I may not suffer you to visit them;

The king hath strictly charg'd the contrary.
Q.Eliz. The king! who's that?

Brak. I mean, the lord protector.

Q. Eliz. The Lord protect him from that kingly title! Hath he set bounds between their love, and me? I am their mother, who shall bar 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, I may not leave it so ;' I am bound by oath, and therefore pardon me,

Enter STANLEY.

[Exit.

Stan. Let me but meet you, ladies, one hour hence, And I'll salute your grace of York as mother, And reverend looker-on of two fair queens.

Come, madam, you must straight to Westminster,

[To the Duchess of GLOSTER.

There to be crowned Richard's royal queen.
Q.Eliz. Ah, cut my lace asunder!

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 gone,
Death and destruction dog thee at the heels;
Thy mother's name is ominous to children :
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 slaughter-house,
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

In your behalf, to meet you on the way:
Be not ta'en hardy 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,

[1] That is, I may not so resign my office, which you offer to take on you at your peril. JOHNS.

Whose unavoided eye is murderous !2

Stan. Come, madam, come; I in all haste was sent.
Anne. And I with all unwillingness will go.—
O, would to God, that the inclusive verge
Of golden metal, that must round my brow,
Were red-hot steel, to sear me to the brain !3
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 humour, 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 issu'd from my other angel husband,

And that dead saint which then I weeping follow'd ;
O, when, I say, I look'd on Richard's face,

This was my wish,-Be thou, quoth I, accurs'd,
For making me, so young, so old a widow !

And, when thou wedd'st, let sorrow haunt thy bed
And be thy wife (if any be so mad)

More miserable by the life of thee,

Than thou hast made me by my dear lord's death!
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 prov❜d the subject of mine own soul's curse :
Which ever since hath held mine eyes from rest;
For never yet one hour in his bed

Did I enjoy the golden dew of sleep,

But with his timorous dreams was still awak'd.5
Besides, he hates me for my father Warwick;
And will, no doubt, shortly be rid of me.

[2] The cockatrice is a serpent supposed to originate from a cock's egg.

STEEV.

[3] She seems to allude to the ancient mode of punishing a regicide, or any other egregious criminal, viz. by placing a crown of iron, heated redhot, upon his head. In some of the monkish accounts of a place of future torment, a burning crown is likewise appropriated to those who deprived any lawful monarch of his kingdom. STEEV-John, the son of Vaivode Stephen, having defeated the army of Hungarian peasants, called Croisadoes, in 1514, caused their general, "called George,to be stript naked, upon whose head the executioner set a crown of hot burning iron."" This is the fact to which Goldsmith alludes;

"Luke's iron crown, and Damien's bed of steel." Though it was George, and not his brother Luke, who was so punished : but George's would not suit the poet's metre. The Earl of Athol who was executed on account of the murder of James 1. King of Scots was prévions to his death, "crowned with a hot iron." See Holinshed. RITSON.

[5] 'Tis recorded by Polydore Virgil, that Richard was frequently disturbed by terrible dreams: this is therefore no fiction. JOHNS.

Q. Eliz. Poor heart, adieu; I pity thy complaining.
Anne. No more than with my soul I mourn for your's.
Dors. Farewel, thou woeful welcomer of glory!
Anne. Adieu, poor soul, that tak'st thy leave of it!
Duch. Go thou to Richmond, and good fortune guide
[TO DORSET.
-Go thou to Richard, and good angels tend thee!

thee !

[TO ANNE. -Go thou to sanctuary, and good thoughts possess thee! [To Q. ELIZ. I to my grave, where peace and rest lie with me! Eighty odd years of sorrow have I seen, And each hour's joy wreck'd with a week of teen." Q.Eliz. Stay yet; look back, with me, unto the Tower. -Pity, you ancient stones, those tender babes, Whom envy hath immur'd within your walls ! Rough cradle for such little pretty ones!

Rude ragged nurse! old sullen play-fellow7

For tender princes, use my babies well!

So foolish sorrow bids your stones farewel. [Exeunt.

SCENE II.

A Room of State in the Palace. Flourish of Trumpets. RICHARD, as King, upon his Throne, BUCKINGHAM, CATESBY, a Page, and others.

K.Rich. Stand all apart.-Cousin of Buckingham,Buck. My gracious sovereign.

K.Rich. Give me thy hand. Thus high, by thy advice, And thy assistance, is king Richard seated :But shall we wear these glories for a day?

Or shall they last, and we rejoice in them?

