TPTT The Third Part of Henry the Sixth: ACT I
Introduction
ACT I
SCENE I. London. The Parliament-house.
SCENE II. Sandal Castle.
SCENE III. Field of battle betwixt Sandal Castle and Wakefield.
SCENE IV. Another part of the field.
ACT II
ACT III
ACT IV
ACT V
About the Play
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SCENE I. London. The Parliament-house.
Alarum. Enter YORK, EDWARD, RICHARD, NORFOLK, MONTAGUE, WARWICK, and Soldiers
WARWICK
      I wonder how the king escaped our hands.
YORK
      While we pursued the horsemen of the north,
      He slily stole away and left his men:
      Whereat the great Lord of Northumberland,
5     Whose warlike ears could never brook retreat,
      Cheer'd up the drooping army; and himself,
      Lord Clifford and Lord Stafford, all abreast,
      Charged our main battle's front, and breaking in
      Were by the swords of common soldiers slain.
EDWARD
10    Lord Stafford's father, Duke of Buckingham,
      Is either slain or wounded dangerously;
      I cleft his beaver with a downright blow:
      That this is true, father, behold his blood.
MONTAGUE
      And, brother, here's the Earl of Wiltshire's blood,
15    Whom I encounter'd as the battles join'd.
RICHARD
      Speak thou for me and tell them what I did.
Throwing down SOMERSET's head
YORK
      Richard hath best deserved of all my sons.
      But is your grace dead, my Lord of Somerset?
NORFOLK
      Such hope have all the line of John of Gaunt!
RICHARD
20    Thus do I hope to shake King Henry's head.
WARWICK
      And so do I. Victorious Prince of York,
      Before I see thee seated in that throne
      Which now the house of Lancaster usurps,
      I vow by heaven these eyes shall never close.
25    This is the palace of the fearful king,
      And this the regal seat: possess it, York;
      For this is thine and not King Henry's heirs'
YORK
      Assist me, then, sweet Warwick, and I will;
      For hither we have broken in by force.
NORFOLK
30    We'll all assist you; he that flies shall die.
YORK
      Thanks, gentle Norfolk: stay by me, my lords;
      And, soldiers, stay and lodge by me this night.
They go up
WARWICK
      And when the king comes, offer no violence,
      Unless he seek to thrust you out perforce.
YORK
35    The queen this day here holds her parliament,
      But little thinks we shall be of her council:
      By words or blows here let us win our right.
RICHARD
      Arm'd as we are, let's stay within this house.
WARWICK
      The bloody parliament shall this be call'd,
40    Unless Plantagenet, Duke of York, be king,
      And bashful Henry deposed, whose cowardice
      Hath made us by-words to our enemies.
YORK
      Then leave me not, my lords; be resolute;
      I mean to take possession of my right.
WARWICK
45    Neither the king, nor he that loves him best,
      The proudest he that holds up Lancaster,
      Dares stir a wing, if Warwick shake his bells.
      I'll plant Plantagenet, root him up who dares:
      Resolve thee, Richard; claim the English crown.
Flourish. Enter KING HENRY VI, CLIFFORD, NORTHUMBERLAND, WESTMORELAND, EXETER, and the rest
KING HENRY VI
50    My lords, look where the sturdy rebel sits,
      Even in the chair of state: belike he means,
      Back'd by the power of Warwick, that false peer,
      To aspire unto the crown and reign as king.
      Earl of Northumberland, he slew thy father.
55    And thine, Lord Clifford; and you both have vow'd revenge
      On him, his sons, his favourites and his friends.
NORTHUMBERLAND
      If I be not, heavens be revenged on me!
CLIFFORD
      The hope thereof makes Clifford mourn in steel.
WESTMORELAND
      What, shall we suffer this? let's pluck him down:
60    My heart for anger burns; I cannot brook it.
KING HENRY VI
      Be patient, gentle Earl of Westmoreland.
