Thy mother felt more than a mother's pain,
And yet brought forth leis than a mother's hope;
To wit, an undigeft deformed lump,
Not like the fruit of fuch a goodly tree.
Teeth hadft thou in thy head, when thou waft born,
To fignify, thou cam'ft to bite the world:
And, if the reft be true which I have heard,
Thou cam'ft into the world with thy legs forward.
Glo. I'll hear no more;-Die, prophet, in thy
fpeech.
[Stabs him.

For this, amongst the reft, was I ordain'd.
K. Henry. Ay, and for much more flaughter
after this.

O God! forgive my fins, and pardon thee! [Dies.
Glo. What, will the afpiring blood of Lancaster
Sink in the ground? I thought, it would have
mounted.
[death!
See, how my fword weeps for the poor king's
O, may fuch purple tears be alway shed
From thofe that with the downfal of our house!
If any fpark of life be yet remaining,

Down, down to hell; and fay,-1 fent thee thi-
ther,
[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 fay,
I came into the world with my legs forward:
Had I not reafon, think ye, to make haste,
And feck their ruin that ufurp'd our right?
The midwife wonder'd, and the women cry'd,
"O, Jefus blefs us, he is born with teeth!"
And fo 1 was; which plainly fignify'd-
That I fhould fnarl, and bite, and play the dog.
Then, fince the heavens have fhap'd my body fo,
Let hell make crook'd my mind, to answer it.
I had no father, I am like no father:
I have no brother, I am like no brother: [vine,
And this word-love, which grey-beards call di-
Be refident in men like one another,
And not in me; I am myfelf alone.--
Clarence, beware; thou keep'ft me from the light;
But I will fort a pitchy day for thee;
For I will buz abroad fuch prophecies,
That Edward fhall be fearful of his life;
And then, to purge his fear, I'll be thy death.
King Henry, and the prince his fon, are gone:
Clarence, thy turn is next; and then the reft;
Counting myfelf 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 Palace in London.

Enter King Edward, the Queen, with the young Prince, Glarence, Glofter, Hejtings, and Attendants. K. Edw. Once more we fit in England's royal throne,

Re-purchas'd with the blood of enemies.
What valiant foe-men, like to autumn's corn,
Have we mow'd down, in top of all their pride!
Three dukes of Somerset, threefold renown'd
For hardy and undoubted champions:
Two Cliffords, as the father and the fon,
And two Northumberlands: two braver men
Ne'er fpurr'd their courfers at the trumpet's found :
With them, the two brave bears, Warwick and
Montague,

That in their chains fetter'd the kingly lion,
And made the foreft tremble when they roar'd.
Thus have we swept fufpicion from our feat,
And made our footstool of fecurity.--
Come hither, Befs, and let me kifs my boy :—
[Taking the child.
Young Ned, for thee, thine uncles and myself
Have in our armours watch'd the winter's night;
Went all afoot in fummer's fcalding heat,
That thou might'ft repoffefs the crown in peace;
And of our labours thou fhait reap the gain.

Glo. I'll blaft his harveft, if your head were lay'd;
For yet I am not look'd on in the world.
This fhoulder was ordain'd fo thick, to heave;
And heave it fhall fome weight, or break my
back:-

Work thou the way,—and thou shalt execute 2. [Afide.

K. Edw. Clarence and Glofter, love my lovely

K. Edu. Now am I feated as my foul delights, Having my country's peace, and brothers' loves. Clar. What will your grace have done with Margaret ?

Reignier, her father, to the king of France
Hath pawn'd the Sicils and Jerufalem,
And hither have they fent it for her ransom.
K. Edw. Away with her, and waft her hence to
France.
And now what refts, but that we spend the time
With ftately triumphs, mirthful comic shows,
Such as befit the pleasures of the court?-
Sound, drums and trumpets! farewel, four annoy !
For here, I hope, begins our lafting joy.

[Exeunt omnes.

