Act II, Scene iii
| [Sound trumpets. Enter the KING, the QUEEN, GLOSTER,YORK, SUFFOLK, and SALISBURY; the DUCHESS OF GLOSTER,MARGERY JOURDAIN, SOUTHWELL, HUME, and BOLINGBROKE,under guard.] |
| KING.: |
| Stand forth, Dame Eleanor Cobham, Gloster's wife. |
| In sight of God and us, your guilt is great; |
| Receive the sentence of the law for sins |
| Such as by God's book are adjudg'd to death.— |
| You four, from hence to prison back again, |
| From thence unto the place of execution. |
| The witch in Smithfield shall be burn'd to ashes, |
| And you three shall be strangled on the gallows.— |
| You, madam, for you are more nobly born, |
| Despoiled of your honour in your life, |
| Shall, after three days' open penance done, |
| Live in your country here in banishment, |
| With Sir John Stanley, in the Isle of Man. |
| DUCHESS.: |
| Welcome is banishment; welcome were my death. |
| GLOSTER.: |
| Eleanor, the law, thou seest, hath judged thee; |
| I cannot justify whom the law condemns.— |
| [Exeunt Duchess and the other prisoners, guarded..] |
| Mine eyes are full of tears, my heart of grief. |
| Ah, Humphrey, this dishonour in thine age |
| Will bring thy head with sorrow to the ground!— |
| I beseech your majesty, give me leave to go; |
| Sorrow would solace, and mine age would ease. |
| KING.: |
| Stay, Humphrey Duke of Gloster. |
| Ere thou go, |
| Give up thy staff; Henry will to himself |
| Protector be, and God shall be my hope, |
| My stay, my guide, and lantern to my feet. |
| And go in peace, Humphrey, no less belov'd |
| Than when thou wert protector to thy king. |
| QUEEN.: |
| I see no reason why a king of years |
| Should be to be protected like a child.— |
| God and King Henry govern England's realm. |
| Give up your staff, sir, and the king his realm. |
| GLOSTER.: |
| My staff? Here, noble Henry, is my staff. |
| As willingly do I the same resign |
| As e'er thy father Henry made it mine; |
| And even as willingly at thy feet I leave it |
| As others would ambitiously receive it. |
| Farewell, good king; when I am dead and gone, |
| May honourable peace attend thy throne! |
| [Exit.] |
| QUEEN.: |
| Why, now is Henry king, and Margaret queen; |
| And Humphrey Duke of Gloster scarce himself, |
| That bears so shrewd a maim; two pulls at once— |
| His lady banish'd, and a limb lopp'd off. |
| This staff of honour raught, there let it stand |
| Where it best fits to be, in Henry's hand. |
| SUFFOLK.: |
| Thus droops this lofty pine and hangs his sprays; |
| Thus Eleanor's pride dies in her youngest days. |
| YORK.: |
| Lords, let him go.—Please it your majesty, |
| This is the day appointed for the combat; |
| And ready are the appellant and defendant, |
| The armourer and his man, to enter the lists, |
| So please your highness to behold the fight. |
| QUEEN.: |
| Ay, good my lord; for purposely therefore |
| Left I the court, to see this quarrel tried. |
| KING.: |
| O' God's name, see the lists and all things fit. |
| Here let them end it; and God defend the right! |
| YORK.: |
| I never saw a fellow worse bested, |
| Or more afraid to fight, than is the appellant, |
| The servant of his armourer, my lords. |
| [Enter at one door, HORNER the Armourer, and hisNeighbours, drinking to him so much that he isdrunk; and he enters with a drum before him andhis staff with a sand-bag fastened to it; and at theother door PETER, his man, with a drum and sandbag,and Prentices drinking to him.] |
| 1 NEIGHBOUR.: |
| Here, neighbour Horner, I drink to you in a cup of |
| sack; and fear not, neighbour, you shall do well enough. |
| 2 NEIGHBOUR.: |
| And here, neighbour, here's a cup of charneco. |
| 3 NEIGHBOUR.: |
| And here's a pot of good double beer, neighbour; |
| drink, and fear not your man. |
| HORNER.: |
| Let it come, i' faith, and I'll pledge you all; and a |
| fig for Peter! |
| 1 PRENTICE.: |
| Here, Peter, I drink to thee; and be not afraid. |
| 2 PRENTICE.: |
| Be merry, Peter, and fear not thy master: fight |
| for credit of the prentices. |
| PETER.: |
| I thank you all; drink, and pray for me, I pray you, for I |
| think I have taken my last draught in this world.—Here, Robin, |
| an if I die, I give thee my apron;—and, Will, thou shalt have my |
| hammer;—and here, Tom, take all the money that I have.—O Lord |
| bless me! I pray God! for I am never able to deal with my master, |
| he hath learnt so much fence already. |
| SALISBURY.: |
| Come, leave your drinking and fall to blows.— |
| Sirrah, what's thy name? |
| PETER.: |
| Peter, forsooth. |
| SALISBURY.: |
| Peter? what more? |
| PETER.: |
| Thump. |
| SALISBURY.: |
| Thump! then see thou thump thy master well. |
| HORNER.: |
| Masters, I am come hither, as it were, upon my man's instigation, |
| to prove him a knave and myself an honest man; and touching the |
| Duke of York, I will take my death, I never meant him any ill, |
| nor the |
| king, nor the queen;—and therefore, Peter, have at thee with a |
| downright |
| blow! |
| YORK.: |
| Dispatch; this knave's tongue begins to double.— |
| Sound, trumpets, alarum to the combatants! |
| [Alarum. They fight, and Peter strikes him down.] |
| HORNER.: |
| Hold, Peter, hold! I confess, I confess treason. |
| [Dies.] |
| YORK.: |
| Take away his weapon.—Fellow, thank God, and the good |
| wine in thy master's way. |
| PETER.: |
| O God, have I overcome mine enemies in this presence? O |
| Peter, thou hast prevail'd in right! |
| KING.: |
| Go, take hence that traitor from our sight, |
| For by his death we do perceive his guilt; |
| And God in justice hath reveal'd to us |
| The truth and innocence of this poor fellow, |
| Which he had thought to have murther'd wrongfully.— |
| Come, fellow, follow us for thy reward. |
| [Sound a flourish. Exeunt.] |
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