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  • Title: Edward III (Quarto 1, 1596)
  • Editor: Sonia Massai

    • Copyright Sonia Massai. This text may be freely used for educational, non-profit purposes; for all other uses contact the Editor.
    Author: William Shakespeare
    Editor: Sonia Massai
    Not Peer Reviewed

    Edward III (Quarto 1, 1596)

    Enter at one doore Derby from Eraunce, At an other doore,
    820Audley with a Drum.
    Der. Thrice noble Audley, well incountred heere,
    How is it with our soueraigne and his peeres?
    2 Aud: Tis
    The Raigne of King
    Aud. Tis full a fortnight since I saw his highnes,
    What time he sent me forth to muster men,
    825Which I accordingly haue done and bring them hither,
    In faire aray before his maiestie:
    King: What newes my Lord of Derby from the Emperor.
    Der. As good as we desire: the Emperor
    Hath yeelded to his highnes friendly ayd,
    830And makes our king leiuetenant generall
    In all his lands and large dominions,
    Then via for the spatious bounds of Fraunce;
    Aud. What doth his highnes leap to heare these newes?
    Der. I haue not yet found time to open them,
    835The king is in his closet malcontent,
    For what I know not, but he gaue in charge,
    Till after dinner, none should interrupt him:
    The Countesse Salisbury, and her father Warwike,
    Artoyes, and all looke vnderneath the browes.
    840Aud: Vndoubtedly then some thing is a misse.
    Enter the King.
    Dar, The Trumpets sound, the king is now abroad,
    Ar. Hhere comes his highnes.
    Der. Befall my soueraigne, all my soueraignes wish,
    845King. Ah that thou wert a Witch to make it so.
    Der. The Emperour greeteth you.
    Kin. Would it were the Countesse.
    Der. And hath accorded to your highnes suite,
    King. Thou lyest she hath not, but I would she had,
    850Au. All loue and duety to my Lord the King.
    Kin. Well all but one is none, what newes with you?
    Au. I haue my liege, leuied those horse and foote.
    According as your charge, and brought them hither.
    Kin. Then let those foote trudge hence vpon those horse,
    855According too our discharge and be gonne:
    Darby Ile looke vpon the Countesse minde anone,
    Dar The Countesse minde my liege.
    Kin. I meane the Emperour, leaue me alone.
    Au. What is his mind?
    Lets
    Edward the third.
    860Dar: Lets leaue him to his humor. Exunt.
    Ki: Thus from the harts aboundant speakes the tongue,
    Countesse for Emperour, and indeed why not?
    She is as imperator ouer me, and I to her
    Am as a kneeling vassaile that obserues,
    865The pleasure, or displeasure of her eye
    Enter Lodwike.
    Ki: What saies the more then Cleopatras match,
    To Caesar now?
    Lo: That yet my liege ere night,
    870She will resolue your maiestie.
    Ki: What drum is this that thunders forth this march,
    To start the tender Cupid in my bosome,
    Poore shipskin how it braules with him that beateth it:
    Go breake the thundring parchment bottome out,
    875And I will teach it to conduct sweete lynes,
    Vnto the bosome of a heauenly Nymph,
    For I wiii vse it as my writing paper,
    And so reduce him from a scoulding drum,
    To be the herald and deare counsaiie bearer,
    880Betwixt a goddesse, and a mighty king:
    Go bid the drummer learne to touch the Lute,
    Or hang him in the braces of his drum,
    For now we thinke it an vnciuill thing,
    To trouble heauen wrth such harsh resounds, Away. Exit.
    885The quarrell that I haue requires no armes,
    But these of myne, and these shall meete my foe,
    In a deepe march of penytrable grones,
    My eyes shall be my arrowes, and my sighes
    Shall serue me as the vantage of the winde,
    890To wherle away my sweetest artyllerie:
    Ah but alas she winnes the sunne of me,
    For that is she her selfe, and thence it comes,
    That Poets tearme, the wanton warriour blinde:
    But loue hath eyes as iudgement to his steps,
    895Till two much loued glory dazles them?
    3 How
    The Raigne of King
    How now.
    Enter Lodwike.
    Lo. My liege the drum that stroke the lusty march,
    Stands with Prince Edward your thrice valiant sonne.
    900Enter Prince Edward.
    King. I see the boy, oh how his mothers face,
    Modeld in his, corrects my straid desire,
    And rates my heart, and chides my theeuish eie,
    Who being rich ennough in seeing her,
    905Yet seekes elsewhere and basest theft is that,
    Which cannot cloke it selfe on pouertie.
    Now boy, what newes?
    Pr. E. I haue assembled my deare Lord and father,
    The choysest buds of all our English blood,
    910For our affaires to Fraunce, and heere we come,
    To take direction from your maiestie.
    Kin: Still do I see in him deliniate,
    His mothers visage, those his eies are hers,
    Who looking wistely on me, make me blush:
    915For faults against themselues, giue euidence,
    Lust as a fire, and me like lanthorne show,
    Light lust within them selues; euen through them selues:
    A way loose silkes or wauering vanitie,
    Shall the large limmit of faire Brittayne.
    920By me be ouerthrowne, and shall I not,
    Master this little mansion of my selfe;
    Giue me an Armor of eternall steele,
    I go to conquer kings, and shall I not then
    Subdue my selfe, and be my enimies friend,
    925It must not be, come boy forward, aduaunce,
    Lets with our coullours sweete the Aire of Fraunce.
    Enter Lodwike.
