The Third Part Of King Henry The Sixth

1 CLIFFORD.
2 Here burns my candle out; ay, here it dies,
3 Which whiles it lasted gave King Henry light.
4 O Lancaster, I fear thy overthrow
5 More than my body’s parting with my soul!
6 My love and fear glued many friends to thee;
7 And, now I fall, thy tough commixtures melts,
8 Impairing Henry, strengthening misproud York.
9 The common people swarm like summer flies;
10 And whither fly the gnats but to the sun?
11 And who shines now but Henry’s enemies?
12 O Phoebus, hadst thou never given consent
13 That Phaëthon should check thy fiery steeds,
14 Thy burning car never had scorched the earth!
15 And, Henry, hadst thou swayed as kings should do,
16 Or as thy father and his father did,
17 Giving no ground unto the house of York,
18 They never then had sprung like summer flies;
19 I, and ten thousand in this luckless realm
20 Had left no mourning widows for our death,
21 And thou this day hadst kept thy chair in peace.
22 For what doth cherish weeds but gentle air?
23 And what makes robbers bold but too much lenity?
24 Bootless are plaints, and cureless are my wounds;
25 No way to fly, nor strength to hold out flight.
26 The foe is merciless and will not pity,
27 For at their hands I have deserved no pity.
28 The air hath got into my deadly wounds,
29 And much effuse of blood doth make me faint.
30 Come, York and Richard, Warwick, and the rest;
31 I stabbed your fathers’ bosoms, split my breast.
32 [_He faints._]
33 Alarum and retreat. Enter Edward, George, Richard, Montague, Warwick
34 and Soldiers.
35 EDWARD.
36 Now breathe we, lords. Good fortune bids us pause
37 And smooth the frowns of war with peaceful looks.
38 Some troops pursue the bloody-minded Queen
39 That led calm Henry, though he were a king,
40 As doth a sail, filled with a fretting gust,
41 Command an argosy to stem the waves.
42 But think you, lords, that Clifford fled with them?
43 WARWICK.
44 No, ’tis impossible he should escape;
45 For, though before his face I speak the words,
46 Your brother Richard marked him for the grave,
47 And whereso’er he is, he’s surely dead.
48 [_Clifford groans and dies._]
49 RICHARD.
50 Whose soul is that which takes her heavy leave?
51 A deadly groan, like life and death’s departing.
52 EDWARD.
53 See who it is; and, now the battle’s ended,
54 If friend or foe, let him be gently used.
55 RICHARD.
56 Revoke that doom of mercy, for ’tis Clifford,
57 Who, not contented that he lopped the branch
58 In hewing Rutland when his leaves put forth,
59 But set his murdering knife unto the root
60 From whence that tender spray did sweetly spring,
61 I mean our princely father, Duke of York.
62 WARWICK.
63 From off the gates of York fetch down the head,
64 Your father’s head, which Clifford placed there;
65 Instead whereof let this supply the room.
66 Measure for measure must be answered.
67 EDWARD.
68 Bring forth that fatal screech-owl to our house,
69 That nothing sung but death to us and ours;
70 Now death shall stop his dismal threatening sound,
71 And his ill-boding tongue no more shall speak.
72 [_Soldiers bring the body forward._]
73 WARWICK.
74 I think his understanding is bereft.
75 Speak, Clifford, dost thou know who speaks to thee?
76 Dark cloudy death o’ershades his beams of life,
77 And he nor sees nor hears us, what we say.
78 RICHARD.
79 O, would he did, and so, perhaps, he doth!
80 ’Tis but his policy to counterfeit,
81 Because he would avoid such bitter taunts
82 Which in the time of death he gave our father.
83 GEORGE.
84 If so thou think’st, vex him with eager words.
85 RICHARD.
86 Clifford, ask mercy, and obtain no grace.
87 EDWARD.
88 Clifford, repent in bootless penitence.
89 WARWICK.
90 Clifford, devise excuses for thy faults.
91 GEORGE.
92 While we devise fell tortures for thy faults.
93 RICHARD.
94 Thou didst love York, and I am son to York.
95 EDWARD.
96 Thou pitied’st Rutland, I will pity thee.
97 GEORGE.
98 Where’s Captain Margaret to fence you now?
99 WARWICK.
100 They mock thee, Clifford; swear as thou wast wont.
101 RICHARD.
102 What, not an oath? Nay then, the world goes hard
103 When Clifford cannot spare his friends an oath.
104 I know by that he’s dead; and, by my soul,
105 If this right hand would buy but two hours’ life,
106 That I in all despite might rail at him,
107 This hand should chop it off, and with the issuing blood
108 Stifle the villain whose unstaunched thirst
109 York and young Rutland could not satisfy.
110 WARWICK.
111 Ay, but he’s dead. Off with the traitor’s head,
112 And rear it in the place your father’s stands.
113 And now to London with triumphant march,
114 There to be crowned England’s royal king;
115 From whence shall Warwick cut the sea to France,
116 And ask the Lady Bona for thy queen.
117 So shalt thou sinew both these lands together,
118 And, having France thy friend, thou shalt not dread
119 The scattered foe that hopes to rise again;
120 For though they cannot greatly sting to hurt,
121 Yet look to have them buzz to offend thine ears.
122 First will I see the coronation,
123 And then to Brittany I’ll cross the sea
124 To effect this marriage, so it please my lord.
125 EDWARD.
126 Even as thou wilt, sweet Warwick, let it be;
127 For in thy shoulder do I build my seat,
128 And never will I undertake the thing
129 Wherein thy counsel and consent is wanting.
130 Richard, I will create thee Duke of Gloucester;
131 And George, of Clarence. Warwick, as ourself,
132 Shall do and undo as him pleaseth best.
133 RICHARD.
134 Let me be Duke of Clarence, George of Gloucester,
135 For Gloucester’s dukedom is too ominous.
136 WARWICK.
137 Tut, that’s a foolish observation.
138 Richard, be Duke of Gloucester. Now to London,
139 To see these honours in possession.
140 [_Exeunt._]