Prince. I know my duty, you are all undutiful: [George, Lascivious Edward, and thou perjur'd And thou misshapen Dick,-I tell you all, I am your better, traitors as ye are ;And thou usurp'st my father's right and mine. K. Edw. Take that, the likeness of this railer here. [Stabs him. Glo. Sprawl'st thou? take that, to end thy agony. [GLO. stabs him. Clar. And there's for twitting me with perjury. [CLAR. stabs him. Q. Mar. Ŏ, kill me too! [Offers to kill her. hold, for we have Glo. Why should she live, to fill the world with words?* K. Edw. What! doth she swoon? use means for her recovery. Glo. Clarence, excuse me to the king my brother; I'll hence to London on a serious matter: Glo. The Tower, the Tower! [Exit. Q. Mar. O, Ned, sweet Ned! speak to thy mother, boy! [derers!Canst thou not speak?--O traitors! murThey, that stabb'd Cæsar, shed no blood at all, Did not offend, nor were not worthy blame, If this foul deed were by, to equal it. He was a man; this, in respect, a child; And men ne'er spend their fury on a child. [it? What's worse than murderer, that I may name No, no; my heart will burst, an if I speak :And I will speak, that so my heart may burst. Butchers and villains, bloody cannibals! How sweet a plant have you untimely cropp'd! You have no children, butchers! if you had, The thought of them would have stirr❜d up re morse: - But, if you ever chance to have a child, K. Ew. Away with her; go, bear her hence perforce. Q. Mar. Nay, never bear me hence, despatch me here; [death: Here sheath thy sword, I'll pardon thee my What! wilt thou not?-then, Clarence, do it thou. Clar. By heaven, I will not do thee so much ease. Q. Mar. Good Clarence, do; sweet Clarence, do thou do it. Clar. Didst thou not hear me swear, I would not do it. Q. Mar. Ay, but thou usest to forswear thy"Twas sin before, but now 'tis charity. [self; What! wilt thou not? where is that devil's butcher, Hard-favour'd Richard? Richard, where art [thou? Thou art not here: Murder is thy alms-deed; Petitioners for blood thou ne'er put'st back. K. Edw. Away, I say; I charge ye, bear her hence. Q. Mar. So come to you, and yours, as to this prince! Exit, led out forcibly. K. Edw. Where's Richard gone? Clar. To London, all in post; and, as I guess, To make a bloody supper in the Tower. K. Edw. He's sudden, if a thing comes in his head. Dispute, contention. + She alludes to the deser Now march we hence: discharge the common sort [don, With pay and thanks, and let's away to LonAnd see our gentle queen how well she fares; By this, I hope, she hath a son for me. [Exeunt. SCENE VI.-London.-A Room in the Tower. King HENRY is discovered sitting with a Book in his Hand, the Lieutenant attending. Enter GLOSTER. Glo. Good day, my lord! What, at your book so hard? K. Hen. Ay, my good lord: My lord, I should say rather; Good Gloster, and good devil, were alike, 'Tis sin to flatter, good was little better: And both preposterous; therefore, not good lord. Glo. Sirrah, leave us to ourselves: we must confer. [Exit Lieutenant. K, Hen. So flies the reckless* shepherd from the wolf: So first the harmless sheep doth yield his fleece, What scene of death hath Roscius now to act? K. Hen. The bird, that hath been limed in a bush, [bush: With trembling wings misdoubteth every Have now the fatal object in my eye, And I, the hapless male to one sweet bird, Where my poor young was lim'd, was caught, and kill'd. Glo. Why, what a peevisht fool was that of Crete, That taught his son the office of a fowl? And yet, for all his wings, the fool was drown'd. K. Hen. I, Dædalus; my poor boy, Icarus 、 Thy father, Minos, that denied our course; The sun, that sear'd the wings of my sweet boy, Thy brother Edward; and thyself, the sea, Whose envious gulf did swallow up his life. Ah, kill me with thy weapon, not with words! Than can my ears that tragic history.My breast can better brook thy dagger's point, But wherefore dost thou come? is't for my life! Glo. Think'st thou, I am an executioner? K. Hen. A persecutor, I am sure, thou art; Why, then thou art an executioner. If murdering innocents be executing, Glo. Thy son I kill'd for his presumption. K. Hen. Hadst thou been kill'd, when first thou didst presume, Thou hadst not liv'd to kill a son of mine. Which now mistrust no parcels of my fear; And thus I prophesy,-that many a thousand, And many an old man's sigh, and many a widow's, Men for their sons, wives for their husbanus' And many an orphan's water-standing eye. --, fate, Shall rue the hour that ever thou wast born. And orphans for their parents timeless death,The owl shriek'd at thy birth, an evil sign; The night-crow cried, aboding luckless time; Dogs howl'd, and hideous tempests shook down trees; The raven rook'd|| her on the chimney's top, And chattering pies in dismal discords sung Careles. To misdoubt is to suspect danger, to fear. t Childish. No part of what my fears presage. To rack signified to squat down or lodge on any thing. 2 N Thy mother felt more than a mother's pain, And yet brought forth less than a mother's To wit, an indigest deformed lump, [hope; Not like the fruit of such a goodly tree. [born, Teeth hadst thou in thy head, when thou wast To signify,-thou cam'st to bite the world: And, if the rest be true which I have heard, Thou cam'st. Glo. I'll hear no more;-Die, prophet, in thy speech; [Stabs him. For this, amongst the rest, was I ordain'd. K. Hen. Ay, and for much more slaughter after this. O God! forgive my sins, and pardon thee! [Dies. Glo. What, will the aspiring blood of Lan caster mounted. Sink in the ground? I thought it would have [death! See, how my sword weeps for the poor king's O, may such purple tears be always shed From those that wish the downfal of our house! If any spark of life be yet remaining, [so, Then since the heavens have shap'd my body Let hell make crook'd my mind to answer it. I have no brother, I am like no brother: And this word-love, which greybeards call divine, Be resident in men like one another, [Exit. SCENE VII.