The Complete Works of William Shakespeare by William Shakespeare (moboreader .TXT) 📕

Sound trumpets. Enter KING, QUEEN, and SOMERSET, on the terrace KING HENRY. Was ever king that joy’d an earthly throne And could command no more content than I?

No sooner was I crept out of my cradle But I was made a king, at nine months old.

Was never subject long’d to be a King As I do long and wish to be a subject.

Enter BUCKINGHAM and old CLIFFORD

BUCKINGHAM. Health and glad tidings to your Majesty!

KING HENRY. Why, Buckingham, is the traitor Cade surpris’d?

Or is he but retir’d to make him strong?

Enter, below, multitudes, with halters about their necks CLIFFORD. He is fled, my lord, and all his powers do yield, And humbly thus, with halters on their necks, Expect your Highness’ doom of life or death.

KING HENRY. Then, heaven, set ope thy everlasting gates, To entertain my vows of thanks and praise!

Soldiers, this day have you redeem’d your lives, And show’d how well you love your Prince and country.

Continue still in this so good a mind, And Henry, though he be infortunate,

Assure yourselves, will never be unkind.

And so, with thanks and pardon to you all, I do dismiss you to your several countries.

ALL. God save the King! God save the King!

Enter a MESSENGER

MESSENGER. Please it your Grace to be advertised The Duke of York is newly come from Ireland And with a puissant and a mighty power Of gallowglasses and stout kerns

Is marching hitherward in proud array, And still proclaimeth, as he comes along, His arms are only to remove from thee The Duke of Somerset, whom he terms a traitor.

KING HENRY. Thus stands my state, ‘twixt Cade and York distress’d; Like to a ship that, having scap’d a tempest, Is straightway calm’d, and boarded with a pirate; But now is Cade driven back, his men dispers’d, And now is York in arms to second him.

I pray thee, Buckingham, go and meet him And ask him what’s the reason of these arms.

Tell him I’ll send Duke Edmund to the Tower-And Somerset, we will commit thee thither Until his army be dismiss’d from him.

SOMERSET. My lord,

I’ll yield myself to prison willingly, Or unto death, to do my country good.

KING HENRY. In any case be not too rough in terms, For he is fierce and cannot brook hard language.

BUCKINGHAM. I will, my lord, and doubt not so to deal As all things shall redound unto your good.

KING HENRY. Come, wife, let’s in, and learn to govern better; For yet may England curse my wretched reign.

Flourish. Exeunt

SCENE X.

Kent. Iden’s garden

Enter CADE

CADE. Fie on ambitions! Fie on myself, that have a sword and yet am ready to famish! These five days have I hid me in these woods and durst not peep out, for all the country is laid for me; but now am I so hungry that, if I might have a lease of my life for a thousand years, I could stay no longer. Wherefore, on a brick wall have I climb’d into this garden, to see if I can eat grass or pick a sallet another while, which is not amiss to cool a man’s stomach this hot weather. And I think this word ‘sallet’

was born to do me good; for many a time, but for a sallet, my brain-pain had been cleft with a brown bill; and many a time, when I have been dry, and bravely marching, it hath serv’d me instead of a quart-pot to drink in; and now the word ‘sallet’

must serve me to feed on.

Enter IDEN

IDEN. Lord, who would live turmoiled in the court And may enjoy such quiet walks as these?

This small inheritance my father left me Contenteth me, and worth a monarchy.

I seek not to wax great by others’ waning Or gather wealth I care not with what envy; Sufficeth that I have maintains my state, And sends the poor well pleased from my gate.

CADE. Here’s the lord of the soil come to seize me for a stray, for entering his fee-simple without leave. Ah, villain, thou wilt betray me, and get a thousand crowns of the King by carrying my head to him; but I’ll make thee eat iron like an ostrich and swallow my sword like a great pin ere thou and I part.

IDEN. Why, rude companion, whatsoe’er thou be, I know thee not; why then should I betray thee?

Is’t not enough to break into my garden And like a thief to come to rob my grounds, Climbing my walls in spite of me the owner, But thou wilt brave me with these saucy terms?

CADE. Brave thee? Ay, by the best blood that ever was broach’d, and beard thee too. Look on me well: I have eat no meat these five days, yet come thou and thy five men and if I do not leave you all as dead as a door-nail, I pray God I may never eat grass more.

IDEN. Nay, it shall ne’er be said, while England stands, That Alexander Iden, an esquire of Kent, Took odds to combat a poor famish’d man.

Oppose thy steadfast-gazing eyes to mine; See if thou canst outface me with thy looks; Set limb to limb, and thou art far the lesser; Thy hand is but a finger to my fist,

Thy leg a stick compared with this truncheon; My foot shall fight with all the strength thou hast, And if mine arm be heaved in the air, Thy grave is digg’d already in the earth.

As for words, whose greatness answers words, Let this my sword report what speech forbears.

CADE. By my valour, the most complete champion that ever I heard!

