The Complete Plays (60 page)

EDWARD

Look to your own heads, his is sure enough.

WARWICK

Look to your own crown, if you back him thus.

KENT

Warwick, these words do ill beseem thy years.

EDWARD

Nay, all of them conspire to cross me thus;

But if I live, I'll tread upon their heads

That think with high looks thus to tread me down.

Come, Edmund, let's away and levy men.

'Tis war that must abate these barons' pride.

Exeunt the
KING
[,
QUEEN
,
and
KENT
,
attended
.]

WARWICK

100  Let's to our castles, for the king is moved.

MORTIMER

Moved may he be, and perish in his wrath!

LANCASTER

Cousin, it is no dealing with him now.

He means to make us stoop by force of arms,

And therefore let us jointly here protest

To prosecute that Gaveston to the death.

MORTIMER

By heaven, the abject villain shall not live.

WARWICK

I'll have his blood or die in seeking it.

PEMBROKE

The like oath Pembroke takes.

LANCASTER
            And so doth Lancaster.

Now send our heralds to defy the king,

110  And make the people swear to put him down.

Enter a
POST
.

MORTIMER

Letters, from whence?

MESSENGER

From Scotland, my lord.

[
MORTIMER JUNIOR
takes the letter
.]

LANCASTER

Why, how now, cousin, how fares all our friends?

MORTIMER

My uncle's taken prisoner by the Scots.

LANCASTER

We'll have him ransomed, man; be of good cheer.

MORTIMER

They rate his ransom at five thousand pound.

Who should defray the money but the king,

Seeing he is taken prisoner in his wars?

I'll to the king.

LANCASTER

Do, cousin, and I'll bear thee company.

120   

WARWICK

Meantime, my lord of Pembroke and myself

Will to Newcastle here and
gather head
.

MORTIMER

About it then, and we will follow you.

LANCASTER

Be resolute and full of secrecy.

WARWICK
I warrant you.

[
Exeunt all but
MORTIMER JUNIOR
and
LANCASTER
.]

MORTIMER

Cousin, an if he will not ransom him,

I'll thunder such a peal into his ears

As never subject did unto his king.

LANCASTER
Content, I'll bear my part. Holla! Who's there?

[
Enter a
GUARD
.]

MORTIMER
Ay, marry, such a guard as this doth well.

130   

LANCASTER
Lead on the way.

GUARD
Whither will your lordships?

MORTIMER
Whither else but to the king?

GUARD
His highness is disposed to be alone.

LANCASTER
Why, so he may, but we will speak to him.

GUARD
You may not in, my lord.

MORTIMER
May we not?

[
Enter the
KING
and
KENT
.]

EDWARD

How now, what noise is this?

Who have we there? Is't you?

[
He starts to leave.
]

MORTIMER

Nay, stay, my lord, I come to bring you news:

140  Mine uncle's taken prisoner by the Scots.

EDWARD
Then ransom him.

LANCASTER

'Twas in your wars, you should ransom him.

MORTIMER

And you shall ransom him, or else.

KENT

What, Mortimer, you will not threaten him?

EDWARD

Quiet yourself. You shall have
the broad seal

To gather for him thoroughout the realm.

LANCASTER

Your minion Gaveston hath taught you this.

MORTIMER

My lord, the family of the Mortimers

150  Are not so poor but, would they sell their land,

Would levy men enough to anger you.

We never beg, but use such prayers as these.

[
he grasps the hilt of his sword
]

EDWARD
Shall I still be haunted thus?

MORTIMER

Nay, now you are here alone, I'll speak my mind.

LANCASTER

And so will I, and then, my lord, farewell.

MORTIMER

The idle triumphs, masques, lascivious shows,

And prodigal gifts bestowed on Gaveston

Have drawn thy
treasure
dry and made thee weak,

The murmuring
commons overstretchèd hath.

LANCASTER

160    Look for rebellion, look to be deposed.

Thy garrisons are beaten out of France,

And lame and poor lie groaning at the gates.

The wild
O'Neill
, with swarms of Irish kerns,

Lives uncontrolled within
the English pale
.

Unto the walls of York the Scots
made road
,

And, unresisted, drave away rich spoils.

MORTIMER

The haughty Dane commands the
narrow seas
,

While in the harbour ride thy ships unrigged.

LANCASTER

What foreign prince sends thee ambassadors?

MORTIMER

170    Who loves thee but a sort of flatterers?

LANCASTER

Thy gentle queen, sole sister to
Valois
,

Complains that thou hast left her all forlorn.

MORTIMER

Thy court is naked, being bereft of those

That makes a king seem glorious to the world:

I mean the peers, whom thou shouldst dearly love.

Libels are cast again thee in the street,

Ballads and rhymes made of thy overthrow.

LANCASTER

The northern borderers, seeing their houses burnt,

Their wives and children slain, run up and down,

180     Cursing the name of thee and Gaveston.

MORTIMER

When wert thou in the field with banner spread?