-The same.-A Room in the Palace. King EDWARD is_discovered sitting on his Throne; Queen ELIZABETH with the infunt Prince, CLARENCE, GLOSTER, HASTINGS, and others, near him. K. Edw. Once more we sit in England's royal throne, * Select. Re-purchas'd with the blood of enemies. Three dukes of Somerset, threefold renown'd With them, the two brave bears, Warwick and Montague, That in their chains fetter'd the kingly lion, Have in our armours watch'd the winter's And of our labours thou shalt reap the gain. Glo. I'll blast his harvest, if your head were laid; For yet I am not look'd on in the world. Work thou the way,-and thou shalt execute. [Aside. K. Edw. Clarence, and Gloster, love my lovely queen; And kiss your princely nephew, brothers both. Glo. And, that I love the tree from whence thou sprang'st, Witness the loving kiss I give the fruit:To say the truth, so Judas kiss'd his master; And cried-all hail! when as he meant. -all harm. Aside. K. Edw. Now am I seated as my soul de. lights, Having my country's peace, and brothers loves. Clar. What will your grace have done with Reignier, her father, to the king of France to France. [time And now what rests, but that we spend the With stately triumphs, mirthful comic shows, Such as befit the pleasures of the court?Sound, drums and trumpets!-farewell, sour annoy! For here, I hope, begins our lasting joy. *Public shows. [Exeunt ACT I. SCENE I.-London.-A Street. Glo. Now is the winter of our discontent Our bruised arms hung up for monuments; And now, instead of mounting barbed+ steeds, To strut before a wanton ambling nymph; that am curtail'd of this fair proportion, Cheated of feature by dissembling nature, Deform'd, unfinish'd, sent before my time † Armed. * Dances. Into this breathing world, scarce half made up, rence comes. Enter CLARENCE, guarded, and BRAKENBURY * Preparations for mischief yours; He should, for that, commit your godfathers:- As yet I do not: but, as I can learn, women "Tis not the king, that sends you to the Tower; My lady Grey, his wife, Clarence, 'tis she, That tempers him to this extremity. Was it not she, and that good man of worship, Anthony Woodeville, her brother there, [er; That made him send lord Hastings to the TowFrom whence this present day he is deliver'd? We are not safe, Clarence, we are not safe. Clar. By heaven, I think, there is no man se[heralds But the queen's kindred, and night-walking That trudge betwixt the king and mistress cure, Shore. Heard you not, what an humble suppliant Glo. Humbly complaining to her deity me; His majesty hath straitly given in charge, Glo. Even so? an please your worship, Brakenbury, You may partake of any thing we say: A bonny eye, a passing pleasing tongue; Glo. Naught to do with mistress Shore? I He that doth naught with her, excepting one, Were best to do it secretly, alone. Brak. What one, my lord? Glo. Her husband, knave:-Would'st thou betray me? Brak. I beseech your grace to pardon me; and, withal, Forbear your conference with the noble duke. The Queen and Shore. * Fancies. Clar. We know thy charge, Brakenbury and will obey. Glo. We are the queen's abjects, and must obey. Brother, farewell: I will unto the king; Clar. I must perforce; farewell. [Exeunt CLARENCE, BRAKENBURY, and Guard. Glo. Go, tread the path that thou shalt ne'er return, Simple, plain Clarence!-I do love thee so, * If honour may be shrouded in a hearse,- Lo, in these windows, that let forth thy life, More direful hap betide that hated wretch, Taken from Paul's to be interred there; corse. [The Bearers take up the corpse, and advance. Enter GLOSTER. Glo. Stay you, that bear the corse, and set it down. Anne. What black magician conjures up this fiend, To stop devoted charitable deeds? Glo. Sweet saint, for charity be not so curs!. Anne. Foul devil, for God's sake, hence, and trouble us not; For thou hast made the happy earth thy hell, Behold this pattern of thy butcheries:- Blush, blush, thou lump of foul deformity; Thy deed, inhuman and unnatural, O earth, which this blood drink'st, revenge Either, heaven, with lightning strike the murderer dead, Or, earth, gape open wide, and eat him quick; Which his hell-govern'd arm hath butchered! curses. Anne. Villain, thou know'st no law of God nor man; No beast so fierce, but knows some touch of pity. Glo. But I know none, and therefore am no beast. Anne. O wonderful, when devils tell the truth! Glo. More wonderful, when angels are so angry. Vouchsafe, divine perfection of a woman, Anne. Vouchsafe, diffus'd'infection of a man, Glo. Fairer than tongue can name thee, let Some patient leisure to excuse myself. No excuse current, but to hang thyself. Anne. And, by despairing, shalt thou stand Glo. Villains, set down the corse; or, by For doing worthy vengeance on thyself, Saint Paul, I'll make a corse of him that disobeys. 1 Gent. My lord, stand back, and let the collin pass. Glo. Unmanner'd dog! stand thou when I Advance thy halbert higher than my breast, ness. [The bearers set down the coffin. Anne. What, do you tremble? are you all afraid? Alas, I blame you not: for you are mortal, * Funereal. That didst unworthy slaughter upon others. Glo. I did not kill your husband. Glo. Nay, he is dead; and slain by Ed- Anne. In thy soul's throat thou liest; queen Thy murderous faulchion smoking in his blood; But that thy brothers beat aside the point. » Example. |