'Ill plant Plantagenet, root him up who dares :- Flourish. Enter King Henry, Clifford, Northum- K. Hen. My lords, look where the sturdy rebel sits, On him, his sons, his favourites, and his friends. steel. West. What, shall we suffer this? let's pluck him down: 'My heart for anger burns, I cannot brook it. K. Hen. Be patient, gentle earl of Westmoreland. North. Well hast thou spoken, cousin; be it so. To make a shambles of the parliament-house! of York. York. Twas my inheritance, as the earldom was. Clif. Whom should he follow, but his natural War. True, Clifford; and that's Richard, duke of York. 'K. Hen. And shall I stand, and thou sit in my throne? York. Will you, we show our title to the crown? 'If not, our swords shall plead it in the field. K. Hen. What title hast thou, traitor, to the Thy grandfather, Roger Mortimer, earl of March: War. Talk not of France, sith' thou hast lost it all. Father, tear the crown from the usurper's head. Let's fight it out, and not stand cavilling thus. K. Hen. Peace thou! and give king Henry leave War. Plantagenet shall speak first:-hear him, And be you silent and attentive too, Wherein my grandsire, and my father, sat? War. But prove it, Henry, and thou shalt be king. crown. York. 'Twas by rebellion against his king. 'K. Hen. An if he may, then am I lawful king: York. He rose against him, being his sovereign, Exe. No; for he could not so resign his crown, 'York. It must and shall be so. Content thyself. Exe. My conscience tells me he is lawful king. I send thee, Warwick, such a messenger, (1) Since. 'War. Depos'd he shall be, in despite of all. Which makes thee thus presumptuous and proud,→ Clif. King Henry, be thy title right or wrong, (2) i. e. Detrimental to the general rights of hereditary royalty. K. Hen. O Clifford, how thy words revive my f York. Henry of Lancaster, resign thy crown:- [He stamps, and the soldiers show themselves. 'K. Hen. 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 whilst thou liv'st. K. Hen. I am content: Richard Plantagenet, Clif. What wrong is this unto the prince your son? Clif. How hast thou injured both thyself and us! Clif. Come, cousin, let us tell the queen these son, Whom I unnaturally shall disinherit. The crown to thee, and to thine heirs for ever; 'K. Hen. And long live thou, and these thy forward sons! York. Now York and Lancaster are reconcil'd. Exe. Accurs'd be he, that seeks to make them foes! [Senet. The lords come forward. "York. Farewell, my gracious lord; I'll to my castle. * K. Hen. Be patient, gentle queen, and I will stay. 'Q. Mar. Who can be patient in such extremes? Ah, wretched man! would I had died a maid, *And never seen thee, never born thee son, *Seeing thou hast prov'd so unnatural a father! 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 wouldst have left thy dearest heart-blood there, Rather than made that savage duke thine heir, *And disinherited thine only son. * I 6 *Prince. Father, you cannot disinherit me: *The earl of Warwick, and the duke, enforc'd me. *Q. Mar. Enforc'd thee! art thou king, and wilt be forc'd? 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; The northern lords, that have forsworn thy colours, Q. Mar. Thou hast spoke too much already; get K. Hen. Gentle son Edward, thou wilt stay with me? Q. Mar. Ay, to be murder'd by his enemies. field, I'll see your grace; till then, I'll follow her. her son, Hath made her break out into terms of rage! [Exeunt. SCENE II-A room in Sandal Castle, near Edward and Richard, you shall stay with me ;Wakefield, in Yorkshire. Enter Edward, Rich-My brother Montague shall post to London : ard, and Montague. 'Rah Brother, though I be youngest, give me Edw. No, I can better play the orator. 'York. Why, how now, sons and brother, at a 'What is your quarrel? how began it first? Edw. No quarrel, but a slight contention. York. About what Rich. About that which concerns your grace, 'The crown of England, father, which is yours. *Edw. Now you are heir, therefore enjoy it now: 'York. I took an oath, that he should quietly reign. 'Edw. But, for a kingdom, any oath may be broken: "York. I shall be, if I claim by open war. 'Rich. I'll prove the contrary, if you'll hear me speak. 'York. Thou canst not, son; it is impossible. 'Rich. 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; '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 died * 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 unto the duke of Norfolk, And tell him privily of our intent.'You, Edward, shall unto my lord Cobham, With whom the Kentish-men will willingly rise: 'In them I trust; for they are soldiers, 'Witty and 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. 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. *Mont. Brother, I go; I'll win them, fear it not⚫ * And thus most humbly I do take my leave. [Ex. Enter Sir John 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'll meet her in the field. "York. What, with five thousand men? Rich. Ay, with five hundred, father, for a need. A woman's general; what should we fear? [A march afar off. 'Edw. I hear their 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.-Plains near Sandal Castle. Alarums: Excursions. 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. Clif. Chaplain, away! thy priesthood saves thy life. As for the brat of this accursed duke, Whose father slew my father,-be shall die. Tut. Ah, Clifford! murder not this innocent 'Lest thou be hated both of God and man. [Exit, forced off by Soldiers Clif. How now! is he dead already? Or, is it fear, That makes him close his eyes?I'll 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 threat'ning look. Sweet Clifford, hear me speak before I die ;I am too mean a subject for thy wrath, Be thou reveng'd on men, and let me live. Clif. 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 blood open it again; He is a man, and, Clifford, cope with him. Clif. Had I thy brethren here, their lives, and thine, Were not revenge sufficient for me; X Clif. Thy father hath. But 'twas ere I was born. Ah, let me live in prison all my days; Thy father slew my father; therefore, die. Clif. Plantagenet! I come, Plantagenet! [Exit. SCENE IV.-The same. Alarum. Enter 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 pursu'd by hunger-starved wolves. 'My sons-God knows, what hath bechinced 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 "In blood of those that had encounter'd him: 'And when the hardiest warriors did retire, 'Richard cried,-Charge! and give no foot ground! of And cried,-A crown, or else a glorious tomb! A sceptre, or an earthly sepulchre ! With this we charg'd again: but, out, alas! 'We bodg'd' again; as I have seen a swan 'With bootless labour swim against the tide, And spend her strength with over-matching waves. A short alarum within. Ah, hark! the fatal followers do pursue; 'And I am faint, and cannot fly their fury: And, were I strong, I would not shun their fury: 'The sands are number'd, that make up my life; 'Here must I stay, and here my life must end. Enter Queen Margaret, Clifford, Northumberland, and Soldiers. 'Why come you not? what! multitudes, and fear? Clif. So cowards fight, when they can fly no further; So doves do peck the falcon's piercing talons; York. O, Clifford, but bethink thee once again, 'Whose frown hath made thee faint and fly ere this. [Draws. Q. Mar. Hold, valiant Clifford! for a thousand causes, I would prolong a while the traitor's life :Wrath makes him deaf: speak thou, Northumberland. North. Hold, Clifford; do not honour him so much, To prick thy finger, though to wound his heart: [They lay hands on York, who struggles. booly; So true men yield, with robbers so o'ermatch'd. North. What would your grace have done unto him now? Q. Mar. Brave warriors, Clifford, and Northum Come, make him stand upon this mole-hill here; What! was it you, that would be England's king? 'Come, bloody Clifford,-rough Northumberland,-I pr'ythee, grieve, to make me merry, York: 'I dare your quenchless fury to more rage; Stamp, rave, and fret, that I may sing and dance. Why art thou patient, man? thou should'st be mad; [Putting a paper crown on his head, (3) i. e. We boggled, made bad or bungling work of our attempt to rally. (4) Noontide point on the dial. (5) Honest men. (6) Reached. (7) Handkerchief. |