CLIFFORD
      Patience is for poltroons, such as he:
      He durst not sit there, had your father lived.
      My gracious lord, here in the parliament
65    Let us assail the family of York.
NORTHUMBERLAND
      Well hast thou spoken, cousin: be it so.
KING HENRY VI
      Ah, know you not the city favours them,
      And they have troops of soldiers at their beck?
EXETER
      But when the duke is slain, they'll quickly fly.
KING HENRY VI
70    Far be the thought of this from Henry's heart,
      To make a shambles of the parliament-house!
      Cousin of Exeter, frowns, words and threats
      Shall be the war that Henry means to use.
      Thou factious Duke of York, descend my throne,
75    and kneel for grace and mercy at my feet;
      I am thy sovereign.
YORK
      I am thine.
EXETER
      For shame, come down: he made thee Duke of York.
YORK
      'Twas my inheritance, as the earldom was.
EXETER
80    Thy father was a traitor to the crown.
WARWICK
      Exeter, thou art a traitor to the crown
      In following this usurping Henry.
CLIFFORD
      Whom should he follow but his natural king?
WARWICK
      True, Clifford; and that's Richard Duke of York.
KING HENRY VI
85    And shall I stand, and thou sit in my throne?
YORK
      It must and shall be so: content thyself.
WARWICK
      Be Duke of Lancaster; let him be king.
WESTMORELAND
      He is both king and Duke of Lancaster;
      And that the Lord of Westmoreland shall maintain.
WARWICK
90    And Warwick shall disprove it. You forget
      That we are those which chased you from the field
      And slew your fathers, and with colours spread
      March'd through the city to the palace gates.
NORTHUMBERLAND
      Yes, Warwick, I remember it to my grief;
95    And, by his soul, thou and thy house shall rue it.
WESTMORELAND
      Plantagenet, of thee and these thy sons,
      Thy kinsman and thy friends, I'll have more lives
      Than drops of blood were in my father's veins.
CLIFFORD
      Urge it no more; lest that, instead of words,
100   I send thee, Warwick, such a messenger
      As shall revenge his death before I stir.
WARWICK
      Poor Clifford! how I scorn his worthless threats!
YORK
      Will you we show our title to the crown?
      If not, our swords shall plead it in the field.
KING HENRY VI
105   What title hast thou, traitor, to the crown?
      Thy father was, as thou art, Duke of York;
      Thy grandfather, Roger Mortimer, Earl of March:
      I am the son of Henry the Fifth,
      Who made the Dauphin and the French to stoop
110   And seized upon their towns and provinces.
WARWICK
      Talk not of France, sith thou hast lost it all.
KING HENRY VI
      The lord protector lost it, and not I:
      When I was crown'd I was but nine months old.
RICHARD
      You are old enough now, and yet, methinks, you lose.
115   Father, tear the crown from the usurper's head.
EDWARD
      Sweet father, do so; set it on your head.
MONTAGUE
      Good brother, as thou lovest and honourest arms,
      Let's fight it out and not stand cavilling thus.
RICHARD
      Sound drums and trumpets, and the king will fly.
YORK
120   Sons, peace!
KING HENRY VI
      Peace, thou! and give King Henry leave to speak.
WARWICK
      Plantagenet shall speak first: hear him, lords;
      And be you silent and attentive too,
      For he that interrupts him shall not live.
KING HENRY VI
125   Think'st thou that I will leave my kingly throne,
      Wherein my grandsire and my father sat?
      No: first shall war unpeople this my realm;
      Ay, and their colours, often borne in France,
      And now in England to our heart's great sorrow,
130   Shall be my winding-sheet. Why faint you, lords?
      My title's good, and better far than his.
WARWICK
      Prove it, Henry, and thou shalt be king.
KING HENRY VI
      Henry the Fourth by conquest got the crown.
YORK
      'Twas by rebellion against his king.
