That I, forsooth, am stern, and love them not?
Because I cannot flatter, and speak fair,

Smile in men's faces, smooth, deceive, and cog,
Duck with French nods and apish courtesy,
I must be held a rancorous enemy.

Cannot a plain man live, and think no harın,
But thus his simple truth must be abused

By silken, sly, insinuating Jacks?

Dor.

To whom in all this presence speaks your
Grace?

Glos. To thee, that hast nor honesty nor grace.
When have I injured thee? when done thee wrong?
Or thee? or thee? or any of your faction?
A plague upon you all! His royal grace-
Whom Heaven preserve better than you would wish!
Cannot be quiet scarce a breathing-while,

But you must trouble him with lewd complaints.

Queen E. Brother of Gloster, you mistake the matter: The king, of his own disposition sent for you,

Aiming, belike, at your interior hatred,

That in your outward action shows itself

Against my children, brothers, and myself:

Heaven grant we never may have need of you!

Glos. Meantime, Heaven grants that we have need of you!

Our brother is imprisoned by your means;
Myself disgraced, and the nobility

Held in contempt

Queen E.

I never did incense his majesty

Against the duke of Clarence, but have been

An earnest advocate to plead for him.

My Lord, you do me shameful injury.

Glos. You may deny that you were not the cause

Of my Lord Hastings' late imprisonment.

Riv. She may, my Lord; for-

Glos. She may, Lord Rivers? Why, who knows not so?

་

She may do more, sir, than denying that:
She may help you to many fair preferments;
And then deny her aiding hand therein,
And lay those honours on your high desert.
What may she not? She may-ay, marry, may
Riv. What, marry, may she?

she

Glos. What, marry, may she? Marry with a king, A bachelor, a handsome stripling too :

I wis, your grandam had a worser match.

Queen E. My lord of Gloster, I have too long borne
Your blunt upbraidings, and your bitter scoffs:

I will acquaint the king of these gross taunts:
Small joy have I in being England's queen.

Enter Queen Margaret, behind.

Marg. And lessen'd be that small, Heaven, I beseech thee!

Glos. What? threat you me with telling of the king? Tell him, and spare not; look, what I have said

I will avouch in his presence.-'Ere you were queen,
Ay, or your husband king, I was his pack-horse,
A weeder out of his proud adversaries;

To royalize his blood, I spilt my own.

Marg. Ay, and much better blood than his, or thine.— Thou kill'dst my husband, Henry, in the Tower,

And Edward, my poor son, at Tewksbury.

Glos. In all which time, you and your husband, Grey,

Were factious for the house of Lancaster ;

And, Rivers, so were you.

Riv. My Lord of Gloster, in those busy days,

We follow'd then our lawful sovereign;

So should we you, if you should be our king.

Glos. If I should be? I had rather be a pedlar;

Far be it from my heart the thought thereof!

Marg. I can no longer hold me patient.-(Advancing.) Hear me, you wrangling pirates, that fall out

In sharing that, which you have robbed from met

Which of you trembles not that looks on me?

(To Gloster.) A husband and a son thou ow'st to me. (To Queen.) And thou, a kingdom;—all of you allegiance ! Glos. The curse my noble father laid on thee,

In bitterness of soul, is fallen upon thee.

Hast. O, 'twas the foulest deed to slay his child. Riv. Tyrants themselves wept, when it was reported. Marg. What, were you snarling all, before I came, Ready to catch each other by the throat,

all your

hatred now on me?

Did York's dread curse prevail so much with heaven?
Why then give way, dull clouds, to my quick curses! -
Though not by war, by surfeit die your king!
Edward thy son, for my sweet prince of Wales,
Die in his youth, by like untimely violence!
Thyself a queen, for me that was a queen,
Outlive thy glory, like my wretched self;
And live like me, to wail thy children's loss!
Rivers, and Dorset,-you were standers by,-
And so wast thou, lord Hastings,-when my son
Was stabb'd with bloody daggers; heaven, I pray thee,
That none of them may live their natural age!

Glos. Have done thy charm, thou hateful wither'd hag. Marg. And leave out thee? stay, wretch, for thou shalt hear me.

If heaven have any grievous plagues in store,
O, let it keep them 'till thy sins be ripe,
Then hurl its gather'd indignation down!

