| ACT V SCENE I | Fields between Dartford and Blackheath. | |
| [
Enter YORK, and his army of Irish, with drum
and colours
] |
| YORK | From Ireland thus comes York to claim his right, |
| And pluck the crown from feeble Henry's head: |
| Ring, bells, aloud; burn, bonfires, clear and bright, |
| To entertain great England's lawful king. |
| Ah! sancta majestas, who would not buy thee dear? | 5 |
| Let them obey that know not how to rule; |
| This hand was made to handle naught but gold. |
| I cannot give due action to my words, |
| Except a sword or sceptre balance it: |
| A sceptre shall it have, have I a soul, | 10 |
| On which I'll toss the flower-de-luce of France. |
[Enter BUCKINGHAM] |
| Whom have we here? Buckingham, to disturb me? |
| The king hath sent him, sure: I must dissemble. |
| BUCKINGHAM | York, if thou meanest well, I greet thee well. |
| YORK | Humphrey of Buckingham, I accept thy greeting. | 15 |
| Art thou a messenger, or come of pleasure? |
| BUCKINGHAM | A messenger from Henry, our dread liege, |
| To know the reason of these arms in peace; |
| Or why thou, being a subject as I am, |
| Against thy oath and true allegiance sworn, | 20 |
| Should raise so great a power without his leave, |
| Or dare to bring thy force so near the court. |
| YORK | [Aside] Scarce can I speak, my choler is so great:
|
| O, I could hew up rocks and fight with flint, |
| I am so angry at these abject terms; | 25 |
| And now, like Ajax Telamonius, |
| On sheep or oxen could I spend my fury. |
| I am far better born than is the king, |
| More like a king, more kingly in my thoughts: |
| But I must make fair weather yet a while, | 30 |
| Till Henry be more weak and I more strong,-- |
| Buckingham, I prithee, pardon me, |
| That I have given no answer all this while; |
| My mind was troubled with deep melancholy. |
| The cause why I have brought this army hither | 35 |
| Is to remove proud Somerset from the king, |
| Seditious to his grace and to the state. |
| BUCKINGHAM | That is too much presumption on thy part: |
| But if thy arms be to no other end, |
| The king hath yielded unto thy demand: | 40 |
| The Duke of Somerset is in the Tower. |
| YORK | Upon thine honour, is he prisoner? |
| BUCKINGHAM | Upon mine honour, he is prisoner. |
| YORK | Then, Buckingham, I do dismiss my powers. |
| Soldiers, I thank you all; disperse yourselves; | 45 |
| Meet me to-morrow in St. George's field, |
| You shall have pay and every thing you wish. |
| And let my sovereign, virtuous Henry, |
| Command my eldest son, nay, all my sons, |
| As pledges of my fealty and love; | 50 |
| I'll send them all as willing as I live: |
| Lands, goods, horse, armour, any thing I have, |
| Is his to use, so Somerset may die. |
| BUCKINGHAM | York, I commend this kind submission: |
| We twain will go into his highness' tent. | 55 |
| [Enter KING HENRY VI and Attendants] |
| KING HENRY VI | Buckingham, doth York intend no harm to us, |
| That thus he marcheth with thee arm in arm? |
| YORK | In all submission and humility |
| York doth present himself unto your highness. |
| KING HENRY VI | Then what intends these forces thou dost bring? | 60 |
| YORK | To heave the traitor Somerset from hence, |
| And fight against that monstrous rebel Cade, |
| Who since I heard to be discomfited. |
| [Enter IDEN, with CADE'S head] |
| IDEN | If one so rude and of so mean condition |
| May pass into the presence of a king, | 65 |
| Lo, I present your grace a traitor's head, |
| The head of Cade, whom I in combat slew. |
| KING HENRY VI | The head of Cade! Great God, how just art Thou! |
| O, let me view his visage, being dead, |
| That living wrought me such exceeding trouble. | 70 |
| Tell me, my friend, art thou the man that slew him? |
| IDEN | I was, an't like your majesty. |