I

Nor made to court an amorous looking-glas;
I, that am rudely ftamp'd, and want love's majesty,
To ftrut before a wanton ambling nymph;
1, that am curtail'd of this fair proportion,
Cheated of feature by diffembling nature,
Deform'd, unfinish'd, fent before my time
Into this breathing world, fearce half made up,
And that fo lamely and unfashionably,
That dogs bark at me, as I hait by them ;-
Why I, in this week piping time of peace,
Have no delight to país away the time;
Unless to spy my fhadow in the fun,
And defcant 2 on mine own deformity:
And therefore,-fince I cannot prove a lover,
To entertain these fair well-fpoken days,—
I am determined to prove a villain,
And hate the idle pleafures of thefe days.
Plots have I laid, inductions 3 dangerous,
By drunken prophefies, bels, and dreams,
To fet my brother Clarence, and the king,
In deadly hate the one against the other:
And, if king Edward be as true and juft,
As I am fubtle, falfe and treacherous,
This day fhould Clarence clofely be mew'd up;
Abont a prophecy, which fays--that G
Of Edward's heirs the murderer fhall be.
Dive, thoughts, down to my foul! here Clarence

comes.

Enter Clarence guarded, and Brakınbury. Brother, good day: What means this armed guard, That waits upon your grace?

Clar. His majeíty,

Tendering my perfon's fafety, hath appointed
This conduct to convey me to the Tower.
Glo. Upon what caufe?

Clar. Becaufc my name is-George.

Glo. Alack, my lord, that fault is none of yours; He fhould, for that, commit your godfathers :O, belike, his majefty hath fome intent, That you fhould be new chriften'd in the Tower. But what's the matter, Clarence? may I know? Clar. Yea, Richard, when I know; for I proteft,

As yet I do not: But, as I can learn, He hearkens after prophecies, and dreams; And from the crois-row plucks the letter G, And fays a wizard told him, that by G His iffue difinherited fhould be ; And, for my name of George begins with G, It fellows in his thought, that I am he: ·Thefe, as I learn, and fuch like toys as thefe, Have mov'd his highness to commit me now. Glo. Why, this it is, when men are rul'd by

women :

'Tis not the king, that fends you to the Tower;
My lady Gray his wife, Clarence, 'tis fhe,
That tempts him to this harsh extremity.
Was it not fhe, and that good man of worship,
Anthony Woodeville, her brother there,

That made him fend lord Haftings to the Tower;
From whence this prefent day he is deliver'd ?
We are not fafe, Clarence, we are not safe.

Clar. By heaven, I think, there is no man fecure,
But the queen's kindred, and night-walking heralds
That trudge betwixt the king and mistress Shore.
Heard you not, what an humble fuppliant
Lord Haftings was to her for his delivery?

Gl. 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 goflips in this monarchy.

[bury,

Brak. I befeech your graces both to pardon me;
His majefty hath ftraitly given in charge,
That no man fhall have private conference,
Of what degree foever, with his brother.
Glo. Even fo? an please your worthip, Braken-
You may partake of any thing we say:
We speak no treason, man ;—We fay, the king
Is wife, and virtuous; and his noble queen
Well ftruck in years; fair, and not jealous:→→
We fay; that Shore's wife hath a pretty foot,
A cherry lip, a bonny eye, a paffing pleafing
tongue;

That the queen's kindred are made gentle-folks :
How fay you, fir can you deny all this?
Brak. With this, my lord, myself have nought
to do.
[fellow,
Glo. Naught to do with mistress Shore? I tell thee,
He that doth nought with her, excepting one,
Were beft to do it fecretly, alone.

Brak. What one, my lord?

[me?

Glo. Her husband, knave:-Would'st thou betray Brak. I befeech your grace to pardon me; and,

withal,

Forbear your conference with the noble duke.
Glar. We know thy charge, Brakenbury, and will
obey.
[obey.
Glo. We are the queen's abjects 5, and mutt
Brother, farewel: I will unto the king;
And whatfoe'er you will employ me in,-
Were it, to call king Edward's widow-fifter,-
I will perform it, to enfranchise you.
Mean time, this deep difgrace in brotherhood
Touches me deeper than you can imagine.

Clar. I know, it pleafeth neither of us well.
Glo. Well, your imprisonment fhall not be long:
I will deliver you, or elfe lye for you :
Mean time, have patience.

Clar. I must perforce 6: farewel.

