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Henry VI part one

Act V, Scene 5

 

London, at the palace.
 
[Enter SUFFOLK in conference with KING HENRY VI, GLOUCESTER and EXETER]
 
KING HENRY VI
            ,          ,         ,         ,       ,
      Your wond|rous rare | descrip|tion (nob|le earl)
           ,    2    ,          ,       ,         ,
      Of beaut|eous Marg|aret hath | aston|ished me:
           ,         ,       ,       ,        ,
      Her vir|tues grac|ed with | exter|nal gifts,
           ,        T     Tx     T         ,        ,
      Do breed | love's settled pas|sions in | my heart,
            ,        ,      ,       ,    2     ,
      And like | as rig|or of | tempest|uous gusts
           ,           ,     2    ,        ,           ,
      Provokes | the might|iest hulk | against | the tide,
          ,        x           ,         ,        ,
      So am | I driven | by breath | of her | renown,
       ,           ,        ,    ,             ,
      Either | to suf|fer ship|wreck, or | arrive
            ,         ,       ,       ,         ,
      Where I | may have | frui|tion of | her love.
 
SUFFOLK
        ,              ,          ,     ,        ,
      Tush my | good^lord,| this sup|erfi|cial tale,
          ,       ,        ,        ,         ,
      Is but | a pre|face of | her worth|y praise:
            ,         ,         ,         ,        ,
      The chief | perfec|tions of | that love|ly dame,
           ,       ,         ,         ,       ,
      (Had I | suffi|cient skill | to ut|ter them)
              ,       ,       ,      ,        ,
      Would make | a vol|ume of | enti|cing lines,
      ,          ,      ,      ,         ,
      Able | to rav|ish an|y dull | conceit.
            ,          ,              ,   ,       ,
      And which | is more,| she is / not so | divine,
           ,        ,             ,         ,         ,
      So full | replete | with choice | of all | delights,
            ,        ,       ,      ,         ,
      But with | as hum|ble low|liness | of mind,
           ,        ,        ,        ,         ,
      She is | content | to be | at your | command:
           ,        ,        ,    2      ,         ,
      Command | I mean,| of vir|tuous chaste | intents,
           ,         ,      ,      ,         ,
      To love,| and hon|or Hen|ry as | her lord.
 
KING HENRY VI
           ,      ,          ,       ,         ,
      And oth|erwise | will Hen|ry nere | presume:
            ,          ,        ,         ,         ,
      Therefore | my lord | protect|or, give | consent,
            ,    2    ,        ,          ,       ,
      That Marg|aret may | be Eng|land's roy|al queen.
 
GLOUCESTER
            ,         ,         ,         ,       ,
      So should | I give | consent | to flat|ter sin.
            ,         ,           ,        ,        ,
      You know |(my lord)| your high|ness is |betrothed
         ,      ,      ,     ,       ,
      Unto | anoth|er la|dy of | esteem,
       ,       2       ,        ,            T   T   T
      How shall we | then dis|pense with | that contract,
           ,        ,          ,       ,         ,
      And not | deface | your hon|or with | reproach?
 
SUFFOLK
           ,       ,       ,       ,        ,
      As doth | a rul|er with | unlaw|ful oaths,
          ,          ,      ,         ,        ,
      Or one | that^at | a tri|umph, hav|ing vowed
          ,           ,           ,       ,          ,
      To try | his strength,| forsak|eth yet | the lists
          ,       ,        ,     ,        ,
      By reas|on of | his ad|versa|ry's odds.
      .   T    T      T        ,     ,        ,
      A poor earl's daught|er is | une|qual odds,
            ,         ,         ,          ,        ,
      And there|fore may | be broke | without | offense.
 
GLOUCESTER
            ,        ,        ,    2     ,           ,
      Why what |(I pray)| is Marg|aret more | than that?
           ,       ,       ,        ,         ,
      Her fath|er is | no bet|ter than | an earl,
           ,         ,    2    ,       ,      ,
      Although | in glor|ious tit|les he | excel.
 
SUFFOLK
       ,         ,          ,        ,      __
      Yes my | lord, her | father | is a | king,
            ,        ,        ,       ,    ,
      The King | of Nap|les, and | Jerus|alem,
                 ,    ,         ,    ,         ,
      And of / such great | author|ity | in France,
          ,       ,        ,         ,          ,
      As his | alli|ance will | confirm | our peace,
            ,           ,        ,      ,     ,
      And keep | the French|men in | alleg|iance.
 
GLOUCESTER
           ,         ,        ,     ,         ,
      And so | the Earl | of Ar|magnac | may do,
          ,               ,   ,        ,       ,
      Because | he is / near kins|man un|to Charles.
 
EXETER
          ,           ,           ,      2   ,         ,
      Beside,| his wealth | doth war|rant a libe|ral dower,
              ,        ,        ,        ,            ,
      Where Reign|ier soon|er will | receive,| than give.
 
