And both prepoft'rous; therefore, not good Lord.
Glo. Sir, leave us to ourselves, we must confer.

[Exit Lieutenant.
K Henry. So flies the wreakless fhepherd from the wolf.
So firft the harmless flock doth yield his fleece,
And next his throat, unto the butcher's knife.
What scene of death hath Rofcius now to act? (25)
Glo. Sufpicion always haunts the guilty mind;

The thief doth fear each bufh an officer.

K. Henry. The bird, that hath been limed in a bush, With trembling wings mif-doubteth ev'ry 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.
Glo. Why, what a peevish fool was that of Crete,
That taught his fon the office of a fowl?
And yet, for all his wings, the fool was drown'd.
K. Henry. I, Dedalus; my poor boy, Icarus;
Thy father, Minos that deny'd our course;
The Sun, that fear'd the wings of my sweet boy,

(25) What Scene of death kath Rofcius now to act?] Tho' I have not difturb'd the text here, I cannot but fubjoin my friend's fufpicion of it, in his own words.I believe, there never was a fillier corruption than this reading; certainly introduced by fome fhallowpated conceited fellow of the scene. For, in the first place, what fimilitude between Richard's murders, and Rofcius's scenes of death? But what is still worse, Rofcius was a Comedian, and not a Tragedian. Were a player here to be brought in by head and shoulders, it should have been fopus.-Rofcius citatior, fopus gravior fuit; quod Ille Comedias, bic Tragedias egit; fays Quintilian. And to fhew what kind of walk in playing Rofcius was famous for, we reed only cite Tully, in his oration in behalf of that comedian-Cujus perfonam præclare Rofcius in Scena tractare confuevit: neque tamen pro beneficio ei par gratia refertur. Nam Ballonem illum improbiffimum, & perjurifi mum lenonem cum agit, agit Chæream.-(By the bye, had L'Abbe d'Aubignac remember'd this paffage, he need not have made it a queftion in his La Practique du Theatre, whether Plautus's plays were acted after his death.) Now this being premised, I cannot but think

that we ought to read;

What fcene of death bath Richard now to act?

And this not only makes good fenfe of the line, but is infinitely more agreeable to the character of the speaker, and the circumftances he was then in.

Mr. Warburton.

Thy

Thy brother Edward; and thyself, the fea,
Whose envious gulph did swallow up his life.
Ah, kill me with thy weapon, not with words;
My breast can better brook thy dagger's point,
Than can my ears that tragick history.

But wherefore doft thou come? Is't for my life ?
Glo. Think'ft thou, I am an executioner ?
K. Henry. A perfecutor, I am fure, thou art:
If murd'ring innocents be executing,

Why, then thou art an executioner.

Glo. Thy fon I kill'd for his prefumption.

K. Henry. Hadft thou been kill'd, when first thou didst
Thou hadit not liv'd to kill a fon of mine. [prefume,
And thus I prophefy, that many a thousand,
Which now miftruft no parcel of my fear,

And many an old man's figh, and many a widow's,
And many an orphan's water-ftanding eye,

(Men for their fons, wives for their husbands fate,
And orphans for their parents timeless death)
Shall rue the hour that ever thou waft born.
The owl fhriek'd at thy birth, an evil fign;
The night-crow cry'd, a boding luckless tune;
Dogs howl'd, and hideous tempeft fhook down trees;
The raven rook'd her on the chimney's top,
And chattering pyes in difmal difcords fung:
Thy mother felt more than a mother's pain,
And yet brought forth less than a mother's hope;
To wit, an indigested deform'd 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 rest be true which I have heard,

Thou cam'ft into the world with thy legs forward. (26)

Gla

(26) And, if the reft be true which I have heard, Thou cam'ft]Had our editors had but a grain of fagacity, or due diligence, there could have been no room for this abfurd break: fince they might have ventur'd to fill it up with certainty The old quarto would have led them part of the way. Thou cam' into the world

too.

And that the verfe is to be compleated in the manner I have given

it,

Glo. I'll hear no more: die prophet in thy fpeech;

For this, amongst the reft, was I ordain'd.

[Stabs him.

K. Henry. Ay, and for much more flaughter after this— O God! forgive my fins, and pardon thee.

[Dies.

Glo. What! will th' afpiring blood of Lancaster
Sink in the ground? I thought it would have mounted.
See, how my fword weeps for the poor King's death!
O, may fuch purple tears be always fhed,
From those who with the downfall of our house.
If any fpark of life be yet remaining,
Down, down to hell, and fay, I fent 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 fay,
I came into the world with my legs forward.
Had I not reafon, think ye, to make hate,
And feek 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 I was; which plainly fignify'd
That I fhould fnarle, and bite, and play the dog:
Then, fince the heav'ns 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;
And this word love, which grey-beards call divine,
Be refident in men like one another,

And not in me: I am myself alone.

Clarence, beware; thou keep'ft me from the light;

it, is inconteftible; for unless we fuppofe King Henry actually re proaches him with this his prepofterous birth, how can Richard in his very next foliloquy say?

Indeed, 'tis true that Henry told me of,

For I bave often heard my mother fay,

I came into the world with my legs forward.

I can easily fee, that this blank was caus'd by the nicety of the players, to fupprefs an indecent idea. But, with fubmission, this was making but half a cure, unless they had expung'd the repetition of it out of Richard's speech too.

But

But I will fort a pitchy day for thee:
For I will buz abroad fuch prophecies,
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 fon, are gone;
Clarence, thy turn is next, and then the reft;
Counting myself but bad, till I be beft.
I'll throw thy body in another room;
And triumph, Henry! in the day of doom.

SCENE, the Palace in London.

[Exit.

Enter King Edward, Queen, Clarence, Glocefter, Haftings, Nurfe, and Attendants.

K. Edw.e-purchas'd with the blood of enemies :

more fit on England's royal throne,

What valiant foe-men, like to autumn's corn,
Have we mow'd down in top of all their pride?
Three Dukes of Somerset, three-fold 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 Montaguê,
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 security.
Come hither, Befs, and let me kifs my boy:
Young Ned, for thee, thine uncles and myself
Have in our armours watch'd the winter-night;
Went all a-foot in fummer's fcalding heat;
That thou might'ft repoffefs the crown in peace;
And of our labours thou fhalt reap the gain.

Glo. I'll blaft his harveft, if your head were laid,
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 myback;
Work thou the way, and that shall execute.

Afide.

K. Edw. Clarence and Glo'fter, love my lovely Queen;

And

And kifs your princely nephew, brothers both.
Clar. The duty that I owe your Majefty,

I feal upon the lips of this fweet babe.

[thanks. Queen. Thanks, noble Clarence; worthy brother, (27) Glo. And that I love the tree, from whence thou fprang't, Witness the loving kifs I give the fruit.

} Afide.

To say the truth, so Judas kif'd his mafter;
And cry'd, all hail! when as he meant all harm.
K. Edw. 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 Ferufalem;

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 stately triumphs, mirthful comick shows, Such as befit the pleasure of the court?

Sound, drums and trumpets; farewel, fow'r annoy ! For here, I hope, begins our lafting joy. [Exeunt omnes.

(27) Thanks, noble Clarence; worthy brother, thanks.] This line, ever fince the first edition by the players, has been given to King Edward; but I have, with the old quarto, restored it to the Queen, from whom it comes with much more propriety.

THE