But once, and then thy soldiers marched like players,

With garish robes, not armour; and thyself,

Bedaubed with gold, rode laughing at the rest,

Nodding and shaking of thy spangled crest,

Where
women's favours
hung like labels down.

LANCASTER

And thereof came it that the fleering Scots,

To England's high disgrace, have made this jig:

'
Maids
of England, sore may you mourn,

For your lemans you have lost at
Bannocksbourn
,

190     With a heave and a ho!

What weeneth the king of England,

So soon to have won Scotland?

With a
rumbelow
.'

MORTIMER

Wigmore shall fly
, to set my uncle free.

LANCASTER

And when 'tis gone, our swords shall purchase more.

If ye be moved, revenge it as you can.

Look next to see us with our ensigns spread.

Exeunt
NOBLES
[
MORTIMER JUNIOR
and
LANCASTER
].

EDWARD

My swelling heart for very anger breaks.

200  How oft have I been baited by these peers,

And dare not be revenged, for their power is great!

Yet shall the crowing of these
cockerels

Affright a lion? Edward, unfold thy paws,

And let their lives' blood slake thy fury's hunger.

If I be cruel and grow tyrannous,

Now let them thank themselves, and rue too late.

KENT

My lord, I see your love to Gaveston

Will be the ruin of the realm and you,

For now the wrathful nobles threaten wars,

210  And therefore, brother, banish
him
for ever.

EDWARD

Art thou an enemy to my Gaveston?

KENT

Ay, and it grieves me that I favoured him.

EDWARD

Traitor, begone! Whine thou with Mortimer.

KENT

So will I, rather than with Gaveston.

EDWARD

Out of my sight, and trouble me no more.

KENT

No marvel though thou scorn thy noble peers,

When I thy brother am rejected thus.

EDWARD
Away!

Exit
[
RENT
].

Poor Gaveston, that hast no friend but me.

220  Do what they can, we'll live in Tynemouth here,

And, so I walk with him about the walls,

What care I though the earls begirt us round?

Here comes she that's cause of all these jars.

Enter the
QUEEN
,
three
LADIES
[(
the
KING'S NIECE
and two
LADIES-IN-WAITING
),
GAVESTON
,]
BALDOCK
,
and
SPENCER
[
JUNIOR
].

QUEEN

My lord, 'tis thought the earls are up in
arms
.

EDWARD

Ay, and 'tis likewise thought you favour him.

QUEEN

Thus do you still suspect me without cause.

NIECE

Sweet uncle, speak more kindly to the queen.

GAVESTON
[
aside to
EDWARD
]

My lord, dissemble with her, speak her fair.

EDWARD
[
to the
QUEEN
]

Pardon me, sweet, I forgot myself.

QUEEN

230          Your pardon is quickly got of Isabel.

EDWARD

The younger Mortimer is grown so brave

That to my face he threatens civil wars.

GAVESTON

Why do you not commit him to the Tower?

EDWARD

I dare not, for the people love him well.

GAVESTON

Why then, we'll have him privily made away.

EDWARD

Would Lancaster and he had both caroused

A bowl of poison to each other's health!

But let them go, and tell me what are these.

NIECE

Two of my father's servants whilst he lived.

240  May't please your grace to entertain them now?

EDWARD
[
to
BALDOCK
]

Tell me, where wast thou born? What is thine arms?

BALDOCK

My name is Baldock, and my
gentry

I fetched from Oxford, not from heraldry.

EDWARD

The fitter art thou, Baldock, for my turn.

Wait on me, and I'll see thou shalt not want.

BALDOCK

I humbly thank your majesty.

EDWARD
[
pointing to
SPENCER JUNIOR
]

Knowest thou him, Gaveston?

GAVESTON
              Ay, my lord,

His name is Spencer; he is
well allied
.

For my sake, let him wait upon your grace;

250  Scarce shall you find a man of more desert.

EDWARD

Then, Spencer, wait upon me; for his sake

I'll grace thee with a higher style ere long.

SPENCER

No greater titles happen unto me

Than to be favoured of your majesty.

EDWARD
[
to his
NIECE
]

Cousin, this day shall be your marriage feast.

And, Gaveston, think that I love thee well

To wed thee to our niece, the only heir

Unto the earl of Gloucester late deceased.

GAVESTON

I know, my lord, many will stomach me,

260  But I respect neither their love nor hate.

EDWARD

The headstrong barons shall not limit me;

He that I list to favour shall be great.

Come, let's away, and when the marriage ends,

Have at
the rebels and their complices.

Exeunt
.

Enter
LANCASTER, MORTIMER
[
JUNIOR
],
WARWICK, PEMBROKE, KENT
.

KENT

My lords, of love to this our native land

I come to join with you and leave the king,

And in your quarrel and the realm's behoof

Will be the first that shall adventure life.

LANCASTER

I fear me you are sent
of policy
,

To undermine us with a show of love.

WARWICK

He is your brother, therefore have we cause

To cast the worst, and doubt of your revolt.

KENT

Mine honour shall be hostage of my truth.

10        If that will not suffice, farewell, my lords.