William Shakespeare: King Henry VI, First Part

ACT FIRST 3. SCENE III. London. Before the Tower. (continued)

WINCHESTER.
How now, ambitious Humphry! what means this?

GLOUCESTER.
Peel'd priest, dost thou command me to be shut out?

WINCHESTER.
I do, thou most usurping proditor,
And not protector, of the king or realm.

GLOUCESTER.
Stand back, thou manifest conspirator,
Thou that contrivedst to murder our dead lord;
Thou that givest whores indulgences to sin:
I 'll canvass thee in thy broad cardinal's hat,
If thou proceed in this thy insolence.

WINCHESTER.
Nay, stand thou back; I will not budge a foot:
This be Damascus, be thou cursed Cain,
To slay thy brother Abel, if thou wilt.

GLOUCESTER.
I will not slay thee, but I 'll drive thee back:
Thy scarlet robes as a child's bearing-cloth
I 'll use to carry thee out of this place.

WINCHESTER.
Do what thou darest; I beard thee to thy face.

GLOUCESTER.
What! am I dared and bearded to my face?
Draw, men, for all this privileged place;
Blue coats to tawny coats. Priest, beware your beard;
I mean to tug it and to cuff you soundly:
Under my feet I stamp thy cardinal's hat:
In spite of pope or dignities of church,
Here by the cheeks I 'll drag thee up and down.

WINCHESTER.
Gloucester, thou wilt answer this before the
pope.

GLOUCESTER.
Winchester goose, I cry, a rope! a rope!

Now beat them hence; why do you let them stay?
Thee I 'll chase hence, thou wolf in sheep's array.
Out, tawny coats! out, scarlet hypocrite!
Here Gloucester's men beat out the Cardinal's
men, and enter in the hurly-burly the Mayor of
London and his Officers.

MAYOR.
Fie, lords! that you, being supreme magistrates,
Thus contumeliously should break the peace!

GLOUCESTER.
Peace, mayor! thou know'st little of my wrongs:
Here's Beaufort, that regards nor God nor king,
Hath here distrain'd the Tower to his use.