The Complete Works of William Shakespeare

Take not the quarrel from his powerful arm;
He needs no indirect nor lawless course

To cut off those that have offended him.

FIRST MURD. Who made thee then a bloody minister, When gallant-springing brave Plantagenet,

That princely novice, was struck dead by thee?
CLAR. My brother's love, the devil, and my rage.
FIRST MURD. Thy brother's love, our duty, and thy

fault,

Provoke us hither now to slaughter thee.

CLAR. Oh, if you love my brother, hate not me; I am his brother, and I love him well.

If you be hired for meed, go back again,

And I will send you to my brother Gloucester,
Who shall reward you better for my life,

Than Edward will for tidings of my death.

SEC. MURD. You are deceived, your brother Gloucester hates you.

220

CLAR. O, no, he loves me, and he holds me dear: 230 Go you to him from me.

Вотн.

Ay, so we will.

CLAR. Tell him, when that our princely father

York

Bless'd his three sons with his victorious arm,

And charged us from his soul to love each other,
He little thought of this divided friendship:
Bid Gloucester think of this, and he will weep.

218 gallant-springing] like a gallant in the spring of life. Pope hyphened these words, which are separate in the original editions.

FIRST MURD. Ay, millstones; as he lesson'd us to

weep.

CLAR. O, do not slander him, for he is kind.
FIRST MURD. Right,

As snow in harvest. Thou deceivest thyself:
"T is he that sent us hither now to slaughter thee.
CLAR. It cannot be; for when I parted with

him,

He hugg'd me in his arms, and swore, with sobs,
That he would labour my delivery.

SEC. MURD. Why, so he doth, now he delivers

thee

From this world's thraldom to the joys of heaven. FIRST MURD. Make peace with God, for you must die, my lord.

CLAR. Hast thou that holy feeling in thy soul,
To counsel me to make my peace with God,
And art thou yet to thy own soul so blind,
That thou wilt war with God by murdering me?
Ah, sirs, consider, he that set you on

To do this deed will hate you for the deed.
SEC. MURD. What shall we do?

CLAR.

Relent, and save your souls. FIRST MURD. Relent! 't is cowardly and womanish. CLAR. Not to relent is beastly, savage, devilish. Which of you, if you were a prince's son,

237 Ay, millstones] See note on I, iii, 354, supra: "Your eyes drop

millstones."

257-260 Which of you. life?] In the Folio text, these four lines, together with the line here separated from them and numbered

240

250

Being pent from liberty, as I am now,

If two such murderers as yourselves came to you,
Would not entreat for life?

My friend, I spy some pity in thy looks;
O, if thine eye be not a flatterer,

Come thou on my side, and entreat for me,
As you would beg, were you in my distress:
A begging prince what beggar pities not?
SEC. MURD. Look behind you, my lord.

FIRST MURD. Take that, and that: if all this will

not do,

I'll drown you in the malmsey-butt within.

[Stabs him.

[Exit, with the body.

SEC. MURD. A bloody deed, and desperately dis

patch'd!

How fain, like Pilate, would I wash my hands

Of this most grievous guilty murder done!

Re-enter First Murderer

FIRST MURD. How now! what mean'st thou, that thou help'st me not?

By heavens, the duke shall know how slack thou

art!

SEC. MURD. I would he knew that I had saved his

brother!

264, "As you would beg . . . distress" (which immediately follows them in the Folio), form part of Clarence's preceding speech, "Relent, and save your souls" (1. 254). All the five lines are omitted from the Quartos. They seem well worthy of retention, and the transposition (which the Cambridge editors adopt) removes any impression of abruptness.

260

270

Take thou the fee, and tell him what I say;
For I repent me that the duke is slain.

[Exit.

FIRST MURD. So do not I: go, coward as thou art.

Now must I hide his body in some hole,
Until the duke take order for his burial:
And when I have my meed, I must away;
For this will out, and here I must not stay.

[Exit.

280