YORK    Will you we103 show our title to the crown?

  If not, our swords shall plead104 it in the field.

  KING HENRY VI    What title hast thou, traitor, to the crown?

  Thy father was, as thou art, Duke of York106:

  Thy grandfather, Roger Mortimer, Earl of March:

  I am the son of Henry the Fifth,

  Who made the dauphin and the French to stoop109

  And seized upon their towns and provinces.

  WARWICK    Talk not of France, sith111 thou hast lost it all.

  KING HENRY VI    The Lord Protector112 lost it and not I:

  When I was crowned, I was but nine months old.

  RICHARD    You are old enough now, and yet114, methinks, you lose.—

  Father, tear the crown from the usurper’s head.

  EDWARD    Sweet father, do so, set it on your head.

  MONTAGUE    Good brother, as thou lov’st and honourest arms,

  Let’s fight it out and not stand cavilling118 thus.

  RICHARD    Sound drums and trumpets, and the king will fly.

  YORK    Sons, peace!

  KING HENRY VI    Peace, thou, and give King Henry leave121 to speak.

  WARWICK    Plantagenet shall speak first: hear him, lords,

  And be you silent and attentive too,

  For he that interrupts him shall not live.

  KING HENRY VI    Think’st thou that I will leave my kingly throne,

  Wherein my grandsire and my father sat?

  No: first shall war unpeople127 this my realm;

  Ay, and their colours, often borne in France,

  And now in England to our heart’s great sorrow,

  Shall be my winding-sheet. Why faint you130, lords?

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

  WARWICK    Prove it, Henry, and thou shalt be king.

  KING HENRY VI    Henry the Fourth by conquest got the crown.

  YORK    ’Twas by rebellion against his king134.

  Aside

  KING HENRY VI    I know not what to say, my title’s weak.—

  Tell me, may not a king adopt an heir?

  YORK    What then?

  KING HENRY VI    An if138 he may, then am I lawful king,

  For Richard, in the view of many lords,

  Resigned the crown to Henry the Fourth,

  Whose heir my father was, and I am his.

  YORK    He rose against him, being142 his sovereign,

  And made him to resign his crown perforce.

  WARWICK    Suppose, my lords, he did it unconstrained144,

  Think you ’twere prejudicial to his crown145?

  EXETER    No, for he could not so resign his crown,

  But that the next heir147 should succeed and reign.

  KING HENRY VI    Art thou against us, Duke of Exeter?

  EXETER    His149 is the right, and therefore pardon me.

  YORK    Why whisper you, my lords, and answer not?

  EXETER    My conscience tells me he is lawful king.

  Aside?

  KING HENRY VI    All will revolt from me and turn to him.

  To York

  NORTHUMBERLAND    Plantagenet, for all the claim thou lay’st,

  Think not that Henry shall be so deposed.

  WARWICK    Deposed he shall be, in despite155 of all.

  NORTHUMBERLAND    Thou art deceived. ’Tis not thy southern power156,

  Of Essex, Norfolk, Suffolk, nor of Kent,

  Which makes thee thus presumptuous and proud,

  Can set the duke up159 in despite of me.

  CLIFFORD    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 father!

  KING HENRY VI    O Clifford, how thy words revive my heart!

  YORK    Henry of Lancaster, resign thy crown.

  What mutter you, or what conspire you, lords?

  WARWICK    Do right unto this princely Duke of York,

  Or I will fill the house with armèd men,

  And over the chair of state, where now he sits,

  Write up his title with usurping blood170.

  He stamps with his foot and the Soldiers show themselves

  KING HENRY VI    My lord of Warwick, hear me but one word:

  Let me for this my lifetime reign as king.

  YORK    Confirm the crown to me and to mine heirs,

  And thou shalt reign in quiet while thou liv’st.

  KING HENRY VI    I am content. Richard Plantagenet,

  Enjoy the kingdom after my decease.

  CLIFFORD    What wrong is this unto the prince your son!

  WARWICK    What good is this to England and himself!

  WESTMORLAND    Base179, fearful and despairing Henry!

  CLIFFORD    How hast thou injured both thyself and us!

  WESTMORLAND    I cannot stay to hear these articles181.

  NORTHUMBERLAND    Nor I.

  To Northumberland

  CLIFFORD    Come, cousin, let us tell the queen these news.

  WESTMORLAND    Farewell, faint-hearted and degenerate king,

  In whose cold185 blood no spark of honour bides.

