SCENE II.London.The DUKE OF YORK'S garden
Enter YORK,SALISBURY,and WARWICK
YORK.Now,my good Lords of Salisbury and Warwick,Our simple supper ended,give me leave In this close walk to satisfy myself In craving your opinion of my tide,Which is infallible,to England's crown.SALISBURY.My lord,I long to hear it at full.WARWICK.Sweet York,begin;and if thy claim be good,The Nevils are thy subjects to command.YORK.Then thus:Edward the Third,my lords,had seven sons;The first,Edward the Black Prince,Prince of Wales;The second,William of Hatfield;and the third,Lionel Duke of Clarence;next to whom Was John of Gaunt,the Duke of Lancaster;The fifth was Edmund Langley,Duke of York;The sixth was Thomas of Woodstock,Duke of Gloucester;William of Windsor was the seventh and last.Edward the Black Prince died before his father And left behind him Richard,his only son,Who,after Edward the Third's death,reign'd as king Till Henry Bolingbroke,Duke of Lancaster,The eldest son and heir of John of Gaunt,Crown'd by the name of Henry the Fourth,Seiz'd on the realm,depos'd the rightful king,Sent his poor queen to France,from whence she came.And him to Pomfret,where,as all you know,Harmless Richard was murdered traitorously.WARWICK.Father,the Duke hath told the truth;Thus got the house of Lancaster the crown.YORK.Which now they hold by force,and not by right;For Richard,the first son's heir,being dead,The issue of the next son should have reign'd.SALISBURY.But William of Hatfield died without an heir.YORK.The third son,Duke of Clarence,from whose line I claim the crown,had issue Philippe,a daughter,Who married Edmund Mortimer,Earl of March;Edmund had issue,Roger Earl of March;Roger had issue,Edmund,Anne,and Eleanor.SALISBURY.This Edmund,in the reign of Bolingbroke,As I have read,laid claim unto the crown;And,but for Owen Glendower,had been king,Who kept him in captivity till he died.But,to the rest.YORK.His eldest sister,Anne,My mother,being heir unto the crown,Married Richard Earl of Cambridge,who was To Edmund Langley,Edward the Third's fifth son,son.By her I claim the kingdom:she was heir To Roger Earl of March,who was the son Of Edmund Mortimer,who married Philippe,Sole daughter unto Lionel Duke of Clarence;So,if the issue of the elder son Succeed before the younger,I am King.WARWICK.What plain proceedings is more plain than this?Henry doth claim the crown from John of Gaunt,The fourth son:York claims it from the third.Till Lionel's issue fails,his should not reign.It fails not yet,but flourishes in thee And in thy sons,fair slips of such a stock.Then,father Salisbury,kneel we together,And in this private plot be we the first That shall salute our rightful sovereign With honour of his birthright to the crown.BOTH.Long live our sovereign Richard,England's King!YORK.We thank you,lords.But I am not your king Till I be crown'd,and that my sword be stain'd With heart-blood of the house of Lancaster;And that's not suddenly to be perform'd,But with advice and silent secrecy.Do you as I do in these dangerous days:Wink at the Duke of Suffolk's insolence,At Beaufort's pride,at Somerset's ambition,At Buckingham,and all the crew of them,Till they have snar'd the shepherd of the flock,That virtuous prince,the good Duke Humphrey;'Tis that they seek;and they,in seeking that,Shall find their deaths,if York can prophesy.SALISBURY.My lord,break we off;we know your mind at full.WARWICK.My heart assures me that the Earl of Warwick Shall one day make the Duke of York a king.YORK.And,Nevil,this I do assure myself,Richard shall live to make the Earl of Warwick The greatest man in England but the King.Exeunt
SCENE III.London.A hall of justice
Sound trumpets.Enter the KING and State:the QUEEN,GLOUCESTER,YORK,SUFFOLK,and SALISBURY,with guard,to banish the DUCHESS.Enter,guarded,the DUCHESS OF GLOUCESTER,MARGERY JOURDAIN,HUME,SOUTHWELL,and BOLINGBROKE
KING HENRY.Stand forth,Dame Eleanor Cobham,Gloucester'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 burnt 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.GLOUCESTER.Eleanor,the law,thou seest,hath judged thee.I cannot justify whom the law condemns.Exeunt the 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 HENRY.Stay,Humphrey Duke of Gloucester;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.GLOUCESTER.My staff!Here,noble Henry,is my staff.As willingly do I the same resign As ere 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 Gloucester scarce himself.
