Mr. Raymond.
Mr. Holland.
Mr. Claremont.
Mr. Treby.
Sir Richard Ratcliffe Mr. R. Phillips.
Sir William Catesby Mr. J. Wallack. Mr. Creswell.
Mr. Wroughton. Mr. Barrymore.
Miss Walstein. Miss Marriott.
Enter the DUKE of GLOSTER, SIR RICHARD RATCLIFFE, and CATESBY.
HUS far success attends upon our councils, And each event has answered to my wish; The queen and all her upstart race are quell'd; Dorset is banish'd, and her brother Rivers, Ere this, lies shorter by the head at Pomfret. The nobles have, with joint concurrence, nam'd me Protector of the realm: my brother's children, Young Edward and the little York, are lodg'd Here, safe within the Tower.
Does not this business wear a lucky face?
The sceptre and the golden wreath of royalty
Seem hung within my reach.
Sir R. Then take 'em to you,
And wear them long and worthily: you are
The last remaining male of princely York
(For Edward's boys, the state esteems not of 'em),
And therefore on your sov'reignty and rule
The commonweal does her dependence make,
And leans upon your highness' able hand.
Cates. And yet to-morrow does the council meet To fix a day for Edward's coronation.
Who can expound this riddle?
Glos. That can I.
Those lords are each one my approv'd good friends,
Of special trust and nearness to my bosom;
And howsoever busy they may seem,
And diligent to bustle in the state,
Their zeal goes on no further than we lead,
And at our bidding stays.
Cates. Yet there is one,
And he amongst the foremost in his power,
Of whom I wish your highness were assur'd.
For me, perhaps it is my nature's fault,
I own I doubt of his inclining much.
Glos. I guess the man at whom your words would point:
Hastings
Cates. The same.
Glos. He bears me great good will.
Cates. "Tis true, to you, as to the lord protector,
And Gloster's duke, he bows with lowly service:
But were he bid to cry, God save king Richard,
Then tell me in what terms he would reply.
Believe me, I have prov'd the man, and found him:
I know he bears a most religious reverence
To his dead master Edward's royal memory,
And whither that may lead him, is most plain.
Yet more-One of that stubborn sort he is,
Who, if they once grow fond of an opinion,
They call it honour, honesty, and faith,
And sooner part with life than let it go.
Glos. And yet this tough, impracticable heart,
Is govern'd by a dainty-finger'd girl;
Such flaws are found in the most worthy natures;
A laughing, toying, wheedling, whimpering she
Shall make him amble on a gossip's message,
And take the distaff with a hand as patient
As e'er did Hercules.
Sir R. The fair Alicia,
Of noble birth and exquisite of feature,
Has held him long a vassal to her beauty.
Cates. I fear he fails in his allegiance there;
Or my intelligence is false, or else
The dame has been too lavish of her feast,
And fed him till he loathes.
Glos. No more, he comes.
Enter LORD HASTINGS.
Lord H. Health, and the happiness of many days, Attend upon your grace.
Glos. My good lord chamberlain,
We're much beholden to your gentle friendship.
Lord H. My lord, I come an humble suitor to you. Glos. In right good time. Speak out your pleasure freely.
Lord H. I am to move your highness in behalf Of Shore's unhappy wife.
Glos. Say you, of Shore?
Lord H. Once a bright star, that held her place on high:
The first and fairest of our English dames,
While royal Edward held the sov'reign rule,
Now sunk in grief, and pining with despair,
Her waning form no longer shall incite
Envy in woman, or desire in man.
She never sees the sun, but through her tears,
And wakes to sigh the live-long night away.
Glos. Marry! the times are badly chang'd with her,
From Edward's days to these. Then all was jollity,
Feasting and mirth, light wantonness and laughter,
Piping and playing, minstrelsy and masking;
"Till life fled from us like an idle dream,
A show of mummery without a meaning.
My brother, rest and pardon to his soul,
Is gone to his account; for this his minion,
The revel-rout is done- -But you were speaking
Concerning her-
Are frequent in your visitation to her.
-I have been told, that you
Lord H. No further, my good lord, than friendly pity,
And tender-hearted charity allow.
Glos. Go to: I did not mean to chide you for it.
For, sooth to say, I hold it noble in you
To cherish the distress'd-On with your tale.
Lord H. Thus it is, gracious sir, that certain officers,
Using the warrant of your mighty name,
With insolence unjust, and lawless power,
Have seiz'd upon the lands, which late she held
By grant, from her great master Edward's bounty.
Glos. Somewhat of this, but slightly have I heard ;
And though some counsellors of forward zeal,
Some of most ceremonious sanctity,
And bearded wisdom, often have provok'd
The hand of justice to fall heavy on her;
Yet still, in kind compassion of her weakness,
And tender memory of Edward's love,
I have withheld the merciless stern law
From doing outrage on her helpless beauty.
Lord H. Good heav'n, who renders mercy back for
With open-handed bounty shall repay you:
This gentle deed shall fairly be set foremost,
To screen the wild escapes of lawless passion,
And the long train of frailties flesh is heir to.
Glos. Thus far, the voice of pity pleaded only:
Our further and more full extent of grace
Is given to your request. Let her attend,
And to ourself deliver up her griefs.
She shall be heard with patience, and each wrong
At full redress'd. But I have other news,
Which much import us both; for still my fortunes
Go hand in hand with yours: our common foes,
The queen's relations, our new-fangled gentry,
Have fall'n their haughty crests-that for your privacy.
[Exeunt.
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