Enter York, ⌜wearing the white rose,⌝ and his army of
Irish, with ⌜Attendants,⌝ Drum and Colors.YORK From Ireland thus comes York to claim his right And pluck the crown from feeble Henry’s head. Ring, bells, aloud! Burn, bonfires, clear and bright To entertain great England’s lawful king!5 Ah, sancta maiestas, who would not buy thee dear? Let them obey that knows not how to rule. This hand was made to handle naught but gold. I cannot give due action to my words Except a sword or scepter balance it.10 A scepter shall it have, have I a soul, On which I’ll toss the fleur-de-luce of France.Enter Buckingham, ⌜wearing the red rose.⌝ ⌜Aside.⌝ Whom have we here? Buckingham, to disturb me? The King hath sent him, sure. I must dissemble.BUCKINGHAM 15 York, if thou meanest well, I greet thee well.YORK Humphrey of Buckingham, I accept thy greeting. Art thou a messenger, or come of pleasure?
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BUCKINGHAM A messenger from Henry, our dread liege, To know the reason of these arms in peace;20 Or why thou, being a subject as I am, Against thy oath and true allegiance sworn, Should raise so great a power without his leave, Or dare to bring thy force so near the court.YORK, ⌜aside⌝ Scarce can I speak, my choler is so great.25 O, I could hew up rocks and fight with flint, I am so angry at these abject terms! And now, like Ajax Telamonius, On sheep or oxen could I spend my fury. I am far better born than is the King,30 More like a king, more kingly in my thoughts. But I must make fair weather yet awhile, Till Henry be more weak and I more strong.— Buckingham, I prithee, pardon me, That I have given no answer all this while.35 My mind was troubled with deep melancholy. The cause why I have brought this army hither Is to remove proud Somerset from the King, Seditious to his Grace and to the state.BUCKINGHAM That is too much presumption on thy part.40 But if thy arms be to no other end, The King hath yielded unto thy demand: The Duke of Somerset is in the Tower.YORK Upon thine honor, is he prisoner?BUCKINGHAM Upon mine honor, he is prisoner.YORK 45 Then, Buckingham, I do dismiss my powers.— Soldiers, I thank you all. Disperse yourselves.
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Meet me tomorrow in Saint George’s field; You shall have pay and everything you wish.⌜Soldiers exit.⌝ And let my sovereign, virtuous Henry,50 Command my eldest son, nay, all my sons, As pledges of my fealty and love; I’ll send them all as willing as I live. Lands, goods, horse, armor, anything I have Is his to use, so Somerset may die.BUCKINGHAM 55 York, I commend this kind submission. We twain will go into his Highness’ tent.⌜They walk arm in arm.⌝Enter King ⌜Henry⌝ and Attendants.KING HENRY Buckingham, doth York intend no harm to us That thus he marcheth with thee arm in arm?YORK In all submission and humility60 York doth present himself unto your Highness.KING HENRY Then what intends these forces thou dost bring?YORK To heave the traitor Somerset from hence And fight against that monstrous rebel Cade, Who since I heard to be discomfited.Enter Iden, with Cade’s head.IDEN 65 If one so rude and of so mean condition May pass into the presence of a king, Lo, I present your Grace a traitor’s head, The head of Cade, whom I in combat slew.KING HENRY The head of Cade? Great God, how just art Thou!
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70 O, let me view his visage, being dead, That living wrought me such exceeding trouble. Tell me, my friend, art thou the man that slew him?IDEN I was, an ’t like your Majesty.KING HENRY How art thou called? And what is thy degree?IDEN 75 Alexander Iden, that’s my name, A poor esquire of Kent that loves his king.BUCKINGHAM So please it you, my lord, ’twere not amiss He were created knight for his good service.KING HENRY Iden, kneel down. ⌜He kneels.⌝ Rise up a knight. ⌜He
rises.⌝80 We give thee for reward a thousand marks, And will that thou henceforth attend on us.IDEN May Iden live to merit such a bounty, And never live but true unto his liege!Enter Queen ⌜Margaret⌝ and Somerset,
⌜wearing the red rose.⌝KING HENRY, ⌜aside to Buckingham⌝ See, Buckingham, Somerset comes with th’ Queen.85 Go bid her hide him quickly from the Duke.⌜Buckingham whispers to the Queen.⌝QUEEN MARGARET For thousand Yorks he shall not hide his head, But boldly stand and front him to his face.YORK, ⌜aside⌝ How now? Is Somerset at liberty? Then, York, unloose thy long-imprisoned thoughts,90 And let thy tongue be equal with thy heart. Shall I endure the sight of Somerset?— False king, why hast thou broken faith with me,
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Knowing how hardly I can brook abuse? “King” did I call thee? No, thou art not king,95 Not fit to govern and rule multitudes, Which dar’st not—no, nor canst not—rule a traitor. That head of thine doth not become a crown; Thy hand is made to grasp a palmer’s staff, And not to grace an awful princely scepter.100 That gold must round engirt these brows of mine, Whose smile and frown, like to Achilles’ spear, Is able with the change to kill and cure. Here is a hand to hold a scepter up And with the same to act controlling laws.105 Give place. By heaven, thou shalt rule no more O’er him whom heaven created for thy ruler.SOMERSET O monstrous traitor! I arrest thee, York, Of capital treason ’gainst the King and crown. Obey, audacious traitor. Kneel for grace.YORK 110 Wouldst have me kneel? First let me ask of ⌜these⌝ If they can brook I bow a knee to man. ⌜To an Attendant.⌝ Sirrah, call in my ⌜sons⌝ to be my bail.⌜Attendant exits.⌝ I know, ere they will have me go to ward,115 They’ll pawn their swords ⌜for⌝ my enfranchisement.QUEEN MARGARET, ⌜to Buckingham⌝ Call hither Clifford; bid him come amain, To say if that the bastard boys of York Shall be the surety for their traitor father.⌜Buckingham exits.⌝YORK, ⌜to Queen Margaret⌝ O, blood-bespotted Neapolitan,120 Outcast of Naples, England’s bloody scourge! The sons of York, thy betters in their birth, Shall be their father’s bail, and bane to those That for my surety will refuse the boys.
