Henry VI, Part 2 (William Shakespeare) » p.21 » All Books Online Free

14

BUCKINGHAM

York, if thou meanest well, I greet thee well.

15

YORK

Humphrey of Buckingham, I accept thy greeting.

16

Art thou a messenger, or come of pleasure?

17

BUCKINGHAM

A messenger from Henry, our dread liege,

18

To know the reason of these arms in peace;

19

Or why thou, being a subject as I am,

20

Against thy oath and true allegiance sworn,

21

Should raise so great a power without his leave,

22

Or dare to bring thy force so near the court.

23

YORK,

Scarce can I speak, my choler is so great.

24

O, I could hew up rocks and fight with flint,

25

I am so angry at these abject terms!

26

And now, like Ajax Telamonius,

27

On sheep or oxen could I spend my fury.

28

I am far better born than is the King,

29

More like a king, more kingly in my thoughts.

30

But I must make fair weather yet awhile,

31

Till Henry be more weak and I more strong.—

32

Buckingham, I prithee, pardon me,

33

That I have given no answer all this while.

34

My mind was troubled with deep melancholy.

35

The cause why I have brought this army hither

36

Is to remove proud Somerset from the King,

37

Seditious to his Grace and to the state.

38

BUCKINGHAM

That is too much presumption on thy part.

39

But if thy arms be to no other end,

40

The King hath yielded unto thy demand:

41

The Duke of Somerset is in the Tower.

42

YORK

Upon thine honor, is he prisoner?

43

BUCKINGHAM

Upon mine honor, he is prisoner.

44

YORK

Then, Buckingham, I do dismiss my powers.—

45

Soldiers, I thank you all. Disperse yourselves.

46

Meet me tomorrow in Saint George’s field;

47

You shall have pay and everything you wish.

48

And let my sovereign, virtuous Henry,

49

Command my eldest son, nay, all my sons,

50

As pledges of my fealty and love;

51

I’ll send them all as willing as I live.

52

Lands, goods, horse, armor, anything I have

53

Is his to use, so Somerset may die.

54

BUCKINGHAM

York, I commend this kind submission.

55

We twain will go into his Highness’ tent.

56

Enter King and Attendants.

KING HENRY

Buckingham, doth York intend no harm to us

57

That thus he marcheth with thee arm in arm?

58

YORK

In all submission and humility

59

York doth present himself unto your Highness.

60

KING HENRY

Then what intends these forces thou dost bring?

61

YORK

To heave the traitor Somerset from hence

62

And fight against that monstrous rebel Cade,

63

Who since I heard to be discomfited.

64

Enter Iden, with Cade’s head.

IDEN

If one so rude and of so mean condition

65

May pass into the presence of a king,

66

Lo, I present your Grace a traitor’s head,

67

The head of Cade, whom I in combat slew.

68

KING HENRY

The head of Cade? Great God, how just art Thou!

69

O, let me view his visage, being dead,

70

That living wrought me such exceeding trouble.

71

Tell me, my friend, art thou the man that slew him?

72

IDEN I was, an ’t like your Majesty.

73

KING HENRY

How art thou called? And what is thy degree?

74

IDEN

Alexander Iden, that’s my name,

75

A poor esquire of Kent that loves his king.

76

BUCKINGHAM

So please it you, my lord, ’twere not amiss

77

He were created knight for his good service.

78

KING HENRY

Iden, kneel down. Rise up a knight.

79

We give thee for reward a thousand marks,

80

And will that thou henceforth attend on us.

81

IDEN

May Iden live to merit such a bounty,

82

And never live but true unto his liege!

83

Enter Queen and Somerset,

KING HENRY,

See, Buckingham, Somerset comes with th’ Queen.

84

Go bid her hide him quickly from the Duke.

85

QUEEN MARGARET

For thousand Yorks he shall not hide his head,

86

But boldly stand and front him to his face.

87

YORK,

How now? Is Somerset at liberty?

88

Then, York, unloose thy long-imprisoned thoughts,

89

And let thy tongue be equal with thy heart.

90

Shall I endure the sight of Somerset?—

91

False king, why hast thou broken faith with me,

92

Knowing how hardly I can brook abuse?

93

“King” did I call thee? No, thou art not king,

94

Not fit to govern and rule multitudes,

95

Which dar’st not—no, nor canst not—rule a traitor.

96

That head of thine doth not become a crown;

97

Thy hand is made to grasp a palmer’s staff,

98

And not to grace an awful princely scepter.

99

That gold must round engirt these brows of mine,

100

Whose smile and frown, like to Achilles’ spear,

101

Is able with the change to kill and cure.

102

Here is a hand to hold a scepter up

103

And with the same to act controlling laws.

