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, To say, if that the bastard boys of York Shall be the surety for their traitor father. York. O! blood-bespotted Neapolitan, Outcast of Naples, England's bloody scourge, 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. See where they come : I'll warrant they'll make it good. Q. Mar. And here comes Clifford, to deny their bail. Clif. Health and all happiness to my lord the king! [Kneels. York. I thank thee, Clifford: say, what news with thee? Nay, do not fright us with an angry look: Clif. This is my king, York: I do not mistake; K. Hen. Ay, Clifford; a bedlam and ambitious humour Makes him oppose himself against his king. 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. 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! 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 They may astonish these fell-looking 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, And manacle the bear-ward in their chains, If you oppose yourselves to match lord Warwick. York. Nay, we shall heat you thoroughly anon. Clif. Take heed, lest by your heat you burn yourselves. K. Hen. Why, Warwick, hath thy knee forgot to bow? Old Salisbury,-shame to thy silver hair, And shame thine honourable age with blood? Sal. My lord, I have consider'd with myself K. Hen. Hast thou not sworn allegiance unto me? Sal. I have. K. Hen. Canst thou dispense with heaven for such an oath? Sal. It is great sin to swear unto a sin, Q. Mar. A subtle traitor needs no sophister. Clif. The first I warrant thee, if dreams prove true. War. You were best to go to bed, and dream again, To keep thee from the tempest of the field. Clif. I am resolv'd to bear a greater storm, Clif. And from thy burgonet I'll rend thy bear, 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 Rich. If not in heaven, you'll surely sup in hell. SCENE II.-Saint Albans. Alarums: Excursions. Enter WARWICK. War. Clifford of Cumberland! 'tis Warwick calls; And if thou dost not hide thee from the bear, Now, when the angry trumpet sounds alarm, And dead men's cries do fill the empty air, Clifford, I say, come forth and fight with me! Proud northern lord, Clifford of Cumberland, Warwick is hoarse with calling thee to arms. Enter YORK. How now, my noble lord! what, all a-foot? York. The deadly-handed Clifford slew my steed; But match to match I have encounter'd him, And made a prey for carrion kites and crows Even of the bonny beast he lov'd so well. Enter CLIFFORD. War. Of one or both of us the time is come. chace, Hh For I myself must hunt this deer to death. War. Then, nobly, York; 'tis for a crown thou fight'st. As I intend, Clifford, to thrive to-day, It grieves my soul to leave thee unassail'd. [Exit WARWICK. Clif. What seest thou in me, York? why dost thou pause? York. With thy brave bearing should I be in love, But that thou art so fast mine enemy. Clif. Nor should thy prowess want praise and esteem, But that 'tis shown ignobly, and in treason. York. So let it help me now against thy sword, Clif. My soul and body on the action both!- [They fight, and CLIFFORD falls and dies. York. Thus war hath given thee peace, for thou art still. Peace with his soul, heaven, if it be thy will! [Exit. Enter young CLIFFORD. Y. Clif. Shame and confusion! all is on the rout: Hot coals of vengeance!-Let no soldier fly: To cease!-Wast thou ordain'd, dear father, And, in thy reverence, and thy chair-days, thus SCENE III.-Fields near Saint Albans. Alarum: Retreat. Flourish; then enter YORK, RICHARD PLANTAGENET, WARWICK, and Soldiers, with Drum and Colours. York. Old Salisbury, who can report of him? Rich. But still, where danger was, still there I met him; Enter SALISBURY. Sal. Now, by my sword, well hast thou fought to day; By the mass, so did we all.-I thank you, Richard: And it hath pleas'd him, that three times to-day [Taking up the Body. "Tis not enough our foes are this time fled, As did Æneas old Anchises bear, Rich. So, lie thou there ; [Exit. Being opposites of such repairing nature. War. After them? nay, before them, if we can. For, underneath an alehouse' paltry sign, The Castle in Saint Albans, Somerset Sound, drums and trumpets!-and to London all; And more such days as these to us befall! [Exeunt. SCENE, during part of the Third Act, in France; during the rest of the Play in England. ACT I. War. I wonder how the king escap'd our hands. York. While we pursued the horsemen of the north, He slily stole away, and left his men : Whereat the great lord of Northumberland, Whose warlike ears could never brook retreat, Cheer'd up the drooping army; and himself, Lord Clifford, and lord Stafford, all a-breast, Charg'd our main battle's front, and, breaking in, Were by the swords of common soldiers slain. Edw. Lord Stafford's father, duke of Buckingham, Is either slain, or wounded dangerously: I cleft his beaver with a downright blow; That this is true, father, behold his blood. [Showing his bloody Sword. Mont. And, brother, here's the earl of Wiltshire's blood, [To YORK, showing his. Whom I encounter'd as the battles joined. Rich. Speak thou for me, and tell them what I did. [Throwing down the Duke of SOMERSET'S Head. York. Richard hath best deserv'd of all my sons. But, is your grace dead, my lord of Somerset? York. Assist me, then, sweet Warwick, and I will; For hither we have broken in by force. Norf. We'll all assist you: he, that flies, shall die. York. Thanks, gentle Norfolk.