Think’st thou that I will leave my kingly throne,

Wherein my grandsire and my father sat?

No—first shall war unpeople this my realm;

Ay, and their colours, often borne in France,

And now in England to our heart’s great sorrow,

Shall be my winding-sheet. Why faint you, lords?

My title’s good, and better far than his.

WARWICK

Prove it, Henry, and thou shalt be king.

KING HENRY

Henry the Fourth by conquest got the crown.

YORK

’Twas by rebellion against his king.

KING HENRY ⌈aside⌉

I know not what to say—my title’s weak.

(To York) Tell me, may not a king adopt an heir?

YORK What then?

KING HENRY

An if he may, then am I lawful king—

For Richard, in the view of many lords,

Resigned the crown to Henry the Fourth,

Whose heir my father was, and I am his.

YORK

He rose against him, being his sovereign,

And made him to resign his crown perforce.

WARWICK

Suppose, my lords, he did it unconstrained—

Think you ’twere prejudicial to his crown?

EXETER

No, for he could not so resign his crown

But that the next heir should succeed and reign.

KING HENRY

Art thou against us, Duke of Exeter?

EXETER

His is the right, and therefore pardon me.

YORK

Why whisper you, my lords, and answer not?

EXETER ⌈to King Henry⌉

My conscience tells me he is lawful king.

KING HENRY ⌈aside⌉

All will revolt from me and turn to him.

NORTHUMBERLAND (to York)

Plantagenet, for all the claim thou lay’st,

Think not that Henry shall be so deposed.

WARWICK

Deposed he shall be, in despite of all.

NORTHUMBERLAND

Thou art deceived—’tis not thy southern power

Of Essex, Norfolk, Suffolk, nor of Kent,

Which makes thee thus presumptuous and proud,

Can set the Duke up in despite of me.

CLIFFORD

King Henry, be thy title right or wrong,

Lord Clifford vows to fight in thy defence.

May that ground gape and swallow me alive

Where I shall kneel to him that slew my father.

KING HENRY

O, Clifford, how thy words revive my heart!

YORK

Henry of Lancaster, resign thy crown.

What mutter you, or what conspire you, lords?

WARWICK

Do right unto this princely Duke of York,

Or I will fill the house with armed men

And over the chair of state, where now he sits,

Write up his title with usurping blood.

He stamps with his foot and the soldiers show

themselves

KING HENRY

My lord of Warwick, hear me but one word—

Let me for this my lifetime reign as king.

YORK

Confirm the crown to me and to mine heirs,

And thou shalt reign in quiet while thou liv’st.

KING HENRY

I am content. Richard Plantagenet,

Enjoy the kingdom after my decease.

CLIFFORD

What wrong is this unto the prince your son?

WARWICK

What good is this to England and himself?

WESTMORLAND

Base, fearful, and despairing Henry.

CLIFFORD

How hast thou injured both thyself and us?

WESTMORLAND

I cannot stay to hear these articles.

NORTHUMBERLAND Nor I.

CLIFFORD

Come, cousin, let us tell the Queen these news.

WESTMORLAND (to King Henry)

Farewell, faint-hearted and degenerate king,

In whose cold blood no spark of honour bides.

⌈Exit with his soldiers⌉

NORTHUMBERLAND (to King Henry)

Be thou a prey unto the house of York,

And die in bands for this unmanly deed.

⌈Exit with his soldiers⌉

CLIFFORD (to King Henry)

In dreadful war mayst thou be overcome,

Or live in peace, abandoned and despised.

Exit ⌈with his soldiers⌉

WARWICK (to King Henry)

Turn this way, Henry, and regard them not.

EXETER (to King Henry)

They seek revenge and therefore will not yield.

KING HENRY

Ah, Exeter.

WARWICK Why should you sigh, my lord?

KING HENRY

Not for myself, Lord Warwick, but my son,

Whom I unnaturally shall disinherit.

But be it as it may. (To York) I here entail

The crown to thee and to thine heirs for ever,

Conditionally, that here thou take thine oath

To cease this civil war, and whilst I live

To honour me as thy king and sovereign,

And nor by treason nor hostility

To seek to put me down and reign thyself.

YORK

This oath I willingly take and will perform.

WARWICK

Long live King Henry. (To York) Plantagenet, embrace him.

⌈York descends.⌉ Henry and York embrace

KING HENRY (to York)

And long live thou, and these thy forward sons.

YORK

Now York and Lancaster are reconciled.

EXETER

Accursed be he that seeks to make them foes. Sennet. Here York’s train comes down from the state

YORK (to King Henry)

Farewell, my gracious lord, I’ll to my castle. Exeunt York, Edward, and Richard, ⌈with soldiers⌉

WARWICK

And I’ll keep London with my soldiers.

Exit ⌈With soldiers⌉

NORFOLK

And I to Norfolk with my followers.

Exit ⌈With soldiers⌉

MONTAGUE

And I unto the sea from whence I came.

Exit ⌈with soldiers⌉

KING HENRY

And I with grief and sorrow to the court. ⌈King Henry and Exeter turn to leave.⌉

Enter Queen Margaret and Prince Edward

EXETER

Here comes the Queen, whose looks bewray her anger. I’ll steal away.

KING HENRY Exeter, so will I.

QUEEN MARGARET

Nay, go not from me—I will follow thee.

KING HENRY

Be patient, gentle Queen, and I will stay.

QUEEN MARGARET

Who can be patient in such extremes?

Ah, wretched man, would I had died a maid

And never seen thee, never borne thee son,

Seeing thou hast proved so unnatural a father.

Hath he deserved to lose his birthright thus?

Hadst thou but loved him half so well as I,

Or felt that pain which I did for him once,

Or nourished him as I did with my blood,