KING HENRY VI.

EDWARD, Son to the King, and Prince of Wales.

Duke of EXETER, Brother to King Henry IV.

Duke of SOMERSET,

Earl of NORTHUMBERLAND,

Earl of OXFORD,

Earl of WESTMORLAND,

Earl of CLIFFORD,

Lords of K.

Henry's fide

Earl of RICHMOND, a Youth, afterwards K. Henry VII, RICHARD, Duke of YORK.

EDWARD, Eldeft Son to the Duke of York, afterwards King Edward IV.

GEORGE, Duke of Clarence, fecond Son to the D. of York. RICHARD, Duke of Gloucefter, third fon to the Duke of York, afterwards King Richard III.

EDMUND, Earl of Rutland, youngest Son to the D. of York, Duke of NORFOLK

Marquifs of MONTAGUE,

Earl of WARWICK,

Earl of SALISBURY,

Earl of PEMBROKE,
Lord HASTINGS,

Lord STAFFORD,

Sir JOHN MORTIMER,

of the D. of York's Party.

Sir HUGH MORTIMER, Uncles to the D. of York,

Sir WILLIAM STANLEY,
Lord RIVERS, Brother to the Lady Gray.

Sir JOHN MONTGOMERY.

Lieutenant of the TowER.

Mayor of COVENTRY.

Mayor and Aldermen of YORK.

SOMERVILLE.

Humphry and Sinklo, two Huntsmen.

LEWIS, King of France.

BOURBON Admiral of France.

Queen MARGARET.

BONA, Sifter to the French King.

Lady Gray, Widow of Sir R. Gray, afterwards Q. to Ed. IV. Soldiers and other Attendants on K. Henry and K. Edward. In Part of the Third Act the SCENE is laid in France, during all the rest of the Play in England,

LONDON.

Before the Parliament-Houfe.

Alarum. Enter Duke of York, Edward, Richard, Norfolk, Montague, Warwick, and Soldiers.

War.

War. I

Wonder how the King efcap'd our hands.

York. While we purfu'd the horsemen of the north,

He flily ftole away and left his men ;

Whereat the great Lord of Northumberland,
Whose warlike ears could never brook retreat,
Chear'd up the drooping army; and himself,
Lord Clifford, and Lord Stafford, all a-breast,
Charg'd our main battel's front; and breaking in,
Were by the fwords of common foldiers flain.
Edw. Lord Stafford's father, Duke of Buckingham,

Firft rrinted under the title of The true Tragedy of Richard Duke of York, and the good King Henry the Sixth; or the fecond part of the Contention of Terk, and Lancaster. 1600.

Is either flain or wounded dangerous.

I cleft his beaver with a down-right blow:
That this is true, father, behold his blood.

Mont. And, brother, here's the Earl of Wiltshire's blood, Whom I encounter'd as the battels join'd.

Rich. Speak thou for me, and tell them what I did.
[Shewing Somerset's bead.
York. Richard hath best deserv'd of all my fons.
Norf. Is his Grace dead, my Lord of Somerfet?
Such hope have all the line of John of Gaunt!
Rich. Thus do I hope to shake King Henry's head.
War. And fo do I; victorious Prince of York.
Before I fee thee feated in the throne,

Which now the houfe of Lancaster ufurps,
I vow by heav'n these eyes fhall never close.
This is the palace of the fearful King,
And this the regal feat; poffefs it, York,
For this is thine, and not King Henry's heir's.

York. Affift me then, fweet Warwick, and I will ;

For hither we have broken in by force.

Norf: We'll all affift you; he that flies fhall die.

York. Thanks, gentle Norfolk: ftay by me, my Lords, And foldiers, ftay and lodge by me this night. [They go up. War. And when the King comes, offer him no violence, Unless he feek to thrust you out by force.

York. The Queen this day here holds her Parliament, But little thinks we fhall be of her council;

By words or blows here let us win our right.

Rich. Arm'd as we are, let's ftay within this house. War. The bloody Parliament fhall this be call'd, Unless Plantagenet Duke of York be King,

And bashful Harry depos'd, whose cowardise
Hath made us by-words to our enemies.

