Thy tears would wash this cold congealed blood
That glues my lips and will not let me speak.
Come quickly, Montague, or I am dead.
SOMERSET. Ah, Warwick! Montague hath breath'd his last;
And to the latest gasp cried out for Warwick,
And said 'Commend me to my
valiant brother.'
And more he would have said; and more he spoke,
Which sounded like a clamour in a vault,
That mought not be distinguish'd; but at last,
I well might hear, delivered with a groan,
'O
farewell, Warwick!'
WARWICK. Sweet rest his soul! Fly, lords, and save yourselves:
For Warwick bids you all
farewell, to meet in heaven.
[Dies]
OXFORD. Away, away, to meet the Queen's great power!
[Here they bear away his body]
SCENE III.
Another part of the field
Flourish. Enter KING in
triumph; with GLOUCESTER,
CLARENCE, and the rest
KING EDWARD. Thus far our fortune keeps an
upward course,
And we are grac'd with wreaths of victory.
But in the midst of this bright-shining day
I spy a black,
suspicious, threat'ning cloud
That will
encounter with our
glorious sun
Ere he
attain his easeful
western bed-
I mean, my lords, those powers that the Queen
Hath rais'd in Gallia have arriv'd our coast
And, as we hear, march on to fight with us.
CLARENCE. A little gale will soon
disperse that cloud
And blow it to the source from
whence it came;
Thy very beams will dry those vapours up,
For every cloud engenders not a storm.
GLOUCESTER. The Queen is valued thirty thousand strong,
And Somerset, with Oxford, fled to her.
If she have time to breathe, be well assur'd
Her
faction will be full as strong as ours.
KING EDWARD. are advertis'd by our
loving friends
That they do hold their course toward Tewksbury;
We, having now the best at Barnet field,
Will
thither straight, for
willingness rids way;
And as we march our strength will be augmented
In every county as we go along.
Strike up the drum; cry 'Courage!' and away. Exeunt
SCENE IV.
Plains wear Tewksbury
Flourish. March. Enter QUEEN MARGARET, PRINCE EDWARD,
SOMERSET, OXFORD, and SOLDIERS
QUEEN MARGARET. Great lords, wise men ne'er sit and wail their
loss,
But cheerly seek how to
redress their harms.
What though the mast be now blown overboard,
The cable broke, the holding-
anchor lost,
And half our sailors swallow'd in the flood;
Yet lives our pilot still. Is't meet that he
Should leave the helm and, like a
fearful lad,
With tearful eyes add water to the sea
And give more strength to that which hath too much;
Whiles, in his moan, the ship splits on the rock,
Which industry and courage might have sav'd?
Ah, what a shame! ah, what a fault were this!
Say Warwick was our
anchor; what of that?
And Montague our top-mast; what of him?
Our slaught'red friends the tackles; what of these?
Why, is not Oxford here another
anchor?
And Somerset another
goodly mast?
The friends of France our shrouds and tacklings?
And, though unskilful, why not Ned and I
For once allow'd the skilful pilot's charge?
We will not from the helm to sit and weep,
But keep our course, though the rough wind say no,
From
shelves and rocks that
threaten us with wreck,
As good to chide the waves as speak them fair.
And what is Edward but a
ruthless sea?
What Clarence but a quicksand of deceit?
And Richard but a
ragged fatal rock?
All these the enemies to our poor bark.
Say you can swim; alas, 'tis but a while!
Tread on the sand; why, there you quickly sink.
Bestride the rock; the tide will wash you off,
Or else you famish- that's a threefold death.
This speak I, lords, to let you understand,
If case some one of you would fly from us,
That there's no hop'd-for mercy with the brothers
More than with
ruthless waves, with sands, and rocks.
Why, courage then! What cannot be avoided
'Twere
childishweakness to
lament or fear.
PRINCE OF WALES. Methinks a woman of this
valiant spirit
Should, if a
coward hear her speak these words,
Infuse his breast with magnanimity
And make him naked foil a man-at-arms.
I speak not this as doubting any here;
For did I but
suspect a
fearful man,
He should have leave to go away betimes,
Lest in our need he might
infect another
And make him of the like spirit to himself.
If any such be here- as God forbid!-
Let him depart before we need his help.
OXFORD. Women and children of so high a courage,
And warriors faint! Why, 'twere
perpetual shame.
O brave young Prince! thy famous grandfather
Doth live again in thee. Long mayst thou Eve
To bear his image and renew his glories!
SOMERSET. And he that will not fight for such a hope,
Go home to bed and, like the owl by day,
If he arise, be mock'd and wond'red at.
QUEEN MARGARET. Thanks, gentle Somerset; sweet Oxford, thanks.
PRINCE OF WALES. And take his thanks that yet hath nothing else.
