| |
Plains near Tewksbury. | |
| |
March. Enter QUEEN MARGARET, PRINCE EDWARD, SOMERSET, OXFORD, and Soldiers. | |
| Q. Mar. Great lords, wise men ne’er sit and wail their loss, | |
| But cheerly seek how to redress their harms. | |
| What though the mast be now blown over-board, | 5 |
| The cable broke, the holding anchor lost, | |
| And half our sailors swallow’d in the flood? | |
| Yet lives our pilot still: is ’t meet that he | |
| Should leave the helm and like a fearful lad | |
| With tearful eyes add water to the sea, | 10 |
| And give more strength to that which hath too much; | |
| Whiles in his moan the ship splits on the rock, | |
| Which industry and courage might have sav’d? | |
| Ah! what a shame! ah, what a fault were this. | |
| Say, Warwick was our anchor; what of that? | 15 |
| And Montague our top-mast; what of him? | |
| Our slaughter’d friends the tackles; what of these? | |
| Why, is not Oxford here another anchor? | |
| And Somerset, another goodly mast? | |
| The friends of France our shrouds and tacklings? | 20 |
| And, though unskilful, why not Ned and I | |
| For once allow’d the skilful pilot’s charge? | |
| We will not from the helm, to sit and weep, | |
| But keep our course, though the rough wind say no, | |
| From shelves and rocks that threaten us with wrack. | 25 |
| As good to chide the waves as speak them fair. | |
| And what is Edward but a ruthless sea? | |
| What Clarence but a quicksand of deceit? | |
| And Richard but a ragged fatal rock? | |
| All those the enemies to our poor bark. | 30 |
| Say you can swim; alas! ’tis but a while: | |
| Tread on the sand; why, there you quickly sink: | |
| Bestride the rock; the tide will wash you off, | |
| Or else you famish; that’s a threefold death. | |
| This speak I, lords, to let you understand, | 35 |
| In case some one of you would fly from us, | |
| That there’s no hop’d-for mercy with the brothers | |
| More than with ruthless waves, with sands and rocks. | |
| Why, courage, then! what cannot be avoided | |
| ’Twere childish weakness to lament or fear. | 40 |
| Prince. Methinks a woman of this valiant spirit | |
| Should, if a coward heard her speak these words, | |
| Infuse his breast with magnanimity, | |
| And make him, naked, foil a man at arms. | |
| I speak not this, as doubting any here; | 45 |
| For did I but suspect a fearful man, | |
| He should have leave to go away betimes, | |
| Lest in our need he might infect another, | |
| And make him of like spirit to himself. | |
| If any such be here, as God forbid! | 50 |
| Let him depart before we need his help. | |
| Oxf. Women and children of so high a courage, | |
| And warriors faint! why, ’twere perpetual shame. | |
| O brave young prince! thy famous grandfather | |
| Doth live again in thee: long mayst thou live | 55 |
| To bear his image and renew his glories! | |
| Som. And he, that will not fight for such a hope, | |
| Go home to bed, and, like the owl by day, | |
| If he arise, be mock’d and wonder’d at. | |
| Q. Mar. Thanks, gentle Somerset: sweet Oxford, thanks. | 60 |
| Prince. And take his thanks that yet hath nothing else. | |
| |
Enter a Messenger. | |
| Mess. Prepare you, lords, for Edward is at hand, | |
| Ready to fight; therefore be resolute. | |
| Oxf. I thought no less: it is his policy | 65 |
| To haste thus fast, to find us unprovided. | |
| Som. But he ’s deceiv’d; we are in readiness. | |
| Q. Mar. This cheers my heart to see your forwardness. | |
| Oxf. Here pitch our battle; hence we will not budge. | |
| |
March. Enter, at a distance, KING EDWARD, CLARENCE, GLOUCESTER, and Forces. | 70 |
| K. Edw. Brave followers, yonder stands the thorny wood, | |
| Which, by the heavens’ assistance, and your strength, | |
| Must by the roots be hewn up yet ere night. | |
| I need not add more fuel to your fire, | |
| For well I wot ye blaze to burn them out: | 75 |
| Give signal to the fight, and to it, lords. | |
| Q. Mar. Lords, knights, and gentlemen, what I should say | |
| My tears gainsay; for every word I speak, | |
| Ye see, I drink the water of mine eyes. | |
| Therefore, no more but this: Henry, your sovereign, | 80 |
| Is prisoner to the foe; his state usurp’d, | |
| His realm a slaughter house, his subjects slain, | |
| His statutes cancell’d, and his treasure spent; | |
| And yonder is the wolf that makes this spoil. | |
| You fight in justice: then, in God’s name, lords, | 85 |
| Be valiant, and give signal to the fight. [Exeunt both armies. | |
| |
