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Enter SOMERSET, with Drum and Colours.
Som. Somerset, Somerset, for Lancaster!
[He and his Forces enter the City.
Glo. Two of thy name, both dukes of Somerset,
Have sold their lives unto the house of York;
And thou shalt be the third, if this sword hold.
Enter CLARENCE, with Drum and Colours.
War. And lo, where George of Clarence
sweeps along,

Of force enough to bid his brother battle;
With whom an upright zeal to right prevails,

More than the nature of a brother's love:

Come, Clarence, come; thou wilt, if Warwick

calls.

Clar. Father of Warwick, know you what this
means? [Taking the red Rose out of his Cap.
Look here, I throw my infamy at thee:
I will not ruinate my father's house,

Who gave his blood to lime the stones together,
And set up Lancaster. Why, trow'st thou,
Warwick,

That Clarence is so harsh, so blunt, unnatural,
To bend the fatal instruments of war
Against his brother, and his lawful king?
Perhaps, thou wilt object my holy oath:
To keep that oath, were more impiety
Than Jephtha's, when he sacrific'd his daughter.
I am so sorry for my trespass made,
That, to deserve well at my brother's hands,
I here proclaim myself thy mortal foe;
With resolution, wheresoe'er I meet thee
(As I will meet thee, if thou stir abroad),
To plague thee for thy foul misleading me.
And so, proud-hearted Warwick, I defy thee,
And to my brother turn my blushing cheeks.-
Pardon me, Edward, I will make amends;
And, Richard, do not frown upon my faults,
For I will henceforth be no more unconstant.
K. Edw. Now welcome more, and ten times
more belov'd,

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dust?

And, live we how we can, yet die we must

Enter OXFORD and SOMERSET,

Som. Ah, Warwick, Warwick, wert thou as
We might recover all our loss again! [we are,
The queen from France hath brought a puissant
power:

Even now we heard the news: Ah, could'st
thou fly!
[tague,

War. Why, then I would not fly.-Ah, Mon-
If thou be there, sweet brother, take my hand,
And with thy lips keep in my soul a while!
Thou lov'st me not; for, brother, if thou didst,
Thy tears would wash this cold congealed blood,
That glues my lips, and will not let me speak.
Come quickly, Montague, or I am dead.

Som. Ah, Warwick, Montague hath breath'd

his last;

And, to the latest gasp, cried out for Warwick,
And said-Commend me to my valiant brother.
And more he would have said; and more he
spoke,

Which sounded like a cannon in a vault,
Than if thou never hadst deserv'd our hate.
That might not be distinguish'd; but, at last,
Glo. Welcome, good Clarence: this is brother-I well might hear deliver'd with a groan,
O, farewell, Warwick!

like.

War. O passing traitor, perjur'd, and unjust!
K. Edw. What, Warwick, wilt thou leave the
town, and fight?

Or shall we beat the stones about thine ears?
War. Alas, I am not coop'd here for defence:
I will away towards Barnet presently,
And bid thee battle, Edward, if thou dar'st.
K. Edw. Yes, Warwick, Edward dares, and
leads the way:-

Lords, to the field, Saint George and victory.
[March. Exeunt.
SCENE II. A Field of Battle near Barnet.
Alarums, and Excursions. Enter KING EDWARD,
bringing in WARWICK wounded.

K. Edw. So, lie thou there: die thou, and die
our fear;

For Warwick was a bug, that fear'd us all.-
Now, Montague, sit fast; I seek for thee,
That Warwick's bones may keep thine company.
[Exit.
War. Ah, who is nigh? come to me, friend,
or foe,

And tell me who is victor, York or Warwick?
Why ask I that? my mangled body shows,
My blood, my want of strength, my sick heart
That I must yield my body to the earth, [shows
And, by my fall, the conquest to my foe.
Thus yields the cedar to the axe's edge,
Whose arms gave shelter to the princely eagle,
Under whose shade the ramping lion slept;

War.

Sweet rest to his soul!-Fly, lords, and save yourselves: for Warwick

bids

You all farewell, to meet again in Heaven. [Dies. Oxf. Away, away, to meet the queen's great power!

[Exeunt, bearing off WARWICK's body. SCENE III. Another Part of the Field. Flourish. Enter KING EDWARD in triumph; with CLARENCE, GLOSTER, and the rest.

