SCENE I.-London.-The Parliament-House. Drums. Some Soldiers of YORK's party break in. Then, Enter the Duke of YORK, EDWARD, RICHARD, NORFOLK, MONTAGUE, WARWICK, and others, with White Roses in their Hats. War. I wonder how the king escap'd our hands.

York. While we pursu'd the horsemen of the north,

He slily stole away, and left his men: Whereat the great lord of Northumberland, Whose warlike ears could never brook retreat, Cheer'd up the drooping army; and himself, Lord Clifford, and lord Stafford, all a-breast, Charg'd our main battle's front, and, breaking in,

Were by the swords of common soldiers slain. Edw. Lord Stafford's father, duke of Buck

York. Richard hath best deserv'd of all my

sons.

[set? What, is your grace dead, my lord of SomerNorf. Such hope have all the line of John of

Gaunt!

parliament,

But little thinks we shall be of her council: By words, or blows, here let us win our right,

Rich. Arm'd as we are, let's stay within this house.

War. The bloody parliament shall this be call'd,

Unless Plantagenet, duke of York, be king; And bashful Henry depos'd, 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.

War. 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:[crown. Resolve thee, Richard; claim the English [WARWICK leads YORK to the Throne, who seats himself.

Flourish. Enter King HENRY, CLIFFORD, NORTHUMBERLAND, WESTMORELAND, EXETER, and others, with red Roses in their Hats.

K. Hen. 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;And thine, lord Clifford; and you both have vow'd revenge

On him, his sons, his favourites, and his friends. North. If I be not, heavens, be reveng'd on me!

Clif. The hope thereof makes Clifford mourn in steel.

West. What, shall we suffer this? let's pluck

him down:

My heart for anger burns, cannot brook it. K. Hen. Be patient, gentle earl of Westmoreland.

Clif. Patience is for poltroons, and such as

he; He durst not sit there had your father liv'd. My gracious lord, here in the parliament Let us assail the family of York.

North. Well hast thou spoken, consin; be it

K. Hen. Ah, know you not, the city favours them,

And they have troops of soldiers at their beck? Exe. But when the duke is slain, they'll quickly fly.

K. Hen. 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.-
[They advance to the Duke.
Thou factious duke of York, descend my throne,
And kneel for grace and mercy at my feet;
I am thy sovereign.

York. Thou art deceiv'd, I am thine.
Exe, For shame, come down; he made thee
duke of York.

York. 'Twas my inheritance, as the earldom

was.

Exe. Thy father was a traitor to the crown. War. Exeter, thou art a traitor to the crown, In following this usurping Henry.

Clif. Whom should he follow, but his natural king?

Hawks had sometimes little bells hung on them, perhaps to dare the birds; that is, to fright them from rising.

War. True, Clitford; and that's Richard, duke of York.

K. Hen. And shall I stand, and thou sit in my throne?

York. It must and shall be so. Content thy. self.

War. Be duke of Lancaster, let him be king. West. He is both king and duke of Lancaster: And that the lord of Westmoreland shall maintain.

War. And Warwick shall disprove it. You forget, [field, That we are those, which chas'd you from the And slew your fathers, and with colours spread

March'd through the city to the palace gates. North. Yes, Warwick, I remember it to my

Mont. Good brother, [To YORK.] as thou lov'st and honour'st arms,

Let's fight it out, and not stand cavilling thus.
Rich. Sound drums and trumpets, and the
king will fly.
York. Sons, peace!

K. Hen. Peace thou! and give king Henry leave to speak.

War. Plantagenet shall speak first-hear him, lords;

And be you silent and attentive too,
For he, that interrupts him, shall not live.

K. Hen. Think'st thou, that I will leave m

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 sor[lords!

row,

Shall be my winding sheet.-Why faint you,
My title's good, and better far than his.
War. But prove it, Henry, and thou shalt be

king.

* Since.

K. Hen. An if he may, then am I lawful king:

For Richard, in the view of many lords,
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. War. Suppose, my lords, he did it unconstrain'd,

Think you, 'twere prejudicial to his crown?* Exe. No; for he could not so resign his crown, [reign. But that the next heir should succeed and K. Hen. Art thou against us, duke of Exeter?

Exe. He is the right, and therefore pardon

me.

Clif. Come, cousin, let us teil the quees these news.

