wou'd not have done the same War All of us wou'd and Sir I humbly beg you Think my wild passion was the Woman in me And I 've enjoy'd my Woman as you yours Ed. My Lord I know you wou'd enjoy your Woman I mean your Mistress for you have a Mistress And you who threatned to revolt from me Because some moments which were due to business I gave away to Beauty and to Love Had almost at S. Albans given away Our victory to a Woman that abhorr'd you War Ha! Ed. Yes my Lord I was inform'd the story You woo'd her over her dead Husband's Body Till you were almost taken by the Enemy I do not know her Name I never pry Into your pleasures though you censure mine But thou in Chastity wou'dst seem a Scipio Know that the Woman that thou saw'st me with Was thy own Whore Ric. Ha! Ed. Yes thy own poor Whore A Peasant's dirty Daughter whom thou keep'st By whom thou hast a little tawny Bastard Whom I o' purpose brought to shew thy Faults In th' eyes where thou hast often seen thy face This is the Lady Enter Woman Ric. Cursed treacherous jade Aside Ed. Now Sirs what think you Ge. Pray Sir give me leave To intercede for 'em I see shame covers 'em And to great minds no punishment like shame Rich. Sir not for mine but for my Father's sake Pardon my Errours and accept my Service Kneels both That I may aid you to revenge his Blood War Sir not for mine but for the Kingdoms sake Pardon my Errours and accept my service For I by placing you in the English Throne Shall place the English Throne above the World Ed. Rise both of you I freely pardon you And yet methinks it is unequal usage A King shou'd pardon all the faults of Subjects And Subjects pardon nothing in their King When a King 's crown'd he is not deifyed When he puts on the Royal Robes he does not Therefore put of th' Infirmities of man I own I have my faults and so have you You see I have convinc'd you and I did it That you might leave your faults and pardon mine Or if you kept your faults to part with me For if my Lord of Warwick does design By all his Service only to enslave me I shall lose nothing by his leaving me I can but be a Slave when I am conquer'd And if my Brother Richard has worse ends Ric. Oh! Sir no more unless you do design I shou'd rip up my Breast to shew my heart War Sir I 'll desire no farther pardon of you Till I have writ it in your Enemies Blood And pawn'd my Life and Fortune for my Loyalty Ed. Our Friendship then is stronger for this breach Now let us bend our talk to our Affairs On the sad tidings of my Father's death Which I but lately heard I sent Commissioners To Henry to demand the Crown of him According to the Oath he made in Parliament They are here what tydings Peace or War Enter Commissioners Com. War All. War 1 Com. Th' Amazon Queen drags Henry to the Battel He fain would keep his Oath but she 'll not suffer him Ric. I 'm glad of it I would not for a Kingdom Peace shou'd chain up that Bloody Mastiff Clifford And keep him safe from the edge of our keen Swords War You wrong the Beast to give that name to Clifford An English Mastiff scorns to bite a Child Ed. Now let us march to meet the Enemy This day decides who shall be King of England The right is ours War And Justice will prevail Since Right and Merit both are in the Scale Exeunt ACT. IV. An Alarm Enter King Henry the Queen Prince Clifford Cl. DAmn your unlucky Planets pray Sir get you Out of the Battel 't is impossible For men to fight the malice of your Planets Qu. He tells you true Sir Victory will never Come where you are Hen. Victory will not come Where Perjury is you make me break my Oath Cl. You ought not to have sworn so ill an Oath Pr. Father you cannot give away my Right I 'll rather lose my life than my Inheritance Cl. Spoke like a Prince Hen. Oh! Boy if thou didst know What a Crown was thou wou'dst be more content If I shou'd leave thee no Inheritance But the Example of my vertuous deeds I wish my Father had left me no more Cl. Oh! damn all this come let us to the Battel Ex. Cl. Qu. Pr. Hen. Oh! how this Fellow curses he accuses My Stars for my misfortunes when his Curses Wound all my Men and poyson the Enemies shot Wou'd I were dead if it were Heav'ns good will Lyes down For I am very weary of this World Troublesome folly governs all this World Men live her Vassals and they dye her Martyrs Oh! happy he who in an humble state Only attends on Nature's easie business And brings white heirs down to a quiet Grave Falling to earth as gently as the Snow Alarm Enter a Son bearing his Father Here comes a wretch laden as he believes With happy Fortune 't is with bloudy folly And Heaven has carv'd Fool on his breast with wounds Son Who e're thou art thy life has