IVar. Depos'd he shall be, in despight of thee.
North. Thou art deceiv'd: 'tis not thy southern power
Of Effex, Norfolk, Suffolk, nor of Kent,
Which makes thee thus presumptuous and proud,
Can fet the Duke up in despight 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 flew my father!
K. Henry. Oh 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 this house with armed men;
And, o'er the chair of state, where now he fits,
Write up his title with ufurping blood.
[He stamps with his foot, and the Soldiers shew themselves. K. Henry. My Lord of Warwick, hear me but one word; Let me but reign in quiet, while I live.
York. Confirm the crown to me and to mine heirs,
And thou shalt reign in quiet while thou liv'st.
K. Henry. I am content: Richard Plantagenet,
Enjoy the kingdom after my decease.
Clif. What wrong is this unto the Prince your fon
War. What good is this to England and himself?
Weft. Base, fearful and despairing Henry!
Clif. How haft thou injur'd both thyself and us!
Weft. I cannot stay to hear these articles.
Clif. Come, coufin, let us tell the Queen these news.
Weft. Farewel, faint-hearted and degen'rate King,
In whose cold blood no spark of honour bides.
North. Be thou a prey unto the house of York,
And die in bands for this unmanly deed!-
Clif. In dreadful war may'st thou be overcome,
Or live in peace abandon'd and despis'd!-
[Exeunt Nor. Cliff. Westm.
War. Turn this way, Henry, and regard them not. Exe. They feek revenge, and therefore will not yield. K. Henry. Ah, Exeter!
War. Why fhould you figh, my Lord?
K. Henry. Not for myfelf, Lord Warwick, but my fon;
Whom I unnaturally fhall difinherit.
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, whilft I live,
To honour me as thy King and Sovereign:
Neither by treason nor hoftility
To feek to put me down, and reign thyself.
York. This oath I willingly take, and will perform. War. Long live King Henry.-Plantagenet, embrace him. K. Henry. And long live thou, and thefe thy forward fons! York. Now York and Lancaster are reconcil'd.
Exe. Accurft be he that feeks to make them foes!
[Sonet. Here they come down. York. Farewel, my gracious Lord, I'll to my caftle. War. And I'll keep London with my foldiers. North. And I to Norfolk with my followers. Mont. And I unto the fea, from whence I came.
[Exeunt York, Warwick, Norfolk and Montague. K. Henry. And I with grief and forrow to the court.
Enter the Queen, and the Prince of Wales.
Exe. Here comes the Queen, whofe looks bewray her I'll fteal away.
K. Henry. So, Exeter, will I.
Queen. Nay, go not from me; I will follow thee.-
K. Henry. Be patient, gentle Queen, and I will ftay.
Queen. Who can be patient in fuch extremes ?
Ah, wretched man! would I had dy'd a maid,
And never seen thee, never born thee fon,
Seeing thou haft prov'd fo' unnatural a father.
Hath he deferv'd to lose his birth-right thus ?
Hadft thou but lov'd him half fo well as I,
Or felt that pain which I did for him once,
Or nourisht him, as I did with my blood;
Thou wouldst have left thy dearest heart-blood there,
Rather than made that favage Duke thine heir,
And difinherited thine only fon.
Prince. Father, you cannot disinherit me : If you be King, why should not I fucceed ?
K. Henry. Pardon me, Marg'ret; pardon me, sweet son; The Earl of Warwick and the Duke enforc'd me.
Queen. Enforc'd thee? art thou King, and wilt be forc'd?
I shame to hear thee speak; ah, tim'rous wretch!
Thou haft undone thyself, thy fon, and me,
And given unto the house of York such head,
As thou shalt reign but by their fufferance.
To entail him and's heirs unto the crown,
What is it but to make thy fepulchre,
And creep into it far before thy time?
Warwick is Chancellor, and the Lord of Calais ;
Stern Falconbridge commands the narrow feas;
'The Duke is made Protector of the realm;
And yet shalt thou be fafe ?-such safety finds
The trembling lamb, invironed with wolves.
Had I been there, which am a filly woman,
The foldiers should have toss'd me on their pikes,
Before I would have granted to that act.