| KING HENRY VI | How art thou call'd? and what is thy degree? |
| IDEN | Alexander Iden, that's my name; |
| A poor esquire of Kent, that loves his king. | 75 |
| BUCKINGHAM | So please it you, my lord, 'twere not amiss |
| He were created knight for his good service. |
| KING HENRY VI | Iden, kneel down. |
[He kneels] |
| Rise up a knight. |
| We give thee for reward a thousand marks, | 80 |
| And will that thou henceforth attend on us. |
| IDEN | May Iden live to merit such a bounty. |
| And never live but true unto his liege! |
| [Rises] |
| [Enter QUEEN MARGARET and SOMERSET] |
| KING HENRY VI | See, Buckingham, Somerset comes with the queen: |
| Go, bid her hide him quickly from the duke. | 85 |
| QUEEN MARGARET | For thousand Yorks he shall not hide his head, |
| But boldly stand and front him to his face. |
| YORK | How now! is Somerset at liberty? |
| Then, York, unloose thy long-imprison'd thoughts, |
| And let thy tongue be equal with thy heart. | 90 |
| Shall I endure the sight of Somerset? |
| False king! why hast thou broken faith with me, |
| Knowing how hardly I can brook abuse? |
| King did I call thee? no, thou art not king, |
| Not fit to govern and rule multitudes, | 95 |
| Which darest not, no, nor canst not rule a traitor. |
| That head of thine doth not become a crown; |
| Thy hand is made to grasp a palmer's staff, |
| And not to grace an awful princely sceptre. |
| That gold must round engirt these brows of mine, | 100 |
| Whose smile and frown, like to Achilles' spear, |
| Is able with the change to kill and cure. |
| Here is a hand to hold a sceptre up |
| And with the same to act controlling laws. |
| Give place: by heaven, thou shalt rule no more | 105 |
| O'er him whom heaven created for thy ruler. |
| SOMERSET | O monstrous traitor! I arrest thee, York, |
| Of capital treason 'gainst the king and crown; |
| Obey, audacious traitor; kneel for grace. |
| YORK | Wouldst have me kneel? first let me ask of these, | 110 |
| If they can brook I bow a knee to man. |
| Sirrah, call in my sons to be my bail; |
[Exit Attendant] |
| I know, ere they will have me go to ward, |
| They'll pawn their swords for my enfranchisement. |
| QUEEN MARGARET | Call hither Clifford! bid him come amain, | 115 |
| To say if that the bastard boys of York |
| Shall be the surety for their traitor father. |
| [Exit BUCKINGHAM] |
| YORK | O blood-besotted Neapolitan, |
| Outcast of Naples, England's bloody scourge! |
| The sons of York, thy betters in their birth, | 120 |
| Shall be their father's bail; and bane to those |
| That for my surety will refuse the boys! |
[Enter EDWARD and RICHARD] |
| See where they come: I'll warrant they'll |
| make it good. |
| [Enter CLIFFORD and YOUNG CLIFFORD] |
| QUEEN MARGARET | And here comes Clifford to deny their bail. | 125 |
| CLIFFORD | Health and all happiness to my lord the king! |
| [Kneels] |
| YORK | I thank thee, Clifford: say, what news with thee? |
| Nay, do not fright us with an angry look; |
| We are thy sovereign, Clifford, kneel again; |
| For thy mistaking so, we pardon thee. | 130 |
| CLIFFORD | This is my king, York, I do not mistake; |
| But thou mistakest me much to think I do: |
| To Bedlam with him! is the man grown mad? |
| KING HENRY VI | Ay, Clifford; a bedlam and ambitious humour |
| Makes him oppose himself against his king. | 135 |
| CLIFFORD | He is a traitor; let him to the Tower, |
| And chop away that factious pate of his. |
| QUEEN MARGARET | He is arrested, but will not obey; |
| His sons, he says, shall give their words for him. |
| YORK | Will you not, sons? | 140 |
| EDWARD | Ay, noble father, if our words will serve. |
| RICHARD | And if words will not, then our weapons shall. |
| CLIFFORD | Why, what a brood of traitors have we here! |
| YORK | Look in a glass, and call thy image so: |
| I am thy king, and thou a false-heart traitor. | 145 |