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Enter ⌜York’s sons⌝ Edward and Richard,
⌜wearing the white rose.⌝ See where they come; I’ll warrant they’ll make it125 good.Enter ⌜old⌝ Clifford ⌜and his Son, wearing the red rose.⌝QUEEN MARGARET And here comes Clifford to deny their bail.CLIFFORD, ⌜kneeling before King Henry⌝ Health and all happiness to my lord the King.⌜He rises.⌝YORK I thank thee, Clifford. Say, what news with thee? Nay, do not fright us with an angry look.130 We are thy sovereign, Clifford; kneel again. For thy mistaking so, we pardon thee.CLIFFORD This is my king, York; I do not mistake, But thou mistakes me much to think I do.— To Bedlam with him! Is the man grown mad?KING HENRY 135 Ay, Clifford, a bedlam and ambitious humor Makes him oppose himself against his king.CLIFFORD He is a traitor. Let him to the Tower, And chop away that factious pate of his.QUEEN MARGARET He is arrested, but will not obey.140 His sons, he says, shall give their words for him.YORK Will you not, sons?EDWARD Ay, noble father, if our words will serve.RICHARD And if words will not, then our weapons shall.CLIFFORD Why, what a brood of traitors have we here!
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YORK 145 Look in a glass, and call thy image so. I am thy king and thou a false-heart traitor. Call hither to the stake my two brave bears, That, with the very shaking of their chains, They may astonish these fell-lurking curs.150 ⌜To an Attendant.⌝ Bid Salisbury and Warwick come to me.⌜Attendant exits.⌝Enter the Earls of Warwick and Salisbury, ⌜wearing the
white rose.⌝CLIFFORD Are these thy bears? We’ll bait thy bears to death And manacle the bearherd in their chains, If thou dar’st bring them to the baiting place.RICHARD 155 Oft have I seen a hot o’erweening cur Run back and bite because he was withheld, Who, being suffered with the bear’s fell paw, Hath clapped his tail between his legs and cried; And such a piece of service will you do160 If you oppose yourselves to match Lord Warwick.CLIFFORD Hence, heap of wrath, foul indigested lump, As crooked in thy manners as thy shape!YORK Nay, we shall heat you thoroughly anon.CLIFFORD Take heed, lest by your heat you burn yourselves.KING HENRY 165 Why, Warwick, hath thy knee forgot to bow?— Old Salisbury, shame to thy silver hair, Thou mad misleader of thy brainsick son! What, wilt thou on thy deathbed play the ruffian And seek for sorrow with thy spectacles?170 O, where is faith? O, where is loyalty?
If it be banished from the frosty head, Where shall it find a harbor in the earth? Wilt thou go dig a grave to find out war, And shame thine honorable age with blood?175 Why art thou old and want’st experience? Or wherefore dost abuse it, if thou hast it? For shame! In duty bend thy knee to me That bows unto the grave with mickle age.SALISBURY My lord, I have considered with myself180 The title of this most renownèd duke, And in my conscience do repute his Grace The rightful heir to England’s royal seat.KING HENRY Hast thou not sworn allegiance unto me?SALISBURY I have.KING HENRY 185 Canst thou dispense with heaven for such an oath?SALISBURY It is great sin to swear unto a sin, But greater sin to keep a sinful oath. Who can be bound by any solemn vow To do a murd’rous deed, to rob a man,190 To force a spotless virgin’s chastity, To reave the orphan of his patrimony, To wring the widow from her customed right, And have no other reason for this wrong But that he was bound by a solemn oath?QUEEN MARGARET 195 A subtle traitor needs no sophister.KING HENRY, ⌜to an Attendant⌝ Call Buckingham, and bid him arm himself.⌜Attendant exits.⌝YORK, ⌜to King Henry⌝ Call Buckingham and all the friends thou hast, I am resolved for death ⌜or⌝ dignity.
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CLIFFORD The first, I warrant thee, if dreams prove true.WARWICK 200 You were best to go to bed and dream again, To keep thee from the tempest of the field.CLIFFORD I am resolved to bear a greater storm Than any thou canst conjure up today; And that I’ll write upon thy burgonet,205 Might I but know thee by thy ⌜house’s⌝ badge.WARWICK Now, by my father’s badge, old Neville’s crest, The rampant bear chained to the ragged staff, This day I’ll wear aloft my burgonet— As on a mountaintop the cedar shows210 That keeps his leaves in spite of any storm— Even to affright thee with the view thereof.CLIFFORD And from thy burgonet I’ll rend thy bear And tread it under foot with all contempt, Despite the bearherd that protects the bear.YOUNG CLIFFORD 215 And so to arms, victorious father, To quell the rebels and their complices.RICHARD Fie! Charity, for shame! Speak not in spite, For you shall sup with Jesu Christ tonight.YOUNG CLIFFORD Foul stigmatic, that’s more than thou canst tell!RICHARD 220 If not in heaven, you’ll surely sup in hell.⌜They exit separately.⌝
Henry VI, Part 2
