SCENE III. The palace. The Second part of King Henry the Sixth  Shakespeare homepage  |  Henry VI, part 2  | Act 1, Scene 3 

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 Enter three or four Petitioners, PETER, the Armourer's man, being one  First Petitioner  My masters, let's stand close: my lord protector 

 will come this way by and by, and then we may deliver 

 our supplications in the quill. 

 Second Petitioner  Marry, the Lord protect him, for he's a good man! 

 Jesu bless him! 



 Enter SUFFOLK and QUEEN MARGARET  PETER  Here a' comes, methinks, and the queen with him. 

 I'll be the first, sure. 

 Second Petitioner  Come back, fool; this is the Duke of Suffolk, and 

 not my lord protector. 

 SUFFOLK  How now, fellow! would'st anything with me? 

 First Petitioner  I pray, my lord, pardon me; I took ye for my lord 

 protector. 

 QUEEN MARGARET  [Reading]  'To my Lord Protector!' Are your 

 supplications to his lordship? Let me see them: 

 what is thine? 

 First Petitioner  Mine is, an't please your grace, against John 

 Goodman, my lord cardinal's man, for keeping my 

 house, and lands, and wife and all, from me. 

 SUFFOLK  Thy wife, too! that's some wrong, indeed. What's 

 yours? What's here! 



 Reads  'Against the Duke of Suffolk, for enclosing the 

 commons of Melford.' How now, sir knave! 

 Second Petitioner  Alas, sir, I am but a poor petitioner of our whole township. 

 PETER  [Giving his petition]  Against my master, Thomas 

 Horner, for saying that the Duke of York was rightful 

 heir to the crown. 

 QUEEN MARGARET  What sayst thou? did the Duke of York say he was 

 rightful heir to the crown? 

 PETER  That my master was? no, forsooth: my master said 

 that he was, and that the king was an usurper. 

 SUFFOLK  Who is there? 



 Enter Servant  Take this fellow in, and send for 

 his master with a pursuivant presently: we'll hear 

 more of your matter before the King. 



 Exit Servant with PETER  QUEEN MARGARET  And as for you, that love to be protected 

 Under the wings of our protector's grace, 

 Begin your suits anew, and sue to him. 



 Tears the supplication  Away, base cullions! Suffolk, let them go. 

 ALL  Come, let's be gone. 



 Exeunt  QUEEN MARGARET  My Lord of Suffolk, say, is this the guise, 

 Is this the fashion in the court of England? 

 Is this the government of Britain's isle, 

 And this the royalty of Albion's king? 

 What shall King Henry be a pupil still 

 Under the surly Gloucester's governance? 

 Am I a queen in title and in style, 

 And must be made a subject to a duke? 

 I tell thee, Pole, when in the city Tours 

 Thou ran'st a tilt in honour of my love 

 And stolest away the ladies' hearts of France, 

 I thought King Henry had resembled thee 

 In courage, courtship and proportion: 

 But all his mind is bent to holiness, 

 To number Ave-Maries on his beads; 

 His champions are the prophets and apostles, 

 His weapons holy saws of sacred writ, 

 His study is his tilt-yard, and his loves 

 Are brazen images of canonized saints. 

 I would the college of the cardinals 

 Would choose him pope, and carry him to Rome, 

 And set the triple crown upon his head: 

 That were a state fit for his holiness. 

 SUFFOLK  Madam, be patient: as I was cause 

 Your highness came to England, so will I 

 In England work your grace's full content. 

 QUEEN MARGARET  Beside the haughty protector, have we Beaufort, 

 The imperious churchman, Somerset, Buckingham, 

 And grumbling York: and not the least of these 

 But can do more in England than the king. 

 SUFFOLK  And he of these that can do most of all 

 Cannot do more in England than the Nevils: 

 Salisbury and Warwick are no simple peers. 

 QUEEN MARGARET  Not all these lords do vex me half so much 

 As that proud dame, the lord protector's wife. 