  NORTHUMBERLAND    Be thou a prey unto the House of York,

  And die in bands187 for this unmanly deed.

  CLIFFORD    In dreadful war mayst thou be overcome,

  Or live in peace abandoned and despised.

  [Exeunt Northumberland, Clifford and Westmorland]

  WARWICK    Turn this way, Henry, and regard them not.

  EXETER    They seek revenge and therefore will not yield.

  KING HENRY VI    Ah, Exeter.

  WARWICK    Why should you sigh, my lord?

  KING HENRY VI    Not for myself, Lord Warwick, but my son,

  Whom I unnaturally shall disinherit.

  To York

  But be it as it may.— I here entail196.

  The crown to thee and to thine heirs for ever,

  Conditionally198, 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 down202 and reign thyself.

  YORK    This oath I willingly take and will perform.

  WARWICK    Long live King Henry!— Plantagenet embrace him.

  KING HENRY VI    And long live thou and these thy forward205 sons!

  YORK    Now York and Lancaster are reconciled.

  EXETER    Accursed be he that seeks to make them foes.

  Sennet. Here they come down

  YORK    Farewell, my gracious lord, I’ll to my castle.

  [Exeunt York, his sons and their Soldiers]

  WARWICK    And I’ll keep209 London with my soldiers.

  [Exit]

  NORFOLK    And I to Norfolk with my followers.

  [Exit]

  MONTAGUE    And I unto the sea211 from whence I came.

  [Exit]

  KING HENRY VI    And I with grief and sorrow to the court.

  Enter the Queen [Margaret, with Prince Edward]

  EXETER    Here comes the queen, whose looks bewray213 her anger.

  Starts to leave

  I’ll steal away.

  KING HENRY VI    Exeter, so will I.

  QUEEN MARGARET    Nay, go not from me, I will follow thee.

  KING HENRY VI    Be patient, gentle queen, and I will stay.

  QUEEN MARGARET    Who can be patient in such extremes?

  Ah, wretched man, would I had died a maid219

  And never seen thee, never borne thee son,

  Seeing thou hast proved so unnatural a father.

  Hath he deserved to lose his birthright thus?

  Hadst thou but loved him half so well as I,

  Or felt that pain224 which I did for him once,

  Or nourished him as I did with my blood225,

  Thou wouldst have left thy dearest heart-blood there,

  Rather than have made that savage duke thine heir

  And disinherited thine only son.

  PRINCE EDWARD    Father, you cannot disinherit me:

  If you be king, why should not I succeed?

  KING HENRY VI    Pardon me, Margaret.— Pardon me, sweet son.

  The Earl of Warwick and the duke enforced me.

  QUEEN MARGARET    Enforced thee? Art thou king, and wilt be forced?

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

  Thou hast undone235 thyself, thy son and me,

  And given unto the House of York such head236

  As thou shalt reign but by their sufferance237.

  To entail him and his heirs unto the crown,

  What is it, but to make thy sepulchre239

  And creep into it far before thy time?

  Warwick is chancellor and the lord of Calais,

  Stern Falconbridge commands the narrow seas242,

  The duke243 is made protector of the realm,

  And yet shalt thou be safe? Such safety finds

  The trembling lamb environèd245 with wolves.

  Had I been there, which am a silly246 woman,

  The soldiers should have tossed me on their pikes247

  Before I would have granted248 to that act.

  But thou preferr’st thy life before thine honour.

  And seeing thou dost, I here divorce myself

  Both from thy table, Henry, and thy bed251,

  Until that act of parliament be repealed

  Whereby my son is disinherited.

  The northern lords that have forsworn254 thy colours

  Will follow mine, if once they see them spread:

  And spread they shall be, to thy foul disgrace

  And utter ruin of the House of York.

  Thus do I leave thee.— Come, son, let’s away.

  Our army is ready; come, we’ll after them.

  KING HENRY VI    Stay, gentle Margaret, and hear me speak.

  QUEEN MARGARET    Thou hast spoke too much already. Get thee gone.

  KING HENRY VI    Gentle son Edward, thou wilt stay with me?

  QUEEN MARGARET    Ay, to be murdered by his enemies.

  PRINCE EDWARD    When I return with victory from the field

  I’ll see your grace: till then I’ll follow her.

  QUEEN MARGARET    Come, son, away. We may not linger thus.

  [Exeunt Queen Margaret and Prince Edward]

  KING HENRY VI    Poor queen, how love to me and to her son

  Hath made her break out into terms of rage.

