The THIRD PART of
KING HENRT VI
LONDON.
Before the Parliament-Houfe.
Alarum. Enter Duke of York, Edward, Richard,
Norfolk, Montague, Warwick, and Soldiers.
Wonder how the King efcap'd our hands.
York. While we purfu'd the horsemen of the
He flily ftole away and left his men: [north,
Whereat the great Lord of Northumberland,
Whose warlike cars could never brook retreat,
Chear'd up the drooping army; and himself,
Lord Clifford and Lord Stafford, all a-breast,
Charg'd our main battel's front, and breaking in,
Were by the swords of common foldiers flain.
Edw. Lord Stafford's father, Duke of Buckingham,
Is either flain or wounded dangerous.
(a) First printed under the title of The true Tragedy of Richard Duke of York, and the good King Henry the Sixth; or the fecond pars of the Contention of York and Lancaster. 1600.
I cleft his beaver with a down-right blow:
That this is true, father, behold his blood.
Mont. And, brother, here's the Earl of Wiltshire's blood, Whom I encounter'd as the battels join'd.
Rich. Speak thou for me, and tell them what I did. [Shewing Somerset's head. York. Richard hath beft deferv'd of all my fons. Norf. Is his Grace dead, my Lord of Somerfet? Such hope have all the line of John of Gaunt !
Rich. Thus do I hope to fhake King Henry's head.
War. And fo do I; victorious Prince of York,
Before I fee thee feated in the throne,
Which now the house of Lancaster ufurps,
I vow by heav'n thefe eyes fhall never close.:
This is the palace of the fearful King,
And this the regal feat; poffefs it, York,
For this is thine, and not King Henry's heir's.
York. Affift me then, fweet Warwick, and I will;
For hither we have broken in by force.
Norf. We'll all affift you; he that flies fhall die. York. Thanks, gentle Norfolk; ftay by me, my Lords, And, foldiers, ftay and lodge by me this night.
[They go up. War. And when the King comes, offer him no violence,
Unless he feek to thrust you out by force..
York. The Queen this day here holds her Parliament, But little thinks we shall be of her council;
By words or blows here let us win our right.
Rich. Arm'd as we are, let's ftay within this house.
War. The bloody Parliament fhall this be call'd,
Unless Plantagenet Duke of York be King,
And bafhful Harry depos'd, whofe cowardife
Hath made us by-words to our enemies.
York. Then leave me not, my Lords, be refolute
I mean to take poffeffion of my right.
War. Neither the King, nor he that loves him beft, The proudeft He that holds up Lancaster,
This line to York in former editions.
Dares ftir a wing, if Warwick fhake his bells.
I'll plant Plantagenet, root him up who dare:
Refolve thee, Richard, claim the English crown.
SCE NE II.
Enter King Henry, Clifford, Northumberland, Weft-
morland, Exeter, and others.
K. Henry. My Lords, look where the sturdy rebel fits,
Even in the chair of ftate; belike he means
(Back'd by the power of Warwick, that falfe Peer,)
T'afpire unto the crown, and reign as King.
Earl of Northumberland, he flew thy father,
And thine, Lord Clifford, and you vow'd revenge
On him, his fons, his fav'rites, and his friends.
North. If I be not, heav'ns be reveng'd on me!
Clif. The hope thereof makes Clifford mourn in fteel.
Weft. What, fhall we fuffer this? let's pluck him down.'
My heart for anger burns, I cannot brook it.
K. Henry. Be patient, gentle Earl of Westmorland,
Clif. Patience is for poltroons, and fuch is he:
He durft not fit there had your father liv'd.
My gracious Lord, here in the Parliament
Let us affail the family of York.
North. Well haft thou fpoken, coufin, be it fo.
K. Henry. Ah, know you not the city favours them,
And they have troops of foldiers at their beck?
Exe. But when the Duke is flain, they'll quickly fly.
