Henry VI, Part II

London. The palace.

Flourish of trumpets: then hautboys. Enter the King, Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, Salisbury, Warwick, and Cardinal Beaufort, on the one side; the Queen, Suffolk, York, Somerset, and Buckingham, on the other.

Suffolk

As by your high imperial majesty I had in charge at my depart for France, As procurator to your excellence, To marry Princess Margaret for your grace, So, in the famous ancient city Tours, In presence of the Kings of France and Sicil, The Dukes of Orleans, Calaber, Bretagne and Alençon, Seven earls, twelve barons and twenty reverend bishops, I have perform’d my task and was espoused: And humbly now upon my bended knee, In sight of England and her lordly peers, Deliver up my title in the queen To your most gracious hands, that are the substance Of that great shadow I did represent; The happiest gift that ever marquess gave, The fairest queen that ever king received.

King

Suffolk, arise. Welcome, Queen Margaret: I can express no kinder sign of love Than this kind kiss. O Lord, that lends me life, Lend me a heart replete with thankfulness! For thou hast given me in this beauteous face A world of earthly blessings to my soul, If sympathy of love unite our thoughts.

Queen

Great King of England and my gracious lord, The mutual conference that my mind hath had, By day, by night, waking and in my dreams, In courtly company or at my beads, With you, mine alder-liefest sovereign, Makes me the bolder to salute my king With ruder terms, such as my wit affords And over-joy of heart doth minister.

King

The Duke of Gloucester’s house.

Enter Duke Humphrey and his wife Eleanor.

Duchess

Why droops my lord, like over-ripen’d corn, Hanging the head at Ceres’ plenteous load? Why doth the great Duke Humphrey knit his brows, As frowning at the favours of the world? Why are thine eyes fix’d to the sullen earth, Gazing on that which seems to dim thy sight? What seest thou there? King Henry’s diadem, Enchased with all the honours of the world? If so, gaze on, and grovel on thy face, Until thy head be circled with the same. Put forth thy hand, reach at the glorious gold. What, is’t too short? I’ll lengthen it with mine; And, having both together heaved it up, We’ll both together lift our heads to heaven, And never more abase our sight so low As to vouchsafe one glance unto the ground.

Gloucester

O Nell, sweet Nell, if thou dost love thy lord, Banish the canker of ambitious thoughts. And may that thought, when I imagine ill Against my king and nephew, virtuous Henry, Be my last breathing in this mortal world! My troublous dream this night doth make me sad.

Duchess

What dream’d my lord? tell me, and I’ll requite it With sweet rehearsal of my morning’s dream.

Gloucester

Methought this staff, mine office-badge in court, Was broke in twain; by whom I have forgot, But, as I think, it was by the cardinal; And on the pieces of the broken wand Were placed the heads of Edmund Duke of Somerset, And William de la Pole, first duke of Suffolk. This was my dream: what it doth bode, God knows.

The palace.

Enter three or four Petitioners, Peter, the Armourer’s man, being one.

First Petitioner

My masters, let’s stand close: my lord protector will come this way by and by, and then we may deliver our supplications in the quill.

Second Petitioner

Marry, the Lord protect him, for he’s a good man! Jesu bless him!

Enter Suffolk and Queen.

Peter

Here a’ comes, methinks, and the queen with him. I’ll be the first, sure.

Second Petitioner

Come back, fool; this is the Duke of Suffolk, and not my lord protector.

Suffolk

How now, fellow! would’st any thing with me?

First Petitioner

I pray, my lord, pardon me; I took ye for my lord protector.

Queen

Reading. “To my Lord Protector!” Are your supplications to his lordship? Let me see them: what is thine?

First Petitioner

Mine is, an’t please your grace, against John Goodman, my lord cardinal’s man, for keeping my house, and lands, and wife and all, from me.

Suffolk

Thy wife, too! that’s some wrong, indeed. What’s yours? What’s here! Reads. “Against the Duke of Suffolk, for enclosing the commons of Melford.” How now, sir knave!

Second Petitioner

Alas, sir, I am but a poor petitioner of our whole township.

Peter

Giving his petition. Against my master, Thomas Horner, for saying that the Duke of York was rightful heir to the crown.

Queen

What say’st thou? did the Duke of York say he was rightful heir to the crown?

Peter

That my master was? no, forsooth: my master said that he was, and that the king was an usurper.

Suffolk

Gloucester’s garden.

Enter Margaret Jourdain, Hume, Southwell, and Bolingbroke.

Hume

Come, my masters; the duchess, I tell you, expects performance of your promises.

Bolingbroke

Master Hume, we are therefore provided: will her ladyship behold and hear our exorcisms?

Hume

Ay, what else? fear you not her courage.

Bolingbroke

I have heard her reported to be a woman of an invincible spirit: but it shall be convenient, Master Hume, that you be by her aloft, while we be busy below; and so, I pray you, go, in God’s name, and leave us. Exit Hume. Mother Jourdain, be you prostrate and grovel on the earth; John Southwell, read you; and let us to our work.

Enter Duchess aloft, Hume following.

Duchess

Well said, my masters; and welcome all. To this gear the sooner the better.

Bolingbroke

Patience, good lady; wizards know their times: Deep night, dark night, the silent of the night, The time of night when Troy was set on fire; The time when screech-owls cry and ban-dogs howl, And spirits walk and ghosts break up their graves, That time best fits the work we have in hand. Madam, sit you and fear not: whom we raise, We will make fast within a hallow’d verge. Here they do the ceremonies belonging, and make the circle; Bolingbroke or Southwell reads, Conjuro te, etc. It thunders and lightens terribly; then the Spirit riseth.

Spirit

Adsum.

Margaret Jourdain

Asmath, By the eternal God, whose name and power Thou tremblest at, answer that I shall ask; For, till thou speak, thou shalt not pass from hence.

Holland

And Smith the weaver⁠—

Bevis

Argo, their thread of life is spun.

Holland

Come, come, let’s fall in with them.

Drum. Enter Cade, Dick the Butcher, Smith the Weaver, and a Sawyer, with infinite numbers.

Cade

We John Cade, so termed of our supposed father⁠—

Dick

Aside. Or rather, of stealing a cade of herrings.

Cade

For our enemies shall fall before us, inspired with the spirit of putting down kings and princes⁠—Command silence.

Dick

Silence!

Cade

My father was a Mortimer⁠—

Dick

Aside. He was an honest man, and a good bricklayer.

Cade

My mother a Plantagenet⁠—

Dick

Aside. I knew her well; she was a midwife.

Cade

My wife descended of the Lacies⁠—

Dick

Aside. She was, indeed, a peddler’s daughter, and sold many laces.

Smith

Aside. But now of late, notable to travel with her furred pack, she washes bucks here at home.

Cade

Therefore am I of an honourable house.

Dick

Aside. Ay, by my faith, the field is honourable; and there was he borne, under a hedge, for his father had never a house but the cage.

Cade

Valiant I am.

Smith

Aside. A’ must needs; for beggary is valiant.

Cade

I am able to endure much.

Dick

Aside. No question of that; for I have seen him whipped three market-days together.

Cade

I fear neither sword nor fire.

Smith

Aside. He need not fear the sword; for his coat is of proof.

Dick

Aside. But methinks he should stand in fear of fire, being burnt i’ the hand for stealing of sheep.

Cade

Be brave, then; for your captain is brave, and vows reformation. There shall be in England seven halfpenny loaves sold for a penny: the three-hooped pot shall have ten hoops; and I will make it felony to drink small