SCENE 4.] KING RICHARD III. 1 Murd. No; he'll say, 'twas done cowardly, | when he wakes. 2 Murd. When he wakes! why, fool, he shall never wake until the great judgment day. 1 Murd. Why, then he'll say, we stabb'd him sleeping. 2 Murd. The urging of that word, judgment, hath bred a kind of remorse in me. 1 Murd. What? art thou afraid? 2 Murd. Not to kill him, having a warrant for it; but to be damn'd for killing him, from the which no warrant can defend me. 1 Murd. I thought, thou had'st been resolute. 2 Murd. So I am, to let him live. [him so. 1 Murd. I'll back to the duke of Gloster, and tell 2 Murd. Nay, I pr'ythee, stay a little: I hope, this holy humour of mine will change; it was wont to hold me but while one would tell twenty. 1 Murd. How dost thou feel thyself now? 2 Murd. 'Faith, some certain dregs of conscience [done. are yet within me. 1 Murd. Remember our reward, when the deed's 2 Murd. Come, he dies; I had forgot the reward. 1 Murd. Where's thy conscience now? 2 Murd. In the duke of Gloster's purse. 1 Murd. So, when he opens his purse to give us our reward, thy conscience flies out. 2 Murd. "Tis no matter; let it go; there's few, or none, will entertain it. 1 Murd. What, if it come to thee again? 2 Murd. I'll not meddle with it, it is a dangerous thing, it makes a man a coward; a man cannot steal, but it accuseth him; a man cannot swear, but it checks him; a man cannot lie with his neighbour's wife, but it detects him: 'Tis a blushing shame-faced spirit, that mutinies in a man's bosom; it fills one full of obstacles: it made me once restore a purse of gold, that by chance I found; it beggars any man that keeps it: it is turned out of all towns and cities for a dangerous thing; and every man, that means to live well, endeavours to trust to himself, and live without it. 1 Murd. 'Zounds, it is even now at my elbow, persuading me not to kill the duke. 2 Murd. Take the devil in thy mind, and believe him not: he would insinuate with thee, but to make [with me. thee sigh. 1 Murd. I am strong-fram'd, he cannot prevail 2 Murd. Spoke like a tall fellow, that respects his reputation. Come, shall we fall to work? 1 Murd. Take him over the costard with the hilts of thy sword, and then throw him into the malmsey[him. butt, in the next room. 2 Murd. O excellent device! and make a sop of 1 Murd. Soft! he wakes. 2 Murd. Strike. 1 Murd. No, we'll reason with him. Clar. Where art thou, keeper? give me a cup of 1 Murd. Nor you, as we are, loyal. Your eyes do menace me: Why look you pale? Clar. To murder me? Clar. You scarcely have the hearts to tell me so, 1 Murd. Offended us you have not, but the king. 2 Murd. Never, my lord; therefore prepare to die. men, To slay the innocent? What is my offence? 1 Murd. What we will do, we do upon command. For false forswearing, and for murder too: 1 Murd. And, like a traitor to the name of God, Didst break that vow; and, with thy treacherous blade, defend. Unrip'dst the bowels of thy sovereign's son. [fault, 1 Murd. Who made thee then a bloody minister, Clar. O, no; he loves me, and he holds me dear: 1 Murd. Ay, mill-stones; as he lesson'd us to weep. Clar. O, do not slander him, for he is kind.. Murd. Right, as snow in harvest.-Come, you deceive yourself; "Tis he that sends us to destroy you here. Clar. It cannot be; for he bewept my fortune, And hugg'd me in his arms, and swore, with sobs, That he would labour my delivery. 1 Mur. Why, so he doth, when he delivers you From this earth's thraldom to the joys of heaven. 2 Murd. Make peace with God, for you must die, my lord. Clar. Hast thou that holy feeling in thy soul, To do this deed, will hate you for the deed. If two such murderers as yourselves came to you,- My friend, I spy some pity in thy looks; Come thou on my side, and entreat for me, How fain, like Pilate, would I wash my hands Re-enter first Murderer. 1 Murd. How now? what mean'st thou, that thou help'st me not? been. By heaven, the duke shall know how slack you have [brother! 2 Murd. I would he knew, that I had sav'd his Take thou the fee, and tell him what I say; For I repent me that the duke is slain. [Exit. 1 Murd. So do not I; go, coward, as thou art.Well, I'll go hide the body in some hole, Till that the duke give order for his burial: And when I have my meed, I will away; For this will out, and then I must not stay. [Exit. ACT II. SCENE I.-The same. A Room in the Palace. Enter King EDWARD, (led in sick,) Queen ELIZABETH, DORSET, RIVERS, HASTINGS, BUCKINGHAM, GREY, and others. K. Edw. Why, so:-now have I done a good day's work; You peers, continue this united league : And with my hand I seal my true heart's love. king; Lest he, that is the supreme King of kings, Hast. So prosper I, as I swear perfect love! this, Nor your son Dorset,-Buckingham, nor you;— K. Edw. Dorset, embrace him,-Hastings, love lord marquis. Doth cherish you and yours, God punish me (Embracing Rivers, &c.) Glo. Good-morrow to my sovereign king, and queen; And, princely peers, a happy time of day! Brother, we have done deeds of charity; Glo. A blessed labour, my most sovereign liege.