K. Henry, Far be the thought of this from Henry's heart,
To make a fhambles of the Parliament-house!
Coufin of Exeter, frowns, words and threats,
Shall be the war that Henry means to use.
Thou factious Duke of York, defcend my throne,
And kneel for grace and mercy at my feet:
Exe. For fhame come down: he made thee Duke of York.
York. 'Twas my inheritance, as the Earldom was.
Exe. Thy father was a traitor to the crown.
War. Exeter, thou art a traitor to the crown,
In following this ufurping Henry.
Clif. Whom fhould he follow but his natural King?
War. True, Clifford, and that's Richard Duke of York.
K. Henry. And fhall I ftand, and thou fit in my throne?
York. It muft and fhall be fo, content thy felf.
War. Be Duke of Lancaster, let him be King.
Weft. He is both King and Duke of Lancaster.
And that the Lord of Westmorland fhall maintain.
War. And Warwick fhall difprove it. You forget,
That we are those which chas'd you from the field,
And flew your fathers, and with colours spread
March'd through the city to the palace-gates.
North. Yes, Warwick, I remember it to my grief.
And, by his foul, thou and thy houfe fhall rue it.
Weft. Plantagenet, of thee and thefe thy fons
Thy kinfmen, and thy friends, I'll have more lives
Than drops of blood were in my father's veins.
Clif. Urge it no more, left that instead of words
I fend thee, Warwick, fuch a meffenger,
As fhall revenge his death before I ftir.
War. Poor Clifford! how I fcorn his worthlefs threats!
York. Will you, we fhew our title to the crown?
If not, our fwords fhall plead it in the field.
K. Henry. What title haft thou, traitor, to the crown?
Thy father was, as thou art, Duke of York;
Thy grandfather Roger Mortimer, Earl of March.
I am the fon of Henry the Fifth,
Who made the Dauphin and the French to stoop,
And feiz'd upon their towns and provinces.
War. Talk not of France fith thou haft loft it all.
K. Henry. The Lord Protector lost it, and not I;
When I was crown'd I was but nine months old.
Rich. You're old enough now, "'yet` methinks you lafe:
"Tear the crown, father, from the ufuper's head.
Edw. Sweet father, do fo, fet it on your head. Mont. Good brother, as thou lov'ft and honour'ft arms Let's fight it out, and not ftand cavilling thus.
Rich. Sound drums and trumpets, and the King will fly. York. Sons, peace!
[fpeak. K. Henry. Peace thou, and give King Henry leave to War. Plantagenet fhall speak firft: hear him, Lords, And be you filent and attentive too,
For he that interrupts him fhall not live.
[throne,
K. Henry. Think'ft thou that I will leave my kingly
Wherein my grandfire and my father fat?
No: firft fhall war unpeople this my realm;
Ay, and their colours often born in France,
And now in England to our heart's great forrow,
Shall be my winding fheet: why faint you, Lords,
My title's good and better far than his.
War. But prove it, Henry, and thou shalt be King.
K. Henry. Henry the Fourth by conqueft got the crown.
York. 'Twas by rebellion against his King.
K. Henry. I know not what to fay, my title's weak;
Tell me, may not a King adopt an heir?
K. Henry. And if he may, then am I lawful King,
For Richard in the view of many Lords,
Refign'd the crown to Henry the Fourth,
Whose heir my father was, and I am his.
York. He rofe against him, being his Sovereign,
And made him to refign his crown perforce.
War. Suppofe, my Lords, he did it unconstrain❜d,
Think you 'twere prejudicial to his crown?
Exe. No, for he could not fo refign his crown, But that the next heir should fucceed and reign. K. Henry. Art thou against us, Duke of Exeter? Exe. His is the right, and therefore pardon me. York. Why whisper you, my Lords, and anfwer not? Exe. My confcience tells me he is lawful King. K. Henry. All will revolt from me and turn to him. North. Plantagenet, for all the claim thou lay'ft,
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