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

Flourish. Enter KING EDWARD sick, QUEEN ELIZABETH, DORSET, RIVERS, HASTINGS, BUCKINGHAM, GREY, and others

KING EDWARD

peace on earth.

Rivers and Hastings, take each other's hand;

Dissemble not your hatred, swear your love.

RIV. By heaven, my soul is purged from grudging hate; And with my hand I seal my true heart's love.

5 part] depart; like the French "partir."

10

HAST. So thrive I, as I truly swear the like!

K. EDW. Take heed you dally not before your

king;

Lest he that is the supreme King of kings
Confound your hidden falsehood, and award
Either of you to be the other's end.

HAST. So prosper I, as I swear perfect love!
RIV. And I, as I love Hastings with my heart!
K. Edw. Madam, yourself are not exempt in this,
Nor your son Dorset; Buckingham, nor you;
You have been factious one against the other.
Wife, love Lord Hastings, let him kiss
And what you do, do it unfeignedly.

your hand;

Q. ELIZ. Here, Hastings; I will never more remember

Our former hatred, so thrive I and mine!

K. EDW. Dorset, embrace him; Hastings, love lord

marquess.

DOR. This interchange of love, I here protest,

Upon my part shall be unviolable.

HAST. And so swear I, my lord.

[They embrace.

K. EDW. Now, princely Buckingham, seal thou this league

With thy embracements to my wife's allies,
And make me happy in your unity.

BUCK. [To the Queen] Whenever Buckingham doth turn his hate

8 Dissemble not . . . love] Do not merely conceal your hatred, do not merely pretend to abandon your hatred; swear love to one another in sincerity.

20

30

On you or yours, but with all duteous love
Doth cherish you and yours, God punish me
With hate in those where I expect most love!
When I have most need to employ a friend,
And most assured that he is a friend,
Deep, hollow, treacherous and full of guile,
Be he unto me! this do I beg of God,

When I am cold in zeal to you or yours. [They embrace. 40 K. EDW. A pleasing cordial, princely Buckingham,

Is this thy vow unto my sickly heart.

There wanteth now our brother Gloucester here,

To make the perfect period of this peace.

BUCK. And, in good time, here comes the noble duke.

Enter GLOUCESTER

GLOU. Good morrow to my sovereign king and queen;

And, princely peers, a happy time of day!

K. EDW. Happy indeed, as we have spent the day. Brother, we have done deeds of charity;

33-34 but... Doth] and doth not.

45 the noble duke] Thus the Quartos. The Folios read Sir Richard Ratcliffe, and the Duke, and in the succeeding stage direction the Folios substitute Enter Ratcliffe and Gloster for the Quarto reading Enter Gloucester. The insertion in the Folio of Ratcliffe's name seems to have been deliberate, though no speech is assigned to him in this scene. Ratcliffe, who is one of Richard's supporters, plays a small but useful part in Act III, Sc. iii, Act IV, Sc. iv, and Act V, Sc. iii, infra.

Made peace of enmity, fair love of hate,

Between these swelling wrong-incensed peers.

GLOU. A blessed labour, my most sovereign liege: Amongst this princely heap, if any here,

By false intelligence, or wrong surmise,
Hold me a foe;

If I unwittingly, or in my rage,

Have aught committed that is hardly borne
By any in this presence, I desire

To reconcile me to his friendly peace:
"T is death to me to be at enmity;

I hate it, and desire all good men's love.
First, madam, I entreat true peace of you,
Which I will purchase with my duteous service;
Of you, my noble cousin Buckingham,

If ever any grudge were lodged between us;
Of you, Lord Rivers, and, Lord Grey, of you,
That all without desert have frown'd on me;
Dukes, earls, lords, gentlemen; indeed, of all.
I do not know that Englishman alive
With whom my soul is any jot at odds,
More than the infant that is born to-night:
I thank my God for my humility..

Q. ELIZ. A holy day shall this be kept hereafter:
I would to God all strifes were well compounded.
My sovereign liege, I do beseech your majesty
To take our brother Clarence to your grace.

GLOU. Why, madam, have I offer'd love for this To be so flouted in this royal presence?

50

60

70

53 heap] throng, company.