cost me dear But I 'll repay my self out of thy Gold If thou hast any with the hopes of that I took such pains to kill thee And yet I Who plunder thee may be compel'd e're Night To give my life and plunder to another What 's this Oh! Heaven I have kill'd my Father Oh Father pardon me I did not know thee I was in London prest to serve the King And thou the Earl of Warwick's servant prest To fight on th' other side and so unknown We met and Fought and so unknown I kill'd thee Oh from thy Bosom I will wash away With tears the marks of this unnatural Crime Hen. Oh piteous spectacle Oh sad confusions What horrid errours and unnatural ills Our horrid and unnatural war produces Poor wretch didst thou want tears I cou'd supply thee Enter a Father bearing his Son Fath. Thou that so stoutly hast resisted me Give me thy gold if thou hast any gold For I have bought it with a hundred blows Ha! let me see is this my Enemy Ah no my Son I 've kill'd my only Son Hen. Ah woe on woe Heaven stop these bloudy mischiefs Though by the Death of me and all my Race Son Oh I have ta'ne his life who gave me mine Fath. Oh! I 've kill'd him for whom I wou'd have dyed Son How will my Mother for my Fathers death Take on with me Fath. How will my mourning Wife Accuse me of the slaughter of my Son Hen. How will my people charge all this on me Son I 'll bear thee hence and weep but fight no more Ex. Fath. I 'll bear thee hence and weep but kill no more Except my self with sorrow Ex. Hen. Oh! poor men Here is a King more woful than you all For you grieve for your selves I for you all Oh
Heark he calls I must be gone Farewel my dear remember what you have promis'd L. El. Remember you your Vows of constancy Exit Rich. within Brother what do you mean leave your damn'd Women For I 'm sure 't is some damn'd Woman stays you But for my part I 'll stay no longer for you For I will not be chidden for your faults My Father and his Friends shall know how it is Ed. Thank thee good natur'd honest vertuous Brother How proud this Leper is of one sound place Though he has all the vices in the world Yet he insults o're me because he is free From my one fault my almost faultless fault He is a Hell at whose foul front appears Ill manners and ill nature and ill shape Like a three-headed Dog that barks at all things That dare come near him specially at beauty But has within a thousand ugly Haggs His Soul embraces bloody cruelty Lean envy and insatiable Ambition And he has this advantage over me His Mistresses are Devils and so invisible Some time or other I 'll descend like Hercules Into this Hell and dragg to humane sight The Monster that so barks at my delight Ex. Scene the Parliament House a Throne Canopy Seats for the Lords Enter Plantagenet George Richard Warwick Clarence Rutland Guard all with drawn Swords War This is the palace of the fearful King And this the Regal Seat Richard Plantagenet Sit down and from this hour be King of England Pl. I think if mighty Warwick said be Emperour Of the whole world the Genii of all Kingdoms Wou'd vanish and give place to his great spirit Assisted then by thee I here sit down Sits in the Throne And take possession of my Royal Right War I plant you here now Root you up who dares Enter Edward Pl. Where 's my Son Edward Son why loiter you War Sir why do you neglect your Father thus Ed. Reprov'd by Warwick what does Warwick cheat us Aside Give us a Crown to cheat us of our liberty Hire us to be his slaves so soon so arrogant This humour I must quell I cannot bear it Pl. Sons I here take possession of my right And will be Crown'd or kill'd if I shou'd fall Son Edward claim the Crown if you fall with me Then George the Crown is thine if both you dye Then Richard thou art King War Three goodly Pillars Pl. And last in birth but not in my Affection Here is my litle pretty darling Rutland Look to him Guard for if his brothers Perish He is your King fear not my pretty Boy We 'll be too hard for wretched timerous Henry Rut. Sir let him come and all his Souldiers with him If you will beat his Souldiers I 'll beat him Pl. Well said my boy and heark I think he comes Enter King Henry in his Robes his Crown on his head the Sword born before him Attended by Clifford Northumberland Westmorland Exeter in their Robes Hen. My Lords look where the sturdy Rebel sits War Look where your King is seated Duke of Lancaster What say you will you resign in peace the Crown To him whose right it is Richard Plantagenet Or shall we force it from you by our Swords Rich. Let 's tear the Crown from the Usurpers head Ed. Sound but the Trumpets and the King will fly Pl. Peace Sons Hen Peace all of you and hear your King Rebels I