Back to main page
Henry VI, Part 2 - Act 2, scene 1
Cite
Download Henry VI, Part 2
Last updated: Fri, Jul 31, 2015
- PDF Download as PDF
- DOC (for MS Word, Apple Pages, Open Office, etc.) without line numbers Download as DOC (for MS Word, Apple Pages, Open Office, etc.) without line numbers
- DOC (for MS Word, Apple Pages, Open Office, etc.) with line numbers Download as DOC (for MS Word, Apple Pages, Open Office, etc.) with line numbers
- HTML Download as HTML
- TXT Download as TXT
- XML Download as XML
- TEISimple XML (annotated with MorphAdorner for part-of-speech analysis) Download as TEISimple XML (annotated with MorphAdorner for part-of-speech analysis)
Navigate this work
Henry VI, Part 2 - Act 2, scene 1Act 2, scene 1
⌜Scene 1⌝
Synopsis:
King Henry and his court are hunting when they are interrupted by an announcement of a miracle in nearby Saint Albans. Gloucester exposes the miracle as a sham. Buckingham then brings news of the Duchess’s arrest.
Enter King ⌜Henry,⌝ Queen ⌜Margaret, Gloucester theLord⌝ Protector, Cardinal, and Suffolk, ⌜and
Attendants,⌝ with Falconers hallowing.
QUEEN MARGARET
0694 Believe me, lords, for flying at the brook
0695 I saw not better sport these seven years’ day.
0696 Yet, by your leave, the wind was very high,
0697 And, ten to one, old Joan had not gone out.
KING HENRY, ⌜to Gloucester⌝
0698 5 But what a point, my lord, your falcon made,
0699 And what a pitch she flew above the rest!
0700 To see how God in all his creatures works!
0701 Yea, man and birds are fain of climbing high.
SUFFOLK
0702 No marvel, an it like your Majesty,
0703 10 My Lord Protector’s hawks do tower so well;
0704 They know their master loves to be aloft
0705 And bears his thoughts above his falcon’s pitch.
GLOUCESTER
0706 My lord, ’tis but a base ignoble mind
0707 That mounts no higher than a bird can soar.
CARDINAL
0708 15 I thought as much. He would be above the clouds.
GLOUCESTER
0709 Ay, my Lord Cardinal, how think you by that?
0710 Were it not good your Grace could fly to heaven?
p.
61
KING HENRY 0711 The treasury of everlasting joy.
CARDINAL, ⌜to Gloucester⌝
0712 Thy heaven is on Earth; thine eyes and thoughts
0713 20 Beat on a crown, the treasure of thy heart.
0714 Pernicious Protector, dangerous peer,
0715 That smooth’st it so with king and commonweal!
GLOUCESTER
0716 What, cardinal, is your priesthood grown
0717 peremptory?
0718 25 Tantaene animis caelestibus irae?
0719 Churchmen so hot? Good uncle, hide such malice.
0720 With such holiness, can you do it?
SUFFOLK
0721 No malice, sir, no more than well becomes
0722 So good a quarrel and so bad a peer.
GLOUCESTER
0723 30 As who, my lord?
SUFFOLK 0724 Why, as you, my lord,
0725 An ’t like your lordly ⌜Lord⌝ Protectorship.
GLOUCESTER
0726 Why, Suffolk, England knows thine insolence.
QUEEN MARGARET
0727 And thy ambition, Gloucester.
KING HENRY 0728 35 I prithee peace,
0729 Good queen, and whet not on these furious peers,
0730 For blessèd are the peacemakers on Earth.
CARDINAL
0731 Let me be blessèd for the peace I make
0732 Against this proud Protector with my sword!
GLOUCESTER, ⌜aside to Cardinal⌝
0733 40 Faith, holy uncle, would ’t were come to that!
CARDINAL, ⌜aside to Gloucester⌝ 0734 Marry, when thou
0735 dar’st!
GLOUCESTER, ⌜aside to Cardinal⌝
0736 Make up no factious numbers for the matter.
0737 In thine own person answer thy abuse.
p.
63
CARDINAL, ⌜aside to Gloucester⌝ 0738 45 Ay, where thou dar’st not peep. An if thou dar’st,
0739 This evening, on the east side of the grove.
KING HENRY
0740 How now, my lords?
CARDINAL 0741 Believe me, cousin Gloucester,
0742 Had not your man put up the fowl so suddenly,
0743 50 We had had more sport. ⌜(Aside to Gloucester.)⌝
0744 Come with thy two-hand sword.
GLOUCESTER
0745 True, uncle. ⌜(Aside to Cardinal.)⌝ Are you advised?
0746 The east side of the grove.
CARDINAL, ⌜aside to Gloucester⌝
0747 I am with you.
KING HENRY 0748 55 Why, how now, uncle Gloucester?
