My tears gainfay; for every word I speak,
Ye fee, I drink the water of mine eyes. [vereign,
Therefore, no more but this :-Henry, your fo-
Is prifoner to the foe; his ftate ufurp'd,

His realm a flaughter-house, his subjects flain,
His ftatutes cancell'd, and his treasure spent ;
And yonder is the wolf that makes this spoil.
You fight in juftice: then, in God's name, lords,
Be valiant, and give signal to the fight.
10 [Both parties go out. Alarum. Retreat. Excurfions.

Suppofe, that I am now my father's mouth;
Refign thy chair, and, where I stand, kneel thou,
Whilft I propofe the felf-fame words to thee,
40 Which, traitor, thou wouldst have me answer to.

451

50

So first the harmless sheep doth yield his fleece, And next his throat unto the butcher's knife.20 What fcene of death hath Rofcius now to act? Glo. Sufpicion always haunts the guilty mind; The thief doth fear each bush an officer.

Canft thou not speak?-O traitors! murderers!—
They, that ftabb'd Cæfar, shed no blood at all,
Did not offend, nor were not worthly blame,
If this foul deed were by, to equal it.
He was a man; this, in refpect, a child;
And men ne'er spend their fury on a child.
What's worse than murderer, that I may name it?
No, no; my heart will burst, an if I fpeak:-
And I will speak, that fo my heart may burst.-
Butchers and villains, bloody cannibals !
How sweet a plant have you untimely cropp'd!
You have no children, butchers; if you had,
The thought of them would have stirr'd up re-30
morse:

But, if you ever chance to have a child,

Look in his youth to have him fo cut off,

As, deathimen! you have rid this sweet young prince.

K. Henry. The bird, that hath been limed in a bush,

I

25 With trembling wings misdoubteth every bush:
And I, the hapless male to one sweet bird,
Have now the fatal object in my eye, [kill'd.
Where my poor young was lim'd, was caught, and
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, Dædalus; my poor fon, Icarus;
Thy father, Minos, that deny'd our course;
[force. 35 The fun, that fear'd the wings of my fweet boy,
Thy brother Edward; and thyself, the fea,
Whofe envious gulph did fwallow up his life.
Ah, kill me with thy weapon, not with words!
My breast can better brook thy dagger's point,

K. Edo. Away with her; go, bear her hence by
Queen. Nay, never bear me hence, difpatch me
here;

Here sheath thy fword, I'll pardon thee my death:

What! wilt thou not?-then, Clarence, do it thou. 40 Than can my ears that tragic history.-
Clar. By heaven, I will not do thee so much ease.
Queen. Good Clarence, do; fweet Clarence, do
thou do it.

Clar. Didft thou not hear me fwear, I would

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 murdering innocents be executing,

45 Why, then thou art an executioner.

Gio. Thy fon I kill'd for his prefumption.
K. Henry. Hadft thou been kill'd, when first
thou didst prefume,

Thou hadft not liv'd to kill a fon of mine.
50 And thus I prophesy,-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-standing 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 sign;
The night-crow cry'd, aboding luckless time;
Dogs howl'd, and hideous tempests shook down

Queen. So come to you, and yours, as to this 55
prince!
[Exit Queen.

K. Ed. Where's Richard gone?
Clar. To London, all in pott; and, as I guess,
To make a bloody fupper in the Tower. [head.
K. Edw. He's fudden, if a thing comes in his 60
Now march we hence: difcharge the common fort
With pay and thanks, and let's away to London,

2 i. e. childish.

trees;

The raven rook'd 3 her on the chimney's top,
And chattering pyes in difmal difcords fung.

3 To rook, or rather to ruck, is a north-country 4 All of a ruck is a Staffordshire expreffion for Sf 4 Thy

1 i, c. fears, or fufpects.
word, fignifying to fquat down, or lodge on any thing.
all on a beap.

3

Thy mother felt more than a mother's pain,
And yet brought forth less than a mother's hope;
To wit, an undigeft deformed lump,
Not like the fruit of fuch a goodly tree.

