Is either flain or wounded dang'rously.
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 deferv'd of all my fons :

Is his 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 fo do I. Victorious prince of York,
Before I fee thee thee feated in that throne,
Which now the house of Lancaster ufurps,
I vow by heav'n, these eyes fhall never close.
This is the palace of that fearful king,

And this the regal feat; poffefs it, York;
For this is thine, and not king Henry's heirs'.

YORK. Affift me then, sweet Warwick, and I will;

For hither we have broken in by force.

NOR F. We'll all affift you; he, that flies fhall die. YORK. Thanks, gentle Norfolk; ftay by me, my lords, And, foldiers, ftay, and lodge by me this night.

[They go up. WAR. And when the king comes, offer him no violence; Unless he feeks to thrust you out by force.

YORK. The queen this day here holds her parliament, But little thinks we fhall 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 call'd,

Unless Plantagenet, duke of York, be king;
And bafhful Henry depos'd; whose cowardife
Hath made us by-words to our enemies.

YORK. Then leave me not; my lords, be refolute;

I mean to take poffeffion of my right.

WAR. Neither the king, nor he that loves him best
The proudest he that holds up Lancaster,

Dares ftir a wing, if Warwick fha e his bells.
I'll plant Plantagenet; root him up, who dare:
Refolve thee, Richard; claim the English crown.

[Warwick leads York to the throne, who feats him. SCENE II. Enter king Henry, Clifford, Northumberland, Westmoreland, Exeter, and others, at the further end of the stage.

K. HEN. My lords, look where the sturdy rebel fits,
Ev'n in the chair of state; belike, he means

Back'd by the power of Warwick, that falfe peer,
T'afpire unto the crown, and reign as king.
Earl of Northumberland, he flew thy father;
And thine, lord Clifford; and you vow'd revenge
On him, his fons, his fav'rites, and his friends.
NORTH. If I be not, heav'ns be reveng'd on me!
CLIF. The hope thereof makes Clifford mourn in steel.
WEST. What, fhall we fuffer this? let's pluck him
My heart for anger burns, I cannot brock it.

[down;

K. HEN. Be patient, gentle earl of Weftmoreland.
CLIF. Patience is for poltroons, and fuch is he:
He durft not fit there, had your father liv'd.
My gracious lord, here in the parliament
Let us affail the family of York.

NORTH. Well haft thou spoken, coufin, be it fo..
K. HEN. Ah! know ye not the city favours them,

And they have troops of foldiers at their beck?

EXE. But when the duke is flain they'll quickly fly.
K. HEN. Far be the thought of this from Henry's heart,

To make a shambles of the parliament-house.
Coufin of Exeter, frowns, words and threats,
Shall be the war that Henry means to use.

[They advance to the duke.

Thou factious duke of York, defcend my throne;

And kneel for grace and mercy at my feet.

I am thy fovereign.

YORK. Thou'rt deceiv'd, I'm thine.

EXE. For fhame come down: he made thee duke of York.

YORK. 'Twas my inheritance, as the kingdom is.

EXE. Thy father was a traitor to the crown.

WAR. Exeter, thou art a traitor to the crown,

In following this ufurping Henry.

CLIF. Whom fhould he follow, but his natural king? WAR. True, Clifford; and that's Richard duke of York. K. HEN. And shall I stand, and thou fit in my throne? YORK. It must and shall be so.-Content thyfelf. WAR. Be duke of Lancaster, let him be king. WEST. He is both king and duke of Lancaster; And that the lord of Weftmoreland shall maintain. WAR. And Warwick fhall difprove it. You forget, That we are those which chas'd you from the field, And flew your fathers, and with colours spread March'd thro' the city to the palace-gates.

NORTH. NO, Warwick, I remember it to my grief, And, by his foul, thou and thy house shall rue it.

WEST. Plantagenet, of thee and these thy fons, Thy kinsmen and thy friends, I'll have more lives, Than drops of blood were in my father's veins.

CLIF. Urge it no more; left that, inftead of words, I fend thee, Warwick, fuch a messenger,

As fhall revenge his death before I ftir.

WAR. Poor Clifford how I fcorn his worthlefs threats.

YORK. Will you, we fhew our title to the crown? If not, our fwords shall plead it in the field.

K. HEN. What title haft thou, traitor, to the crown?
Thy father was, as thou art, duke of York.

Thy grandfather Roger Mortimer, earl of March.
I am the son of Henry the fifth,

Who made the dauphin and the French to stoop,

And feiz'd upon the towns and provinces.

WAR. Talk not of France, fith thou haft lost it all.

K. HEN. The lord protector loft it, and not I;

When I was crown'd I was but nine months old.

RICH. You are old enough now, and yet, methinks, you lofe.

Father, tear the crown from the ufurper's head.

EDW. Sweet father, do fo; fet it on your head.

MONT. Good brother, as thou lov'ft and honour'ft arms, Let's fight it out, and not ftand cavilling thus.

RICH. Sound drums and trumpets, and the king will fly. YORK. Sons, peace,

K. HEN. Peace thou, and give king Henry leave to fpeak.

WAR. Plantagenet shall speak firft; hear him, lords, And be you filent and attentive too,

For he that interrupts him shall not live.

K. HEN. Think'ft thou that I will leave my kingly

Wherein my grandfire and my father fat?

[throne,

No, first shall war unpeople this my realm,

Ay, and their colours often borne in France,

And now in England, to our heart's great forrow,

Shall be my winding sheet.Why, faint you, lords?
My title's good, and better far than his.

WAR. But prove it, Henry, and thou shalt be king.

K. HEN. Henry the fourth by conqueft got the crown. YORK. 'Twas by rebellion against his king.

K. HEN. I know not what to fay, my title's weak: Tell me, may not a king adopt an heir?

YORK. What then?

K. HEN. And if he may, then am I lawful king.
For Richard in the view of many lords,
Refign'd the crown to Henry the fourth;

Whose heir my father was, and I am his.

YORK. He rose against him, being his fovereign, And made him to refign his crown perforce.

WAR. Suppose, my lords, he did it unconstrain'd, Think you, 'twere prejudicial to his crown?

EXE. No, for he could not fo refign his crown,
But that the next heir fhould fucceed and reign.
K. HEN. Art thou against us, duke of Exeter?
EXE. His is the right, and therefore pardon me.
YORK. Why whisper you, my lords, and answer not?
EXE. My confcience tells me, he is lawful king.
K. HEN. All will revolt from me, and turn to him.
NORTH. Plantagenet for all the claim thou lay'st,
Think not, that Henry shall be fo depos'd.

WAR. Depos'd he shall be, in despight of thee.
NORTH. Thou art deceiv'd, 'tis not thy fouthern power

Of Effex, Norfolk, Suffolk, nor of Kent,

Which makes thee thus prefumptuous and proud,

Can fet the duke up in defpight of me.

CLIF. King Henry, be thy title right or wrong,

Lord Clifford vows to fight in thy defence;
May that ground gape, and fwallow me alive,

Where I shall kneel to him, that flew my father!

K. HEN. Oh Clifford how thy words revive my heart! YORK. Henry of Lancaster, refign thy crown : What mutter you, or what conspire you, lords? WAR. Do right unto this princely duke of York, Or I will fill this houfe with armed men ;