Father, tear the crown from the usurper's head. EDWARD Sweet father, do so; set it on your head. MONTAGUE Good brother, as thou lovest and honourest arms, Let's fight it out and not stand cavilling thus. RICHARD Sound drums and trumpets, and the king will fly. YORK Sons, peace! KING HENRY VI Peace, thou! and give King Henry leave to speak. WARWICK Plantagenet shall speak first: hear him, lords;And be you silent and attentive too, For he that interrupts him shall not live. KING HENRY VI Think'st thou that I will leave my kingly throne, Wherein my grandsire and my father sat?
No: first shall war unpeople this my realm;Ay, and their colours, often borne in France, And now in England to our heart's great sorrow, Shall be my winding-sheet. Why faint you, lords?
My title's good, and better far than his. WARWICK Prove it, Henry, and thou shalt be king. KING HENRY VI Henry the Fourth by conquest got the crown. YORK 'Twas by rebellion against his king. KING HENRY VI [Aside] I know not what to say; my title's weak.--Tell me, may not a king adopt an heir? YORK What then? KING HENRY VI An if he may, then am I lawful king;For Richard, in the view of many lords, Resign'd the crown to Henry the Fourth, Whose heir my father was, and I am his. YORK He rose against him, being his sovereign, And made him to resign his crown perforce. WARWICK Suppose, my lords, he did it unconstrain'd, Think you 'twere prejudicial to his crown? EXETER No; for he could not so resign his crown But that the next heir should succeed and reign. KING HENRY VI Art thou against us, Duke of Exeter? EXETER His is the right, and therefore pardon me. YORK Why whisper you, my lords, and answer not? EXETER My conscience tells me he is lawful king. KING HENRY VI [Aside] All will revolt from me, and turn to him. NORTHUMBERLAND Plantagenet, for all the claim thou lay'st, Think not that Henry shall be so deposed. WARWICK Deposed he shall be, in despite of all. NORTHUMBERLAND Thou art deceived: 'tis not thy southern power, Of Essex, Norfolk, Suffolk, nor of Kent, Which makes thee thus presumptuous and proud, Can set the duke up in despite of me. CLIFFORD 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 slew my father! KING HENRY VI O Clifford, how thy words revive my heart! YORK Henry of Lancaster, resign thy crown.
What mutter you, or what conspire you, lords? WARWICK Do right unto this princely Duke of York, Or I will fill the house with armed men, And over the chair of state, where now he sits, Write up his title with usurping blood.
He stamps with his foot and the soldiers show themselves KING HENRY VI My Lord of Warwick, hear me but one word:
Let me for this my life-time reign as king. YORK Confirm the crown to me and to mine heirs, And thou shalt reign in quiet while thou livest. KING HENRY VI I am content: Richard Plantagenet, Enjoy the kingdom after my decease. CLIFFORD What wrong is this unto the prince your son! WARWICK What good is this to England and himself! WESTMORELAND Base, fearful and despairing Henry! CLIFFORD How hast thou injured both thyself and us! WESTMORELAND I cannot stay to hear these articles. NORTHUMBERLAND Nor I. CLIFFORD Come, cousin, let us tell the queen these news. WESTMORELAND Farewell, faint-hearted and degenerate king, In whose cold blood no spark of honour bides. NORTHUMBERLAND Be thou a prey unto the house of York, And die in bands for this unmanly deed! CLIFFORD In dreadful war mayst thou be overcome, Or live in peace abandon'd and despised!
Exeunt NORTHUMBERLAND, CLIFFORD, and WESTMORELAND WARWICK Turn this way, Henry, and regard them not. EXETER They seek revenge and therefore will not yield. KING HENRY VI Ah, Exeter! WARWICK Why should you sigh, my lord? KING HENRY VI Not for myself, Lord Warwick, but my son, Whom I unnaturally shall disinherit.
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, whilst I live, To honour me as thy king and sovereign, And neither by treason nor hostility To seek to put me down and reign thyself. YORK This oath I willingly take and will perform. WARWICK Long live King Henry! Plantagenet embrace him. KING HENRY VI And long live thou and these thy forward sons! YORK Now York and Lancaster are reconciled. EXETER Accursed be he that seeks to make them foes!
Sennet. Here they come down YORK Farewell, my gracious lord; I'll to my castle. WARWICK And I'll keep London with my soldiers. NORFOLK And I to Norfolk with my followers. MONTAGUE And I unto the sea from whence I came.
Exeunt YORK, EDWARD, EDMUND, GEORGE, RICHARD, WARWICK, NORFOLK, MONTAGUE, their Soldiers, and Attendants KING HENRY VI And I, with grief and sorrow, to the court.
Enter QUEEN MARGARET and PRINCE EDWARD EXETER Here comes the queen, whose looks bewray her anger:
I'll steal away. KING HENRY VI Exeter, so will I. QUEEN MARGARET Nay, go not from me; I will follow thee. KING HENRY VI Be patient, gentle queen, and I will stay. QUEEN MARGARET Who can be patient in such extremes?
Ah, wretched man! would I had died a maid And never seen thee, never borne thee son, Seeing thou hast proved so unnatural a father Hath he deserved to lose his birthright thus?
Hadst thou but loved him half so well as I, Or felt that pain which I did for him once, Or nourish'd him as I did with my blood, Thou wouldst have left thy dearest heart-blood there, Rather than have that savage duke thine heir And disinherited thine only son. PRINCE EDWARD Father, you cannot disinherit me:
If you be king, why should not I succeed? KING HENRY VI Pardon me, Margaret; pardon me, sweet son:
The Earl of Warwick and the duke enforced me. QUEEN MARGARET Enforced thee! art thou king, and wilt be forced?
I shame to hear thee speak. Ah, timorous wretch!
Thou hast undone thyself, thy son and me;And given unto the house of York such head As thou shalt reign but by their sufferance.