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Rich. Thus do I hope to shake king Henry's
head.

War. And so do 1.-Victorious prince of
York,

Before I see thee seated in that throne
Which now the house of Lancaster usurps,
I vow by heaven these eyes shall never close.
This is the palace of the fearful king,
And this the regal seat: possess it, York:
For this is thine, and not king Henry's heirs.
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.

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But little thinks we shall 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 shall this be
call'd,

Unless Plantagenet, duke of York, be king;
And bashful Henry depos'd, whose cowardice
Hath made us by-words to our enemies.

York. Then leave me not, my lords: be re-
solute;

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

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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,

send thee, Warwick, such a messenger, As shall revenge his death, before I stir. War. Poor Clifford ! how I scorn his worth

less 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 f When I was crown'd, I was but nine months old.

Rich. You are old enough now, and yet me.

thinks, you lose :

Father, tear the crown from the usurper's head Edw. Sweet father, do so; set it on you head.

Mont. Good brother, [To YORK.] as thou lov'st aud honour'st arms,

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 Heury leave to speak.

War.

Plantagenet shall speak first :-hear bim, lords;

• Since.

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 ?
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 sor-
row,

Shall be my winding sheet.-Why faint you, lords?

My title's good, and better far than his.

War. But prove it, Henry, and thou shalt be king.

K. Hen. Henry the fourth by conquest got the crown.

York. 'Twas by rebellion against his king. K. Hen. I know not what to say; my title's weak.

Tell me, may not a king adopt an heir?

York. What then?

K. Hen. And if he may, then am I lawful

king:

For Richard, in the view of many lords,
Resign'd the crown to Henry the fourth;
Whose heir my father was, and I am bis.
York. He rose against him, being his sove-
reign,

And made him to resign his crown perforce. War. Suppose, my lords, he did it unconstrain'd,

Think you, 'twere prejudicial to his crown? • Exe. No; for he could not so resign his crown,

Bu that the next heir should succeed and reign. K. Hen. Art thou against us, duke of Exe

ter ?

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. North. Thou art deceiv'd; 'tis not thy south

ern power,

Of Essex, Norfolk, Suffolk, nor of Kent,
Which makes thee thus presumptuous and proud,
Can set the duke up, in despite of me.

Clif. King Henry, be thy title right or wrong,
Lord Clifford vows to fight in thy defence:
May that ground gape, and swallow me alive,
Where I shall kneel to him that slew my fa-
ther!

K. Hen. O Clifford, how thy words revive my heart!

York. Henry of Lancaster, resign thy crown :What mutter you, or what conspire you, lords? War. Do right unto this princely duke of

York;

Or. I will fill the house with armed men,
And, o'er the chair of state, where now he sits,
Write ap his title with usurping blood.

He stamps and the Soldiers show them-
selves.

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, Enjoy the kingdom after my decease.

Clif. What wrong is this unto the prince your

son ?

War. What good is this to England and himself?

I. c. Detrimental to the general rights of hereditary royalty.

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K. Hen. Ah! Exeter :

War. Why should you sigh, my lord!

K. Hen. Not for myself, lord Warwick, but my son,

Whom I unnaturally shall disinherit.
But, be it as it may :-I here entail
The crown to thee, and to thine heirs for
ever;

Conditionally, that here thou take an oath
To cease this civil war, and, whilst I live,
To honour me as thy king and sovereign;
And neither by treason, nor hostility,
To seek to put me down and reign thyself.
York. This oath I willingly take, and will
perform. [Coming from the Throne.
War. Long live king Henry !-Plantagenet,
embrace him.

K. Hen. And long live thou, and these thy forward sons!

York. Now York and Lancaster are recon. cil'd.

Exe, Accurs'd be he that seeks to mkse them foes!

[Senet. The Lords come forward. York. Farewell, my gracious lord; I'll to my castle.

War. And I'll keep London, with my sol diers.

Norf. And I to Norfolk, with my followers. Mont. And I unto the sea, from whence I

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Prince. Father, you cannot disinherit me: If you be king, why should not I succeed?

K. Hen. Pardon me, Margaret ;-pardon me, sweet son;

The earl of Warwick and the duke enforc'd

me.

Q. Mar. Enforc'd thee! art thou king, and wilt be forc'd ?

I shame to hear thee speak. Ah! timorous
wretch !

