War. Alas! I am not coop'd here for defence: I will away towards Barnet presently, 110 And bid thee battle, Edward, if thou dar'st. K. Edw. Yes, Warwick, Edward dares, and leads the way. Lords, to the field! Saint George and victory! March. Exeunt. SCENE II-A Field of Battle near Barnet. Alarums, and excursions. Enter King EDWARD, bringing in WARWICK wounded. K. Edw. So lie thou there: die thou, and die our fear; For Warwick was a bug that fear'd us all. And tell me who is victor, York or Warwick? And kept low shrubs from winter's powerful wind. These eyes, that now are dimm'd with death's black veil, Have been as piercing as the mid-day sun Lo! now my glory smear'd in dust and blood; And, live we how we can, yet die we must. Enter OXFORD and SOMERSET. Som. Ah! Warwick, Warwick, wert thou as SCENE IV.-Plains near Tewksbury. March. Enter Queen MARGARET, Prince EDWARD, SOMERSET, OXFORD, and Soldiers. Q. Mar. Great lords, wise men ne'er sit and wail their loss, But cheerly seek how to redress their harms. Even now we heard the news. Ah! could'st Should leave the helm and like a fearful lad thou fly. With tearful eyes add water to the sea, Whiles in his moan the ship splits on the rock, 1 The friends of France our shrouds and tacklings' SCENE IV.] We will not from the helm to sit and weep, As good to chide the waves as speak them fair. Why, courage then! what cannot be avoided Prince. Methinks a woman of this valiant spirit And make him, naked, foil a man at arms. 41 49 Oxf. Women and children of so high a courage, And warriors faint! why, 'twere perpetual shame. O brave young prince! thy famous grandfather Doth live again in thee: long may'st thou live To bear his image and renew his glories! Som. And he that will not fight for such a hope, Q. Mar. Thanks, gentle Somerset: sweet Prince. And take his thanks that yet hath Enter a Messenger. Mess. Prepare you, lords, for Edward is at hand, Ready to fight; therefore be resolute. Oxf. thought no less: it is his policy To haste thus fast, to find us unprovided. 61 Som. But he's deceiv'd; we are in readiness. Oxf. Here pitch our battle; hence we will not Flourish and March. Enter King EDWARD, CLA- K. Edw. Brave followers, yonder stands the Which, by the heavens' assistance and your Must by the roots be hewn up yet ere night. 70 Q. Mar. Lords, knights, and gentlemen, what My tears gainsay; for every word I speak, Therefore, no more but this: Henry, your sove- Is prisoner to the foe; his state usurp'd, Alarum. Retreat. Excursions. Exeunt. SCENE V.-Another Part of the Field. Away with Oxford to Hames castle straight: Go, bear them hence; I will not hear them speak. Som. Nor I; but stoop with patience to my fortune. Exeunt OXFORD and SOMERSET, guarded. Q. Mar. So part we sadly in this troublous world, To meet with joy in sweet Jerusalem. K. Edw. Is proclamation made, that who finds 10 Shall have a high reward, and he his life? comes. Enter Soldiers, with Prince EDWARD. K. Edw. Bring forth the gallant: let us hear him speak. What can so young a thorn begin to prick? Edward, what satisfaction canst thou make Prince. Speak like a subject, proud ambitious Suppose that I am now my father's mouth: Glou. That you might still have worn the petticoat, And 'ne'er have stol'n the breech from Lancaster. Prince. Let Esop fable in a winter's night; His currish riddles sort not with this place. Glou. By heaven, brat, I 'll plague ye for that word. Q. Mar. Ay, thou wast born to be a plague to men. Glou. For God's sake, take away this captive scold. Prince. Nay, take away this scolding crookback rather. 30 K. Edw. Peace, wilful boy, or I will charm your tongue. Clar. Untutor'd lad, thou art too malapert. Prince. I know my duty; you are all undutiful. And thou misshapen Dick, I tell ye all Lascivious Edward, and thou perjur'd George, I am your better, traitors as ye are ; And thou usurp'st my father's right and mine. for her recovery. SCENE VI.-London. The Tower. King HENRY is discovered sitting with a book in his hand, the Lieutenant attending. Enter GLOUCESTER. Glou. Good day, my lord. What! at your book so hard? K. Hen. Ay, my good lord: my lord, I should say rather; Glou. Clarence, excuse me to the king my "Tis sin to flatter; 'good' was little better: brother; Q. Mar. O Ned! sweet Ned! speak to thy mother, boy! Canst thou not speak? O traitors! murderers! remorse: But if you ever chance to have a child, Look in his youth to have him so cut off 61 As, deathsmen, you have rid this sweet young prince! K. Edw. Away with her! go, bear her hence perforce. Q. Mar. Nay, never bear me hence, dispatch me here: Here sheathe thy sword, I'll pardon thee my Q. Mar. Good Clarence, do; sweet Clarence, do thou do it. Clar. Didst thou not hear me swear I would not do it? Q. Mar. Ay, but thou usest to forswear thyself: 'Twas sin before, but now 'tis charity. What! wilt thou not? Where is that devil's butcher, Hard-favour'd Richard? Richard, where art thou? Thou art not here: murder is thy alms-deed; Petitioners