The Second Part Of King Henry The Sixth

1 Enter York and his army of Irish, with drum and colours.
2 YORK.
3 From Ireland thus comes York to claim his right
4 And pluck the crown from feeble Henry’s head.
5 Ring, bells, aloud; burn, bonfires, clear and bright,
6 To entertain great England’s lawful king.
7 Ah, _sancta majestas_, who would not buy thee dear?
8 Let them obey that knows not how to rule.
9 This hand was made to handle nought but gold.
10 I cannot give due action to my words
11 Except a sword or sceptre balance it.
12 A sceptre shall it have, have I a soul,
13 On which I’ll toss the fleur-de-luce of France.
14 Enter Buckingham.
15 Whom have we here? Buckingham, to disturb me?
16 The King hath sent him, sure. I must dissemble.
17 BUCKINGHAM.
18 York, if thou meanest well, I greet thee well.
19 YORK.
20 Humphrey of Buckingham, I accept thy greeting.
21 Art thou a messenger, or come of pleasure?
22 BUCKINGHAM.
23 A messenger from Henry, our dread liege,
24 To know the reason of these arms in peace;
25 Or why thou, being a subject as I am,
26 Against thy oath and true allegiance sworn,
27 Should raise so great a power without his leave,
28 Or dare to bring thy force so near the court.
29 YORK.
30 [_Aside_.] Scarce can I speak, my choler is so great.
31 O, I could hew up rocks and fight with flint,
32 I am so angry at these abject terms;
33 And now, like Ajax Telamonius,
34 On sheep or oxen could I spend my fury.
35 I am far better born than is the King,
36 More like a king, more kingly in my thoughts.
37 But I must make fair weather yet awhile,
38 Till Henry be more weak and I more strong.—
39 Buckingham, I prithee, pardon me,
40 That I have given no answer all this while;
41 My mind was troubled with deep melancholy.
42 The cause why I have brought this army hither
43 Is to remove proud Somerset from the King,
44 Seditious to his grace and to the state.
45 BUCKINGHAM.
46 That is too much presumption on thy part;
47 But if thy arms be to no other end,
48 The King hath yielded unto thy demand:
49 The Duke of Somerset is in the Tower.
50 YORK.
51 Upon thine honour, is he prisoner?
52 BUCKINGHAM.
53 Upon mine honour, he is prisoner.
54 YORK.
55 Then, Buckingham, I do dismiss my powers.
56 Soldiers, I thank you all; disperse yourselves;
57 Meet me tomorrow in Saint George’s field,
58 You shall have pay and everything you wish.
59 [_Exeunt Soldiers._]