 She sweeps it through the court with troops of ladies, 

 More like an empress than Duke Humphrey's wife: 

 Strangers in court do take her for the queen: 

 She bears a duke's revenues on her back, 

 And in her heart she scorns our poverty: 

 Shall I not live to be avenged on her? 

 Contemptuous base-born callet as she is, 

 She vaunted 'mongst her minions t'other day, 

 The very train of her worst wearing gown 

 Was better worth than all my father's lands, 

 Till Suffolk gave two dukedoms for his daughter. 

 SUFFOLK  Madam, myself have limed a bush for her, 

 And placed a quire of such enticing birds, 

 That she will light to listen to the lays, 

 And never mount to trouble you again. 

 So, let her rest: and, madam, list to me; 

 For I am bold to counsel you in this. 

 Although we fancy not the cardinal, 

 Yet must we join with him and with the lords, 

 Till we have brought Duke Humphrey in disgrace. 

 As for the Duke of York, this late complaint 

 Will make but little for his benefit. 

 So, one by one, we'll weed them all at last, 

 And you yourself shall steer the happy helm. 



 Sound a sennet. Enter KING HENRY VI, GLOUCESTER,  CARDINAL, BUCKINGHAM, YORK, SOMERSET, SALISBURY, WARWICK, and the DUCHESS  KING HENRY VI  For my part, noble lords, I care not which; 

 Or Somerset or York, all's one to me. 

 YORK  If York have ill demean'd himself in France, 

 Then let him be denay'd the regentship. 

 SOMERSET  If Somerset be unworthy of the place, 

 Let York be regent; I will yield to him. 

 WARWICK  Whether your grace be worthy, yea or no, 

 Dispute not that: York is the worthier. 

 CARDINAL  Ambitious Warwick, let thy betters speak. 

 WARWICK  The cardinal's not my better in the field. 

 BUCKINGHAM  All in this presence are thy betters, Warwick. 

 WARWICK  Warwick may live to be the best of all. 

 SALISBURY  Peace, son! and show some reason, Buckingham, 

 Why Somerset should be preferred in this. 

 QUEEN MARGARET  Because the king, forsooth, will have it so. 

 GLOUCESTER  Madam, the king is old enough himself 

 To give his censure: these are no women's matters. 

 QUEEN MARGARET  If he be old enough, what needs your grace 

 To be protector of his excellence? 

 GLOUCESTER  Madam, I am protector of the realm; 

 And, at his pleasure, will resign my place. 

 SUFFOLK  Resign it then and leave thine insolence. 

 Since thou wert king--as who is king but thou?-- 

 The commonwealth hath daily run to wreck; 

 The Dauphin hath prevail'd beyond the seas; 

 And all the peers and nobles of the realm 

 Have been as bondmen to thy sovereignty. 

 CARDINAL  The commons hast thou rack'd; the clergy's bags 

 Are lank and lean with thy extortions. 

 SOMERSET  Thy sumptuous buildings and thy wife's attire 

 Have cost a mass of public treasury. 

 BUCKINGHAM  Thy cruelty in execution 

 Upon offenders, hath exceeded law, 

 And left thee to the mercy of the law. 

 QUEEN MARGARET  They sale of offices and towns in France, 

 If they were known, as the suspect is great, 

 Would make thee quickly hop without thy head. 



 Exit GLOUCESTER. QUEEN MARGARET drops her fan  Give me my fan: what, minion! can ye not? 



 She gives the DUCHESS a box on the ear  I cry you mercy, madam; was it you? 

 DUCHESS  Was't I! yea, I it was, proud Frenchwoman: 

 Could I come near your beauty with my nails, 

 I'd set my ten commandments in your face. 

 KING HENRY VI  Sweet aunt, be quiet; 'twas against her will. 

