The Arden Shakespeare Complete Works
Page 219
Till I be crowned and that my sword be stained
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With heart-blood of the house of Lancaster;
And that’s not suddenly to be performed
But with advice and silent secrecy.
Do you as I do in these dangerous days –
Wink at the Duke of Suffolk’s insolence,
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At Beaufort’s pride, at Somerset’s ambition,
At Buckingham, and all the crew of them,
Till they have snared the shepherd of the flock,
That virtuous prince, the good Duke Humphrey.
’Tis that they seek; and they, in seeking that,
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Shall find their deaths, if York can prophesy.
SALISBURY
My lord, break we off; we know your mind at full.
WARWICK My heart assures me that the Earl of Warwick
Shall one day make the Duke of York a king.
YORK And, Neville, this I do assure myself:
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Richard shall live to make the Earl of Warwick
The greatest man in England but the king. Exeunt.
2.3 Sound trumpets. Enter the KING, the QUEEN, GLOUCESTER, YORK, SUFFOLK, SALISBURY; and ELEANOR, Margery JOURDAIN, SOUTHWELL, HUME and BOLINGBROKE, under guard.
KING
Stand forth, Dame Eleanor Cobham, Gloucester’s wife.
In sight of God and us, your guilt is great;
Receive the sentence of the law for sin
Such as by God’s book are adjudged to death.
You four, from hence to prison back again;
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From thence unto the place of execution.
The witch in Smithfield shall be burnt to ashes
And you three shall be strangled on the gallows.
You, madam, for you are more nobly born,
Despoiled of your honour in your life,
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Shall, after three days’ open penance done,
Live in your country here, in banishment
With Sir John Stanley in the Isle of Man.
ELEANOR
Welcome is banishment; welcome were my death.
GLOUCESTER
Eleanor, the law, thou seest, hath judged thee:
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I cannot justify whom the law condemns.
Mine eyes are full of tears, my heart of grief.
Exeunt Eleanor and other prisoners, guarded.
Ah, Humphrey, this dishonour in thine age
Will bring thy head with sorrow to the ground! –
I beseech your majesty, give me leave to go;
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Sorrow would solace, and mine age would ease.
KING
Stay, Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester. Ere thou go,
Give up thy staff. Henry will to himself
Protector be; and God shall be my hope,
My stay, my guide and lantern to my feet.
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And go in peace, Humphrey, no less beloved
Than when thou wert Protector to thy king.
QUEEN I see no reason why a king of years
Should be to be protected like a child.
God and King Henry govern England’s realm!
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Give up your staff, sir, and the King his realm.
GLOUCESTER My staff? Here, noble Henry, is my staff:
As willingly do I the same resign
As e’er thy father Henry made it mine;
And even as willing at thy feet I leave it
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As others would ambitiously receive it.
[Lays down staff.]
Farewell, good King. When I am dead and gone
May honourable peace attend thy throne. Exit.
QUEEN Why, now is Henry King and Margaret Queen,
And Humphrey Duke of Gloucester scarce himself,
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That bears so shrewd a maim: two pulls at once;
His lady banished, and a limb lopped off.
This staff of honour raught, [Picks up staff.]
there let it stand
Where it best fits to be, in Henry’s hand.
SUFFOLK
Thus droops this lofty pine and hangs his sprays;
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Thus Eleanor’s pride dies in her youngest days.
YORK Lords, let him go. Please it your majesty,
This is the day appointed for the combat,
And ready are the appellant and defendant,
The armourer and his man, to enter the lists,
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So please your highness to behold the fight.
QUEEN Ay, good my lord; for purposely therefore
Left I the court to see this quarrel tried.
KING I’God’s name, see the lists and all things fit;
Here let them end it, and God defend the right!
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YORK I never saw a fellow worse bested,
Or more afraid to fight, than is the appellant,
The servant of this armourer, my lords.
Enter at one door HORNER the armourer and his Neighbours, drinking to him so much that he is drunk; and he enters with a drum before him, and his staff with a sandbag fastened to it; and at the other door PETER, his man, with a drum and sandbag, and Prentices drinking to him.
1 NEIGHBOUR Here, neighbour Horner, I drink to you in
a cup of sack; and fear not neighbour, you shall do well
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enough.
2 NEIGHBOUR And here, neighbour, here’s a cup of
charneco.
3 NEIGHBOUR And here’s a pot of good double beer,
neighbour: drink, and fear not your man.
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HORNER Let it come, i’faith, and I’ll pledge you all; and
a fig for Peter!
1 PRENTICE Here, Peter, I drink to thee, and be not afraid.
2 PRENTICE Here, Peter, here’s a pint of claret wine for
thee.
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3 PRENTICE And here’s a quart for me; and be merry,
Peter, and fear not thy master. Fight for credit of the
prentices.
PETER I thank you all. Drink and pray for me, I pray
you, for I think I have taken my last draught in this
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world. Here, Robin, an if I die, I give thee my apron;
and Will, thou shalt have my hammer; and here, Tom,
take all the money that I have. O Lord bless me, I pray
God, for I am never able to deal with my master, he
hath learnt so much fence already.