60 And let my sovereign, virtuous Henry,
61 Command my eldest son, nay, all my sons,
62 As pledges of my fealty and love,
63 I’ll send them all as willing as I live.
64 Lands, goods, horse, armour, anything I have
65 Is his to use, so Somerset may die.
66 BUCKINGHAM.
67 York, I commend this kind submission.
68 We twain will go into his highness’ tent.
69 Enter King and Attendants.
70 KING HENRY.
71 Buckingham, doth York intend no harm to us
72 That thus he marcheth with thee arm in arm?
73 YORK.
74 In all submission and humility
75 York doth present himself unto your highness.
76 KING HENRY.
77 Then what intends these forces thou dost bring?
78 YORK.
79 To heave the traitor Somerset from hence
80 And fight against that monstrous rebel Cade,
81 Who since I heard to be discomfited.
82 Enter Iden with Cade’s head.
83 IDEN.
84 If one so rude and of so mean condition
85 May pass into the presence of a king,
86 Lo, I present your grace a traitor’s head,
87 The head of Cade, whom I in combat slew.
88 KING HENRY.
89 The head of Cade! Great God, how just art Thou!
90 O, let me view his visage, being dead,
91 That living wrought me such exceeding trouble.
92 Tell me, my friend, art thou the man that slew him?
93 IDEN.
94 I was, an ’t like your majesty.
95 KING HENRY.
96 How art thou called? And what is thy degree?
97 IDEN.
98 Alexander Iden, that’s my name;
99 A poor esquire of Kent, that loves his King.
100 BUCKINGHAM.
101 So please it you, my lord, ’twere not amiss
102 He were created knight for his good service.
103 KING HENRY.
104 Iden, kneel down. [_He kneels_.] Rise up a knight.
105 We give thee for reward a thousand marks,
106 And will that thou henceforth attend on us.
107 IDEN.
108 May Iden live to merit such a bounty,
109 And never live but true unto his liege!
110 [_Rises._]
111 Enter Queen and Somerset.
112 KING HENRY.
113 See, Buckingham, Somerset comes with the Queen.
114 Go, bid her hide him quickly from the Duke.
115 QUEEN MARGARET.
116 For thousand Yorks he shall not hide his head,
117 But boldly stand and front him to his face.
118 YORK.
119 How now? Is Somerset at liberty?
120 Then, York, unloose thy long-imprisoned thoughts,
121 And let thy tongue be equal with thy heart.
122 Shall I endure the sight of Somerset?
123 False king, why hast thou broken faith with me,
124 Knowing how hardly I can brook abuse?
125 “King” did I call thee? No, thou art not king,
126 Not fit to govern and rule multitudes,
127 Which dar’st not, no, nor canst not rule a traitor.
128 That head of thine doth not become a crown;
129 Thy hand is made to grasp a palmer’s staff,
130 And not to grace an awful princely sceptre.
131 That gold must round engirt these brows of mine,
132 Whose smile and frown, like to Achilles’ spear,
133 Is able with the change to kill and cure.
134 Here is a hand to hold a sceptre up
135 And with the same to act controlling laws.
136 Give place! By heaven, thou shalt rule no more
137 O’er him whom heaven created for thy ruler.
138 SOMERSET.
139 O monstrous traitor! I arrest thee, York,
140 Of capital treason ’gainst the King and crown.
141 Obey, audacious traitor, kneel for grace.
142 YORK.
143 Wouldst have me kneel? First let me ask of these
144 If they can brook I bow a knee to man.
145 Sirrah, call in my sons to be my bail.
146 [_Exit Attendant._]
147 I know, ere they will have me go to ward,
148 They’ll pawn their swords for my enfranchisement.
149 QUEEN MARGARET.
150 Call hither Clifford; bid him come amain,
151 To say if that the bastard boys of York
152 Shall be the surety for their traitor father.
153 [_Exit Buckingham._]
154 YORK.
155 O blood-bespotted Neapolitan,
156 Outcast of Naples, England’s bloody scourge!
157 The sons of York, thy betters in their birth,
158 Shall be their father’s bail; and bane to those
159 That for my surety will refuse the boys!
160 Enter Edward and Richard.
161 See where they come; I’ll warrant they’ll make it good.
162 Enter old Clifford and his Son.
163 QUEEN MARGARET.
164 And here comes Clifford to deny their bail.
165 CLIFFORD.
166 Health and all happiness to my lord the King.
167 [_Rises._]
