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, [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? 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.- 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; And there the little fouls of Edward's children 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, 2. Eliz. And must she die for this? O, let her live, So she may live unscarr'd of bleeding slaughter, 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. No doubt the murderous knife was dull and blunt, But that still use of grief makes wild grief tame, 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 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 Tell her, thou mad'ft away her uncle C There is no ot |