Thou hast undone thyself, thy son, and me;
And given unto the house of York such head,
As thou shalt reign but by their sufferance.
To entail him and his heirs unto the crown,
What is it, but to make thy sepulchre,
And creep into it far before thy time?
Warwick is chancellor, and the lord of Calais;
Stern Faulconbridge commands the

seas;

narrow

The duke is made protector of the realm;
And yet shalt thou be safe? such safety finds
The trembling lamb, environed with wolves.
Had I been there, which am a silly woman,
The soldiers should have toss'd me on their
pikes,

Before I would have granted to that act.
But thou preferr'st thy life before thine ho-

nour:

And seeing thou dost, I here divorce myself,
Both from thy table, Henry, and thy bed,
Until that act of parliament be repeal'd,
Whereby my son is disinherited.
The northern lords, that have forsworn thy
colours,

Will follow mine, if once they see them spread:
And spread they shall be; to thy foul dis-

grace,

And utter ruin of the house of York.
Thus do I leave thee;-Come, son, let's away;
Our army's ready; come, we'll after them.
K. Hen. Stay, gentle Margaret, and hear me
speak.

Q. Mar. Thou hast spoke too much already;
get thee gone.

K. Hen. Gentle son Edward, thou wilt stay with me?

Q. Mar. Ay, to be murder'd by his enemies.
Prince. When I return with victory from the
field,

I'll see your grace: till then, I'll follow her.
Q. Mar. Come, son, away; we may not lin-
ger thus.

[Exeunt Queen MARGARET and the PRINCE.
K. Hen. Poor queen! how love to me, and

to her son,

Hath made her break out into terms of rage!
Reveng'd may she be on that hateful duke;
Whose haughty spirit, winged with desire,
Will cost my crown, and, like an empty eagle,
Tire on the flesh of me and of my son !
The loss of those three lords torments my
heart;

I'll write unto them, and entreat them fair!-
Come, cousin, you shall be the messenger.
Exe. And I, I hope, shall reconcile them all.
[Exeunt.

SCENE 11.-A Room in Sandal Castle,
near Wakefield, in Yorkshire.

Enter EDWARD, PICHARD, and MONTAGUE.
Rich. Brother, though I be youngest, give
me leave.

Edw. No, I can better play the orator.
Mont. But I have reasous strong and for-
cible.

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York. About what?

Rich. About that which concerus your grace and us;

The crown of England, father, which is your's. York. Mine, boy? not till king Henry be dead.

Rich. Your right depends not on his life, or death.

Edw. Now you are heir, therefore enjoy it now: By giving the house of Lancaster leave to breathe,

It will outrun you, father, in the end.

York. I took an oath, that he should quietly reign.

Edw. But, for a kingdom, any oath may be broken:

I'd break a thousand oaths to reign one year. Rich. No; God forbid, your grace should be forsworn.

York. I shall be, if I claim by open war. Rich. I'll prove the contrary, if you'll hear me speak.

York. Thou canst not, son; it is impossible. Rich. An oath is of no moment, being not took

Before a true and lawful magistrate,

That hath authority over him that swears:
Henry had noue, but did usurp the place;
Then, seeing 'twas he that made you to de-
pose,

Your oath, my lord, is vain and frivolous.
Therefore, to arms. And, father, do but think,
How sweet a thing it is to wear a crown;
Within whose circuit is Elysium,
And all that poets feign of bliss and joy.
Why do we linger thus? I cannot rest,
Until the white rose that I wear be dyed
Even in the lukewarm blood of Henry's heart.
York. Richard, enough; I will be king, or
die.

Brother, thou shalt to London presently,
And whet on Warwick to this enterprise.
Thou, Richard, shalt unto the duke of Norfolk,
And tell him privily of our intent.

You, Edward, shall unto my lord Cobham,
With whom the Kentishmen will willingly
rise :

In them I trust; for they are soldiers,
Witty and courteous, liberal, full of spirit.
While you are thus employ'd, what resteth
more,

But that I seek occasion how to rise;
And yet the king not privy to my drift,
Nor any of the house of Lancaster ?

Enter a MESSENGER.

But, stay; What news? Why com'st thou in such post?

Mess. The queen, with all the northern earis
and lords,

Intend here to besiege you in your castle :
She is hard by with twenty thousand men ;
And therefore fortify your hold, my lord.

York. Ay, with my sword. What! think'st
thou that we fear them ?—
Edward and Richard, you shall stay with me ;-
My brother Montague shall post to London :
Let noble Warwick, Cobham, and the rest,
Whom we have left protectors of the king,
With powerful policy strengthen themselves,
And trust not simple Henry, nor his oaths.
Mont. Brother, I go; I'll win them, fear it
And thus most humbly I do take my leave.

not:

[Exit.

Enter Sir JOHN and Sir HUGH MORTIMER.
York. Sir John, and Sir Hugh Mortimer,
mine uncles,

You are come to Sandal in a happy hour
The army of the queen mean to besiege us.
Sir John. She shall not need, we'll meet her
in the field.

• Of sound judgment.

York. What! with five thousand men ?
Rich. Ay, with five hundred, father, for a
need.