168 YORK.
169 I thank thee, Clifford. Say, what news with thee?
170 Nay, do not fright us with an angry look.
171 We are thy sovereign, Clifford, kneel again.
172 For thy mistaking so, we pardon thee.
173 CLIFFORD.
174 This is my king, York, I do not mistake;
175 But thou mistakes me much to think I do.
176 To Bedlam with him! Is the man grown mad?
177 KING HENRY.
178 Ay, Clifford; a bedlam and ambitious humour
179 Makes him oppose himself against his king.
180 CLIFFORD.
181 He is a traitor; let him to the Tower,
182 And chop away that factious pate of his.
183 QUEEN MARGARET.
184 He is arrested, but will not obey;
185 His sons, he says, shall give their words for him.
186 YORK.
187 Will you not, sons?
188 EDWARD.
189 Ay, noble father, if our words will serve.
190 RICHARD.
191 And if words will not, then our weapons shall.
192 CLIFFORD.
193 Why, what a brood of traitors have we here!
194 YORK.
195 Look in a glass, and call thy image so.
196 I am thy king, and thou a false-heart traitor.
197 Call hither to the stake my two brave bears,
198 That with the very shaking of their chains
199 They may astonish these fell-lurking curs.
200 Bid Salisbury and Warwick come to me.
201 Enter the Earls of Warwick and Salisbury.
202 CLIFFORD.
203 Are these thy bears? We’ll bait thy bears to death
204 And manacle the bearherd in their chains,
205 If thou dar’st bring them to the baiting-place.
206 RICHARD.
207 Oft have I seen a hot o’erweening cur
208 Run back and bite because he was withheld,
209 Who, being suffered with the bear’s fell paw,
210 Hath clapped his tail between his legs and cried;
211 And such a piece of service will you do
212 If you oppose yourselves to match Lord Warwick.
213 CLIFFORD.
214 Hence, heap of wrath, foul indigested lump,
215 As crooked in thy manners as thy shape!
216 YORK.
217 Nay, we shall heat you thoroughly anon.
218 CLIFFORD.
219 Take heed, lest by your heat you burn yourselves.
220 KING HENRY.
221 Why, Warwick, hath thy knee forgot to bow?
222 Old Salisbury, shame to thy silver hair,
223 Thou mad misleader of thy brainsick son!
224 What, wilt thou on thy deathbed play the ruffian,
225 And seek for sorrow with thy spectacles?
226 O, where is faith? O, where is loyalty?
227 If it be banished from the frosty head,
228 Where shall it find a harbour in the earth?
229 Wilt thou go dig a grave to find out war,
230 And shame thine honourable age with blood?
231 Why art thou old, and want’st experience?
232 Or wherefore dost abuse it, if thou hast it?
233 For shame, in duty bend thy knee to me
234 That bows unto the grave with mickle age.
235 SALISBURY.
236 My lord, I have considered with myself
237 The title of this most renowned duke,
238 And in my conscience do repute his grace
239 The rightful heir to England’s royal seat.
240 KING HENRY.
241 Hast thou not sworn allegiance unto me?
242 SALISBURY.
243 I have.
244 KING HENRY.
245 Canst thou dispense with heaven for such an oath?
246 SALISBURY.
247 It is great sin to swear unto a sin,
248 But greater sin to keep a sinful oath.
249 Who can be bound by any solemn vow
250 To do a murderous deed, to rob a man,
251 To force a spotless virgin’s chastity,
252 To reave the orphan of his patrimony,
253 To wring the widow from her customed right,
254 And have no other reason for this wrong
255 But that he was bound by a solemn oath?
256 QUEEN MARGARET.
257 A subtle traitor needs no sophister.
258 KING HENRY.
259 Call Buckingham, and bid him arm himself.
260 YORK.
261 Call Buckingham, and all the friends thou hast,
262 I am resolved for death or dignity.
263 CLIFFORD.
264 The first I warrant thee, if dreams prove true.
265 WARWICK.
266 You were best to go to bed and dream again,
267 To keep thee from the tempest of the field.
268 CLIFFORD.
269 I am resolved to bear a greater storm
270 Than any thou canst conjure up today;
271 And that I’ll write upon thy burgonet,
272 Might I but know thee by thy household badge.
273 WARWICK.
274 Now, by my father’s badge, old Neville’s crest,
275 The rampant bear chained to the ragged staff,
276 This day I’ll wear aloft my burgonet,
277 As on a mountain top the cedar shows
278 That keeps his leaves in spite of any storm,
279 Even to affright thee with the view thereof.
280 CLIFFORD.
281 And from thy burgonet I’ll rend thy bear
282 And tread it under foot with all contempt,
283 Despite the bearherd that protects the bear.
284 YOUNG CLIFFORD.
285 And so to arms, victorious father,
286 To quell the rebels and their complices.
287 RICHARD.
288 Fie, charity, for shame! Speak not in spite,
289 For you shall sup with Jesu Christ tonight.
290 YOUNG CLIFFORD.
291 Foul stigmatic, that’s more than thou canst tell.
292 RICHARD.
293 If not in heaven, you’ll surely sup in hell.
294 [_Exeunt severally._]