Thus got the house of Lancaster the crown. YORK Which now they hold by force and not by right;For Richard, the first son's heir, being dead, The issue of the next son should have reign'd. SALISBURY But William of Hatfield died without an heir. YORK The third son, Duke of Clarence, from whose line I claimed the crown, had issue, Philippe, a daughter, Who married Edmund Mortimer, Earl of March:
Edmund had issue, Roger Earl of March;
Roger had issue, Edmund, Anne and Eleanor. SALISBURY This Edmund, in the reign of Bolingbroke, As I have read, laid claim unto the crown;And, but for Owen Glendower, had been king, Who kept him in captivity till he died.
But to the rest. YORK His eldest sister, Anne, My mother, being heir unto the crown Married Richard Earl of Cambridge; who was son To Edmund Langley, Edward the Third's fifth son.
By her I claim the kingdom: she was heir To Roger Earl of March, who was the son Of Edmund Mortimer, who married Philippe, Sole daughter unto Lionel Duke of Clarence:
So, if the issue of the elder son Succeed before the younger, I am king. WARWICK What plain proceeding is more plain than this?
Henry doth claim the crown from John of Gaunt, The fourth son; York claims it from the third.
Till Lionel's issue fails, his should not reign:
It fails not yet, but flourishes in thee And in thy sons, fair slips of such a stock.
Then, father Salisbury, kneel we together;And in this private plot be we the first That shall salute our rightful sovereign With honour of his birthright to the crown. BOTH Long live our sovereign Richard, England's king! YORK We thank you, lords. But I am not your king Till I be crown'd and that my sword be stain'd With heart-blood of the house of Lancaster;And that's not suddenly to be perform'd, But with advice and silent secrecy.
Do you as I do in these dangerous days:
Wink at the Duke of Suffolk's insolence, At Beaufort's pride, at Somerset's ambition, At Buckingham and all the crew of them, Till they have snared the shepherd of the flock, That virtuous prince, the good Duke Humphrey:
'Tis that they seek, and they in seeking that Shall find their deaths, if York can prophesy. SALISBURY My lord, break we off; we know your mind at full. WARWICK My heart assures me that the Earl of Warwick Shall one day make the Duke of York a king. YORK And, Nevil, this I do assure myself:
Richard shall live to make the Earl of Warwick The greatest man in England but the king.
Exeunt SCENE III. A hall of justice. Sound trumpets. Enter KING HENRY VI, QUEEN MARGARET, GLOUCESTER, YORK, SUFFOLK, and SALISBURY; the DUCHESS, MARGARET JOURDAIN, SOUTHWELL, HUME, and BOLINGBROKE, under guard KING HENRY VI Stand forth, Dame Eleanor Cobham, Gloucester's wife:
In sight of God and us, your guilt is great:
Receive the sentence of the law for sins Such as by God's book are adjudged to death.
You four, from hence to prison back again;From thence unto the place of execution:
The witch in Smithfield shall be burn'd to ashes, And you three shall be strangled on the gallows.
You, madam, for you are more nobly born, Despoiled of your honour in your life, Shall, after three days' open penance done, Live in your country here in banishment, With Sir John Stanley, in the Isle of Man. DUCHESS Welcome is banishment; welcome were my death. GLOUCESTER Eleanor, the law, thou see'st, hath judged thee:
I cannot justify whom the law condemns.
Exeunt DUCHESS and other prisoners, guarded Mine eyes are full of tears, my heart of grief.
Ah, Humphrey, this dishonour in thine age Will bring thy head with sorrow to the ground!
I beseech your majesty, give me leave to go;Sorrow would solace and mine age would ease. KING HENRY VI Stay, Humphrey Duke of Gloucester: ere thou go, Give up thy staff: Henry will to himself Protector be; and God shall be my hope, My stay, my guide and lantern to my feet:
And go in peace, Humphrey, no less beloved Than when thou wert protector to thy King. QUEEN MARGARET I see no reason why a king of years Should be to be protected like a child.
God and King Henry govern England's realm.
Give up your staff, sir, and the king his realm. GLOUCESTER My staff? here, noble Henry, is my staff:
As willingly do I the same resign As e'er thy father Henry made it mine;And even as willingly at thy feet I leave it As others would ambitiously receive it.
Farewell, good king: when I am dead and gone, May honourable peace attend thy throne!
Exit QUEEN MARGARET Why, now is Henry king, and Margaret queen;And Humphrey Duke of Gloucester scarce himself, That bears so shrewd a maim; two pulls at once;His lady banish'd, and a limb lopp'd off.
This staff of honour raught, there let it stand Where it best fits to be, in Henry's hand. SUFFOLK Thus droops this lofty pine and hangs his sprays;Thus Eleanor's pride dies in her youngest days. YORK Lords, let him go. Please it your majesty, This is the day appointed for the combat;And ready are the appellant and defendant, The armourer and his man, to enter the lists, So please your highness to behold the fight. QUEEN MARGARET Ay, good my lord; for purposely therefore Left I the court, to see this quarrel tried. KING HENRY VI O God's name, see the lists and all things fit:
Here let them end it; and God defend the right! YORK I never saw a fellow worse bested, Or more afraid to fight, than is the appellant, The servant of this armourer, my lords.
Enter at one door, HORNER, the Armourer, and his Neighbours, drinking to him so much that he is drunk; and he enters with a drum before him and his staff with a sand-bag fastened to it; and at the other door PETER, his man, with a drum and sand-bag, and 'Prentices drinking to him First Neighbour Here, neighbour Horner, I drink to you in a cup of sack: and fear not, neighbour, you shall do well enough. Second Neighbour And here, neighbour, here's a cup of charneco. Third Neighbour And here's a pot of good double beer, neighbour:
drink, and fear not your man. HORNER Let it come, i' faith, and I'll pledge you all; and a fig for Peter!
First 'Prentice Here, Peter, I drink to thee:
and be not afraid.