Re-purchas'd with the blood of enemies.
What valiant foe-men, like to autumn's corn,
Have we mow'd down, in top of all their pride!
Three dukes of Somerset, threefold renown'd
5 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
Montague,

Teeth hadst 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.
Glo. I'll hear no more;-Die, prophet, in thy
fpeech.
[Stabs bim. 10

For this, amongst the reft, was I ordain'd.
K. Henry. Ay, and for much more flaughter
after this.

O God! forgive my fips, and pardon thee! [Dies.
Glo. What, will the afpiring blood of Lancafter
Sink in the ground? I thought, it would have
mounted.
[death!

See, how my fword weeps for the poor king's
O, may such purple tears be alway shed
From thofe that with the downfal of our house!
If any spark of life be yet remaining,
Down, down to hell; and fay, I fent thee thi-
ther,
[Stabs bim 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 reason, think ye, to make hafte,
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 fnarl, and bite, and play the dog.
Then, fince the heavens 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 di-
Be refident in men like one another,

[vine,]

And not in me; I am myself alone.-
Clarence, beware; thou keep'ft me from the light;
But I will fort a pitchy day for thee:
For I will buz abroad fuch prophecies,
That Edward fhall 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 rest;
Counting myself but bad, 'till I be beft.-
I'll throw thy body in another room,

That in their chains fetter'd the kingly lion,

And made the forest tremble when they roar'd.
Thus have we fwept fufpicion from our feat,
And made our footftool of fecurity.-

15 Come hither, Befs, and let me kifs my boy :-
[Taking the child.
Young Ned, for thee, thine uncles and myself
Have in our armours watch'd the winter's night;
Went all afoot in fummer's fcalding heat,
That thou might'ft repoffefs the crown in peace;
And of our labours thou shalt reap the gain.

20

25

30

35

Glo. I'll blaft his harveft, if your head were lay'd;
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 my

back:

Work thou the way,-and thou shalt execute 2.
[Afide

K. Edw. Clarence and Glofter, love my lovely
queen;

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

I feal upon the lips of this fweet babe.
Queen. Thanks, noble Clarence; worthy bro-
ther, thanks.

Glo. And, that I love the tree from whence thou

fprang'it,

Witnefs the loving kifs I give the fruit :

To fay the truth, fo Judas kifs'd his master;
'd-All hail! when as he meant-

42

And

1451

And triumph, Henry, in thy day of doom. [Exit. 50
SCENE VII.

The Palace in London.

Enter King Edward, the Queen, with the young
Prince, Clarence, Glofter, Haftings, and Attendants. 55
K. Edw. Once more we fit in England's royal
throne,

cry

All harm.

}

Afide

i. e. I will felect or chufe fuch a day, whose gloom shall be as fatal to thee. 2 It is fuppofed he fpeaks this line, first touching his head, and then looking on his band.

LIFE

Sheriff, Purfuivant, Scrivener, Citizens, Ghofts, Soldiers, and other Attendants.

This tragedy, though it is call'd the Life and Death of this prince, comprizes, at most, but the laft eight years of his time; for it opens with George duke of Clarence being clapp'd up in the Tower, which happen'd in the beginning of the year 1477; and closes with the death of Richard at Bosworth Field, which battle was fought on the 22d of Auguft, in the year 1485. 2 Alluding to the cognizance of Edward IV. which was a fun, in memory of the three funs, which are said to have appear'd as the battle which he gain'd over the Lancaftrians at Mortimer's Crofs. a i. e. feeds furnished with armour, or warlike trappings.

Nor

Nor made to court an amourous looking-glafs;
I, that am rudely ftamp'd, and want love's majesty,
To ftrut before a wanton ambling nymph;
I, that am curtail'd of this fair proportion,
Cheated of feature by diffembling nature,
Deform'd, unfinish'd, fent before my time
Into this breathing world, fcarce half made up,
And that fo lamely and unfashionably,
That dogs bark at me, as I halt by them ;-
Why I, in this week piping time of peace,
Have no delight to pafs away the time;
Unless to spy my shadow in the fun,
And defcant on mine own deformity:

And therefore, fince I cannot prove a lover,
To entertain these fair well-spoken days,—
I am determined to prove a villain,
And hate the idle pleasures of these days.
Plots have I laid, inductions 3 dangerous,
By drunken prophefies, libels, and dreams,
To fet 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 fubtle, falfe and treacherous,

This day fhould Clarence clofely be mew'd up;
About a prophecy, which fays that G
Of Edward's heirs the murderer fhall be.
Dive, thoughts, down to my foul! here Clarence

comes.

