Where my poor young was lim'd, was caught and kill'd. Glo. Why, what a peevish fool was that of That taught his son the office of a fowl? And yet, for all his wings, the fool was drown'd. 'K. Hen. I, Dædalus; my poor boy, Icarus; Thy father, Minos, that denied our course; • The sun, that sear'd the wings of my sweet boy, Thy brother Edward; and thyself, the sea, Whose envious gulf did swallow up his life. * Ah, kill me with thy weapon, not with words! My breast can better brook thy dagger's point, Than can my ears that tragic history. * But wherefore dost thou come? is't for my life? 'Glo. Think'st thou I am an executioner? K. Hen. A persecutor, I am sure, thou art; If murdering innocents be executing, Why, then thou art an executioner. Glo. Thy son I kill'd for his presumption. K. Hen. Hadst thou been kill'd, when first thou didst presume, Thou hadst not liv'd to kill a son of mine. And thus I prophesy,-that many a thousand, "Which now mistrust no parcel2 of my fear; And many an old man's sigh, and many a widow's, And many an orphan's water-standing eye, 'Men for their sons, wives for their husbands' fate, And orphans for their parents' timeless death,— 'Shall rue the hour that ever thou wast born. The owl shriek'd at thy birth, an evil sign; The night-crow cried, aboding luckless time; Dogs howl'd, and hideous tempests shook down trees; The raven rook'd3 her on the chimney's top, Glo. I'll hear no more ;-Die, prophet, in thy speech; [Stabs him. For this, amongst the rest, was I ordain'd. K. Hen. Ay, and for much more slaughter after this. O God! forgive my sins, and pardon thee! [Dies. Glo. What, will the aspiring blood of Lancaster Sink in the ground? I thought it would have mounted. See, how my sword weeps for the poor king's death! And seek their ruin that usurp'd our right? That I should snarl, and bite, and play the dog. Then, since the heavens have shap'd my body so, Let hell make crook'd my mind to answer it. K. Edw. Once more we sit in England's royal throne, Re-purchas'd with the blood of enemies. : That in their chains fetter'd the kingly lion, Glo. I'll blast his harvest, if your head were laid: Work thou the way,-and thou shalt execute. [Aside. K. Edw. Clarence, and Gloster, love my lovely matter itself will defeat the artist. Of every author's works one will be the best, and one will be the worst. The colours are not equally pleasing, nor the attitudes equally graceful, in all the pictures of Titian or Reynolds. Dissimilitude of style and heterogeneousness of sentiment, may sufficiently show that a work does not really belong to the reputed author. But in these plays no such marks of spuriousness are found. The diction, the versification, and the figures, are Shakspeare's. These plays, considered without regard to characters and incidents, merely as narratives in verse, are more happily conceived, and more accurately finished, than those of King John, Richard II. or the tragic scenes of King Henry IV. and V. If we take these plays from Shakspeare, to whom shall they be given? What author of that age had the same easiness of expression and fluency of numbers? Of these three plays I think the second the best. The truth is, that they have not sufficient variety of action, for the incidents are too often of the same kind; yet many of the characters are well discriminated. King Henry, and his Queen, King Edward, the Duke of Gloucester, and the Earl of Warwick, are very strongly and distinctly painted. JOHNSON. LIFE AND DEATH OF KING RICHARD III. PERSONS REPRESENTED. Sir William Catesby. Sir James Tyrrel. Sons to the king. Sir Robert Brakenbury, lieutenant of the Tower. Brothers to the afterwards King Rich. III. king. Henry, earl of Richmond, afterwards Henry VII. king Cardinal Bouchier, archbishop of Canterbury. Duke of Buckingham. Duke of Norfolk; Earl of Surrey, his son. Sir Thomas Vaughan. Sir Richard Ratcliff. Elizabeth, queen of king Edward IV. 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 Pursuivant, Scrivener, Citizens, Murderers, Messengers, Ghosts, Soldiers, &c. Scene, England. ACT I. And hate the idle pleasures of these days. Plots have I laid, inductions dangerous, SCENE I-London. A street. Enter Gloster. By drunken prophecies, libels, and dreams, Gloster. Now is the winter of our discontent Made glorious summer by this sun of York; (1) Dances. To set my brother Clarence, and the king, comes. Enter Clarence, guarded, and Brakenbury. Brother, good day: What means this armed guard That waits upon your grace? Clar. Clar. Because my name is-George. Glo. Alack, my lord, that fault is none of yours; He should, for that, commit your godfathers:O, belike, his majesty hath some intent, That you shall be new christen'd in the Tower. But what's the matter, Clarence? may I know? Clar. Yea, Richard, when I know; for I protest, As yet I do not: But, as I can learn, He hearkens after prophecies, and dreams; And from the cross-row plucks the letter G, And says a wizard told him, that by G His issue disinherited should be; And, for my name of George begins with G, It follows in his thought, that I am he: These, as I learn, and such like toys4 as these, Have mov'd his highness to commit me now. (2) Armed. (3) Preparations for mischief. (4) Fancies. Glo. Why, this it is, when men are rul'd by women: 'Tis not the king that sends you to the Tower; Clar. By