Nay, do not fright us with an angry look;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 mistakest me much to think I do:
To Bedlam with him! is the man grown mad? KING HENRY VI Ay, Clifford; a bedlam and ambitious humour 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;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! YORK 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:
Bid Salisbury and Warwick come to me.
Enter the WARWICK and SALISBURY CLIFFORD Are these thy bears? we'll bait thy bears to death.
And manacle the bear-ward in their chains, If thou darest bring them to the baiting place. RICHARD Oft have I seen a hot o'erweening cur Run back and bite, because he was withheld;Who, being suffer'd with the bear's fell paw, Hath clapp'd his tail between his legs and cried:
And such a piece of service will you do, 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 VI Why, Warwick, hath thy knee forgot to bow?
Old Salisbury, shame to thy silver hair, Thou mad misleader of thy brain-sick son!
What, wilt thou on thy death-bed play the ruffian, And seek for sorrow with thy spectacles?
O, where is faith? O, where is loyalty?
If it be banish'd from the frosty head, Where shall it find a harbour in the earth?
Wilt thou go dig a grave to find out war, And shame thine honourable age with blood?
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 consider'd with myself The title of this most renowned duke;And in my conscience do repute his grace The rightful heir to England's royal seat. KING HENRY VI Hast thou not sworn allegiance unto me? SALISBURY I have. KING HENRY VI 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 murderous deed, to rob a man, To force a spotless virgin's chastity, To reave the orphan of his patrimony, To wring the widow from her custom'd right, And have no other reason for this wrong But that he was bound by a solemn oath? QUEEN MARGARET A subtle traitor needs no sophister. KING HENRY VI Call Buckingham, and bid him arm himself. YORK Call Buckingham, and all the friends thou hast, I am resolved for death or dignity. CLIFFORD The first I warrant thee, if dreams prove true. WARWICK 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 to-day;And that I'll write upon thy burgonet, Might I but know thee by thy household badge. WARWICK Now, by my father's badge, old Nevil's crest, The rampant bear chain'd to the ragged staff, This day I'll wear aloft my burgonet, As on a mountain top the cedar shows 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 bear-ward that protects the bear. YOUNG CLIFFORD 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 to-night. YOUNG CLIFFORD Foul stigmatic, that's more than thou canst tell. RICHARD If not in heaven, you'll surely sup in hell.
Exeunt severally SCENE II. Saint Alban's. Alarums to the battle. Enter WARWICK WARWICK Clifford of Cumberland, 'tis Warwick calls:
And if thou dost not hide thee from the bear, Now, when the angry trumpet sounds alarum And dead men's cries do fill the empty air, Clifford, I say, come forth and fight with me:
Proud northern lord, Clifford of Cumberland, Warwick is hoarse with calling thee to arms.
Enter YORK
How now, my noble lord? what, all afoot? YORK The deadly-handed Clifford slew my steed, But match to match I have encounter'd him And made a prey for carrion kites and crows Even of the bonny beast he loved so well.
Enter CLIFFORD WARWICK Of one or both of us the time is come. YORK Hold, Warwick, seek thee out some other chase, For I myself must hunt this deer to death. WARWICK Then, nobly, York; 'tis for a crown thou fight'st.