| ACT V SCENE V | Another part of the field. | |
| | Flourish. Enter KING EDWARD IV, GLOUCESTER, CLARENCE,and soldiers; with QUEEN MARGARET, OXFORD, andSOMERSET, prisoners | |
| KING EDWARD IV | Now here a period of tumultuous broils. | |
| | Away with Oxford to Hames Castle straight: | |
| | For Somerset, off with his guilty head. | |
| | Go, bear them hence; I will not hear them speak. | 5 |
| OXFORD | For my part, I'll not trouble thee with words. | |
| SOMERSET | Nor I, but stoop with patience to my fortune. | |
| | Exeunt Oxford and Somerset, guarded | |
| QUEEN MARGARET | So part we sadly in this troublous world, | |
| | To meet with joy in sweet Jerusalem. | |
| KING EDWARD IV | Is proclamation made, that who finds Edward | 10 |
| | Shall have a high reward, and he his life? | |
| GLOUCESTER | It is: and lo, where youthful Edward comes! | |
| | Enter soldiers, with PRINCE EDWARD | |
| KING EDWARD IV | Bring forth the gallant, let us hear him speak. | |
| | What! can so young a thorn begin to prick? | |
| | Edward, what satisfaction canst thou make | 15 |
| | For bearing arms, for stirring up my subjects, | |
| | And all the trouble thou hast turn'd me to? | |
| PRINCE EDWARD | Speak like a subject, proud ambitious York! | |
| | Suppose that I am now my father's mouth; | |
| | Resign thy chair, and where I stand kneel thou, | 20 |
| | Whilst I propose the selfsame words to thee, | |
| | Which traitor, thou wouldst have me answer to. | |
| QUEEN MARGARET | Ah, that thy father had been so resolved! | |
| GLOUCESTER | That you might still have worn the petticoat, | |
| | And ne'er have stol'n the breech from Lancaster. | 25 |
| PRINCE EDWARD | Let AEsop fable in a winter's night; | |
| | His currish riddles sort not with this place. | |
| GLOUCESTER | By heaven, brat, I'll plague ye for that word. | |
| QUEEN MARGARET | Ay, thou wast born to be a plague to men. | |
| GLOUCESTER | For God's sake, take away this captive scold. | 30 |
| PRINCE EDWARD | Nay, take away this scolding crookback rather. | |
| KING EDWARD IV | Peace, wilful boy, or I will charm your tongue. | |
| CLARENCE | Untutor'd lad, thou art too malapert. | |
| PRINCE EDWARD | I know my duty; you are all undutiful: | |
| | Lascivious Edward, and thou perjured George, | 35 |
| | And thou mis-shapen Dick, I tell ye all | |
| | I am your better, traitors as ye are: | |
| | And thou usurp'st my father's right and mine. | |
| KING EDWARD IV | Take that, thou likeness of this railer here. | |
| | Stabs him | |
| GLOUCESTER | Sprawl'st thou? take that, to end thy agony. | 40 |
| | Stabs him | |
| CLARENCE | And there's for twitting me with perjury. | |
| | Stabs him | |
| QUEEN MARGARET | O, kill me too! | |
| GLOUCESTER | Marry, and shall. | |
| | Offers to kill her | |
| KING EDWARD IV | Hold, Richard, hold; for we have done too much. | |
| GLOUCESTER | Why should she live, to fill the world with words? | 45 |
| KING EDWARD IV | What, doth she swoon? use means for her recovery. | |
| GLOUCESTER | Clarence, excuse me to the king my brother; | |
| | I'll hence to London on a serious matter: | |
| | Ere ye come there, be sure to hear some news. | |
| CLARENCE | What? what? | 50 |
| GLOUCESTER | The Tower, the Tower. | |
| | Exit | |
| QUEEN MARGARET | O Ned, sweet Ned! speak to thy mother, boy! | |
| | Canst thou not speak? O traitors! murderers! | |
| | They that stabb'd Caesar shed no blood at all, | |
| | Did not offend, nor were not worthy blame, | 55 |
| | If this foul deed were by to equal it: | |
| | He was a man; this, in respect, a child: | |
| | And men ne'er spend their fury on a child. | |
| | What's worse than murderer, that I may name it? | |
| | No, no, my heart will burst, and if I speak: | 60 |
| | And I will speak, that so my heart may burst. | |
| | Butchers and villains! bloody cannibals! | |
| | How sweet a plant have you untimely cropp'd! | |
| | You have no children, butchers! if you had, | |
| | The thought of them would have stirr'd up remorse: | 65 |
| | But if you ever chance to have a child, | |
| | Look in his youth to have him so cut off | |
| | As, deathmen, you have rid this sweet young prince! | |
| KING EDWARD IV | Away with her; go, bear her hence perforce. | |
| QUEEN MARGARET | Nay, never bear me hence, dispatch me here, | 70 |
| | Here sheathe thy sword, I'll pardon thee my death: | |
| | What, wilt thou not? then, Clarence, do it thou. | |
| CLARENCE | By heaven, I will not do thee so much ease. | |
| QUEEN MARGARET | Good Clarence, do; sweet Clarence, do thou do it. | |
| CLARENCE | Didst thou not hear me swear I would not do it? | 75 |
| QUEEN MARGARET | Ay, but thou usest to forswear thyself: | |
| | 'Twas sin before, but now 'tis charity. | |
| | What, wilt thou not? Where is that devil's butcher, | |
| | Hard-favour'd Richard? Richard, where art thou? | |
| | Thou art not here: murder is thy alms-deed; | 80 |
| | Petitioners for blood thou ne'er put'st back. | |
| KING EDWARD IV | Away, I say; I charge ye, bear her hence. | |
| QUEEN MARGARET | So come to you and yours, as to this Prince! | |
| | Exit, led out forcibly | |
| KING EDWARD IV | Where's Richard gone? | |
| CLARENCE | To London, all in post; and, as I guess, | 85 |
| | To make a bloody supper in the Tower. | |
| KING EDWARD IV | He's sudden, if a thing comes in his head. | |
| | Now march we hence: discharge the common sort | |
| | With pay and thanks, and let's away to London | |
| | And see our gentle queen how well she fares: | 90 |
| | By this, I hope, she hath a son for me. | |
| | Exeunt | |
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