The THIRD PART of (1)

King HENRY VI.

ACT I.

SCENE, London.

Alarum. Enter Duke of York, Edward, Richard Norfolk, Montague, Warwick, and Soldiers.

I

WARWICK.

Wonder, how the King efcap'd our hands!
York. While we purfu'd the ho femen of
the north,

He flily ftole away and left his men :
Whereat the great lord of Northumberland,
Whofe warlike ears could never brook
retreat,

Chear'd up the drooping army; and himself,

(1) The Third Part of K. Henry VI.] The Action of this Play (which was at first printed under this Title, The true Tragedy of Richard Duke of York, and the good K. Henry VIth: or, the Second Part of the Contention of York and Lancaster) opens just after the firft Battle at St. Albans, wherein the York Faction carried the day; and clofes with the Murther of King Henry VI. and the Birth of Prince Edward, afterwards King Edward V. So that this Hiftory takes in the Space of full fixteen Years.

Lord Clifford, and lord Stafford, all a-breast,
Charg'd our main battle's front; and, breaking in,
Were by the fwords of common foldiers flain.

Edw. Lord Stafford's father, Duke of Buckingham,
Is either flain or wounded dang'roufly.

I cleft his beaver with a down-right blow:

That this is true, father, behold his blood.

Mont. And, brother, here's the Earl of Wiltshire's blood;

Whom I encounter'd, as the battles join'd.

Rich. Speak thou for me, and tell them what J' did.[Throwing down the Duke of Somerset's Head, York. Richard hath best deserv'd of all my Sons: Is his Grace dead, my lord of Somerfet?

Norf. Such hope have all the Line of John of Gaunt ? Rich. Thus do I hope to fhake King Henry's head. War. And fo do I. Victorious Prince of York, Before I fee thee feated in that Throne, Which now the House of Lancaster ufurps, I vow by heav'n, thefe eyes fhall never clofe. This is the Palace of that fearful King, And this the regal Seat; poffefs it, York; For this is thine, and not King Henry's heirs'. York. Affift me then, fweet Warwick, and I will;:

For hither we have broken in by force.

Norf. We'll all affist you; he, that flies, fhall die. York. Thanks, gentle Norfolk; ftay by me, my lords 3 And, foldiers, stay and lodge by me this night.

[They go up.. War. And when the King comes, offer him no violence. Unless he feek to thruft you out by force.

York. The Queen this day here holds her Parliament, But little thinks, we fhall be of her Council;

By words or blows, here let us win our Right.

Rich. Arm'd as we are, let's flay within this houfe. War. The bloody Parliament fhall this be call'd, Unless Plantagenet, Duke of York, be King; And bathful Henry depos'd; whose cowardife Hath made us By-words to our enemies.

York. Then leave me not; my lords, be resolute; I mean to take poffeffion of my Right.

War. Neither the King, nor he that loves him beft,
The proudeft he that holds up Lancaster,

Dares ftir a wing, if Warwick shake his bells.
I'll plant Plantagenet; root him up, who dare:
Refolve thee, Richard; claim the English Crown.
Enter King Henry, Clifford, Northumberland, Weft-
morland, Exeter, and others.

K. Henry. My lords, look where the sturdy Rebel fits,
Even in the chair of State; belike, he means
(Back'd by the Power of Warwick, that falfe Peer)
T' afpire unto the Crown, and reign as King.
Earl of Northumberland, he flew thy father;
And thine, lord Clifford, and you vow'd revenge
On him, his fons, his fav'rites, and his friends.

North. If I be not, heav'ns be reveng'd on me!
Clif. The hope thereof makes Clifford mourn in fteel.
Weft. What, fhall we fuffer this? let's pluck him down;
My heart for anger burns, I cannot brook it.

K. Henry. Be patient, gentle Earl of Westmorland.
Clif. Patience is for poltroons, and fuch is he:
He durft not fit there, had your father liv'd.
My gracious lord, here in the Parliament
Let us affail the Family of York.

North. Well haft thou spoken, Coufin, be it fo.
K. Henry. Ah! know you not, the City favours them,
And they have troops of foldiers at their beck?