K. Edw. Thus far our fortune keeps an upward
course,

And we are graced with wreaths of victory.
But, in the midst of this bright-shining day,
I spy a black, suspicious threat'ning cloud,
That will encounter with our glorious sun,
Ere he attain his easeful western bed:

I mean, my lords,-those powers, that the queen
Hath rais'd in Gallia, have arriv'd our coast,
And, as we hear, march on, to fight with us.

Clar. A little gale will soon disperse that
cloud,

And blow it to the source from whence it came:
Thy very beams will dry those vapours up;
For every cloud engenders not a storm.

Glo. The queen is valu'd thirty thousand
strong,

And Somerset, with Oxford, fled to her:
If she have time to breathe, be well assur'd,
Her faction will be full as strong as ours.

K. Edw. We are advertis'd by our loving Go home to bed, and like the owl by day, friends, [bury; If he arise, be mock'd and wonder'd at. That they do hold their course toward Tewks- Q. Mar. Thanks, gentle Somerset:-sweet We having now the best at Barnet field, Oxford, thanks. Will thither straight, Forwillingness rids way, And, as we march, our strength will be augIn every county as we go along. [mented Strike up the drum; cry-Courage! and away. [Exeunt.

SCENE IV. Plains near Tewksbury. March. Enter QUEEN MARGARET, PRINCE EDWARD, SOMERSET, OXFORD, and Soldiers.

Q. Mar. Great lords, wise men ne'er sit and wail their loss,

But cheerly seek how to redress their harms.
What, though the mast be now blown overboard,
The cable broke, the holding anchor lost,
And half our sailors swallow'd in the flood?
Yet lives our pilot still; Is't meet, that he
Should leave the helm, and, like a fearful lad,
With tearful eyes add water to the sea,
And give more strength to that which hath too

much;

Whiles, in his moan, the ship splits on the rock, Which industry and courage might have sav'd? Ah, what a shame! ah, what a fault were this! Say, Warwick was our anchor! What of that? And Montague our top-mast; What of him? Our slaughter'd friends the tackles; What of

these?

say-no,

Why, is not Oxford here another anchor?
And Somerset another goodly mast;
The friends of France our shrouds and tacklings?
And, though unskilful, why not Ned and I
For once allow'd the skilful pilot's charge?
We will not from the helm, to sit and weep;
But keep our course, though the rough wind
[wreck.
From shelves and rocks that threaten us with
As good to chide the waves as speak them fair.
And what is Edward, but a ruthless sea?
What Clarence, but a quicksand of deceit?
And Richard, but a ragged fatal rock?
All these the enemies to our poor bark.
Say, you can swim; alas, 'tis but a while:
Tread on the sand; why, there you quickly sink:
Bestride the rock; the tide will wash you off,
Or else you famish, that's a threefold death.
This speak I, lords, to let you understand,
In case some one of you would fly from us,
That there's no hop'd-for mercy with the bro-
thers,
[rocks.
More than with ruthless waves, with sands, and
Why, courage, then! what cannot be avoided,

"Twere childish weakness to lament, or fear.

Prince. Methinks a woman of this valiant spirit

Should, if a coward heard her speak these words,
Infuse his breast with magnanimity,
And make him, naked, foil a man at arms,
I speak not this, as doubting any here:
For, did I but suspect a fearful man,
He should have leave to go away betimes;
Lest, in our need, he might infect another,
And make him of like spirit to himself.
If any such be here, as God forbid!
Let him depart, before we need his help.

Orf. Women and children of so high a courage!! And warriors faint! why, 'twere perpetual shame.

O, brave young prince! thy famous grandfather Doth live again in thee; Long may'st thou live, To bear his image, and renew his glories!

Som. And he that will not fight for such a hope,

Prince. And take his thanks, that yet hath nothing else.

Enter a Messenger.

Mess. Prepare you, lords, for Edward is at Ready to fight: therefore be resolute. [hand, Oxf. I thought no less: it is his policy, To haste thus fast, to find us unprovided. Som, But he's deceiv'd, we are in readiness. Q. Mar. This cheers my heart, to see your forwardness. [budge.

Oxf. Here pitch our battle, hence we will not March. Enter at a distance, KING EDWARD, CLARENCE, GLOSTER, and Forces.

K. Edw. Brave followers, yonder stands the thorny wood, [strength. Which, by the heavens' assistance, and your Must by the roots be hewn up yet ere night. need not add more fuel to your fire, For, well I wot, ye blaze to burn them out: Give signal to the fight, and to it lords.