GLOUCESTER
0749 Talking of hawking; nothing else, my lord.
0750 ⌜(Aside to Cardinal.)⌝ Now, by God’s mother, priest,
0751 I’ll shave your crown for this,
0752 Or all my fence shall fail.
CARDINAL, ⌜aside to Gloucester⌝ 0753 60 Medice, teipsum;
0754 Protector, see to ’t well; protect yourself.
KING HENRY
0755 The winds grow high; so do your stomachs, lords.
0756 How irksome is this music to my heart!
0757 When such strings jar, what hope of harmony?
0758 65 I pray, my lords, let me compound this strife.
Enter ⌜a man from St. Albans⌝ crying “A miracle!”
GLOUCESTER 0759 What means this noise?—
0760 Fellow, what miracle dost thou proclaim?
MAN 0761 A miracle, a miracle!
SUFFOLK
0762 Come to the King, and tell him what miracle.
MAN
0763 70 Forsooth, a blind man at Saint Alban’s shrine
p.
65
0764
Within this half hour hath received his sight,0765 A man that ne’er saw in his life before.
KING HENRY
0766 Now, God be praised, that to believing souls
0767 Gives light in darkness, comfort in despair.
Enter the Mayor of Saint Albans, and his brethren,
bearing the man ⌜Simpcox⌝ between two in a chair,
⌜followed by Simpcox’s Wife and Others.⌝
CARDINAL
0768 75 Here comes the townsmen on procession
0769 To present your Highness with the man.
KING HENRY
0770 Great is his comfort in this earthly vale,
0771 Although by his sight his sin be multiplied.
GLOUCESTER
0772 Stand by, my masters.—Bring him near the King.
0773 80 His Highness’ pleasure is to talk with him.
⌜The two bearers bring the chair forward.⌝
KING HENRY
0774 Good fellow, tell us here the circumstance,
0775 That we for thee may glorify the Lord.
0776 What, hast thou been long blind and now restored?
SIMPCOX 0777 Born blind, an ’t please your Grace.
WIFE 0778 85Ay, indeed, was he.
SUFFOLK 0779 What woman is this?
WIFE 0780 His wife, an ’t like your Worship.
GLOUCESTER 0781 Hadst thou been his mother, thou couldst
0782 have better told.
KING HENRY 0783 90Where wert thou born?
SIMPCOX
0784 At Berwick in the North, an ’t like your Grace.
KING HENRY
0785 Poor soul, God’s goodness hath been great to thee.
0786 Let never day nor night unhallowed pass,
0787 But still remember what the Lord hath done.
p.
67
QUEEN MARGARET 0788 95 Tell me, good fellow, cam’st thou here by chance,
0789 Or of devotion to this holy shrine?
SIMPCOX
0790 God knows, of pure devotion, being called
0791 A hundred times and oftener in my sleep
0792 By good Saint Alban, who said “Simon, come,
0793 100 Come, offer at my shrine, and I will help thee.”
WIFE
0794 Most true, forsooth, and many time and oft
0795 Myself have heard a voice to call him so.
CARDINAL 0796 What, art thou lame?
SIMPCOX 0797 Ay, God Almighty help me!
SUFFOLK 0798 105How cam’st thou so?
SIMPCOX 0799 A fall off of a tree.
WIFE 0800 A plum tree, master.
GLOUCESTER 0801 How long hast thou been blind?
SIMPCOX 0802 O, born so, master.
GLOUCESTER 0803 110What, and wouldst climb a tree?
SIMPCOX 0804 But that in all my life, when I was a youth.
WIFE 0805 Too true, and bought his climbing very dear.
GLOUCESTER 0806 Mass, thou lov’dst plums well, that
0807 wouldst venture so.
SIMPCOX 0808 115Alas, good master, my wife desired some
0809 damsons, and made me climb, with danger of my
0810 life.
GLOUCESTER
0811 A subtle knave, but yet it shall not serve.—
0812 Let me see thine eyes. Wink now. Now open them.
0813 120 In my opinion, yet thou seest not well.
SIMPCOX 0814 Yes, master, clear as day, I thank God and
0815 Saint ⌜Alban.⌝
GLOUCESTER
0816 Sayst thou me so? What color is this cloak of?
SIMPCOX 0817 Red, master, red as blood.
p.
69
GLOUCESTER 0818 125 Why, that’s well said. What color is my gown of?
SIMPCOX 0819 Black, forsooth, coal-black as jet.
KING HENRY
0820 Why, then, thou know’st what color jet is of.
SUFFOLK
0821 And yet, I think, jet did he never see.
GLOUCESTER
0822 But cloaks and gowns, before this day, a many.
WIFE
0823 130 Never, before this day, in all his life.
GLOUCESTER 0824 Tell me, sirrah, what’s my name?
SIMPCOX 0825 Alas, master, I know not.
GLOUCESTER, ⌜pointing⌝ 0826 What’s his name?
SIMPCOX 0827 I know not.
GLOUCESTER, ⌜pointing to someone else⌝ 0828 135Nor his?
