That cannot see this palpable device? [Exit. SCENE VII.—The same. Court of Baynard's castle. Enter Gloster and Buckingham, meeting. Glo. How now, how now? what say the citizens? Buck. Now by the holy mother of our Lord, The citizens are mum, say not a word. Glo. Touch'd you the bastardy of Edward's children? Buck. I did; with his contract with lady Lucy, And his contract by deputy in France; The insatiate greediness of his desires, And his enforcement of the city wives; His tyranny for trifles; his own bastardy,As being got, your father then in France; And his resemblance, being not like the duke. Withal, I did infer your lineaments,— Being the right idea of your father, Both in your form and nobleness of mind: open all your victories in Scotland, Your discipline in war, wisdom in peace, Your bounty, virtue, fair humility; Indeed, left nothing, fitting for your purpose, Untouch'd, or slightly handled, in discourse. And, when my oratory grew to an end, I bade them, that did love their country's good, Cry-God save Richard, England's royal king! Glo. And did they so? Laid Buck. No, so God help me, they spake not a word;|| But, like dumb statues, or breathless stones, Star'd on each other, and look'd deadly pale. Which when I saw, I reprehended them; And ask'd the mayor, what meant this wilful silence: His answer was,-the people were not us'd To be spoke to but by the recorder. Then he was urg'd to tell my tale again: Thus saith the duke, thus hath the duke inferr'd; But nothing spoke in warrant from himself. When he had done, some followers of mine own, At lower end o' the hall, hurl'd up their caps, And some ten voices cried, God save king Richard!|| And thus I took the vantage of those few,Thanks, gentle citizens, and friends, quoth I; This general applause, and cheerful shout, Argues your wisdom, and your love to Richard: And even here brake off and came away. Glo. What tongueless blocks were they; would they not speak? Will not the mayor then, and his brethren, come? Buck. The mayor is here at hand; intend1 some fear; Be not you spoke with, but by mighty suit: Buck. Go, go, up to the leads; the lord mayor knocks. [Exit Gloster. Enter the Lord Mayor, Aldermen, and Citizens. Welcome, my lord; I dance attendance here; I think, the duke will not be spoke withal.— Enter, from the castle, Catesby. Now, Catesby! what says your lord to my request? (1) Pretend. (2) A couch. (3) Fatten. Cate. He doth entreat your grace, my noble lord, To visit him to-morrow, or next day : He is within, with two right reverend fathers, And in no worldly suit would he be mov'd, [Exit. Buck. Ah, ha, my lord, this prince is not an Edward! He is not lolling on a lewd day-bed,2 Buck. I fear, he will: Here Catesby comes again; Now, Catesby, what says his grace? Cate. He wonders to what end you have assembled Such troops of citizens to come to him, Buck. Sorry I am, my noble cousin should When holy and devout religious men Enter Gloster, in a gallery above, between two May. See, where his grace stands 'tween two clergymen ! Buck. Two props of virtue for a Christian prince, To stay him from the fall of vanity : And, see, a book of prayer in his hand; True ornaments to know a holy man.Famous Plantagenet, most gracious prince, Lend favourable ear to our requests; And pardon us the interruption Of thy devotion, and right Christian zeal. Glo. My lord, there needs no such apology; I rather do beseech you pardon me, Who, earnest in the service of my God, Neglect the visitation of my friends. But, leaving this, what is your grace's pleasure? Buck. Even that, I hope, which pleaseth God above, And all good men of this ungovern'd isle. Glo. I do suspect, I have done some offence, That seems disgracious in the city's eye; And that you come to reprehend my ignorance. Buck. You have, my lord; Would it might please The supreme seat, the throne majestical, Your love deserves my thanks; but my desert But the respects thereof are nices and trivial, You say, that Edward is your brother's son; suit. Glo. Alas, why would you heap those cares on me? I am unfit for state and majesty : I do beseech you, take it not amiss; Buck. If you refuse it,-as in love and zeal, [Exeunt Buckingham and Citizens. Cate. Call them again, sweet prince, accept their suit; If you deny them, all the land will rue it. Glo. Will you enforce me to a world of cares? Well, call them again; I am not made of stone, But penetrable to your kind entreaties, [Ex. Cate. Albeit against my conscience and my soul.