Hath he set bounds betwixt their love and me? 1 am their mother; who should keep 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; Í may not leave it so:

I am bound by oath, and therefore pardon me. [Exit.

Enter LORD STANLEY.

Stan. Let me but meet you, ladies, one hour hence,

29

And I'll salute your grace of York as mother, And reverend looker on, of two fair queens. [To Anne] Come, madam, you must straight to Westminster,

There to be crowned Richard's royal queen.

Q. Eliz. O, cut my lace in sunder, that my pent heart

May have some scope to beat, or else I swoon With this dead-killing news!

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 hence! Death and destruction dog thee at the heels; Thy mother's name is ominous to children. 41 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 slaughterhouse,

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;
You shall have letters from me to my son
To meet you on the way, and welcome you.
Be not ta'en tardy by unwise delay.

Duch. O ill-dispersing wind of misery!
O my accursed womb, the bed of death!
A cockatrice hast thou hatch'd to the world,
Whose unavoided eye is murderous.

50

Stan. Come, madam, come; I in all haste

was sent.

Anne. And I in all unwillingness will go. I would to God that the inclusive verge Of golden metal that must round my brow 60 Were red-hot steel, to sear 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 humor, wish thyself no harm.

Anne. No! why? When he that is my husband now

Came to me, as I follow'd Henry's corse, When scarce the blood was well wash'd from his hands

Which issued from my other angel husband And that dead saint which then I weeping follow'd ; 70

O, when, I say, I look'd on Richard's face, This was my wish : 'Be thou,' quoth I, ‘accursed,

For making me, so young, so old a widow! And, when thou wed'st, let sorrow haunt thy bed;

And be thy wife-if any be so mad-
As miserable by the life of thee

As thou hast made me by my dear lord's death!'

80

Lo, ere I can repeat this curse again,
Even in so short a space, my woman's heart
Grossly grew captive to his honey words
And proved the subject of my own soul's
curse,

Which ever since hath kept my eyes from rest;
For never yet one hour in his bed

Have I enjoy'd the golden dew of sleep,
But have been waked by his timorous dreams.
Besides, he hates me for my father Warwick ;
And will, no doubt, shortly be rid of me.

Q. Eliz. Poor heart, adieu! I pity thy complaining.

Anne. No more than from my soul I mourn for yours.

Q. Eliz. Farewell, thou woful welcomer of glory! 90 Anne. Adieu, poor soul, that takest thy leave of it!

Duch. [To Dorset] Go thou to Richmond, and good fortune guide thee !

[To Anne] Go thou to Richard, and good angels guard thee!

[To Queen Eliz.] Go thou to sanctuary, and good thoughts possess thee!

I to my grave, where peace and rest lie with me!

Eighty odd years of sorrow have I seen, And each hour's joy wrecked with a week of teen.

Q. Eliz. Stay, yet look back with me unto the Tower.

101

Pity, you ancient stones, those tender babes
Whom envy hath immured within your walls!
Rough cradle for such little pretty ones!
Rude ragged nurse, old sullen playfellow
For tender princes, use my babies well!
So foolish sorrow bids your stones farewell.
[Exeunt.

SCENE II. London. The palace. Sennet. Enter RICHARD, in pomp, crowned; BUCKINGHAM, CATESBY, a page, and others.

K. Rich. Stand all apart. Cousin of Buckingham !

Buck. My gracious sovereign?

K. Rich. Give me thy hand. [Here he as

The earldom of Hereford and the moveables The which you promised I should possess.

K. Rich. Stanley, look to your wife; if she convey

Letters to Pichmond, you shall answer it. Buck. What says your highness to my just demand?

K. Rich. As I remember, Henry the Sixth Did prophesy that Richmond should be king, When Richmond was a little peevish boy. 100 A king, perhaps, 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 ?

Buck. My lord, your promise for the earldom,

K. Rich. Richmond! When last I was at Exeter,

The mayor in courtesy show'd me the castle, And call'd it Rougemont: at which name I started,

Because a bard of Ireland told me once,

I should not live long after I saw Richmond. Buck. My Lord!

K. Rich. Ay, what's o'clock ?

111

Buck. I am thus bold to put your grace in mind

Of what you promised me.

Within their innocent alabaster arms :
Their lips were four red roses on a stalk,
Which in their summer beauty kiss'd each
other.

A book of prayers on their pillow lay;
Which once, quoth Forrest, almost changed
my mind;

But O! the devil '-there the villain stopp'd : Whilst Dighton thus told on: We smothered The most replenished sweet work of nature, That from the prime creation e'er she framed. Thus both are gone with conscience and remorse; 20

They could not speak; and so I left them both,

To bring this tidings to the bloody king.
And here he comes.

Enter KING RICHARD.

All hail, my sovereign liege! K. Rich. Kind Tyrrel, am I happy in thy news?

Tyr. If to have done the thing you gave in

charge

Beget your happiness, be happy then, For it is done, my lord.

K. Rich.

Buck. Why let it strike?

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 whether you will or no.

120

K. Rich. Tut, tut, Thou troublest me; I am not in the vein. [Exeunt all but Buckingham. Buck. Is it even so? rewards he my true service

Wth such deep contempt ? made I him king for this?

O, let me think on Hastings, and be gone
To Brecknock, while my fearful head

SCENE III. The same.

Enter TYRREL.

on !

[Exit.

Tyr. The tyrannous and bloody deed is done,

The most arch act of piteous massacre
That ever yet this land was guilty of.
Dighton and Forrest, whom I did suborn
To do this ruthless piece of butchery,
Although they were flesh'd villains, bloody
dogs,

Melting with tenderness and kind compassion Wert like two children in their deaths' sad stories.

'Lo, thus' quoth Dighton, 'lay those tender babes:

And buried, gentle Tyrrel? Tyr. The chaplain of the Tower hath buried them;

But how or in what place I do not know.

30

K. Rich. Come to me, Tyrrel, soon at after