 DUCHESS  Against her will! good king, look to't in time; 

 She'll hamper thee, and dandle thee like a baby: 

 Though in this place most master wear no breeches, 

 She shall not strike Dame Eleanor unrevenged. 



 Exit  BUCKINGHAM  Lord cardinal, I will follow Eleanor, 

 And listen after Humphrey, how he proceeds: 

 She's tickled now; her fume needs no spurs, 

 She'll gallop far enough to her destruction. 



 Exit 

 Re-enter GLOUCESTER  GLOUCESTER  Now, lords, my choler being over-blown 

 With walking once about the quadrangle, 

 I come to talk of commonwealth affairs. 

 As for your spiteful false objections, 

 Prove them, and I lie open to the law: 

 But God in mercy so deal with my soul, 

 As I in duty love my king and country! 

 But, to the matter that we have in hand: 

 I say, my sovereign, York is meetest man 

 To be your regent in the realm of France. 

 SUFFOLK  Before we make election, give me leave 

 To show some reason, of no little force, 

 That York is most unmeet of any man. 

 YORK  I'll tell thee, Suffolk, why I am unmeet: 

 First, for I cannot flatter thee in pride; 

 Next, if I be appointed for the place, 

 My Lord of Somerset will keep me here, 

 Without discharge, money, or furniture, 

 Till France be won into the Dauphin's hands: 

 Last time, I danced attendance on his will 

 Till Paris was besieged, famish'd, and lost. 

 WARWICK  That can I witness; and a fouler fact 

 Did never traitor in the land commit. 

 SUFFOLK  Peace, headstrong Warwick! 

 WARWICK  Image of pride, why should I hold my peace? 



 Enter HORNER, the Armourer, and his man PETER, guarded  SUFFOLK  Because here is a man accused of treason: 

 Pray God the Duke of York excuse himself! 

 YORK  Doth any one accuse York for a traitor? 

 KING HENRY VI  What mean'st thou, Suffolk; tell me, what are these? 

 SUFFOLK  Please it your majesty, this is the man 

 That doth accuse his master of high treason: 

 His words were these: that Richard, Duke of York, 

 Was rightful heir unto the English crown 

 And that your majesty was a usurper. 

 KING HENRY VI  Say, man, were these thy words? 

 HORNER  An't shall please your majesty, I never said nor 

 thought any such matter: God is my witness, I am 

 falsely accused by the villain. 

 PETER  By these ten bones, my lords, he did speak them to 

 me in the garret one night, as we were scouring my 

 Lord of York's armour. 

 YORK  Base dunghill villain and mechanical, 

 I'll have thy head for this thy traitor's speech. 

 I do beseech your royal majesty, 

 Let him have all the rigor of the law. 

 HORNER  Alas, my lord, hang me, if ever I spake the words. 

 My accuser is my 'prentice; and when I did correct 

 him for his fault the other day, he did vow upon his 

 knees he would be even with me: I have good 

 witness of this: therefore I beseech your majesty, 

 do not cast away an honest man for a villain's 

 accusation. 

 KING HENRY VI  Uncle, what shall we say to this in law? 

 GLOUCESTER  This doom, my lord, if I may judge: 

 Let Somerset be regent over the French, 

 Because in York this breeds suspicion: 

 And let these have a day appointed them 

 For single combat in convenient place, 

 For he hath witness of his servant's malice: 

 This is the law, and this Duke Humphrey's doom. 

 SOMERSET  I humbly thank your royal majesty. 

 HORNER  And I accept the combat willingly. 

 PETER  Alas, my lord, I cannot fight; for God's sake, pity 

 my case. The spite of man prevaileth against me. O 

 Lord, have mercy upon me! I shall never be able to 

 fight a blow. O Lord, my heart! 

 GLOUCESTER  Sirrah, or you must fight, or else be hang'd. 

 KING HENRY VI  Away with them to prison; and the day of combat 

 shall be the last of the next month. Come, 

 Somerset, we'll see thee sent away. 



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