King Henry VI, Part 3 | Page 5

heart!
YORK.?Henry of Lancaster, resign thy crown.--?What mutter you, or what conspire you, lords?
WARWICK.?Do right unto this princely Duke of York,?Or I will fill the house with armed men,?And over the chair of state where now he sits?Write up his title with usurping blood.
[He stamps, and the soldiers show themselves.]
KING HENRY.?My Lord of Warwick, hear but one word:?Let me for this my lifetime reign as king.
YORK.?Confirm the crown to me, and to mine heirs,?And thou shalt reign in quiet while thou liv'st.
KING HENRY.?I am content; Richard Plantagenet,?Enjoy the kingdom after my decease.
CLIFFORD.?What wrong is this unto the prince your son!
WARWICK.?What good is this to England and himself!
WESTMORELAND.?Base, fearful, and despairing Henry!
CLIFFORD.?How hast thou injur'd both thyself and us!
WESTMORELAND.?I cannot stay to hear these articles.
NORTHUMBERLAND.?Nor I.
CLIFFORD.?Come, cousin, let us tell the queen these news.
WESTMORELAND.?Farewell, faint-hearted and degenerate king,?In whose cold blood no spark of honour bides.
NORTHUMBERLAND.?Be thou a prey unto the house of York,?And die in bands for this unmanly deed!
CLIFFORD.?In dreadful war mayst thou be overcome,?Or live in peace abandon'd and despis'd!
[Exeunt Northumberland, Clifford, and Westmoreland.]
WARWICK.?Turn 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.
[Coming from the throne.]
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 reconcil'd.
EXETER.?Accurs'd be he that seeks to make them foes!
[Sennet. The Lords come forward.]
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,?Soldiers, and Attendants.]
KING HENRY.?And I, with grief and sorrow, to the court.
[Enter QUEEN MARGARET and the PRINCE OF WALES.]
EXETER.?Here comes the queen, whose looks bewray her anger.?I'll steal away.
KING HENRY.?Exeter, so will I.?[Going.]
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 prov'd so unnatural a father!?Hath he deserv'd to lose his birthright thus??Hadst thou but lov'd 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 made 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 enforc'd me.
QUEEN MARGARET.?Enforc'd thee! art thou king, and wilt be?forc'd??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 prefer'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 murther'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!?Reveng'd 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