The Complete Plays (64 page)

50       Where weapons want; and, though a many friends

Are
made away
– as Warwick, Lancaster,

And others of our party and faction –

Yet have we friends, assure your grace, in England

Would
cast up caps
and clap their hands for joy

To see us there
appointed for
our foes.

KENT

Would all were well, and Edward well reclaimed

For England's honour, peace, and quietness!

MORTIMER

But by the sword, my lord, it must be deserved.

60       The king will ne'er forsake his flatterers.

SIR JOHN

My lords of England, sith the ungentle king

Of France refuseth to give aid of arms

To this distressèd queen his sister here,

Go you with her to Hainault. Doubt ye not

We will find comfort, money, men, and friends

Ere long
to bid
the English king a base.

How say, young prince, what think you of the
match
?

PRINCE

I think King Edward will outrun us all.

QUEEN

Nay, son, not so, and you must not discourage

70       Your friends that are so forward in your aid.

KENT

Sir John of Hainault, pardon us, I pray.

These comforts that you give our woeful queen

Bind us in kindness all at your command.

QUEEN

Yea, gentle
brother
, and the God of heaven

Prosper your happy
motion
, good Sir John!

MORTIMER

This noble gentleman,
forward in arms
,

Was born, I see, to be our anchor-hold.

Sir John of Hainault, be it thy renown

That England's queen and nobles in distress

80       Have been by thee restored and comforted.

SIR JOHN

Madam, along, and you, my lord, with me,

That England's peers may Hainault's welcome see.

[
Exeunt
.]

Enter the
KING, ARUNDEL
,
the
TWO SPENCERS
,
with others
.

EDWARD

Thus after many threats of wrathful war

Triumpheth England's Edward with his friends;

And triumph Edward, with his friends uncontrolled.

My lord of Gloucester, do you hear the news?

SPENCER
What news, my lord?

EDWARD

Why, man, they say there is great execution

Done through the realm. My lord of Arundel,

You have the
note
, have you not?

ARUNDEL

From the lieutenant of the Tower, my lord.

EDWARD

I pray let us see it. What have we there?

10       Read it, Spencer.

SPENCER
[
JUNIOR
]
reads their names
.

Why so, they
barked apace
a month ago;

Now, on my life, they'll neither bark nor bite.

Now, sirs, the news from France. Gloucester, I trow

The lords of France love England's gold so well

As Isabella gets no aid from thence.

What now remains? Have you proclaimed, my lord,

Reward for them can bring in Mortimer?

SPENCER

My lord, we have, and if he be in England,

20        
'A will be had
ere long, I doubt it not.

EDWARD

‘If, dost thou say? Spencer, as true as death,

He is in England's ground. Our port-masters

Are not so careless of their king's command.

Enter a
POST
[
with letters
].

How now, what news with thee? From whence come these?

POST

Letters, my lord, and tidings forth of France,

To you, my lord of Gloucester, from Levune.

EDWARD
Read.

SPENCER
[
JUNIOR
]
reads the letter
.

SPENCER
‘My duty to your honour
promised
, etc. I have, according
to instructions in that behalf, dealt with the King of France
30         his lords, and effected that the queen, all discontented and
discomforted, is gone; whither, if you ask, with Sir John of
Hainault, brother to the marquis, into Flanders. With them
are gone Lord Edmund and the Lord Mortimer, having in
their company divers of your nation and others; and, as
constant report goeth, they intend to give King Edward battle
in England sooner than he can look for them. This is all the
news of import.

Your honour's
in all service, Levune.'

EDWARD

Ah, villains, hath that Mortimer escaped?

40       With him is Edmund gone associate?

And will Sir John of Hainault
lead the round
?

Welcome,
a'
God's name, madam, and your son.

England shall welcome you and all your
rout
.

Gallop apace, bright Phoebus, through the sky,

And dusky night, in rusty iron car,

Between you both shorten the time, I pray,

That I may see that most desirèd day

When we may meet these traitors in the field.

Ah, nothing grieves me but my little boy

50       Is thus misled to countenance their ills.

Come, friends, to Bristol, there to make us strong;

And, winds, as
equal
be to bring them in

As you injurious were to bear them forth.

[
Exeunt
.]

Enter the
QUEEN
,
her son
[
PRINCE EDWARD
],
EDMUND
[
EARL OF KENT
],
MORTIMER
[
JUNIOR
],
and
SIR JOHN
[
OF HAINAULT
],

QUEEN

Now, lords, our loving friends and countrymen,

Welcome to England all with prosperous winds.

Our kindest friends in
Belgia
have we left

To
cope with
friends at home – a heavy case,

When force to force is knit, and sword and glaive

In civil broils makes kin and countrymen

Slaughter themselves in others, and their sides

With their own weapons gored. But what's the help?

Misgoverned kings are cause of all this wrack,

And, Edward, thou art one among them all

10       Whose looseness hath betrayed thy land to spoil

And made the channels overflow with blood.

Of thine own people patron shouldst thou be,

But thou –

MORTIMER
Nay, madam, if you be a warrior,

Yet must not grow so passionate in speeches.

