supper, When thou shalt tell the process of their death. Tyr. I humbly take my leave. His daughter meanly have I match'd in marriage; Enter CATESBY. Cate. My lord, My unblown flowers, new-appearing sweets! Q. Mar. Hover about her; say, that right Hath dimm'd your infant morn to aged night. Q. Mar. Plantagenet doth quit Plantagenet, Q. Eliz. Wilt thou, O God, fly from such gentle lambs, And throw them in the entrails of the wolf? When didst thou sleep, when such a deed was done? Q. Mar. When holy Harry died, and my sweet son. Duch. Dead life, blind sight, poor mortal-li- Woe's scene, world's shame, grave's due by life K. Rich. Good news or bad, that thou com'st | Unlawfully made drunk with innocent blood! in so bluntly? Cate. Bad news, my lord: Morton is fled to Richmond; And Buckingham, back'd with the hardy Welsh SCENE IV. The same. Before the palace. Enter Queen MARGARET. Q. Mar. So, now prosperity begins to mellow, Q. Eliz. Ah, that thou would'st as soon afford Q. Mar. If ancient sorrow be most reverent, [Sitting down with them. Thou hadst a Richard, till a Richard kill'd I had a Rutland too, thou holp'st to kill him. From forth the kennel of thy womb hath crept A hell-hound, that doth hunt us all to death: That dog, that had his teeth before his eyes, To worry lambs, and lap their gentle blood; That foul defacer of God's handy-work; That excellent grand tyrant of the earth, That reigns in galled eyes of weeping souls, Thy womb let loose to chase us to our graves.O upright, just, and true-disposing God, How do I thank thee, that this carnal cur Q. Eliz. Ah, my poor princes! ah, my tender Preys on the issue of his mother's body, And makes her pew-fellow with others' moan! here? Enter Queen ELIZABETH and the Duchess of babes! Duch. O, Harry's wife, triumph not in my | And leave the burden of it all on thee. ward; And the beholders of this tragic play, That I should wish for thee to help me curse Where be thy two sons? wherein dost thou joy? Who sues, and kneels, and says-God save the queen? Where be the bending peers that flatter'd thee? Where be the thronging troops that follow'd thee? Decline all this, and see what now thou art. yoke; From which even here I slip my wearied head, VOL. II. Farewell, York's wife, and queen of sad mis chance, These English woes shall make me smile in Q. Eliz. O thou well skill'd in curses, stay a while, France. And teach me how to curse mine enemies. Q. Mar. Forbear to sleep the night, and fast the day; Compare dead happiness with living woe; Think, that thy babes were fairer than they were, And he, that slew them, fouler than he is: Bettering thy loss makes the bad-causer worse; Revolving this will teach thee how to curse. Q. Eliz. My words are dull, O, quicken them with thine! Q. Mar. Thy woes will make them sharp, and pierce like mine. [Exit Q. Margaret. Duch. Why should calamity be full of words? Q. Eliz. Windy attorneys to their client woes, Airy succeeders of intestate joys, Poor breathing orators of miseries! Let them have scope: though what they do im And in the breath of bitter words let's smother My damned son, that thy two sweet sons smo[Drum within. ther'd. I hear his drum, -be copious in exclaims. Enter King RICHARD, and his Train, K. Rich. Who intercepts me in my expedition? Duch. O, she, that might haveintercepted thee, By strangling thee in her accursed womb, From all the slaughters, wretch, that thou hast done. Q. Eliz. Hid'st thou that forehead with a golden crown, Where should be branded, if that right were right, The slaughter of the prince that ow'd that crown, And the dire death of my poor sons, and brothers? Tell me, thou villain-slave, where are my children? Duch. Thou toad, thou toad, where is thy brother Clarence? And little Ned Plantagenet, his son? Q. Eliz. Where is the gentle Rivers, Vaughan, Grey? K. Rich. A flourish, trumpets!-strike ala rum, drums! Let not the heavens hear these tell-tale women Rail on the Lord's anointed: Strike, I say.