Duch. Where is kind Hastings? K. Rich. A flourish, trumpets!-strike alarum, Let not the heavens hear these tell-tale women K. Rich. Ay; I thank God, my father, and Duch. Then patiently hear my impatience. That cannot brook the accent of reproof. K. Rich. Do, then; but I'll not hear. Duch. Art thou so hasty? I have staid for God knows, in torment and in agony. K. Rich. And came I not at last to comfort you ? Duch. No, by the holy rood, thou know'st it well, Thou cam'st on earth to make the earth my hell. A grievous burden was thy birth to me: Thy school-days, frightful, desperate, wild, and contrary. K. Rich. All anavoided is the doom of destiny. Q. Eliz. True, when avoided grace makes My babes were destin'd to a fairer death, K. Rich. You speak, as if that I had slain Q. Eliz. Cousins, indeed; and by their uncle Of comfort, kingdom, kindred, freedom, life. No doubt the murderous knife was dull and Till it was whetted on thy stone-hard heart, Thy prime of manhood, daring, bold, and ven-To revel in the entrails of my lambs. turous; Thy age confirm'd, proud, subtle, sly, and bloody, More mild, but yet more harmful, kind What comfortable hour canst thou name, in K. Rich. 'Faith, none, but Humphrey Hour, To breakfast once, forth of my company. Let me march on, and not offend you, madam. Dach. I pr'ythee, hear me speak. For I shall never speak to thee again. K. Rich. So. Duck. Either thon wilt die, by God's just or dinance, But that still use of grief makes wild grief tame, My tongue should to thy ears not name my boys, Till that my nails were anchor'd in thine eyes; K. Rich. Madam, so thrive I in my enter- And dangerous success of bloody wars, To be discover'd that can do me good? K. Rich. The advancement of your children, gentle lady. Q. Eliz. Up to some scaffold, there to lose their heads? K. Rich. No, to the dignity and height of The high imperial type of this earth's glory. it ; Tell me, what state, what dignity, what honour, Ere from this war thon turn a conqueror ; tend. [Exit. Q. Eliz. Thongh far more cause, yet much less spirit to curse Abides in me; I say Amen to her. [Going. K. Rich. Stay, madam, I must speak a word with you. Q. Eliz. I have no more sons of the royal For thee to murder: for my daughters, Richard,- queens; And therefore level not to hit their lives. Virtuous and fair, royal and gracious. K. Rich. Even all I have; ay, and myself Will I withal endow a child of thine; And, from my heart's love, I do thank thee for it. K. Rich. Be not so hasty to confound my I mean, that with my soul I love thy daughter, K. Rich. Even be, that makes her queen Q. Eliz. What, thou? Shall come again, transform'd to orient pearl; Prepare her ears to hear a wooer's tale; K. Rich. Even so: What think you of it, The petty rebel, dull-brain'd Buckingham, madam? Q. Eliz. How canst thou woo her? As one being best acquainted with her humour. Q. Eliz. Send to her, by the man that slew A pair of bleeding hearts; thereon engrave, Did to thy father, steep'd in Rutland's blood,- body, queen. I cannot make you what amends I would, The king, that calls your beauteous daughter, Familiarly shall call thy Dorset-brother; • Perhaps. Bound with triumphant garlands will i come, brother Would be her lord? Or shall I say, her uncle! Under what title shall I woo for thee, Q. Eliz. Which she shall purchase with still K. Rich. Tell her the king, that may com Q. Eliz. That at her hands, which the king's K. Rich. Say, she shall be a high and mighty Q. Eliz. To wail the title, as her mother K. Rich. Say, I will love ber everlastingly. last ? K. Rich. Sweetly in force unto her fair life's end. Q. Eliz. But how long fairly shall her sweet life last? K. Rich. As long as heaven, and nature lengthens it. Q. Eliz. As long as hell, and Richard, likes of it. K. Rich. Say, I her sovereign, am her subject low. Q. Eliz. But she, your subject, loaths such K. Rich. Be eloquent in my behalf to her. K. Rich. Then, in plain teims, tell her my To deep and dead, poor infants, in their Swear then by something that thou hast not wrong'd. K. Rich. Now by the world, Q. Eliz: 'Tis full of thy foul wrongs. K. Rich. My father's death, Q. Eliz. Thy life hath that dishonour'd. Q. Eliz. Thyself is self-misus'd. K. Rich. Why then, by God, Q. Eliz. God's wrong is most of all. If thou hadst fear'd to break an oath by him, Had not been broken, nor my brother slain : here, Which now, two tender bed-fellows for dust, K. Rich. By the time to come. Q. Eliz. That thou hast wrong'd in the time For I myself have many years to wash Ungovern'd youth, to wail it in their age: butcher'd, thou hast Old barren plants, to wail it with their age. Misus'd ere used, by times ill-us'd o'erpast. So thrive I in my dangerous attempt Be opposite all planets of good luck thy I tender not thy beauteous princely daughter! K. Rich. Ay, if the devil tempt thee to do Q. Eliz. Shall I forget myself, to be myself? Q. Eliz. But thou didst kill my children. them : Where in that nest of spicery, they shall breed Selves of themselves, to your recomforture. Q. Eliz. Shall I go win my daughter to thy will? K. Rich. And be a happy mother by the deed. Q. Eliz. I go.