King Henry VI, Part III
ACT IV SCENE I | London. The palace. | |
[Enter GLOUCESTER, CLARENCE, SOMERSET, and MONTAGUE] | ||
GLOUCESTER | Now tell me, brother Clarence, what think you | |
Of this new marriage with the Lady Grey? | ||
Hath not our brother made a worthy choice? | ||
CLARENCE | Alas, you know, ’tis far from hence to France; | |
How could he stay till Warwick made return? | 5 | |
SOMERSET | My lords, forbear this talk; here comes the king. | |
GLOUCESTER | And his well-chosen bride. | |
CLARENCE | I mind to tell him plainly what I think. | |
[ Flourish. Enter KING EDWARD IV, attended; QUEEN ELIZABETH, PEMBROKE, STAFFORD, HASTINGS, and others ] | ||
KING EDWARD IV | Now, brother of Clarence, how like you our choice, | |
That you stand pensive, as half malcontent? | 10 | |
CLARENCE | As well as Lewis of France, or the Earl of Warwick, | |
Which are so weak of courage and in judgment | ||
That they’ll take no offence at our abuse. | ||
KING EDWARD IV | Suppose they take offence without a cause, | |
They are but Lewis and Warwick: I am Edward, | 15 | |
Your king and Warwick’s, and must have my will. | ||
GLOUCESTER | And shall have your will, because our king: | |
Yet hasty marriage seldom proveth well. | ||
KING EDWARD IV | Yea, brother Richard, are you offended too? | |
GLOUCESTER | Not I: | 20 |
No, God forbid that I should wish them sever’d | ||
Whom God hath join’d together; ay, and ’twere pity | ||
To sunder them that yoke so well together. | ||
KING EDWARD IV | Setting your scorns and your mislike aside, | |
Tell me some reason why the Lady Grey | 25 | |
Should not become my wife and England’s queen. | ||
And you too, Somerset and Montague, | ||
Speak freely what you think. | ||
CLARENCE | Then this is mine opinion: that King Lewis | |
Becomes your enemy, for mocking him | 30 | |
About the marriage of the Lady Bona. | ||
GLOUCESTER | And Warwick, doing what you gave in charge, | |
Is now dishonoured by this new marriage. | ||
KING EDWARD IV | What if both Lewis and Warwick be appeased | |
By such invention as I can devise? | 35 | |
MONTAGUE | Yet, to have join’d with France in such alliance | |
Would more have strengthen’d this our commonwealth | ||
‘Gainst foreign storms than any home-bred marriage. | ||
HASTINGS | Why, knows not Montague that of itself | |
England is safe, if true within itself? | 40 | |
MONTAGUE | But the safer when ’tis back’d with France. | |
HASTINGS | ‘Tis better using France than trusting France: | |
Let us be back’d with God and with the seas | ||
Which He hath given for fence impregnable, | ||
And with their helps only defend ourselves; | 45 | |
In them and in ourselves our safety lies. | ||
CLARENCE | For this one speech Lord Hastings well deserves | |
To have the heir of the Lord Hungerford. | ||
KING EDWARD IV | Ay, what of that? it was my will and grant; | |
And for this once my will shall stand for law. | 50 | |
GLOUCESTER | 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. | 55 | |
CLARENCE | Or else you would not have bestow’d the heir | |
Of the Lord Bonville on your new wife’s son, | ||
And leave your brothers to go speed elsewhere. | ||
KING EDWARD IV | Alas, poor Clarence! is it for a wife | |
That thou art malcontent? I will provide thee. | 60 | |
CLARENCE | In choosing for yourself, you show’d your judgment, | |
Which being shallow, you give me leave | ||
To play the broker in mine own behalf; | ||
And to that end I shortly mind to leave you. | ||
KING EDWARD IV | Leave me, or tarry, Edward will be king, | 65 |
And not be tied unto his brother’s will. | ||
QUEEN ELIZABETH | 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; | 70 | |
And meaner than myself have had like fortune. | ||
But as this title honours me and mine, | ||
So your dislike, to whom I would be pleasing, | ||
Doth cloud my joys with danger and with sorrow. | ||
KING EDWARD IV | My love, forbear to fawn upon their frowns: | 75 |
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; | 80 | |
Which if they do, yet will I keep thee safe, | ||
And they shall feel the vengeance of my wrath. | ||
GLOUCESTER | [Aside] I hear, yet say not much, but think the more. | |
[Enter a Post] | ||
KING EDWARD IV | Now, messenger, what letters or what news | |
From France? | 85 | |
Post | My sovereign liege, no letters; and few words, | |
But such as I, without your special pardon, | ||
Dare not relate. | ||
KING EDWARD IV | Go to, we pardon thee: therefore, in brief, | |
Tell me their words as near as thou canst guess them. | 90 | |
What answer makes King Lewis unto our letters? | ||
Post | At my depart, these were his very words: | |
‘Go tell false Edward, thy supposed king, | ||
That Lewis of France is sending over masquers | ||
To revel it with him and his new bride.’ | 95 | |
KING EDWARD IV | Is Lewis so brave? belike he thinks me Henry. | |
But what said Lady Bona to my marriage? | ||
Post | These were her words, utter’d with mad disdain: | |
‘Tell him, in hope he’ll prove a widower shortly, | ||
I’ll wear the willow garland for his sake.’ | 100 | |
KING EDWARD IV | I blame 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.’ | 105 | |
KING EDWARD IV | 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, | 110 | |
And therefore I’ll uncrown him ere’t be long.’ | ||
KING EDWARD IV | Ha! durst the traitor breathe out so proud words? | |
Well I will arm me, being thus forewarn’d: | ||
They shall have wars and pay for their presumption. | ||
But say, is Warwick friends with Margaret? | 115 | |
Post | Ay, gracious sovereign; they are so link’d in | |
friendship | ||
That young Prince Edward marries Warwick’s daughter. | ||
CLARENCE | Belike the elder; Clarence will have the younger. | |
Now, brother king, farewell, and sit you fast, | 120 | |
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] | ||
GLOUCESTER | [Aside] Not I: | 125 |
My thoughts aim at a further matter; I | ||
Stay not for the love of Edward, but the crown. | ||
KING EDWARD IV | Clarence and Somerset both gone to Warwick! | |
Yet am I arm’d against the worst can happen; | ||
And haste is needful in this desperate case. | 130 | |
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, | 135 | |
Resolve my doubt. You twain, of all the rest, | ||
Are near 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: | 140 | |
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! | 145 |
KING EDWARD IV | Now, brother Richard, will you stand by us? | |
GLOUCESTER | Ay, in despite of all that shall withstand you. | |
KING EDWARD IV | 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. | 150 | |
[Exeunt] |
Continue to 3 Henry VI, Act 4, Scene 2