William Shakespeare: King Henry VI, First Part

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

MAYOR.
O, my good lords, and virtuous Henry,
Pity the city of London, pity us!
The bishop and the Duke of Gloucester's men,
Forbidden late to carry any weapon,
Have fill'd their pockets full of pebble stones,
And banding themselves in contrary parts
Do pelt so fast at one another's pate
That many have their giddy brains knock'd out:
Our windows are broke down in every street,
And we for fear compell'd to shut our shops.

[Enter Serving-men, in skirmish, with bloody pates.]

KING.
We charge you, on allegiance to ourself,
To hold your slaughtering hands and keep the peace.
Pray, uncle Gloucester, mitigate this strife.

FIRST SERVING-MAN.
Nay, if we be forbidden stones,
we 'll fall to it with our teeth.

SECOND SERVING-MAN.
Do what ye dare, we are as resolute.

[Skirmish again.]

GLOUCESTER.
You of my household, leave this peevish broil
And set this unaccustom'd fight aside.

THIRD SERVING-MAN.
My lord, we know your grace to be a man
Just and upright; and, for your royal birth,
Inferior to none but to his Majesty:
And ere that we will suffer such a prince,
So kind a father of the commonweal,
To be disgraced by an inkhorn mate,
We and our wives and children all will fight,
And have our bodies slaughter'd by thy foes.

FIRST SERVING-MAN.
Aye, and the very parings of our nails
Shall pitch a field when we are dead.

[Begin again.]

GLOUCESTER.
Stay, stay, I say!
And if you love me, as you say you do,
Let me persuade you to forbear awhile.

KING.
O, how this discord doth afflict my soul!
Can you, my Lord of Winchester, behold
My sighs and tears and will not once relent?
Who should be pitiful, if you be not?
Or who should study to prefer a peace,
If holy churchmen take delight in broils?