Glo. Will you enforce me to a world of cares? Re-enter Buckingham, and the rest. Your mere enforcement shall acquittance me May. God bless your grace! we see it, and will say it. Buck. To-morrow may it please you to be crown'd? Glo. Even when you please, since you will have it so. Buck. To-morrow then we will attend your grace; And so, most joyfully, we take our leave. Glo. [To the Bishops.] Come, let us to our holy work again : Farewell, good cousin ;-farewell, gentle friends. [Exeunt. SCENE IV.-Before the Tower. Enter on one side, Queen Elizabeth, Duchess of York, and Marquis of Dorset; on the other, Anne Duchess of Gloster, lead ing Lady Margaret Plantagenet, Clarence's young Daughter. Duchess. WHO meets us here ?-my niece Plantagenet Led in the hand of her kind aunt of Gloster? Now, for my life, she's wand'ring to the Tower, On pure heart's love, to greet the tender prince.Daughter well met. Anne. God give your graces both A happy and a joyful time of day! Q. Eliz. As much to you, good sister! Whither away? Anne. No further than the Tower; and, as I guess, Upon the like devotion as yourselves, To gratulate the gentle princes there. Q. Eliz. Kind sister, thanks; we'll enter all together; And, in good time, here the lieutenant comes.-- The king hath strictly charg'd the contrary. Brak. I mean, the lord protector. Q. Eliz. The lord protect him from that kingly title! Hath he set bounds between their love, and me? I am their mother, who shall bar me from them? Duch. I am their father's mother, I will see them. Anne. Their aunt I am in law, in love their mother: Then bring me to their sights; I'll bear thy blame, And take thy office from thee, on my peril. Brak. No, madam, no, I may not leave it so; I am bound by oath, and therefore pardon me. [Exit. Enter Stanley. Stan. Let me but meet you, ladies, one hour hence, Q. Eliz. Ah, cut my lace asunder! Anne. Despiteful tidings! O unpleasing news! Dor. Be of good cheer.-Mother, how fares your grace? Q. Eliz. O Dorset, speak not to me, get thee gone, Death and destruction dog thee at the heels; Thy mother's name is ominous to children: If thou wilt outstrip death, go cross the seas, And live with Richmond, from the reach of hell. Go, hie thee, hie thee, from this slaughter-house, Lest thou increase the number of the dead; And make me die the thrall of Margaret's curse,Nor mother, wife, nor England's counted queen. Stan. Full of wise care is this your counsel, madam: Duch. O ill-dispersing wind of misery!- Stan. Come, madam, come; I in all haste was sent. Anne. No! why?-When he, that is my husband now, Did I enjoy the golden dew of sleep, thee! ---Go thou to Richard, and good angels tend thee! [To Anne. -Go thou to sanctuary, and good thoughts possess thee! [To Queen Elizabeth. I to my grave, where peace and rest lie with me! Eighty odd of sorrow have I seen, years And each hour's joy wreck'd with a week of teen. Q. Eliz. Stay yet; look back, with me, unto the -Pity, you ancient stones, those tender babes, So foolish sorrow bids your stones farewell. [Exeunt. SCENE II-A Room of State in the Palace. Flourish of Trumpets. Richard as King, upon his Throne, Buckingham, Catesby, a Page, and others. K. Rich. Stand all apart.-Cousin of Buckingham,Buck. My gracious sovereign. K. Rich. Give me thy hand. Thus high, by thy advice, And thy assistance, is king Richard seated :--- Buck. Still live they, and forever let them last! K. Rich. Why, Buckingham, I say, I would be king. Buck. Why, so you are, my thrice-renowned liege. K. Rich. Ha! am I king? 'Tis so: but Edward lives. Buck. True, noble prince. K. Rich. O bitter consequence, That Edward still should live,—true, noble prince!Cousin, thou wast not wont to be so dull;Shall I be plain? I wish the bastards dead; And I would have it suddenly perform'd. What say'st thou now? Speak suddenly, be brief. Buck. Your grace may do your pleasure. K. Rich. Tut, tut, thou art all ice, thy kindness freezes : Say, have I thy consent, that they shall die? Buck. Give me some breath, some little pause, lord, Before I positively speak in this: dear I will resolve your grace immediately. [Exit Buck. Cate. The king is angry; see, he gnaws his lip. No more shall be the neighbour to my counsels: How now, lord Stanley? what's the news? The marquis Dorset, as I hear, is fled To Richmond, in the parts where he abides. K. Rich. Come hither, Catesby: rumour it abroad, That Anne, my wife, is very grievous sick; I will take order for her keeping close. Whom I will marry straight to Clarence' daughter:- To stop all hopes, whose growth may damage me.