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THE THIRD PART OF KING HENRY VI.

FIRST printed in the folio of 1623.-An.alteration by Shakespeare of a drama entitled The true Tragedie of Richard Duke of Yorke, and the death of good King Henrie the Sixt, with the whole contention betweene the two Houses Lancaster and Yorke, as it was sundrie times acted by the Right Honourable the Earle of Pembrooke his seruants,-originally printed in 1595, 8vo (reprinted for the Shakespeare Society in 1843).

See Introduction to The First Part of King Henry VI., p. 3 of this volume.

DRAMATIS PERSONE.

KING HENRY the Sixth.

EDWARD, Prince of Wales, his son.

LOUIS XI. King of France.

DUKE OF SOMERSET.

DUKE OF EXETER.

EARL OF Oxford.

EARL OF NORTHUMBERLAND.

EARL OF WESTMORELAND.

LORD CLIFFORD.

RICHARD PLANTAGENET, duke of York.

EDWARD, earl of March, afterwards King Edward IV.,

EDMUND, earl of Rutland,

GEORGE, afterwards duke of Clarence,

RICHARD, afterwards duke of Gloster,

DUKE OF Norfolk.

MARQUESS OF MONTAGUE,"

EARL OF WARWICK.

EARL OF PEMBROKE.

LORD HASTINGS.

LORD STAFFORD.

SIR JOHN MORTIMER, uncles to the Duke of York.

SIR HUGH MORTIMER,

HENRY, earl of Richmond, a youth.

LORD RIVERS, brother to Lady Grey.

SIR WILLIAM STANLEY.

SIR JOHN MONTGOMERY.

SIR JOHN SOMERVILLE."

Tutor to Rutland. Mayor of York,

Lieutenant of the Tower. A Nobleman.

Two Keepers. A Huntsman.

A Son that has killed his father.

A Father that has killed his son.

QUEEN MARGARET.

LADY GREY, afterwards Queen to Edward IV.

BONA, sister to the French Queen.

Soldiers, Attendants, Messengers, Watchmen, &c.

his

sons.

SCENE-During part of the third act in France; during the rest of the play in England.

THE THIRD PART OF

KING HENRY VI.

ACT I.

SCENE I. London. The Parliament-house.

Drums. Some Soldiers of YORK's party break in. Then enter the
Duke of YORK, EDWARD, RICHARD, NORFOLK, MONTAGUE, WAR-
WICK, and others, with white roses in their hats.

War. I wonder how the king escap'd our hands.
York. While we pursu'd the horsemen of the north,

He slily stole away, and left his men:
Whereat the great Lord of Northumberland,
Whose warlike ears could never brook retreat,
Cheer'd up the drooping army; and himself,
Lord Clifford, 1) and Lord Stafford, all a-breast,
Charg'd our main battle's front, and, breaking in,
Were by the swords of common soldiers slain.

Edw. Lord Stafford's father, Duke of Buckingham,
Is either slain or wounded dangerous;(2)
I cleft his beaver with a downright blow:
That this is true, father, behold his blood.

[Showing his bloody sword. Mont. [to York, showing his] And, brother, (3) here's the Earl of Wiltshire's blood,

Whom I encounter'd as the battles join'd.

Rich. Speak thou for me, and tell them what I did.

[Throwing down the Duke of Somerset's head.

York. Richard hath best deserv'd of all my sons.—
But,(4) is your grace dead, my Lord of Somerset ?
Norf. Such hap have all the line of John of Gaunt !

Rich. Thus do I hope(5) to shake King Henry's head.
War. And so do I.-Victorious Prince of York,
Before I see thee seated in that throne

Which now the house of Lancaster usurps,
I vow by heaven these eyes shall never close.
This is the palace of the fearful king,

And this the regal seat: possess it, York;
For this is thine, and not King Henry's heirs'.

York. Assist me, then, sweet Warwick, and I will;
For hither we have broken in by force.

Norf. We'll all assist you; he that flies shall die.

York. Thanks, gentle Norfolk :-stay by me, my lords ;And, soldiers, stay, and lodge by me this night.

War. And when the king comes, offer him no violence, Unless he seek to thrust you out perforce.

[The Soldiers retire. York. The queen, this day, here holds her parliament,

But little thinks we shall be of her council:

By words or blows here let us win our right.

Rich. Arm'd as we are, let's stay within this house.

War. The bloody parliament shall this be call'd,
Unless Plantagenet, duke of York, be king,
And bashful Henry depos'd, whose cowardice
Hath made us by-words to our enemies.

York. Then leave me not, my lords; be resolute;

I mean to take possession of my right.

War. Neither the king, nor he that loves him best, The proudest he that holds up Lancaster,

Dares stir a wing, if Warwick shake his bells.

I'll plant Plantagenet, root him up who dares :-
Resolve thee, Richard; claim the English crown.

[Warwick leads York to the throne, who seats himself.

Flourish. Enter King HENRY, CLIFFORD, NORTHUMBERLAND, WEST-
MORELAND, EXETER, and others, with red roses in their hats.

K. Hen. My lords, look where the sturdy rebel sits,
Even in the chair of state! belike he means—
Back'd by the power of Warwick, that false peer-
T'aspire unto the crown, and reign as king.—

Earl of Northumberland, he slew thy father;

And thine, Lord Clifford; and you both have vow'd revenge On him, his sons, his favourites, and his friends. (6)

North. If I be not, heavens be reveng❜d on me!

Clif. The hope thereof makes Clifford mourn in steel. West. What, shall we suffer this? let's pluck him down: My heart for anger burns; I cannot brook it.

K. Hen. Be patient, gentle Earl of Westmoreland.
Clif. Patience is for poltroons, such as he :(7)
He durst not sit there, had your father liv'd.
My gracious lord, here in the parliament
Let us assail the family of York.

North. Well hast thou spoken, cousin: be it so.
K. Hen. Ah, know you not the city favours them,
And they have troops of soldiers at their beck?

Exe.(8) But when the duke is slain, they'll quickly fly.
K. Hen. Far be the thought of this from Henry's heart,
To make a shambles of the parliament-house!
Cousin of Exeter, frowns, words, and threats
Shall be the war that Henry means to use.

[They advance to the Duke. Thou factious Duke of York, descend my throne, And kneel for grace and mercy at my feet;

I am thy sovereign.

York.

Thou'rt deceiv'd;(9) I'm thine.

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

York.

York. 'Twas my inheritance, as the earldom was. (10)

Exe. Thy father was a traitor to the crown.

War. Exeter, thou'rt a traitor to the crown

In following this usurping Henry.

Clif. Whom should he follow but his natural king?
War. True, Clifford; and(11) that's Richard duke of York.
K. Hen. And shall I stand, and thou sit in my throne?
York. It must and shall be so: content thyself.
War. Be Duke of Lancaster; let him be king.
West. He is both king and Duke of Lancaster;
And that the Lord of Westmoreland shall maintain.

War. And Warwick shall disprove it. You forget
That we are those which chas'd you from the field,
And slew your fathers, and with colours spread

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