| Call hither to the stake my two brave bears, |
| That with the very shaking of their chains |
| They may astonish these fell-lurking curs: |
| Bid Salisbury and Warwick come to me. |
| [Enter the WARWICK and SALISBURY] |
| CLIFFORD | Are these thy bears? we'll bait thy bears to death. | 150 |
| And manacle the bear-ward in their chains, |
| If thou darest bring them to the baiting place. |
| RICHARD | Oft have I seen a hot o'erweening cur |
| Run back and bite, because he was withheld; |
| Who, being suffer'd with the bear's fell paw, | 155 |
| Hath clapp'd his tail between his legs and cried: |
| And such a piece of service will you do, |
| If you oppose yourselves to match Lord Warwick. |
| CLIFFORD | Hence, heap of wrath, foul indigested lump, |
| As crooked in thy manners as thy shape! | 160 |
| YORK | Nay, we shall heat you thoroughly anon. |
| CLIFFORD | Take heed, lest by your heat you burn yourselves. |
| KING HENRY VI | Why, Warwick, hath thy knee forgot to bow? |
| Old Salisbury, shame to thy silver hair, |
| Thou mad misleader of thy brain-sick son! | 165 |
| What, wilt thou on thy death-bed play the ruffian, |
| And seek for sorrow with thy spectacles? |
| O, where is faith? O, where is loyalty? |
| If it be banish'd from the frosty head, |
| Where shall it find a harbour in the earth? | 170 |
| Wilt thou go dig a grave to find out war, |
| And shame thine honourable age with blood? |
| Why art thou old, and want'st experience? |
| Or wherefore dost abuse it, if thou hast it? |
| For shame! in duty bend thy knee to me | 175 |
| That bows unto the grave with mickle age. |
| SALISBURY | My lord, I have consider'd with myself |
| The title of this most renowned duke; |
| And in my conscience do repute his grace |
| The rightful heir to England's royal seat. | 180 |
| KING HENRY VI | Hast thou not sworn allegiance unto me? |
| SALISBURY | I have. |
| KING HENRY VI | Canst thou dispense with heaven for such an oath? |
| SALISBURY | It is great sin to swear unto a sin, |
| But greater sin to keep a sinful oath. | 185 |
| Who can be bound by any solemn vow |
| To do a murderous deed, to rob a man, |
| To force a spotless virgin's chastity, |
| To reave the orphan of his patrimony, |
| To wring the widow from her custom'd right, | 190 |
| And have no other reason for this wrong |
| But that he was bound by a solemn oath? |
| QUEEN MARGARET | A subtle traitor needs no sophister. |
| KING HENRY VI | Call Buckingham, and bid him arm himself. |
| YORK | Call Buckingham, and all the friends thou hast, | 195 |
| I am resolved for death or dignity. |
| CLIFFORD | The first I warrant thee, if dreams prove true. |
| WARWICK | You were best to go to bed and dream again, |
| To keep thee from the tempest of the field. |
| CLIFFORD | I am resolved to bear a greater storm | 200 |
| Than any thou canst conjure up to-day; |
| And that I'll write upon thy burgonet, |
| Might I but know thee by thy household badge. |
| WARWICK | Now, by my father's badge, old Nevil's crest, |
| The rampant bear chain'd to the ragged staff, | 205 |
| This day I'll wear aloft my burgonet, |
| As on a mountain top the cedar shows |
| That keeps his leaves in spite of any storm, |
| Even to affright thee with the view thereof. |
| CLIFFORD | And from thy burgonet I'll rend thy bear | 210 |
| And tread it under foot with all contempt, |
| Despite the bear-ward that protects the bear. |
| YOUNG CLIFFORD | And so to arms, victorious father, |
| To quell the rebels and their complices. |
| RICHARD | Fie! charity, for shame! speak not in spite, | 215 |
| For you shall sup with Jesu Christ to-night. |
| YOUNG CLIFFORD | Foul stigmatic, that's more than thou canst tell. |
| RICHARD | If not in heaven, you'll surely sup in hell. |
| [Exeunt severally] |
The Rebellion of Jack Cade