In him that did object the same17 to thee.
He was the wretched’st thing when he was young,
So long a-growing and so leisurely,
That, if his rule were true, he should be gracious.
ARCHBISHOP OF YORK And so no doubt he is, my gracious madam.
DUCHESS OF YORK I hope he is, but yet let mothers doubt.
YORK Now, by my troth23, if I had been remembered,
I could have given my uncle’s grace a flout24,
To touch his growth nearer than he touched mine.25
DUCHESS OF YORK How, my young York? I prithee let me hear it.
YORK Marry, they say my uncle grew so fast
That he could gnaw a crust at two hours old.28
’Twas full two years ere I could get a tooth.
Grandam, this would have been a biting30 jest.
DUCHESS OF YORK I prithee, pretty York, who told thee this?
YORK Grandam, his nurse.
DUCHESS OF YORK His nurse? Why, she was dead ere thou wast born.
YORK If ’twere not she, I cannot tell who told me.
QUEEN ELIZABETH A parlous35 boy. Go to, you are too shrewd.
DUCHESS OF YORK Good madam, be not angry with the child.
QUEEN ELIZABETH Pitchers have ears.37
Enter a Messenger
ARCHBISHOP OF YORK Here comes a messenger. What news?
MESSENGER Such news, my lord, as grieves me to report.
QUEEN ELIZABETH How doth the prince?
MESSENGER Well, madam, and in health.
DUCHESS OF YORK What is thy news?
MESSENGER Lord Rivers and Lord Grey are sent to Pomfret43,
And with them Sir Thomas Vaughan, prisoners.
DUCHESS OF YORK Who hath committed them?
MESSENGER The mighty dukes, Gloucester and Buckingham.
ARCHBISHOP OF YORK For what offence?
MESSENGER The sum of all I can48, I have disclosed.
Why or for what the nobles were committed
Is all unknown to me, my gracious lord.
QUEEN ELIZABETH Ay me, I see the ruin of my house.51
The tiger now hath seized the gentle hind52,
Insulting53 tyranny begins to jut
Upon the innocent and aweless throne.54
Welcome, destruction, blood and massacre.
I see, as in a map56, the end of all.
DUCHESS OF YORK Accurséd and unquiet wrangling day?,
How many of you have mine eyes beheld?
My husband lost his life to get the crown,
And often up and down my sons were tossed,
For me to joy and weep their gain and loss.
And being seated62, and domestic broils
Clean overblown63, themselves the conquerors,
Make war upon themselves, brother to brother,
Blood to blood, self against self. O, preposterous65
And frantic outrage66, end thy damnèd spleen,
Or let me die, to look on earth no more!
To young York
QUEEN ELIZABETH Come, come, my boy, we will to sanctuary.68—
To the Duchess
Madam, farewell.
DUCHESS OF YORK Stay, I will go with you.
QUEEN ELIZABETH You have no cause.
ARCHBISHOP OF YORK My gracious lady, go,
And thither bear your treasure and your goods.
For my part, I’ll resign unto your grace
The seal75 I keep: and so betide to me
As well I tender you and all of yours!
Go, I’ll conduct you to the sanctuary.
Exeunt
Act 3 Scene 1
running scene 7
The trumpets sound. Enter young Prince [Edward], the Dukes of Gloucester [Richard] and Buckingham, Lord Cardinal with others
BUCKINGHAM Welcome, sweet prince, to London, to your chamber.1
RICHARD Welcome, dear cousin, my thoughts’ sovereign.2
The weary way hath made you melancholy.
PRINCE EDWARD No, uncle, but our crosses4 on the way
Have made it tedious, wearisome, and heavy.5
I want6 more uncles here to welcome me.
RICHARD Sweet prince, the untainted virtue of your years
Hath not yet dived into the world’s deceit.
No more can you distinguish of a man
Than of his outward show, which — God he knows —
Seldom or never jumpeth11 with the heart.
Those uncles which you want were dangerous:
Your grace attended13 to their sugared words,
But looked not on the poison of their hearts.
God keep you from them, and from such false friends.
PRINCE EDWARD God keep me from false friends, but they were none.
RICHARD My lord, the Mayor of London comes to greet you.
Enter Lord Mayor
LORD MAYOR God bless your grace with health and happy days.
PRINCE EDWARD I thank you, good my lord, and thank you all.—
I thought my mother, and my brother York,
Would long ere21 this have met us on the way.
Fie, what a slug22 is Hastings, that he comes not
To tell us whether they will come or no.
Enter Lord Hastings
BUCKINGHAM And, in good time, here comes the sweating lord.
PRINCE EDWARD Welcome, my lord. What, will our mother come?
