towns and cities for a dangerous thing; and every
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man that means to live well endeavours to trust to
himself, and live without it.
1 MURDERER Zounds, ’tis even now at my elbow,
persuading me not to kill the Duke.
2 MURDERER Take the devil in thy mind, and believe
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him not: he would insinuate with thee but to make
thee sigh.
1 MURDERER I am strong-framed; he cannot prevail
with me.
2 MURDERER Spoke like a tall man that respects thy
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reputation! Come, shall we fall to work?
1 MURDERER Take him on the costard with the hilts of
thy sword, and then throw him into the malmsey-butt
in the next room.
2 MURDERER Oh excellent device! and make a sop of
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him.
1 MURDERER Soft, he wakes.
2 MURDERER Strike!
1 MURDERER No, we’ll reason with him.
CLARENCE
Where art thou, Keeper? Give me a cup of wine.
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2 MURDERER
You shall have wine enough, my lord, anon.
CLARENCE In God’s name, what art thou?
2 MURDERER A man, as you are.
CLARENCE But not as I am, royal.
1 MURDERER Nor you as we are, loyal.
CLARENCE
Thy voice is thunder, but thy looks are humble.
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1 MURDERER
My voice is now the King’s, my looks mine own.
CLARENCE
How darkly, and how deadly dost thou speak.
Your eyes do menace me; why look you pale?
Who sent you hither? Wherefore do you come?
BOTH To – to – to –
CLARENCE To murder me?
BOTH Ay, ay.
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CLARENCE You scarcely have the hearts to tell me so,
And therefore cannot have the hearts to do it.
Wherein, my friends, have I offended you?
1 MURDERER Offended us you have not, but the King.
CLARENCE I shall be reconcil’d to him again.
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2 MURDERER Never, my lord; therefore prepare to die.
CLARENCE Are you drawn forth among a world of men
To slay the innocent? What is my offence?
Where is the evidence that doth accuse me?
What lawful quest have giv’n their verdict up
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Unto the frowning judge? Or who pronounc’d
The bitter sentence of poor Clarence’ death?
Before I be convict by course of law,
To threaten me with death is most unlawful.
I charge you, as you hope to have redemption,
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By Christ’s dear blood, shed for our grievous sins,
That you depart and lay no hands on me:
The deed you undertake is damnable.
1 MURDERER What we will do, we do upon command.
2 MURDERER
And he that hath commanded is our King.
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CLARENCE Erroneous vassals! The great King of kings
Hath in the table of His law commanded
That thou shalt do no murder. Will you then
Spurn at His edict, and fulfil a man’s?
Take heed! For He holds vengeance in His hand
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To hurl upon their heads that break His law.
2 MURDERER
And that same vengeance doth He hurl on thee,
For false forswearing, and for murder too:
Thou didst receive the sacrament to fight
In quarrel of the House of Lancaster.
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1 MURDERER And like a traitor to the name of God
Didst break that vow, and with thy treacherous blade
Unrip’st the bowels of thy sovereign’s son.
2 MURDERER
Whom thou wast sworn to cherish and defend.
1 MURDERER
How canst thou urge God’s dreadful law to us,
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When thou hast broke it in such dear degree?
CLARENCE Alas, for whose sake did I that ill deed?
For Edward, for my brother, for his sake.
He sends you not to murder me for this,
For in that sin he is as deep as I.
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If God will be avenged for the deed,
O know you yet, He doth it publicly;
Take not the quarrel from His powerful arm.
He needs no indirect or lawless course
To cut off those that have offended Him.
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1 MURDERER Who made thee then a bloody minister,
When gallant-springing, brave Plantagenet,
That princely novice, was struck dead by thee?
CLARENCE My brother’s love, the devil, and my rage.
1 MURDERER
Thy brother’s love, our duty, and thy faults
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Provoke us hither now to slaughter thee.
CLARENCE O, if you love my brother, hate not me:
I am his brother, and I love him well.
If you are hir’d for meed, go back again,
And I will send you to my brother Gloucester,
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Who shall reward you better for my life
Than Edward will for tidings of my death.
2 MURDERER
You are deceiv’d: your brother Gloucester hates you.
CLARENCE O no, he loves me, and he holds me dear;
Go you to him from me.
1 MURDERER Ay, so we will.
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CLARENCE
Tell him, when that our princely father York
Bless’d his three sons with his victorious arm,
And charg’d us from his soul to love each other,
He little thought of this divided friendship:
Bid Gloucester think of this, and he will weep.
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1 MURDERER
Ay, millstones, as he lesson’d us to weep.
CLARENCE O, do not slander him, for he is kind.
1 MURDERER Right, as snow in harvest.
Come: you deceive yourself;
’Tis he that sends us to destroy you here.
