HENRY THE SIXTH PART 3

Act 1 Scene 3

(Alarums, and then enter the young Earl of Rutland and his Tutor, a chaplain)
l1l	Rutland	 Ah, whither shall I fly to scape their hands?
		(Enter Lord Clifford with soldiers)
l2l		Ah, tutor, look where bloody Clifford comes.
l3l	Clifford	(to the Tutor)
		 Chaplain, away—thy priesthood saves thy life.
l4l		As for the brat of this accursèd duke,
l5l		Whose father slew my father—he shall die.
l6l	Tutor	And I, my lord, will bear him company.
l7l	Clifford	Soldiers, away with him.
l8l	Tutor	Ah, Clifford, murder not this innocent child
l9l		Lest thou be hated both of God and man.
		(Exit, guarded)
l10l		(Rutland falls to the ground)
		Clifford	 How now—is he dead already?
l11l		Or is it fear that makes him close his eyes?
l12l		I’ll open them.
l13l	Rutland	(reviving)
		 So looks the pent-up lion o’er the wretch
l14l		That trembles under his devouring paws,
l15l		And so he walks, insulting o’er his prey,
l16l		And so he comes to rend his limbs asunder.
l17l		Ah, gentle Clifford, kill me with thy sword
l18l		And not with such a cruel threat’ning look.
l19l		Sweet Clifford, hear me speak before I die.
l20l		I am too mean a subject for thy wrath.
l21l		Be thou revenged on men, and let me live.
l22l	Clifford	In vain thou speak’st, poor boy. My father’s blood
l23l		Hath stopped the passage where thy words should enter.
l24l	Rutland	Then let my father’s blood open it again.
l25l		He is a man, and, Clifford, cope with him.
l26l	Clifford	Had I thy brethren here, their lives and thine
l27l		Were not revenge sufficient for me.
l28l		No—if I digged up thy forefathers’ graves,
l29l		And hung their rotten coffins up in chains,
l30l		It could not slake mine ire nor ease my heart.
l31l		The sight of any of the house of York
l32l		Is as a fury to torment my soul.
l33l		And till I root out their accursèd line,
l34l		And leave not one alive, I live in hell.
l35l		Therefore—
l36l	Rutland	O, let me pray before I take my death.
l37l		(Kneeling)
		 To thee I pray: sweet Clifford, pity me.
l38l	Clifford	Such pity as my rapier’s point affords.
l39l	Rutland	I never did thee harm—why wilt thou slay me?
l40l	Clifford	Thy father hath.
	Rutland	But ’twas ere I was born.
l41l		Thou hast one son—for his sake pity me,
l42l		Lest in revenge thereof, sith God is just,
l43l		He be as miserably slain as I.
l44l		Ah, let me live in prison all my days,
l45l		And when I give occasion of offence,
l46l		Then let me die, for now thou hast no cause.
l47l	Clifford	No cause? Thy father slew my father, therefore die.
		( 47 He stabs him)
l48l	Rutland	 Dii faciant laudis summa sit ista tuae.
		( 48 He dies)
l49l	Clifford	 Plantagenet—I come, Plantagenet!
l50l		And this thy son’s blood cleaving to my blade
l51l		Shall rust upon my weapon till thy blood,
l52l		Congealed with this, do make me wipe off both.
		(Exit with Rutland's body and soldiers)