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Before York.
[Flourish. Enter KING HENRY VI, QUEEN MARGARET, PRINCE EDWARD, CLIFFORD, and
NORTHUMBERLAND, with drum and trumpets]
QUEEN MARGARET
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Welcome | my lord,| to this / brave town | of
York,
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Yonder's | the head | of that / arch-en|emy,
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That sought | to be | encomp|assed with | your
crown.
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Doth^not | the ob|ject cheer | your heart,| my
lord.
KING HENRY VI
, 2
T T T ,
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Aye, as the | rocks cheer them | that fear |
their wrack,
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To see | this sight,| it irks | my ve|ry soul:
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Withhold | revenge (dear God)| 'tis not | my
fault,
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Nor wit|tingly | have I | infringed | my vow.
CLIFFORD
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My gra|cious liege,| this^too | much len|ity
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And harm|ful pi|ty must | be laid | aside:
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To whom | do li|ons cast | their gent|le looks?
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Not to | the beast,| that would | usurp | their
den.
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Whose^hand | is that | the for|est bear |
doth^lick?
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Not^his | that spoils | her young | before | her
face.
2 ,
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Who escapes | the lurk|ing serp|ent's mort|al
sting?
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Not he | that sets | his foot | upon | her back.
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The smal|lest worm | will turn,| being trod|den
on,
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And doves | will peck | in safe|guard of | their
brood.
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Ambi|tious York,| did lev|el at | thy crown,
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Thou smil|ing, while | he knit | his ang|ry
brows.
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He but | a duke,| would have | his son | a king,
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And raise | his is|sue like | a lov|ing sire.
, 2
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Thou be|ing a king,| blest with | a good|ly son,
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Didst^yield | consent | to dis|inher|it him:
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Which arg|ued thee | a most | unlov|ing fath||er.
, , 2
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Un|reasona|ble creat|ures feed | their young,
. T T
T ,
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And though man's face | be fear|ful to | their
eyes,
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Yet in | protec|tion of | their tend|er ones,
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Who hath | not seen | them ev|en with |
those^wings,
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Which some|time they | have used | with fear|ful
flight,
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Make^war | with him | that climbed | unto | their
nest,
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Offering | their own | lives in | their young's |
defense?
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For shame,| my liege,| make them | your
prec|edent:
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Were it | not pi|ty that | this good|ly boy
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Should lose | his birth|right by | his fath|er's
fault,
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And long | hereaft|er say | unto | his child,
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What my / great-grand|father,| and his grand|sire*
got,
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My care|less fath|er fond|ly gave | away.
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Ah, what | a shame | were this?| Look^on | the
boy,
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And let | his man|ly face,| which prom|iseth
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Succes|sful for|tune steel | thy melt|ing heart,
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To hold | thine^own,| and leave | thine^own |
with him.
KING HENRY VI
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Full* well | hath Clif|ford played | the or|ator,
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Infer|ring arg|uments | of migh|ty force:
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But Clif|ford tell | me, didst | thou nev|er
hear,
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T . T ,
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That things | ill-got, had^ev|er bad | success?
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And hap|py al|ways was | it for | that son,
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Whose fath|er for | his hoard|ing went | to hell:
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I'll leave | my son | my vir|tuous deeds |
behind,
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And would | my fath|er had / left me | no more:
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For all | the rest | is held | at such | a rate,
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As brings | a thous|and-fold | more* care | to
keep,
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Than in | posses|sion and | jot of | pleasure.
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Ah cous|in York,| would^thy | best^friends | did^know,
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How^it | doth grieve | me that | thy head | is
here.
QUEEN MARGARET
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My lord | cheer^up | your spirits,| our foes |
are nigh,
, ,
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And this / soft cour|age makes | your fol|lowers
faint:
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You prom|ised knight|hood^to | our for|ward son,
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Unsheathe | your sword,| and dub | him
pres|ently.
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___ __
Edward,| kneel | down. \\
KING HENRY VI
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Edward | Plantag|enet,| arise | a knight,
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And learn | this les|son; draw | thy sword | in
right.
PRINCE
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My gra|cious fath|er, by | your king|ly leave,
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I'll draw | it as | appar|ent to | the crown,
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And in | that quar|rel, use | it to | the death.
