Dear brother, how shall Bona be revenged

  221

  But by thy help to this distressèd queen?

  222

  QUEEN MARGARET

  Renownèd prince, how shall poor Henry live

  223

  Unless thou rescue him from foul despair?

  224

  LADY BONA

  My quarrel and this English queen’s are one.

  225

  WARWICK

  And mine, fair Lady Bona, joins with yours.

  226

  KING LEWIS

  And mine with hers and thine and Margaret’s.

  227

  Therefore at last I firmly am resolved

  228

  You shall have aid.

  229

  QUEEN MARGARET

  Let me give humble thanks for all, at once.

  230

  KING LEWIS

  Then, England’s messenger, return in post,

  231

  And tell false Edward, thy supposèd king,

  232

  That Lewis of France is sending over maskers

  233

  To revel it with him and his new bride.

  234

  Thou seest what’s passed; go fear thy king withal.

  235

  LADY BONA

  Tell him, in hope he’ll prove a widower shortly,

  236

  I wear the willow garland for his sake.

  237

  QUEEN MARGARET

  Tell him my mourning weeds are laid aside

  238

  And I am ready to put armor on.

  239

  WARWICK

  Tell him from me that he hath done me wrong,

  240

  And therefore I’ll uncrown him ere ’t be long.

  241

  There’s thy reward.

  242

 

           Be gone.

  243

  Post exits.

  KING LEWIS            But, Warwick,

  244

  Thou and Oxford with five thousand men

  245

  Shall cross the seas and bid false Edward battle;

  246

  And as occasion serves, this noble queen

  247

  And prince shall follow with a fresh supply.

  248

  Yet ere thou go, but answer me one doubt:

  249

  What pledge have we of thy firm loyalty?

  250

  WARWICK

  This shall assure my constant loyalty:

  251

  That if our queen and this young prince agree,

  252

  I’ll join mine eldest daughter, and my joy,

  253

  To him forthwith in holy wedlock bands.

  254

  QUEEN MARGARET

  Yes, I agree, and thank you for your motion.

  255

  Son Edward, she is fair and virtuous.

  256

  Therefore, delay not; give thy hand to Warwick,

  257

  And with thy hand, thy faith irrevocable,

  258

  That only Warwick’s daughter shall be thine.

  259

  PRINCE EDWARD

  Yes, I accept her, for she well deserves it,

  260

  And here, to pledge my vow, I give my hand.

  261

  He gives his hand to Warwick.

  KING LEWIS

  Why stay we now? These soldiers shall be levied,

  262

  And thou, Lord Bourbon, our High Admiral,

  263

  Shall waft them over with our royal fleet.

  264

  I long till Edward fall by war’s mischance

  265

  For mocking marriage with a dame of France.

  266

  All but Warwick exit.

  WARWICK

  I came from Edward as ambassador,

  267

  But I return his sworn and mortal foe.

  268

  Matter of marriage was the charge he gave me,

  269

  But dreadful war shall answer his demand.

  270

  Had he none else to make a stale but me?

  271

  Then none but I shall turn his jest to sorrow.

  272

  I was the chief that raised him to the crown,

  273

  And I’ll be chief to bring him down again:

  274

  Not that I pity Henry’s misery,

  275

  But seek revenge on Edward’s mockery.

  276

  He exits.

  HENRY VI

  Part 3

  * * *

  ACT 4

 

  * * *

 

  Enter Richard Clarence, Somerset,

  and Montague,

  RICHARD

  Now tell me, brother Clarence, what think you

  1

  Of this new marriage with the Lady Grey?

  2

  Hath not our brother made a worthy choice?

  3

  CLARENCE

  Alas, you know ’tis far from hence to France.

  4

  How could he stay till Warwick made return?

  5

  Flourish.

  SOMERSET

  My lords, forbear this talk. Here comes the King.

  6

  RICHARD And his well-chosen bride.

  7

  CLARENCE

  I mind to tell him plainly what I think.

  8

  Enter King Edward,

  Lady Grey, Pembroke, Stafford,

  Hastings,

  Four stand on one side, and four on the other.

  KING EDWARD

  Now, brother of Clarence, how like you our choice,

  9

  That you stand pensive, as half malcontent?

