CLIFFORD

Zainab Irfan

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CLIFFORD

. Are these thy bears? We'll bait thy bears to death,

And manacle the berard in their chains,

If thou dar'st bring them to the baiting-place.

RICHARD. Oft have I seen a hot o'er weening cur

Run back and bite, because he was withheld;

Who, being suffer'd, with the bear's fell paw,

Hath clapp'd his tail between his legs and cried;

And such a piece of service will you do,

If you oppose yourselves to match Lord Warwick.

CLIFFORD. Hence, heap of wrath, foul indigested lump,

As crooked in thy manners as thy shape!

YORK. Nay, we shall heat you thoroughly anon.

CLIFFORD. Take heed, lest by your heat you burn yourselves.

KING HENRY. Why, Warwick, hath thy knee forgot to bow?

Old Salisbury, shame to thy silver hair,

Thou mad misleader of thy brainsick son!

What, wilt thou on thy death-bed play the ruffian

And seek for sorrow with thy spectacles?

O, where is faith? O, where is loyalty?

If it be banish'd from the frosty head,

Where shall it find a harbour in the earth?

Wilt thou go dig a grave to find out war

And shame thine honourable age with blood?

Why art thou old, and want'st experience?

Or wherefore dost abuse it, if thou hast it?

For shame! In duty bend thy knee to me,

That bows unto the grave with mickle age.

SALISBURY. My lord, I have considered with myself

The tide of this most renowned duke,

And in my conscience do repute his Grace

The rightful heir to England's royal seat.

KING HENRY. Hast thou not sworn allegiance unto me?

SALISBURY. I have.

KING HENRY. Canst thou dispense with heaven for such an oath?

SALISBURY. It is great sin to swear unto a sin;

But greater sin to keep a sinful oath.

Who can be bound by any solemn vow

To do a murd'rous deed, to rob a man,

To force a spotless virgin's chastity,

To reave the orphan of his patrimony,

To wring the widow from her custom'd right,

And have no other reason for this wrong

But that he was bound by a solemn oath?

QUEEN. A subtle traitor needs no sophister.

KING HENRY. Call Buckingham, and bid him arm himself.

YORK. Call Buckingham, and all the friends thou hast,

I am resolv'd for death or dignity.

CLIFFORD. The first I warrant thee, if dreams prove true.

WARWICK. You were best to go to bed and dream again

To keep thee from the tempest of the field.

CLIFFORD. I am resolv'd to bear a greater storm

Than any thou canst conjure up to-day;

And that I'll write upon thy burgonet,

Might I but know thee by thy household badge.

WARWICK. Now, by my father's badge, old Nevil's crest,

The rampant bear chain'd to the ragged staff,

This day I'll wear aloft my burgonet,

As on a mountain-top the cedar shows,

That keeps his leaves in spite of any storm,

Even to affright thee with the view thereof.

CLIFFORD. And from thy burgonet I'll rend thy bear

And tread it under foot with all contempt,

Despite the berard that protects the bear.

YOUNG CLIFFORD. And so to arms, victorious father,

To quell the rebels and their complices.

RICHARD. Fie! charity, for shame! Speak not in spite,

For you shall sup with Jesu Christ to-night.

YOUNG CLIFFORD. Foul stigmatic, that's more than thou canst tell.

RICHARD. If not in heaven, you'll surely sup in hell.

Exeunt severally

SCENE II. Saint Albans

Alarums to the battle. Enter WARWICK

WARWICK. Clifford of Cumberland, 'tis Warwick calls;

And if thou dost not hide thee from the bear,

Now, when the angry trumpet sounds alarum

And dead men's cries do fill the empty air,

Clifford, I say, come forth and fight with me.

Proud northern lord, Clifford of Cumberland,

WARWICK is hoarse with calling thee to arms.

Enter YORK

How now, my noble lord! what, all a-foot?

YORK. The deadly-handed Clifford slew my steed;

But match to match I have encount'red him,

And made a prey for carrion kites and crows

Even of the bonny beast he lov'd so well.

Enter OLD CLIFFORD

WARWICK. Of one or both of us the time is come.

YORK. Hold, Warwick, seek thee out some other chase,

For I myself must hunt this deer to death.

WARWICK. Then, nobly, York; 'tis for a crown thou fight'st.

As I intend, Clifford, to thrive to-day,

It grieves my soul to leave thee unassail'd. Exit

CLIFFORD. What seest thou in me, York? Why dost thou pause?

YORK. With thy brave bearing should I be in love

But that thou art so fast mine enemy.

CLIFFORD. Nor should thy prowess want praise and esteem

But that 'tis shown ignobly and in treason.

YORK. So let it help me now against thy sword,

As I in justice and true right express it!