HASTINGS On what occasion26, God he knows, not I,
The queen your mother, and your brother York,
Have taken sanctuary. The tender28 prince
Would fain29 have come with me to meet your grace,
But by his mother was perforce30 withheld.
BUCKINGHAM Fie, what an indirect31 and peevish course
Is this of hers?— Lord Cardinal, will your grace
Persuade the queen to send the Duke of York
Unto his princely brother presently?34—
If she deny, Lord Hastings, go with him,
And from her jealous36 arms pluck him perforce.
CARDINAL My lord of Buckingham, if my weak oratory37
Can from his mother win the Duke of York,
Anon39 expect him here. But if she be obdurate
To mild entreaties, God forbid
We should infringe the holy privilege
Of blessèd sanctuary. Not for all this land
Would I be guilty of so great a sin.
BUCKINGHAM You are too senseless44 obstinate, my lord,
Too ceremonious and traditional.
Weigh it but with46 the grossness of this age,
You break not sanctuary in seizing him.
The benefit48 thereof is always granted
To those whose dealings49 have deserved the place,
And those who have the wit50 to claim the place:
This prince hath neither claimed it nor deserved it,
And therefore, in mine opinion, cannot have it.
Then, taking him from thence that is not there53,
You break no privilege nor charter54 there.
Oft have I heard of sanctuary men,
But sanctuary children ne’er till now.
CARDINAL My lord, you shall o’er-rule my mind for once.—
Come on, Lord Hastings, will you go with me?
HASTINGS I go, my lord.
Exeunt Cardinal and Hastings
PRINCE EDWARD Good lords, make all the speedy haste you may.—
Say, uncle Gloucester, if our brother come,
Where s
hall we sojourn62 till our coronation?
RICHARD Where it think’st best unto your royal self.
If I may counsel you, some day or two
Your highness shall repose you at the Tower65:
Then where you please, and shall be thought most fit
For your best health and recreation.
PRINCE EDWARD I do not like the Tower, of any place.68—
To Buckingham
Did Julius Caesar build that place, my lord?
BUCKINGHAM He did, my gracious lord, begin that place,
Which, since, succeeding ages have re-edified.71
PRINCE EDWARD Is it upon record?72 Or else reported
Successively from age to age, he built it?
BUCKINGHAM Upon record, my gracious lord.
PRINCE EDWARD But say, my lord, it were not registered75,
Methinks the truth should live from age to age,
As ’twere retailed77 to all posterity,
Even to the general ending day.78
Aside
RICHARD So wise so young, they say, do never live long.79
PRINCE EDWARD What say you, uncle?
RICHARD I say, without characters81, fame lives long.—
Aside
Thus, like the formal Vice82, Iniquity,
I moralize83 two meanings in one word.
PRINCE EDWARD That Julius Caesar was a famous man.
With what his valour did enrich his wit85,
His wit set down to make his valour live.
Death makes no conquest of his conqueror87,
For now he lives in fame, though not in life.
I’ll tell you what, my cousin Buckingham—
BUCKINGHAM What, my gracious lord?
PRINCE EDWARD An if91 I live until I be a man,
I’ll win our ancient right in France again,
Or die a soldier, as I lived a king.
Aside
RICHARD Short summers lightly94 have a forward spring.
Enter young York. Hastings and Cardinal
BUCKINGHAM Now, in good time, here comes the Duke of York.
PRINCE EDWARD Richard of York, how fares our noble brother?
YORK Well, my dear lord, so must I call you now.
PRINCE EDWARD Ay, brother, to our grief98, as it is yours:
Too late99 he died that might have kept that title,
Which by his death hath lost much majesty.
RICHARD How fares our cousin, noble lord of York?
YORK I thank you, gentle uncle. O, my lord,
You said that idle103 weeds are fast in growth:
The prince my brother hath outgrown me far.
RICHARD He hath, my lord.
YORK And therefore is he idle?
RICHARD O, my fair cousin. I must not say so.
YORK Then he is more beholding108 to you than I.
RICHARD He may command me as my sovereign,
But you have power in me as110 in a kinsman.
YORK I pray you, uncle, give me this dagger.111
RICHARD My dagger, little cousin? With all my heart.112
PRINCE EDWARD A beggar, brother?
YORK Of my kind uncle, that I know will give,
And being but a toy115, which is no grief to give.
RICHARD A greater gift than that I’ll give my cousin.
YORK A greater gift? O, that’s the sword to it.117
RICHARD Ay, gentle cousin, were it light118 enough.
YORK O, then, I see, you will part but with light gifts.
In weightier things you’ll say a beggar nay.120
RICHARD It is too weighty for your grace to wear.
YORK I weigh it lightly, were it122 heavier.
RICHARD What, would you have123 my weapon, little lord?
YORK I would, that I might thank you as you call me.
RICHARD How?
YORK Little.