fear all danger less than you do For I am better arm'd with innocence But I confess I do fear Civil War Not for my own but for my peoples sake I am afraid to shed the blood of English men But you indeed are bold in cruelty By which oh Heaven judge whose is the Child His who desires to have it cut in peices Or mine who strive in tenderness to save it For my own part I fear no power but Heaven Rebels may be successful for a time And overturn all order right aud justice But Heaven does not let the world stand long In that unnatural uneasie posture But soon put 's all things in their proper places Pl. Thy own mouth Henry has pronounc'd thy doom Successful Murder and Rebellion Swell'd for two Generations of thy race Over all right and all that durst oppose 'em But Heaven in thee has dryed up the black stream And made it such a Brook all trample over it Hen. I 've oft been told by thee my Grand-father Depos'd his King Pl. And I did tell thee truth Hen. Cannot a King adopt an Heir Pl. VVhat then Hen. Did not King Richard to my Grand-father Resign the Crown in open Parliament Pl. Did not thy Grand-father compel him to it By force of Arms and then the Parliament To their eternal shame if not Damnation Flatter'd the wicked fortunate Usurper War But say the King had done it unconstrain'd He cou'd not give away another's right Henry usurp'd the right of the next Heirs Hen. My Conscience tells me that my Title is weak Cl. How Sir will you revolt from your own self Who will stand by you then War Clifford thou dyest If thou permit'st not Henry to resign Cl. Let Henry give his Title to the Crown He shall not give my Title to revenge May the ground gape and swallow me alive When e're I kneel to him who kill'd my Father War Ho! there within Cl. I am prepar'd for you War stamps and enter Souldiers of his side Cl. does the same and enter Souldiers on his side as they are going to fight King Henry interposes Hen. Hold hold my Lords Oh! let not Blood be shed Let us not make a Shambles of this place Pray hear me all I find my Title 's weak And to defend it were to fight with Justice Besides there lyes already on my head The Blood of Richard murder'd by my Grand-father And I 'd be loth to add my peoples Blood For saving which hear this proposal from me I have been King these eight and thirty years And many Interests must grow to mine That you can never tear me from the Throne But you will set a thousand Veins a bleeding Then let me reign in quiet all my life And when I 'm dead Plantagenet be King Pl. I approve of it and on that condition Kneels and kisses Hen's hand I swear to be King Henry's faithful Vassal Hen. And not to seek the Throne by Arms or Treason Pl. Never whilst King Henry lives Hen. Then I entail The Crown to thee and to thy Heirs for ever Cl. The Devil to him and to his Heirs for ever VVhat have you done War Good to himself and England Cl. VVrong to his Son his Subjects and himself Ex. VVhy sigh you Sir King Hen. sighs Hen. For my poor Son I 've wrong'd War You have not wrong'd him you have wholly freed him From all the Vengeance due to Usurpation Cl. Oh! Henry if thy Father's Soul did see Thy baseness it wou'd torture him in Heaven Plantagenet when that great Monarch liv'd Thou durst have sooner let into thy Soul
me By making you unhappy in a Wife War Were you the first of Widows that talk'd thus I must confess I think 't wou'd damp my courage But when this is the constant language spoke In the dark shady Land of Vailes and mourning Shou'd I be scar'd I were as rank a fool As the dull Heroe that shou'd leave a pleasant Country he conquer'd ' cause the people speak A strange odd Language you are a conquer'd Province And you may keep your Language and your Customs But I will have the Government and Tribute La. Gr. My Lord I have affairs of greater consequence Then this fond talk and so your humble Servant War So have not I and therefore you shall stay La. Gr. What do you mean my Lord War I mean my Lady To marry you this day enjoy you this night La. Gr. My Lord I tell you plainly I do not love you War All 's one I tell you plainly I will have you I know you are a woman of great virtue And time will file away these rugged humours But if it do not though your soul be rough Your body will be smooth your Cheeks be soft Your eyes be sparkling and your lips be tempting And more perhaps might make me mad with love Ho! call a Parson La. Gr. Now my Lord VVar. Ay! now La. Gr. What and my Husband dyed so very lately War What then what has the dead to do with us La. Gr. I 'll rather go a begging with my Children War Come leave this fooling by this kiss you shall La. Gr. I 'll dye e're suffer all this