Henry VI, Part III, William Shakespeare [detective books to read txt] 📗

this way, Henry, and regard them not. Exeter They seek revenge and therefore will not yield. King Henry Ah, Exeter! Warwick Why should you sigh, my lord? King 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 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 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 and his Sons, Warwick, Norfolk, Montague, their Soldiers, and Attendants. King Henry And I, with grief and sorrow, to the court. Enter Queen Margaret and the Prince of Whales. Exeter

Here comes the queen, whose looks bewray her anger:
I’ll steal away.

King Henry Exeter, so will I. Queen Margaret Nay, go not from me; I will follow thee. King Henry 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

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

King Henry

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.
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 Stay, gentle Margaret, and hear me speak. Queen Margaret Thou hast spoke too much already: get thee gone. King Henry Gentle son Edward, thou wilt stay with me? Queen Margaret 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 Margaret Come, son, away; we may not linger thus. Exeunt Queen Margaret and the Prince. King Henry

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 the Duke of 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