SIMPCOX 0829 No, indeed, master.
GLOUCESTER 0830 What’s thine own name?
SIMPCOX 0831 Sander Simpcox, an if it please you, master.
GLOUCESTER 0832 Then, Sander, sit there, the lying’st knave
0833 140 in Christendom. If thou hadst been born blind,
0834 thou mightst as well have known all our names as
0835 thus to name the several colors we do wear. Sight
0836 may distinguish of colors; but suddenly to nominate
0837 them all, it is impossible.—My lords, Saint
0838 145 Alban here hath done a miracle; and would you
0839 not think ⌜his⌝ cunning to be great that could
0840 restore this cripple to his legs again?
SIMPCOX 0841 O master, that you could!
GLOUCESTER 0842 My masters of Saint Albans, have you not
0843 150 beadles in your town and things called whips?
MAYOR 0844 Yes, my lord, if it please your Grace.
GLOUCESTER 0845 Then send for one presently.
MAYOR 0846 Sirrah, go fetch the beadle hither straight.
⌜A man⌝ exits.
p.
71
GLOUCESTER
0847
Now fetch me a stool hither by and by.0848 155 ⌜One brings a stool.⌝ Now, sirrah, if you mean to
0849 save yourself from whipping, leap me over this
0850 stool, and run away.
SIMPCOX 0851 Alas, master, I am not able to stand alone.
0852 You go about to torture me in vain.
Enter a Beadle with whips.
GLOUCESTER 0853 160Well, sir, we must have you find your
0854 legs.—Sirrah beadle, whip him till he leap over
0855 that same stool.
BEADLE 0856 I will, my lord.—Come on, sirrah, off with
0857 your doublet quickly.
SIMPCOX 0858 165Alas, master, what shall I do? I am not able to
0859 stand.
After the Beadle hath hit him once, he leaps
over the stool and runs away; and they follow
and cry “A miracle!”
KING HENRY
0860 O God, seest Thou this, and bearest so long?
QUEEN MARGARET
0861 It made me laugh to see the villain run.
GLOUCESTER, ⌜to the Beadle⌝
0862 Follow the knave, and take this drab away.
WIFE 0863 170Alas, sir, we did it for pure need.
GLOUCESTER
0864 Let them be whipped through every market town
0865 Till they come to Berwick, from whence they came.
⌜The Beadle, Mayor, Wife, and the others from
Saint Albans⌝ exit.
CARDINAL
0866 Duke Humphrey has done a miracle today.
SUFFOLK
0867 True, made the lame to leap and fly away.
GLOUCESTER
0868 175 But you have done more miracles than I.
0869 You made in a day, my lord, whole towns to fly.
p.
73
Enter Buckingham.KING HENRY
0870 What tidings with our cousin Buckingham?
BUCKINGHAM
0871 Such as my heart doth tremble to unfold:
0872 A sort of naughty persons, lewdly bent,
0873 180 Under the countenance and confederacy
0874 Of Lady Eleanor, the Protector’s wife,
0875 The ringleader and head of all this rout,
0876 Have practiced dangerously against your state,
0877 Dealing with witches and with conjurers,
0878 185 Whom we have apprehended in the fact,
0879 Raising up wicked spirits from under ground,
0880 Demanding of King Henry’s life and death
0881 And other of your Highness’ Privy Council,
0882 As more at large your Grace shall understand.
CARDINAL
0883 190 And so, my Lord Protector, by this means
0884 Your lady is forthcoming yet at London.
0885 ⌜Aside to Gloucester.⌝ This news, I think, hath turned
0886 your weapon’s edge;
0887 ’Tis like, my lord, you will not keep your hour.
GLOUCESTER
0888 195 Ambitious churchman, leave to afflict my heart.
0889 Sorrow and grief have vanquished all my powers,
0890 And, vanquished as I am, I yield to thee,
0891 Or to the meanest groom.
KING HENRY
0892 O God, what mischiefs work the wicked ones,
0893 200 Heaping confusion on their own heads thereby!
QUEEN MARGARET
0894 Gloucester, see here the tainture of thy nest,
0895 And look thyself be faultless, thou wert best.
GLOUCESTER
0896 Madam, for myself, to heaven I do appeal
p.
75
0897
How I have loved my king and commonweal;0898 205 And, for my wife, I know not how it stands.
0899 Sorry I am to hear what I have heard.
0900 Noble she is; but if she have forgot
0901 Honor and virtue, and conversed with such
0902 As, like to pitch, defile nobility,
0903 210 I banish her my bed and company
0904 And give her as a prey to law and shame
0905 That hath dishonored Gloucester’s honest name.
KING HENRY
0906 Well, for this night we will repose us here.
0907 Tomorrow toward London back again,
0908 215 To look into this business thoroughly,
0909 And call these foul offenders to their answers,
0910 And poise the cause in Justice’ equal scales,
0911 Whose beam stands sure, whose rightful cause
0912 prevails.
Flourish. They exit.