K. Hen. Ay, and for much more slaughter after

this.

O! God forgive my sins, and pardon thee! [Dies.
Glo. What will the aspiring blood of Lancaster
Sink in the ground? I thought it would have mounted.
See, how my sword weeps for the poor king's death!
O, may such purple tears be always shed
From those that wish the downfall of our house!-
If any spark of life be yet remaining,
Down, down to hell, and say I sent thee thither;
[Stabs him again
I, that have neither pity, love, nor fear.—
Indeed, 'tis true that Henry told me of;
For I have often heard my mother say
I came into the world with my legs forward:
Had I not reason, think ye, to make haste,
And seek their ruin that usurp'd our right?
The midwife wonder'd; and the women cried,
"O, Jesus bless us! he is born with teeth!"
And so I was; which plainly signified
That I should snarl, and bite, and play the dog.

Let hell make crookt my mind to answer it.

I have no father, I am like no father;

I have no brothers, I am like no brothers;

And this word love, which greybeards term divine,
Be resident in men like one another,

And not in me: I am myself alone.

Clarence, beware: thou keep'st me from the light;
But I will sort a pitchy day for thee:
For I will buzz abroad such prophecies,
Under pretence of outward seeming ill,
As Edward shall be fearful of his life;
And then, to purge his fear, I'll be thy death.
King Henry, and the prince his son, are gone;
And, Clarence, thou art next must follow them:
So by one and one despatching all the rest,
Counting myself but bad, till I be best.
I'll drag thy body in another room,

And triumph. Henry, in thy day of doom."

Then, since the heavens have shap'd my body so,
Let hell make crookt my mind to answer it.
I have no brother, I am like no brother;
And this word love, which greybeards call divine,
Be resident in men like one another,

And not in me: I am myself alone.
Clarence, beware: thou keep'st me from the light:
But I will sort a pitchy day for thee:
For I will buzz abroad such prophecies,
That Edward shall be fearful of his life;
And then, to purge his fear, I'll be thy death.
King Henry, and the prince his son, are gone :
Clarence, thy turn is next, and then the rest;
Counting myself but bad, till I be best.
I'll throw thy body in another room,

2

And triumph, Henry, in thy day of doom. [Ent.

SCENE VII. The same. A Room in the Palace.

King EDWARD is discovered sitting on his Throne; Queen ELIZABETH with the infant Prince, CLARENCE, GLOSTER, HASTINGS, and Others, near him. K. Edw. Once more we sit in England's royal throne,

Repurchas'd with the blood of enemies.

The following is Holinshed's account of Henry's death: Here is to be remembered, that poore king Henrie the sixt, a little before deprived of his realme and imperiai. crowne, was now in the Tower spoiled of his life by Richard duke of Glocester, as the constant fame ran; who, to the intent that his brother king Edward might reigue in more suretie, murthered the said king Henre with a dagger Howbeit, some writers of that time, favouring altogither the house of Yorke, have recorded, that after he understood what losses had chanced unto his treends, and how not onelie his sonne, but also all other his cheese partakers were dead and despatched, he tooke it so to hart, that of pure displeas ure, indignation, and melancholie, he died the three and twentith of Ma e."

н.

What valiant foemen, like to autumn's corn,
Have we mow'd down, in tops of all their pride?
Three dukes of Somerset, threefold renown'd
For hardy and undoubted champions;
Two Cliffords, as the father and the son;
And two Northumberlands; two braver men

Ne'er spurr'd their coursers at the trumpet's sound:
With them, the two brave bears, Warwick and Mon-

tague,

That in their chains fetter'd the kingly lion,
And made the forest tremble when they roar'd.
Thus have we swept suspicion from our seat,
And made our footstool of security. —
Come hither, Bess, and let me kiss my boy..
Young Ned, for thee, thine uncles and myself
Have in our armours watch'd the winter's night;
Went all a-foot in summer's scalding heat,
That thou might'st repossess the crown in peace,
And of our labours thou shalt reap the gain.

Glo. [Aside.] I'll blast his harvest, if your head were laid;

For yet I am not look'd on in the world.

This shoulder was ordain'd so thick, to heave;
And heave it shall some weight, or break my back:-
Work thou the way,—and thou shalt execute.'

K. Edw. Clarence, and Gloster, love my lovely

queen;

And kiss your princely nephew, brothers both. Clar. The duty, that I owe unto your majesty, I seal upon the lips of this sweet habe.

K. Edw. Thanks, noble Clarence; worthy broth er, thanks

Gloster may be supposed to touch his head and look significantly at his hand.

The old quarto play appropriates this line to the queen. The

Glo. And, that I love the tree from whence thou

sprang'st,

Witness the loving kiss I give the fruit.— [Aside.] To say the truth, so Judas kiss'd his master, And cried, all hail! whenas he meant, all harm.

K. Edw. Now am I seated as my soul delights, Having my country's peace, and brothers' loves. Clar. What will your grace have done with Mar garet?

Reignier, her father, to the king of France

Hath pawn'd the Sicils and Jerusalem,

And hither have they sent it for her ransom.

K. Edw. Away with her, and waft her hence to
France.

And now what rests, but that we spend the time
With stately triumphs, mirthful comic shows,
Such as befit the pleasure of the court?
Sound, drums and trumpets!

noy!

farewell, sour an

For here, I hope, begins our lasting joy. [Exeunt.

In

first and second folio, by mistake, have given it to Clarence. Steevens's copy of the second folio, which had belonged to King Charles the First, his majesty had erased Cla. and written King in its stead. Shakespeare, therefore, in the catalogue of his restorers, may boast a royal name.

INTRODUCTION

ΤΟ

THE TRAGEDY OF KING RICHARD III.

THE earhest notice we have of this play is an entry in the Stationers' Register by Andrew Wise, dated October 20, 1597, and running thus: "THE TRAGEDY OF KING RICHARD THE THIRD, with the death of the Duke of Clarence." The same year was published a quarto pamphlet of forty-seven leaves, the title-page reading as follows: "The Tragedy of King Richard the Third; containing his treacherous plots against his brother Clarence, the pitiful murder of his innocent nephews, his tyrannical usurpation, with the whole course of his detested life, and most deserved death: As it hath been lately acted by the Right Honourable the Lord Chamberlain his servants. At London: Printed by Valentine Simms for Andrew Wise, dwelling in Paul's Church-yard, at the sign of the Angel. 1597." In this edition the author's name was not given. The play was issued again in 1598, the title-page being the same, except the addition, By William Shakespeare," and the substitution of Thomas Creede for Valentine Simms. There was a third issue by the same publisher in 1602; which, though merely a reprint of the former, claimed in the title-page to be "newly augmented." By another entry at the Stationers', bearing date June 27, 1603, it appears that Wise transferred his right in the play to Matthew Law, who published a fourth edition in 1605, and a fifth in 1613. Three other issues of the same text are also known to have been made in quarto, the several dates being 1624, 1629, and 1634; and there is some reason to think that an edition was put forth in 1622, though n copy of that date is

known to be extant.

Of these eight editions, all except the first two purport to be "newly augmented;" which, as the text was the same in them all, would seem to infer that the publishers understood the play to have received certain additions, and wanted to have it thought that their copies included them. Accordingly, in the folio of 1623