William Shakespeare: The Complete Works 2nd Edition (67 page)

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Authors: William Shakespeare

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BOOK: William Shakespeare: The Complete Works 2nd Edition

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And yet, methinks, your grace hath not done well
To give the heir and daughter of Lord Scales
Unto the brother of your loving bride.
She better would have fitted me or Clarence,
But in your bride you bury brotherhood.

GEORGE OF CLARENCE

Or else you would not have bestowed the heir
Of the Lord Bonville on your new wife’s son,
And leave your brothers to go speed elsewhere.

KING EDWARD

Alas, poor Clarence, is it for a wife
That thou art malcontent? I will provide thee.

GEORGE OF CLARENCE

In choosing for yourself you showed your judgement,
Which being shallow, you shall give me leave
To play the broker in mine own behalf,
And to that end I shortly mind to leave you.

KING EDWARD

Leave me, or tarry. Edward will be king,
And not be tied unto his brother’s will.

LADY GRAY

My lords, before it pleased his majesty
To raise my state to title of a queen,
Do me but right, and you must all confess
That I was not ignoble of descent—
And meaner than myself have had like fortune.
But as this title honours me and mine,
So your dislikes, to whom I would be pleasing,
Doth cloud my joys with danger and with sorrow.

KING EDWARD

My love, forbear to fawn upon their frowns.
What danger or what sorrow can befall thee
So long as Edward is thy constant friend,
And their true sovereign, whom they must obey?
Nay, whom they shall obey, and love thee too—
Unless they seek for hatred at my hands,
Which if they do, yet will I keep thee safe,
And they shall feel the vengeance of my wrath.

RICHARD OF GLOUCESTER
(aside)

I hear, yet say not much, but think the more.

Enter the Post from France

KING EDWARD

Now, messenger, what letters or what news from France ?

POST

My sovereign liege, no letters and few words,
But such as I, without your special pardon,
Dare not relate.

KING EDWARD

Go to, we pardon thee. Therefore, in brief,
Tell me their words as near as thou canst guess them.
What answer makes King Louis unto our letters?

POST

At my depart these were his very words:
‘Go tell false Edward, thy supposed king,
That Louis of France is sending over masquers
To revel it with him and his new bride.’

KING EDWARD

Is Louis so brave ? Belike he thinks me Henry.
But what said Lady Bona to my marriage?

POST

These were her words, uttered with mild disdain:
‘Tell him in hope he’ll prove a widower shortly,
I’ll wear the willow garland for his sake.’

KING EDWARD

ame not her, she could say little less;
She had the wrong. But what said Henry’s queen?
For I have heard that she was there in place.

POST

‘Tell him‘, quoth she, ’my mourning weeds are done,
And I am ready to put armour on.’

KING EDWARD

Belike she minds to play the Amazon.
But what said Warwick to these injuries?

POST

He, more incensed against your majesty
Than all the rest, discharged me with these words:
‘Tell him from me that he hath done me wrong,
And therefore I’ll uncrown him ere’t be long.’

KING EDWARD

Ha! Durst the traitor breathe out so proud words?
Well, I will arm me, being thus forewarned.
They shall have wars and pay for their presumption.
But say, is Warwick friends with Margaret?

POST

Ay, gracious sovereign, they are so linked in friendship
That young Prince Edward marries Warwick’s daughter.

GEORGE OF CLARENCE

Belike the elder; Clarence will have the younger.
Now, brother King, farewell, and sit you fast,
For I will hence to Warwick’s other daughter,
That, though I want a kingdom, yet in marriage
I may not prove inferior to yourself.
You that love me and Warwick, follow me.

Exit Clarence, and Somerset follows

RICHARD OF GLOUCESTER

Not I—⌈
aside
⌉ my thoughts aim at a further matter.
I stay not for the love of Edward, but the crown.

KING EDWARD

Clarence and Somerset both gone to Warwick?
Yet am I armed against the worst can happen,
And haste is needful in this desp’rate case.
Pembroke and Stafford, you in our behalf
Go levy men and make prepare for war.
They are already, or quickly will be, landed.
Myself in person will straight follow you.

Exeunt Pembroke and Stafford

But ere I go, Hastings and Montague,
Resolve my doubt. You twain, of all the rest,
Are near’st to Warwick by blood and by alliance.
Tell me if you love Warwick more than me.
If it be so, then both depart to him—
I rather wish you foes than hollow friends.
But if you mind to hold your true obedience,
Give me assurance with some friendly vow
That I may never have you in suspect.

MONTAGUE

So God help Montague as he proves true.

HASTINGS

And Hastings as he favours Edward’s cause.

KING EDWARD

Now, brother Richard, will you stand by us?

RICHARD OF GLOUCESTER

Ay, in despite of all that shall withstand you.

