Beget your happiness, be happy then, K. Rich. But didst thou see them dead? K. Rich. And buried, gentle Tyrrel? But where, to say the truth, I do not know. When thou shalt tell the process of their death. Tyr. I humbly take my leave. [Exit. K. Rich. The son of Clarence have I penn'd up close; His daughter meanly have I match'd in marriage; The sons of Edward sleep in Abraham's bosom, And Anne my wife hath bid the world good-night. Now, for I know the Bretagne Richmond aims At young Elizabeth, my brother's daughter, And, by that knot, looks proudly on the crown, To her go I, a jolly thriving wooer. Enter CATESBY. Cate. My lord, K. Rich. Good news or bad, that thou com'st in so bluntly? Cate. Bad news, my lord: Morton is fled to Richmond; And Buckingham, back'd with the hardy Welsh men, Is in the field, and still his power encreaseth. near, Than Buckingham and his rash-levied strength. SCENE IV.-The same. Before the palace. Enter Queen MARGARET. Q. Mar. So, now prosperity begins to mellow, And drop into the rotten mouth of death. Here in these confines slily have I lurk'd, To watch the waning of mine enemies. A dire induction am I witness to, And will to France; hoping, the consequence Will prove as bitter, black, and tragical. Withdraw thee, wretched Margaret! who comes here? Enter Queen ELIZABETH and the Duchess of YORK. Q. Eliz. Ah, my poor princes! ah, my tender babes! My unblown flowers, new-appearing sweets! Q. Mar. Hover about her; say, that right Hath dimm'd your infant morn to aged night. Q. Eliz. Wilt thou, O God, fly from such 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-living ghost, Woe's scene, world's shame, grave's due by life usurp'd, Brief abstract and record of tedious days, As thou canst yield a melancholy seat; Q. Mar. If ancient sorrow be most reverent, [Sitting down with them. Tell o'er your woes again, by viewing mine :I had an Edward, till a Richard kill'd him ; I had a husband, till a Richard kill'd him : Thou hadst an Edward, till a Richard kill'd him; Thou hadst a Richard, till a Richard kill'd him. Duch. I had a Richard too, and thou didst kill him; I had a Rutland too, thou holp'st to kill him. Q. Mar. Thou hadst a Clarence too, and Richard kill'd him. From forth the kennel of thy womb hath crept Duch. O, Harry's wife, triumph not in my | And leave the burden of it all on thee. woes; God witness with me, I have wept for thine. Q. Mar. Bear with me; I am hungry for re venge, And now I cloy me with beholding it. And the beholders of this tragic play, The adulterate Hastings, Rivers, Vaughan, Grey, Q. Eliz. O, thou didst prophecy, the time would come, That I should wish for thee to help me curse I call'd thee then, poor shadow, painted queen; 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. From which even here I slip my wearied head, Farewell, York's wife, and queen of sad mischance, These English woes shall make me smile in France. Q. Eliz. O thou well skill'd in curses, stay a while, 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 impart Help nothing else, yet do they ease the heart. Duch. If so, then be not tongue-ty'd: go with 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? Duch. Where is kind Hastings? K. Rich. A flourish, trumpets!-strike alarum, drums! Let not the heavens hear these tell-tale women Either be patient, and entreat me fair, K. Rich. Ay; I thank God, my father, and yourself. Duch. Then patiently hear my impatience. 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, K. Rich. And came I not at last to comfort you? Duch. No, by the holy rood, thou know'st it Thou cam'st on earth to make the earth my hell. Thy prime of manhood, daring, bold, and ven- Thy age confirm'd, proud, subtle, sly, and bloody, K. Rich. 'Faith, none, but Humphrey Hour, To breakfast once, forth of my company. Let me march on, and not offend you, madam.