[Exeunt Clarence and Brakenbury. Glo. Go, tread the path that thou shalt ne'er

return,

Simple, plain Clarence-I do love thee fo, That I will fhortly fend thy foul to heaven,

No beaft fo fierce, but knows fome touch of pity. Glo. But I know none, and therefore am no beaft.

Anne. O wonderful, when devils tell the truth! Gh. More wonderful, when angels are io angryVouchfafe, divine perfection of a woman, Of thefe fuppofed evils, to give me leave, By circumftance, but to acquit myfelf.

Anne. Vouchsafe, diffus'd infection of a man, For thefe known evils, but to give me leave, By circumftance, to curie thy curfed felf.

[have

Gio. Fairer than tongue can name thee, let me Some patient leifure to excufe myfelf.

hs. Fouler than heart can think thee, thou can't make

No excufe current, but to hang thyself.

Glo. Nay, he is dead; and flain by Edward's [garet faw Anne. In thy foul throat thou ly'ft; queen MarThy murderous faulchion fimoking in his blood; The which thou once didst bend against her breast, But that thy brothers beat afide the point.

Gl. I was provoked by her fland'rous tongue, That laid their guilt upon my guiltless shoulders.

Anne. Thou waft provoked by thy bloody mind, That never dreamt on aught but butcheries: Didft thou not kill this king?

Glo. I grant ye.

[grant me too, Anne. Doft grant me, hedge-hog? then God Thou may't be damned for that wicked deed! O, he was gentle, mild, and virtuous.

Glo. The fitter for the King of heaven that hath
him.
[come.
Anne. He is in heaven, where thou fhalt never
Glo. Let him thank me, that holp to fend him
thither;

For he was fitter for that place, than earth.
Anne. And thou unfit for any place, but hell.
Glo. Yes, one place elfe, if you will hear me
Anne Some dungeon.
[name it.

Gis. Your bed-chamber.

Anne. Il rest betide the chamber where that

lyeft!

Glo. So will it, madam, 'till I lie with you. Anne. I hope fo.

Glo. I know fo.-But, gentle lady Anne,To leave this keen encounter of our wits, And fall fomewhat into a flower 2 method;Is not the caufer of the timeless deaths Of these Plantagenets, Henry, and Edward, As blameful as the executioner?

[effect.

Anne. Thou waft the caufe, and most accurs'd Glo. Your beauty was the caufe of that effect; Your beauty, which did haunt me in my fleep, To undertake the death of all the world, So I might live one hour in your sweet bofor. Anne. If I thought that, I tell thee, homicide, Thefe nails fhould rend that beauty from my cheeks. Glo. Thefe eyes could not endure that beauty's wreck,

You should not blemish it, if I stood by: As all the world is cheered by the fun, So I by that; it is my day, my life. [thy life ! Anne. Black night o'er-fhade thy day, and death Glo. Curfe not thy felf, fair creature; thou art both.

Anne. I would I were, to be reveng'd on thee. Glo. It is a quarrel moft unnatural,

To be reveng'd on him that loveth thee.

Anne. It is a quarrel just and reasonable, To be reveng’d on him that kill'd my husband. Gle. He that bereft thee, lady, of thy husband, Did it to help thee to a better hutband,

Anne. His better doth not breathe upon the earth, Glo. He lives, that loves you better than he could, Anne. Name him.

Glo. Here: [She spits at him.] Why doft thou Anne. Would it were mortal poifon for thy fake! Glo. Never came poifon from fo fweet a place, Anne. Never hung poison on a fouler toad. Cut of my fight! thou doft infect mine eyes. Glo. Thine eyes, fweet lady, have infected mine. Anne. 'Would they were bafilifks, to strike thee dead!

Gla. I would they were, that I might die at once;
For now they kill me with a living death.
Thofe eyes of thine from mine have drawn falt
tears,

Sham'd their afpects with store of childish drops:
Thefe eyes, which never shed remorfeful tear,—
Not, when my father York and Edward wept,
To hear the piteous moan that Rutland made,
When black-fac'd Clifford fhook his sword at him:
Nor when thy warlike father, like a child,
Told the fad story of my father's death;
And twenty times made paufe, to fob, and weep,
That all the standers-by had wet their cheeks,
Like trees bedath'd with rain: in that fad time,

My