A woman's general; What should we fear?
[A March afar of,
Edw I hear their drums; let's set our men
in order;

And issue forth, and bid them battle straight.
York. Five men to twenty !-though the odds
be great,

I doubt not, uncle, of our victory,
Many a battle have I won in France,
When as the enemy hath been ten to one;
Why should I not now have the like success ?
[Alarum. Exeunt.

SCENE III.-Plains near Sandal Castle.
Alarums: Excursions. Enter RUTLAND and

his TUTOR.

Hut. Ah! whither shall I fly to 'scape their

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| Thy father slew my father; therefore, die.

[CLIFFORD stabs him Rut. Dii faciant, laudis summa sit ista tua!•

[Dies.
Clif. Plantagenet! I come, Plantagenet?
And this thy son's blood cleaving to my blade,
Shall rust upon my weapon, till thy blood,
Congeal'd with this, do make me wipe off both.
[Exit.

SCENE IV.-The same.
Alarum.-Enter YORK.

York. The army of the queen hath got the
field:

My uncles both are slain in rescuing me;
And all my followers to the eager for
Turn back, and fly, like ships before the wind,
Or lambs pursu'd by hunger-starved wolves.
My sons-God knows, what hath bechanced

them:

But this I know, they have demean'd themselves

Like men born to renown, by life, or death. saves Three times did Richard make a lane to me; And thrice cried,-Courage, father! fight it

As for the brat of this accursed duke,
Whose father slew my father,--he shall die.
Tut. And 1, my lord, will bear him com-
pany.

Clif. Soldiers, away with him.
Tat. Ah! Clifford, murder not this innocent
child,

Lest thou be hated both of God and man.
[Exit, forced off by Soldiers.
Clif. How now is he dead already? Or, is

it fear,
That makes him close his eyes ?-I'll open

them.

Rut. So looks the
wretch
That trembles under his devouring paws :
And so he walks, insulting o'er his prey;
And so he comes to rend his limbs asunder.-
Ah! gentle Clifford, kill me with thy sword,
And not with such a cruel threat'ning look.
Sweet Clifford, hear me speak before I die ;-
I am too mean a subject for thy wrath,
Be thou reveng'd on men, and let me live.

pent-up lion o'er the

Clif. In vain thou speak'st, poor boy; my fa ther's blood

Hath stopp'd the passage where thy words should enter.

Rut. Then let my father's blood open it
again;

He is a man, and, Clifford, cope with him.
Clif. Had I thy brethren here, their lives and
thine

Were not revenge sufficient for me;
No, if I digg'd up thy forefather's graves,
And hung their rotten coffins up in chains,

It could not slake mine ire, nor ease my heart.
The sight of any of the house of York
Is as a fury to torment my soul;
And till I root out their accursed line,
And leave not one alive, I live in hell.
Therefore-

[Lifting his hand.
Rut. O let me pray before I take my death:
To thee I pray; Sweet Clifford, pity ine!
Clif. Such pity as my rapier's point affords.
Rut. I never did thee barm; Why wilt thou

slay me?

Clif. Thy father hath.

Rut. But 'twas ere I was born.

Thou hast one son, for his sake pity me;
Lest, in revenge thereof, sith

God is just,

He be as miserably slain as I.

Ah! let me live in prison all my days;
And when I give occasion of offence,
Then let me die, for now thou hast no cause.
Clif No cause ?

• Since.

out!

And full as oft came Edward to my side,
With purple faulchion, painted to the bil
In blood of those that had encounter'd him:
And when the hardiest warriors did retire,
Richard cried,-Charge! and give no foot of
ground!

And cried,-A crown, or else a glorious tomb .
A sceptre! or an earthly sepulchre!
With this, we charg'd again; but, out, alas!
We bodg'd again; as I have seen a swan
With bootless labour swim against the tide,
And spend her strength with over-matching
[A short Alarum within.
Ah! bark! the fatal followers do pursue;
And I am faint, and cannot fly their fury:
And, were I strong, I would not shun their
fury:

waves.

The sands are number'd, that make up my
life!

Here must I stay, and here my life must end.
Enter Queen MARGARET,

CLIFFORD, NOR-
THUMBERLAND, and Soldiers.
Come, bloody Clifford,-rough Northumber-
land,-

I dare your quenchless fury to more rage;

I am your butt, and I abide your shot.
North. Yield to our mercy, proud Plantage-

net.

Clif. Ay, to such mercy as his ruthless arm, With downright payment, show'd unto my fa

ther.

Now Phaeton bath tumbled from his car,
And made an evening at the noontide prick.t
York. My ashes, as the Phoenix, inay bring
forth

A bird that will revenge upon you all :
And, in that hope, I throw mine eyes to hea-
ven,

Scorning whate'er you can afflict me with.
Why come you not? what! multitudes, and
fear?

Clif. So cowards fight, when they can fly no
farther;

So doves do peck the falcon's piercing talons;
So desperate thieves, all hopeless of their

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