The Works of William Shakespeare [Cambridge Edition] [Vol. 5 of 9]Shakespeare, William
General
The Works of William Shakespeare [Cambridge Edition] [Vol. 5 of 9]
Shakespeare, William
English drama
_Y. Clif._ Shame and confusion! all is on the rout; [beb031]
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 ·beb035·
Hot coals of vengeance! Let no soldier fly. [beb036]
He that is truly dedicate to war
Hath no self-love, nor he that loves himself [beb038]
Hath not essentially but by circumstance
The name of valour. [_Seeing his dead father_] O, let the vile
world end, [beb040]
And the premised flames of the last day [beb041]
Knit earth and heaven together! [beb042]
Now let the general trumpet blow his blast,
Particularities and petty sounds
To cease! Wast thou ordain’d, dear father, [beb045]
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, ·beb050·
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. ·beb055·
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: [beb059]
In cruelty will I seek out my fame. ·beb060·
Come, thou new ruin of old Clifford’s house:
As did Æneas old Anchises bear,
So bear I thee upon my manly shoulders;
But then Æneas bare a living load,
Nothing so heavy as these woes of mine. [beb065]
[_Exit, bearing off his father._
_Enter_ RICHARD _and_ SOMERSET _to fight._ SOMERSET _is
killed_.
_Rich._ So, lie thou there; [beb066]
For underneath an alehouse’ paltry sign, [beb067]
The Castle in Saint Alban’s, Somerset
Hath made the wizard famous in his death.
Sword, hold thy temper; heart, be wrathful still: ·beb070·
Priests pray for enemies, but princes kill. [_Exit._ [beb071]
_Fight: excursions. Enter_ KING, QUEEN, _and others_.
_Queen._ Away, my lord! you are slow; for shame, away! [beb072]
_King._ Can we outrun the heavens? good Margaret, stay.
_Queen._ What are you made of? you’ll nor fight nor fly: [beb074]
Now is it manhood, wisdom and defence, ·beb075·
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 [beb078]
Of all our fortunes: but if we haply scape,
As well we may, if not through your neglect, [beb080]
We shall to London get, where you are loved
And where this breach now in our fortunes made [beb082]
May readily be stopp’d. [beb083]
_Re-enter young_ CLIFFORD.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account