SCENE I. London. The Parliament-house. The First part of King Henry the Sixth  Shakespeare homepage  |  Henry VI, part 1  | Act 3, Scene 1 

 Previous scene  |  Next scene  SCENE I. London. The Parliament-house. 

 Flourish. Enter KING HENRY VI, EXETER, GLOUCESTER,  WARWICK, SOMERSET, and SUFFOLK; the BISHOP OF  WINCHESTER, RICHARD PLANTAGENET, and others.  GLOUCESTER offers to put up a bill; BISHOP OF WINCHESTER snatches it, and tears it  BISHOP 

 OF WINCHESTER  Comest thou with deep premeditated lines, 

 With written pamphlets studiously devised, 

 Humphrey of Gloucester? If thou canst accuse, 

 Or aught intend'st to lay unto my charge, 

 Do it without invention, suddenly; 

 As I with sudden and extemporal speech 

 Purpose to answer what thou canst object. 

 GLOUCESTER  Presumptuous priest! this place commands my patience, 

 Or thou shouldst find thou hast dishonour'd me. 

 Think not, although in writing I preferr'd 

 The manner of thy vile outrageous crimes, 

 That therefore I have forged, or am not able 

 Verbatim to rehearse the method of my pen: 

 No, prelate; such is thy audacious wickedness, 

 Thy lewd, pestiferous and dissentious pranks, 

 As very infants prattle of thy pride. 

 Thou art a most pernicious usurer, 

 Forward by nature, enemy to peace; 

 Lascivious, wanton, more than well beseems 

 A man of thy profession and degree; 

 And for thy treachery, what's more manifest? 

 In that thou laid'st a trap to take my life, 

 As well at London bridge as at the Tower. 

 Beside, I fear me, if thy thoughts were sifted, 

 The king, thy sovereign, is not quite exempt 

 From envious malice of thy swelling heart. 

 BISHOP 

 OF WINCHESTER  Gloucester, I do defy thee. Lords, vouchsafe 

 To give me hearing what I shall reply. 

 If I were covetous, ambitious or perverse, 

 As he will have me, how am I so poor? 

 Or how haps it I seek not to advance 

 Or raise myself, but keep my wonted calling? 

 And for dissension, who preferreth peace 

 More than I do?--except I be provoked. 

 No, my good lords, it is not that offends; 

 It is not that that hath incensed the duke: 

 It is, because no one should sway but he; 

 No one but he should be about the king; 

 And that engenders thunder in his breast 

 And makes him roar these accusations forth. 

 But he shall know I am as good-- 

 GLOUCESTER  As good! 

 Thou bastard of my grandfather! 

 BISHOP 

 OF WINCHESTER  Ay, lordly sir; for what are you, I pray, 

 But one imperious in another's throne? 

 GLOUCESTER  Am I not protector, saucy priest? 

 BISHOP 

 OF WINCHESTER  And am not I a prelate of the church? 

 GLOUCESTER  Yes, as an outlaw in a castle keeps 

 And useth it to patronage his theft. 

 BISHOP 

 OF WINCHESTER  Unreverent Gloster! 

 GLOUCESTER  Thou art reverent 

 Touching thy spiritual function, not thy life. 

 BISHOP 

 OF WINCHESTER  Rome shall remedy this. 

 WARWICK  Roam thither, then. 

 SOMERSET  My lord, it were your duty to forbear. 

 WARWICK  Ay, see the bishop be not overborne. 

 SOMERSET  Methinks my lord should be religious 

 And know the office that belongs to such. 

 WARWICK  Methinks his lordship should be humbler; 

 it fitteth not a prelate so to plead. 

 SOMERSET  Yes, when his holy state is touch'd so near. 

 WARWICK  State holy or unhallow'd, what of that? 

 Is not his grace protector to the king? 

 RICHARD 

 PLANTAGENET  [Aside]  Plantagenet, I see, must hold his tongue, 

 Lest it be said 'Speak, sirrah, when you should; 

 Must your bold verdict enter talk with lords?' 

 Else would I have a fling at Winchester. 

 KING HENRY VI  Uncles of Gloucester and of Winchester, 

 The special watchmen of our English weal, 

 I would prevail, if prayers might prevail, 

 To join your hearts in love and amity. 

 O, what a scandal is it to our crown, 

 That two such noble peers as ye should jar! 

 Believe me, lords, my tender years can tell 

 Civil dissension is a viperous worm 

 That gnaws the bowels of the commonwealth. 



 A noise within, 'Down with the tawny-coats!'  What tumult's this? 

 WARWICK  An uproar, I dare warrant, 

 Begun through malice of the bishop's men. 



 A noise again, 'Stones! stones!' Enter Mayor  Mayor  O, my good lords, and virtuous Henry, 

 Pity the city of London, pity us! 

 The bishop and the Duke of Gloucester's men, 

 Forbidden late to carry any weapon, 

 Have fill'd their pockets full of pebble stones 

 And banding themselves in contrary parts 

 Do pelt so fast at one another's pate 

 That many have their giddy brains knock'd out: 

 Our windows are broke down in every street 

 And we for fear compell'd to shut our shops. 



 Enter Serving-men, in skirmish, with bloody pates  KING HENRY VI  We charge you, on allegiance to ourself, 

 To hold your slaughtering hands and keep the peace. 

 Pray, uncle Gloucester, mitigate this strife. 

 First Serving-man	Nay, if we be forbidden stones, 

 We'll fall to it with our teeth. 

 Second Serving-man	Do what ye dare, we are as resolute. 



 Skirmish again  GLOUCESTER  You of my household, leave this peevish broil 

 And set this unaccustom'd fight aside. 