Enter a MESSENGER
MESSENGER. Prepare you, lords, for Edward is at hand
Ready to fight;
therefore be resolute.
OXFORD. I thought no less. It is his policy
To haste thus fast, to find us unprovided.
SOMERSET. But he's deceiv'd; we are in readiness.
QUEEN MARGARET. This cheers my heart, to see your forwardness.
OXFORD. Here pitch our battle; hence we will not budge.
Flourish and march. Enter, at a distance, KING EDWARD,
GLOUCESTER, CLARENCE, and soldiers
KING EDWARD. Brave followers, yonder stands the
thorny wood
Which, by the heavens'
assistance and your strength,
Must by the roots be hewn up yet ere night.
I need not add more fuel to your fire,
For well I wot ye blaze to burn them out.
Give signal to the fight, and to it, lords.
QUEEN MARGARET. Lords, knights, and gentlemen, what I should say
My tears gainsay; for every word I speak,
Ye see, I drink the water of my eye.
Therefore, no more but this: Henry, your sovereign,
Is prisoner to the foe; his state usurp'd,
His realm a slaughter-house, his subjects slain,
His statutes cancell'd, and his treasure spent;
And yonder is the wolf that makes this spoil.
You fight in justice. Then, in God's name, lords,
Be
valiant, and give signal to the fight.
Alarum,
retreat, excursions. Exeunt
SCENE V.
Another part of the field
Flourish. Enter KING EDWARD, GLOUCESTER, CLARENCE,
and forces, With QUEEN MARGARET, OXFORD, and
SOMERSET, prisoners
KING EDWARD. Now here a period of tumultuous broils.
Away with Oxford to Hames Castle straight;
For Somerset, off with his
guilty head.
Go, bear them hence; I will not hear them speak.
OXFORD. For my part, I'll not trouble thee with words.
SOMERSET. Nor I, but stoop with
patience to my fortune.
Exeunt OXFORD and SOMERSET, guarded
QUEEN MARGARET. So part we sadly in this troublous world,
To meet with joy in sweet Jerusalem.
KING EDWARD. Is
proclamation made that who finds Edward
Shall have a high
reward, and he his life?
GLOUCESTER. It is; and lo where
youthful Edward comes.
Enter soldiers, with PRINCE EDWARD
KING EDWARD. Bring forth the
gallant; let us hear him speak.
What, can so young a man begin to prick?
Edward, what satis
faction canst thou make
For
bearing arms, for
stirring up my subjects,
And all the trouble thou hast turn'd me to?
PRINCE OF WALES. Speak like a subject, proud
ambitious York.
Suppose that I am now my father's mouth;
Resign thy chair, and where I stand kneel thou,
Whilst I propose the self-same words to the
Which,
traitor, thou wouldst have me answer to.
QUEEN MARGARET. Ah, that thy father had been so resolv'd!
GLOUCESTER. That you might still have worn the petticoat
And ne'er have stol'n the breech from Lancaster.
PRINCE OF WALES. Let Aesop fable in a winter's night;
His currish
riddle sorts not with this place.
GLOUCESTER. By heaven, brat, I'll
plague ye for that word.
QUEEN MARGARET. Ay, thou wast born to be a
plague to men.
GLOUCESTER. For God's sake, take away this
captive scold.
PRINCE OF WALES. Nay, take away this scolding crookback rather.
KING EDWARD. Peace, wilful boy, or I will charm your tongue.
CLARENCE. Untutor'd lad, thou art too malapert.
PRINCE OF WALES. I know my duty; you are all undutiful.
Lascivious Edward, and thou perjur'd George,
And thou misshapen Dick, I tell ye all
I am your better,
traitors as ye are;
And thou usurp'st my father's right and mine.
KING EDWARD. Take that, the
likeness of this railer here.
[Stabs him]
GLOUCESTER. Sprawl'st thou? Take that, to end thy agony.
[Stabs him]
CLARENCE. And there's for twitting me with perjury.
[Stabs him]
QUEEN MARGARET. O, kill me too!
GLOUCESTER. Marry, and shall. [Offers to kill her]
KING EDWARD. Hold, Richard, hold; for we have done to much.
GLOUCESTER. Why should she live to fill the world with words?
KING EDWARD. What, doth she swoon? Use means for her recovery.
GLOUCESTER. Clarence, excuse me to the King my brother.
I'll hence to London on a serious matter;
Ere ye come there, be sure to hear some news.
CLARENCE. What? what?
GLOUCESTER. The Tower! the Tower! Exit
QUEEN MARGARET. O Ned, sweet Ned, speak to thy mother, boy!
Canst thou not speak? O
traitors! murderers!
They that stabb'd Caesar shed no blood at all,
Did not
offend, nor were not
worthy blame,
If this foul deed were by to equal it.
He was a man: this, in respect, a child;