Enter GLOSTER. The king is sickly, weak, and melancholy, Glo. Now, by Saint Paul, that news is bad indeed. O! he hath kept an evil diet long, And over-much consum'd his royal person: 'Tis very grievous to be thought upon. Where is he? in his bed? Hast. He is. Glo. Go you before, and I will follow you. [Exit HASTINGS. He cannot live, I hope; and must not die, Till George be pack'd with post horse up to heaven. I'll in, to urge his hatred more to Clarence, With lies well steel'd with weighty arguments; And, if I fail not in my deep intent, Clarence hath not another day to live: Which done, God take king Edward to his mercy, And leave the world for me to bustle in, For then I'll marry Warwick's youngest daughter. What though I kill'd her husband, and her father? The readiest way to make the wench amends, Is to become her husband, and her father: The which will I; not all so much for love, As for another secret close intent, By marrying her which I must reach unto. But yet I run before my horse to market: Clarence still breathes; Edward still lives and reigns; When they are gone, then must I count my gains. [Exit. SCENE II.-The Same. Another Street. Enter the Corpse of King HENRY the Sixth, borne in an open coffin, Gentlemen bearing halberds to guard it; and Lady ANNE as mourner. Glo. Stay you, that bear the corse, and set it down. Anne. What black magician conjures up this fiend, To stop devoted charitable deeds? Glo. Villains! set down the corse; or, by Saint Paul, I'll make a corse of him that disobeys. 1 Gent. My lord, stand back, and let the coffin pass. Glo. Unmanner'd dog! stand thou when 1 command: Advance thy halberd higher than my breast, Alas! I blame you not; for you are mortal, trouble us not; For thou hast made the happy earth thy hell, Anne. Set down, set down your honourable load, Thy deed, inhuman and unnatural, If honour may be shrouded in a hearse, Lo, in these windows, that let forth thy life, May fright the hopeful mother at the view; Than I am made by my young lord, and thee!— [The Bearers take up the Corpse and advance. Glo. Let him thank me, that holp to send him thither; For he was fitter for that place than earth. Anne. And thou unfit for any place but hell. Glo. Yes, one place else, if you will hear me name it. Anne. Some dungeon. Glo. Your bed-chamber. Anne. Il rest betide the chamber where thou liest. Glo. So will it, madam, till I lie with you. Glo. I know so. But, gentle lady Anne,- Of these Plantagenets, Henry, and Edward, Anne. Thou wast the cause, and most accurs'd effect. Glo. Your beauty was the cause of that effect; Your beauty, that did haunt me in my sleep, To undertake the death of all the world, So I might live one hour in your sweet bosom. Anne. If I thought that, I tell thee, homicide, These nails should rend that beauty from my cheeks. Glo. These eyes could not endure that beauty's wreck; You should not blemish it, if I stood by: Anne. Black night o'ershade thy day, and death thy life! Glo. Curse not thyself, fair creature; thou art both. Anne. I would I were, to be reveng'd on thee. Glo. It is a quarrel most unnatural, To be reveng'd on him that loveth thee. Anne. It is a quarrel just and reasonable, To be reveng'd on him that kill'd my husband. Glo. He that bereft thee, lady, of thy husband, Did it to help thee to a better husband. Glo. Here:-[She spits at him.]— Why dost thou spit at me? Anne. 'Would it were mortal poison, for thy sake! Glo. Never came poison from so sweet a place. Anne. Never hung poison on a fouler toad. Out of my sight! thou dost infect mine eyes. Glo. Thine eyes, sweet lady, have infected mine. Anne. Would they were basilisks, to strike thee dead! Glo. I would they were, that I might die at once, Sham'd their aspects with store of childish drops: I never sued to friend, nor enemy; My tongue could never learn sweet smoothing word; But now thy beauty is propos'd my fee, If thy revengeful heart cannot forgive, I lay it naked to the deadly stroke, [He lays his breast open: she offers at it Nay, do not pause; for I did kill king Henry ;— And presently repair to Crosby-place. Anne. With all my heart; and much it joys me too, To see you are become so penitent.- Anne. [Exeunt Lady ANNE, TRESSEL, and BERKLEY. Glo. Sirs, take up the corse. Gent. Towards Chertsey, noble lord? Glo. No, to White-Friars; there attend my coming. [Exeunt the rest, with the Corpse. Was ever woman in this humour woo'd? Was ever woman in this humour won! I'll have her, but I will not keep her long. What! I, that kill'd her husband, and his father, To take her in her heart's extremest hate; With curses in her mouth, tears in her eyes, The bleeding witness of my hatred by, Having God, her conscience, and these bars against me, And I no friends to back my suit withal, Stabb'd in my angry mood at Tewksbury? That cropp'd the golden prime of this sweet prince, I do mistake my person all this while : [Exit. Therefore, for God's sake, entertain good comfort, Grey. No other harm, but loss of such a lord. Grey. The heavens have