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CLARENCE It cannot be: for he bewept my fortune,
And hugg’d me in his arms, and swore with sobs
That he would labour my delivery.
1 MURDERER Why so he doth, when he delivers you
From this earth’s thraldom to the joys of Heaven.
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2 MURDERER
Make peace with God, for you must die, my lord.
CLARENCE Have you that holy feeling in your souls
To counsel me to make my peace with God,
And are you yet to your own souls so blind
That you will war with God by murd’ring me?
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O sirs, consider: they that set you on
To do this deed will hate you for the deed.
2 MURDERER What shall we do?
CLARENCE Relent, and save your souls.
1 MURDERER Relent? No, ’tis cowardly and womanish.
CLARENCE Not to relent is beastly, savage, devilish.
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Which of you – if you were a prince’s son,
Being pent from liberty as I am now –
If two such murderers as yourselves came to you,
Would not entreat for life? Ay, you would beg,
Were you in my distress.
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[to Second Murderer] My friend, I spy some pity in thy looks:
O, if thine eye be not a flatterer,
Come thou on my side, and entreat for me;
A begging prince, what beggar pities not?
2 MURDERER
Look behind you, my lord!
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1 MURDERER Take that! and that!
[Stabs him.] If all this will not do,
I’ll drown you in the malmsey-butt within.
Exit with body.
2 MURDERER
A bloody deed, and desperately dispatch’d.
How fain, like Pilate, would I wash my hands
Of this most grievous murder.
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Enter First Murderer.
1 MURDERER How now? What mean’st thou that
thou help’st me not?
By heavens, the Duke shall know how slack you have been.
2 MURDERER
I would he knew that I had sav’d his brother.
Take thou the fee, and tell him what I say,
For I repent me that the Duke is slain. Exit.
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1 MURDERER So do not I: go, coward as thou art.
Well, I’ll go hide the body in some hole
Till that the Duke give order for his burial.
And when I have my meed, I will away:
For this will out, and then I must not stay. Exit.
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2.1 Flourish. Enter KING EDWARD sick, QUEEN ELIZABETH, DORSET, RIVERS, HASTINGS, BUCKINGHAM and GREY.
KING Why, so: now have I done a good day’s work:
You peers, continue this united league.
I every day expect an embassage
From my Redeemer, to redeem me hence;
And more in peace my soul shall part to Heaven
5
Since I have made my friends at peace on earth.
Rivers and Hastings, take each other’s hand;
Dissemble not your hatred: swear your love.
RIVERS
By heaven, my soul is purg’d from grudging hate,
And with my hand I seal my true heart’s love.
10
HASTINGS So thrive I, as I truly swear the like.
KING Take heed you dally not before your King,
Lest He that is the supreme King of kings
Confound your hidden falsehood, and award
Either of you to be the other’s end.
15
HASTINGS So prosper I, as I swear perfect love.
RIVERS And I, as I love Hastings with my heart.
KING Madam, yourself is not exempt from this;
Nor you, son Dorset; Buckingham, nor you:
You have been factious, one against the other.
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Wife, love Lord Hastings, let him kiss your hand:
And what you do, do it unfeignedly.
ELIZABETH
There, Hastings: I will never more remember
Our former hatred, so thrive I and mine.
KING
Dorset, embrace him; Hastings, love lord Marquess.
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DORSET This interchange of love, I here protest,
Upon my part shall be inviolable.
HASTINGS And so swear I. [They embrace.]
KING Now, princely Buckingham, seal thou this league
With thy embracements to my wife’s allies,
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And make me happy in your unity.
BUCKINGHAM
Whenever Buckingham doth turn his hate
Upon your Grace, but with all duteous love
Doth cherish you and yours, God punish me
With hate in those where I expect most love.
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When I have most need to employ a friend,
And most assured that he is a friend,
Deep, hollow, treacherous, and full of guile
Be he unto me: this do I beg of God,
When I am cold in love to you or yours. [Embrace.]
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KING A pleasing cordial, princely Buckingham,
Is this thy vow unto my sickly heart.
There wanteth now our brother Gloucester here
To make the blessed period of this peace.
Enter RATCLIFFE and RICHARD.
BUCKINGHAM And in good time,
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Here comes Sir Richard Ratcliffe and the Duke.
RICHARD
Good morrow to my sovereign King and Queen;
And princely peers, a happy time of day.
KING Happy indeed, as we have spent the day;
Gloucester, we have done deeds of charity,
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Made peace of enmity, fair love of hate,
Between these swelling, wrong-incensed peers.
RICHARD A blessed labour, my most sovereign lord.
Among this princely heap – if any here
By false intelligence or wrong surmise
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Hold me a foe –
The Arden Shakespeare Complete Works Page 310