— Duck. I pr'ythee, hear me speak. For I shall never speak to thee again. K. Rich. So. They shall be praying nuns, not weeping queens ; K. Rich. You have a daughter call'd-Eliza- Virtuous and fair, royal and gracious. Q. Eliz. And must she die for this? O, let And I'll corrupt her manners, stain her beauty; Q. Eliz. To save her life, I'll say-she is not so. K. Rich. Lo, at their births good stars were Q. Eliz. No, to their lives bad friends were contrary. K. Rich. All unavoided is the doom of destiny. My babes were destin'd to a fairer death, Q. Eliz. Cousins, indeed; and by their uncle Of comfort, kingdom, kindred, freedom, life. But that still use of grief makes wild grief tame, Duch. Either thou wilt die, by God's just or- Till that my nails were anchor'd in thine eyes; dinance, Ere from this war thou turn a conqueror; Q. Eliz. Though far more cause, yet much Abides in me; I say amen to her. [Going. with you. Q. Eli. I have no more sons of the royal blood, For thee to murder: for my daughters, Richard,— 4 And I, in such a desperate bay of death, K. Rich. Madam, so thrive I in my enterprize, To be discover'd, that can do me good? Q. Eliz. Up to some scaffold, there to lose K. Rich. No, to the dignity and height of fortune, The high imperial type of this earth's glory. Q. Eliz. Flatter my sorrows with report of it; Tell me, what state, what dignity, what honour, Canst thou demise to any child of mine? K. Rich. Even all I have; ay, and myself and all, K. Rich. What do you think? Q. Eliz. That thou dost love my daughter, from thy soul: So, from thy soul's love, didst thou love her brothers; And, from my heart's love, I do thank thee for it. K. Rich. Be not so hasty to confound my meaning: I mean, that with my soul I love thy daughter, And do intend to make her queen of England. Q. Eliz. Well then, who dost thou mean shall be her king? K. Rich. Even he that makes her queen: Who else should be? Q. Eliz. What, thou? If I did take the kingdom from your sons, 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, Anne. The liquid drops of tears, that you have shed, Prepare her ears to hear a wooer's tale; Would be her lord? Or, shall I say, her uncle? Q. Eliz. Which she shall purchase with still lasting war. K. Rich. Tell her, the king, that may command, entreats. Q. Eliz. That at her hands, which the king's King forbids. K. Rich. Say, she shall be a high and mighty K. Rich. Say, I will love her everlastingly. Q. Eliz. But how long shall that title, ever, last? K. Rich. Sweetly in force unto her fair life's end. Q. Eliz. But how long fairly shall her sweet life last? K. Rich. As long as heaven, and nature, lengthens it. Q Eliz. As long as hell, and Richard, likes of it. K. Rich. Say, I, her sov'reign, am her subject low. Q. Eliz. But she, your subject, loaths such sov'reignty. K. Rich. Be eloquent in my behalf to her. Q. Eliz. An honest tale speeds best, being plainly told. K. Rich. Then, in plain terms tell her my loving tale. Q. Eliz. Plain, and not honest, is too harsh a style. K. Rich. Your reasons are too shallow and too quick. Q. Eliz. O, no, my reasons are too deep and dead; Too deep and dead, poor infants, in their graves. K. Rich. Harp not on that string, madam; that is past. Q. Eliz. Harp on it still shall I, till heartstrings break. K. Rich. Now, by my George, my garter, and Q. Eliz. By nothing; for this is no oath. Thy George, profan'd, hath lost his holy honour; Thy garter, blemish'd, pawn'd his knightly 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. Q. Eliz. Thy life hath that dishonour'd. K. Rich. By the time to come. Q. Eliz. That thou hast wronged in the time o'erpast; For I myself have many tears to wash Hereafter time, for time past, wrong'dy thee. The children live, whose parents thou hast slaughter'd, Ungovern'd youth, to wail it in their age: The parents live, whose children thou hast but cher'd, Old barren plants, to wail it with their age. Swear not by time to come; for that thou hast Misus'd ere used, by times ill-us'd e'er-past. K. Rich. As I intend to prosper, and repent! I tender not thy beauteous princely daughter! Q. Eliz. Shall I be tempted of the devil thus? Q. Eliz. Shall I forget myself, to be myself? Q. Eliz. But thou didst kill my children. 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 farewell. [Kissing her. Exit Q. Elizabeth. Relenting fool, and shallow, changing-woman! How now? what news? Enter RATCLIFF; CATESBY following. Rat. Most mighty sovereign, on the western coast Rideth a puissant navy; to the shore |