KING HENRY VI
135   (Aside) I know not what to say; my title's weak.--
      Tell me, may not a king adopt an heir?
YORK
      What then?
KING HENRY VI
      An if he may, then am I lawful king;
      For Richard, in the view of many lords,
140   Resign'd the crown to Henry the Fourth,
      Whose heir my father was, and I am his.
YORK
      He rose against him, being his sovereign,
      And made him to resign his crown perforce.
WARWICK
      Suppose, my lords, he did it unconstrain'd,
145   Think you 'twere prejudicial to his crown?
EXETER
      No; for he could not so resign his crown
      But that the next heir should succeed and reign.
KING HENRY VI
      Art thou against us, Duke of Exeter?
EXETER
      His is the right, and therefore pardon me.
YORK
150   Why whisper you, my lords, and answer not?
EXETER
      My conscience tells me he is lawful king.
KING HENRY VI
      (Aside) All will revolt from me, and turn to him.
NORTHUMBERLAND
      Plantagenet, for all the claim thou lay'st,
      Think not that Henry shall be so deposed.
WARWICK
155   Deposed he shall be, in despite of all.
NORTHUMBERLAND
      Thou art deceived: 'tis not thy southern power,
      Of Essex, Norfolk, Suffolk, nor of Kent,
      Which makes thee thus presumptuous and proud,
      Can set the duke up in despite of me.
CLIFFORD
160   King Henry, be thy title right or wrong,
      Lord Clifford vows to fight in thy defence:
      May that ground gape and swallow me alive,
      Where I shall kneel to him that slew my father!
KING HENRY VI
      O Clifford, how thy words revive my heart!
YORK
165   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,
170   Write up his title with usurping blood.
He stamps with his foot and the soldiers show themselves
KING HENRY VI
      My Lord of Warwick, hear me but one word:
      Let me for this my life-time reign as king.
YORK
      Confirm the crown to me and to mine heirs,
      And thou shalt reign in quiet while thou livest.
KING HENRY VI
175   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
180   How hast thou injured 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,
185   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 despised!
Exeunt NORTHUMBERLAND, CLIFFORD, and WESTMORELAND
WARWICK
190   Turn this way, Henry, and regard them not.
EXETER
      They seek revenge and therefore will not yield.
KING HENRY VI
      Ah, Exeter!
WARWICK
      Why should you sigh, my lord?
KING HENRY VI
      Not for myself, Lord Warwick, but my son,
195   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,
200   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 VI
205   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
210   And I to Norfolk with my followers.
MONTAGUE
      And I unto the sea from whence I came.
Exeunt YORK, EDWARD, EDMUND, GEORGE, RICHARD, WARWICK, NORFOLK, MONTAGUE, their Soldiers, and Attendants
KING HENRY VI
      And I, with grief and sorrow, to the court.
Enter QUEEN MARGARET and PRINCE EDWARD
EXETER
      Here comes the queen, whose looks bewray her anger:
      I'll steal away.
KING HENRY VI
215   Exeter, so will I.
QUEEN MARGARET
      Nay, go not from me; I will follow thee.
KING HENRY VI
      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
220   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,
225   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 EDWARD
      Father, you cannot disinherit me:
230   If you be king, why should not I succeed?
KING HENRY VI
      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!
235   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
240   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
245   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:
250   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
255   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 VI
260   Stay, gentle Margaret, and hear me speak.
QUEEN MARGARET
      Thou hast spoke too much already: get thee gone.
KING HENRY VI
      Gentle son Edward, thou wilt stay with me?
QUEEN MARGARET
      Ay, to be murder'd by his enemies.
PRINCE EDWARD
      When I return with victory from the field
265   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 PRINCE EDWARD
KING HENRY VI
      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,
270   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.
275   Come, cousin you shall be the messenger.
EXETER
      And I, I hope, shall reconcile them all.

Exeunt

      3 KING HENRY VI
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