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West. Base, fearful, and despairing Henry!

Clif. How hast thou injur'd both thyself and us? West. I cannot stay to hear these articles.

North. Nor I.

181

Clif. Come, cousin, let's go tell the queen these

news.

West. Farewel, faint-hearted and degenerate king, In whose cold blood no spark of honour bides. North. Be thou a prey unto the house of York, And die in bands for this unmanly deed!

Clif. In dreadful war may'st thou be overcome! Or live in peace, abandon'd, and despis'd!

[Exeunt NORTH. CLIF. and WEST. War. Turn this way, Henry, and regard them not. Exe. They seek revenge, and therefore will not

yield.

K. Henry. Ah, Exeter!

War. Why should you sigh, my lord?

191

K. Henry. 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 200 Neither by treason, nor hostility,

To seek to put me down, and reign thyself.

York. This oath I willingly take, and will perform.

·War

War. Long live king Henry!-Plantagenet, em

brace him.

K. Henry. And long live thou, and these thy forward

sons!

York. Now York and Lancaster are reconcil'd.

foes!..

Exe. Accurs'd be he, that seeks to make them
[Here the Lords come forward.
York. Farewel, my gracious lord; I'll to my castle.
War. And I'll keep London with my soldiers.
Norf. And I to Norfolk, with my followers.
Mont. And I unto the sea, from whence I came.
[Exeunt YORK, and his Sons, WARWICK,
NORFOLK, and MONTAGUE.

210

K. Henry. And I, with grief and sorrow, to the

court.

Enter the Queen, and Prince.

Exe. Here comes the queen, whose looks bewray her anger:

I'll steal away.

K. Henry. Exeter, so will I.

[Going.

Queen. Nay, go not from me; I will follow thee. K. Henry. Be patient, gentle queen, and I will stay. Queen. 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 prov'd so unnatural a father! Hath he deserv'd to lose his birth-right thus ? Hadst thou but lov'd him half so well as I; Or felt that pain which I did for him once;

220

Or

Or nourish'd him, as I did with my blood;

Thou wouldst have left thy dearest heart-blood there,
Rather than made that savage duke thine heir,
And disinherited thine only son.

If

Prince. Father, you cannot disinherit me : you be king, why should not I succeed?

230

K. Henry. Pardon me, Margaret ;-pardon me, sweet son;

The earl of Warwick, and the duke, enforc'd me. Queen. Enforc'd thee! art thou king, and wilt be

forc'd?

240

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.
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 Faulconbridge 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,

250

Whereby

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's ready; come, we'll after them.

K. Henry. Stay, gentle Margaret, and hear me

speak.

260 Queen. Thou hast spoke too much already; get

thee gone.

K. Henry. Gentle son Edward, thou wilt stay with

me?

Queen. Ay, to be murder'd by his enemies.

Prince. When I return with victory from the field, I'll see your grace: 'till then, I'll follow her.

Queen. Come, son, away; we may not linger thus. [Exeunt Queen, and Prince. K. Henry. Poor queen! how love to me, and to

her son,

Hath made her break out into terms of rage !
Reveng'd may she be on that hateful duke ;
Whose haughty spirit, winged with desire,
Will coast 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.

270

Exe. And I, I hope, shall reconcile them all. 276

[Exeunt.

SCENE

SCENE II.

Sandal-Castle, near Wakefield, in Yorkshire. Enter EDWARD, RICHARD, and MONTAGUE.

Rich. Brother, though I be youngest, give mě leave.

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Edw. No, I can better play the orator.

Mont. But I have reasons strong and forcible.

Enter the Duke of YORK.

York. Why, how now, sons, and brother, at a

strife?

What is your quarrel? how began it first?

Edw. No quarrel, but a sweet contention.

York. About what?

280

Rich. About that which concerns your grace, and

us;

The crown of England, father, which is your's.
York. Mine, boy? not 'till king Henry be dead.
Rich. Your right depends not on his life, or death.
Edw. Now you are heir, therefore enjoy it now:
By giving the house of Lancaster leave to breathe,
It will out-run you, father, in the end.

290

York. I took an oath, that he should quietly reign. Edw. But, for a kingdom, any oath may be broken :

I'd break a thousand oaths to reign one year.

Rich. No; God forbid, your grace should be for

sworn.

York.

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