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Henry VI, Part 2 (Folio 1, 1623)

Author: William Shakespeare
Not Peer Reviewed
144
The second Part of Henry the Sixt.
Is to remoue proud Somerset from the King,
Seditious to his Grace, and to the State.
3030Buc. That is too much presumption on thy part:
But if thy Armes be to no other end,
The King hath yeelded vnto thy demand:
The Duke of Somerset is in the Tower.
Yorke. Vpon thine Honor is he Prisoner?
3035Buck. Vpon mine Honor he is Prisoner.
Yorke. Then Buckingham I do dismisse my Powres.
Souldiers, I thanke you all: disperse your selues:
Meet me to morrow in S. Georges Field,
You shall haue pay, and euery thing you wish.
3040And let my Soueraigne, vertuous Henry,
Command my eldest sonne, nay all my sonnes,
As pledges of my Fealtie and Loue,
Ile send them all as willing as I liue:
Lands, Goods, Horse, Armor, any thing I haue
3045Is his to vse, so Somerset may die.
Buc. Yorke, I commend this kinde submission,
We twaine will go into his Highnesse Tent.

Enter King and Attendants.
King. Buckingham, doth Yorke intend no harme to vs
3050That thus he marcheth with thee arme in arme?
Yorke. In all submission and humility,
Yorke doth present himselfe vnto your Highnesse.
K. Then what intends these Forces thou dost bring?
Yor. To heaue the Traitor Somerset from hence,
3055And fight against that monstrous Rebell Cade,
Who since I heard to be discomfited.

Enter Iden with Cades head.
Iden. If one so rude, and of so meane condition
May passe into the presence of a King:
3060Loe, I present your Grace a Traitors head,
The head of Cade, whom I in combat slew.
King. The head of Cade? Great God, how iust art thou?
Oh let me view his Visage being dead,
That liuing wrought me such exceeding trouble.
3065Tell me my Friend, art thou the man that slew him?
Iden. I was, an't like your Maiesty.
King. How art thou call'd? And what is thy degree?
Iden. Alexander Iden, that's my name,
A poore Esquire of Kent, that loues his King.
3070Buc. So please it you my Lord, 'twere not amisse
He were created Knight for his good seruice.
King. Iden, kneele downe, rise vp a Knight:
We giue thee for reward a thousand Markes,
And will, that thou henceforth attend on vs.
3075Iden. May Iden liue to merit such a bountie,
And neuer liue but true vnto his Liege.

Enter Queene and Somerset.
K. See Buckingham, Somerset comes with th' Queene,
Go bid her hide him quickly from the Duke.
3080Qu. For thousand Yorkes he shall not hide his head,
But boldly stand, and front him to his face.
Yor. How now? is Somerset at libertie?
Then Yorke vnloose thy long imprisoned thoughts,
And let thy tongue be equall with thy heart.
3085Shall I endure the sight of Somerset?
False King, why hast thou broken faith with me,
Knowing how hardly I can brooke abuse?
King did I call thee? No: thou art not King:
Not fit to gouerne and rule multitudes,
3090Which dar'st not, no nor canst not rule a Traitor.
That Head of thine doth not become a Crowne:
Thy Hand is made to graspe a Palmers staffe,
And not to grace an awefull Princely Scepter.
That Gold, must round engirt these browes of mine,
3095Whose Smile and Frowne, like to Achilles Speare
Is able with the change, to kill and cure.
Heere is a hand to hold a Scepter vp,
And with the same to acte controlling Lawes:
Giue place: by heauen thou shalt rule no more
3100O're him, whom heauen created for thy Ruler.
Som. O monstrous Traitor! I arrest thee Yorke
Of Capitall Treason 'gainst the King and Crowne:
Obey audacious Traitor, kneele for Grace.
York. Wold'st haue me kneele? First let me ask of thee,
3105If they can brooke I bow a knee to man:
Sirrah, call in my sonne to be my bale:
I know ere they will haue me go to Ward,
They'l pawne their swords of my infranchisement.
Qu. Call hither Clifford, bid him come amaine,
3110To say, if that the Bastard boyes of Yorke
Shall be the Surety for their Traitor Father.
Yorke. O blood-bespotted Neopolitan,
Out-cast of Naples, Englands bloody Scourge,
The sonnes of Yorke, thy betters in their birth,
3115Shall be their Fathers baile, and bane to those
That for my Surety will refuse the Boyes.
Enter Edward and Richard.
See where they come, Ile warrant they'l make it good.
Enter Clifford.
3120Qu. And here comes Clifford to deny their baile.
Clif. Health, and all happinesse to my Lord the King.
Yor. I thanke thee Clifford: Say, what newes with thee?
Nay, do not fright vs with an angry looke:
We are thy Soueraigne Clifford, kneele againe;
3125For thy mistaking so, We pardon thee.
Clif. This is my King Yorke, I do not mistake,
But thou mistakes me much to thinke I do,
To Bedlem with him, is the man growne mad.
King. I Clifford, a Bedlem and ambitious humor
3130Makes him oppose himselfe against his King.
Clif. He is a Traitor, let him to the Tower,
And chop away that factious pate of his.
Qu. He is arrested, but will not obey:
His sonnes (he sayes) shall giue their words for him.
3135Yor. Will you not Sonnes?
Edw. I Noble Father, if our words will serue.
Rich. And if words will not, then our Weapons shal.
Clif. Why what a brood of Traitors haue we heere?
Yorke. Looke in a Glasse, and call thy Image so.
3140I am thy King, and thou a false-heart Traitor:
Call hither to the stake my two braue Beares,
That with the very shaking of their Chaines,
They may astonish these fell-lurking Curres,
Bid Salsbury and Warwicke come to me.

3145
Enter the Earles of Warwicke, and
Salisbury.

Clif. Are these thy Beares? Wee'l bate thy Bears to death,
And manacle the Berard in their Chaines,
If thou dar'st bring them to the bayting place.
3150Rich. Oft haue I seene a hot ore-weening Curre,
Run backe and bite, because he was with-held,
Who being suffer'd with the Beares fell paw,
Hath clapt his taile, betweene his legges and cride,
And such a peece of seruice will you do,
If