CLIFFORD. My soul and body on the action both!

YORK. A dreadful lay! Address thee instantly.

[They fight and CLIFFORD falls]

CLIFFORD. La fin couronne les oeuvres. [Dies]

YORK. Thus war hath given thee peace, for thou art still.

Peace with his soul, heaven, if it be thy will! Exit

Enter YOUNG CLIFFORD

YOUNG CLIFFORD. Shame and confusion! All is on the rout;

Fear frames disorder, and disorder wounds

Where it should guard. O war, thou son of hell,

Whom angry heavens do make their minister,

Throw in the frozen bosoms of our part

Hot coals of vengeance! Let no soldier fly.

He that is truly dedicate to war

Hath no self-love; nor he that loves himself

Hath not essentially, but by circumstance,

The name of valour. [Sees his father's body]

O, let the vile world end

And the premised flames of the last day

Knit earth and heaven together!

Now let the general trumpet blow his blast,

Particularities and petty sounds

To cease! Wast thou ordain'd, dear father,

To lose thy youth in peace and to achieve

The silver livery of advised age,

And in thy reverence and thy chair-days thus

To die in ruffian battle? Even at this sight

My heart is turn'd to stone; and while 'tis mine

It shall be stony. York not our old men spares;

No more will I their babes. Tears virginal

Shall be to me even as the dew to fire;

And beauty, that the tyrant oft reclaims,

Shall to my flaming wrath be oil and flax.

Henceforth I will not have to do with pity:

Meet I an infant of the house of York,

Into as many gobbets will I cut it

As wild Medea young Absyrtus did;

In cruelty will I seek out my fame.

Come, thou new ruin of old Clifford's house;

As did Aeneas old Anchises bear,

So bear I thee upon my manly shoulders;

But then Aeneas bare a living load,

Nothing so heavy as these woes of mine.

Exit with the body

Enter RICHARD and SOMERSET to fight. SOMERSET is killed

RICHARD. So, lie thou there;

For underneath an alehouse' paltry sign,

The Castle in Saint Albans, Somerset

Hath made the wizard famous in his death.

Sword, hold thy temper; heart, be wrathful still:

Priests pray for enemies, but princes kill. Exit

Fight. Excursions. Enter KING, QUEEN, and others

QUEEN. Away, my lord! You are slow; for shame, away!

KING HENRY. Can we outrun the heavens? Good Margaret, stay.

QUEEN. What are you made of? You'll nor fight nor fly.

Now is it manhood, wisdom, and defence,

To give the enemy way, and to secure us

By what we can, which can no more but fly.

[Alarum afar off]

If you be ta'en, we then should see the bottom

Of all our fortunes; but if we haply scape-

As well we may, if not through your neglect-

We shall to London get, where you are lov'd,

And where this breach now in our fortunes made

May readily be stopp'd.

Re-enter YOUNG CLIFFORD

YOUNG CLIFFORD. But that my heart's on future mischief set,

I would speak blasphemy ere bid you fly;

But fly you must; uncurable discomfit

Reigns in the hearts of all our present parts.

Away, for your relief! and we will live

To see their day and them our fortune give.

Away, my lord, away! Exeunt

SCENE III. Fields near Saint Albans

Alarum. Retreat. Enter YORK, RICHARD, WARWICK, and soldiers, with drum and colours

YORK. Of Salisbury, who can report of him,

That winter lion, who in rage forgets

Aged contusions and all brush of time

And, like a gallant in the brow of youth,

Repairs him with occasion? This happy day

Is not itself, nor have we won one foot,

If Salisbury be lost.

RICHARD. My noble father,

Three times to-day I holp him to his horse,

Three times bestrid him, thrice I led him off,

Persuaded him from any further act;

But still where danger was, still there I met him;

And like rich hangings in a homely house,

So was his will in his old feeble body.

But, noble as he is, look where he comes.

Enter SALISBURY

SALISBURY. Now, by my sword, well hast thou fought to-day!

By th' mass, so did we all. I thank you, Richard:

God knows how long it is I have to live,

And it hath pleas'd Him that three times to-day

You have defended me from imminent death.

Well, lords, we have not got that which we have;

'Tis not enough our foes are this time fled,

Being opposites of such repairing nature.

YORK. I know our safety is to follow them;

For, as I hear, the King is fled to London

To call a present court of Parliament.

Let us pursue him ere the writs go forth.

What says Lord Warwick? Shall we after them?

WARWICK. After them? Nay, before them, if we can.

Now, by my faith, lords, 'twas a glorious day:

Saint Albans' battle, won by famous York,

Shall be eterniz'd in all age to come.

Sound drum and trumpets and to London all;

And more such days as these to us befall! Exeunt

THE END