William Shakespeare: The Complete Works 2nd Edition (43 page)

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Authors: William Shakespeare

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Exit

1.2
Enter Duke Humphrey of Gloucester and his wife Eleanor, the Duchess

DUCHESS

Why droops my lord, like over-ripened corn
Hanging the head at Ceres’ plenteous load?
Why doth the great Duke Humphrey knit his brows,
As frowning at the favours of the world ?
Why are thine eyes fixed to the sullen earth,
Gazing on that which seems to dim thy sight?
What seest thou there? King Henry’s diadem,
Enchased with all the honours of the world?
If so, gaze on, and grovel on thy face
Until thy head be circled with the same.
Put forth thy hand, reach at the glorious gold.
What, is’t too short? I’ll lengthen it with mine;
And having both together heaved it up,
We’ll both together lift our heads to heaven
And never more abase our sight so low
As to vouchsafe one glance unto the ground.

GLOUCESTER

O
Nell, sweet Nell, if thou dost love thy lord,
Banish the canker of ambitious thoughts!
And may that hour when I imagine ill
Against my king and nephew, virtuous Henry,
Be my last breathing in this mortal world! !
My troublous dream this night doth make me sad.

DUCHESS

What dreamed my lord? Tell me and I’ll requite it
With sweet rehearsal of my morning’s dream.

GLOUCESTER

Methought this staff, mine office-badge in court,
Was broke in twain—by whom I have forgot,
But, as I think, it was by th’ Cardinal—
And on the pieces of the broken wand
Were placed the heads of Edmund, Duke of Somerset,
And William de la Pole, first Duke of Suffolk.
This was my dream—what it doth bode, God knows.

DUCHESS

Tut, this was nothing but an argument
That he that breaks a stick of Gloucester’s grove
Shall lose his head for his presumption.
But list to me, my Humphrey, my sweet duke:
Methought I sat in seat of majesty
In the cathedral church of Westminster,
And in that chair where kings and queens are
crowned,
Where Henry and Dame Margaret kneeled to me,
And on my head did set the diadem.

GLOUCESTER

Nay, Eleanor, then must I chide outright.
Presumptuous dame! Ill-nurtured Eleanor!
Art thou not second woman in the realm,
And the Protector’s wife beloved of him ?
Hast thou not worldly pleasure at command
Above the reach or compass of thy thought?
And wilt thou still be hammering treachery
To tumble down thy husband and thyself
From top of honour to disgrace’s feet?
Away from me, and let me hear no more!

DUCHESS

What, what, my lord? Are you so choleric
With Eleanor for telling but her dream?
Next time I’ll keep my dreams unto myself
And not be checked.

GLOUCESTER

Nay, be not angry; I am pleased again.
Enter a Messenger

MESSENGER

My Lord Protector, ’tis his highness’ pleasure
You do prepare to ride unto Saint Albans,
Whereas the King and Queen do mean to hawk.

GLOUCESTER

I go. Come, Nell, thou wilt ride with us ?

DUCHESS

Yes, my good lord, I’ll follow presently.

Exeunt Gloucester and the Messenger

Follow I must; I cannot go before
While Gloucester bears this base and humble mind.
Were I am an, a duke, and next of blood,
I would remove these tedious stumbling blocks
And smooth my way upon their headless necks.
And, being a woman, I will not be slack
To play my part in fortune’s pageant.
(Calling within)
Where are you there? Sir John! Nay,
fear not man.
We are alone. Here’s none but thee and I.
Enter Sir John Hume

HUME

Jesus preserve your royal majesty.

DUCHESS

What sayst thou? ‘Majesty’ ? I am but ‘grace’.

HUME

But by the grace of God and Hume’s advice
Your grace’s title shall be multiplied.

DUCHESS

What sayst thou, man? Hast thou as yet conferred
With Margery Jordan, the cunning witch of Eye,
With Roger Bolingbroke, the conjuror?
And will they undertake to do me good?

HUME

This they have promisèd: to show your highness
A spirit raised from depth of underground
That shall make answer to such questions
As by your Grace shall be propounded him.

DUCHESS

It is enough. I’ll think upon the questions.
When from Saint Albans we do make return,
We’ll see these things effected to the full.
Here, Hume
(giving him money)
, take this reward.
Make merry, man,
With thy confederates in this weighty cause.

Exit

HUME

Hume must make merry with the Duchess’ gold;
Marry, and shall. But how now, Sir John Hume?
Seal up your lips, and give no words but mum ;
The business asketh silent secrecy.
Dame Eleanor gives gold to bring the witch.
Gold cannot come amiss were she a devil.
Yet have I gold flies from another coast—
I dare not say from the rich Cardinal
And from the great and new-made Duke of Suffolk,
Yet I do find it so; for, to be plain,
They, knowing Dame Eleanor’s aspiring humour,
Have hired me to undermine the Duchess,
And buzz these conjurations in her brain.
They say ‘A crafty knave does need no broker’,
Yet am I Suffolk and the Cardinal’s broker.
Hume, if you take not heed you shall go near
To call them both a pair of crafty knaves.
Well, so it stands; and thus, I fear, at last
Hume’s knavery will be the Duchess’ wrack,
And her attainture will be Humphrey’s fall.
Sort how it will, I shall have gold for all.

