Alarum. Enter Duke of York, Edward, Richard, Norfolk, Montague, Warwick, and Soldiers.

WARWICK.

Wonder how the King efcap'd our hands
York. While we purfu'd the horfemen
of the north,

He flily ftole away and left his men:
Whereat the great lord of Northumber-

land,

Whofe warlike ears could never brook retreat,

Chear'd up the drooping army; and himself,

VOL. V.

† First printed under the t

Lord

The true Tragedy of Richard

Duke of York, and the good King Henry the Sixth; or the second part of the Contention of York and Lancaster. 1630.

Lord Clifford and lord Stafford all a-breast,
Charg'd our main battel's front; and breaking in,
Were by the fwords of common foldiers flain.

Edw. Lord Stafford's father, Duke of Buckingham,
Is either flain or wounded dangerous.

I cleft his beaver with a down-right 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 battels join'd.

Rich. Speak thou for me, and tell them what I did. York. Richard hath best deserv'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 Tork. Before I fee thee feated in the throne, Which now the house of Lancaster ufurps, I vow by heav'n these eyes fhall never close. This is the palace of the fearful King, And this the regal feat; poffefs it York, For this is thine, and not King Henry's heirs,

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

Norf. We'll all affift you; he that flies shall die.

Tork. 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 feek to thrust you out by force.

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 houfe. War. The bloody parliament fhall this be call'd, Unless Plantagenet Duke of York be King, And bafhful Henry depos'd, whofe 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 beft, The proudest he that holds up Lancaster,

Dares

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

SCENE II.

Enter King Henry, Clifford, Northumberland, Weftmorland, Exeter, and others.

K. Henry. My lords, look where the sturdy rebel fits, Even in the chair of state; belike he means (Back'd by the power of Warwick, that false 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 fteel.
Weft. What, fhall we fuffer this? let's pluck him down.
My heart for anger burns, I cannot brook it,

K. Henry. Be patient gentle Earl of Westmorland.
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, cousin be it fo.
K. Henry. Ah, know you not the city favours them,
And they have troops of foldiers at their beck?
Weft. But when the Duke is flain, they'll quickly fly.
K. Henry. 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 defcend my throne,

And kneel for

grace and mercy at my feet,

I am thy Soveraign.

York. Henry, I am thine.

[To the Duke.

Exe. For fhame come down: he made thee Duke of York.
York. 'Twas my inheritance, as the Earldom was.

I 2

Exe.

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. Henry. And shall I stand, and thou fit in my throne?
Fark. It must and shall be fo, content thy felf.
War. Be Duke of Lancaster, let him be King.
Weft. He is both King and Duke of Lancaster,
And that the lord of Westmorland 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 through the city to the palace gates.

North. Yes Warwick, I remember it to my grief,
And by his foul thou and thy house shall rue it.
Weft. 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 instead of words
I fend thee, Warwick, fuch a meffenger,
As fhall revenge his death before I ftir.

War. Poor Clifford! how I fcorn his worthless threats.
Tork. Will you, we fhew our title to the crown?
If not, our fwords fhall plead it in the field.

K. Henry. What title haft thou, traitor, to the crown?
Thy father was, as thou art, Duke of York;
Thy grandfather Roger Mortimer, Earl of March.
am the fon of Henry the Fifth,

Who made the Dauphin and the French to stoop,
And feiz'd upon their towns and provinces.

War. Talk not of France fith thou haft loft it all.
K. Henry. The lord Protector loft it, and not 1;
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'st and honour'st arms

Let's fight it out, and not ftand cavelling thus.

Rich.