York. Then leave me not, my Lords, be resolute;
I mean to take poffeffion of my right.

War. Neither the King, nor he that loves him beft, The proudest He that holds up Lancaster, Dares ftir a wing, if Warwick fhake his bells. I'll plant Plantagenet, root him up who dare: Refolve thee, Richard, claim the English crown.

SCENE

SCENE II.

Enter King Henry, Clifford, Northumberland,
Weftmorland, Exeter, and others.

K. Henry, My Lords, look where the sturdy rebel fits,
Even in the chair of ftate: belike he means
(Back'd by the power of Warwick, that false Peer,)
T'afpire unto the crown, and reign as King.
Earl of Northumberland, he flew thy father,
And thine, Lord Clifford, and you vow'd revenge
On him, his fons, his fav'rites, and his friends.
North. If I be not, heav'n's be reveng'd on me!
Clif. The hope thereof makes Clifford mourn in fteel.
Weft. What, fhall we fuffer this? let's pluck him down,
My heart for anger burns, I cannot brook it.

K.Henry. Be patient, gentle Earl of Westmorland.
Clif. Patience is for poltroons, and fuch is he:
He durft not fit there had your father liv'd.
My gracious Lord, here in the Parliament
Let us affail the family of York.

North. Well haft thou spoken, coufin, be it fo.
K. Henry. Ah, know you not the city favours them,
And they have troops of foldiers at their beck?

Exe. But when the Duke is flain, they'll quickly fly. K. Henry. Far be the thought of this from Henry's heart, To make a fhambles of the Parliament-house! Coufm of Exeter, frowns, words and threats, Shall be the war that Henry means to use. Thou factious Duke of York, defcend my throne,

And kneel for grace and mercy at my feet:

I am thy Sovereign.

York. Henry, I am thine.

[To the Duke

Exe. For fhame come down: he made thee Duke of York,

York. 'Twas my inheritance, as the Earldom was.
Exe. Thy father was a traitor to the crown.

War. Exeter, thou art a traitor to the crown,

In following this ufurping Henry.

Clif. Whom fhould he follow but his natural King? War. True, Clifford, and that's Richard Duke of York. K, Henry. And thall I ftand, and thou fit in my throne?

York,

York. It muft and fhall be fo, content thy felf.
War. Be Duke of Lancafter, let him be King.
Weft. He is both King and Duke of Lancaster,
And that the Lord of Westmorland shall maintain.
War, And Warwick fhall difprove it. You forget,
That we are thofe which chas'd you from the field,
And flew your fathers, and with colours spread
March'd through the city to the palace-gates.

North. Yes, Warwick, I remember it to my grief.
And, by this foul, thou and thy houfe fhall rue it.
Weft. Plantagenet, of thee and these thy fons
Thy kinfmen and thy friends, I'll have more lives
Than drops of blood were in my father's veins.
Clif. Urge it no more, left that instead of words
I fend thee, Warwick, fuch a meffenger,
As fhall revenge his death before I ftir.

War. Poor Clifford! how I fcorn his worthless threats!
York. Will you, we fhew our title to the crown?
If not our fwords fhall plead it in the field.

K. Henry. What title, haft thou, traitor, to the crown? Thy father was, as thou art, Duke of York;

Thy grandfather Roger Mortimer, Earl of March.
I am the fon of Henry the Fifth,

Who made the Dauphin and the French to stoop,
And feiz'd upon their towns and provinces.

War. Talk not of France fith thou haft loft it all.
K. Henry. The Lord Protector loft it, and not I;
When I was crown'd I was but nine months old.

Rich. You're old enough now, yet methinks you lofe: Tear the crown, father, from the ufurper's head. Edw. Sweet father, do fo, fet it on your head,

Mont. Good brother, as thou lov'ft and honour'ft arms Let's fight it out, and not stand cavilling thus.

Rich. Sound drums and trumpets, and the King will fly.
York. Sons, peace!

K. Henry. Peace thou, and give King Henry leave to
ipeak.

War. Plantagenet shall speak firft: hear him, Lords, And be you filent and attentive too,

For he that interrupts him fhall not live.

K. Henry.