  Revenged may she be on that hateful duke,

  Whose haughty spirit, wingèd with desire,

  Will cost my crown, and like an empty271 eagle

  Tire272 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 fair274.

  Come, cousin you shall be the messenger.

  EXETER    And I, I hope, shall reconcile them all.

  Flourish. Exeunt

  [Act 1 Scene 2]

  running scene 2

  Enter Richard, Edward and Montague

  RICHARD    Brother, though I be youngest, give me leave1.

  EDWARD    No, I can better play the orator.

  MONTAGUE    But I have reasons strong and forcible3.

  Enter the Duke of York

  YORK    Why, how now, sons and brother, at a strife?

  What is your quarrel? How began it first?

  EDWARD    No quarrel, but a slight contention.

  YORK    About what?

  RICHARD    About that which concerns your grace and us:

  The crown of England, father, which is yours.

  YORK    Mine boy? Not till King Henry be dead.

  RICHARD    Your right depends not on his life or death.

  EDWARD    Now you are heir: therefore enjoy it now.

  By giving the House of Lancaster leave to breathe13,

  It will outrun14 you, father, in the end.

  YORK    I took an oath that he should quietly15 reign.

  EDWARD    But for a kingdom any oath may be broken:

  I would break a thousand oaths to reign one year.

  RICHARD    No: God forbid your grace should be forsworn18.

  YORK    I shall be, if I claim by open war.

  RICHARD    I’ll prove the contrary, if you’ll hear me speak.

  YORK    Thou canst not, son: it is impossible.

  RICHARD    An oath is of no moment22, being not took

  Before a true and lawful magistrate,

  That hath authority over him that swears.

  Henry had none, but did usurp the place.

  Then, seeing ’twas he that made you to depose26,

  Your oath, my lord, is vain27 and frivolous.

  Therefore to arms: and, father, do but think

  How sweet a thing it is to wear a crown,

  Within whose circuit is Elysium30

  And all that poets feign31 of bliss and joy.

  Why do we linger thus? I cannot rest

  Until the white rose that I wear be dyed33

  Even in the lukewarm blood of Henry’s heart.

  YORK    Richard, enough: I will be king or die.

  Brother, thou shalt to London presently36,

  And whet on37 Warwick to this enterprise.

  Thou, Richard, shalt to the Duke of Norfolk,

  And tell him privily39 of our intent.

  You Edward, shall unto my lord Cobham,

  With whom the Kentishmen will willingly rise41.

  In them I trust, for they are soldiers,

  Witty, courteous, liberal, full of spirit43.

  While you are thus employed, what resteth more44,

  But that I seek occasion45 how to rise,

  And yet the king not privy to my drift46,

  Nor any of the House of Lancaster?

  Enter a Messenger

  But stay48. What news? Why com’st thou in such post?

  MESSENGER    The queen with all the northern earls and lords

  Intend here to besiege you in your castle.

  She is hard51 by with twenty thousand men,

  And therefore fortify your hold52, my lord.

  [Exit]

  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 post55 to London.

  Let noble Warwick Cobham and the rest,

  Whom we have left protectors of the king,

  With powerful policy58 strengthen themselves,

  And trust not simple59 Henry nor his oaths.

  MONTAGUE    Brother, I go: I’ll win them, fear it not.

  And thus most humbly I do take my leave.

  Exit

  Enter [John]. Mortimer and his brother [Hugh]

  YORK    Sir John and Sir Hugh Mortimer, mine uncles,

  You are come to Sandal in a happy63 hour.

  The army of the queen mean to besiege us.

  JOHN MORTIMER    She shall not need65: we’ll meet her in the field.

  YORK    What, with five thousand men?

  RICHARD    Ay, with five hundred, father, for a need67.

  A woman’s general: what should we fear?

  A march afar off

  EDWARD    I hear their drums: let’s set our men in order,

  And issue forth and bid them battle straight70.

  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,

  Whenas74 the enemy hath been ten to one.

  Why should I not now have the like75 success?

  Alarum. Exeunt

  [Act 1 Scene 3]

  running scene 3

  Enter Rutland and his Tutor

  RUTLAND    Ah, whither shall I fly to scape1 their hands?

  Ah, tutor, look where bloody2 Clifford comes.

  Enter Clifford [and Soldiers]

  CLIFFORD    Chaplain, away, thy priesthood saves thy life.

  As for the brat of this accursèd duke4,

  Whose father slew my father, he shall die.

  TUTOR    And I, my lord, will bear him company.