- If I unwittingly, or in my rage, To reconcile me to his friendly peace: I hate it, and desire all good men's love- Q. Eliz. A holy-day shall this be kept hereafter:— Glo. Why, madam, have I offer'd love for this, To be so flouted in this royal presence? Who knows not, that the gentle duke is dead? (They all start.) You do him injury, to scorn his corse. Q. Eliz. All-seeing heaven, what a world is this! Enter STANLEY. Stan. A boon, my sovereign, for my service done! sorrow. Stan. I will not rise, unless your highness hear me. Stan. The forfeit, sovereign, of my servant's life; [death, K. Edw. Have I a tongue to doom my brother's [Exeunt King, Queen, Hastings, Rivers, SCENE II.-The same. [Exeunt. Enter the Duchess of YORK, with a Son and Daugh- Son. Good grandam, tell us, is our father dead? Daugh. Why do you weep so oft? and beat your If that our noble father be alive? Duch. My pretty cousins, you mistake me both; You cannot guess who caus'd your father's death. Gloster Told me, the king, provok'd to't by the queen, Devis'd impeachments to imprison him: He is my son, ay, and therein my shame, Son. I cannot think it. Hark! what noise is this? Enter Queen ELIZABETH, distractedly; RIVERS, and DORSET following her. Q. Eliz. Ah! who shall hinder me to wail and To chide my fortune, and torment myself? Duch. What means this scene of rude impatience? sap Duch. Ah, so much interest have I in thy sorrow, And liv'd by looking on his images: But now, two mirrors of his princely semblance How can we aid you with our kindred tears? Daugh. Our fatherless distress was left unmoan'd, Q. Eliz. Give me no help in lamentation, Chil. Ah, for our father, for our dear lord Clarence. Q. Eliz. What stay had I, but Edward? and he's Duch. What stays had I, but they? and they are : Dor. Comfort, dear mother; God is much dis- That you take with unthankfulness his doing; Which with a bounteous hand was kindly lent; Riv. Madam, bethink you, like a careful mother, Of the young prince your son: send straight for him, Let him be crown'd; in him your comfort lives: Drown desperate sorrow in dead Edward's grave, And plant your joys in living Edward's throne. Enter GLOSTER, BUCKINGHAM, STANLEY, HASTINGS, RATCLIFF, and others. Glo. Sister, have comfort: all of us have cause To wail the dimming of our shining star; But none can cure their harms by wailing them.Madam, my mother, I do cry you mercy, I did not see your grace:-Humbly on my knee I crave your blessing. [breast, Duch. God bless thee; and put meekness in thy Love, charity, obedience, and true duty! Glo. Amen; and make me die a good old man!That is the butt-end of a mother's blessing; I marvel, that her grace did leave it out. (Aside.) Buck. You cloudy princes, and heart sorrowing peers, That bear this mutual heavy load of moan, Riv. Why with some little train, my lord of Buck. Marry, my lord, lest, by a multitude, Where every horse bears his commanding rein, Glo. I hope, the king made peace with all of us; And the compact is firm, and true, in me. Riv. And so in me; and so, I think, in all: Yet, since it is but green, it should be put To no apparent likelihood of breach, Which, haply, by much company might be urg'd: Therefore I say, with noble Buckingham, That it is meet so few should fetch the prince. Hast. And so say I. Glo. Then be it so; and go we to determine Who they shall be that straight shall post to Ludlow. Madam, and you my mother, will you go To give your censures in this weighty business? [Exeunt all but Buckingham and Gloster. Buck. My lord, whoever journeys to the prince, For God's sake, let not us two stay at home: For, by the way, I'll sort occasion, As index to the story we late talk'd of, To part the queen's proud kindred from the prince. Glo. My other self, my counsel's consistory, My oracle, my prophet!-My dear cousin, I, as a child, will go by thy direction. Towards Ludlow then, for we'll not stay behind. SCENE III.-The same. A Street. Enter two Citizens, meeting. [Exeunt. 1 Cit. Good morrow, neighbour: Whither away so fast? 2 Cit. I promise you, I scarcely know myself: Hear you the news abroad? 1 Cit. Yes; the king's dead. 2 Cit. Ill news, by'rlady; seldom comes the betI fear, I fear, 'twill prove a giddy world. [ter: Enter another Citizen. 3 Cit. Neighbours, God speed! 1 Cit. Give you good morrow, sir. 3 Cit. Doth the news hold of good king Edward's death? 2 Cit. Ay, sir, it is too true; God help, the while! 3 Cit. Then, masters, look to see a troublous world. [reign. 