The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, William Shakespeare [book recommendations based on other books txt] 📗

and them our fortune give.

Away, my lord, away! Exeunt

SCENE III.

Fields near Saint Albans

 

Alarum. Retreat. Enter YORK, RICHARD, WARWICK, and soldiers, with drum and colours

 

YORK. Of Salisbury, who can report of him, That winter lion, who in rage forgets Aged contusions and all brush of time And, like a gallant in the brow of youth, Repairs him with occasion? This happy day Is not itself, nor have we won one foot, If Salisbury be lost.

RICHARD. My noble father,

Three times to-day I holp him to his horse, Three times bestrid him, thrice I led him off, Persuaded him from any further act;

But still where danger was, still there I met him; And like rich hangings in a homely house, So was his will in his old feeble body.

But, noble as he is, look where he comes.

 

Enter SALISBURY

 

SALISBURY. Now, by my sword, well hast thou fought to-day!

By th’ mass, so did we all. I thank you, Richard: God knows how long it is I have to live, And it hath pleas’d Him that three times to-day You have defended me from imminent death.

Well, lords, we have not got that which we have; ‘Tis not enough our foes are this time fled, Being opposites of such repairing nature.

YORK. I know our safety is to follow them; For, as I hear, the King is fled to London To call a present court of Parliament.

Let us pursue him ere the writs go forth.

What says Lord Warwick? Shall we after them?

WARWICK. After them? Nay, before them, if we can.

Now, by my faith, lords, ‘twas a glorious day: Saint Albans’ battle, won by famous York, Shall be eterniz’d in all age to come.

Sound drum and trumpets and to London all; And more such days as these to us befall! Exeunt THE END

 

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1591

 

THE THIRD PART OF KING HENRY THE SIXTH

 

by William Shakespeare

 

DRAMATIS PERSONAE

 

KING HENRY THE SIXTH

EDWARD, PRINCE OF WALES, his son

LEWIS XI, King of France DUKE OF SOMERSET

DUKE OF EXETER EARL OF OXFORD

EARL OF NORTHUMBERLAND EARL OF WESTMORELAND

LORD CLIFFORD

RICHARD PLANTAGENET, DUKE OF YORK

EDWARD, EARL OF MARCH, afterwards KING EDWARD IV, his son EDMUND, EARL OF RUTLAND, his son

GEORGE, afterwards DUKE OF CLARENCE, his son RICHARD, afterwards DUKE OF GLOUCESTER, his son DUKE OF NORFOLK MARQUIS OF MONTAGUE

EARL OF WARWICK EARL OF PEMBROKE

LORD HASTINGS LORD STAFFORD

SIR JOHN MORTIMER, uncle to the Duke of York SIR HUGH MORTIMER, uncle to the Duke of York HENRY, EARL OF RICHMOND, a youth

LORD RIVERS, brother to Lady Grey

SIR WILLIAM STANLEY SIR JOHN MONTGOMERY

SIR JOHN SOMERVILLE TUTOR, to Rutland MAYOR OF YORK LIEUTENANT OF THE TOWER

A NOBLEMAN TWO KEEPERS

A HUNTSMAN

A SON that has killed his father

A FATHER that has killed his son

 

QUEEN MARGARET

LADY GREY, afterwards QUEEN to Edward IV

BONA, sister to the French Queen

 

Soldiers, Attendants, Messengers, Watchmen, etc.

 

<<THIS ELECTRONIC VERSION OF THE COMPLETE WORKS OF WILLIAM

SHAKESPEARE IS COPYRIGHT 1990-1993 BY WORLD LIBRARY, INC., AND IS

PROVIDED BY PROJECT GUTENBERG ETEXT OF ILLINOIS BENEDICTINE COLLEGE

WITH PERMISSION. ELECTRONIC AND MACHINE READABLE COPIES MAY BE

DISTRIBUTED SO LONG AS SUCH COPIES (1) ARE FOR YOUR OR OTHERS

PERSONAL USE ONLY, AND (2) ARE NOT DISTRIBUTED OR USED

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SCENE:

England and France

 

ACT I. SCENE I.

London. The Parliament House

 

Alarum. Enter DUKE OF YORK, EDWARD, RICHARD, NORFOLK, MONTAGUE, WARWICK, and soldiers, with white roses in their hats WARWICK. I wonder how the King escap’d our hands.

YORK. While we pursu’d the horsemen of the north, He slily stole away and left his men; Whereat the great Lord of Northumberland, Whose warlike ears could never brook retreat, Cheer’d up the drooping army, and himself, Lord Clifford, and Lord Stafford, all abreast, Charg’d our main battle’s front, and, breaking in, Were by the swords of common soldiers slain.

EDWARD. Lord Stafford’s father, Duke of Buckingham, Is either slain or wounded dangerous; I cleft his beaver with a downright blow.

That this is true, father, behold his blood.

MONTAGUE. And, brother, here’s the Earl of Wiltshire’s blood, Whom I encount’red as the battles join’d.

RICHARD. Speak thou for me, and tell them what I did.

[Throwing down SOMERSET’S head]

YORK. Richard hath best deserv’d of all my sons.

But is your Grace dead, my Lord of Somerset?

NORFOLK. Such hope have all the line of John of Gaunt!

