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Henry VI, Part 2 - Act 2, scene 3
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Henry VI, Part 2 - Act 2, scene 3Act 2, scene 3
⌜Scene 3⌝
Synopsis:
King Henry sentences the Duchess to public penance and exile, and removes Gloucester from his office as Lord Protector. Then York’s armorer is effectively convicted by being killed in a trial by combat with his accuser.
Sound trumpets. Enter King ⌜Henry⌝ and State⌜(Queen Margaret, Gloucester, York, Salisbury, Suffolk,
and Others)⌝ with Guard, to banish the Duchess ⌜of
Gloucester, who is accompanied by Margery Jourdain,
Southwell, Hume, and Bolingbroke, all guarded.⌝
KING HENRY
1000 Stand forth, Dame Eleanor Cobham, Gloucester’s
1001 wife.
1002 In sight of God and us, your guilt is great.
1003 Receive the sentence of the law for ⌜sins⌝
1004 5 Such as by God’s book are adjudged to death.
⌜To Jourdain, Southwell, Hume, and Bolingbroke.⌝
1005 You four, from hence to prison back again;
1006 From thence unto the place of execution:
1007 The witch in Smithfield shall be burnt to ashes,
1008 And you three shall be strangled on the gallows.
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1009
10 ⌜To Duchess⌝ You, madam, for you are more nobly1010 born,
1011 Despoilèd of your honor in your life,
1012 Shall, after three days’ open penance done,
1013 Live in your country here in banishment
1014 15 With Sir John Stanley in the Isle of Man.
DUCHESS
1015 Welcome is banishment. Welcome were my death.
GLOUCESTER
1016 Eleanor, the law, thou seest, hath judged thee.
1017 I cannot justify whom the law condemns.
⌜Duchess and the other prisoners exit under guard.⌝
1018 Mine eyes are full of tears, my heart of grief.
1019 20 Ah, Humphrey, this dishonor in thine age
1020 Will bring thy head with sorrow to the ground.—
1021 I beseech your Majesty give me leave to go;
1022 Sorrow would solace, and mine age would ease.
KING HENRY
1023 Stay, Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester. Ere thou go,
1024 25 Give up thy staff. Henry will to himself
1025 Protector be; and God shall be my hope,
1026 My stay, my guide, and lantern to my feet.
1027 And go in peace, Humphrey, no less beloved
1028 Than when thou wert Protector to thy king.
QUEEN MARGARET
1029 30 I see no reason why a king of years
1030 Should be to be protected like a child.
1031 God and King Henry govern England’s realm!—
1032 Give up your staff, sir, and the King his realm.
GLOUCESTER
1033 My staff?—Here, noble Henry, is my staff.
⌜He puts down his staff before Henry.⌝
1034 35 As willingly do I the same resign
1035 As e’er thy father Henry made it mine;
1036 And even as willingly at thy feet I leave it
1037 As others would ambitiously receive it.
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1038
Farewell, good king. When I am dead and gone,1039 40 May honorable peace attend thy throne.
Gloucester exits.
⌜Henry picks up the staff.⌝
QUEEN MARGARET
1040 Why, now is Henry king and Margaret queen,
1041 And Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, scarce himself,
1042 That bears so shrewd a maim. Two pulls at once:
1043 His lady banished and a limb lopped off.
1044 45 This staff of honor raught, there let it stand
1045 Where it best fits to be, in Henry’s hand.
SUFFOLK
1046 Thus droops this lofty pine and hangs his sprays;
1047 Thus Eleanor’s pride dies in her youngest days.
YORK
1048 Lords, let him go.—Please it your Majesty,
1049 50 This is the day appointed for the combat,
1050 And ready are the appellant and defendant—
1051 The armorer and his man—to enter the lists,
1052 So please your Highness to behold the fight.
QUEEN MARGARET
1053 Ay, good my lord, for purposely therefor
1054 55 Left I the court to see this quarrel tried.
KING HENRY
1055 I’ God’s name, see the lists and all things fit.
1056 Here let them end it, and God defend the right!
YORK
1057 I never saw a fellow worse bestead
1058 Or more afraid to fight than is the appellant,
1059 60 The servant of this armorer, my lords.
Enter at one door the Armorer ⌜Horner⌝ and his
Neighbors, drinking to him so much that he is drunk;
and he enters with a Drum before him and his staff with
a sandbag fastened to it; and at the other door his man
⌜Peter,⌝ with a Drum and sandbag, and Prentices
drinking to him.
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FIRST NEIGHBOR
1060
Here, neighbor Horner, I drink to you1061 in a cup of sack; and fear not, neighbor, you shall
1062 do well enough.
SECOND NEIGHBOR 1063 And here, neighbor, here’s a cup of
1064 65 charneco.
THIRD NEIGHBOR 1065 And here’s a pot of good double beer,
1066 neighbor. Drink, and fear not your man.
HORNER 1067 Let it come, i’ faith, and I’ll pledge you all.
1068 And a fig for Peter!⌜They drink.⌝
FIRST PRENTICE 1069 70Here, Peter, I drink to thee, and be not
1070 afraid.
SECOND PRENTICE 1071 Be merry, Peter, and fear not thy
1072 master. Fight for credit of the prentices.
PETER 1073 I thank you all. Drink, and pray for me, I pray
1074 75 you, for I think I have taken my last draft in this
1075 world. Here, Robin, an if I die, I give thee my
1076 apron.—And, Will, thou shalt have my hammer.—
1077 And here, Tom, take all the money that I have. ⌜He
distributes his possessions.⌝ 1078 O Lord, bless me, I
1079 80 pray God, for I am never able to deal with my
1080 master. He hath learnt so much fence already.
SALISBURY 1081 Come, leave your drinking, and fall to
1082 blows. Sirrah, what’s thy name?
PETER 1083 Peter, forsooth.
SALISBURY 1084 85Peter? What more?
PETER 1085 Thump.
SALISBURY 1086 Thump? Then see thou thump thy master
1087 well.
HORNER 1088 Masters, I am come hither, as it were, upon
1089 90 my man’s instigation, to prove him a knave and
1090 myself an honest man; and touching the Duke of
1091 York, I will take my death I never meant him any
1092 ill, nor the King, nor the Queen.—And therefore,
1093 Peter, have at thee with a downright blow!
YORK 1094 95Dispatch. This knave’s tongue begins to double.
1095 Sound, trumpets. Alarum to the combatants!
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⌜Trumpet sounds.⌝They fight, and Peter strikes him down.
HORNER 1096 Hold, Peter, hold! I confess, I confess treason.
⌜He dies.⌝
YORK 1097 Take away his weapon.—Fellow, thank God and
1098 the good wine in thy master’s way.
PETER 1099 100O God, have I overcome mine enemies in this
1100 presence? O Peter, thou hast prevailed in right!
KING HENRY
1101 Go, take hence that traitor from our sight;
1102 For by his death we do perceive his guilt.
1103 And God in justice hath revealed to us
1104 105 The truth and innocence of this poor fellow,
1105 Which he had thought to have murdered
1106 wrongfully.—
1107 Come, fellow, follow us for thy reward.
Sound a flourish. They exit, ⌜bearing Horner’s body.⌝