Forthwith from Ludlow the young Prince be fet
Hither to London, to be crown’d our King.
RIVERS
Why with some little train, my lord of Buckingham?
BUCKINGHAM Marry, my lord, lest by a multitude
The new-heal’d wound of malice should break out,
125
Which would be so much the more dangerous
By how much the estate is green and yet ungovern’d.
Where every horse bears his commanding rein,
And may direct his course as please himself,
As well the fear of harm, as harm apparent,
130
In my opinion, ought to be prevented.
RICHARD I hope the King made peace with all of us,
And the compact is firm and true in me.
RIVERS And so in me, and so, I think, in all:
Yet since it is but green, it should be put
135
To no apparent likelihood of breach,
Which haply by much company might be urg’d.
Therefore I say with noble Buckingham
That it is meet so few should fetch the Prince.
HASTINGS And so say I.
140
RICHARD Then be it so, and go we to determine
Who they shall be that straight shall post to Ludlow.
Madam, and you my sister, will you go
To give you censures in this business?
ELIZABETH, DUCHESS With all our hearts.
145
Exeunt all but Buckingham and Richard.
BUCKINGHAM
My lord, whoever journeys to the Prince,
For God’s sake let not us two stay at home:
For by the way I’ll sort occasion,
As index to the story we late talk’d of,
To part the Queen’s proud kindred from the Prince.
150
RICHARD My other self, my counsel’s consistory,
My oracle, my prophet, my dear cousin:
I, as a child, will go by thy direction.
Toward Ludlow then, for we’ll not stay behind.
Exeunt.
2.3 Enter one Citizen at one door, and Another at the other.
1 CITIZEN
Good morrow, neighbour: whither away so fast?
2 CITIZEN I promise you, I scarcely know myself.
Hear you the news abroad?
1 CITIZEN Yes, that the King is dead.
2 CITIZEN Ill news, by’rlady; seldom comes the better.
I fear, I fear, ’twill prove a giddy world.
5
Enter another Citizen.
3 CITIZEN Neighbours, God speed.
1 CITIZEN Give you good-morrow, sir.
3 CITIZEN
Doth the news hold of good King Edward’s death?
2 CITIZEN Ay, sir, it is too true, God help the while.
3 CITIZEN
Then, masters, look to see a troublous world.
1 CITIZEN
No, no; by God’s good grace, his son shall reign.
10
3 CITIZEN Woe to that land that’s govern’d by a child.
2 CITIZEN In him there is a hope of government,
Which, in his nonage, council under him,
And in his full and ripen’d years himself,
No doubt shall then, and till then, govern well.
15
1 CITIZEN So stood the state when Henry the Sixth
Was crown’d in Paris but at nine months old.
3 CITIZEN
Stood the state so? No, no, good friends, God wot.
For then this land was famously enrich’d
With politic grave counsel; then the King
20
Had virtuous uncles to protect his Grace.
1 CITIZEN
Why, so hath this, both by his father and mother.
3 CITIZEN Better it were they all came by his father,
Or by his father there were none at all:
For emulation who shall now be nearest
25
Will touch us all too near, if God prevent not.
O, full of danger is the Duke of Gloucester,
And the Queen’s sons and brothers, haught and proud;
And were they to be rul’d, and not to rule,
This sickly land might solace as before.
30
1 CITIZEN
Come, come: we fear the worst; all will be well.
3 CITIZEN
When clouds are seen, wise men put on their cloaks;
When great leaves fall, then winter is at hand;
When the sun sets, who doth not look for night?
Untimely storms makes men expect a dearth.
35
All may be well; but if God sort it so
’Tis more than we deserve, or I expect.
2 CITIZEN Truly, the hearts of men are full of fear:
You cannot reason almost with a man
That looks not heavily and full of dread.
40
3 CITIZEN Before the days of change still is it so:
By a divine instinct men’s minds mistrust
Ensuing danger, as by proof we see
The water swell before a boist’rous storm.
But leave it all to God. Whither away?
45
2 CITIZEN Marry, we were sent for to the Justices.
3 CITIZEN And so was I: I’ll bear you company.
Exeunt.
2.4 Enter ARCHBISHOP of York, the young DUKE OF YORK, QUEEN ELIZABETH and the DUCHESS OF YORK.
ARCHBISHOP
Last night, I hear, they lay at Stony Stratford,
And at Northampton they do rest tonight:
Tomorrow, or next day, they will be here.
DUCHESS I long with all my heart to see the Prince;
I hope he is much grown since last I saw him.
5
ELIZABETH But I hear no: they say my son of York
Has almost overta’en him in his growth.
YORK Ay, mother, but I would not have it so.