RICHARD. Thus do I hope to shake King Henry’s head.

WARWICK. And so do I. Victorious Prince of York, Before I see thee seated in that throne Which now the house of Lancaster usurps, I vow by heaven these eyes shall never close.

This is the palace of the fearful King, And this the regal seat. Possess it, York; For this is thine, and not King Henry’s heirs’.

YORK. Assist me then, sweet Warwick, and I will; For hither we have broken in by force.

NORFOLK. We’ll all assist you; he that flies shall die.

YORK. Thanks, gentle Norfolk. Stay by me, my lords; And, soldiers, stay and lodge by me this night.

[They go up]

WARWICK. And when the King comes, offer him no violence.

Unless he seek to thrust you out perforce.

YORK. The Queen this day here holds her parliament, But little thinks we shall be of her council.

By words or blows here let us win our right.

RICHARD. Arm’d as we are, let’s stay within this house.

WARWICK. The bloody parliament shall this be call’d, Unless Plantagenet, Duke of York, be King, And bashful Henry depos’d, whose cowardice Hath made us by-words to our enemies.

YORK. Then leave me not, my lords; be resolute: I mean to take possession of my right.

WARWICK. Neither the King, nor he that loves him best, The proudest he that holds up Lancaster, Dares stir a wing if Warwick shake his bells.

I’ll plant Plantagenet, root him up who dares.

Resolve thee, Richard; claim the English crown.

[YORK occupies the throne]

 

Flourish. Enter KING HENRY, CLIFFORD, NORTHUMBERLAND, WESTMORELAND, EXETER, and others, with red roses in their hats

 

KING HENRY. My lords, look where the sturdy rebel sits, Even in the chair of state! Belike he means, Back’d by the power of Warwick, that false peer, To aspire unto the crown and reign as king.

Earl of Northumberland, he slew thy father; And thine, Lord Clifford; and you both have vow’d revenge On him, his sons, his favourites, and his friends.

NORTHUMBERLAND. If I be not, heavens be reveng’d on me!

CLIFFORD. The hope thereof makes Clifford mourn in steel.

WESTMORELAND. What, shall we suffer this? Let’s pluck him down; My heart for anger burns; I cannot brook it.

KING HENRY. Be patient, gentle Earl of Westmoreland.

CLIFFORD. Patience is for poltroons such as he; He durst not sit there had your father liv’d.

My gracious lord, here in the parliament Let us assail the family of York.

NORTHUMBERLAND. Well hast thou spoken, cousin; be it so.

KING HENRY. Ah, know you not the city favours them, And they have troops of soldiers at their beck?

EXETER. But when the Duke is slain they’ll quickly fly.

KING HENRY. Far be the thought of this from Henry’s heart, To make a shambles of the parliament house!

Cousin of Exeter, frowns, words, and threats, Shall be the war that Henry means to use.

Thou factious Duke of York, descend my throne And kneel for grace and mercy at my feet; I am thy sovereign.

YORK. I am thine.

EXETER. For shame, come down; he made thee Duke of York.

YORK. ‘Twas my inheritance, as the earldom was.

EXETER. Thy father was a traitor to the crown.

WARWICK. Exeter, thou art a traitor to the crown In following this usurping Henry.

CLIFFORD. Whom should he follow but his natural king?

WARWICK. True, Clifford; and that’s Richard Duke of York.

KING HENRY. And shall I stand, and thou sit in my throne?

YORK. It must and shall be so; content thyself.

WARWICK. Be Duke of Lancaster; let him be King.

WESTMORELAND. He is both King and Duke of Lancaster; And that the Lord of Westmoreland shall maintain.

WARWICK. And Warwick shall disprove it. You forget That we are those which chas’d you from the field, And slew your fathers, and with colours spread March’d through the city to the palace gates.

NORTHUMBERLAND. Yes, Warwick, I remember it to my grief; And, by his soul, thou and thy house shall rue it.

WESTMORELAND. Plantagenet, of thee, and these thy sons, Thy kinsmen, and thy friends, I’ll have more lives Than drops of blood were in my father’s veins.

CLIFFORD. Urge it no more; lest that instead of words I send thee, Warwick, such a messenger As shall revenge his death before I stir.

WARWICK. Poor Clifford, how I scorn his worthless threats!

YORK. Will you we show our title to the crown?

If not, our swords shall plead it in the field.

KING HENRY. What title hast thou, traitor, to the crown?

Thy father was, as thou art, Duke of York; Thy grandfather, Roger Mortimer, Earl of March: I am the son of Henry the Fifth,

Who made the Dauphin and the French to stoop, And seiz’d upon their towns and provinces.

WARWICK. Talk not of France, sith thou hast lost it all.

KING HENRY. The Lord Protector lost it, and not I: When I was crown’d, I was but nine months old.

RICHARD. You are old enough now, and yet methinks you lose.

Father, tear the crown from the usurper’s head.

EDWARD. Sweet father, do so; set it on your head.

MONTAGUE. Good brother, as thou lov’st 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. 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. 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. Henry the Fourth by conquest got the crown.

YORK. ‘Twas by rebellion against his king.

KING HENRY. [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. 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. Art thou against us, Duke of Exeter?

EXETER. His is the right,