- I must be married to my brother's daughter, Is thy name-Tyrrel? Tyr. James Tyrrel, and your most obedient subject. K. Rich. Art thou, indeed? Tyr. Prove me, my gracious lord. K. Rich. Dar'st thou resolve to kill a friend of mine? Tyr. Please you; but I had rather kill two enemies. K. Rich. Why, then thou hast it; two deep enemies, Foes to my rest, and my sweet sleep's disturbers, Are they that I would have thee deal upon : Tyrrel, I mean those bastards in the Tower. Tyr. Let me have open means to come to them. And soon I'll rid you from the fear of them. K. Rich. Thou sing'st sweet music. Hark, come hither, Tyrrel; Go, by this token.-Rise, and lend thine car: Buck. My lord, I have consider'd in my mind, The late demand that you did sound me in. K. Rich. Well, let that rest. Dorset is fled to Richmond. Buck. I hear the news, my lord. K. Rich. Stanley, he is your wife's son:-Well, look to it. Buck. My lord, I claim the gift, my due by promise, For which your honour and your faith is pawn'd; The earldom of Hereford, and the moveables, Which you have promised I shall possess. K. Rich. Stanley, look to your wife; if she convey Letters to Richmond, you shall answer it. Buck. What says your highness to my just request? K. Rich. I do remember me,-Henry the Sixth Did prophesy, that Richmond should be king, When Richmond was a little peevish boy. A king!-perhaps Buck. My lord,--- K. Rich. How chance, the prophet could not at that time, Have told me, I being by, that I should kill him? K. Rich. Because that, like a Jack, thou keep'st the stroke Betwixt thy begging and my meditation. I am not in the giving vein to-day. Buck. Why, then resolve me whe'r you will, or no. K. Rich. Thou troublest me; I am not in the vein. [Exeunt King Richard and Train. Buck. And is it thus? repays he my deep service With such contempt? made I him king for this? O, let me think on Hastings; and be gone To Brecknock, while my fearful head is on. [Exit. SCENE III-The same. Enter Tyrrel. Which once, quoth Forrest, almost chang'd my mind; The sons of Edward sleep in Abraham's bosom, Cate. My lord, K. Rich. Good news or bad, that thou com'st in so bluntly? Cate. Bad news, my lord: Morton is fled to Richmond; And Buckingham, back'd with the hardy Welshmen, Is in the field, and still his power increaseth. K. Rich. Ely with Richmond troubles me more near, Than Buckingham and his rash levied strength. Come,-I have learn'd, that fearful commenting Is leaden servitor to dull delay; Delay leads impotent and snail-pac'd beggary: Then fiery expedition be my wing, Jove's Mercury, and herald for a king! Go, muster men: My counsel is my shield; We must be brief, when traitors brave the field. [Exeunt, SCENE IV-The same. Before the Palace. Enter Queen Margaret. Q Mar. So, now prosperity begins to mellow, And drop into the rotten mouth of death. Here in these confines slily have I lurk'd, To watch the waning of mine enemies. A dire induction am I witness to, And will to France; hoping the consequence Will prove as bitter, black, and tragical. Withdraw thee, wretched Margaret! who comes here? Enter Queen Elizabeth and the Duchess of York. Q. Eliz. Ah, my poor princes! ah, my tender babes! My unblown flowers, new-appearing sweets! If yet your gentle souls fly in the air, And be not fix'd in doom perpetual, Hover about me with your airy wings, And hear your mother's lamentation! Q. Mar. Hover about her; say, that right for right Hath dimm'd your infant morn to aged night. Duch. So many miseries have craz'd my voice, That my woe-wearied tongue is still and mute.