Although thy husband may be Menelaus ;
And ne'er was Agamemnon's brother wrong'd
By that false woman, as this king by thee.
His father revell'd in the heart of France,
And tam'd the king, and made the dauphin stoop;
And, had he match'd according to his state,

He might have kept that glory to this day:
But, when he took a beggar to his bed,

361

And grac'd thy poor sire with his bridal day;
Even then that sun-shine brew'd a shower for him,
That wash'd his father's fortunes forth of France,
And heap'd sedition on his crown at home.
For what hath broach'd this tumult, but thy pride?
Hadst thou been meek, our title still had slept;
And we, in pity of the gentle king,

Had slipp'd our claim until another age.

370

Cla. But, when we saw our sun-shine made thy spring,

And that thy summer bred us no increase,
We set the axe to thy usurping root:

And though the edge hath something hit ourselves,
Yet, know thou, since we have begun to strike,
We'll never leave, 'till we have hewn thee down,
Or bath'd thy growing with our heated bloods.
Edw. And, in this resolution, I defy thee;

Not willing any further conference,

Since thou deny'st the gentle king to speak.

Sound trumpets !-let our bloody colours wave !And either victory, or else a grave.

Queen. Stay, Edward.

380

Edw.

Edw. No, wrangling woman, I'll no longer stay; Thy words will cost ten thousand lives to-day.

[Exeunt.

SCENE III.

A Field of Battle, at Ferrybridge in Yorkshire, Alarum. Excursions. Enter WARWICK.

War. Forspent with toil, as runners with a race,

I lay me down a little while to breathe

For strokes receiv'd, and many blows repaid,

389

Have robb'd my strong-knit sinews of their strength, And, spight of spight, needs must I rest a while.

Enter EDWARD, running.

Edw. Smile, gentle heaven! or strike, ungentle death!

For this world frowns, and Edward's sun is clouded. War. How now, my lord? what hap? what hope of good?

Enter CLARENCE.

Cla. Our hap is loss, our hope but sad despair;
Our ranks are broke, and ruin follows us :
What counsel give you? whither shall we fly?

Edw. Bootless is flight, they follow us with wings; And weak we are, and cannot shun pursuit.

Enter RICHARD.

Rich. Ah, Warwick, why hast thou withdrawn thyself?

Thy brother's blood the thirsty earth hath drunk,
Broach'd with the steely point of Clifford's lance:
And, in the very pangs of death, he cry'd-
Like to a dismal clangor heard from far-
Warwick, revenge! brother, revenge my death!
So, underneath the belly of their steeds,
That stain'd their fetlocks in his smoking blood,
The noble gentleman gave up the ghost.

400

War. Then let the earth be drunken with our

blood:

I'll kill my horse, because I will not fly.

Why stand we like soft-hearted women here,
Wailing our losses, whiles the foe doth rage;
And look upon, as if the tragedy

Were play'd in jest by counterfeiting actors?
Here on my knee I vow to God above,
I'll never pause again, never stand still,
'Till either death hath clos'd these eyes of mine,
Or fortune given me measure of revenge.

410

Edw. O Warwick, I do bend my knee with thine; And, in this vow, do chain my soul to thine.- 420 And, ere my knee rise from the earth's cold face, I throw my hands, mine eyes, my heart to Thee, Thou setter up and plucker down of kings! Beseeching thee-if with thy will it stands, That to my foes this body must be prey

Yet

Yet that the brazen gates of heaven may ope,
And give sweet passage to my sinful soul !---
Now, lords, take leave until we meet again,
Where'er it be, in heaven, or on earth.

Rich. Brother, give me thy hand;—and,
Warwick,

gentle

430

Let me embrace thee in my weary arms :-
I, that did never weep, now melt with woe,
That winter should cut off our spring-time so.
War. Away, away! Once more, sweet lords, fare-
wel.

Cla. Yet let us all together to our troops :
And give them leave to fly that will not stay;
And call them pillars, that will stand to us;
And, if we thrive, promise them such rewards
As victors wear at the Olympian games:

This may plant courage in their quailing breasts;
For yet is hope of life, and victory.-

Fore-slow no longer, make we hence amain.

441

[Exeunt.

SCENE IV.

Another Part of the Field. Excursions. Enter RICHARD, and CLIFFORD.

Rich. Now, Clifford, I have singled thee alone: Suppose, this arm is for the duke of York, And this for Rutland; both bound to revenge, Wert thou environ'd with a brazen wall.

Clif. Now, Richard, I am with thee here alone:
This is the hand, that stabb'd thy father York;
And this the hand, that slew thy brother Rutland;
And here's the heart, that triumphs in their death,
And cheers these hands, that slew thy sire and bro-

ther,

To execute the like upon thyself;

And so, have at thee.

451

[They fight. WARWICK enters, CLIFFORD flies. Rich.› Nay, Warwick, single out some other chace; For I myself will hunt this wolf to death. [Exeunt.

SCENE V.

Another Part of the Field.

Alarum.

Enter King

HENRY.

K. Henry. This battle fares like to the morning's

war,

When dying clouds contend with growing light;

What time the shepherd, blowing of his nails,
Can neither call it perfect day, nor night.
Now sways it this way, like a mighty sea,
Forc'd by the tide to combat with the wind:

460

Now sways it that way, like the self-same sea
Forc'd to retire by fury of the wind:
Sometime, the flood prevails; and then, the wind;
Now, one the better; then, another best;
Both fugging to be victors, breast to breast,

Yet