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