1 Cit. No, no; by God's good grace, his son shall 3 Cit. Woe to that land, that's govern'd by a child! 2 Cit. In him there is a hope of government; That, in his nonage, council under him, And, in his full and ripen'd years, himself, No doubt, shall then, and till then, govern well. 1 Cit. So stood the state, when Henry the Sixth Was crown'd in Paris but at nine months old. 3 Cit. Stood the state so? no, no, good friends, God wot; For then this land was famously enrich'd 1 Cit. Why, so hath this, both by his father and mother. 3 Cit. Better it were, they all came by his father; Or, by his father, there were none at all: For emulation now, who shall be nearest, Will touch us all too near, if God prevent not. O, full of danger is the duke of Gloster; And the queen's sons, and brothers, haught and proud: And were they to be rul'd, and not to rule, be well. 1 Cit. Come, come, we fear the worst; all will [their cloaks; 3 Cit. When clouds are seen, wise men put on When great leaves fall, then winter is at hand; Untimely storms make men expect a dearth: When the sun sets, who doth not look for night? All may be well; but, if God sort it so, 'Tis more than we deserve, or I expect. 2 Cit. Truly, the hearts of men are full of fear: You cannot reason almost with a man That looks not heavily, and full of dread. 3 Cit. Before the days of change, still is it so: By a divine instinct, men's minds mistrust Ensuing danger; as, by proof, we see The water swell before a boist'rous storm. 2 Cit. Marry, we were sent for to the justices. [Exeunt. Stratford; And at Northampton they do rest to-night: York. Ay, mother, but I would not bave it so. haste. Duch. I hope, he is; but yet let mothers doubt. York. Now, by my troth, if I had been remember'd, I could have given my uncle's grace a flout, York. Marry, they say, my uncle grew so fast, Duch. His nurse! why, she was dead ere thou wast born. York. If 'twere not she, I cannot tell who told me. Q.Eliz. A parlous boy: Go to, you are too shrewd. Arch. Good madam, be not angry with the child. Q. Eliz. Pitchers have ears. Mess. The sum of all I can, I have disclos'd; Why, or for what, the nobles were committed, Is all unknown to me, my gracious lady. Q. Eliz. Ah me, I see the ruin of my house! The tiger now hath seiz'd the gentle hind; Insulting tyranny begins to jut : Upon the innocent and awless throne :- Duch. Accursed and unquiet wrangling days! Clean over-blown, themselves, the conquerors, Stay, I will go with you. Q. Eliz. You have no cause. My gracious lady, go, ACT III. SCENE 1.-The same. A Street. The trumpets sound. Enter the Prince of WALES, GLOSTER, BUCKINGHAM, Cardinal BOURCHIER, and others. Buck. Welcome, sweet prince, to London, to your chamber. [reign: Glo. Welcome, dear cousin, my thoughts' soveThe weary way hath made you melancholy. Prince. No, uncle; but our crosses on the way Hath not yet div'd into the world's deceit : Glo. My lord, the mayor of London comes to Enter the Lord Mayor, and his Train. May. God bless your grace with health and happy days! Prince. I thank you, good my lord;-and thank you all. [Exeunt Mayor, &c. I thought my mother, and my brother York, Would long ere this have met us on the way: Fy, what a slug is Hastings! that he comes not To tell us, whether they will come, or no. Enter HASTINGS. Buck. And in good time, here comes the sweating lord. [ther come? Prince. Welcome, my lord: What, will our moHast. On what occasion, God he knows, not I, The queen your mother, and your brother York, Have taken sanctuary: The tender prince Would fain have come with me to meet your grace, But by his mother was perforce withheld. Buck. Fy! what an indirect and peevish course Is this of hers?-Lord cardinal, will your grace Persuade the queen to send the duke of York Unto his princely brother presently? If she deny,-lord Hastings, go with him, Card. My lord of Buckingham, if my weak oratory Buck. You are too senseless-obstinate, my lord, Too ceremonious, and traditional: Weigh it but with the grossness of this age, You break not sanctuary in seizing him. The benefit thereof is always granted To those whose dealings have deserv'd the place, And those who have the wit to claim the place: This prince hath neither claim'd it, nor deserv'd it; And therefore, in mine opinion, cannot have it: Then, taking him from thence, that is not there, You break no privilege nor charter there. Oft have I heard of sanctuary men; But sanctuary children ne'er till now. Card. My lord, you shall o'er-rule my mind for once. Come on, lord Hastings, will you go with me? Glo. Where it seems best unto your royal self. Prince. I do not like the Tower, of any place :Did Julius Cæsar build that place, my lord? Glo. He did, my gracious lord, begin that place; Which, since, succeeding ages have re-edified. |