Exe. But when the Duke is flain, they'll quickly fly. K. Henry. Far be the thought of this from Henry's heart,

To make a Shambles of the Parliament-house.
Coufin of Exeter, frowns, words and threats,
Shall be the war that Henry means to use.
Thou factious Duke of York, defcend my

And kneel for grace and mercy at my
I am thy Sovereign.

York. Thou'rt deceiv'd, I'm thine.

E 4

Throne;

[To the Duke. feet:

Exe.

Exe. For fhame come down: he made thee Duke of
York.

York. 'Twas my inheritance, as the Kingdom is.
Exe. Thy father was a traitor to the crown.
War. Exeter, thou art a traitor to the crown,
In following this ufurping Henry.

Clif. Whom fhould he follow, but his natural King?
War. True, Clifford; and that's Richard Duke of York.
K. Henry. And thall I ftand, and thou fit in my Throne ?
York. It muft and fhall be fo, content thyself.
War. Be Duke of Lancafter, let him be King.
Weft. He is both King, and Duke of Lancafter;
And that the lord of Westmorland fhall maintain.
War. And Warwick fhall difprove it. You forget,
That we are thofe, which chas'd you from the field,
And flew your fathers, and with Colours fpread
March'd through the city to the Palace-gates.

North. No, Warwick, I remember it to my grief. And, by his foul, thou and thy Houfe fhall rue it. Weft. Plantagenet, of thee, and these thy fons, Thy kinsmen and thy friends, I'll have more lives, Than drops of blood were in my father's veins.

Clif. Urge it no more; left that, instead of words, I fend thee, Warwick, fuch a messenger, As fhall revenge his death before I ftir.

War. Poor Clifford! how I fcorn his worthlefs threats. York. Will you, we fhew cur Title to the Crown? If not, our fwords fhall plead it in the field.

K. Henry. What Title haft thou, traitor, to the crown?
Thy father was, as thou art, Duke of York;
Thy grandfather Roger Mortimer, Earl of March.
I am the fon of Henry the Fifth,

Who made the Dauphin and the French to ftoop,
And feiz'd upon their towns and provinces.

War. Talk not of France, fith thou hath loft it all.
K. Henry. The lord Protector loft it, and not I;
When I was crown'd, I was but nine months old. [lofe:
Rich. You are old enough now, and yet, methinks, you
Father, tear the Crown from the Ufurper's head.
Edw. Sweet father, do fo; fet it on your head.

Mont.

Mont. Good brother, as thou lov'ft and honour'ft 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. Henry. Peace thou, and give King Henry leave to fpeak.

War. Plantagenet fhall fpeak firft: hear him, lords, And be you filent and attentive too;

For he, that interrupts him, fhall not live.

[Throne, K. Henry. Think't thou, that I will leave my kingly Wherein my grand fire and my father fat? No: first fhall war unpeople this my realm; Ay, and their Colours, often borne in France, And now in England to our heart's great forrow, Shall be my winding-fheet: why faint you, lords? My Title's good, and better far than his.

War. But prove it, Henry, and thou shalt be King. K. Henry. Henry the Fourth by conqueft got the crown. York. 'Twas by Rebellion against his King.

K. Henry. I know not what to fay, my Title's weak: Tell me, may not a King adopt an heir?

York. What then?

K. Henry. And if he may, then am I lawful King:
For Richard, in the view of many lords,
Refign'd the Crown to Henry the Fourth;
Whose heir my father was, and I am his.

York. He rofe against him, being his Sovereign,
And made him to refign his Crown perforce.
War. Suppofe, my lords, he did it unconstrain'd,
Think you, 'twere prejudicial to his Crown?

Exe. No, for he could not fo refign his Crown,
But that the next heir should fucceed and reign.
K. Henry. Art thou against us, Duke of Exeter?--
Exe. His is the Right, and therefore pardon me.
Yark. Why whifper you, my lords, and answer not?
Exe. My confcience tells me, he is lawful King.
K. Henry. All will revolt from me, and turn to him.
North. Plantagenet, for all the Claim thou lay'ft,
Think not, that Henry fhall be fo depos'd...

War