Enter Clarence guarded, and Brakenbury.

That made him fend lord Haftings to the Tower;
From whence this present day he is deliver❜d?
We are not fafe, Clarence, we are not fafe.

Clar. By heaven, I think, there is no man fecure,
5 But the queen's kindred, and night-walking heralds
That trudge betwixt the king and mistress Shore.
Heard you not, what an humble suppliant
Lord Haftings was to her for his delivery?
Gl. Humbly complaining to her deity
10 Got my lord chamberlain his liberty.
I'll tell you what,-I think, it is our way,
If we will keep in favour with the king,
To be her men, and wear her livery:
The jealous o'er-worn widow, and herself,
15 Since that our brother dubb'd them gentlewomen,
Are mighty goffips in this monarchy.

Brak. I befeech your graces both to pardon me;
His majefty hath straitly given in charge,
That no man shall have private conference,
20 Of what degree foever, with his brother. [bury,
Glo. Even fo? an please your worship, Braken-
You may partake of any thing we say:

We fpeak no treason, man;-We say, the king
Is wife, and virtuous; and his noble queen

25 Well ftruck in years; fair, and not jealous :-
We fay, that Shore's wife hath a pretty foot,
A cherry lip, a bonny eye, a passing pleasing
tongue;

That the queen's kindred are made gentle-folks:

Brother, good day What means this armed guard, 30| How fay you, fir? can you deny all this?

That waits upon your grace?

Clar. His majesty,

Tendering my person's safety, hath appointed

This conduct to convey me to the Tower.

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 :

O, belike, his majesty hath some intent,

Brak. With this, my lord, myself have nought

That you should be new chriften'd in the Tower. 40 Forbear your conference with the noble duke. But what's the matter, Clarence? may I know?

Clar. Yea, Richard, when I know; for
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 fays a wizard told him, that by G
His iffue difinherited fhould be;
And, for my name of George begins with G,
It follows in his thought, that I am he:
Thefe, as I learn, and fuch like toys 4 as thefe,
Have mov'd his highness to commit me now.

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

women:

Clar. We know thy charge, Brakenbury, and will

obey.
[obey.
Glo. We are the queen's abjects 5, and muft
Brother, farewel: I will unto the king;

45 And whatfoe'er you will employ me in,—
Were it, to call king Edward's widow—sister,—
I will perform it, to enfranchise you.

50

'Tis not the king, that fends you to the Tower; 55
My lady Grey his wife, Clarence, 'tis the,
That tempts him to this harsh extremity.
Was it not the, and that good man of worship,
Anthony Woodeville, her brother there,

Mean time, this deep difgrace in brotherhood
Touches me deeper than you can imagine.

Clar. I know, it pleaseth neither of us well.
Glo. Well, your imprisonment shall not be long:

I will deliver you, or elfe lye for you:
Mean time, have patience.

Clar. I must perforce: farewel.

[Exeunt Clarence and Brakenbury. Gl. Go, tread the path that thou shalt ne'er

return,

Simple, plain Clarence !-I do love thee fo,
That I will fhortly fend thy foul to heaven,

i. c. deceitful. 2 Sir John Hawkins obferves, that defcant is a term in music, fignifying in general that kind of harmony wherein one part is broken and formed into a kind of paraphrafe on the other. I prefer the common acceptation to confider or ruminate on. 3 i. e. preparations for mischief. The induction is preparatory to the action of the play. 5 That is, not the queen's fubje&ts, whom she might protect, but her abjets, whom the drives away. the proverb, Patience perforce is a medicine for a mad dog.”

4 i. e. fancies.

• Alluding to