[Flourish. Alarums Either be patient, and entreat me fair, L K. Rich. Ay; I thank God, my father, and | They shall be praying nuns, not weeping queens; Thou drown the sad remembrance of those | If I have kill'd the issue of your womb, yourself. Duch. Then patiently hear my impatience. K. Rich. Madam, I have a touch of your condition, That cannot brook the accent of reproof. K. Rich. Do, then; but I'll not hear. Duch. Art thou so hasty? I have staid for thee, God knows, in torment and in agony. K. Rich. And came I not at last to comfort you? Duch. No, by the holy rood, thou know'st it well, Thou cam'st on earth to make the earth my hell. furious; Thy prime of manhood, daring, bold, and ven turous; Thy age confirm'd, proud, subtle, sly, and bloody, K. Rich. 'Faith, none, but Humphrey Hour, that call'd your grace To breakfast once, forth of my company. Duch. I pr'ythee, hear me speak. For I shall never speak to thee again. K. Rich. So. And therefore level not to hit their lives. K. Rich. You have a daughter call'd-Elizabeth, Virtuous and fair, royal and gracious. Q. Eliz. And must she die for this? O, let her live, And I'll corrupt her manners, stain her beauty; Q. Eliz. To save her life, I'll say she is not so. brothers. Of comfort, kingdom, kindred, freedom, life. But that still use of grief makes wild grief tame, K. Rich. Madam, so thrive I in my enterprize, Whisper the spirits of thine enemies, To be discover'd, that can do me good? gentle lady. Q. Eliz. Up to some scaffold, there to lose tend. [Exit. their heads? Q. Eliz. Though far more cause, yet much less spirit to curse Abides in me; I say amen to her. [Going. K. Rich. Stay, madam, I must speak a word with you. Q. Eliz. I have no more sons of the royal blood, For thee to murder: for my daughters, Richard, The high imperial type of this earth's glory. K. Rich. Even all I have; ay, and myself and all, If I did take the kingdom from your sons, Will I withal endow a child of thine; So in the Lethe of thy angry soul Q. Eliz. What, thou? To quicken your increase, I will beget wife, Familiarly shall call thy Dorset-brother; K. Rich. Even so: What think you of it, What! we have many goodly days to see: madam? Q. Eliz. How canst thou woo her? K. Rich. That I would learn of you, As one being best acquainted with her humour. Q. Eliz. And wilt thou learn of me? K. Rich. Madam, with all my heart. Q. Eliz. Send to her, by the man that slew her brothers, A pair of bleeding hearts; thereon engrave, Mad'st quick conveyance with her good aunt Anne. The liquid drops of tears, that you have shed, rience; Prepare her ears to hear a wooer's tale; Would be her lord? Or, shall I say, her uncle? alliance. Q. Eliz. That at her hands, which the king's K. Rich. Look, what is done cannot be now amended: K. Rich. Say, she shall be a high and mighty Men shall deal unadvisedly sometimes, Which after-hours give leisure to repent. King forbids. Q Eliz. As long as hell, and Richard, likes of it. Ungovern'd youth, to wail it in their age: The parents live, whose children thou hast butcher'd, virtue; Thy crown, usurp'd, disgrac'd his kingly glory : If something thou would'st swear to be believ'd, Swear then by something, that thou hast not wrong'd. K. Rich. Now, by the world, Q. Eliz. 'Tis full of thy foul wrongs. K. Rich. My father's death, Q. Eliz. Thy life hath that dishonour'd. K. Rich. Then, by myself, Q. Elix. Thyself is self misus'd. K. Rich. Why then, by God, Q. Eliz. God's wrong is most of all. If thou had'st fear'd to break an oath by him, Old barren plants, to wail it with their age. good. Q. Eliz. Shall I forget myself, to be myself? K. Rich. Ay, if your self's remembrance wrong yourself. Q. Eliz. But thou didst kill my children. K. Rich. But in your daughter's womb I bury them: Where, in that nest of spicery, they shall breed Selves of themselves to your recomforture. Q. Eliz. Shall I go win my daughter to thy will? K. Rich. And be a happy mother by the deed. Q. Eliz. I go. Write to me very shortly, And you shall understand from me her mind. K. Rich. Bear her my true love's kiss, and so [Kissing her. Exit Q. Elizabeth. Relenting fool, and shallow, changing-woman! How now? what news? farewell. Enter RATCLIFF; CATESBY following. Rat. Most mighty sovereign, on the western coast Rideth a puissant navy; to the shore |