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Whereat the great Lord of Northumberland,
Whofe warlike ears could never brook retreat,
Chear'd up the drooping army; and himself,
Lord Clifford, and Lord Stafford, all a breast,
Charg'd our main battles front; and, breaking in,
Were by the fwords of common foldiers flain.
Edw. Lord Stafford's father, Duke of Buckingham,
Is either flain or wounded dang'roufly..

I cleft his beaver with a downright blow:
That this is true, father, behold his blood.

Mount. And, brother, here's the Earl of Wiltshire's blood;

Whom I encounter'd, as the battles join'd.

Rich. Speak thou for me, and tell them what I did.

[Throwing down the Duke of Somerset's Head, York. Richard hath beft deferv'd of all my Sons: Is his Grace dead, my Lord of Somerfet?

Norf. Such Hope have all the Line of John of
Gaunt!

Rich. Thus do I hope to fhake King Henry's head, War. And fo do I.Victorious Prince of York, Before I fee thee feated in that Throne,

Which now the Houfe of Lancaster ufurps,
I vow by heav'n, these eyes fhall never close.
This is the Palace of that fearful King,
And this the regal Seat; poffefs it, York;
For this is thine, and not King Henry's heirs'.
York. Affift me then, fweet Warwick, and I will;

For hither we have broken in by force.

Norf. We'll all affift you; he, that flies, fhall die.
York. Thanks, gentle Norfolk; ftay by me, my

Lords,

And, foldiers, stay and lodge by me this night.

[They go up. War. And when the King comes, offer him no

violence;

Unlefs he feek to thrust you out by force.

2

York.

York. The Queen this day here holds her Parliament, But little thinks we fhall be of her Council;

By words or blows here let us win our Right.

Rich. Arm'd as we are, let's stay within this house. War. The bloody Parliament fhall this be call'd, Unlefs Plantagenet, Duke of York, be King; And bathful Henry depos'd; whose cowardife Hath made us By-words to our enemies.

York. Then leave me not; my Lords, be refolute; I mean to take poffeffion of my Right.

War. Neither the King, nor he that loves him beft, The proudeft he that holds up Lancaster,

Dares ftir a wing, if Warwick shake his bells. 4
I'll plant Plantagenet; root him up, who dare:
Refolve thee, Richard; claim the English Crown.
[Warwick leads York to the throne, who feats him,

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Enter King Henry, Clifford, Northumberland, Weftmorland, Exeter, and others, at the further end of the stage.

K. Henry. My Lords, look where the sturdy Rebel fits,

Ev'n in the chair of State; belike, he means
Back'd by the Power of Warwick, that falfe Peer,
T'afpire unto the Crown, and reign as King.
Earl of Northumberland, he flew thy father;
And thine, Lord Clifford; and you vow'd revenge
On him, his fons, his fav'rites, and his friends.
North. If I be not, heav'ns be reveng'd on me!
Clif. The hope thereof makes Clifford mourn in fteel,
Weft. What, fhall we fuffer this? let's pluck him
down;

My heart for anger burns,

4-if Warwick shake his

bells. The allufion is to falconry. The hawks had fome

I cannot brook it.

times little bells hung upon them, perhaps to dare the birds; that is, to fight them from rifing.

K. Henry,

K. Henry. Be patient, gentle Earl of Wemorland, Clif. Patience is for poltroons, and fuch is he: He durft not fit there, had your father liv'd. My gracious Lord, here in the Parliament Let us affail the Family of York.

North. Well haft thou fpoken, Coufin, be it fo.
K. Henry. Ah! know you not, the City favours
them,

And they have troops of foldiers at their beck?
Exe. But when the Duke is flain they'll quickly fly.
K. Henry. Far be the thought of this from Henry's
heart,

To make a Shambles of the Parliament-house.
Coufin of Exeter, frowns, words and threats,
Shall be the war that Henry means to use.

[They advance to the Duke. Thou factious Duke of York, defcend my Throne; And kneel for grace and mercy at my feet.

I am thy Sovereign.

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York. Thou'rt deceiv'd, I'm thine.

