strengthen’d this our commonwealth | 40 |
| ’Gainst foreign storms, than any home-bred marriage. | |
| Hast. Why, knows not Montague, that of itself | |
| England is safe, if true within itself? | |
| Mont. Yes; but the safer when ’tis back’d with France. | 44 |
| Hast. ’Tis better using France than trusting France: | |
| Let us be back’d with God and with the seas | |
| Which he hath given for fence impregnable, | |
| And with their helps only defend ourselves: | 48 |
| In them and in ourselves our safety lies. | |
| Clar. For this one speech Lord Hastings well deserves | |
| To have the heir of the Lord Hungerford. | |
| K. Edw. Ay, what of that? it was my will and grant; | 52 |
| And for this once my will shall stand for law. | |
| Glo. And yet methinks your Grace hath not done well, | |
| To give the heir and daughter of Lord Scales | |
| Unto the brother of your loving bride: | 56 |
| She better would have fitted me or Clarence: | |
| But in your bride you bury brotherhood. | |
| Clar. Or else you would not have bestow’d the heir | |
| Of the Lord Bonville on your new wife’s son, | 60 |
| And leave your brothers to go speed elsewhere. | |
| K. Edw. Alas, poor Clarence, is it for a wife | |
| That thou art malcontent? I will provide thee. | |
| Clar. In choosing for yourself you show’d your judgment, | 64 |
| Which being shallow, you shall give me leave | |
| To play the broker on mine own behalf; | |
| And to that end I shortly mind to leave you. | |
| K. Edw. Leave me, or tarry, Edward will be king, | 68 |
| And not be tied unto his brother’s will. | |
| Q. Eliz. My lords, before it pleas’d his majesty | |
| To raise my state to title of a queen, | |
| Do me but right, and you must all confess | 72 |
| That I was not ignoble of descent; | |
| And meaner than myself have had like fortune. | |
| But as this title honours me and mine, | |
| So your dislikes, to whom I would be pleasing, | 76 |
| Do cloud my joys with danger and with sorrow. | |
| K. Edw. My love, forbear to fawn upon their frowns: | |
| What danger or what sorrow can befall thee, | |
| So long as Edward is thy constant friend, | 80 |
| And their true sovereign, whom they must obey? | |
| Nay, whom they shall obey, and love thee too, | |
| Unless they seek for hatred at my hands; | |
| Which if they do, yet will I keep thee safe, | 84 |
| And they shall feel the vengeance of my wrath. | |
| Glo. [Aside.] I hear, yet say not much, but think the more. | |
| |
Enter a Messenger. | |
| K. Edw. Now, messenger, what letters or what news | 88 |
| From France? | |
| Mess. My sovereign liege, no letters; and few words; | |
| But such as I, without your special pardon, | |
| Dare not relate. | 92 |
| K. Edw. Go to, we pardon thee: therefore, in brief, | |
| Tell me their words as near as thou canst guess them. | |
| What answer makes King Lewis unto our letters? | |
| Mess. At my depart these were his very words: | 96 |
| ‘Go tell false Edward, thy supposed king, | |
| That Lewis of France is sending over masquers, | |
| To revel it with him and his new bride.’ | |
| K. Edw. Is Lewis so brave? belike he thinks me Henry. | 100 |
| But what said Lady Bona to my marriage? | |
| Mess. These were her words, utter’d with mild disdain: | |
| ‘Tell him, in hope he’ll prove a widower shortly, | |
| I’ll wear the willow garland for his sake.’ | 104 |
| K. Edw. I blame not her, she could say little less; | |
| She had the wrong. But what said Henry’s queen? | |
| For I have heard that she was there in place. | |
| Mess. ‘Tell him,’ quoth she, ‘my mourning weeds are done, | 108 |
| And I am ready to put armour on.’ | |
| K. Edw. Belike she minds to play the Amazon. | |
| But what said Warwick to these injuries? | |
| Mess. He, more incens’d against your majesty | 112 |
| Than all the rest, discharg’d me with these words: | |
| ‘Tell him from me that he hath done me wrong, | |
| And therefore I’ll uncrown him ere’t be long.’ | |
| K. Edw. Ha! durst the traitor breathe out so proud words? | 116 |
| Well, I will arm me, being thus forewarn’d: | |
| They shall have wars, and pay for their presumption. | |
| But say, is Warwick friends with Margaret? | |
| Mess. Ay, gracious sovereign; they are so link’d in friendship, | 120 |
| That young Prince Edward marries Warwick’s daughter. | |
| Clar. Belike the elder; Clarence will have the younger. | |
| Now, brother king, farewell, and sit you fast, | |
| For I will hence to Warwick’s other daughter; | 124 |
| That, though I want a kingdom, yet in marriage | |
| I may not prove inferior to yourself. | |
| You, that love me and Warwick, follow me. [Exit CLARENCE, and SOMERSET follows. | |
| Glo. [Aside.] Not I. | 128 |
| My thoughts aim at a further matter; I | |
| Stay not for love of Edward, but the crown. | |
| K. Edw. Clarence and Somerset both gone to Warwick! | |
| Yet am I arm’d against the worst can happen, | 132 |
| And haste is needful in this desperate case. | |
| Pembroke and Stafford, you in our behalf | |
| Go levy men, and make prepare for war: | |
| They are already, or quickly will be landed: | 136 |
| Myself in person will straight follow you, [Exeunt PEMBROKE and STAFFORD. | |
| But ere I go, Hastings and Montague, | |
| Resolve my doubt. You twain, of all the rest, | |
| Are near to Warwick by blood, and by alliance: | 140 |
| Tell me if you love Warwick more than me? | |
| If it be so, then both depart to him; | |
| I rather wish you foes than hollow friends: | |
| But if you mind to hold your true obedience, | 144 |
| Give me assurance with some friendly vow | |
| That I may never have you in suspect. | |
| Mont. So God help Montague as he proves true! | |
| Hast. And Hastings as he favours Edward’s cause! | 148 |
| K. Edw. Now, brother Richard, will you stand by us? | |
| Glo. Ay, in despite of all that shall withstand you. | |
| K. Edw. Why, so! then am I sure of victory. | |
| Now therefore let us hence; and lose no hour | 152 |
| Till we meet Warwick with his foreign power. [Exeunt. | |