bless'd you with a To be your comforter when he is gone. Q. Eliz. Ah! he is young; and his minority Riv. Is it concluded, he shall be protector? Enter BUCKINGHAM, and STANLEY. Grey. Here come the lords of Buckingham and Stanley. Buck. Good time of day unto your royal grace. Stan. God make your majesty joyful as you have been! Q. Eliz. The countess Richmond, good my lord of Stanley, To your good prayer will scarcely say amen. Stan. I do beseech you, either not believe Stan. But now, the duke of Buckingham, and I, Are come from visiting his majesty. Q. Eliz. What likelihood of his amendment, lords? Buck. Madam, good hope: his grace speaks cheerfully. Q. Eliz. God grant him health! Did you confer with him? Buck. Ay, madam: he desires to make atone ment Between the duke of Gloster and your brothers, Q. Eliz. Would all were well!-But that will I fear, our happiness is at the height. Enter GLOSTER, HASTINGS, and DORSET. Glo. They do me wrong, and I will not endure Who are they, that complain unto the king, I must be held a rancorous enemy. Grey. To whom in all this presence speaks your Glo. To thee, that hast nor honesty, nor grace. When have I injur'd thee? when done thee wrong?— Or thee?- -or thee?-or any of your faction? matter. The king, on his own royal disposition, Glo. I cannot tell ;-the world is grown so bad, That wrens make prey where eagles dare not perch: Since every Jack became a gentleman, Q. Eliz. Come, come, we know your meaning, brother Gloster: You envy my advancement, and my friends. Glo. Meantime, God grants that I have need of you: Our brother is imprison'd by your means; Held in contempt; while many great promotions That scarce, some two days since, were worth a noble. Q. Eliz. By him that rais'd me to this careful height From that contented hap which I enjoy'd, I never did incense his majesty Against the duke of Clarence; but have been My lord, you do me shameful injury, Glo. She may, lord Rivers,-why, who knows She may do more, sir, than denying that: What may she not? She may,-ay, marry, may she, Riv. What, marry, may she? Glo. What, marry, may she? marry with a king, A bachelor, and a handsome stripling too. I wis, your grandam had a worser match. Q. Eliz. My lord of Gloster, I have too long Your blunt upbraidings, and your bitter scoffs: To be thus taunted, scorn'd, and baited at: Enter old Queen MARGARET, behind. Q. Mar. And lessen'd be that small, God, I beseech him! Thy honour, state, and seat, is due to me. Glo. What! threat you me with telling of the Tell him, and spare not: look, what I have said I dare adventure to be sent to the Tower. Q. Mar. Out, devil! I do remember them too Thou kill'dst my husband Henry in the Tower, Glo. Ere you were queen, ay, or your husband I was a pack-horse in his great affairs; To royalize his blood, I spent mine own. Q. Mar. Ay, and much better blood than his, or thine. Glo. In all which time, you, and your husband Were factious for the house of Lancaster;— Q. Mar. A murd'rous villain, and so still thou art. Glo. Poor Clarence did forsake his father Warwick, Ay, and forswore himself,-which Jesu pardon!— Q. Mar. Which God revenge! Glo. To fight on Edward's party, for the crown; And, for his meed, poor lord, he is mew'd up. I would to God, my heart were flint like Edward's, Or Edward's soft and pitiful, like mine: I am too childish-foolish for this world. Q. Mar. Hie thee to hell for shame, and leave this world, Thou cacodæmon! there thy kingdom is. Riv. My lord of Gloster, in those busy days, Which here you urge to prove us enemies, Glo. If I should be?-I had rather be a pedlar. Far be it from my heart, the thought thereof! Q. Eliz. As little joy, my lord, as you suppose You should enjoy, were you this country's king, As little joy you may suppose in me, That I enjoy, being the queen thereof. Q. Mar. A little joy enjoys the queen thereof; For I am she, and altogether joyless. I can no longer hold me patient.- [Advancing. Hear me, you wrangling pirates, that fall out In sharing that which you have pill'd from me! Which of you trembles not, that looks on me? If not, that, I being queen, you bow like subjects, Yet that, by you depos'd, you quake like rebels ?Ah! gentle villain, do not turn away. Glo. Foul wrinkled witch, what makʼst thou in my sight? Q. Mar. But repetition of what thou hast marr'd; That will I make, before I let thee go. Glo. Wert thou not banished, on pain of death? Q. Mar. I was; but I do find more pain in banishment, Than death can yield me here by my abode. Glo. The curse my noble father laid on thee, When thou didst crown his warlike brows with paper, And with thy scorns drew'st rivers from his eyes; Q. Eliz. So just is God, to right the innocent. Hast. O! 'twas the foulest deed to slay that babe, And the most merciless, that e'er was heard of. Riv. Tyrants themselves wept when it was reported. Dor. No man but prophesied revenge for it. Buck. Northumberland, then present, wept to see it. Q. Mar. What! were you snarling all, before I Though not by war, by surfeit die your king, |