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SALISBURY Come, leave your drinking, and fall to blows.
Sirrah, what’s thy name?
PETER Peter, forsooth.
SALISBURY Peter! What more?
PETER Thump.
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SALISBURY Thump! Then see thou thump thy master
well.
HORNER Masters, I am come hither, as it were, upon my
man’s instigation, to prove him a knave and myself an
honest man; and touching the Duke of York, I will
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take my death I never meant him any ill, nor the King,
nor the Queen; and therefore, Peter, have at thee with
a downright blow!
YORK Dispatch! This knave’s tongue begins to double.
Sound trumpets! [Alarum to the combatants.]
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[They fight, and Peter strikes Horner down.]
HORNER Hold, Peter, hold! I confess, I confess treason.
[Dies.]
YORK Take away his weapon. – Fellow, thank God and
the good wine in thy master’s way.
PETER [Kneels.] O God! Have I overcome mine enemies
in this presence? O Peter, thou hast prevailed in right!
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KING Go, take hence that traitor from our sight,
For by his death we do perceive his guilt.<
br />
And God in justice hath revealed to us
The truth and innocence of this poor fellow,
Which he had thought to have murdered wrongfully.
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Come, fellow, [Peter rises.]
follow us for thy reward.
Sound a flourish. Exeunt.
2.4 Enter GLOUCESTER and his Servants in mourning cloaks.
GLOUCESTER
Thus sometimes hath the brightest day a cloud;
And after summer evermore succeeds
Barren winter, with his wrathful nipping cold;
So cares and joys abound, as seasons fleet.
Sirs, what’s o’clock?
SERVANT Ten, my lord.
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GLOUCESTER Ten is the hour that was appointed me
To watch the coming of my punished duchess;
Uneath may she endure the flinty streets,
To tread them with her tender-feeling feet.
Sweet Nell, ill can thy noble mind abrook
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The abject people gazing on thy face
With envious looks, laughing at thy shame,
That erst did follow thy proud chariot wheels
When thou didst ride in triumph through the streets.
But soft, I think she comes; and I’ll prepare
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My tear-stained eyes, to see her miseries.
Enter ELEANOR barefoot, and a white sheet about her, with a wax candle in her hand, and verses written on her back and pinned on, and accompanied with the Sheriff of London, and Sir John STANLEY and officers with bills and halberds and commoners.
SERVANT
So please your grace, we’ll take her from the sheriff.
GLOUCESTER No, stir not for your lives; let her pass by.
ELEANOR Come you, my lord, to see my open shame?
Now thou dost penance too. Look how they gaze!
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See how the giddy multitude do point
And nod their heads and throw their eyes on thee.
Ah, Gloucester, hide thee from their hateful looks
And, in thy closet pent up, rue my shame
And ban thine enemies, both mine and thine.
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GLOUCESTER Be patient, gentle Nell, forget this grief.
ELEANOR Ah, Gloucester, teach me to forget myself;
For whilst I think I am thy married wife
And thou a prince, Protector of this land,
Methinks I should not thus be led along,
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Mailed up in shame, with papers on my back,
And followed with a rabble that rejoice
To see my tears and hear my deep-fet groans.
The ruthless flint doth cut my tender feet,
And when I start, the envious people laugh
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And bid me be advised how I tread.
Ah, Humphrey, can I bear this shameful yoke?
Trowest thou that e’er I’ll look upon the world,
Or count them happy that enjoys the sun?
No: dark shall be my light and night my day;
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To think upon my pomp shall be my hell.
Sometime I’ll say, ‘I am Duke Humphrey’s wife,
And he a prince and ruler of the land;
Yet so he ruled, and such a prince he was,
As he stood by whilst I, his forlorn duchess,
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Was made a wonder and a pointing-stock
To every idle rascal follower.’
But be thou mild and blush not at my shame,
Nor stir at nothing, till the axe of death
Hang over thee, as sure it shortly will.
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For Suffolk, he that can do all in all
With her that hateth thee and hates us all,
And York and impious Beaufort, that false priest,
Have all limed bushes to betray thy wings;
And fly thou how thou canst, they’ll tangle thee.
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But fear not thou until thy foot be snared,
Nor never seek prevention of thy foes.
GLOUCESTER Ah, Nell, forbear! Thou aimest all awry.
I must offend before I be attainted.
And had I twenty times so many foes,
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And each of them had twenty times their power,
All these could not procure me any scathe
So long as I am loyal, true and crimeless.
Wouldst have me rescue thee from this reproach?
Why yet thy scandal were not wiped away,
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But I in danger for the breach of law.
Thy greatest help is quiet, gentle Nell:
I pray thee, sort thy heart to patience;
These few days’ wonder will be quickly worn.
Enter a Herald.
HERALD
I summon your grace to his majesty’s parliament,
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Holden at Bury the first of this next month.
GLOUCESTER
And my consent ne’er asked herein before?