Richard, I will create thee Duke of Gloucester;
And George, of Clarence; Warwick, as ourself,
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
To see these honours in possession. Exeunt
ACT III. SCENE I.
A chase in the north of England
Enter two KEEPERS, with cross-bows in their hands
FIRST KEEPER. Under this thick-grown brake we'll
shroud ourselves,
For through this laund anon the deer will come;
And in this
covert will we make our stand,
Culling the
principal of all the deer.
SECOND KEEPER. I'll stay above the hill, so both may shoot.
FIRST KEEPER. That cannot be; the noise of thy cross-bow
Will scare the herd, and so my shoot is lost.
Here stand we both, and aim we at the best;
And, for the time shall not seem tedious,
I'll tell thee what
befell me on a day
In this self-place where now we mean to stand.
SECOND KEEPER. Here comes a man; let's stay till he be past.
Enter KING HENRY, disguised, with a prayer-book
KING HENRY. From Scotland am I stol'n, even of pure love,
To greet mine own land with my wishful sight.
No, Harry, Harry, 'tis no land of thine;
Thy place is fill'd, thy sceptre wrung from thee,
Thy balm wash'd off
wherewith thou wast anointed.
No bending knee will call thee Caesar now,
No
humble suitors press to speak for right,
No, not a man comes for
redress of thee;
For how can I help them and not myself?
FIRST KEEPER. Ay, here's a deer whose skin's a
keeper's fee.
This is the quondam King; let's seize upon him.
KING HENRY. Let me
embrace thee, sour adversity,
For wise men say it is the wisest course.
SECOND KEEPER. Why
linger we? let us lay hands upon him.
FIRST KEEPER. Forbear
awhile; we'll hear a little more.
KING HENRY. My Queen and son are gone to France for aid;
And, as I hear, the great commanding Warwick
Is
thither gone to crave the French King's sister
To wife for Edward. If this news be true,
Poor queen and son, your labour is but lost;
For Warwick is a subtle orator,
And Lewis a
prince soon won with moving words.
By this
account, then, Margaret may win him;
For she's a woman to be pitied much.
Her sighs will make a batt'ry in his breast;
Her tears will
pierce into a
marble heart;
The tiger will be mild whiles she doth mourn;
And Nero will be tainted with remorse
To hear and see her plaints, her brinish tears.
Ay, but she's come to beg: Warwick, to give.
She, on his left side,
craving aid for Henry:
He, on his right, asking a wife for Edward.
She weeps, and says her Henry is depos'd:
He smiles, and says his Edward is install'd;
That she, poor
wretch, for grief can speak no more;
Whiles Warwick tells his title, smooths the wrong,
Inferreth arguments of
mighty strength,
And in
conclusion wins the King from her
With promise of his sister, and what else,
To
strengthen and support King Edward's place.
O Margaret, thus 'twill be; and thou, poor soul,
Art then
forsaken, as thou went'st forlorn!
SECOND KEEPER. Say, what art thou that talk'st of kings and queens?
KING HENRY. More than I seem, and less than I was born to:
A man at least, for less I should not be;
And men may talk of kings, and why not I?
SECOND KEEPER. Ay, but thou talk'st as if thou wert a king.
KING HENRY. Why, so I am- in mind; and that's enough.
SECOND KEEPER. But, if thou be a king, where is thy crown?
KING HENRY. My crown is in my heart, not on my head;
Not deck'd with diamonds and Indian stones,
Not to be seen. My crown is call'd content;
A crown it is that seldom kings enjoy.
SECOND KEEPER. Well, if you be a king crown'd with content,
Your crown content and you must be contented
To go along with us; for as we think,
You are the king King Edward hath depos'd;
And we his subjects, sworn in all allegiance,
Will
apprehend you as his enemy.
KING HENRY. But did you never swear, and break an oath?
SECOND KEEPER. No, never such an oath; nor will not now.
KING HENRY. Where did you dwell when I was King of England?
SECOND KEEPER. Here in this country, where we now remain.
KING HENRY. I was anointed king at nine months old;
My father and my
grandfather were kings;
And you were sworn true subjects unto me;
And tell me, then, have you not broke your oaths?
FIRST KEEPER. No;
For we were subjects but while you were king.
KING HENRY. Why, am I dead? Do I not breathe a man?
Ah, simple men, you know not what you swear!
Look, as I blow this
feather from my face,
And as the air blows it to me again,
Obeying with my wind when I do blow,
And yielding to another when it blows,
Commanded always by the greater gust,
Such is the lightness of you common men.
But do not break your oaths; for of that sin
My mild
entreaty shall not make you guilty.
Go where you will, the King shall be commanded;
And be you kings: command, and I'll obey.
FIRST KEEPER. We are true subjects to the King, King Edward.
KING HENRY. So would you be again to Henry,
If he were seated as King Edward is.
FIRST KEEPER. We
charge you, in God's name and the King's,
To go with us unto the officers.
