141

  My conscience tells me you are innocent.

  142

  GLOUCESTER

  Ah, gracious lord, these days are dangerous.

  143

  Virtue is choked with foul ambition,

  144

  And charity chased hence by rancor’s hand;

  145

  Foul subornation is predominant,

  146

  And equity exiled your Highness’ land.

  147

  I know their complot is to have my life;

  148

  And if my death might make this island happy

  149

  And prove the period of their tyranny,

  150

  I would expend it with all willingness.

  151

  But mine is made the prologue to their play;

  152

  For thousands more, that yet suspect no peril,

  153

  Will not conclude their plotted tragedy.

  154

  Beaufort’s red sparkling eyes blab his heart’s malice,

  155

  And Suffolk’s cloudy brow his stormy hate;

  156

  Sharp Buckingham unburdens with his tongue

  157

  The envious load that lies upon his heart;

  158

  And dogged York, that reaches at the moon,

  159

  Whose overweening arm I have plucked back,

  160

  By false accuse doth level at my life.—

  161

  And you, my sovereign lady, with the rest,

  162

  Causeless have laid disgraces on my head

  163

  And with your best endeavor have stirred up

  164

  My liefest liege to be mine enemy.

  165

  Ay, all of you have laid your heads together—

  166

  Myself had notice of your conventicles—

  167

  And all to make away my guiltless life.

  168

  I shall not want false witness to condemn me

  169

  Nor store of treasons to augment my guilt.

  170

  The ancient proverb will be well effected:

  171

  “A staff is quickly found to beat a dog.”

  172

  CARDINAL

  My liege, his railing is intolerable.

  173

  If those that care to keep your royal person

  174

  From treason’s secret knife and traitor’s rage

  175

  Be thus upbraided, chid, and rated at,

  176

  And the offender granted scope of speech,

  177

  ’Twill make them cool in zeal unto your Grace.

  178

  SUFFOLK

  Hath he not twit our sovereign lady here

  179

  With ignominious words, though clerkly couched,

  180

  As if she had subornèd some to swear

  181

  False allegations to o’erthrow his state?

  182

  QUEEN MARGARET

  But I can give the loser leave to chide.

  183

  GLOUCESTER

  Far truer spoke than meant. I lose, indeed;

  184

  Beshrew the winners, for they played me false!

  185

  And well such losers may have leave to speak.

  186

  BUCKINGHAM

  He’ll wrest the sense and hold us here all day.

  187

  Lord Cardinal, he is your prisoner.

  188

  CARDINAL,

  Sirs, take away the Duke, and guard him sure.

  189

  GLOUCESTER

  Ah, thus King Henry throws away his crutch

  190

  Before his legs be firm to bear his body.—

  191

  Thus is the shepherd beaten from thy side,

  192

  And wolves are gnarling who shall gnaw thee first.

  193

  Ah, that my fear were false; ah, that it were!

  194

  For, good King Henry, thy decay I fear.

  195

  Gloucester exits,

  KING HENRY

  My lords, what to your wisdoms seemeth best

  196

  Do, or undo, as if ourself were here.

  197

  QUEEN MARGARET

  What, will your Highness leave the Parliament?

  198

  KING HENRY

  Ay, Margaret. My heart is drowned with grief,

  199

  Whose flood begins to flow within mine eyes,

  200

  My body round engirt with misery;

  201

  For what’s more miserable than discontent?

  202

  Ah, uncle Humphrey, in thy face I see

  203

  The map of honor, truth, and loyalty;

  204

  And yet, good Humphrey, is the hour to come

  205

  That e’er I proved thee false or feared thy faith.

  206

  What louring star now envies thy estate

  207

  That these great lords and Margaret our queen

  208

  Do seek subversion of thy harmless life?

  209

  Thou never didst them wrong nor no man wrong.

  210

  And as the butcher takes away the calf

  211

  And binds the wretch and beats it when it

  212

  Bearing it to the bloody slaughterhouse,

  213

  Even so remorseless have they borne him hence;

  214

  And as the dam runs lowing up and down,

  215

  Looking the way her harmless young one went,

  216

  And can do naught but wail her darling’s loss,

  217

  Even so myself bewails good Gloucester’s case

  218

  With sad unhelpful tears, and with dimmed eyes

  219

  Look after him and cannot do him good,

  220

  So mighty are his vowèd enemies.

  221

  His fortunes I will weep and, ’twixt each groan,

  222

  Say “Who’s a traitor, Gloucester he is none.”

  223

  He exits,
  and Others. Somerset steps aside.>

  QUEEN MARGARET,

  Free lords, cold snow melts with the sun’s hot

  224

  beams.

  225

  Henry my lord is cold in great affairs,

  226

  Too full of foolish pity; and Gloucester’s show

  227

  Beguiles him, as the mournful crocodile

  228

  With sorrow snares relenting passengers,

  229

  Or as the snake, rolled in a flow’ring bank,

  230

  With shining checkered slough, doth sting a child

  231

  That for the beauty thinks it excellent.

  232

  Believe me, lords, were none more wise than I—

  233

  And yet herein I judge mine own wit good—

  234

  This Gloucester should be quickly rid the world,

  235

  To rid us from the fear we have of him.

