William Shakespeare: King Henry VI, First Part

ACT THIRD 1. SCENE I. London. The Parliament-house. (continued)

WARWICK.
Yield, my lord protector; yield, Winchester;
Except you mean with obstinate repulse
To slay your sovereign and destroy the realm.
You see what mischief and what murder too
Hath been enacted through your enmity;
Then be at peace, except ye thirst for blood.

WINCHESTER.
He shall submit, or I will never yield.

GLOUCESTER.
Compassion on the king commands me stoop;
Or I would see his heart out, ere the priest
Should ever get that privilege of me.

WARWICK.
Behold, my Lord of Winchester, the duke
Hath banish'd moody discontented fury,
As by his smoothed brows it doth appear:
Why look you still so stem and tragical?

GLOUCESTER.
Here, Winchester, I offer thee my hand.

KING.
Fie, uncle Beaufort! I have heard you preach
That malice was a great and grievous sin;
And will not you maintain the thing you teach,
But prove a chief offender in the same?

WARWICK.
Sweet king! the bishop hath a kindly gird.
For shame, my lord of Winchester, relent!
What, shall a child instruct you what to do?

WINCHESTER.
Well, Duke of Gloucester, I will yield to thee;
Love for thy love and hand for hand I give.

GLOUCESTER.
[Aside] Aye, but, I fear me, with a hollow heart.--
See here, my friends and loving countrymen;
This token serveth for a flag of truce
Betwixt ourselves and all our followers:
So help me God, as I dissemble not!

WINCHESTER.
[Aside] So help me God, as I intend it not!

KING.
O loving uncle, kind Duke of Gloucester,
How joyful am I made by this contract!
Away, my masters! trouble us no more;
But join in friendship, as your lords have done.

FIRST SERVING-MAN.
Content: I'll to the surgeon's.

SECOND SERVING-MAN.
And so will I.

THIRD SERVING-MAN.
And I will see what physic the tavern affords.