The arden shakespeare co.., p.228
The Arden Shakespeare Complete Works, page 228
ten thousand devils come against me, and give me but
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the ten meals I have lost, and I’d defy them all.
Wither, garden, and be henceforth a burying place to
all that do dwell in this house, because the
unconquered soul of Cade is fled.
IDEN Is’t Cade that I have slain, that monstrous traitor?
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Sword, I will hallow thee for this thy deed,
And hang thee o’er my tomb when I am dead.
Ne’er shall this blood be wiped from thy point,
But thou shalt wear it as a herald’s coat
To emblaze the honour that thy master got.
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CADE Iden, farewell, and be proud of thy victory. Tell
Kent from me she hath lost her best man, and exhort
all the world to be cowards. For I, that never feared
any, am vanquished by famine, not by valour. [Dies.]
IDEN
How much thou wrong’st me, heaven be my judge.
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Die, damned wretch, the curse of her that bore thee!
And as I thrust thy body in with my sword,
So wish I I might thrust thy soul to hell.
Hence will I drag thee headlong by the heels
Unto a dunghill, which shall be thy grave,
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And there cut off thy most ungracious head,
Which I will bear in triumph to the King,
Leaving thy trunk for crows to feed upon.
Exeunt Iden and his men with the body.
5.1 Enter YORK and his army of Irish, with drum and colours.
YORK From Ireland thus comes York to claim his right
And pluck the crown from feeble Henry’s head.
Ring, bells, aloud; burn, bonfires, clear and bright,
To entertain great England’s lawful king.
Ah, sancta majestas, who would not buy thee dear?
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Let them obey that knows not how to rule.
This hand was made to handle nought but gold.
I cannot give due action to my words,
Except a sword or sceptre balance it;
A sceptre shall it have, have I a soul,
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On which I’ll toss the fleur-de-lis of France.
Enter BUCKINGHAM.
Whom have we here? Buckingham, to disturb me?
The King hath sent him, sure. I must dissemble.
BUCKINGHAM
York, if thou meanest well, I greet thee well.
YORK Humphrey of Buckingham, I accept thy greeting.
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Art thou a messenger, or come of pleasure?
BUCKINGHAM
A messenger from Henry, our dread liege,
To know the reason of these arms in peace;
Or why thou, being a subject as I am,
Against thy oath and true allegiance sworn,
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Should raise so great a power without his leave
Or dare to bring thy force so near the court?
YORK [aside] Scarce can I speak, my choler is so great.
O, I could hew up rocks and fight with flint,
I am so angry at these abject terms;
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And now like Ajax Telamonius,
On sheep or oxen could I spend my fury.
I am far better born than is the King,
More like a king, more kingly in my thoughts.
But I must make fair weather yet awhile
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Till Henry be more weak and I more strong. –
Buckingham, I prithee pardon me
That I have given no answer all this while;
My mind was troubled with deep melancholy.
The cause why I have brought this army hither
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Is to remove proud Somerset from the King,
Seditious to his grace and to the state.
BUCKINGHAM
That is too much presumption on thy part;
But if thy arms be to no other end,
The King hath yielded unto thy demand:
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The Duke of Somerset is in the Tower.
YORK Upon thine honour, is he prisoner?
BUCKINGHAM Upon mine honour, he is prisoner.
YORK Then, Buckingham, I do dismiss my powers.
Soldiers, I thank you all; disperse yourselves;
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Meet me tomorrow in Saint George’s Field,
You shall have pay and everything you wish.
Exeunt soldiers.
And let my sovereign, virtuous Henry,
Command my eldest son, nay, all my sons,
As pledges of my fealty and love,
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I’ll send them all, as willing as I live.
Lands, goods, horse, armour, anything I have
Is his to use, so Somerset may die.
BUCKINGHAM York, I commend this kind submission.
We twain will go into his highness’ tent.
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Enter KING and attendants.
KING Buckingham, doth York intend no harm to us
That thus he marcheth with thee arm in arm?
YORK In all submission and humility
York doth present himself unto your highness.
KING Then what intends these forces thou dost bring?
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YORK To heave the traitor Somerset from hence
And fight against that monstrous rebel Cade,
Who since I heard to be discomfited.
Enter IDEN with Cade’s head.
IDEN If one so rude and of so mean condition
May pass into the presence of a king,
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Lo, I present your grace a traitor’s head,
The head of Cade, whom I in combat slew.
KING
The head of Cade! Great God, how just art Thou!
O let me view his visage, being dead,
That living wrought me such exceeding trouble.
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Tell me, my friend, art thou the man that slew him?
IDEN I was, an’t like your majesty.
KING How art thou called? And what is thy degree?
IDEN Alexander Iden, that’s my name;
A poor esquire of Kent, that loves his King.
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BUCKINGHAM
So please it you, my lord, ’twere not amiss
He were created knight for his good service.
KING Iden, kneel down. [Iden kneels.]
