King Henry VI, Part II

King Henry VI, Part II

ACT II SCENE I	Saint Alban's.
	Enter KING HENRY VI, QUEEN MARGARET, GLOUCESTER,CARDINAL, and SUFFOLK, with Falconers halloing
QUEEN MARGARET	Believe me, lords, for flying at the brook,
	I saw not better sport these seven years' day:
	Yet, by your leave, the wind was very high;
	And, ten to one, old Joan had not gone out.	5
KING HENRY VI	But what a point, my lord, your falcon made,
	And what a pitch she flew above the rest!
	To see how God in all his creatures works!
	Yea, man and birds are fain of climbing high.
SUFFOLK	No marvel, an it like your majesty,	10
	My lord protector's hawks do tower so well;
	They know their master loves to be aloft,
	And bears his thoughts above his falcon's pitch.
GLOUCESTER	My lord, 'tis but a base ignoble mind
	That mounts no higher than a bird can soar.	15
CARDINAL	I thought as much; he would be above the clouds.
GLOUCESTER	Ay, my lord cardinal? how think you by that?
	Were it not good your grace could fly to heaven?
KING HENRY VI	The treasury of everlasting joy.
CARDINAL	Thy heaven is on earth; thine eyes and thoughts	20
	Beat on a crown, the treasure of thy heart;
	Pernicious protector, dangerous peer,
	That smooth'st it so with king and commonweal!
GLOUCESTER	What, cardinal, is your priesthood grown peremptory?
	Tantaene animis coelestibus irae?	25
	Churchmen so hot? good uncle, hide such malice;
	With such holiness can you do it?
SUFFOLK	No malice, sir; no more than well becomes
	So good a quarrel and so bad a peer.
GLOUCESTER	As who, my lord?	30
SUFFOLK	Why, as you, my lord,
	An't like your lordly lord-protectorship.
GLOUCESTER	Why, Suffolk, England knows thine insolence.
QUEEN MARGARET	And thy ambition, Gloucester.
KING HENRY VI	I prithee, peace, good queen,	35
	And whet not on these furious peers;
	For blessed are the peacemakers on earth.
CARDINAL	Let me be blessed for the peace I make,
	Against this proud protector, with my sword!
GLOUCESTER	Aside to CARDINAL
	'twere come to that!	40
CARDINAL	Aside to GLOUCESTER
GLOUCESTER	Aside to CARDINAL
	numbers for the matter;
	In thine own person answer thy abuse.
CARDINAL	Aside to GLOUCESTER
	not peep: an if thou darest,
	This evening, on the east side of the grove.
KING HENRY VI	How now, my lords!	45
CARDINAL	Believe me, cousin Gloucester,
	Had not your man put up the fowl so suddenly,
	We had had more sport.
	Aside to GLOUCESTER
	Come with thy two-hand sword.
GLOUCESTER	True, uncle.	50
CARDINAL	Aside to GLOUCESTER
	east side of the grove?
GLOUCESTER	Aside to CARDINAL
KING HENRY VI	Why, how now, uncle Gloucester!
GLOUCESTER	Talking of hawking; nothing else, my lord.
	Aside to CARDINAL
	Now, by God's mother, priest, I'll shave your crown for this,
	Or all my fence shall fail.	55
CARDINAL	Aside to GLOUCESTER
	Protector, see to't well, protect yourself.
KING HENRY VI	The winds grow high; so do your stomachs, lords.
	How irksome is this music to my heart!
	When such strings jar, what hope of harmony?
	I pray, my lords, let me compound this strife.	60
	Enter a Townsman of Saint Alban's, crying 'A miracle!'
GLOUCESTER	What means this noise?
	Fellow, what miracle dost thou proclaim?
Townsman	A miracle! a miracle!
SUFFOLK	Come to the king and tell him what miracle.
Townsman	Forsooth, a blind man at Saint Alban's shrine,	65
	Within this half-hour, hath received his sight;
	A man that ne'er saw in his life before.
KING HENRY VI	Now, God be praised, that to believing souls
	Gives light in darkness, comfort in despair!
	Enter the Mayor of Saint Alban's and hisbrethren, bearing SIMPCOX, between two in achair, SIMPCOX's Wife following
CARDINAL	Here comes the townsmen on procession,	70
	To present your highness with the man.
KING HENRY VI	Great is his comfort in this earthly vale,
	Although by his sight his sin be multiplied.
GLOUCESTER	Stand by, my masters: bring him near the king;
	His highness' pleasure is to talk with him.	75
KING HENRY VI	Good fellow, tell us here the circumstance,
	That we for thee may glorify the Lord.
	What, hast thou been long blind and now restored?
SIMPCOX	Born blind, an't please your grace.
Wife	Ay, indeed, was he.	80
SUFFOLK	What woman is this?
Wife	His wife, an't like your worship.
GLOUCESTER	Hadst thou been his mother, thou couldst have
	better told.
KING HENRY VI	Where wert thou born?	85
SIMPCOX	At Berwick in the north, an't like your grace.
KING HENRY VI	Poor soul, God's goodness hath been great to thee:
	Let never day nor night unhallow'd pass,
	But still remember what the Lord hath done.
QUEEN MARGARET	Tell me, good fellow, camest thou here by chance,	90
	Or of devotion, to this holy shrine?
SIMPCOX	God knows, of pure devotion; being call'd
	A hundred times and oftener, in my sleep,
	By good Saint Alban; who said, 'Simpcox, come,
	Come, offer at my shrine, and I will help thee.'	95
Wife	Most true, forsooth; and many time and oft
	Myself have heard a voice to call him so.
CARDINAL	What, art thou lame?
SIMPCOX	Ay, God Almighty help me!
SUFFOLK	How camest thou so?	100
SIMPCOX	A fall off of a tree.
