For underneath an alehouse' paltry sign,
The Castle in St. Alban's, Somerset
Hath made the wizard famous in his death.
Sword, hold thy temper; heart, be wrathful still:
Priests pray for enemies, but princes kill.

70

[Exit.

Fight: excursions. Enter KING, QUEEN, and others. Queen. Away, my lord! you are slow; for shame, away! King. Can we outrun the heavens? good Margaret, stay. Queen. What are you made of? you'll nor fight nor fly: Now is it manhood, wisdom and defence, To give the enemy way, and to secure us By what we can, which can no more but fly.

[Alarum afar off.

If you be ta'en, we then should see the bottom
Of all our fortunes: but if we haply scape,
As well we may, if not through your neglect,
We shall to London get, where you are loved
And where this breach now in our fortunes made
May readily be stopp'd.

Re-enter Young CLIFFORD.

Y. Clif. But that my heart's on future mischief set, I would speak blasphemy ere bid you fly:

But fly you must; uncurable discomfit

Reigns in the hearts of all our present parts.
Away, for your relief! and we will live

To see their day and them our fortune give:
Away, my lord, away!

SCENE III. Fields near St. Alban's.

80

[Exeunt.

Alarum. Retreat. Enter YORK, RICHARD, WARWICK, and Soldiers, with drum and colours.

York. Of Salisbury, who can report of him,

That winter lion, who in rage forgets

Aged contusions and all brush of time,

And, like a gallant in the brow of youth,

Repairs him with occasion? This happy day
Is not itself, nor have we won one foot,
If Salisbury be lost.

Rich.

My noble father,

Three times to-day I holp him to his horse,
Three times bestrid him; thrice I led him off,
Persuaded him from any further act:

But still, where danger was, still there I met him;

10

And like rich hangings in a homely house,
So was his will in his old feeble body.
But, noble as he is, look where he comes.

Enter SALISBURY

Sal. Now, by my sword, well hast thou fought to-day; By the mass, so did we all. I thank you, Richard:

God knows how long it is I have to live;

And it hath pleased him that three times to-day
You have defended me from imminent death.
Well, lords, we have not got that which we have:
'Tis not enough our foes are this time fled,
Being opposites of such repairing nature.

York. I know our safety is to follow them;
For, as I hear, the king is fled to London,
To call a present court of parliament.
Let us pursue him ere the writs go forth:
What says Lord Warwick? shall we after them?
War. After them! nay, before them, if we can.
Now, by my faith, lords, 'twas a glorious day:
Saint Alban's battle won by famous York
Shall be eternized in all age to come.
Sound drums and trumpets, and to London all:
And more such days as these to us befall.

20

339

30

[Exeunt.

Alarum. Enter the DUKE OF YORK, EDWARD, RICHARD,
NORFOLK, MONTAGUE, WARWICK, and Soldiers,

War. I wonder how the king escaped our hands.
York. While we pursued the horsemen of the north,

He slily stole away and left his men:

Whereat the great Lord of Northumberland,

Whose warlike ears could never brook retreat,

Cheer'd up the drooping army; and himself,
Lord Clifford and Lord Stafford, all abreast,
Charged our main battle's front, and breaking in
Were by the swords of common soldiers slain.

Edic. Lord Stafford's father, Duke of Buckingham, 10 Is either slain or wounded dangerously;

I cleft his beaver with a downright blow:

That this is true, father, behold his blood.

Mont. And, brother, here's the Earl of Wiltshire's blood, Whom I encounter'd as the battles join'd.

Rich. Speak thou for me and tell them what I did.

[Throwing down the Duke of Somerset's head. York. Richard hath best deserved of all my sons. But is your grace dead, my Lord of Somerset? Norf. Such hope have all the line of John of Gaunt! Rich. Thus do I hope to shake King Henry's head, War. And so do I. Victorious Prince of York, Before I see thee seated in that throne

Which now the house of Lancaster usurps,

I vow by heaven these eyes shall never close.
This is the palace of the fearful king,

And this the regal seat: possess it, York;

For this is thine and not King Henry's heirs'.

York. Assist me, then, sweet Warwick, and I will; For hither we have broken in by force.

Norf. We'll all assist you; he that flies shall die. York. Thanks, gentle Norfolk: stay by me, my lords; And, soldiers, stay and lodge by me this night.

20

30

[They go up. War. And when the king comes, offer him no violence, Unless he seek to thrust you out perforce.

York. The queen this day here holds her parliament, But little thinks we shall be of her council:

By words or blows here let us win our right.

Rich. Arm'd as we are, let's stay within this house.
War. The bloody parliament shall this be called,
Unless Plantagenet, Duke of York, be king,
And bashful Henry deposed, whose cowardice
Hath made us by-words to our enemies.

York. Then leave me not, my lords; be resolute;

I mean to take possession of my right.

War. Neither the king, nor he that loves him best,
The proudest he that holds up Lancaster,
Dares stir a wing, if Warwick shake his bells.
I'll plant Plantagenet, root him up who dares:
Resolve thee, Richard; claim the English crown.

40

Flourish.

Enter KING HENRY, CLIFFORD, NORTHUMBERLAND, WESTMORELAND, EXETER, and the rest.

K. Ilen. My lords, look where the sturdy rebel sits, 50 Even in the chair of state: belike he means,

Back'd by the power of Warwick, that false peer,
To aspire unto the crown and reign as king.
Earl of Northumberland, he slew thy father,

And thine, Lord Clifford; and you both have vow'd re venge

On him, his sons, his favourites, and his friends.
North. If I be not, heavens be revenged on me!
Clif. The hope thereof makes Clifford mourn in steel.
West. What, shall we suffer this? let's pluck him down:

My heart for anger burns; I cannot brook it.

K. Hen. Be patient, gentle Earl of Westmoreland.
Clif. Patience is for poltroons, such as he:

He durst not sit there, had your father lived.
My gracious lord, here in the parliament

Let us assail the family of York.

North. Well hast thou spoken, cousin: be it so.
K. Hen. Ah, know you not the city favours them,
And they have troops of soldiers at their beck?

Ere. But when the duke is slain, they'll quickly fly.

60

K. Hen. Far be the thought of this from Henry's heart,

To make a shambles of the parliament-house!

Cousin of Exeter, frowns, words and threats

Shall be the war that Henry means to use.

Thou factious Duke of York, descend my throne,

And kneel for grace and mercy at my feet;

70

Ere. For shame, come down: he made thee Duke of
York.

York. 'Twas my inheritance, as the earldom was.
Ere. Thy father was a traitor to the crown.
War. Exeter, thou art a traitor to the crown

In following this usurping Henry.

Clif. Whom should he follow but his natural king? War. True, Clifford; and that's Richard Duke of York. K. Hen. And shall I stand, and thou sit in my throne? York. It must and shall be so: content thyself. War. Be Duke of Lancaster; let him be king. West. He is both king and Duke of Lancaster; And that the Lord of Westmoreland shall maintain. War. And Warwick shall disprove it. You forget