Steel, if thou turn the edge, or cut not out the burly bon’d clown in chines of beef ere thou sleep in thy sheath, I beseech God on my knees thou mayst be turn’d to hobnails. [Here they fight; CADE falls] O, I am slain! famine and no other hath slain me. Let ten thousand devils come against me, and give me but the ten meals I have lost, and I’d defy them all. Wither, garden, and be henceforth a burying place to all that do dwell in this house, because the unconquered soul of Cade is fled.

IDEN. Is’t Cade that I have slain, that monstrous traitor?

Sword, I will hallow thee for this thy deed And hang thee o’er my tomb when I am dead.

Ne’er shall this blood be wiped from thy point, But thou shalt wear it as a herald’s coat To emblaze the honour that thy master got.

CADE. Iden, farewell; and be proud of thy victory. Tell Kent from me she hath lost her best man, and exhort all the world to be cowards; for I, that never feared any, am vanquished by famine, not by valour. [Dies]

IDEN. How much thou wrong’st me, heaven be my judge.

Die, damned wretch, the curse of her that bare thee!

And as I thrust thy body in with my sword, So wish I, I might thrust thy soul to hell.

Hence will I drag thee headlong by the heels Unto a dunghill, which shall be thy grave, And there cut off thy most ungracious head, Which I will bear in triumph to the King, Leaving thy trunk for crows to feed upon. Exit

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ACT V. SCENE I.

Fields between Dartford and Blackheath

Enter YORK, and his army of Irish, with drum and colours YORK. From Ireland thus comes York to claim his right And pluck the crown from feeble Henry’s head: Ring bells aloud, burn bonfires clear and bright, To entertain great England’s lawful king.

Ah, sancta majestas! who would not buy thee dear?

Let them obey that knows not how to rule; This hand was made to handle nought but gold.

I cannot give due action to my words

Except a sword or sceptre balance it.

A sceptre shall it have, have I a soul On which I’ll toss the flower-de-luce of France.

Enter BUCKINGHAM

[Aside] Whom have we here? Buckingham, to disturb me?

The King hath sent him, sure: I must dissemble.

BUCKINGHAM. York, if thou meanest well I greet thee well.

YORK. Humphrey of Buckingham, I accept thy greeting.

Art thou a messenger, or come of pleasure?

BUCKINGHAM. A messenger from Henry, our dread liege, To know the reason of these arms in peace; Or why thou, being a subject as I am, Against thy oath and true allegiance sworn, Should raise so great a power without his leave, Or dare to bring thy force so near the court.

YORK. [Aside] Scarce can I speak, my choler is so great.

O, I could hew up rocks and fight with flint, I am so angry at these abject terms;

And now, like Ajax Telamonius,

On sheep or oxen could I spend my fury.

I am far better born than is the King, More like a king, more kingly in my thoughts; But I must make fair weather yet awhile, Till Henry be more weak and I more strong.-

Buckingham, I prithee, pardon me

That I have given no answer all this while; My mind was troubled with deep melancholy.

The cause why I have brought this army hither Is to remove proud Somerset from the King, Seditious to his Grace and to the state.

BUCKINGHAM. That is too much presumption on thy part; But if thy arms be to no other end,

The King hath yielded unto thy demand: The Duke of Somerset is in the Tower.

YORK. Upon thine honour, is he prisoner?

BUCKINGHAM. Upon mine honour, he is prisoner.

YORK. Then, Buckingham, I do dismiss my pow’rs.

Soldiers, I thank you all; disperse yourselves; Meet me tomorrow in Saint George’s field, You shall have pay and everything you wish.

And let my sovereign, virtuous Henry, Command my eldest son, nay, all my sons, As pledges of my fealty and love.

I’ll send them all as willing as I live: Lands, goods, horse, armour, anything I have, Is his to use, so Somerset may die.

BUCKINGHAM. York, I commend this kind submission.

We twain will go into his Highness’ tent.

Enter the KING, and attendants KING HENRY. Buckingham, doth York intend no harm to us, That thus he marcheth with thee arm in arm?

YORK. In all submission and humility

York doth present himself unto your Highness.

KING HENRY. Then what intends these forces thou dost bring?

YORK. To heave the traitor Somerset from hence, And fight against that monstrous rebel Cade, Who since I heard to be discomfited.

Enter IDEN, with CADE’s head IDEN. If one so rude and of so mean condition May pass into the presence of a king, Lo, I present your Grace a traitor’s head, The head of Cade, whom I in combat slew.

KING HENRY. The head of Cade! Great God, how just art Thou!

O, let me view his visage, being dead, That living wrought me such exceeding trouble.

Tell me, my friend, art thou the man that slew him?

IDEN. I was, an’t like your Majesty.

KING HENRY. How art thou call’d? And what is thy degree?

IDEN. Alexander Iden, that’s my name;

A poor esquire of Kent that loves his king.

BUCKINGHAM. So please it you, my lord, ‘twere not amiss He