Wife	A plum-tree, master.
GLOUCESTER	How long hast thou been blind?
SIMPCOX	Born so, master.
GLOUCESTER	What, and wouldst climb a tree?	105
SIMPCOX	But that in all my life, when I was a youth.
Wife	Too true; and bought his climbing very dear.
GLOUCESTER	Mass, thou lovedst plums well, that wouldst
	venture so.
SIMPCOX	Alas, good master, my wife desired some damsons,	110
	And made me climb, with danger of my life.
GLOUCESTER	A subtle knave! but yet it shall not serve.
	Let me see thine eyes: wink now: now open them:
	In my opinion yet thou seest not well.
SIMPCOX	Yes, master, clear as day, I thank God and	115
	Saint Alban.
GLOUCESTER	Say'st thou me so? What colour is this cloak of?
SIMPCOX	Red, master; red as blood.
GLOUCESTER	Why, that's well said. What colour is my gown of?
SIMPCOX	Black, forsooth: coal-black as jet.	120
KING HENRY VI	Why, then, thou know'st what colour jet is of?
SUFFOLK	And yet, I think, jet did he never see.
GLOUCESTER	But cloaks and gowns, before this day, a many.
Wife	Never, before this day, in all his life.
GLOUCESTER	Tell me, sirrah, what's my name?	125
SIMPCOX	Alas, master, I know not.
GLOUCESTER	What's his name?
SIMPCOX	I know not.
GLOUCESTER	Nor his?
SIMPCOX	No, indeed, master.	130
GLOUCESTER	What's thine own name?
SIMPCOX	Saunder Simpcox, an if it please you, master.
GLOUCESTER	Then, Saunder, sit there, the lyingest knave in
	Christendom. If thou hadst been born blind, thou
	mightest as well have known all our names as thus to	135
	name the several colours we do wear. Sight may
	distinguish of colours, but suddenly to nominate them
	all, it is impossible. My lords, Saint Alban here
	hath done a miracle; and would ye not think his
	cunning to be great, that could restore this cripple	140
	to his legs again?
SIMPCOX	O master, that you could!
GLOUCESTER	My masters of Saint Alban's, have you not beadles in
	your town, and things called whips?
Mayor	Yes, my lord, if it please your grace.	145
GLOUCESTER	Then send for one presently.
Mayor	Sirrah, go fetch the beadle hither straight.
	Exit an Attendant
GLOUCESTER	Now fetch me a stool hither by and by. Now, sirrah,
	if you mean to save yourself from whipping, leap me
	over this stool and run away.	150
SIMPCOX	Alas, master, I am not able to stand alone:
	You go about to torture me in vain.
	Enter a Beadle with whips
GLOUCESTER	Well, sir, we must have you find your legs. Sirrah
	beadle, whip him till he leap over that same stool.
Beadle	I will, my lord. Come on, sirrah; off with your	155
	doublet quickly.
SIMPCOX	Alas, master, what shall I do? I am not able to stand.
	After the Beadle hath hit him once, he leaps overthe stool and runs away; and they follow and cry, 'A miracle!'
KING HENRY VI	O God, seest Thou this, and bearest so long?
QUEEN MARGARET	It made me laugh to see the villain run.
GLOUCESTER	Follow the knave; and take this drab away.	160
Wife	Alas, sir, we did it for pure need.
GLOUCESTER	Let them be whipped through every market-town, till
	they come to Berwick, from whence they came.
	Exeunt Wife, Beadle, Mayor, &c
CARDINAL	Duke Humphrey has done a miracle to-day.
SUFFOLK	True; made the lame to leap and fly away.	165
GLOUCESTER	But you have done more miracles than I;
	You made in a day, my lord, whole towns to fly.
	Enter BUCKINGHAM
KING HENRY VI	What tidings with our cousin Buckingham?
BUCKINGHAM	Such as my heart doth tremble to unfold.
	A sort of naughty persons, lewdly bent,	170
	Under the countenance and confederacy
	Of Lady Eleanor, the protector's wife,
	The ringleader and head of all this rout,
	Have practised dangerously against your state,
	Dealing with witches and with conjurers:	175
	Whom we have apprehended in the fact;
	Raising up wicked spirits from under ground,
	Demanding of King Henry's life and death,
	And other of your highness' privy-council;
	As more at large your grace shall understand.	180
CARDINAL	Aside to GLOUCESTER
	by this means
	Your lady is forthcoming yet at London.
	This news, I think, hath turn'd your weapon's edge;
	'Tis like, my lord, you will not keep your hour.
GLOUCESTER	Ambitious churchman, leave to afflict my heart:	185
	Sorrow and grief have vanquish'd all my powers;
	And, vanquish'd as I am, I yield to thee,
	Or to the meanest groom.
KING HENRY VI	O God, what mischiefs work the wicked ones,
	Heaping confusion on their own heads thereby!	190
QUEEN MARGARET	Gloucester, see here the tainture of thy nest.
	And look thyself be faultless, thou wert best.
GLOUCESTER	Madam, for myself, to heaven I do appeal,
	How I have loved my king and commonweal:
	And, for my wife, I know not how it stands;	195
	Sorry I am to hear what I have heard:
	Noble she is, but if she have forgot
	Honour and virtue and conversed with such
	As, like to pitch, defile nobility,
	I banish her my bed and company	200
	And give her as a prey to law and shame,
	That hath dishonour'd Gloucester's honest name.
KING HENRY VI	Well, for this night we will repose us here:
	To-morrow toward London back again,
	To look into this business thoroughly	205
	And call these foul offenders to their answers
	And poise the cause in justice' equal scales,
	Whose beam stands sure, whose rightful cause prevails.
	Flourish. Exeunt