Exe. For fhame come down: he made thee Duke of York.

York. 'Twas my inheritance, as the Kingdom is,

Exe. Thy father was a traitor to the crown.
War. Exeter, thou art a traitor to the crown,

In following this ufurping Henry.

Clif. Whom fhould he follow, but his natural King? War. True, Clifford; and that's Richard Duke of York.

K. Henry, And fhall I stand, and thou fit in my Throne?

York. It muft and fhall be fo.-Content thyself. War, Be Duke of Lancaster, let him be King. Weft. He is both King, and Duke of Lancaster; And that the Lord of Westmorland fhall maintain. War. And Warwick fhall difprove it. You forget, That we are those which chas'd you from the field, And flew your fathers, and with Colours fpread

March'd

March'd through the city to the Palace-gates.

North. No, Warwick, I remember it to my grief, And, by his foul, thou and thy Houfe fhall rue it. Weft. Plantagenet, of thee and thefe thy fons, Thy kinfmen and thy friends, I'll have more lives, Than drops of blood were in my father's veins. Clif. Urge it no more; left that, instead of words, I fend thee, Wawick, fuch a meffenger

As fhall revenge his death before I ftir.

War. Poor Clifford! how I fcorn his worthlefs threats. York. Will you, we fhew our Title to the Crown? If not, our fwords fhall plead it in the field.

K. Henry, What Title haft thou, traitor, to the crown?

Thy father was, as thou art, Duke of York;
Thy grandfather Roger Mortimer, Earl of March,
I am the fon of Henry the Fifth,

Who made the Dauphin and the French to stoop,
And feiz'd upon their towns and provinces.

War. Talk not of France, fith thou haft loft it all.
K. Henry. The Lord Protector loft 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 lofe.

Father, tear the Crown from the Ufurper's head.
Edw. Sweet father, do fo; fet it on your head.
Mont. Good brother, as thou lov'ft and honour'st arms,
Let's fight it out, and not ftand cavilling thus.

Rich, Sound drums and trumpets, and the King will fly.
York. Sons, peace.

K. Henry, Peace thou, and give King Henry leave to speak.

War, Plantagenet fhall fpeak firft; hear him, Lords, And be you filent and attentive too,

For he that interrupts him fhall not live.

• I am the fon of Henry the ffth. The military merit f Henry the fifth is the fole fup

port of his fon. The name of Henry the fifth difperied the followers of Cade.

K. Henry,

K. Henry. Think'st thou that I will leave my kingly throne,

Wherein my grandfire and my father fat?
No, first shall war unpeople this my realm,
Ay, and their Colours often borne in France,
And now in England to our heart's great forrow,
Shall be my winding fheet.-Why faint you, Lords?
My Title's good, and better far than his.

War. But prove it, Henry, and thou shalt be King.
K. Henry. Henry the Fourth by conqueft got the

crown.

York. 'Twas by Rebellion against his King.

K. Henry. I know not what to fay, my Title's weak : Tell me, may not a King adopt an heir?

York. What then?.

K. Henry. And if he may, then am I lawful King: For Richard, in the view of many Lords, Refign'd the Crown to Henry the Fourth; Whofe heir my father was, and I am his.

York. He rofe against him, being his Sovereign, And made him to refign his Crown perforce.

War. Suppose, my Lords, he did it unconftrain'd, *Think you, 'twere prejudicial to his Crown?

Exe. No, for he could not fo refign his Crown, But that the next heir fhould fucceed and reign. K. Henry. 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 confcience tells me, he is lawful King. K. Henry. All will revolt from me, and turn to him. North. Plantagenet, for all the Claim thou lay'ft, Think not, that Henry fhall be fo depos'd. War. Depos'd he shall be, in defpight of thee.

• Think you, 'twere prejudicial to his Crown ?] The phrafe prejudicial to bis Crown, if it be right, muft mean, detrimental to the general rights of hereditary

royalty; but I rather think that the tranfcriber's eye caught crown from the line below, and that we should read prejudicial to his fon, to his next heir.

North.

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