— Re-enter Buckingham, and the rest. Cousin of Buckingham, and sage, grave men,— Since you will buckle fortune on my back, To bear her burden, whe'r I will, or no, I must have patience to endure the load: But if black scandal, or foul-fac'd reproach, Attend the sequel of your imposition, Your mere enforcement shall acquittance me From all the impure blots and stains thereof; For God he knows, and you may partly see, How far I am from the desire of this. May. God bless your grace! we see it, and will say it. Glo. In saying so, you shall but say the truth. Buck. Then I salute you with this royal title,Long live king Richard, England's worthy king! All. Amen. Buck. To-morrow may it please you to be crown'd? ACT IV. SCENE I-Before the Tower. Enter on one side, Queen Elizabeth, duchess of York, and marquis of Dorset; on the other, Anne, duchess of Gloster, leading Lady Margaret Plantagenet, Clarence's young daughter. Duch. Who meets us here?-my niece Plantagenet Led in the hand of her kind aunt of Gloster? God give your graces both Anne. No further than the Tower; and, as I guess, Upon the like devotion as yourselves, To gratulate the gentle princes there. Anne. And I with all unwillingness will go.O, would to God, that the inclusive verge Of golden metal,2 that must round my brow, Were red-hot steel, to sear3 me to the brain! Anointed let me be with deadly venom; And die, ere men can say-God save the queen! Q. Eliz. Go, go, poor soul, I envy not thy glory; To feed my humour, wish thyself no harm. Anne. No! why?-When he, that is my husband Came to me, as I follow'd Henry's corse; now, Q. Eliz. Kind sister, thanks; we'll enter all When scarce the blood was well wash'd' from his Stan. Let me but meet you, ladies, one hour And I'll salute your grace of York as mother, 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 : Take all the swift advantage of the hours; (1) A serpent supposed to originate from a cock's egg. hands, Which issu'd from my other angel husband, Than thou hast made me by my dear lord's death! Q. Eliz. Poor heart, adieu: I pity thy complaining. Anne. No more than with my soul I mourn for yours. Dor. Farewell, thou woful welcomer of glory! Anne. Adieu, poor soul, that tak'st thy leave of it! Duch. Go thou to Richmond, and good fortune guide thee![To Dorset. Go thou to Richard, and good angels tend thee![To Anne. Go thou to sanctuary, and good thoughts possess thee! [To Q. Elizabeth. I to my grave, where peace and rest lie with me! Eighty odd years of sorrow have I seen, And each hour's joy wreck'd with a week of teen.4 Q. Eliz. Stay yet; look back, with me, unto the Tower. Pity, you ancient stones, those tender babes, K. Rich. Stand all apart.-Cousin of Bucking- (3) Burn. (4) Sorrow. Buck. My gracious sovereign. K. Rich. Give me thy hand. Thus high, by thy advice, And thy assistance, is king Richard seated :- To try if thou be current gold, indeed :- Buck. Say on, my loving lord. 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, dear lord, Before I positively speak in this: I will resolve your grace immediately. [Ex. Buck. Page. My lord. K. Rich. Know'st thou not any, whom corrupting gold Would tempt unto a close exploit3 of death? Page. I know a discontented gentleman, The deep-revolving, witty4 Buckingham Look, how thou dream'st!-I say again, give out, I must be married to my brother's daughter, 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 deals 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 ear: [Whispers. There is no more but so::-Say, it is done, And I will love thee, and prefer thee for it. Tyr. I will despatch it straight. Re-enter Buckingham. [Exit. 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? Because a bard of Ireland told me once, K. Rich. Ay, what's o'clock? (5) It is of the utmost consequence to my designs. (6) Act. (7) Foolish. 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,2 while my fearful head is on. [Exit. SCENE III-The same. Enter Tyrrel. But, O, the devil-there the villain stopp'd; Enter King Richard. And here he comes:-All health, my sovereign lord! K. Rich. But didst thou see them dead? But where, to say the truth, I do not know. K. Rich. Come to me, Tyrrel, soon, at after supper, When thou shalt tell the process of their death. I humbly take my leave. [Exit. K. Rich. The son of Clarence have I penn'd up close; His daughter meanly match'd in marriage; (1) An image like those at St. Dunstan's church in Fleet-street. (3) Merciless. (2) His castle in Wales. VOL. II. At young Elizabeth, my brother's daughter, And, by that knot, looks proudly on the crown, To her I go, a jolly thriving wooer. Enter Catesby. Cate. My lord, K. Rich. Good news or bad, that thou com'st in Cate. Bad news, my lord: Morton is fled to | And Buckingham, back'd with the hardy Welsh men, 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. Q. Mar. So, now prosperity begins to mellow, 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! Q. Mar. Hover about her; say, that right for right Hath dimm'd your infant inorn to aged night. Duch. So many miseries have craz'd my voice, That my wo-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, Ŏ God, fly from such gentle lambs, And throw them in the entrails of the wolf? When didst thou sleep, when such a deed was done? Q. Mar. When holy Harry died, and my sweet |