DUCHESS Why, my good cousin? It is good to grow.
YORK Grandam, one night as we did sit at supper,
10
My uncle Rivers talk’d how I did grow
More than my brother. ‘Ay,’ quoth my uncle Gloucester,
‘Small herbs have grace; great weeds do grow apace.’
And since, methinks I would not grow so fast,
Because sweet flowers are slow and weeds make
haste.
15
DUCHESS
Good faith, good faith, the saying did not hold
In him that did object the same 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.
20
ARCHBISHOP
And so no doubt he is, my gracious madam.
DUCHESS I hope he is, but yet let mothers doubt.
YORK Now by my troth, if I had been remember’d,
I could have given my uncle’s Grace a flout
To touch his growth nearer than he touch’d mine.
25
DUCHESS
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:
’Twas full two years ere I could get a tooth.
Grandam, this would have been a biting jest!
30
DUCHESS I prithee, pretty York, who told thee this?
YORK Grandam, his nurse.
DUCHESS
His nurse? Why she was dead ere thou wast born.
YORK If ’twere not she, I cannot tell who told me.
ELIZABETH A parlous boy: go to, you are too shrewd.
35
DUCHESS Good madam, be not angry with the child.
ELIZABETH P
itchers have ears.
Enter a Messenger.
ARCHBISHOP Here comes a messenger. What news?
MESSENGER
Such news, my lord, as grieves me to report.
ELIZABETH How doth the Prince?
MESSENGER Well, madam, and in health.
40
DUCHESS What is thy news?
MESSENGER Lord Rivers and Lord Grey
Are sent to Pomfret, and with them
Sir Thomas Vaughan, prisoners.
DUCHESS Who hath committed them?
MESSENGER The mighty Dukes,
Gloucester and Buckingham.
ARCHBISHOP For what offence?
45
MESSENGER The sum of all I can I have disclos’d:
Why or for what the nobles were committed
Is all unknown to me, my gracious lord.
ELIZABETH Ay me! I see the ruin of my House:
The tiger now hath seiz’d the gentle hind;
50
Insulting tyranny begins to jut
Upon the innocent and aweless throne.
Welcome destruction, blood, and massacre;
I see, as in a map, the end of all.
DUCHESS Accursed and unquiet wrangling days,
55
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 toss’d
For me to joy and weep their gain and loss;
And being seated, and domestic broils
60
Clean over-blown, themselves, the conquerors,
Make war upon themselves, brother to brother,
Blood to blood, self against self. O preposterous
And frantic outrage, end thy damned spleen,
Or let me die, to look on earth no more.
65
ELIZABETH Come, come my boy: we will to sanctuary, Madam, farewell.
DUCHESS Stay, I will go with you.
ELIZABETH You have no cause.
ARCHBISHOP My gracious lady, go,
And thither bear your treasure and your goods.
For my part, I’ll resign unto your Grace
70
The seal 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.
3.1 The trumpets sound. Enter young PRINCE EDWARD,
the DUKES OF GLOUCESTER and BUCKINGHAM,
LORD CARDINAL BOURCHIER, CATESBY, with others.
BUCKINGHAM
Welcome, sweet Prince, to London, to your chamber.
RICHARD
Welcome, dear cousin, my thoughts’ sovereign.
The weary way hath made you melancholy.
PRINCE No, uncle, but our crosses on the way
Have made it tedious, wearisome, and heavy;
5
I want more uncles here to welcome me.
RICHARD
Sweet Prince, the untainted virtue of your years
Hath not yet div’d into the world’s deceit,
Nor more can you distinguish of a man
Than of his outward show, which – God He knows –
10
Seldom or never jumpeth with the heart:
Those uncles which you want were dangerous;
Your Grace attended to their sugar’d words,
But look’d not on the poison of their hearts.
God keep you from them, and from such false friends!
15
PRINCE
God keep me from false friends – but they were none.
Enter Lord Mayor with attendants.
RICHARD
My Lord, the Mayor of London comes to greet you.
MAYOR
God bless your Grace with health and happy days!
PRINCE I thank you, good my lord, and thank you all.
I thought my mother and my brother York
20
Would long ere this have met us on the way.
Fie, what a slug 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
Welcome, my lord. What, will our mother come?
25
HASTINGS On what occasion God he knows, not I,
The Queen your mother and your brother York
Have taken sanctuary. The tender prince
Would fain have come with me to meet your Grace,
But by his mother was perforce withheld.
30
BUCKINGHAM Fie, what an indirect and peevish course
Is this of hers! Lord Cardinal, will your Grace
The Arden Shakespeare Complete Works Page 312