barb'rous rudeness War VVell thou art a most beauteous Creature I 'm going now Embassadour for France I 'll let thee keep thy humour one month more But then at my return be sure I find thee Divorc'd from sorrow and the dead for ever Give not one sigh or to the dead or living Sigh thou for any Man alive but me And though a King he had better be a slave Sigh for the dead I 'll tear him from his Grave Ex. La. Gr. What shall I do for I abhor this man What comes into my thoughts is it not said King Edward for we now must call him so Lodges to night at his own Neighb'ring Castle Wom. Yes Madam La. Gr. I 'm inform'd he is a Prince Of a most noble Nature I 'm resolv'd To fling my self in sorrow at his Feet And beg him to have pity on my Children What e're their Father was they are not his Enemies And if I can obtain their Father's Lands Then I shall ' scape this man I so much hate Ex. Scene a Room of State Enter Edward Richard Guards Ed. The Scituation of this Castle pleases me Rich. But Sir not me for I 'm afraid it stands Too near a Beauty that once stopt your way And I 'm afraid will do it once again Ed. Women are moving Creatures and may follow us Rich. Pardon my confidence I love to serve My Friends as boldly as I fight my Enemies Ed. You say well Brother and I 'll promise you Nothing shall stay me here beyond this night Enter a Lord. Lord. A Lady Sir desires to kiss your hands Ric. A Lady Poxo ' Ladies he is tinder To every Lady and will catch new fire Enter Lady Grey and her Women She kneels kisses King Edward's hand he raises her and Salutes her Rich. A very lovely woman he is ruin'd Ed. I ne're had Eyes or my eyes ne're saw beauty Till this amazing minute Ric. So he 's gone Any one may have London now that will La. Gr. Sir I present you humbly the petition Kneels again and the King gazes Of a poor Widow and her little Orphans I am the Widow of one Sir John Grey Who in S. Alban's Battel lost his life In the defence of him we thought our King If my poor Husband's Loyalty did err He dearly for that fatal error paid My humble prayer is that my poor Orphans May not be punish'd for their Fathers Faults If erring Loyalty can be a fault Ed. I am so rapt I mind not what she say Nor that she is all this while upon her knees Pray Madam rise leave us To the Attendants Ric. So she I find Must grant a thing before her thing be granted Ex. Ed. Had you a Husband Madam did you say La. Gr. Yes Sir I had one at S. Alban's Battel His Name was Sir John Grey Ed. Oh happy man What excellence had he above mankind That he shou'd be more blest than all mankind And have you Children La. Gr. Many poor young Orphans Ed. Oh! wondrous happy man t' enjoy this Woman I must inquire about her I was never Aside Never so charm'd before My Lord come hither Pray do you know this Lady Lord. Yes Sir well She is the Widow of Sir John Grey of Grooby A man of Quality and great Estate But a most vehement Lancastrian Ed. No matter of what Family is she Lord. Her quality does far exceed her Husbands And yet her Virtue does exceed her quality She is the Daughter of Sir Richard Woodvile Her Mother was sometimes Dutchesse of Bedford Ed. Dutchesse of Bedford Ha! Lord. Dutchesse of Bedford And Daughter of the Earl of S. Pool Ed. Of noble birth and by her Mothers side Related to the house of Lancaster Lord. She is by Marriage Sir that was the cause That Sir John Grey was such a sierce Lancastrian Ed. She has Beauty she has Virtue she has Birth Aside Why may not this fair Lady be a Queen But she 's a Subject England will not like it And th' English Nation like the Sea it governs Is bold and turbulent and easily mov'd And always beats against the shore that bounds it What is the people free and not the King Not free where every Slave is free his bed Yes so it is it seems and English fury Will easily with any wind be rais'd To dash the Palaces and Beds of Kings Come what come will this Lady shall be mine She shall be or my Mistress or my Wife What was it Madam you desir'd o' me La. Gr. To give poor Orphans Sir their Father's Lands Ed. Heaven forbid I shou'd retain 'em from ' em La. Gr. Then Sir with humble thanks I take my leave Ed. Hold Madam for I must have one word more I must impose a Tax upon this Land La. Gr. It shall be thankfully and gladly paid Ed. It will I 'm sure more gladly be receiv'd It is an easie Tax no more but Love La. Gr. No Loyal Subjects Sir but love their King Ed. But this is love that none but you can grant La. Gr. I do not understand your meaning Sir Ed. Truly I scarcely understand my self For I have gaz'd my self out of my Reason La. Gr. With your permission Sir I 'll take my leave Ed. Oh! you shall never never part from me La. Gr. VVhat do you mean Sir Ed. I mean all the Love E're was or can be in the heart of man La.