SUFFOLK
          ,          ,          ,           ,          ,
      A dower | my lords?| disgrace | not* so | your king,
            ,           ,       ,          ,          ,
      That he | should be | so^ab|ject*, base,| and poor,
            ,            ,          ,         ,         ,
      To choose | for wealth,| and not | for per|fect love.
       ,         ,      ,       ,          ,
      Henry | is a|ble to | enrich | his queen,
       T   T    T        ,          ,          ,
      And not seek | a queen | to make | him rich,
           ,          ,         ,       ,            ,
      So worth|less peas|ants barg|ain for | their wives,
          ,       ,         ,       ,          ,
      As mark|et-men | for ox|en, sheep,| or horse.
       ,          ,      ,            ,     ___
      Marriage | is a | matter | of more | worth,
        ,            ,         ,      ,       ,
      Than to | be dealt | in by | attor|neyship:
            ,         ,          ,          ,         ,
      Not^whom | we will,| but whom | his grace | affects,
            ,       ,       ,        ,        ,
      Must^be | compan|ion of | his nup|tial bed.
            ,          ,            ,       ,           ,
      And there|fore lords,| since^he | affects | her most,
           ,        ,           ,        ,        ,
      It most | of all | these reas|ons bind|eth us,
          ,      ,        ,            ,         ,
      In our | opin|ions she | should be | preferred.
            ,     .  T   T    T       ,        ,
      For what | is wedlock forc|ed? But | a hell,
          ,        ,    ,            ,   2     ,
      An age | of dis|cord and | contin|ual strife,
           ,         ,   ,        ,         ___
      Whereas | the con|trary | bringeth | bliss,
           ,      ,        ,      ,    2    ,
      And is | a pat|tern of | celes|tial peace.
              ,          ,           ,       x         ,
      Whom should | we match | with Hen|ry being | a king,
           ,    2      ,         ,        ,       ,
      But Marg|aret, that | is daught|er to | a king:
            ,        ,          ,       ,          ,
      Her peer|less fea|ture, join|ed with | her birth,
           ,          ,          ,         ,        ,
      Approves | her fit | for none,| but for | a king:
           ,    2    ,        ,        ,         x
      Her val|iant cour|age, and | undaunt|ed spirit,
         ,             ,      ,      ,        ,
      (More than | in wom|en com|monly | is seen)
            ,     2      ,        ,      ,       ,
      Will ans|wer our hope | in is|sue of | a king.
           ,       ,       ,      ,      ,
      For He|nry, son | unto | a con|queror,
           ,      ,      ,      ,   ,
      Is like|ly to | beget | more con/querors,
           ,       ,          ,   ,        ,
      If with | a la|dy of / so high | resolve,
        .  T   T   T    2     ,         ,          ,
      (As is fair Marg|aret) he | be linked | in love.
             ,          ,           ,         ,           ,
      Then yield | my lords,| and here | conclude | with me
            ,    2     ,          ,           ,         ,
      That Marg|aret shall | be queen,| and none | but she.
 
KING HENRY VI
       ,            ,             ,          ,        ,
      Whether | it be | through force | of your | report,
          ,       ,        ,         ,         ,
      My nob|le Lord | of Suf|folk: or | for that
          ,        ,          ,      ,        ,
      My tend|er youth | was nev|er yet | attaint
           ,     ,        ,       ,        ,
      With an|y pas|sion of | inflam|ing love,
         ,        ,          ,       ,       ,
      I can|not tell:| but this | I am | assured,
          ,           ,         ,        ,         ,
      I feel | such^sharp | dissen|sion in | my breast,
              ,       ,        ,         ,          ,
      Such fierce | alar|ums both | of hope | and fear,
         ,        ,          ,        ,         ,
      As I | am sick | with work|ing of | my thoughts.
        ,    ,         ,         ,       ,        ,
      Take therefore shipping, post my lord to France,  ??
         ,       ,     ,     ,        2    ,
      Agree | to an|y cov|enants,| and procure
            ,     ,    2    ,          ,         ,
      That La|dy Marg|aret do | vouchsafe | to come
           ,           ,        ,         ,          ,
      To cross | the seas | to Eng|land, and | be crowned
            ,         ,        ,       ,        ,
      King^Hen|ry's faith|ful and | anoint|ed queen.
            ,       ,       ,        ,          ,
      For your | expens|es and | suffi|cient charge,
         ,         ,       ,       ,       ,
      Among | the peo|ple gath|er up | a tenth.
           ,       ,          ,         ,       ,
      Be gone | I say,| for till | you do | return,
          ,         ,       ,        ,         ,
      I rest | perplex|ed with | a thous|and cares.
           ,          ,       ,       ,        ,
      And you |(good^unc|le) ban|ish all | offense:
          ,        ,        ,        ,          ,
      If you | do cens|ure me,| by what | you were,
            ,         ,        ,         ,        ,
      Not what | you are,| I know | it will | excuse
            ,       ,   ,       ,        ,
      This sud|den ex|ecu|tion of | my will.
           ,        ,          ,           ,     ,
      And so | conduct | me, where | from comp|any,
         ,        ,          ,     ,         ,
      I may | revolve | and rum|inate | my grief.
 
[Exit]
 
GLOUCESTER
            ,         ,          ,         ,           ,
      Aye grief | I fear | me, both | at first | and last.
 
[Exeunt GLOUCESTER and EXETER]
 
SUFFOLK
            ,         ,          ,           ,         ,
      Thus Suf|folk hath | prevailed,| and thus | he goes
          ,          ,        ,       ,          ,
      As did | the youth|ful Par|is once | to Greece,
             ,         ,          ,       ,         ,
      With hope | to find | the like | event | in love,
            ,       ,        ,         ,       ,
      But pros|per bet|ter than | the Tro|jan did:
       ,  2             ,         ,           ,          ,
      Margaret | shall now | be queen,| and rule | the king:
          ,          ,          ,          ,          ,
      But I | will rule | both her,| the king,| and realm.
 
[Exit]

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