    Lo. My liege, the Countesse with a smiling cheere.
    Desires accesse vnto your Maiestie.
    930King. Why there it goes, that verie smile of hers,
    Hath
    Edward the third.
    Hath ransomed captiue Fraunce, and set the King,
    The Dolphin and the Peeres at liberty,
    Goe leaue me Ned, and reuell with thy friends. Exit Pr.
    Thy mother is but blacke, and thou like her.
    935Dost put it in my minde how foule she is,
    Goe fetch the Countesse hether in thy hand, Exit Lod.
    And let her chase away these winter clouds,
    For shee giues beautie both to heauen and earth,
    The sin is more to hacke and hew poore men,
    940Then to embrace in an vnlawfull bed,
    The register of all rarieties,
    Since Letherne Adam, till this youngest howre.
    Enter Countesse.
    King. Goe Lodwike, put thy hand into thy purse,
    945Play, spend, giue, ryot, wast, do what thou wilt,
    So thou wilt hence awhile and leaue me heere.
    Now my soules plaiefellow art thou come,
    To speake the more then heauenly word of yea,
    To my obiection in thy beautious loue.
    950Count. My father on his blessing hath commanded.
    King. That thou shalt yeeld to me.
    Coun: I deare my liege, your due.
    King. And that my dearest loue, can be no lesse,
    Then right for right, and render loue for loue.
    955Count: Then wrong for wrong, and endles hate for hate:
    But fith I see your maiestie so bent,
    That my vnwillingnes, my husbands loue,
    Your high estate, nor no respect respected,
    Can be my helpe, but that your mightines:
    960Will ouerbeare and awe these deare regards,
    I bynd my discontent to my content,
    And what I would not, Ile compell I will,
    Prouided that your selfe remoue those lets,
    That stand betweene your highnes loue and mine,
    965King: Name then faire Countesse, and by heauen I will.
    Co: It is their liues that stand betweene our loue.
    That
    The Raigne of King
    That I would haue chokt vp my soueraigne.
    Ki. Whose liues my Lady?
    Co. My thrice loning liege,
    970Your Queene, and Salisbury my wedded husband,
    Who liuing haue that tytle in our loue,
    That we cannot bestow but by their death,
    Ki: Thy opposition is beyond our Law,
    Co. So is your desire, if the law
    975Can hinder you to execute the one,
    Let it forbid you to attempt the other:
    I Cannot thinke you loue me as you say,
    Vnlesse you do make good what you haue sworne.
    No mor, ethy husband and the Queene shall dye,
    980Fairer thou art by farre, then Hero was,
    Beardles Leander not so strong as I:
    He swome an easie curraunt for his loue,
    But I will throng a hellie spout of bloud,
    To arryue at Cestus where my Hero lyes.
    985Co: Nay youle do more, youle make the Ryuer to,
    With their hart bloods, that keepe our loue asunder,
    Of which my husband, and your wife are twayne.
    Ki. Thy beauty makes them guilty of their death,
    And giues in euidence that they shall dye,
    990Vpon which verdict I their Iudge condemne them.
    Co: O periurde beautie, more corrupted Iudge:
    When to the great Starre-chamber ore our heads,
    The vniuersell Sessions cals to count,
    This packing euill, we both shall tremble for it.
    995Ki. What saies my faire loue, is she resolute?
    Co. Resolute to be dissolude, and therefote this,
    Keepe but thy word great king, and I am thine,
    Stand where thou dost, ile part a little from thee
    And see how I will yeeld me to thy hands:
    1000Here by my side doth hang my wedding knifes,
    Take thou the one, and with it kill thy Queene
    And learne by me to finde her where she lies
    And
    Edward the third.
    And with this other, Ile dispatch my loue,
    Which now lies fast a sleepe within my hart,
    1005When they are gone, then Ile consent to loue:
    Stir not lasciuious king to hinder me,
    My resolution is more nimbler far,
    Then thy preuention can be in my rescue,
    And if thou stir, I strike, therefore stand still,
    1010And heare the choyce that I will put thee to:
    Either sweare to leaue thy most vnholie sute,
    And neuer hence forth to solicit me,
    Or else by heauen, this sharpe poynted knyfe,
    Shall staine thy earth, with that which thou would staine:
    1015My poore chast blood, sweare Edward sweare,
    Or I will strike and die before thee heere.
    King. Euen by that power I sweare that giues me now,
    The power to be ashamed of my selfe,
    I neuer meane to part my lips againe,
    1020In any words that tends to such a sute.
    A rise true English Ladie, whom our Ile
    May better boast of then euer Romaine might,
    Of her whose ransackt treasurie hath taskt,
    The vaine indeuor of so many pens:
    1025Arise and be my fault, thy honors fame,
    Which after ages shall enrich thee with,
    I am awaked from this idle dreame,
    Warwike, my Sonne, Darby, Artoys and Audley,
    Braue warriours all, where are you all this while?
    1030Enter all.
    Warwike, I make thee Warden of the North,
    Thou Prince of Wales, and Audley straight to Sea,
    Scoure to New-hauen, some there staie for me:
    My selfe, Artoys and Darby will through Flaunders,
    1035To greete our friends there, and to craue their aide,
    This night will scarce suffice me to discouer,
    My follies seege, against a faithfull louer,
    For ere the Sunne shal guide the esterne skie,
    E Wele
    The Raigne king
    Wele wake him with our Marshall harmonie. Exeunt.
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