Buck. Still live they, and forever let them last! K.Rich. Ah, Buckingham, now do I play the touch,

To try if thou be current gold, indeed :

9

Young Edward lives ;-Think now what I would speak. Buck. Say on, my loving lord,

K.Rich. Why, Buckingham, I say, I would be king. Buck. Why, so you are, my thrice-renowned liege. K.Rich. Ha! am I king? 'Tis so: but Edward lives.

[6] Teen is sorrow. STEEV.

[7] To call the Tower nurse and play-fellow is very harsh: perhaps part of this spech is addressed to the Tower, and part to the Lieutenant. JOH. [8] Hither the third Act should be extended, and here it very properly. ends with a pause of action. JOHNS.

[9] To play the touch is to represent the touchstone.

31*

VOL. V.

STEEV

Buck. True, noble prince.

K.Rich. O bitter consequence,

That Edward still should live,-true, noble prince !—
Cousin, thou wast not wont to be so dull ;-
Shall I be plain? I wish the bastards dead;
And I would have it suddenly perform'd.
What say'st thou now? Speak suddenly, be brief.
Buck. Your grace may do your pleasure.

K.Rich. Tut, tut, thou art all ice, thy kindness freezes : Say, have I thy consent, that they shall die?

Buck.Give me some breath, some little pause,dear lord, Before I positively speak in this:

I will resolve your grace immediately.

[Exit BUCK. Cate. The king is angry; see, he gnaws his lip. [Asi. K.Rich. I will converse with iron-witted fools,

And unrespective boys ;1 none are for me,

[Descends from his Throne.

That look unto me with considerate eyes ;-
High-reaching Buckingham grows circumspect.-—
Boy,-

Page. My lord.

K. Rich. Know'st thou not any, whom corrupting gold Would tempt unto a close exploit of death ?2

Page. I know a discontented gentleman,

Whose humble means match not his haughty mind :
Gold were as good as twenty orators,

And will, no doubt, tempt him to any thing.

K.Rich. What is his name?

Page. His name, my lord, is-Tyrrel.

K.Rich. I partly know the man; go, call him hither,

boy.

The deep-revolving witty Buckingham 3

[Exit Page.

No more shall be the neighbour to my counsels :

Hath he so long held out with me untir'd,

And stops he now for breath ?—well, be it so.

Enter STANLEY.

How now, lord Stanley? what's the news?
Stan. Know, my loving lord,

The marquis Dorset, as I hear, is fled

To Richmond, in the parts where he abides.

[1] Unrespective is inattentive to consequence, inconsiderate. STEEV. [2] Close exploit-Is secret act. JOHNS.

[3] Witty in this place signifies judicious or cunning. A wit was not at this time employed to signify a man of fancy, but was used for Wisdom or judgment. STEEV.

K.Rich. Come hither, Catesby: rumour it abroad, That Anne, my wife, is very grievous sick;

I will take order for her keeping close.

Inquire me out some mean-born gentleman,

Whom I will marry straight to Clarence' daughter :-
The boy is foolish, and I fear not him.-

Look, how thou dream'st !-I say again, give out,
That Anne my queen is sick, and like to die :
About it; for it stands me much upon,

To stop all hopes, whose growth may damage me.-
[Exit CATESBY.
I must be marry'd to my brother's daughter,
Or else my kingdom stands on brittle glass:-
Murder her brothers, and then marry her!
Uncertain way of gain! but I am in
So far in blood, that sin will pluck on sin.4
Tear-falling pity dwells not in this eye.-

Re-enter Page, with TYRREL.

Is thy name-Tyrrel?

Tyr. James Tyrrel, and your most obedient subject. K.Rich. Art thou, indeed?

Tyr. Prove me, my gracious lord.

K.Rich. Dar'st thou resolve to kill a friend of mine? Tyr. Please you; but I had rather kill two enemies. K.Rich. Why, then thou hast it; two deep enemies, Foes to my rest, and my sweet sleep's disturbers, Are they that I would have thee deal upon : Tyrrel, I mean those bastards in the tower.

Tyr. Let me have open means to come to them, And soon I'll rid you from the fear of them.

K.Rich. Thou sing'st sweet music. Hark, come hi-
ther, Tyrrel;

Go,by this token.-Rise, and lend thine ear: [Whispers.
There is no more but so :-Say, it is done,
And I will love thee, and prefer thee for it.
Tyr. I will despatch it straight.

Re-enter BUCKINGHAM.

Buck. My lord, I have consider'd in my mind,

The late demand that you did sound me in.

[Exit.

K.Rich. Well, let that rest. Dorset is fled to Rich

mond.

243 The same réflection occurs in Macbeth:

"am in blood

Stepp'd in so far, that should I wade no more,
Returning were as tedious, &c. STEEV.