for blood thou ne'er putt'st back. 80 K. Edw. Away, I say! charge ye, bear her hence. Q. Mar. So come to you and yours, as to this prince! Exit. K. Edw. Where's Richard gone? Clar. To London, all in post; and, as I guess, To make a bloody supper in the Tower. K. Ed. He's sudden if a thing comes in his head. "Good Gloucester' and 'good devil' were alike. And both preposterous; therefore, not 'good lord.' Glou. Sirrah, leave us to ourselves: we must confer. Exit Lieutenant. K. Hen. So flies the reckless shepherd from the wolf; So first the harmless sheep doth yield his fleece, And next his throat unto the butcher's knife. What scene of death hath Roscius now to act? Glou. Suspicion always haunts the guilty mind: The thief doth fear each bush an officer. 12 K. Hen. The bird that hath been limed in a bush, With trembling wings misdoubteth every bush ; And I, the hapless male to one sweet bird, Have now the fatal object in my eye Where my poor young was lim'd, was caught, and kill'd. Glou. Why, what a peevish fool was that of That taught his son the office of a fowl! K. Hen. I, Dædalus; my poor boy, Icarus; a Glou. Thy son I kill'd for his presumption. Thou hadst not liv'd to kill a son of mine. The raven rook'd her on the chimney's top. SCENE VI.] THIRD PART OF KING HENRY VI. 51 To wit an undigest deformed lump, Glou. I'll hear no more: die, prophet, in thy For this, amongst the rest, was I ordain'd. 60 Dies. Glou. What! will the aspiring blood of Lancaster O! God forgive my sins, and pardon thee. Sink in the ground? I thought it would have See how my sword weeps for the poor king's death! 70 I, that have neither pity, love, nor fear. divine, Be resident in men like one another And not in me: I am myself alone. 80 What valiant foemen, like to autumn's corn, Three Dukes of Somerset, threefold renown'd Montague, 10 That in their chains fetter'd the kingly lion, Thus have we swept suspicion from our seat, night, Went all a-foot in summer's scalding heat, peace; And of our labours thou shalt reap the gain. 20 Glou. Aside. I'll blast his harvest, if your head were laid; " For yet I am not look'd on in the world. Work thou the way, and thou shalt execute. K. Edw. Clarence and Gloucester, love my Clar. The duty that I owe unto your majesty Q. Eliz. Thanks, noble Clarence; worthy 30 Glou. And, that I love the tree from whence thou sprang'st, Clarence, beware; thou keep'st me from the light; Witness the loving kiss I give the fruit. But I will sort a pitchy day for thee; A Room in the Palace. SCENE VII.-The Same. Attendants. K. Edw. Once more we sit in England's royal throne, Re-purchas'd with the blood of enemies. Aside. To say the truth, so Judas kiss'd his master, And cried 'all hail!' when as he meant all harm. R. Edw. Now am I seated as my soul delights, Clar. What will your grace have done with Reignier, her father, to the King of France 40 K. Edw. Away with her, and waft her hence to France. And now what rests but that we spend the time With stately triumphs, mirthful comic shows, THE TRAGEDY OF KING RICHARD THE THIRD. KING EDWARD THE FOURTH. EDWARD, Prince of Wales, afterwards King Edward the Fifth, RICHARD, Duke of York, GEORGE, Duke of Clarence, RICHARD, Duke of Gloucester, after wards King Richard the Third, A young Son of Clarence. DRAMATIS PERSONE. Sons to the King. Brothers to the King. HENRY, Earl of Richmond, afterwards King Henry the Seventh. CARDINAL BOURCHIER, Archbishop of Canter LORD LOVEL. SIR THOMAS VAUGHAN. SIR ROBERT BRAKENBURY, Lieutenant of the Tower. CHRISTOPHER URSWICK, a Priest. Another Priest, TRESSEL and BERKELEY, Gentlemen attending on the Lady Anne. Lord Mayor of London. Sheriff of Wiltshire. ELIZABETH, Queen to King Edward the Fourth. MARGARET, Widow of King Henry the Sixth. DUCHESS OF YORK, Mother to King Edward the Fourth, Clarence, and Gloucester. LADY ANNE, Widow of Edward Prince of Wales, son to King Henry the Sixth; afterwards married to Richard. A young Daughter of Clarence, Margaret Plantagenet. Lords and other Attendants; a Pursuivant, Scrivener, Citizens, Murderers, Messengers, Soldiers, etc. ACT I. SCENE I.-London. A Street. Enter GLOUCESTER. Glou. Now is the winter of our discontent Made glorious summer by this sun of York; And all the clouds that lour'd upon our house In the deep bosom of the ocean buried. Now are our brows bound with victorious wreaths; Our bruised arms hung up for monuments; Our stern alarums chang'd to merry meetings; Our dreadful marches to delightful measures. Grim-visag'd war hath smooth'd his wrinkled front; And now, instead of mounting barbed steeds 10 To fright the souls of fearful adversaries, He capers nimbly in a lady's chamber To the lascivious pleasing of a lute. But I, that am not shap'd for sportive tricks, Nor made to court an amorous looking-glass; I, that am rudely stamp'd, and want love's majesty To strut before a wanton ambling nymph; I, that am curtail'd of this fair proportion, * Cheated of feature by dissembling nature, ence comes. |