Exit

1.3
Enter Peter, the armourer’s man, with two or three other Petitioners

FIRST PETITIONER My masters, let’s stand close. My Lord Protector will come this way by and by and then we may deliver our supplications in the quill.

SECOND PETITIONER Marry, the Lord protect him, for he’s a good man, Jesu bless him.

Enter the Duke of Suffolk and Queen Margaret

⌈FIRST PETITIONER ⌉Here a comes, methinks, and the Queen with him. I’ll be the first, sure.

He goes to meet Suffolk and the Queen

SECOND PETITIONER Come back, foot—this is the Duke of Suffolk and not my Lord Protector.

SUFFOLK
(to the First Petitioner)
How now, fellow—wouldst anything with me?

FIRST PETITIONER I pray, my lord, pardon me—I took ye for my Lord Protector.

QUEEN MARGARET ⌈
seeing his supplication, she reads
⌉ ‘Tomy Lord Protector’—are your supplications to his lordship ? Let me see them.

⌈
She takes First Petitioner’s supplication
⌉

What is thine?

FIRST PETITIONER Mine is, an’t please your grace, against John Goodman, my lord Cardinal’s man, for keeping my house and lands and wife and all from me.

SUFFOLK Thy wife too ? That’s some wrong indeed. ⌈
To the Second Petitioners
⌉ What’s yours?

He takes the supplication

What’s here? (Reads) ‘Against the Duke of Suffolk for
enclosing the commons of Melford’ ! ⌈
To
the Second
Petitioner
⌉ How now, Sir Knave?

SECOND PETITIONER Alas, sir, I am but a poor petitioner of our whole township.

PETER ⌈
offering his petition
⌉ Against my master, Thomas Horner, for saying that the Duke of York was rightful heir to the crown.

QUEEN MARGARET What sayst thou? Did the Duke of York say he was rightful heir to the crown?

PETER That my master was ? No, forsooth, my master said that he was and that the King was an usurer.

QUEEN MARGARET An usurper thou wouldst say.

PETER Ay, forsooth—an usurper.

SUFFOLK
(calling within)
Who is there?

Enter a servant

Take this fellow in and send for his master with a pursuivant presently. (To Peter) We’ll hear more of your matter before the King. Exit the servant with Peter

QUEEN MARGARET (to the Petitioners)

And as for you that love to be protected
Under the wings of our Protector’s grace,
Begin your suits anew and sue to him.

⌈
She
⌉
tears the supplication

Away, base cullions! Suffolk, let them go.

ALL PETITIONERS Come, let’s be gone.
Exeunt Petitioners

QUEEN MARGARET

My lord of Suffolk, say, is this the guise?
Is this the fashions in the court of England ?
Is this the government of Britain’s isle,
And this the royalty of Albion’s king?
What, shall King Henry be a pupil still
Under the surly Gloucester’s governance?
Am I a queen in title and in style,
And must be made a subject to a duke?
I tell thee, Pole, when in the city Tours
Thou rann‘st a-tilt in honour of my love
And stol’st away the ladies’ hearts of France,
I thought King Henry had resembled thee
In courage, courtship, and proportion.
But all his mind is bent to holiness,
To number Ave-Maries on his beads.
His champions are the prophets and apostles,
His weapons holy saws of sacred writ,
His study is his tilt-yard, and his loves
Are brazen images of canonized saints.
I would the college of the cardinals
Would choose him Pope, and carry him to Rome,
And set the triple crown upon his head—
That were a state fit for his holiness.

SUFFOLK

Madam, be patient—as I was cause
Your highness came to England, so will I
In England work your grace’s full content.

QUEEN MARGARET

Beside the haught Protector have we Beaufort
The imperious churchman, Somerset, Buckingham,
And grumbling York; and not the least of these
But can do more in England than the King.

SUFFOLK

And he of these that can do most of all
Cannot do more in England than the Nevilles:
Salisbury and Warwick are no simple peers.

QUEEN MARGARET

Not all these lords do vex me half so much
As that proud dame, the Lord Protector’s wife.
She sweeps it through the court with troops of ladies
More like an empress than Duke Humphrey’s wife.
Strangers in court do take her for the queen.
She bears a duke’s revenues on her back,
And in her heart she scorns our poverty.
Shall I not live to be avenged on her?
Contemptuous base-born callet as she is,
She vaunted ‘mongst her minions t’other day
The very train of her worst-wearing gown
Was better worth than all my father’s lands,
Till Suffolk gave two dukedoms for his daughter.

SUFFOLK

Madam, myself have limed a bush for her,
And placed a choir of such enticing birds
That she will light to listen to their lays,
And never mount to trouble you again.
So let her rest; and, madam, list to me,
For I am bold to counsel you in this:
Although we fancy not the Cardinal,
Yet must we join with him and with the lords
Till we have brought Duke Humphrey in disgrace.
As for the Duke of York, this late complaint
Will make but little for his benefit.
So one by one we’ll weed them all at last,
And you yourself shall steer the happy helm.

Sound a sennet.
⌈
Enter King Henry with the Duke
of York and the Duke of Somerset on either side of
him whispering with him. Also enter Duke
Humphrey of Gloucester, Dame Eleanor the
Duchess of Gloucester, the Duke of Buckingham, the
Earls of Salisbury and Warwick, and Cardinal
Beaufort Bishop of Winchesteri
⌉