CLIFFORD
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Why that | is spok|en like | a to|ward prince.
[Enter a Messenger]
MESSENGER
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Royal | command|ers, be | in read|iness,
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For with | a band | of thir|ty thous|and men,
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Comes^War|wick back|ing of | the Duke | of York,
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And in | the towns,| as they | do march | along,
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Proclaims | him king,| and ma|ny fly | to him,
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Darraign | your bat|tle, for | they are | at
hand.
CLIFFORD
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I would | your high|ness would | depart | the
field,
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2->
The queen | hath best | success | when you | are
abs||ent.
QUEEN MARGARET
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Aye* good | my lord,| and leave us | to our |
fortune.
KING HENRY VI
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T Tx T ,
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Why, that's | my fortune^too,| therefore | I'll
stay.
NORTHUMBERLAND
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Be it | with res|olu|tion then | to fight.
PRINCE EDWARD
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My roy|al fath|er, cheer | these nob|le lords,
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And heart|en those | that fight | in your |
defense:
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Unsheathe | your sword,| good* fath|er: cry |
Saint^George.
[March. Enter EDWARD, GEORGE, RICHARD, WARWICK, NORFOLK, MONTAGUE, and
Soldiers]
EDWARD
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Now per|jured Hen|ry, wilt | thou kneel | for
grace?
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And set | thy di|adem | upon | my head?
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Or bide | the mort|al for|tune of | the field.
QUEEN MARGARET
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Go* rate | thy min|ions, proud | insult|ing boy,
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Becomes | it thee | to be | thus bold | in terms,
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Before | thy sove|reign, and | thy law|ful king?
EDWARD
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I am | his king,| and he | should bow | his knee;
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I was | adopt|ed heir | by his | consent.
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Since when,| his oath | is broke:| for as | I
hear,
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You that | are king,| though he | do wear | the
crown,
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Have caused | him by / new act | of parl|iament,
. T T T
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To blot out me,| and put | his own | son^in.
CLIFFORD
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And reason too, \\
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Who should | succeed | the fath|er, but | the
son.
RICHARD
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Are you | there* butch|er? O,| I can|not speak.
CLIFFORD
T T T
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Aye crook-back,| here I stand | to ans|wer thee,
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Or an|y he,| the proud|est of | thy sort.
RICHARD
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'Twas you | that killed | young^Rut|land, was |
it not?
CLIFFORD
T . T
T , ,
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Aye, and old York,| and yet | not sat|isfied.
RICHARD
, T
T T ,
2 ,
For God's | sake lords give | signal | to the
fight.
WARWICK
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What sayst | thou Hen|ry,
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Wilt | thou yield | the
crown?
QUEEN MARGARET
2 , T T
T ,
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Why* how* now | long-tongued War|wick, dare | you
speak? ??
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When you | and I,| met at | Saint Al|ban's last,
, ,
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Your legs | did bet|ter serv|ice than | your
hands.
WARWICK
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T T . T
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Then 'twas | my turn to fly,| and now |'tis
thine:
CLIFFORD
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You said | so much | before,| and yet | you fled.
WARWICK
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'Twas not | your val|or Clif|ford drove | me
thence.
NORTHUMBERLAND
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No, nor | your man|hood that / durst make | you
stay.
RICHARD
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Northum|berland,| I hold | thee reve|rently,
T T .
T , ,
2 ,
Break off the par|ley, for / scarce I | can
refrain
, , 2 , T Tx T
The ex|ecu|tion of my | big-swollen heart
??
, ,
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Upon | that Clif|ford, that / cruel
child-|killer.
CLIFFORD
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I slew | thy fath|er, callst | thou him | a
child?
RICHARD
T T . T , ,
x
Aye like a dast|ard, and | a treache|rous coward,
??
,
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As thou didst^kill our tender brother Rutland,
????
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But^ere*/ sunset,| I'll make | thee curse | the
deed.
KING HENRY VI
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Have done | with words |(my lords)| and hear | me
speak.
QUEEN MARGARET
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T T T ,
Defy | them then,| or else hold close | thy
lips.