-Stay by me, my lords And, soldiers, stay, and lodge by me this night. War. And, when the king comes, offer him no violence, Unless he seek to thrust you out by force. [They retire. York. The queen this day here holds her parliament, But little thinks we shall be of her council. Rich. Arm'd as we are, let's stay within this house. War. The bloody parliament shall this be call'd, Unless Plantagenet, duke of York, be king, And bashful Henry depos'd, whose cowardice York. Then leave me not, my lords; be resolute, I mean to take possession of my right. War. Neither the king, nor he that loves him best, The proudest he that holds up Lancaster, Dares stir a wing, if Warwick shake his bells. I'll plant Plantagenet, root him up who dares.Resolve thee, Richard; claim the English crown. [WARWICK leads YORK to the Throne, who seats himself. [Flourish. Enter King HENRY, CLIFFORD, NORTHUMBERLAND, WESTMORELAND, EXETER, and others, with red Roses in their Hats. K. Hen. My lords, look where the sturdy rebel sits, Even in the chair of state! belike, he means, Back'd by the power of Warwick, that false peer, To aspire unto the crown, and reign as king.— Earl of Northumberland, he slew thy father;And thine, lord Clifford you have vow'd revenge On him, his sons, his favourites, and his friends. North. If I be not, heavens be reveng'd on me! Clif. The hope thereof makes Clifford mourn in 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. Clif. Patience is for poltroons, such as he : He durst not sit there had your father liv'd. My gracious lord, here in the parliament Let us assail the family of York. North. Well hast thou spoken, cousin: be it so. To make a shambles of the parliament-house! [They advance to the Duke. I am thine. Exe. For shame! come down: he made thee duke of York. York. "Twas my inheritance, as the earldom was. Exe. Thy father was a traitor to the crown. War. Exeter, thou art a traitor to the crown In following this usurping Henry. Clif. Whom should he follow, but his natural king? War. True, Clifford; that is Richard, duke of York. K. Hen. And shall I stand, and thou sit in my throne? York. It must and shall be so. Content thyself. War. Be duke of Lancaster: let him be king. West. He is both king and duke of Lancaster; And that the lord of Westmoreland shall maintain. War. And Warwick shall disprove it. You forget, That we are those which chas'd you from the field, And slew your fathers, and with colours spread March'd through the city to the palace gates. North. Yes, Warwick, I remember it to my grief; And, by his soul, thou and thy house shall rue it. West. Plantagenet, of thee, and these thy sons, Thy kinsmen, and thy friends, I'll have more lives, Than drops of blood were in my father's veins. Clif. Urge it no more; lest that instead of words I send thee, Warwick, such a messenger, As shall revenge his death before I stir. War. Poor Clifford! how I scorn his worthless threats. 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 crown? Thy father was, as thou art, duke of York; Thy grandfather, Roger Mortimer, earl of March. I am the son of Henry the fifth, Who made the Dauphin and the French to stoop, And seiz'd upon their towns and provinces. War. Talk not of France, sith thou hast lost it all. K. Hen. The lord protector lost it, and not I: When I was crown'd, I was but nine months old. Rich. You are old enough now, and yet, methinks, you lose. Father, tear the crown from the usurper's head. Let's fight it out, and not stand cavilling thus. Rich. Sound drums and trumpets, and the king will fly. York. Sons, peace! K. Hen. Peace thou, and give king Henry leave to speak. War. Plantagenet shall speak first: hear him, lords; And be you silent and attentive too, For he that interrupts him shall not live. K. Hen. Think'st thou, that I will leave my kingly throne, Wherein my grandsire, and my father, sat? War. Prove it, Henry, and thou shalt be 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, But that the next heir should succeed and reign. K. Hen. Art thou against us, duke of Exeter? Exe. His is the right, and therefore pardon me. York. Why whisper you, my lords, and answer not? Exe. My conscience tells me he is lawful king. K. Hen. All will revolt from me, and turn to him. North. Plantagenet, for all the claim thou lay'st, Think not, that Henry shall be so depos'd. War. Depos'd he shall be in despite of all. Of Essex, Norfolk, Suffolk, nor of Kent, Clif. King Henry, be thy title right or wrong, K. Hen. O Clifford, how thy words revive my heart! [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 while thou liv'st. K. Hen. I am content: Richard Plantagenet, Clif. What wrong is this unto the prince your son? Clif. Come, cousin, let us tell the queen these news. North. Be thou a prey unto the house of York, And die in bands for this unmanly deed! Clif. In dreadful war may'st thou be overcome, [Exeunt NORTHUMBERLAND, CLIFFORD, and War. Turn this way, Henry, and regard them not. Why should you sigh, my lord? Had'st thou but lov'd him half so well as I, Prince. Father, you cannot disinherit me. K. Hen. Pardon me, Margaret ;-pardon me, sweet son: The earl of Warwick, and the duke, enforc'd me. I shame to hear thee speak. Ah, timorous wretch! The northern lords, that have forsworn thy colours, The crown to thee, and to thine heirs for ever; [To YORK. And utter ruin of the house of York. Conditionally, that here thou take an oath To cease this civil war, and, whilst I live, K. Hen. And long live thou, and these thy forward York. Now York and Lancaster are reconcil'd. K. Hen. And I, with grief and sorrow, to the court. K. Hen. Exeter, so will I. [Going. Q. Mar. Nay, go not from me; I will follow thee. Thus do I leave thee.-Come, son, let's away: K. Hen. Stay, gentle Margaret, and hear me speak. thee gone. K. Hen. Gentle son Edward, thou wilt stay with me? Q. Mar. Come, son; away! we may not linger thus. Exe. And I, I hope, shall reconcile them all. [Exeunt. York. Why, how now, sons, and brother! at a strife? Edw. No quarrel, but a slight contention. Rich. About that which concerns your grace, and us; |