 Third Serving-man	My lord, we know your grace to be a man 

 Just and upright; and, for your royal birth, 

 Inferior to none but to his majesty: 

 And ere that we will suffer such a prince, 

 So kind a father of the commonweal, 

 To be disgraced by an inkhorn mate, 

 We and our wives and children all will fight 

 And have our bodies slaughtered by thy foes. 

 First Serving-man	Ay, and the very parings of our nails 

 Shall pitch a field when we are dead. 



 Begin again  GLOUCESTER  Stay, stay, I say! 

 And if you love me, as you say you do, 

 Let me persuade you to forbear awhile. 

 KING HENRY VI  O, how this discord doth afflict my soul! 

 Can you, my Lord of Winchester, behold 

 My sighs and tears and will not once relent? 

 Who should be pitiful, if you be not? 

 Or who should study to prefer a peace. 

 If holy churchmen take delight in broils? 

 WARWICK  Yield, my lord protector; yield, Winchester; 

 Except you mean with obstinate repulse 

 To slay your sovereign and destroy the realm. 

 You see what mischief and what murder too 

 Hath been enacted through your enmity; 

 Then be at peace except ye thirst for blood. 

 BISHOP 

 OF WINCHESTER  He shall submit, or I will never yield. 

 GLOUCESTER  Compassion on the king commands me stoop; 

 Or I would see his heart out, ere the priest 

 Should ever get that privilege of me. 

 WARWICK  Behold, my Lord of Winchester, the duke 

 Hath banish'd moody discontented fury, 

 As by his smoothed brows it doth appear: 

 Why look you still so stern and tragical? 

 GLOUCESTER  Here, Winchester, I offer thee my hand. 

 KING HENRY VI  Fie, uncle Beaufort! I have heard you preach 

 That malice was a great and grievous sin; 

 And will not you maintain the thing you teach, 

 But prove a chief offender in the same? 

 WARWICK  Sweet king! the bishop hath a kindly gird. 

 For shame, my lord of Winchester, relent! 

 What, shall a child instruct you what to do? 

 BISHOP 

 OF WINCHESTER  Well, Duke of Gloucester, I will yield to thee; 

 Love for thy love and hand for hand I give. 

 GLOUCESTER  [Aside]  Ay, but, I fear me, with a hollow heart.-- 

 See here, my friends and loving countrymen, 

 This token serveth for a flag of truce 

 Betwixt ourselves and all our followers: 

 So help me God, as I dissemble not! 

 BISHOP 

 OF WINCHESTER  [Aside]  So help me God, as I intend it not! 

 KING HENRY VI  O, loving uncle, kind Duke of Gloucester, 

 How joyful am I made by this contract! 

 Away, my masters! trouble us no more; 

 But join in friendship, as your lords have done. 

 First Serving-man	Content: I'll to the surgeon's. 

 Second Serving-man	And so will I. 

 Third Serving-man	And I will see what physic the tavern affords. 



 Exeunt Serving-men, Mayor,  & c  WARWICK  Accept this scroll, most gracious sovereign, 

 Which in the right of Richard Plantagenet 

 We do exhibit to your majesty. 

 GLOUCESTER  Well urged, my Lord of Warwick: or sweet prince, 

 And if your grace mark every circumstance, 

 You have great reason to do Richard right; 

 Especially for those occasions 

 At Eltham Place I told your majesty. 

 KING HENRY VI  And those occasions, uncle, were of force: 

 Therefore, my loving lords, our pleasure is 

 That Richard be restored to his blood. 

 WARWICK  Let Richard be restored to his blood; 

 So shall his father's wrongs be recompensed. 

 BISHOP 

 OF WINCHESTER  As will the rest, so willeth Winchester. 

 KING HENRY VI  If Richard will be true, not that alone 

 But all the whole inheritance I give 

 That doth belong unto the house of York, 

 From whence you spring by lineal descent. 

 RICHARD 

 PLANTAGENET  Thy humble servant vows obedience 

 And humble service till the point of death. 

 KING HENRY VI  Stoop then and set your knee against my foot; 

 And, in reguerdon of that duty done, 

 I gird thee with the valiant sword of York: 

 Rise Richard, like a true Plantagenet, 

 And rise created princely Duke of York. 

 RICHARD 

 PLANTAGENET  And so thrive Richard as thy foes may fall! 

 And as my duty springs, so perish they 

 That grudge one thought against your majesty! 

 ALL  Welcome, high prince, the mighty Duke of York! 

 SOMERSET  [Aside]  Perish, base prince, ignoble Duke of York! 

 GLOUCESTER  Now will it best avail your majesty 

 To cross the seas and to be crown'd in France: 

 The presence of a king engenders love 

 Amongst his subjects and his loyal friends, 

 As it disanimates his enemies. 

 KING HENRY VI  When Gloucester says the word, King Henry goes; 

 For friendly counsel cuts off many foes. 

 GLOUCESTER  Your ships already are in readiness. 



 Sennet. Flourish. Exeunt all but EXETER  EXETER  Ay, we may march in England or in France, 

 Not seeing what is likely to ensue. 

 This late dissension grown betwixt the peers 

 Burns under feigned ashes of forged love 

 And will at last break out into a flame: 

 As fester'd members rot but by degree, 

 Till bones and flesh and sinews fall away, 

 So will this base and envious discord breed. 

 And now I fear that fatal prophecy 

 Which in the time of Henry named the Fifth 

 Was in the mouth of every sucking babe; 

 That Henry born at Monmouth should win all 

 And Henry born at Windsor lose all: 

 Which is so plain that Exeter doth wish 

 His days may finish ere that hapless time. 



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