KING HENRY VI
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I prith|ee, give | no* lim|its to | my tongue,
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I am | a king,| and priv|ileged | to speak.
CLIFFORD
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My liege,| the wound | that bred | this meet|ing
here,
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Cannot | be cured | by words,| therefore | be
still.
RICHARD
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Then ex|ecu|tioner / unsheathe | thy sword:
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By him | that made | us all,| I am | resolved,
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That Clif|ford's man|hood*, lies | upon | his
tongue.
EDWARD
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Say* Hen|ry, shall | I have | my right,| or no:
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A thous|and men | have broke | their fasts |
today,
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That nere | shall dine,| unless | thou yield |
the crown.
WARWICK
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If thou | deny,| their blood | upon | thy head,
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For York | in just|ice puts | his arm|or on.
PRINCE EDWARD
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If that | be right | which War|wick says | is
right,
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There is | no wrong,| but eve|ry thing | is
right.
RICHARD
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Whoev|er got | thee, there | thy moth|er stands,
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For well | I wot,| thou hast | thy moth|er's
tongue.
QUEEN MARGARET
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But thou | art neith|er like | thy sire | nor
dam,
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But like | a foul | misshap|en stig|matic,
, 2
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Marked by the | desti|nies to | be a|voided,
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As ven|om toads,| or liz|ards' dread|ful stings.
RICHARD
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Iron | of Nap|les, hid | with Eng|lish gilt,
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Whose fath|er bears | the tit|le of | a king,
, ,
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(As if | a chan|nel should | be called | the sea)
,
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Shamst thou | not, *know|ing whence | thou art |
extraught,
, ,
, . T T T
To let | thy tongue | detect | thy* base-born
heart.
EDWARD
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A wisp | of straw | were worth | a thous|and
crowns,
, ,
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To make | this shame|less cal|let know | herself:
, ,
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Helen | of Greece | was fair|er far | than thou,
, ,
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Although | thy hus|band may | be Men|elaus;
, ,
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And nere | was Ag|amem|non's broth|er wronged
, ,
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By that / false wom|an, as / this king | by thee.
,
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His fath|er rev|elled in | the heart | of France,
, ,
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And tamed | the king,| and made | the Dauph|in
stoop:
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And had | he matched | accord|ing to | his state,
, ,
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He might | have kept | that glo|ry to | this day.
, ,
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But when | he took | a beg|gar to | his bed,
,
, ,
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And graced | thy poor | sire with | his brid|al
day,
2 ,
, T T . Tx
,
Even then | that sun|shine brewed a shower | for
him,
,
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That washed | his fath|er's for|tunes forth | of
France,
,
, ,
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And heaped | sedi|tion on | his crown | at home:
, ,
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For what | hath broached | this tum|ult but | thy
pride?
, ,
, , ,
Hadst thou | been meek,| our tit|le still | had
slept,
, , ,
, ,
And we | in pi|ty of | the gent|le king,
,
, ,
, ,
Had slipped | our claim,| until | anoth|er age.
GEORGE
,
, ,
, ,
But when | we saw,| our sun|shine^made | thy
spring, ??
, ,
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And that | thy sum|mer bred | us no | increase,
,
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We set | the axe | to thy | usurp|ing root:
,
, ,
, ,
And though | the edge | hath some|thing hit |
ourselves,
, ,
, ,
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Yet know | thou, since / we have | begun | to
strike,
,
, , ,
,
We'll nev|er leave,| till we | have hewn | thee
down,
, ,
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Or bathed | thy grow|ing, with | our heat|ed
bloods.
EDWARD
,
, , 2
, ,
And in | this res|olu|tion, I de/fy thee,
,
, , ,
,
Not^wil|ling an|y long|er conf|erence,
,
, , ,
,
Since^thou | deniedst | the gent|le king | to
speak.
, ,
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Sound trump/ets, let | our bloo|dy col|ors wave,
, , , ,
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And eith|er vict|ory,| or else | a grave.
QUEEN MARGARET
__ ,
Stay | Edward. \\
EDWARD
,
, ,
, ,
No wrang|ling wom|an, we'll | no* long|er stay,
, ,
, ,
,
These^words | will cost | ten^thous|and lives |
this day.
[Exeunt]