King Henry VI, Part II
ACT II SCENE IV | A street. | |
[ Enter GLOUCESTER and his Servingmen, in mourning cloaks ] | ||
GLOUCESTER | Thus sometimes hath the brightest day a cloud; | |
And after summer evermore succeeds | ||
Barren winter, with his wrathful nipping cold: | ||
So cares and joys abound, as seasons fleet. | ||
Sirs, what’s o’clock? | 5 | |
Servants | Ten, my lord. | |
GLOUCESTER | Ten is the hour that was appointed me | |
To watch the coming of my punish’d duchess: | ||
Uneath may she endure the flinty streets, | ||
To tread them with her tender-feeling feet. | 10 | |
Sweet Nell, ill can thy noble mind abrook | ||
The abject people gazing on thy face, | ||
With envious looks, laughing at thy shame, | ||
That erst did follow thy proud chariot-wheels | ||
When thou didst ride in triumph through the streets. | 15 | |
But, soft! I think she comes; and I’ll prepare | ||
My tear-stain’d eyes to see her miseries. | ||
[ Enter the DUCHESS in a white sheet, and a taper burning in her hand; with STANLEY, the Sheriff, and Officers ] | ||
Servant | So please your grace, we’ll take her from the sheriff. | |
GLOUCESTER | No, stir not, for your lives; let her pass by. | |
DUCHESS | Come you, my lord, to see my open shame? | 20 |
Now thou dost penance too. Look how they gaze! | ||
See how the giddy multitude do point, | ||
And nod their heads, and throw their eyes on thee! | ||
Ah, Gloucester, hide thee from their hateful looks, | ||
And, in thy closet pent up, rue my shame, | 25 | |
And ban thine enemies, both mine and thine! | ||
GLOUCESTER | Be patient, gentle Nell; forget this grief. | |
DUCHESS | Ah, Gloucester, teach me to forget myself! | |
For whilst I think I am thy married wife | ||
And thou a prince, protector of this land, | 30 | |
Methinks I should not thus be led along, | ||
Mail’d up in shame, with papers on my back, | ||
And followed with a rabble that rejoice | ||
To see my tears and hear my deep-fet groans. | ||
The ruthless flint doth cut my tender feet, | 35 | |
And when I start, the envious people laugh | ||
And bid me be advised how I tread. | ||
Ah, Humphrey, can I bear this shameful yoke? | ||
Trow’st thou that e’er I’ll look upon the world, | ||
Or count them happy that enjoy the sun? | 40 | |
No; dark shall be my light and night my day; | ||
To think upon my pomp shall be my hell. | ||
Sometime I’ll say, I am Duke Humphrey’s wife, | ||
And he a prince and ruler of the land: | ||
Yet so he ruled and such a prince he was | 45 | |
As he stood by whilst I, his forlorn duchess, | ||
Was made a wonder and a pointing-stock | ||
To every idle rascal follower. | ||
But be thou mild and blush not at my shame, | ||
Nor stir at nothing till the axe of death | 50 | |
Hang over thee, as, sure, it shortly will; | ||
For Suffolk, he that can do all in all | ||
With her that hateth thee and hates us all, | ||
And York and impious Beaufort, that false priest, | ||
Have all limed bushes to betray thy wings, | 55 | |
And, fly thou how thou canst, they’ll tangle thee: | ||
But fear not thou, until thy foot be snared, | ||
Nor never seek prevention of thy foes. | ||
GLOUCESTER | Ah, Nell, forbear! thou aimest all awry; | |
I must offend before I be attainted; | 60 | |
And had I twenty times so many foes, | ||
And each of them had twenty times their power, | ||
All these could not procure me any scathe, | ||
So long as I am loyal, true and crimeless. | ||
Wouldst have me rescue thee from this reproach? | 65 | |
Why, yet thy scandal were not wiped away | ||
But I in danger for the breach of law. | ||
Thy greatest help is quiet, gentle Nell: | ||
I pray thee, sort thy heart to patience; | ||
These few days’ wonder will be quickly worn. | 70 | |
[Enter a Herald] | ||
Herald | I summon your grace to his majesty’s parliament, | |
Holden at Bury the first of this next month. | ||
GLOUCESTER | And my consent ne’er ask’d herein before! | |
This is close dealing. Well, I will be there. | ||
[Exit Herald] | ||
My Nell, I take my leave: and, master sheriff, | 75 | |
Let not her penance exceed the king’s commission. | ||
Sheriff | An’t please your grace, here my commission stays, | |
And Sir John Stanley is appointed now | ||
To take her with him to the Isle of Man. | ||
GLOUCESTER | Must you, Sir John, protect my lady here? | 80 |
STANLEY | So am I given in charge, may’t please your grace. | |
GLOUCESTER | Entreat her not the worse in that I pray | |
You use her well: the world may laugh again; | ||
And I may live to do you kindness if | ||
You do it her: and so, Sir John, farewell! | 85 | |
DUCHESS | What, gone, my lord, and bid me not farewell! | |
GLOUCESTER | Witness my tears, I cannot stay to speak. | |
[Exeunt GLOUCESTER and Servingmen] | ||
DUCHESS | Art thou gone too? all comfort go with thee! | |
For none abides with me: my joy is death; | ||
Death, at whose name I oft have been afear’d, | 90 | |
Because I wish’d this world’s eternity. | ||
Stanley, I prithee, go, and take me hence; | ||
I care not whither, for I beg no favour, | ||
Only convey me where thou art commanded. | ||
STANLEY | Why, madam, that is to the Isle of Man; | 95 |
There to be used according to your state. | ||
DUCHESS | That’s bad enough, for I am but reproach: | |
And shall I then be used reproachfully? | ||
STANLEY | Like to a duchess, and Duke Humphrey’s lady; | |
According to that state you shall be used. | 100 | |
DUCHESS | Sheriff, farewell, and better than I fare, | |
Although thou hast been conduct of my shame. | ||
Sheriff | It is my office; and, madam, pardon me. | |
DUCHESS | Ay, ay, farewell; thy office is discharged. | |
Come, Stanley, shall we go? | 105 | |
STANLEY | Madam, your penance done, throw off this sheet, | |
And go we to attire you for our journey. | ||
DUCHESS | My shame will not be shifted with my sheet: | |
No, it will hang upon my richest robes | ||
And show itself, attire me how I can. | 110 | |
Go, lead the way; I long to see my prison. | ||
[Exeunt] |
Continue to 2 Henry VI, Act 3, Scene 1