Rise up a knight. [Iden rises.]
We give thee for reward a thousand marks
And will that thou henceforth attend on us.
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IDEN May Iden live to merit such a bounty,
And never live but true unto his liege. Exit.
Enter QUEEN and SOMERSET.
KING [aside to Buckingham]
See, Buckingham, Somerset comes with the Queen.
Go bid her hide him quickly from the Duke.
QUEEN For thousand Yorks he shall not hide his head,
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But boldly stand and front him to his face.
YORK How now! Is Somerset at liberty?
Then, York, unloose thy long-imprisoned thoughts
And let thy tongue be equal with thy heart.
Shall I endure the sight of Somerset?
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False king, why hast thou broken faith with me,
Knowing how hardly I can brook abuse?
‘King’ did I call thee? No, thou art not king,
Not fit to govern and rule multitudes,
Which dar’st not, no, nor canst not rule a traitor.
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That head of thine doth not become a crown;
Thy hand is made to grasp a palmer’s staff
And not to grace an awful princely sceptre.
That gold must round engirt these brows of mine,
Whose smile and frown, like to Achilles’ spear,
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Is able with the change to kill and cure.
Here is a hand to hold a sceptre up
And with the same to act controlling laws.
Give place! By heaven, thou shalt rule no more
O’er him whom heaven created for thy ruler.
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SOMERSET O monstrous traitor! I arrest thee, York,
Of capital treason ’gainst the King and crown.
Obey, audacious traitor, kneel for grace.
YORK Wouldst have me kneel? First let me ask of these
If they can brook I bow a knee to man.
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Sirrah, call in my sons to be my bail. Exit attendant.
I know, ere they will have me go to ward
They’ll pawn their swords for my enfranchisement.
QUEEN Call hither Clifford; bid him come amain,
To say if that the bastard boys of York
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Shall be the surety for their traitor father.
Exit Buckingham.
YORK O blood-bespotted Neapolitan,
Outcast of Naples, England’s bloody scourge!
The sons of York, thy betters in their birth,
Shall be their father’s bail; and bane to those
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That for my surety will refuse the boys!
Enter EDWARD and RICHARD.
See where they come. I’ll warrant they’ll make it good.
Enter OLD CLIFFORD and YOUNG CLIFFORD.
QUEEN And here comes Clifford to deny their bail.
OLD CLIFFORD [Kneels to Henry.]
Health and all happiness to my lord the King. [Rises.]
YORK I thank thee, Clifford. Say, what news with thee?
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Nay, do not fright us with an angry look.
We are thy sovereign, Clifford; kneel again.
For thy mistaking so, we pardon thee.
OLD CLIFFORD This is my king, York, I do not mistake;
But thou mistakes me much to think I do.
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To Bedlam with him! Is the man grown mad?
KING Ay, Clifford; a bedlam and ambitious humour
Makes him oppose himself against his king.
OLD CLIFFORD He is a traitor; let him to the Tower,
And chop away that factious pate of his.
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QUEEN He is arrested, but will not obey;
His sons, he says, shall give their words for him.
YORK Will you not, sons?
EDWARD Ay, noble father, if our words will serve.
RICHARD And if words will not, then our weapons shall.
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OLD CLIFFORD
Why, what a brood of traitors have we here!
YORK Look in a glass, and call thy image so.
I am thy king, and thou a false-heart traitor.
Call hither to the stake my two brave bears,
That with the very shaking of their chains
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They may astonish these fell-lurking curs.
Bid Salisbury and Warwick come to me.
Enter the Earls of WARWICK and SALISBURY.
OLD CLIFFORD
Are these thy bears? We’ll bait thy bears to death
And manacle the bearherd in their chains,
If thou dar’st bring them to the baiting-place.
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RICHARD Oft have I seen a hot o’erweening cur
Run back and bite, because he was withheld;
Who, being suffered, with the bear’s fell paw
Hath clapped his tail between his legs and cried;
And such a piece of service will you do,
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If you oppose yourselves to match Lord Warwick.
OLD CLIFFORD
Hence, heap of wrath, foul indigested lump,
As crooked in thy manners as thy shape.
YORK Nay, we shall heat you thoroughly anon.
OLD CLIFFORD
Take heed, lest by your heat you burn yourselves.
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KING Why, Warwick, hath thy knee forgot to bow?
Old Salisbury, shame to thy silver hair,
Thou mad misleader of thy brainsick son!
What, wilt thou on thy deathbed play the ruffian,
And seek for sorrow with thy spectacles?
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O, where is faith? O, where is loyalty?
If it be banished from the frosty head,
Where shall it find a harbour in the earth?
Wilt thou go dig a grave to find out war,
And shame thine honourable age with blood?
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Why art thou old, and want’st experience?
Or wherefore dost abuse it, if thou hast it?
For shame, in duty bend thy knee to me,
That bows unto the grave with mickle age.
SALISBURY My lord, I have considered with myself