heaven, I think, there is no man secure, Glo. Humbly complaining to her deity Got my lord chamberlain his liberty. I'll tell you what,-I think, it is our way, If we will keep in favour with the king, To be her men, and wear her livery: The jealous o'er-worn widow, and herself, Since that our brother dubb'd them gentlewomen, Are mighty gossips in this monarchy. Brak. I beseech your graces both to pardon me; His majesty hath straitly given in charge, That no man shall have private conference, Of what degree soever, with his brother. Enter Hastings. Hast. Good time of day unto my gracious lord! Glo. As much unto my good lord chamberlain! Well are you welcome to this open air. How hath your lordship brook'd imprisonment? Hast. With patience, noble lord, as prisoners must: But I shall live, my lord, to give them thanks, Glo. No doubt, no doubt; and so shall Clarence For they, that were your enemies, are his, Glo. What news abroad? Hast. No news so bad abroad, as this at home:-The king is sickly, weak, and melancholy. And his physicians fear him mightily. Glo. Now, by saint Paul, this news is bad indeed. O, he hath kept an evil diet long, And over-much consum'd his royal person; What, is he in his bed? 'Tis very grievous to be thought upon. He is. Glo. Even so? an please your worship, Braken-He You may partake of any thing we say: A bonny eye, a passing pleasing tongue; to do. Glo. Naught to do with mistress Shore? I tell thee, fellow, He that doth naught with her, excepting one, Brak. What one, my lord? Glo. Her husband, knave:-Would'st thou betray me? Brak. I beseech your grace to pardon me; and, withal, Forbear your conference with the noble duke. Clar. We know thy charge, Brakenbury, and will obey. Glo. We are the queen's abjects,2 and must obey. Brother, farewell: I will unto the king; And whatsoever you will employ me in,— Were it, to call king Edward's widow-sister,I will perform it to enfranchise you. Mean time, this deep disgrace in brotherhood, Touches me deeper than you can imagine. Clar. I know it pleaseth neither of us well. Glo. Well, your imprisonment shall not be long; I will deliver you, or else lie for you: Mean time, have patience. Clar. I must perforce; farewell. [Exeunt Clarence, Brakenbury, and Guard. Glo. Go, tread the path that thou shalt ne'er return. Simple, plain Clarence!-I do love thee so, (1) The queen and Shore. Hast. Glo. Go you before, and I will follow you. cannot live, I hope; and must not die, [Exit Hastings. Till George be pack'd with posthorse up to heaven. I'll in to urge his hatred more to Clarence, With lies well steel'd with weighty arguments; And, if I fail not in my deep intent, Clarence hath not another day to live: Which done, God take king Edward to his mercy, And leave the world for me to bustle in! For then I'll marry Warwick's youngest daughter: What though I kill'd her husband, and her father? Is-to become her husband, and her father: The readiest way to make the wench amends, The which will I; not all so much for love, As for another secret close intent, By marrying her, which I must reach unto. But yet I run before my horse to market: Clarence still breathes: Edward still lives, and reigns; When they are gone, then must I count my gains. (Exit. SCENE II-The same. Another street. Enter the corpse of King Henry the Sixth, borne in an open coffin, Gentlemen bearing halberds, to guard it; and Lady Anne as mourner. Anne. Set down, set down, your honourable load, If honour may be shrouded in a hearse,- Lo, in these windows, that let forth thy life, That makes us wretched by the death of thee, May fright the hopeful mother at the view; Than I am made by my young lord, and thee!— Glo. Stay you, that bear the corse, and set it down. Anne. What black magician conjures up this fiend, To stop devoted charitable deeds? For these known evils, but to give me leave, By circumstance, to curse thy cursed self. Glo. Fairer than tongue can name thee, let me have Some patient leisure to excuse myself. Anne. Fouler than heart can think thee, thou canst make No excuse current, but to hang thyself. Glo. By such despair, I should accuse myself. Anne. And, by despairing, shalt thou stand ex cus'd; For doing worthy vengeance on thyself, Why then, they are not dead: But dead they are, and, devilish slave, by thee. Glo. I did not kill your husband. Anne. Anne. In thy soul's throat thou liest; queen Margaret saw Thy murderous faulchion smoking in his blood; Glo. Villains, set down the corse; or, by saint But that thy brothers beat aside the point. Paul, I'll make a corse of him that disobeys. 1 Gent. My lord, stand back, and let the coffin pass. Glo. Unmanner'd dog! stand thou when I command: Advance thy halberd higher than my breast, [The bearers set down the coffin. trouble us not: For thou hast made the happy earth thy hell, O God, which this blood mad'st, revenge his death! Or, earth, gape open wide, and eat him quick; As thou dost swallow up this good king's blood, Which his hell-govern'd arm hath butchered! Glo. Lady, you know no rules of charity, Which renders good for bad, blessings for curses. Anne. Villain, thou know'st no law of God nor man; No beast so fierce, but knows some touch of pity. (1) Example. Glo. I was provoked by her sland'rous tongue, Thou may'st be damned for that wicked deed! Glo. The fitter for the King of heaven, that hath |