PRINCE EDWARD My lord of York will still127 be cross in talk.
Uncle, your grace knows how to bear with him.
YORK You mean to bear me, not to bear with me.—
Uncle, my brother mocks both you and me,
Because that I am little, like an ape131,
He thinks that you should bear me on your shoulders.
Aside
BUCKINGHAM With what a sharp-provided133 wit he reasons!
To mit gate134 the scorn he gives his uncle,
He prettily135 and aptly taunts himself.
So cunning136 and so young is wonderful.
RICHARD My lord, will’t please you pass along?
Myself and my good cousin Buckingham
Will to your mother, to entreat of her
To meet you at the Tower and welcome you.
YORK What, will you go unto the Tower, my lord?
PRINCE EDWARD My Lord Protector will have it so.
YORK I shall not sleep in quiet at the Tower.
RICHARD Why, what should you fear?
YORK Marry, my uncle Clarence’ angry ghost.
My grandam told me he was murdered there.
PRINCE EDWARD I fear no uncles dead.
RICHARD Nor none that live, I hope.
PRINCE EDWARD An if they live, I hope I need not fear.
But come, my lord and with a heavy heart,
Thinking on them, go I unto the Tower.
A sennet.
Exeunt Prince, York, Hastings and Dorset.
Richard, Buckingham and Catesby remain
BUCKINGHAM Think you, my lord, this little prating152 York
Was not incensèd153 by his subtle mother
To taunt and scorn you thus opprobriously?154
RICHARD No doubt, no doubt. O, ’tis a perilous155 boy:
Bold, quick, ingenious, forward156, capable.
He is all the mother’s157, from the top to toe.
BUCKINGHAM Well, let them rest.158—Come hither, Catesby.
Thou art sworn as deeply159 to effect what we intend
As closely160 to conceal what we impart.
Thou know’st our reasons urged161 upon the way,
What think’st thou? Is it not an easy matter
To make William Lord Hastings of our mind163,
For the instalment of this noble duke
In the seat royal of this famous isle?
CATESBY He for his father’s166 sake so loves the prince,
That he will not be won to aught167 against him.
BUCKINGHAM What think’st thou, then, of Stanley? Will not he?
CATESBY He will do all in all as Hastings doth.
BUCKINGHAM Well, then, no more but this: go, gentle Catesby.
And, as it were far off171 sound thou Lord Hastings,
How he doth stand affected to172 our purpose,
And summon him tomorrow to the Tower,
To sit174 about the coronation.
If thou dost find him tractable to us,
Encourage him, and tell him all our reasons.
If he be leaden, icy-cold, unwilling,
Be thou so too, and so break off the talk,
And give us notice of his inclination,
For we tomorrow hold divided councils180,
Wherein thyself shalt highly181 be employed.
RICHARD Commend me to Lord William.182 Tell him, Catesby.
His ancient knot183 of dangerous adversaries
Tomorrow are let blood184 at Pomfret Castle,
And bid m
y lord, for joy of this good news,
Give Mistress Shore186 one gentle kiss the more.
BUCKINGHAM Good Catesby, go effect this business soundly.
CATESBY My good lords both, with all the heed188 I can.
RICHARD Shall we hear from you, Catesby, ere we sleep?
CATESBY You shall, my lord.
RICHARD At Crosby House, there shall you find us both.
Exit Catesby
BUCKINGHAM Now my lord, what shall we do if we perceive
Lord Hastings will not yield to our complots?193
RICHARD Chop off his head: something we will determine:
And look when I am king, claim thou of me
The earldom of Hereford, and all the movables196
Whereof the king my brother was possessed.
BUCKINGHAM I’ll claim that promise at your grace’s hand.
RICHARD And look to have it yielded with all kindness.
Come, let us sup betimes200, that afterwards
We may digest201 our complots in some form.
Exeunt
Act 3 Scene 2
running scene 8
Enter a Messenger to the door of Hastings
MESSENGER My lord, my lord!
Within
HASTINGS Who knocks?
MESSENGER One from the lord Stanley.
Within
HASTINGS What is’t o’clock?
MESSENGER Upon the stroke of four.
Enter Lord Hastings
HASTINGS Cannot my lord Stanley sleep these tedious6 nights?
MESSENGER So it appears by that I have to say.
First, he commends him to your noble self.
HASTINGS What then?
MESSENGER Then certifies your lordship that this night
He dreamt the boar11 had razèd off his helm.
Besides, he says there are two councils kept,
And that may be determined13 at the one
Which may make you and him to rue14 at th’other:
Therefore he sends to know your lordship’s pleasure15,
If you will presently16 take horse with him,
And with all speed post17 with him toward the north,
To shun the danger that his soul divines.
HASTINGS Go, fellow, go, return unto thy lord,
Richard III Page 8