KING HENRY. In God's name, lead; your King's name be obey'd;
And what God will, that let your King perform;
And what he will, I
humbly yield unto. Exeunt
SCENE II.
London. The palace
Enter KING EDWARD, GLOUCESTER, CLARENCE, and LADY GREY
KING EDWARD. Brother of Gloucester, at Saint Albans' field
This lady's husband, Sir Richard Grey, was slain,
His land then seiz'd on by the conqueror.
Her suit is now to repossess those lands;
Which we in justice cannot well deny,
Because in quarrel of the house of York
The
worthy gentleman did lose his life.
GLOUCESTER. Your Highness shall do well to grant her suit;
It were dishonour to deny it her.
KING EDWARD. It were no less; but yet I'll make a pause.
GLOUCESTER. [Aside to CLARENCE] Yea, is it so?
I see the lady hath a thing to grant,
Before the King will grant her
humble suit.
CLARENCE. [Aside to GLOUCESTER] He knows the game; how true he
keeps the wind!
GLOUCESTER. [Aside to CLARENCE] Silence!
KING EDWARD. Widow, we will consider of your suit;
And come some other time to know our mind.
LADY GREY. Right
gracious lord, I cannot brook delay.
May it please your Highness to
resolve me now;
And what your pleasure is shall satisfy me.
GLOUCESTER. [Aside] Ay, widow? Then I'll
warrant you all your
lands,
An if what pleases him shall pleasure you.
Fight closer or, good faith, you'll catch a blow.
CLARENCE. [Aside to GLOUCESTER] I fear her not, unless she chance
to fall.
GLOUCESTER. [Aside to CLARENCE] God
forbid that, for he'll take
vantages.
KING EDWARD. How many children hast thou, widow, tell me.
CLARENCE. [Aside to GLOUCESTER] I think he means to beg a child of
her.
GLOUCESTER. [Aside to CLARENCE] Nay, then whip me; he'll rather
give her two.
LADY GREY. Three, my most
gracious lord.
GLOUCESTER. [Aside] You shall have four if you'll be rul'd by him.
KING EDWARD. 'Twere pity they should lose their father's lands.
LADY GREY. Be
pitiful, dread lord, and grant it, then.
KING EDWARD. Lords, give us leave; I'll try this widow's wit.
GLOUCESTER. [Aside] Ay, good leave have you; for you will have
leave
Till youth take leave and leave you to the crutch.
[GLOUCESTER and CLARENCE withdraw]
KING EDWARD. Now tell me, madam, do you love your children?
LADY GREY. Ay, full as
dearly as I love myself.
KING EDWARD. And would you not do much to do them good?
LADY GREY. To do them good I would
sustain some harm.
KING EDWARD. Then get your husband's lands, to do them good.
LADY GREY. Therefore I came unto your Majesty.
KING EDWARD. I'll tell you how these lands are to be got.
LADY GREY. So shall you bind me to your Highness' service.
KING EDWARD. What service wilt thou do me if I give them?
LADY GREY. What you command that rests in me to do.
KING EDWARD. But you will take exceptions to my boon.
LADY GREY. No,
gracious lord, except I cannot do it.
KING EDWARD. Ay, but thou canst do what I mean to ask.
LADY GREY. Why, then I will do what your Grace commands.
GLOUCESTER. He plies her hard; and much rain wears the
marble.
CLARENCE. As red as fire! Nay, then her wax must melt.
LADY GREY. Why stops my lord? Shall I not hear my task?
KING EDWARD. An easy task; 'tis but to love a king.
LADY GREY. That's soon perform'd, because I am a subject.
KING EDWARD. Why, then, thy husband's lands I
freely give thee.
LADY GREY. I take my leave with many thousand thanks.
GLOUCESTER. The match is made; she seals it with a curtsy.
KING EDWARD. But stay thee- 'tis the fruits of love I mean.
LADY GREY. The fruits of love I mean, my
loving liege.
KING EDWARD. Ay, but, I fear me, in another sense.
What love, thinkst thou, I sue so much to get?
LADY GREY. My love till death, my
humble thanks, my prayers;
That love which
virtue begs and
virtue grants.
KING EDWARD. No, by my troth, I did not mean such love.
LADY GREY. Why, then you mean not as I thought you did.
KING EDWARD. But now you
partly may
perceive my mind.
LADY GREY. My mind will never grant what I
perceiveYour Highness aims at, if I aim aright.
KING EDWARD. To tell thee plain, I aim to lie with thee.
LADY GREY. To tell you plain, I had rather lie in prison.
KING EDWARD. Why, then thou shalt not have thy husband's lands.
LADY GREY. Why, then mine
honesty shall be my dower;
For by that loss I will not purchase them.
KING EDWARD. T
herein thou wrong'st thy children mightily.
LADY GREY. Herein your Highness wrongs both them and me.
But,
mighty lord, this merry inclination
Accords not with the
sadness of my suit.