104

Give place. By heaven, thou shalt rule no more

105

O’er him whom heaven created for thy ruler.

106

SOMERSET

O monstrous traitor! I arrest thee, York,

107

Of capital treason ’gainst the King and crown.

108

Obey, audacious traitor. Kneel for grace.

109

YORK

Wouldst have me kneel? First let me ask of

110

If they can brook I bow a knee to man.

111

Sirrah, call in my to be my

112

bail.

113

I know, ere they will have me go to ward,

114

They’ll pawn their swords my enfranchisement.

115

QUEEN MARGARET,

Call hither Clifford; bid him come amain,

116

To say if that the bastard boys of York

117

Shall be the surety for their traitor father.

118

YORK,

O, blood-bespotted Neapolitan,

119

Outcast of Naples, England’s bloody scourge!

120

The sons of York, thy betters in their birth,

121

Shall be their father’s bail, and bane to those

122

That for my surety will refuse the boys.

123

Enter Edward and Richard,

See where they come; I’ll warrant they’ll make it

124

good.

125

Enter Clifford

QUEEN MARGARET

And here comes Clifford to deny their bail.

126

CLIFFORD,

Health and all happiness to my lord the King.

127

YORK

I thank thee, Clifford. Say, what news with thee?

128

Nay, do not fright us with an angry look.

129

We are thy sovereign, Clifford; kneel again.

130

For thy mistaking so, we pardon thee.

131

CLIFFORD

This is my king, York; I do not mistake,

132

But thou mistakes me much to think I do.—

133

To Bedlam with him! Is the man grown mad?

134

KING HENRY

Ay, Clifford, a bedlam and ambitious humor

135

Makes him oppose himself against his king.

136

CLIFFORD

He is a traitor. Let him to the Tower,

137

And chop away that factious pate of his.

138

QUEEN MARGARET

He is arrested, but will not obey.

139

His sons, he says, shall give their words for him.

140

YORK Will you not, sons?

141

EDWARD

Ay, noble father, if our words will serve.

142

RICHARD

And if words will not, then our weapons shall.

143

CLIFFORD

Why, what a brood of traitors have we here!

144

YORK

Look in a glass, and call thy image so.

145

I am thy king and thou a false-heart traitor.

146

Call hither to the stake my two brave bears,

147

That, with the very shaking of their chains,

148

They may astonish these fell-lurking curs.

149

Bid Salisbury and Warwick come

150

to me.

151

Enter the Earls of Warwick and Salisbury,
white rose.>

CLIFFORD

Are these thy bears? We’ll bait thy bears to death

152

And manacle the bearherd in their chains,

153

If thou dar’st bring them to the baiting place.

154

RICHARD

Oft have I seen a hot o’erweening cur

155

Run back and bite because he was withheld,

156

Who, being suffered with the bear’s fell paw,

157

Hath clapped his tail between his legs and cried;

158

And such a piece of service will you do

159

If you oppose yourselves to match Lord Warwick.

160

CLIFFORD

Hence, heap of wrath, foul indigested lump,

161

As crooked in thy manners as thy shape!

162

YORK

Nay, we shall heat you thoroughly anon.

163

CLIFFORD

Take heed, lest by your heat you burn yourselves.

164

KING HENRY

Why, Warwick, hath thy knee forgot to bow?—

165

Old Salisbury, shame to thy silver hair,

166

Thou mad misleader of thy brainsick son!

167

What, wilt thou on thy deathbed play the ruffian

168

And seek for sorrow with thy spectacles?

169

O, where is faith? O, where is loyalty?

170

If it be banished from the frosty head,

171

Where shall it find a harbor in the earth?

172

Wilt thou go dig a grave to find out war,

173

And shame thine honorable age with blood?

174

Why art thou old and want’st experience?

175

Or wherefore dost abuse it, if thou hast it?

176

For shame! In duty bend thy knee to me

177

That bows unto the grave with mickle age.

178

SALISBURY

My lord, I have considered with myself

179

The title of this most renownèd duke,

180

And in my conscience do repute his Grace

181

The rightful heir to England’s royal seat.

182

KING HENRY

Hast thou not sworn allegiance unto me?

183

SALISBURY I have.

184

KING HENRY

Canst thou dispense with heaven for such an oath?

185

SALISBURY

It is great sin to swear unto a sin,

186

But greater sin to keep a sinful oath.

187

Who can be bound by any solemn vow

188

To do a murd’rous deed, to rob a man,

189

To force a spotless virgin’s chastity,

190

To reave the orphan of his patrimony,

191

To wring the widow from her customed right,

192

And have no other reason for this wrong

193

Henry VI, Part 2, p.21

Other author's books: