THE MISERY OF CIVIL-WAR A TRAGEDY As it is Acted at the DUKE's Theatre By His Royal Highnesses Servants Written by Mr. CROWN LONDON Printed for R. Bentley and M. Magnes in Russel-Street in Covent-Garden 1680. PROLOGUE REligious Broyles to such a height are grown All the sweet sound of Poetry they drown Were Orpheus here his Lute might charm our Beasts Our Mastiffs not our Robble or our Priests Good Heaven Sirs are there no other ways To damn the Pope but damning all our Plays To our Religion 't is no Praise at all That if our Wit must stand our Faith must fall All parties in a Play-House may agree The Stage is priviledg'd from Piety 'T is pleasant Sirs to see you fight and brawl About Religion but have none at all Most fiercely for the Road to Heav'n contend But never care to reach the Journeys end Though you lose Heaven you will keep the Way The Pope sha'n't have you though the Devil may These things such business for the Criticks find They 're not at leasure Poetry to mind Well for the Poet 't is they 're so employ'd Else this poor Work of his wou'd be destroy'd For by his feeble Skill 't is built alone The Divine Shakespear did not lay one Stone Besides this Tragedy a Rod will prove To whip us for a Fault we too much Love And have for ages liv'd call'd Civil Strife The English Nation like a Russian Wife Is to a gentle Husband always curst And loves him best who uses her the worst This Poet though perhaps in Colours faint Those scurvy Joys does in all Postures Paint Fools take in pelting out each others Brains A joy for which this Nation oft takes pains If any like the Ills he shews to day Let them be damn'd and let them damn the Play The Persons Represented in the Tragedy KIng Henry the Sixth Prince Edward King Henry's Son By Mr. Joseph Williams Richard Plantagenet Duke of York By Mr. David Williams Edward eldest Son of Richard Plantagenet and after his Fathers death King of England By Mr. Smith George Duke of Clarence second Son of the Duke of York By Mr. Bowman Richard the third Son called Crook-back By Mr. Gillow Rutland a Child the youngest Son  The Great Earl of Warwick By Mr. Batterton Old Lord Clifford By Mr. Pearcival Young Clifford his Son By Mr. Wiltshire Queen Margaret Wife of King Henry Mrs. Leigh Lady Grey the Widow of Sir John Grey belov'd and at length married by King Edward the fourth By Mrs. Batterton Lady Elianor Butler a young Lady of great quality that was one of King Edward's Mistresses By Mrs. Currer SCENE ENGLAND THE MISERIES OF Civil-War ACT. I. SCENE I. A Noise of Fighting a Shout for Victory Enter Cade and his Rabble Cade FLing all my dead Subjects into the Thames Now say what place is this Butch 'T is London-Stone Cade Then am I Mortimer Lord of this City And here I sitting upon London-Stone Declare this is the first day of our Reign So I command the Conduits all Piss Claret And I proclaim it Treason now for any man To call me other than Lord Mortimer Enter a Souldier running Sould. Jack Cade Jack Jack Cade Knock down that sawcy Fellow A Butcher kill 's him Butch If he has wit he 'll never call thy Honour Jack Cade again Cade I think he has fair warning Enter a Cobler with a Scrivener Cob. My Lord my Lord Cade Well said a mannerly Fellow Cob. I have catch'd a Scrivener here setting Boyes Copies Cade Oh! there 's a Villain a corrupter of Youth Cob. He has a Book in 's pocket with red Letters in 't Cade Then he 's a Conjurer Cob. He can write Bills and Bonds and Obligations to bind People to undo themselves and pay Money whether they Can or no such a Rogue is enough to undo a Nation Cade I 'm sorry for it for on my honour he 's a proper fellow He shall not dye unless I find him Guilty Cob. He shall die Guilty or not Guilty I brought him to be Hang'd and I will not lose my labour I love hanging there 's Never any hanging but I leave my Stall to go see it Hanging-day is my holy-day and I will keep Coblers holy-day Cade We 'll hang him but we 'll examine him first Cob. No hang him first for now no man will confess Till after he 's hang'd Cade I will examine him Sirrah what 's thy Name Scriv. Emanuel Cob. Emanuel That 's a strange Name Friend 't will go very hard with you Cade Let me alone Friend dost thou write thy Name Or use a mark like a plain honest man Scriv. Sir I thank Heaven I have been so well bred That I can write my name All. He has confest He 's a stranger and a Villain hang him Cade Hang him with his Pen and Ink about his Neck Enter others with the Lord Say Prisoner My Lord my Lord a prize an 't like thy Honour Here 's the Lord Say who sold the Townes in France And made us pay one and twenty Fifteens And a shilling to the pound last Subsidy Cade I will behead him one and twenty times Come scurvy Lord what canst thou say To our Mightiness for giving up our Towns To Monsieur Basimecu the Dolphin of France Be it known unto thee Traytor by these presents Even by the presence of my self Lord Mortimer That I will sweep the world clean of such filth Thou Trayterously hast built a Grammar-School To debauch all the youth and whereas formerly Our Grandsiers us'd no Book but Score and Tally Thou hast caus'd wicked Printing to be us'd And contrary to the King his Crown and Dignity Hast built a Paper-Mill It will be prov'd That thou hast Servants talk of Nouns and Verbs And such vile Words no Christian er'e can here Thou hast appointed Justices of Peace To call poor men before 'em about matters They cou'd not answer yes and thou hast hang'd 'em Because they cou'd not read Cob. There was a Villain Cade Thou rid'st upon a foot-cloth dost thou not Say Well what of that Cade Why is it not a shame Thy Horse shou'd weare a Cloak when honest men Go in their Hose and Doublets Say Well I find You men of Kent All. What of us men of Kent Say That Kent is bona terra mala gens Cade Bold Traytor he speaks Latin in my presence Go hang him hang him Say Hear me Country-men Cade Hear Latin Villain hang him All. Hang him hang him They drag him away Butch We 'll hang up every man that can speak-Latin Cade Well counsel'd Butcher counsel'd like a Butcher We will and more for they are but few Tay. We 'll hang up any man that can speak French For I 'm a Taylour and there is no man That can speak French will let me work a stitch for ' em Cob. We 'll hang up all the Lords and Gentlemen Spare none but such as go in clouted shoes For I 'm a Cobler
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
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