  10

  CLARENCE

  As well as Lewis of France or the Earl of Warwick,

  11

  Which are so weak of courage and in judgment

  12

  That they’ll take no offense at our abuse.

  13

  KING EDWARD

  Suppose they take offense without a cause,

  14

  They are but Lewis and Warwick; I am Edward,

  15

  Your king and Warwick’s, and must have my will.

  16

  RICHARD

  And shall have your will because our king.

  17

  Yet hasty marriage seldom proveth well.

  18

  KING EDWARD

  Yea, brother Richard, are you offended too?

  19

  RICHARD Not I.

  20

  No, God forbid that I should wish them severed

  21

  Whom God hath joined together. Ay, and ’twere pity

  22

  To sunder them that yoke so well together.

  23

  KING EDWARD

  Setting your scorns and your mislike aside,

  24

  Tell me some reason why the Lady Grey

  25

  Should not become my wife and England’s queen?

  26

  And you too, Somerset and Montague,

  27

  Speak freely what you think.

  28

  CLARENCE

  Then this is mine opinion: that King Lewis

  29

  Becomes your enemy for mocking him

  30

  About the marriage of the Lady Bona.

  31

  RICHARD

  And Warwick, doing what you gave in charge,

  32

  Is now dishonorèd by this new marriage.

  33

  KING EDWARD

  What if both Lewis and Warwick be appeased

  34

  By such invention as I can devise?

  35

  MONTAGUE

  Yet to have joined with France in such alliance

  36

  Would more have strengthened this our

  37

  commonwealth

  38

  ’Gainst foreign storms than any home-bred marriage.

  39

  HASTINGS

  Why, knows not Montague that of itself

  40

  England is safe, if true within itself?

  41

  MONTAGUE

  But the safer when ’tis backed with France.

  42

  HASTINGS

  ’Tis better using France than trusting France.

  43

  Let us be backed with God and with the seas

  44

  Which He hath giv’n for fence impregnable,

  45

  And with their helps only defend ourselves.

  46

  In them and in ourselves our safety lies.

  47

  CLARENCE

  For this one speech, Lord Hastings well deserves

  48

  To have the heir of the Lord Hungerford.

  49

  KING EDWARD

  Ay, what of that? It was my will and grant,

  50

  And for this once my will shall stand for law.

  51

  RICHARD

  And yet methinks your Grace hath not done well

  52

  To give the heir and daughter of Lord Scales

  53

  Unto the brother of your loving bride.

  54

  She better would have fitted me or Clarence;

  55

  But in your bride you bury brotherhood.

  56

  CLARENCE

  Or else you would not have bestowed the heir

  57

  Of the Lord Bonville on your new wife’s son,

  58

  And leave your brothers to go speed elsewhere.

  59

  KING EDWARD

  Alas, poor Clarence, is it for a wife

  60

  That thou art malcontent? I will provide thee.

  61

  CLARENCE

  In choosing for yourself you showed your judgment,

  62

  Which, being shallow, you shall give me leave

  63

  To play the broker in mine own behalf.

  64

  And to that end, I shortly mind to leave you.

  65

  KING EDWARD

  Leave me or tarry, Edward will be king

  66

  And not be tied unto his brother’s will.

  67

  QUEEN ELIZABETH

  My lords, before it pleased his Majesty

  68

  To raise my state to title of a queen,

  69

  Do me but right and you must all confess

  70

  That I was not ignoble of descent,

  71

  And meaner than myself have had like fortune.

  72

  But as this title honors me and mine,

  73

  So your dislikes, to whom I would be pleasing,

  74

  Doth cloud my joys with danger and with sorrow.

  75

  KING EDWARD

  My love, forbear to fawn upon their frowns.

  76

  What danger or what sorrow can befall thee

  77

  So long as Edward is thy constant friend

  78

  And their true sovereign, whom they must obey?

  79

  Nay, whom they shall obey, and love thee too,

  80

  Unless they seek for hatred at my hands;

  81

  Which if they do, yet will I keep thee safe,

  82

  And they shall feel the vengeance of my wrath.

  83

  RICHARD,