But thou preferr'it thy life before thine honour:
And feeing thou dost, I here divorce myself
Both from thy table, Henry, and thy bed;
Until that act of parliament be repealed,
Whereby my fon is disinherited.
The northein Lords, that have forfworn thy colours,
Will follow mine, if once they fee them spread:
And fpread they shall be, to thy foul disgrace,
And utter ruin of the house of York.
'Thus do I leave thee; come, fon, let's away;
Our army's ready; come, we'll after them.
K. Henry. Stay, gentle Margaret, and hear me freak.
Queen. Thou hast spoke too much already; get thee gone.
K. Henry. Gentle son Edward, thou wilt stay with me?
Queen. Ay, to be murder'd by his enemies.
Prince. When I return with victory from the field,
I'll fee your Grace; till then I'll follow her.
Queen. Come, fon, away; we may not linger thus.
[Exeunt Queen and Prince.
K. Henry. Poor Queen, how love to me and to her fon
Hath
Hath made her break out into terms of rage.
Reveng'd may fhe be on that hateful Duke,
Whofe haughty fpirit, winged with defire,
Will coft my crown, and, like an empty cagle,
Tire on the flesh of me and of my fon.
The lofs of those three Lords torments my heart; -
I'll write unto them, and intreat them fair;
Come, coufin, you fhall be the meffenger.
Exe. And, as I hope, shall reconcile them all. [Exeunt
SCENE changes to Sandal-Castle, near Wakefield, in Yorkshire.
Enter Richard, Edward, and Montague.
Rother, though I be youngest, give me leave.
Edw. No, I can better play the orator.
Mont. But I have reasons strong and forcible.
York. Why how now, fons and brother, at a ftrife? What is your quarrel? how began it firft?
Edw. No quarrel, but a fweet contention. (3)
Rich. 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.
Rich. Your right depends not on his life or death.
Edw. Now you are heir, therefore enjoy it now:
By giving the houfe of Lancafter leave to breathe,
It will out-run you, father, in the end.
York. I took an oath that he fhould quietly reign.
Edw. But for a kingdom any oath may be broken : (4)
I'd
(3) No quarrel but a slight contention.] Thus the players, first, in their edition; who did not underftand, I prefume, the force of the epithet in the old Quarto, which I have reftor'd ;-sweet contention. i. e. the argument of their difpute was upon a grateful topick; the queftion of their father's immediate right to the crown.
(4) But for a kingdom any oath may be broken :] It seems very probable to me, that the poet is here copying the fpirit of this paffage of Seneca's Thebais.
I'd break a thoufand oaths to reign one year.
Rich. No; God forbid, your Grace fhould be forfworn.
York. I fhall be, if I claim by open war.
Rich. I'll prove the contrary, if you'll hear me speak.
York. Thou canst not, fon; it is impoffible.
Rich. An oath is of no moment, being not took
Before a true and lawful magistrate;
That hath authority o'er him, that swears.
Henry had none; but did ufurp the place.
Then, feeing 'twas he that made you to depofe,
Your oath, my Lord, is vain and frivolous;
Therefore, to arms: and, father, do but think
How fweet a thing it is to wear a crown ;
Within whofe circuit is Elyfium,
And all that poets feign of bliss and joy.
Why do we linger thus? 1 cannot reft,
Until the white rofe, that I wear, be dy'd
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 enterprize.
Thou, Richard, fhalt to the Duke of Norfolk go,
And tell him privily of our intent.
You, Edward, fhall unto my Lord Cobham,
With whom the Kentifbmen will willingly rife.
In them I truft; for they are foldiers,
Wealthy and courteous, liberal, full of fpirit. (5)
While you are thus employ'd, what refteth more
Patriam, penates, conjugem flammis dare;
Imperia precio quolibet conftant bene.
To the fame tenour Euripides, in his Phænissæ;
Τυραννίδος περί
(5) Witty, courteous, liberal, full of spirit.] What a bleffed harmonious line have the editors here given us, and what a promifing epithet in York's behalf, from the Kentifhmen being fo witty? I can't be fo partial, however, to my own county, as to let this compliment pafs. I make no doubt to read;
Wealthy, and courteous, liberal, full of spirit.
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