To entail him and his heirs unto the crown, What is it, but to make thy sepulchre And creep into it far before thy time?
Warwick is chancellor and the lord of Calais;Stern Falconbridge commands the narrow seas;The duke is made protector of the realm;
And yet shalt thou be safe? such safety finds The trembling lamb environed with wolves.
Had I been there, which am a silly woman, The soldiers should have toss'd me on their pikes Before I would have granted to that act.
But thou preferr'st thy life before thine honour:
And seeing thou dost, I here divorce myself Both from thy table, Henry, and thy bed, Until that act of parliament be repeal'd Whereby my son is disinherited.
The northern lords that have forsworn thy colours Will follow mine, if once they see them spread;And spread they shall be, to thy foul disgrace And utter ruin of the house of York.
Thus do I leave thee. Come, son, let's away;Our army is ready; come, we'll after them. KING HENRY VI Stay, gentle Margaret, and hear me speak. QUEEN MARGARET Thou hast spoke too much already: get thee gone. KING HENRY VI Gentle son Edward, thou wilt stay with me? QUEEN MARGARET Ay, to be murder'd by his enemies. PRINCE EDWARD When I return with victory from the field I'll see your grace: till then I'll follow her. QUEEN MARGARET Come, son, away; we may not linger thus.
Exeunt QUEEN MARGARET and PRINCE EDWARD KING HENRY VI Poor queen! how love to me and to her son Hath made her break out into terms of rage!
Revenged may she be on that hateful duke, Whose haughty spirit, winged with desire, Will cost my crown, and like an empty eagle Tire on the flesh of me and of my son!
The loss of those three lords torments my heart:
I'll write unto them and entreat them fair.
Come, cousin you shall be the messenger. EXETER And I, I hope, shall reconcile them all.
Exeunt SCENE II. Sandal Castle. Enter RICHARD, EDWARD, and MONTAGUE RICHARD Brother, though I be youngest, give me leave. EDWARD No, I can better play the orator. MONTAGUE But I have reasons strong and forcible.
Enter YORK YORK Why, how now, sons and brother! at a strife?
What is your quarrel? how began it first? EDWARD No quarrel, but a slight contention. YORK About what? RICHARD About that which concerns your grace and us;The crown of England, father, which is yours. YORK Mine boy? not till King Henry be dead. RICHARD Your right depends not on his life or death. EDWARD Now you are heir, therefore enjoy it now:
By giving the house of Lancaster leave to breathe, It will outrun you, father, in the end. YORK I took an oath that he should quietly reign. EDWARD But for a kingdom any oath may be broken:
I would break a thousand oaths to reign one year. RICHARD No; God forbid your grace should be forsworn. YORK I shall be, if I claim by open war. RICHARD I'll prove the contrary, if you'll hear me speak. YORK Thou canst not, son; it is impossible. RICHARD An oath is of no moment, being not took Before a true and lawful magistrate, That hath authority over him that swears:
Henry had none, but did usurp the place;
Then, seeing 'twas he that made you to depose, Your oath, my lord, is vain and frivolous.
Therefore, to arms! And, father, do but think How sweet a thing it is to wear a crown;Within whose circuit is Elysium And all that poets feign of bliss and joy.
Why do we finger thus? I cannot rest Until the white rose that I wear be dyed Even in the lukewarm blood of Henry's heart. YORK Richard, enough; I will be king, or die.
Brother, thou shalt to London presently, And whet on Warwick to this enterprise.
Thou, Richard, shalt to the Duke of Norfolk, And tell him privily of our intent.
You Edward, shall unto my Lord Cobham, With whom the Kentishmen will willingly rise:
In them I trust; for they are soldiers, Witty, courteous, liberal, full of spirit.
While you are thus employ'd, what resteth more, But that I seek occasion how to rise, And yet the king not privy to my drift, Nor any of the house of Lancaster?
Enter a Messenger But, stay: what news? Why comest thou in such post? Messenger The queen with all the northern earls and lords Intend here to besiege you in your castle:
She is hard by with twenty thousand men;
And therefore fortify your hold, my lord. YORK Ay, with my sword. What! think'st thou that we fear them?
Edward and Richard, you shall stay with me;My brother Montague shall post to London:
Let noble Warwick, Cobham, and the rest, Whom we have left protectors of the king, With powerful policy strengthen themselves, And trust not ****** Henry nor his oaths. MONTAGUE Brother, I go; I'll win them, fear it not:
And thus most humbly I do take my leave.
Exit Enter JOHN MORTIMER and HUGH MORTIMERSir John and Sir Hugh Mortimer, mine uncles, You are come to Sandal in a happy hour;The army of the queen mean to besiege us. JOHN MORTIMER She shall not need; we'll meet her in the field. YORK What, with five thousand men? RICHARD Ay, with five hundred, father, for a need:
A woman's general; what should we fear?
A march afar off EDWARD I hear their drums: let's set our men in order, And issue forth and bid them battle straight. YORK Five men to twenty! though the odds be great, I doubt not, uncle, of our victory.
Many a battle have I won in France, When as the enemy hath been ten to one:
Why should I not now have the like success?
Alarum. Exeunt SCENE III. Field of battle betwixt Sandal Castle and Wakefield. Alarums. Enter RUTLAND and his Tutor RUTLAND Ah, whither shall I fly to 'scape their hands?
Ah, tutor, look where bloody Clifford comes!
Enter CLIFFORD and Soldiers CLIFFORD Chaplain, away! thy priesthood saves thy life.
As for the brat of this accursed duke, Whose father slew my father, he shall die. Tutor And I, my lord, will bear him company. CLIFFORD Soldiers, away with him! Tutor Ah, Clifford, murder not this innocent child, Lest thou be hated both of God and man!