  236

  CARDINAL

  That he should die is worthy policy,

  237

  But yet we want a color for his death.

  238

  ’Tis meet he be condemned by course of law.

  239

  SUFFOLK

  But, in my mind, that were no policy.

  240

  The King will labor still to save his life,

  241

  The Commons haply rise to save his life,

  242

  And yet we have but trivial argument,

  243

  More than mistrust, that shows him worthy death.

  244

  YORK

  So that, by this, you would not have him die.

  245

  SUFFOLK

  Ah, York, no man alive so fain as I!

  246

  YORK

  ’Tis York that hath more reason for his death.

  247

  But, my Lord Cardinal, and you, my lord of Suffolk,

  248

  Say as you think, and speak it from your souls:

  249

  Were ’t not all one an empty eagle were set

  250

  To guard the chicken from a hungry kite

  251

  As place Duke Humphrey for the King’s Protector?

  252

  QUEEN MARGARET

  So the poor chicken should be sure of death.

  253

  SUFFOLK

  Madam, ’tis true; and were ’t not madness then

  254

  To make the fox surveyor of the fold—

  255

  Who, being accused a crafty murderer,

  256

  His guilt should be but idly posted over

  257

  Because his purpose is not executed?

  258

  No, let him die in that he is a fox,

  259

  By nature proved an enemy to the flock,

  260

  Before his chaps be stained with crimson blood,

  261

  As Humphrey, proved by reasons, to my liege.

  262

  And do not stand on quillets how to slay him—

  263

  Be it by gins, by snares, by subtlety,

  264

  Sleeping or waking. ’Tis no matter how,

  265

  So he be dead; for that is good deceit

  266

  Which mates him first that first intends deceit.

  267

  QUEEN MARGARET

  Thrice noble Suffolk, ’tis resolutely spoke.

  268

  SUFFOLK

  Not resolute, except so much were done,

  269

  For things are often spoke and seldom meant;

  270

  But that my heart accordeth with my tongue,

  271

  Seeing the deed is meritorious,

  272

  And to preserve my sovereign from his foe,

  273

  Say but the word and I will be his priest.

  274

  CARDINAL

  But I would have him dead, my lord of Suffolk,

  275

  Ere you can take due orders for a priest.

  276

  Say you consent and censure well the deed,

  277

  And I’ll provide his executioner.

  278

  I tender so the safety of my liege.

  279

  SUFFOLK

  Here is my hand. The deed is worthy doing.

  280

  QUEEN MARGARET  And so say I.

  281

  YORK

  And I. And now we three have spoke it,

  282

  It skills not greatly who impugns our doom.

  283

  Enter a Post.

  POST

  Great lords, from Ireland am I come amain

  284

  To signify that rebels there are up

  285

  And put the Englishmen unto the sword.

  286

  Send succors, lords, and stop the rage betime,

  287

  Before the wound do grow uncurable;

  288

  For, being green, there is great hope of help.

  289

 

  CARDINAL

  A breach that craves a quick expedient stop!

  290

  What counsel give you in this weighty cause?

  291

  YORK

  That Somerset be sent as regent thither.

  292

  ’Tis meet that lucky ruler be employed—

  293

  Witness the fortune he hath had in France.

  294

  SOMERSET,

  If York, with all his far-fet policy,

  295

  Had been the regent there instead of me,

  296

  He never would have stayed in France so long.

  297

  YORK

  No, not to lose it all, as thou hast done.

  298

  I rather would have lost my life betimes

  299

  Than bring a burden of dishonor home

  300

  By staying there so long till all were lost.

  301

  Show me one scar charactered on thy skin.

  302

  Men’s flesh preserved so whole do seldom win.

  303

  QUEEN MARGARET

  Nay, then, this spark will prove a raging fire

  304

  If wind and fuel be brought to feed it with.—

  305

  No more, good York.—Sweet Somerset, be still.—

  306

  Thy fortune, York, hadst thou been regent there,

  307

  Might happily have proved far worse than his.

  308

  YORK

  What, worse than naught? Nay, then, a shame take

  309

  all!

  310

  SOMERSET

  And, in the number, thee that wishest shame!

  311

  CARDINAL

  My lord of York, try what your fortune is.

  312

  Th’ uncivil kerns of Ireland are in arms

  313

  And temper clay with blood of Englishmen.

  314

  To Ireland will you lead a band of men,

  315

  Collected choicely, from each county some,

  316

  And try your hap against the Irishmen?

  317

  YORK

  I will, my lord, so please his Majesty.

  318

  SUFFOLK

  Why, our authority is his consent,

  319

  And what we do establish he confirms.

  320

  Then, noble York, take thou this task in hand.

  321

  YORK

  I am content. Provide me soldiers, lords,

  322

  Whiles I take order for mine own affairs.

  323

  SUFFOLK

  A charge, Lord York, that I will see performed.

  324

  But now return we to the false Duke Humphrey.

  325

  CARDINAL

  No more of him, for I will deal with him,

  326

  That henceforth he shall trouble us no more.

  327

  And so break off; the day is almost spent.

  328

  Lord Suffolk, you and I must talk of that event.

  329

  YORK