West. Farewell, faint-hearted and degene rate king,

In whose cold blood no spark of honour bides North. Be thou a prey unto the house of York,

And die in bands for this unmanly deed! Clif. In dreadful war may'st thou be over. come!

Or live in peace, abandon'd, and despis'd! [Exeunt NORTHUMBERLAND, Clifford, and WESTMORELAND.

War. Turn this way, Henry, and regard them not.

Exe. They seek revenge, and therefore wil not yield.

K. Hen. Ah, Exeter!

War. Why should you sigh, my lord?
K. Hen. Not for myself, lord Warwick, but

my son,

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. War. Long live king Henry!-Plantagenet. embrace him.

K. Hen. And long live thou, and these thy forward sons!

York. Now York and Lancaster are recon

Prince. Father, you cannot disinherit me : If you be king, why should not I succeed? K. Hen. Pardon me, Margaret ;-pardon me, sweet son;[me. The earl of Warwick, and the duke, enforc'd Q. Mar. Enforc'd thee! art thou king, and wilt be forc'd? [wretch! I shame to hear thee speak. Ah, timorous 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 Faulconbridge 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 preferr'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's ready; come, we'll after them.
K. Hen. Stay, gentle Margaret, and hear me
speak.

Q. Mar. Thou hast spoke too much already; get thee gone.

K. Hen. Gentle son Edward, thou wilt stay with me?

Q. Mar. Ay, to be murder'd by his enemies. Prince. When I return with victory from the field,

I'll see your grace: till then, I'll follow her. Q. Mar. Come, son, away; we may not linger thus.

[Exeunt Queen MARGARET, and the PRINCE. K. Hen. 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 them fair;-
Come, cousin, you shall be the messenger.
Exe. And I, I hope, shall reconcile them all.
[Exeunt.
SCENE II-A Room in Sandal Castle, neur
Wakefield, in Yorkshire.

Enter EDWARD, RICHARD, und MONTAGUE.
Rich. Brother, though I be youngest, give

me leave.

Edw. No, I can better play the orator. Mont. But I have reasons strong and forcible.

now:

Edw. Now you are heir, therefore enjoy it [breathe, By giving the house of Lancaster leave to It will outrun you, father, in the end.

York. I took an oath, that he should quietly reign.

Edw. But, for a kingdom, any oath may be broken:

I'd break a thousand oaths, to reign one year. Rich. No; God forbid, your grace should be forsworn.

York. I shall be, if I claim by open war. Rich. I'll prove the contrary, if you'll hear me speak.

[took

York. Thou canst not, son; it is impossible. Rich. An oath is of no moment, being not Before a true and lawful magistrate, That hath authority over him that swears: Henry had none, but did usurp the place; Then, seeing 'twas he that made you to depose, Your oath, my lord, is vain and frivolous. Therefore, to arms. And, father, do but think, How sweet a thing it is to wear a crown; Within whose circuit is Elysium, And all that poets feign of bliss and joy. Why do we linger thus? I cannot rest, Until the white rose, that I wear, be dyed Even in the lukewarm blood of Henry's heart. York. Richard, enough; I will be king, or

die.

Brother, thou shalt to London presently,
And whet on Warwick to this enterprise.-
Thou, Richard, shalt unto the duke of Norfolk,
And tell him privily of our intent.—
You, Edward, shall unto my lord Cobham,
With whom the Kentishmen will willingly rise:
In them I trust; for they are soldiers,
Witty and courteous, liberal, full of spirit.-
While you are thus employ'd, what resteth
But that I seek occasion how to rise; [more,
And yet the king not privy to my drift,
Nor any of the house of Lancaster?
Enter a MESSENGER.

But, stay; What news? Why com'st thou in such post?

Intend here to besiege you in your castle:
Mess. The queen, with all the northern earls
and lords,
She is hard by with twenty thousand men ;
And therefore fortify your hold, my lord.

York. Ay, with my sword. What! think'st
thou, that we fear them?-
Edward and Richard, you shall stay with me;-
My brother Montague shall post to London:
Let noble Warwick, Cobham, and the rest,
Whom we have left protectors of the king,
With powerful policy strengthen themselves,
And trust not simple Henry, nor his oaths.
Mont. Brother, I go; I'll win them, fear it
And thus most humbly I do take my leave.
[Exit.

not:

Enter Sir JoHN and Sir HUGH MORTIMER. York. Sir John, and Sir Hugh Mortime mine uncles!

* Of sound judgement.