KING EDWARD

Why, so. Then am I sure of victory.
Now, therefore, let us hence and lose no hour
Till we meet Warwick with his foreign power. Exeunt

4.2
Enter the Earls of Warwick and Oxford in England, with French soldiers

WARWICK

Trust me, my lord, all hitherto goes well.
The common sort by numbers swarm to us.

Enter the Dukes of Clarence and Somerset

But see where Somerset and Clarence comes.
Speak suddenly, my lords, are we all friends ?

GEORGE OF CLARENCE Fear not that, my lord.

WARWICK

Then, gentle Clarence, welcome unto Warwick—
And welcome, Somerset. I hold it cowardice
To rest mistrustful where a noble heart
Hath pawned an open hand in sign of love,
Else might I think that Clarence, Edward’s brother,
Were but a feigned friend to our proceedings.
But come, sweet Clarence, my daughter shall be thine.
And now what rests but, in night’s coverture,
Thy brother being carelessly encamped,
His soldiers lurking in the towns about,
And but attended by a simple guard,
We may surprise and take him at our pleasure?

Our scouts have found the adventure very easy;
That, as Ulysses and stout Diomed
With sleight and manhood stole to Rhesus’ tents
And brought from thence the Thracian fatal steeds,
So we, well covered with the night’s black mantle,
At unawares may beat down Edward’s guard
And seize himself—I say not ‘slaughter him’,
For I intend but only to surprise him.
You that will follow me to this attempt,
Applaud the name of Henry with your leader.

They all cry ‘Henry’

Why, then, let’s on our way in silent sort,
For Warwick and his friends, God and Saint George!

Exeunt

4.3
Enter three Watchmen, to guard King Edward’s tent

FIRST WATCHMAN

Come on, my masters, each man take his stand.
The King by this is set him down to sleep.

SECOND WATCHMAN What, will he not to bed?

FIRST WATCHMAN

Why, no—for he hath made a solemn vow
Never to lie and take his natural rest
Till Warwick or himself be quite suppressed.

SECOND WATCHMAN

Tomorrow then belike shall be the day,
If Warwick be so near as men report.

THIRD WATCHMAN

But say, I pray, what nobleman is that
That with the King here resteth in his tent?

FIRST WATCHMAN

’Tis the Lord Hastings, the King’s chiefest friend.

THIRD WATCHMAN

O, is it so ? But why commands the King
That his chief followers lodge in towns about him,
While he himself keeps in the cold field?

SECOND WATCHMAN

’Tis the more honour, because more dangerous.

THIRD WATCHMAN

Ay, but give me worship and quietness—
I like it better than a dangerous honour.
If Warwick knew in what estate he stands,
’Tis to be doubted he would waken him.

FIRST WATCHMAN

Unless our halberds did shut up his passage.

SECOND WATCHMAN

Ay, wherefore else guard we his royal tent
But to defend his person from night-foes?

Enter silently the Earl of Warwick, George Duke of
Clarence, the Earl of Oxford, and the Duke of
Somerset, with French soldiers

WARWICK

This is his tent—and see where stand his guard.
Courage, my masters—honour now or never!
But follow me, and Edward shall be ours.

FIRST WATCHMAN Who goes there?

SECOND WATCHMAN Stay or thou diest.

Warwick and the rest all cry ‘Warwick, Warwick!’
and set upon the guard, who fly, crying ‘Arm, arm!’
Warwick and the rest follow them

4.4
With the drummer playing and trumpeter sounding, enter the Earl of Warwick, the Duke of Somerset, and the rest bringing King Edward out in his gown, sitting in a chair. Richard Duke of Gloucester and Lord Hastings flies over the stage

SOMERSET What are they that fly there?

WARWICK

Richard and Hastings—let them go. Here is the Duke.

KING EDWARD

‘The Duke’! Why, Warwick, when we parted,
Thou calledst me king.

WARWICK Ay, but the case is altered.

When you disgraced me in my embassade,
Then I degraded you from being king,
And come now to create you Duke of York.
Alas, how should you govern any kingdom
That know not how to use ambassadors,
Nor how to be contented with one wife,
Nor how to use your brothers brotherly,
Nor how to study for the people’s welfare,
Nor how to shroud yourself from enemies?

KING EDWARD (
seeing George
)

Yea, brother of Clarence, art thou here too?
Nay, then, I see that Edward needs must down.
Yet, Warwick, in despite of all mischance,
Of thee thyself and all thy complices,
Edward will always bear himself as king.
Though fortune’s malice overthrow my state,
My mind exceeds the compass of her wheel.

WARWICK

Then, for his mind, be Edward England’s king.

Warwick takes off Edward’s crown

But Henry now shall wear the English crown,
And be true king indeed, thou but the shadow.
My lord of Somerset, at my request,
See that, forthwith, Duke Edward be conveyed
Unto my brother, Archbishop of York.
When I have fought with Pembroke and his fellows,
I’ll follow you, and tell what answer
Louis and the Lady Bona send to him.
Now for a while farewell, good Duke of York.