Sham'st thou not, knowing whence thou art extraught, To let thy tongue detect thy base-born heart? Edw. A wisp of straw were worth a thousand crowns, To make this shameless callet know herself.Helen of Greece was fairer far than thou, Although thy husband may be Menelaus; And ne'er was Agamemnon's brother wrong'd By that false woman, as this king by thee. His father revell'd in the heart of France, And tam'd the king, and made the dauphin stoop; And, had he match'd according to his state, He might have kept that glory to this day: But, when he took a beggar to his bed, And grac'd thy poor sire with his bridal day; Even then that sunshine brew'd a shower for him, That wash'd his father's fortunes forth of France, And heap'd sedition on his crown at home. For what hath broach'd this tumult, but thy pride? Hadst thou been meek, our title still had slept, And we, in pity of the gentle king, Had slipp'd our claim until another age. Geo. But, when we saw our sunshine made thy spring, And that thy summer bred us no increase, We set the axe to thy usurping root: And though the edge hath something hit ourselves, Not willing any longer conference, Since thou deny'st the gentle king to speak.- Q. Mar. Stay, Edward. Edw. No, wrangling woman; we'll no longer stay: These words will cost ten thousand lives to-day. [Exeunt. SCENE 111. A Field of Battle between TowTON and SAXTON, in YORKSHIRE. Alarums: Excursions. Enter WARWICK. War. Forspent with toil, as runners with a race, I lay me down a little while to breathe: For strokes receiv'd, and many blows repaid, Enter EDWARD, running. Edw. Smile, gentle heaven! or strike, ungentle death! For this world frowns, and Edward's sun is clouded. War. How now, my lord? what hap? what hope of good? Enter GEORGE. Geo. Our hap is loss, our hope but sad despair; Our ranks are broke, and rain follows us: What counsel give you, whither shall we fly? Edw. Bootless is flight, they follow us with wings; And weak we are, and cannot shun pursuit. Enter RICHARD. Rich. Ah, Warwick, why hast thou withdrawn thyself? That stain'd their fetlocks in his smoking blood, War. Then let the earth be drunken with our blood : I'll kill my horse, because I will not fly. Why stand we like soft-hearted women here, Were play'd in jest by counterfeiting actors? Till either death hath clos'd these eyes of mine, Edw. O Warwick, I do bend my knee with thine; Rich. Brother, give me thy hand;—and, gentle Let me embrace thee in my weary arms:- War. Away, away! Once more, sweet lords, farewell. This may plant courage in their quailing breasts; Fore-slow no longer, make we heuce amain. [Exeunt. SCENE IV. The same. Another Part of the Field. Cliff. Now, Richard, I am with thee here alone: To execute the like upon thyself; And so, have at thee. [They fight. Warwick enters; Clifford flies. Rich. Nay, Warwick, single out some other chase; For I myself will hunt this wolf to death. [Exeunt. SCENE V. Another Part of the Field. Alarum. Enter KING HENRY. K. Hen. This battle fares like to the morning's war, To carve out dials quaintly, point by point, So many hours must I take my rest; So many days my ewes have been with young; So minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, and years, Would bring white hairs unto a quiet grave. To kings, that fear their subjects' treachery? And to conclude, the shepherd's homely curds, When care, mistrust, and treason, wait on him. Alarum. Enter a Son that has killed his Father, dragging in the dead Body. Son. I blows the wind, that profits no-body.This man, whom hand to hand I slew in fight, May be possessed with some store of crowns: And I, that haply take them from him now, May yet ere night yield both my life and them To some man else, as this dead man doth me.Who's this?-O God! it is my father's face, Whom in this conflict I unwares have kill'd. O heavy times, begetting such events! From London by the king was I press'd forth; My father, being the earl of Warwick's man, Came on the part of York, press'd by his master; And I, who at his hands receiv'd my life, Have by my hands of life bereav'd him.— |