That Hour there was a Child of darkness born Winds blew down Trees as hell were making gallowses Thy mother had a kind of Hellish pain As She had been in labour of a Devil Thy legs came first and thou wert born with Teeth And cam'st to bite Ric. I 'll hear no more dye Prophet Stabs Hen. For this among the rest I was ordain'd Hen. I and for much more slaughter after this Heaven forgive me my sins and thee this murder Ric. Thou didst say truth I came with my legs forward Into the World but 't was to o're take thee And all that stand between the Crown and me Enter the Lieutenant Ric. What noise is that Lieu. The King is Coming Sir And all the Court with him to see the Prisoner And comfort him the King intends to keep His Court here till his Coronation Rich. Nay then I must be gone he will be angry At what I 've done Ex. Enter Edward George Train Guard Ed. Where is your prisoner Lieu. He 's murder'd Ed. Murder'd Oh! thou bloudy Villain Durst thou do this when I commanded thee To give him all Princely respect and usage Lieu. Sir on my knees I do beseech you hear me Your Brother my Lord Richard came to visit him And was left with him by his own command And now he 's fled that none but he cou'd do this deed Geo. Sir I believe him this is like my Brother Ed. Heaven to his crooked shape has bent his soul He was design'd for mischief and thrust forward Unfinish'd in the World to lose no time And I believe if we don't watch him narrowly He 'l make no scruple to use us as rudely For crowding rudely into the world before him But I believe I 'm safe England by this time Has had enough of Rebels and Usurpers I faney now the Sons of those poor Genlemen Those honest foolish cheated Gentlemen Who did turn Rebels but they meant no harm Who fought their King slaughter'd their Friends and Kinsmen Destroy'd their Country but they meant no harm And for reward had all their houses burn'd Their Wives and Daughters ravished their lands seiz'd And themselves knock'd o' th' head but meant no harm I say I fancy their unhappy Off-spring Will prove exceeding honest Loyal Subjects For by their Fathers Ruine they have learnt VVit Geo. That 's all a Nation gets by Civil War Ed. Yes with the Prodigal they learn 't is better Obeying their Kings the Fathers of their Country Than run and wast their Fortune and their Liberties And do the drudgeries of proud Usurpers Who will perhaps set 'em to keep their Swine And after a long beggery and slavery Return with shame and sorrow to their Loyalty Take up the Body of that unfortunate Prince I will bestow Royal interrement on it His and the Kingdom 's dreadful Ruines prove A Monarch's Right is an unshaken Rock No storms of War nor time can wear away And Wracks those Pirates that come there for prey Ex. EPILOGUE TO a cloy'd lover with his Mistress tyr'd How pall'd she seems who once was so desir'd He Shuns her sight and when she comes to sin Damn her he cries tell her I 'm not within So nauseous and unpleasant now are grown All the delights of wit to this cloyd Town Nowon Religious Brawls your time you spend When sinners grow devout they 're near their end The Nation of a natural humour Gay That in vile Pamphlets does begin to pray The ayd of Rascals for her sickly State Is in a malady as desperate As the young Spark who late Religion scorn'd Grown deadly sick is a Fanatick turn'd And begs in bits o' Paper up and down The Prayers of all the Godly of the Town Oh! we are sick at least our brains are bad England is ne're devout till it is mad Our Fathers to their cost did find it so And small things will make mad men fight you know Oh! what a Bedlam once was this sweet place When graceless Rogues did Fight about free-grace And wilful Fools wou'd obstinately spill His bloud who durst say man had a free-will Of all our Civil broyles those we have shewn To day our Nation with least shame may own For Subjects then for loyalty did fight And Princes to maintain their Royal Right Yet those rich Ornaments were very far From gracing that fowl Monster Civil-War How ugly then she is when ridden blind With Pope before but Presbyter behind Such a poor Nation 's case is very evil Those two wou'd ride a Kingdom to the Devil Learn then by what you have beheld to day To keep your wit and money whilest you may Better at Dice to throw away your Wealth Your time at cursed Plays with Punks your health Than by damn'd senseless bloudy strifes about No one knows what be trod on by the Rout Have your Wealth plunder'd and your brains beat out And dye like Jesuites to be thought devout FINIS