Henry VI, Part II by William Shakespeare
Act 4 - Scene 1
The coast of Kent.
Captain : The gaudy, blabbing and remorseful day
[p]Is crept into the bosom of
the sea;
[p]And now loud-howling wolves arouse the jades
[p]That drag
the tragic melancholy night;
[p]Who, with their drowsy, slow and
flagging wings,
[p]Clip dead men's graves and from their misty
jaws
[p]Breathe foul contagious darkness in the air.
[p]Therefore
bring forth the soldiers of our prize;
[p]For, whilst our pinnace
anchors in the Downs,
[p]Here shall they make their ransom on the
sand,
[p]Or with their blood stain this discolour'd shore.
[p]Master,
this prisoner freely give I thee;
[p]And thou that art his mate, make
boot of this;
[p]The other, Walter Whitmore, is thy share.
First Gentleman : What is my ransom, master? let me know.
Master : A thousand crowns, or else lay down your head.
Captain : What, think you much to pay two thousand crowns,
[p]And bear the name
and port of gentlemen?
[p]Cut both the villains' throats; for die you
shall:
[p]The lives of those which we have lost in fight
[p]Be
counterpoised with such a petty sum!
First Gentleman : I'll give it, sir; and therefore spare my life.
Second Gentleman : And so will I and write home for it straight.
Walter Whitmore : I lost mine eye in laying the prize aboard,
[p]And therefore to
revenge it, shalt thou die;
[p][To SUFFOLK]
[p]And so should these, if
I might have my will.
Captain : Be not so rash; take ransom, let him live.
Walter Whitmore : And so am I; my name is Walter Whitmore.
[p]How now! why start'st
thou? what, doth
[p]death affright?
Walter Whitmore : Gaultier or Walter, which it is, I care not:
[p]Never yet did base
dishonour blur our name,
[p]But with our sword we wiped away the
blot;
[p]Therefore, when merchant-like I sell revenge,
[p]Broke be my
sword, my arms torn and defaced,
[p]And I proclaim'd a coward through
the world!
Walter Whitmore : The Duke of Suffolk muffled up in rags!
Captain : But Jove was never slain, as thou shalt be.
Walter Whitmore : Speak, captain, shall I stab the forlorn swain?
Captain : First let my words stab him, as he hath me.
Captain : Convey him hence and on our longboat's side
[p]Strike off his head.
Captain : Yes, Pole.
Captain : Pool! Sir Pool! lord!
[p]Ay, kennel, puddle, sink; whose filth and
dirt
[p]Troubles the silver spring where England drinks.
[p]Now will I
dam up this thy yawning mouth
[p]For swallowing the treasure of the
realm:
[p]Thy lips that kiss'd the queen shall sweep the
ground;
[p]And thou that smiledst at good Duke Humphrey's
death,
[p]Against the senseless winds shalt grin in vain,
[p]Who in
contempt shall hiss at thee again:
[p]And wedded be thou to the hags
of hell,
[p]For daring to affy a mighty lord
[p]Unto the daughter of a
worthless king,
[p]Having neither subject, wealth, nor diadem.
[p]By
devilish policy art thou grown great,
[p]And, like ambitious Sylla,
overgorged
[p]With gobbets of thy mother's bleeding heart.
[p]By thee
Anjou and Maine were sold to France,
[p]The false revolting Normans
thorough thee
[p]Disdain to call us lord, and Picardy
[p]Hath slain
their governors, surprised our forts,
[p]And sent the ragged soldiers
wounded home.
[p]The princely Warwick, and the Nevils all,
[p]Whose
dreadful swords were never drawn in vain,
[p]As hating thee, are
rising up in arms:
[p]And now the house of York, thrust from the
crown
[p]By shameful murder of a guiltless king
[p]And lofty proud
encroaching tyranny,
[p]Burns with revenging fire; whose hopeful
colours
[p]Advance our half-faced sun, striving to shine,
[p]Under the
which is writ 'Invitis nubibus.'
[p]The commons here in Kent are up in
arms:
[p]And, to conclude, reproach and beggary
[p]Is crept into the
palace of our king.
[p]And all by thee. Away! convey him hence.
Captain : Walter,--
Walter Whitmore : Come, Suffolk, I must waft thee to thy death.
Walter Whitmore : Thou shalt have cause to fear before I leave thee.
[p]What, are ye
daunted now? now will ye stoop?
First Gentleman : My gracious lord, entreat him, speak him fair.
Captain : Hale him away, and let him talk no more.
Captain : And as for these whose ransom we have set,
[p]It is our pleasure one
of them depart;
[p]Therefore come you with us and let him go.
Walter Whitmore : There let his head and lifeless body lie,
[p]Until the queen his
mistress bury it.
First Gentleman : O barbarous and bloody spectacle!
[p]His body will I bear unto the
king:
[p]If he revenge it not, yet will his friends;
[p]So will the
queen, that living held him dear.
Previous: Act 3 - Scene 3
Next: Act 4 - Scene 2