I

Q. Mar. Lords, knights, and gentlemen, what
I should say,

My tears gainsay; for every word I speak,
Ye see, I drink the water of mine eyes.
Therefore, no more but this:-Henry, your so-

vereign,

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SCENE V. Another Part of the same. Alarums: Excursions: and afterwards a Retreat. Then enter KING EDWARD, CLARENCE, GLOSTER, and Forces; with QUEEN MARGARET, OXFORD, and SOMERSET, Prisoners.

K. Edw. Now, here a period of tumultuous broils.

Away with Oxford to Hammes castle straight:
For Somerset, off with his guilty head.
Go, bear them hence; I will not hear them speak.
Oxf. For my part, I'll not trouble thee with
words.

Som. Nor I, but stoop with patience to my fortune. [Exeunt OXF. and Son. guarded. Q. Mar. So part we sadly, in this troublous To meet with joy in sweet Jerusalem. [world, K. Edw. Is proclamation made,-that who finds Edward,

Shall have a high reward, and he his life?
Glo. It is and lo, where youthful Edward

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Glo. That you might still have worn the petti-
coat,

And ne'er have stol'n the breech from Lancaster.
Prince. Let Esop fable in a winter's night;
His currish riddles sort not with this place.
Glo. By heaven, brat, I'll plague you for that
word.
[men.
Q. Mar. Ay, thou wast born to be a plague to
Glo. For God's sake, take away this captive
scold.
[back rather.
Prince. Nay, take away this scolding crook-
K. Edu. Peace, wilful boy, or I will charm,
your tongue.

Clar. Untutor'd lad, thou art too malapert.
Prince. I know my duty, you are all undutiful:
Lascivious Edward,-and thou perjur'd George,
And thou misshapen Dick, I tell ye all,
I am your better, traitors as ye are:-
And thou usurp'st my father's right, and mine.
K.Edw. Take that, the likeness of this railer
here.
[Stabs him.
Glo. Sprawl'st thou? take that, to end thy
agony.
[GLO. stabs him.
Clar. And there's for twitting me with per-
jury.
[CLAR. stabs him.

Q. Mar. O, kill me too!
Glo. Marry, and shall.
K. Edw. Hold, Richard,

done too much.

[Offers to kill her. hold, for we have [with words? Glo. Why should she live, to fill the world K. Edw. What! doth she swoon? use means for her recovery. [brother: Glo. Clarence, excuse me to the king my I'll hence to London on a serious matter; Ere ye come there, be sure to hear some news. Clar, What? what?

Glo. The Tower, the Tower!

[Exit.

Q. Mar. O, Ned, sweet Ned! speak to thy mother, boy!

Q. Mar. So come to you, and yours, as to this
prince!
[Exit, led out forcibly.

K. Edw. Where's Richard gone?
Cla. To London, all in post; and, as I guess,
To make a bloody supper in the Tower.

K. Edw. He's sudden, if a thing comes in his
head.

[sort Now march we hence: discharge the common With pay and thanks, and let's away to London, And see our gentle queen, how well she fares: By this, I hope, she hath a son for me. [Exeunt. SCENE VI. London. A Room in the Tower. KING HENRY is discovered sitting with a Book in his Hand, the Lieutenant attending. Enter GLOSTER.

Glo. Good day, my lord! What, at your book
so hard?
[say rather;
K. Hen. Ay, my good lord: My lord, I should
'Tis sin to flatter, good was little better:
Good Gloster, and Good devil, were alike,
And both preposterous; therefore, not good lord.
Glo. Sirrah, leave us to ourselves: we must
confer.
[Exit Lieutenant.
K. Hen. So flics the reckless shepherd from
the wolf:

So first the harmless sheep doth yield his fleece,
And next his throat unto the butcher's knife.--
What scene of death hath Roscius now to act?

