PERSONS REPRESENTED. King EDWARD the Fourth. EDWARD, prince of Wales, afterwards King Edward V. RICHARD, duke of York, GEORGE, duke of Clarence, RICHARD, duke of Gloster, after wards King Richard III. A young son of Clarence. sons to the king. brothers to the king. HENRY, earl of Richmond, afterwards K. Henry VII. THOMAS ROTHERAM, archbishop of York. JOHN Morton, bishop of Ely. Duke of BUCKINGHAM. Duke of NORFOLK: Earl of SURREY, his son. LOVEL. Sir THOMAS VAUGHAN. Sir RICHARD RAtcliff. ELIZABETH, queen of king Edward IV. Duchess of YORK, mother to king Edward IV. Clarence. and Gloster. Lady ANNE, widow of Edward prince of Wales, son to king Henry VI.; afterwards married to the duke of Gloster. A young daughter of Clarence. Lords, and other Attendants; two Gentlemen, a Pursuivunt, Scrivener, Citizens, Murderers, Messengers, Ghosts, Soldiers, &c. SCENE, England. LIFE AND DEATH OF KING RICHARD III. ACT I. SCENE I.-London. A Street. Enter GLOSTER. Gloster. Now is the winter of our discontent Made glorious summer by this sun of York ;' Now are our brows bound with victorious wreaths; But I,—that am not shap'd for sportive tricks, up, [1] Alluding to the cognizance of Edward IV. which was a sun, in memory of the three suns, which are said to have appeared at the battle which he gained over the Lancastrians at Mortimer's Cross. STEEVENS. [2] A measure was strictly speaking, a court dance of a stately turn, though the word is sometimes employed to express dances in general. STEEVENS. [3] Barbed steeds-i. e. steeds caparisoned in a warlike manner. I. Haywarde, in his life and Raigne of Henry IV. 1599, says, "The duke of Hereford came to the barriers, mounted upon a white courser, barbed with blew and green velvet," &c. STEEVENS. [4] By dissembling is not meant hypocritical nature, that pretends one thing and does another: but nature that puts together things of a dissimilar kind, as a brave soul and a deformed body. WARBURTON. |