| ACT II SCENE VI | Another part of the field. | |
| [A loud alarum. Enter CLIFFORD, wounded] |
| CLIFFORD | Here burns my candle out; ay, here it dies, |
| Which, whiles it lasted, gave King Henry light. |
| O Lancaster, I fear thy overthrow |
| More than my body's parting with my soul! |
| My love and fear glued many friends to thee; | 5 |
| And, now I fall, thy tough commixture melts. |
| Impairing Henry, strengthening misproud York, |
| The common people swarm like summer flies; |
| And whither fly the gnats but to the sun? |
| And who shines now but Henry's enemies? | 10 |
| O Phoebus, hadst thou never given consent |
| That Phaethon should cheque thy fiery steeds, |
| Thy burning car never had scorch'd the earth! |
| And, Henry, hadst thou sway'd as kings should do, |
| Or as thy father and his father did, | 15 |
| Giving no ground unto the house of York, |
| They never then had sprung like summer flies; |
| I and ten thousand in this luckless realm |
| Had left no mourning widows for our death; |
| And thou this day hadst kept thy chair in peace. | 20 |
| For what doth cherish weeds but gentle air? |
| And what makes robbers bold but too much lenity? |
| Bootless are plaints, and cureless are my wounds; |
| No way to fly, nor strength to hold out flight: |
| The foe is merciless, and will not pity; | 25 |
| For at their hands I have deserved no pity. |
| The air hath got into my deadly wounds, |
| And much effuse of blood doth make me faint. |
| Come, York and Richard, Warwick and the rest; |
| I stabb'd your fathers' bosoms, split my breast. | 30 |
| [He faints] |
| [
Alarum and retreat. Enter EDWARD, GEORGE, RICHARD,
MONTAGUE, WARWICK, and Soldiers
] |
| EDWARD | Now breathe we, lords: good fortune bids us pause, |
| And smooth the frowns of war with peaceful looks. |
| Some troops pursue the bloody-minded queen, |
| That led calm Henry, though he were a king, |
| As doth a sail, fill'd with a fretting gust, | 35 |
| Command an argosy to stem the waves. |
| But think you, lords, that Clifford fled with them? |
| WARWICK | No, 'tis impossible he should escape, |
| For, though before his face I speak the words |
| Your brother Richard mark'd him for the grave: | 40 |
| And wheresoe'er he is, he's surely dead. |
| [CLIFFORD groans, and dies] |
| EDWARD | Whose soul is that which takes her heavy leave? |
| RICHARD | A deadly groan, like life and death's departing. |
| EDWARD | See who it is: and, now the battle's ended, |
| If friend or foe, let him be gently used. | 45 |
| RICHARD | Revoke that doom of mercy, for 'tis Clifford; |
| Who not contented that he lopp'd the branch |
| In hewing Rutland when his leaves put forth, |
| But set his murdering knife unto the root |
| From whence that tender spray did sweetly spring, | 50 |
| I mean our princely father, Duke of York. |
| WARWICK | From off the gates of York fetch down the head, |
| Your father's head, which Clifford placed there; |
| Instead whereof let this supply the room: |
| Measure for measure must be answered. | 55 |
| EDWARD | Bring forth that fatal screech-owl to our house, |
| That nothing sung but death to us and ours: |
| Now death shall stop his dismal threatening sound, |
| And his ill-boding tongue no more shall speak. |
| WARWICK | I think his understanding is bereft. | 60 |
| Speak, Clifford, dost thou know who speaks to thee? |
| Dark cloudy death o'ershades his beams of life, |
| And he nor sees nor hears us what we say.
|
| RICHARD | O, would he did! and so perhaps he doth: |
| 'Tis but his policy to counterfeit, | 65 |
| Because he would avoid such bitter taunts |
| Which in the time of death he gave our father. |
| GEORGE | If so thou think'st, vex him with eager words. |
| RICHARD | Clifford, ask mercy and obtain no grace. |
| EDWARD | Clifford, repent in bootless penitence. | 70 |
| WARWICK | Clifford, devise excuses for thy faults. |
| GEORGE | While we devise fell tortures for thy faults. |
| RICHARD | Thou didst love York, and I am son to York. |
| EDWARD | Thou pitied'st Rutland; I will pity thee. |
| GEORGE | Where's Captain Margaret, to fence you now? | 75 |
| WARWICK | They mock thee, Clifford: swear as thou wast wont. |
| RICHARD | What, not an oath? nay, then the world goes hard |
| When Clifford cannot spare his friends an oath. |
| I know by that he's dead; and, by my soul, |
| If this right hand would buy two hour's life, | 80 |
| That I in all despite might rail at him, |
| This hand should chop it off, and with the |
| issuing blood |
| Stifle the villain whose unstanched thirst |
| York and young Rutland could not satisfy. | 85 |
| WARWICK | Ay, but he's dead: off with the traitor's head, |
| And rear it in the place your father's stands. |
| And now to London with triumphant march, |
| There to be crowned England's royal king: |
| From whence shall Warwick cut the sea to France, | 90 |
| And ask the Lady Bona for thy queen: |
| So shalt thou sinew both these lands together; |
| And, having France thy friend, thou shalt not dread |
| The scatter'd foe that hopes to rise again; |
| For though they cannot greatly sting to hurt, | 95 |
| Yet look to have them buzz to offend thine ears. |
| First will I see the coronation; |
| And then to Brittany I'll cross the sea, |
| To effect this marriage, so it please my lord. |
| EDWARD | Even as thou wilt, sweet Warwick, let it be; | 100 |
| For in thy shoulder do I build my seat, |
| And never will I undertake the thing |
| Wherein thy counsel and consent is wanting. |
| Richard, I will create thee Duke of Gloucester, |
| And George, of Clarence: Warwick, as ourself, | 105 |
| Shall do and undo as him pleaseth best. |
| RICHARD | Let me be Duke of Clarence, George of Gloucester; |
| For Gloucester's dukedom is too ominous. |
| WARWICK | Tut, that's a foolish observation: |
| Richard, be Duke of Gloucester. Now to London, | 110 |
| To see these honours in possession. |
[Exeunt] |
The Essential Student History Quiz (with answers and illustrations)