Glo. Suspicion always haunts the guilty mind;
The thief doth fear each bush an officer. [bush,

K. Hen. The bird, that hath been limed in a
With trembling wings misdoubteth every bush:
And I, the hapless male to one sweet bird,
Have now the fatal object in my eye,
Where my poor young was lim'd, was caught,
and kill'd.
[Crete,

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 Daedalus; 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,

Canst thou not speak?-O traitors! murderers!
They, that stabb'd Cæsar, shed no blood at all,
Did not offend, nor were not worthy blame,
If this foul deed were by, to equal it.
He was a man; this, in respect, a child;
And men ne'er spend their fury on a child. [it?
What's worse than murderer, that I may name
No, no; my heart will burst, an if I speak ;-
And I will speak, that so my heart may burst.-Than can my ears that tragick history.-
Butchers and villains, bloody cannibals!
How sweet a plant have you untimely cropp'd!
You have no children, butchers! if you had,
The thought of them would have stirr'd up re-
But, if ever you chance to have a child, [morse:
Look in his youth to have him so cut off.
As, deathsmen! you have rid this sweet young
prince!
[perforce.

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 killed for his presumption.
K. Hen. Hadst thou been kill'd, when first
thou didst presume,

K. Edo. Away with her; go bear her hence Thou hadst not liv'd to kill a son of mine.
Q. Mar. Nay, never bear me hence, despatch And thus I prophesy,-that many a thousand,
me here;
[death: Which now mistrust no parcel of my fear;
And many an old man's sigh, and many a
widow's,

Here sheath thy sword, I'll pardon thee my
What! wilt thou not?-then, Clarence, do it
thou.
[ease.
Clar. By heaven, I will not do thee so much
Q. Mar. Good Clarence, do; sweet Clarence,
do thou do it.
[not do it?
Clar. Didst thou not hear me swear, I would
Q. Mar. Ay, but thou usest to forswear thyself;
'Twas sin before, but now 'tis charity.
What! wilt thou not? where is that devil's
butcher,
[thou?
Hard-favour'd Richard? Richard, where art
Thou art not here: Murder is thy alms-deed:
Petitioners for blood thou ne'er put'st back.
K. Edw. Away, I say; I charge ye, bear her
bence.

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'd her on the chimney's top,
And chattering pies in dismal discord sung.
Thy mother felt more than a mother's pain,
And yet brought forth less than a mother's hope;
To wit,-an indigest deformed lump,
Not like the fruit of such a goodly tree.

Teeth hadst thou in thy head, when thou wast | Repurchas'd with the blood of enemies.

born,

To signify,--thou cam'st to bite the world:
And if the rest be true which I have heard,
Thon cam'st-

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.
[death!
See, how my sword weeps for the poor king's
O, may such purple tears be always shed
From those that wish the downfall of our house!
If any spark of life be yet remaining,
Down, down to hell; and say, I sent thee thither.
[Stabs him again
I that have neither pity, love, nor fear.-
Indeed, 'tis true, that Henry told me of;
For I have often heard my mother say,
I came into the world with my legs forward:
Had I not reason, think ye, to make haste,
And seek their ruin that usurp'd our right?
The midwife wonder'd; and the women cried,
O, Jesus bless us, he is born with teeth!
And so I was; which plainly signified-
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.
I have no brother, I am like no brother:
And this word-love, which graybeards call
divine,

Be resident in men like one another,
And not in me; I am myself alone.-
Clarence, beware; thon keep'st me from the
But I will sort a pitchy day for thee: [light;
For I will buz abroad such prophesies,
That Edward shall be fearful of his life;
And then, to purge his fear, I'll be thy death.
King Henry, and the prince his son, are gone;
Clarence, thy turn is next, and then the rest:
Counting myself but bad, till I be best.-
I'll throw thy body in another room,
And triumph, Henry, in thy day of doom. [Exit.
SCENE VII. The same. A Room in the Palace.
KING EDWARD is discovered sitting on his Throne;
QUEEN ELIZABETH with the infant Prince CLA-
RENCE, GLOSTER, HASTINGS, and Others, near
him.

K. Edw. Once more we sit in England's royal throne,

What valiant foemen, like to autumn's corn,
Have we mow'd down, in tops of all their pride?
Three dukes of Somerset, threefold renown'd
For hardy and undoubted champions:
Two Cliffords, as the father and the son,
And two Northumberlands; two braver men
Ne'er spurr'd their coursers at the trumpet's
sound:

With them, the two brave bears, Warwick and
Montague,

That in their chains fetter'd the kingly lion,
And made the forest tremble when they roar'd.
Thus have we swept suspicion from our seat,
And made our footstool of security.-
Come hither, Bess, and let me kiss my boy :-
Young Ned, for thee, thine uncles, and myself,
Have in our armours watch'd the winter's night;
Went all afoot in summer's scalding heat,
That thou might'st repossess the crown in peace
And of our labours thou shalt reap the gain.