Lords, sith that we are by sufferance of heaven

Arrived and armèd in this prince's right,

Here for our country's cause swear we to him

All homage, fealty, and forwardness;

And, for the open wrongs and injuries

20       Edward hath done to us, his queen, and land,

We come in arms to wreck it with the sword,

That England's queen in peace may repossess

Her dignities and honours, and withal

We may remove these flatterers from the king

That
havocs
England's wealth and treasury.

SIR JOHN

Sound trumpets, my lord, and forward let us march.

Edward will think we come to flatter him.

KENT

I would he never had been flattered more.

[
Trumpets sound. Exeunt
.]

Enter the
KING, BALDOCK
,
and
SPENCER THE SON
,
flying about
the stage
.

SPENCER

Fly, fly, my lord! The queen is over-strong;

Her friends do multiply, and yours do fail.

Shape we our course to Ireland, there to breathe.

EDWARD

What, was I born to fly and run away,

5          And leave the Mortimers conquerors behind?

Give me my horse, and let's
r'enforce
our troops,

And in this
bed of honour
die with fame.

BALDOCK

O no, my lord, this princely resolution

Fits not the time. Away! We are pursued.

[
Exeunt
.]

[
Enter
]
EDMUND
[
EARL OF KENT
]
alone, with a sword and target
.

KENT

This way he fled, but I am come too late.

Edward, alas, my heart relents for thee.

Proud traitor, Mortimer, why dost thou chase

Thy lawful king, thy sovereign, with thy sword,

Vile wretch, and why hast thou, of all unkind,

Borne arms against thy brother and thy king?

Rain showers of vengeance on my cursèd head,

Thou God, to whom in justice it belongs

To punish this unnatural revolt!

Edward, this Mortimer aims at thy life;

10       O, fly him, then! But, Edmund, calm this rage.

Dissemble or thou diest, for Mortimer

And Isabel do kiss while they conspire;

And yet she bears a face of love, forsooth.

Fie on that love that hatcheth death and hate!

Edmund, away.
Bristol
to Longshanks' blood

Is false.
Be
not found single for suspect;

Proud Mortimer pries near into thy walks.

Enter the
QUEEN, MORTIMER
[
JUNIOR
],
the young
PRINCE
[
EDWARD
],
and
SIR JOHN OF HAINAULT
.

QUEEN

Successful battles gives the God of kings

To them that fight in right and fear his wrath.

20       Since then successfully we have prevailed,

Thanks be heaven's great architect and you.

Ere farther we proceed, my noble lords,

We here create our well-belovèd son,

Of love and care unto his royal person,

Lord Warden of the realm; and sith the Fates

Have made his father so infortunate,

Deal you, my lords, in this, my loving lords,

As to your wisdoms fittest seems in all.

KENT

Madam, without offence if I may ask,

30       How will you deal with Edward in his fall?

PRINCE

Tell me, good uncle, what Edward do you mean?

KENT

Nephew, your father; I dare not call him king.

MORTIMER

My lord of Kent, what needs these questions?

'Tis not in her controlment, nor in ours,

But as the realm and Parliament shall please,

So shall your brother be disposèd of.

[
Aside to the
QUEEN
]

I like not this relenting mood in Edmund.

Madam, 'tis good to look to him betimes.

QUEEN
[
to
MORTIMER JUNIOR
]

40       My lord, the Mayor of Bristol knows our mind.

MORTIMER

Yea, madam, and they 'scape not easily

That fled the field.

QUEEN
           Baldock is with the king;

A goodly chancellor
, is he not, my lord?

SIR JOHN

So are the Spencers, the father and the son.

KENT
[
aside
]

This Edward is the ruin of the realm.

Enter
RICE
ap
HOWELL
and the
MAYOR OF BRISTOL
,
with
SPENCER THE FATHER
[
captive, and
GUARDS
].

RICE
ap
HOWELL

God save Queen Isabel and her princely son!

Madam, the mayor and citizens of Bristol,

In sign of love and duty to
this presence
,

Present by me this traitor to the state:

50       Spencer, the father to that wanton Spencer

That like the lawless Catiline of Rome

Revelled in England's wealth and treasury.

QUEEN

We thank you all.

MORTIMER
         Your loving care in this

Deserveth princely favours and rewards.

But where's the king and the other Spencer fled?

RICE
ap
HOWELL

Spencer the son, created earl of Gloucester,

Is with that smooth-tongued scholar Baldock gone

And shipped but late for Ireland with the king.

MORTIMER

Some whirlwind fetch them back or sink them all!

60        They shall be
started thence
, I doubt it not.

PRINCE

Shall I not see the king my father yet?

KENT
[
aside
]

Unhappy Edward, chased from England's bounds!

SIR JOHN

Madam, what resteth? Why stand ye
in a muse
?

QUEEN

I rue my lord's ill fortune; but alas,

Care of my country called me to this war.

MORTIMER

Madam, have done with care and sad complaint;

Your king hath wronged your country and himself,