-Edward Plantagenet, why art thou dead? Q. Mar. Plantagenet doth quit Plantagenet, Edward for Edward pays a dying debt. Q. Eliz. Wilt thou, O God, fly from such gentle lambs, And throw them in the entrails of the wolf? And let my griefs frown on the upper hand. If sorrow can admit society, [Sitting down with them. Duch. I had a Richard too, and thou didst kill him; Q. Mar. Thou hadst a Clarence too, and Richard From forth the kennel of thy womb hath crept Thy womb let loose, to chase us to our graves.— Duch. O, Harry's wife, triumph not in my woes; Q. Mar. Bear with me; I am hungry for revenge, Thy Clarence he is dead, that stabb'd my Edward: The adulterate Hastings, Rivers, Vaughan, Grey, Q. Eliz. Oh, thou didst prophesy, the time would That I should wish for thee to help me curse Q. Mar. I call'd thee then, vain flourish of my for- I call'd thee then, poor shadow, painted queen ; For one commanding all, obey'd of none. Farewell, York's wife-and queen of sad mischance- Q. Mar. Forbear to sleep the night, and fast the day; Q. Eliz. My words are dull, O, quicken them with Q. Mar. Thy woes will make them sharp, and pierce Duch. Why should calamity be full of words? me, Duch. If so, then be not tongue-tied: go with I hear his drum,-be copious in exclaims, Enter King Richard, and his Train, marching. crown, Where should be branded, if that right were right, And little Ned Plantagenet, his son? Q. Eliz. Where is the gentle Rivers, Vaughan, Grey? K. Rich. A flourish, trumpets !-strike alarum, Let not the heavens hear these tell-tale women [Flourish. Alarums. Either be patient, and entreat me fair, K. Rich. Ay; I thank God, my father, and yourself. K. Rich. ous; Thy prime of manhood daring, bold, and venturous ; K. Rich. Faith, none, but Humphrey Hour, that call'd your grace To breakfast once, forth of my company. If I be so disgracious in your sight, Let me march on, and not offend you, madam.- Duch. I pr'ythee, hear me speak, K. Rich. You speak too bitterly. Duch. Hear me a word; For I shall never speak to thee again. Duch. Either thou wilt die, by God's just ordinance, Therefore, take with thee my most heavy curse; [Exit. Q. Eliz. Though far more cause, yet much less spirit you. Q. Eliz. I have no more sons 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. Q. Eliz. And must she die for this? O, let her live, So she may live unscarr'd of bleeding slaughter, K. Rich. You speak, as if that I had slain my cousins. No doubt the murderous knife was dull and blunt, K. Rich. Madam, so thrive I in my enterprize, To be discover'd, that can do me good? K. Rich. The advancement of your children, gentle lady. Q.Eliz. Up to some scaffold, there to lose their heads! K. Rich. No, to the dignity and height of fortune, The high imperial type of this earth's glory. Q. Eliz. Flatter my sorrows with report of it; Tell me, what state, what dignity, what honour, Canst thou demise to any child of mine? K. Rich. Even all I have; ay, and myself, and all, Will I withal endow a child of thine; So in the Lethe of thy angry soul Thou drown the sad remembrance of those wrongs, Which, thou supposest, I have done to thee. Q. Eliz. Be brief, lest that the process of thy kind ness Last longer telling than thy kindness' date. K. Rich. Then know, that from my soul, I love thy daughter. Q. Eliz. My daughter's mother thinks it with her soul. K. Rich. What do you think? Q. Eliz. That thou dost love my daughter, from thy soul: So, from thy soul's love, didst thou love her brothers; And, from my heart's love, I do thank thee for it. K. Rich. Be not so hasty to confound my meaning; I mean, that with my soul I love thy daughter, And do intend to make her queen of England. Q. Eliz. Well then, who dost thou mean shall be her king? K. Rich. Even he, that makes her queen: Who else That I would learn of you, As one being best acquainted with her humour. Q. Eliz. And wilt thou learn of me? K. Rich. Madam, with all my heart. Q. Eliz. Send to her, by the man that slew her brothers, A pair of bleeding hearts; thereon engrave, |