Glo. I'll blast his harvest, if your head were

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lovely queen:

And kiss your princely nephew, brothers both. Cla. The duty, that I owe unto your majesty, I seal upon the lips of this sweet babe. K. Edw. Thanks, noble Clarence; worthy brother, thanks. [thou sprang'st, Glo. And, that I love the tree from whence Witness the loving kiss I give the fruit:To say the truth, so Judas kiss'd his) master; [-all harm. Aside. And cried-all hail! when as he meant K. Edw. Now am I seated as my soul delights, Having my country's peace, and brothers' loves. Clar. What will your grace have done with

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[graphic]

Life and Death of

King Richard the Chird.

KING EDWARD THE FOURTH. EDWARD, Prince of Wales, afterwards King Edward V. RICHARD, Duke of York, GEORGE, Duke of Clarence,"

Persons Represented.

EARL OF OXFORD. LORD HASTINGS.
LORD STANLEY. LORD LOVEL

Sons to the King. SIR THOMAS VAUGHAN. SIR RICHARD RATCLIFF
SIR WILLIAM CATESBY. SIR JAMES TYRREL.
SIR JAMES BLOUNT. SIR WALTER HERBERT
SIR ROBERT BRAKENBURY, Lieutenant of the Tower.

RICHARD, Duke of Gloster, Brothers to the King CHRISTOPHER URSWICK, a Priest. Another Priest. afterwards King Richard

III.

A young Son of Clarence.

Lord Mayor of London. Sheriff of Wiltshire.
ELIZABETH, Queen of King Edward IV.

HENRY, Earlof Richmond, afterwards King Henry | MARGARET, Widow of King Henry VI.
VII.

CARDINAL BOURCHIER, Archbishop of Canter-
bury.

THOMAS ROTHERAM, Archbishop of York.
JOHN MORTON, Bishop of Ely.

DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM.

DUKE OF NORFOLK EARL OF SURREY, his Son. EARL RIVERS, Brother to King Edward's Queen. MARQUIS OF DORSET, and LORD GREY, her Sons.|

Art First.

SCENE I. London. A Street. Enter GLOSTER.

DUCHESS OF YORK, Mother to King Edward IV. Clarence, and Gloster.

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.

Glo. Now is the winter of our discontent Made glorious summer by this sun of York; And all the clouds, that lour'd upon our house, In the deep bosom of the ocean buried. Now are our brows bound with victorious wreaths;

Our bruised arms hung up for monuments;
Our stern alarums chang'd to merry meetings,
Our dreadful marches to delightful measures.
Grim-visag'd war hath smooth'd his wrinkled
front;

And now, instead of mounting barbed steeds,
To fright the souls of fearful adversaries,-
He capers nimbly in a lady's chamber,
To the lascivious pleasing of a lute.
But I,-that am not shap'd for sportive tricks,
Nor made to court an amorous looking-glass:
I, that am rudely stamp'd, and want love's ma-
jesty,

To strut before a wanton ambling nymph;
I, that am curtail'd of this fair proportion,
Cheated of feature by dissembling nature,
Deform'd, unfinish'd, sent before my time
Into this breathing world, scarce half made up,
And that so lamely and unfashionable.
That dogs bark at me, as I halt by them;-
Why I, in this weak piping time of peace,
Have no delight to pass away the time;
Unless to spy my shadow in the sun,

And descant on mine own deformity;
And therefore,-since I cannot prove a lover,
To entertain these fair well spoken days,--
I am determined to prove a villain,
And hate the idle pleasures of these days.
Plots have I laid, inductions dangerous,
By drunken prophecies, libels, and dreams,
To set my brother Clarence, and the king,
In deadly hate the one against the other:
And, if King Edward be as true and just,
As I am subtle, false, and treacherous,
This day should Clarence closely be mew'd up;
About a prophecy, which says that G
Of Edward's heirs the murderer shall be.
Dive, thoughts, down to my soul! here Clarence

comes.

Enter CLARENCE, guarded, and BRAKENBURY. Brother, good day: What means this armed That waits upon your grace? [guard, Clar. His majesty, Tendering my person's safety, hath appointed This conduct to convey me to the Tower. Glo. Upon what cause? 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 proAs 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

[test,

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