The worm of conscience still begnaw thy soul !
Thou elvish-mark'd, mishapen, wolfish fiend!
Thou that wast sealed in thy nativity

The slave of nature, and the son of hell !
Thou rag of honor, thou detested-

Glos. Margaret.

Marg. Richard!

Glos.

Ha?

Marg. I called thee not.

Glos. I cry thee mercy then; for I did think
That thou had'st call'd me all these bitter names.
Hast. False-boding woman, end thy frantick curse.
Dor. Dispute not with her, she is lunatick.
Marg. Peace, master marquis, you are malapert:
Your fire-new stamp of honor is scarce current:
They that stand high have many blasts to shake them;
And, if they fall, they dash themselves to pieces.

Glos. Good counsel, marry;-learn it, learn it, marquis.
Dor. It touches you, my lord, as much as me.

Glos. Ay, and much more: but I was born so high, Our aiery buildeth in the cedar's top,

And dallies with the wind, and scorns the sun.

Marg. And turns the sun to shade; alas! alas !
Buck. Have done, have done.

Marg. O princely Buckingham, I kiss thy hand,
In sign of league and amity with thee:
Thy garments are not spotted with our blood.
O Buckingham, beware of yonder dog;

Look, when he fawns, he bites; beware of him ;
Sio, death, and hell, have set their marks on him.
Glos. What doth she say, my lord of Buckingham?
Buck. Nothing that I respect, my gracious lord.
Marg. What, dost thou scorn me for my gentle counsel ?
O, but remember this another day,

When he shall split thy very heart with sorrow;
And say, po Margaret was a prophetess.-
Live each of you the subjects of his hate,
And he to yours, and all of you to Heaven's!

[Exit Margaret.
Hast. Sorrow hath made her desperate-heed her not.
Glos. I cannot blame her, by Saint Paul, I cannot;
She hath had too much wrong.

Queen E. I never did her

any.

Glos. Yet you have all the 'vantage of her wrong?-
Marry, as for Clarence, he is well repaid.—

I would to heaven, my heart were flint, like Edward's,
Or Edward's soft and pitiful like mine:

I am too childish-foolish for this world.

Enter Catesby.

Cates. Madam, his majesty doth call for you ;-
And for your grace, and you, my noble lords.
Glos. (Aside to Hastings and Buckingham.)

Marked you not Rivers and Grey, how pale
They looked, when I did mention Clarence?

Queen E. Catesby, I come:-Lords, will you go with me?

(Exeunt all but Gloster.

Glos. I do the wrong, and first begin to brawl.-
Clarence I mourn to Buckinghani and Hastings,
And tell them-'tis the Queen and her allies.
Now, they believe me, and withal whet me
To be revenged on Rivers, Vaughan, Grey;
But then I sigh,-and clothe my naked villainy
With old odd ends, stolen forth of holy writ,-
And seem a saint, when most I play the devil.

Enter Two Officers.

But soft, here come my executioners.-
How now, my hardy, stout resolved mates?
Are you now going to despatch this thing?

1st Off. We are, my lord; and come to have the warrant. Glos. Well thought upon, I have it here about me.

(Gives the warrant.

When you have done, repair to Crosby-place.-
But, sirs, be sudden, do not hear him plead;
For Clarence is well spoken, and, perhaps,

May move your hearts to pity, if you mark hpn.
1st Off. My lord,

We go to use our hands, and not our tongues.

Glos. Your eyes drop mill-stones, when fools' eyes drop

tears:

I like you, lads ;-about your business straight;

Go, go, despatch.

(Exeunt Two Officers. So far my fortune keeps an upward course, And yet I do but dream on sovereignty;

First, I must marry Warwick's youngest daughter:-
What though I killed 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 :
I'll play the orator as well as Nestor,
Deceive more slily than Ulysses could
Can I do this, and cannot get a crown?
Tut! were it further off, I'd pluck it down!

SCENE III.A room in the Tower.

Clarence discovered; Brakenbury enters to him.

Brak. Why looks your grace so heavily to-day?
Clar. O, I have passed a miserable night,

So full of fearful dreams, of ugly sights,
That, as I am a Christian faithful man,
I would not spend another such a night,

(Exit.