CARDINAL BOURCHIER, Archbishop of Canterbury.

THOMAS ROTHERHAM, 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. MARQUESS OF DORSET, and LORD GREY, her Sons.

EARL OF OXFORD.

LORD HASTINGS.

LORD STANLEY, called also EARL OF DERBY. LORD LOVEL.

SIR THOMAS VAUGHAN.

SIR RICHARD RATCLIFF.

SIR WILLIAM CATESBY.

ACT I.

SCENE I.-London. A Street.

Enter GLOUCESTER.

on Lady Anne.

ELIZABETH, Queen of King Edward the Fourth.

MARGARET, Widow of King Henry the Sixth. DUCHESS OF YORK, Mother to King Edward the Fourth, Clarence, and Gloucester.

LADY ANNE, Widow of Edward, Prince of Wales, Son to King Henry the Sixth; afterwards married to the Duke of Gloucester.

LADY MARGARET PLANTAGENET, a young Daughter of Clarence.

Lords, and other Attendants; two Gentlemen, a Pursuivant, Scrivener, Citizens, Murderers, Messengers, Ghosts of those murdered by Richard the Third, Soldiers, &c.

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
majesty

16

20

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 see my shadow in the sun
And descant on mine own deformity:
And therefore, since I cannot prove a lover, 28
To entertain these fair well-spoken days,

24

76

-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
About a prophecy, which says, that G
Of Edward's heirs the murderer shall be.
Dive, thoughts, down to my soul: here Clarence

comes.

36

up,

40

women,

Are mighty gossips in our monarchy.

80

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. 48
O! belike his majesty hath some intent
That you should be new-christen'd in the Tower.
But what's the matter, Clarence? may I know?

53

56

Clar. Yea, Richard, when Iknow; for I protest As 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 His issue disinherited should be; And, for my name of George begins with G, It follows in his thought that I am he. These, as I learn, and such like toys as these, 60 Have mov'd his highness to commit me now.

Glo. Why, this it is, when men are rul'd by

88

Well struck in years, fair, and not jealous; 92
We say that Shore's wife hath a pretty foot,
A cherry lip, a bonny eye, a passing pleasing
tongue;

And that the queen's kindred are made gentlefolks.

How say you, sir? can you deny all this?

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108

Brother, farewell: I will unto the king;
And whatsoe'er you will employ me in,
Were it to call King Edward's widow sister,
I will perform it to enfranchise you.
Meantime, this deep disgrace in brotherhood
Touches me deeper than you can imagine. 112
Clar. I know it pleaseth neither of us well.
Glo. Well, your imprisonment shall not be
long;

I will deliver you, or else lie for you:
Meantime, have patience.
Clar.

I must perforce: farewell. [Exeunt CLARENCE, BRAKENBURY, and Guard.

124

Well are you welcome to this open air.
How hath your lordship brook'd imprisonment?
Hast. With patience, noble lord, as prisoners
must:

But I shall live, my lord, to give them thanks
That were the cause of my imprisonment. 128
Glo. No doubt, no doubt; and so shall Cla-
rence too;

For they that were your enemies are his,
And have prevail'd as much on him as you.
Hast. More pity that the eagles should be
mew'd,

While kites and buzzards prey at liberty.
Glo. What news abroad?

132

20

Than I can wish to adders, spiders, toads,
Or any creeping venom'd thing that lives!
If ever he have child, abortive be it,
Prodigious, and untimely brought to light,
Whose ugly and unnatural aspect
May fright the hopeful mother at the view; 24
And that be heir to his unhappiness!
If ever he have wife, let her be made
More miserable by the death of him
Than I am made by my young lord and thee! 28
Come, now toward Chertsey with your holy
load,

Taken from Paul's to be interred there;
And still, as you are weary of the weight,
Rest you, whiles I lament King Henry's corse. 32
[The Bearers take up the corpse and advance.

Enter GLOUCESTER.

Glo. Stay, you that bear the corse, and set it down.

Anne. What black magician conjures up this fiend,

44

Alas! I blame you not; for you are mortal,
And mortal eyes cannot endure the devil.
Avaunt! thou dreadful minister of hell,
Thou hadst but power over his mortal body,
His soul thou canst not have: therefore, be gone.
Glo. Sweet saint, for charity, be not so curst.
Anne. Foul devil, for God's sake hence, and
trouble us not;

For thou hast made the happy earth thy hell,
Fill'd it with cursing cries and deep exclaims. 52
If thou delight to view thy heinous deeds,
Behold this pattern of thy butcheries.

Ol gentlemen; see, see! dead Henry's wounds
Open their congeal'd mouths and bleed afresh.
Blush, blush, thou lump of foul deformity, 57
For 'tis thy presence that exhales this blood
From cold and empty veins, where no blood
dwells:

Thy deed, inhuman and unnatural,
Provokes this deluge most unnatural.

60

O God! which this blood mad'st, revenge his death;

O earth! which this blood drink'st, revenge his death;

Either heaven with lightning strike the murderer dead,

64

Or earth, gape open wide, and eat him quick, As thou dost swallow up this good king's blood, Which his hell-govern'd arm hath butchered!

Glc. Lady, you know no rules of charity, 68 Which renders good for bad, blessings for curses. Anne. Villain, thou know'st no law of God

Anne. And thou unfit for any place but hell. Glo. Yes, one place else, if you will hear me name it.

Anne. Some dungeon.

Glo.

Your bed-chamber. 112 Anne. Ill rest betide the chamber where thou liest!

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

Glo.