Act II, Scene 3

A hall of justice.

[Sound trumpets. Enter KING HENRY VI, QUEEN] [p]MARGARET, GLOUCESTER, YORK, SUFFOLK, and SALISBURY; [p]the DUCHESS, MARGARET JOURDAIN, SOUTHWELL, HUME, [p]and BOLINGBROKE, under guard]

• Henry VI. Stand forth, Dame Eleanor Cobham, Gloucester's wife:
  In sight of God and us, your guilt is great: 1045
  Receive the sentence of the law for sins
  Such as by God's book are adjudged to death.
  You four, from hence to prison back again;
  From thence unto the place of execution:
  The witch in Smithfield shall be burn'd to ashes, 1050
  And you three shall be strangled on the gallows.
  You, madam, for you are more nobly born,
  Despoiled of your honour in your life,
  Shall, after three days' open penance done,
  Live in your country here in banishment, 1055
  With Sir John Stanley, in the Isle of Man.

• Eleanor. Welcome is banishment; welcome were my death.

• Duke of Gloucester. Eleanor, the law, thou see'st, hath judged thee:
  I cannot justify whom the law condemns.
  [Exeunt DUCHESS and other prisoners, guarded] 1060
  Mine eyes are full of tears, my heart of grief.
  Ah, Humphrey, this dishonour in thine age
  Will bring thy head with sorrow to the ground!
  I beseech your majesty, give me leave to go;
  Sorrow would solace and mine age would ease. 1065

• Henry VI. Stay, Humphrey Duke of Gloucester: ere thou go,
  Give up thy staff: Henry will to himself
  Protector be; and God shall be my hope,
  My stay, my guide and lantern to my feet:
  And go in peace, Humphrey, no less beloved 1070
  Than when thou wert protector to thy King.

• Queen Margaret. I see no reason why a king of years
  Should be to be protected like a child.
  God and King Henry govern England's realm.
  Give up your staff, sir, and the king his realm. 1075

• Duke of Gloucester. My staff? here, noble Henry, is my staff:
  As willingly do I the same resign
  As e'er thy father Henry made it mine;
  And even as willingly at thy feet I leave it
  As others would ambitiously receive it. 1080
  Farewell, good king: when I am dead and gone,
  May honourable peace attend thy throne!

[Exit]

• Queen Margaret. Why, now is Henry king, and Margaret queen;
  And Humphrey Duke of Gloucester scarce himself, 1085
  That bears so shrewd a maim; two pulls at once;
  His lady banish'd, and a limb lopp'd off.
  This staff of honour raught, there let it stand
  Where it best fits to be, in Henry's hand.

• Earl of Suffolk. Thus droops this lofty pine and hangs his sprays; 1090
  Thus Eleanor's pride dies in her youngest days.

• Richard Plantagenet (Duke of Gloucester). Lords, let him go. Please it your majesty,
  This is the day appointed for the combat;
  And ready are the appellant and defendant,
  The armourer and his man, to enter the lists, 1095
  So please your highness to behold the fight.

• Queen Margaret. Ay, good my lord; for purposely therefore
  Left I the court, to see this quarrel tried.

• Henry VI. O God's name, see the lists and all things fit:
  Here let them end it; and God defend the right! 1100

• Richard Plantagenet (Duke of Gloucester). I never saw a fellow worse bested,
  Or more afraid to fight, than is the appellant,
  The servant of this armourer, my lords.
  [Enter at one door, HORNER, the Armourer, and his]
  Neighbours, drinking to him so much that he is drunk; 1105
  and he enters with a drum before him and his staff
  with a sand-bag fastened to it; and at the other
  door PETER, his man, with a drum and sand-bag, and
  'Prentices drinking to him]

• First Neighbour. Here, neighbour Horner, I drink to you in a cup of 1110
  sack: and fear not, neighbour, you shall do well enough.

• Second Neighbour. And here, neighbour, here's a cup of charneco.

• Third Neighbour. And here's a pot of good double beer, neighbour:
  drink, and fear not your man.

• Thomas Horner. Let it come, i' faith, and I'll pledge you all; and 1115
  a fig for Peter!
  for credit of the 'prentices.

• Peter. I thank you all: drink, and pray for me, I pray 1120
  you; for I think I have taken my last draught in
  this world. Here, Robin, an if I die, I give thee
  my apron: and, Will, thou shalt have my hammer:
  and here, Tom, take all the money that I have. O
  Lord bless me! I pray God! for I am never able to 1125
  deal with my master, he hath learnt me so much fence already.

• Earl of Salisbury. Come, leave your drinking, and fall to blows.
  Sirrah, what's thy name?

• Peter. Peter, forsooth.

• Earl of Salisbury. Peter! what more? 1130

• Peter. Thump.

• Earl of Salisbury. Thump! then see thou thump thy master well.

• Thomas Horner. Masters, I am come hither, as it were, upon my man's
  instigation, to prove him a knave and myself an
  honest man: and touching the Duke of York, I will 1135
  take my death, I never meant him any ill, nor the
  king, nor the queen: and therefore, Peter, have at
  thee with a downright blow!

• Richard Plantagenet (Duke of Gloucester). Dispatch: this knave's tongue begins to double.
  Sound, trumpets, alarum to the combatants! 1140

[Alarum. They fight, and PETER strikes him down]

• Thomas Horner. Hold, Peter, hold! I confess, I confess treason.

[Dies]

• Richard Plantagenet (Duke of Gloucester). Take away his weapon. Fellow, thank God, and the
  good wine in thy master's way. 1145

• Peter. O God, have I overcome mine enemy in this presence?
  O Peter, thou hast prevailed in right!

• Henry VI. Go, take hence that traitor from our sight;
  For his death we do perceive his guilt:
  And God in justice hath revealed to us 1150
  The truth and innocence of this poor fellow,
  Which he had thought to have murder'd wrongfully.
  Come, fellow, follow us for thy reward.

[Sound a flourish. Exeunt]