By strangling thee in her accursed womb,

From all the flaughters, wretch, that thou hast done.

2. Eliz. Hid'st thou that forehead with a golden crown, Where should be branded, if that right were right, The flaughter of the prince that ow'd that crown, And the dire death of my poor sons, and brothers? Tell me, thou villain-flave, where are my children? Duch. Thou toad, thou toad, where is thy brother Clarence?

And little Ned Plantagenet, his fon?

2. Eliz. Where is the gentle Rivers, Vaughan, Grey? Duch. Where is kind Haftings?

K. Rich. A flourish, trumpets!-strike alarum, drums! Let not the heavens hear thefe tell-tale women Rail on the Lord's anointed: Strike, I fay.

Either be patient, and entreat me fair,
Or with the clamorous report of war
Thus will I drown your exclamations.
Duch. Art thou my fon?

[Flourish. Alarums.

K. Rich. Ay; I thank God, my father, and yourself. Duch. Then patiently hear my impatience.

K. Rich. Madam, I have a touch of your condition, That cannot brook the accent of reproof.

Duch. O, let me speak.

K. Rich.

Do, then; but I'll not hear.

Duch. I will be mild and gentle in my words.

K. Rich. And brief, good mother; for I am in haste. Duch. Art thou so hafty? I have staid for thee,

God knows, in torment and in agony.

K. Rich. And came I not at laft to comfort you?
Duch. No, by the holy rood, thou know'ft it well,
Thou cam'ft on earth to make the earth my hell.
A grievous burden was thy birth to me;

H

Tetchy

Tetchy and wayward was thy infancy;

Thy fchool-days, frightful, defperate, wild, and furious; Thy prime of manhood, daring, bold, and venturous; Thy age confirm'd, proud, subtle, fly, and bloody, More mild, but yet more harmful, kind in hatred : What comfortable hour canft thou name,

That ever grac'd me in thy company?

K. Rich. 'Faith, none, but Humphrey Hour, that call'd

your grace

To breakfast once, forth of my company.

If I be fo difgracious in your fight,

Let me march on, and not offend you, madam.-
Strike up the drum.

Duch.

I pr'ythee, hear me speak.

K. Rich. You fpeak too bitterly.

Duch.

Hear me a word;

For I fhall never speak to thee again.

K. Rich. So.

Duch. Either thou wilt die, by God's just ordinance,

Ere from this war thou turn a conqueror;

Or I with grief and extreme age shall perish,

And never look upon thy face again.

Therefore, take with thee my moft heavy curse;
Which, in the day of battle, tire thee more,
Than all the complete armour that thou wear'st!
My prayers on the adverse party fight;

And there the little fouls of Edward's children
Whisper the spirits of thine enemies,

And promise them success and victory.

Bloody thou art, bloody will be thy end;

Shame ferves thy life, and doth thy death attend. [Exit.

2. Eliz. Though far more caufe, yet much less fpirit

to curfe

Abides in me; I say amen to her.

I

[Going. K. Rich.

K. Rich. Stay, madam, I must speak a word with you. 2. Eliz. I have no more fons of the royal blood, For thee to murder for my daughters, Richard,— They shall be praying nuns, not weeping queens; And therefore level not to hit their lives.

:

K. Rich. You have a daughter call'd—Elizabeth,
Virtuous and fair, royal and gracious.

2. Eliz. And must she die for this? O, let her live,
And I'll corrupt her manners, stain her beauty;
Slander myself, as falfe to Edward's bed;
Throw over her the veil of infamy:

So she may live unscarr'd of bleeding slaughter,
I will confess she was not Edward's daughter.

K. Rich. Wrong not her birth, she is of royal blood. 2. Eliz. To fave her life, I'll fay-the is not fo. K. Rich. Her life is safest only in her birth. 2. Eliz. And only in that fafety died her brothers. K. Rich. Lo, at their births good stars were oppofite. 2. Eliz. No, to their lives bad friends were contrary. K. Rich. All unavoided is the doom of destiny. 2. Eliz. True, when avoided grace makes destiny: My babes were deftin'd to a fairer death,

If grace had blefs'd thee with a fairer life.

K. Rich. You fpeak, as if that I had flain my cousins.
2. Eliz. Coufins, indeed; and by their uncle cozen'd
Of comfort, kingdom, kindred, freedom, life.
Whofe hands foever lanc'd their tender hearts,
Thy head, all indirectly, gave direction :

No doubt the murderous knife was dull and blunt,
Till it was whetted on thy ftone-hard heart,
To revel in the entrails of my lambs.

But that still use of grief makes wild grief tame,
My tongue should to thy ears not name my boys,
Till that my nails were anchor'd in thine eyes;

H 2

And

to fome fcaffold, there to lofe their heads! to the dignity and height of fortune, rial type of this earth's glory. ter my forrows with report of it; state, what dignity, what honour, nife to any child of mine?

n all I have; ay, and myself and all, endow a child of thine;

≈ of thy angry foul

he fad remembrance of those wrongs, Tuppofeft, I have done to thee.

brief, left that the process of thy kindness ling than thy kindness' date.

en know, that, from my foul, I love thy

ter.

daughter's mother thinks it with her foul. at do you think?

at thou dost love my daughter, from thy

oul's love, didft thou love her brothers; heart's love, I do thank thee for it. not fo hafty to confound my meaning: vith my foul I love thy daughter,

d to make her queen of England.

2. Eliz.

dren, gentle lad
lofe their heads!

t of fortune,

ory. t of it; honour,

elf and all,

Ce wrongs, ee.

f thy kindnefi

ul, I love th

with her foul

ter, from th

r brothers; e for it. meaning:

cer,

d.

As one being best acquainted with her

2. Eliz. And wilt thou learn of me? K. Rich. Madam,

2. Eliz. Send to her, by the man that
A pair of bleeding hearts; thereon eng
Edward, and York; then, haply, will
Therefore present to her, as fometime
Did to thy father, steep'd in Rutland's
A handkerchief; which, fay to her, di
The purple fap from her sweet brother's
And bid her wipe her weeping eyes wit
If this inducement move her not to love
Send her a letter of thy noble deeds;

Tell her, thou mad'ft away her uncle C
Her uncle Rivers; ay, and, for her fake
Mad'ft quick conveyance with her good
K. Rich. You mock me, madam; thi
To win your daughter.
2. Eliz.

There is no ot
Unless thou could't put on some other
And not be Richard that hath done all
K. Rich. Say, that I did all this for 1
2. Eliz. Nay, then indeed, the cann
thee,
Having bought love with fuch a bloody
H 3