-Write to me very shortly, And you shall understand from me her mind. K. Rich. Bear her my true love's kiss, and. so farewell. ; CATESBY following. Rat. Most mighty sovereign, on the western coast Rideth a puissant navy; to the shore Ratcliff, thyself,-or Catesby; where is he? K. Rich. Cateshy, fly to the duke. Cate. I will, my lord, with all convenient haste. K. Rich. Ratcliff, come hither; Post to Salisbury; When thou com'st thither,-Dull, unmindful villaiu, [TO CATESBY. Why stay'st thou here, and go'st not to the duke? Cate. First, mighty liege, tell me your high- What from your grace I shall deliver to him. The greatest strength and power he can make, [Exit. Rat. What, may it please you, shall I do at K. Rich. Why, what would'st thou do there Rat. Your highness told me, I should post before. Enter STANLEY. K. Rich. My mind is chang'd.-Stanley, what news with you? Stan. None good, my liege, to please you Nor none so bad, but well may be reported, What need'st thou run so many miles about, Once more what news? Stan. Richmond is on the seas. K. Rich. There let him sink, and be the seas White-liver'd runagate, what doth he there ? guess. K. Rich. Well, as you guess? Stan. Stirr'd up by Dorset, Buckingham, and Morton, He makes for England here to claim the crown. K. Rich. Is the chair empty? is the sword unsway'd! Is the king dead? The empire unpossess'd? Then, tell me, what makes he upon the seas? Where be thy tenants and thy followers? [Kissing her. Exit Q. ELIZABETH. Are they not now upon the western shore, Relenting fool, and shallow, changing wo-Safe conducting the rebels from their ships? man How now? what news ? • Foolish. + The phonix's neet. Stan. No, my good lord, my good friends are in the north. K. Rich. Cold friends to me: what do they in the north, When they should serve their sovereign in the west ? Stan. They have not been commanded, mighty Pleaseth your majesty to give me leave, I will not trust you, Sir. Stan. Most mighty sovereign, You have no cause to doubtful; hold my friendship I never was nor never will be false. K. Rich. Well, go, muster men. But, hear you, leave behind Your son, George Stanley; look your heart be Or else his head's assurance is but frail. Enter a MESSENGER. Mess. My gracious sovereign, now in Devonshire, As I by friends am well advertised, Sir Edward Courtney, and the haughty prelate, Enter another MESSENGER. 2 Mess. In Kent, my liege, the Guildfords are in arms; And every hour more competitors SCENE V.-A Room in Lord STANLEY'S Enter STANLEY and Sir CHRISTOPHER Stan. Sir Christopher, tell Richmond this That, in the sty of this most bloody boar, Stan. What men of name resort to him? Sir Gilbert Talbert, Sir William Stanley; Tell him, the queen hath heartily consented Flock to the rebels, and their power grows These letters will resolve him of my mind. strong. 3 Mess. The news I have to tell your ma. Is, that by sudden floods and fall of waters, K. Rich. Oh! I cry you mercy: Enter another MESSENGER. 4 Mess. Sir Thomas Lovel, and lord marquis Dorset, 'Tis said, my liege, in Yorkshire are in arms. But this good comfort bring I to your high ACT V. SCENE 1.-Salisbury.-An open place. Enter the SHERIFF, and Guard, with BuckINGHAM, led to execution. Buck. Will not king Richard let me speak with him? Sher. No, my good lord; therefore be patient. Buck. Hastings, and Edward's children, Ri vers, Grey, Holy king Henry, and thy fair son Edward, Even for revenge mock my destruction! Buck. Why then, All-Souls' day is my body's This is the day, which, in king Edward's time, I wish'd might fall on me, when I was found When he, qnoth she, shall split thy heart with | Enter, on the other side of the field, RICH sorrow, Remember Margaret was a prophetess.- to me shame; Wrong bath but wrong, and blame the due of blame. [Exeunt BUCKINGHAM, &C. SCENE II.-Plain near Tamworth. Enter, with drum and colours, RICHMOND, OXFORD, Sir JAMES BLUNT, Sir WALTER HERBERT, and others, with forces, marching. MOND, Sir WILLIAM BRANDON, OXFORD, and other Lords. Some of the soldiers pitch RICHMOND's tent. Richm. The weary sun hath made a golden And, by the bright track of his fiery car, Give me some ink and paper in my tent; Richm. Fellows in arms, and my most loving And you, Sir Walter Herbert, stay with me: My lord of Surrey, why look you so sad? looks. K. Rich. My lord of Norfolk,- K. Rich. Norfolk, we must have knocka ; Nor. We must both give and take, my loving lord. K. Rich. Up with my tent: Here will I lie to-night; [Soldiers begin to set up the king's tent. one for But where to-morrow ?-Well, al's that. Who hath descried the number of he traitors? Nor. Six or seven thousand is their utmost power. K. Rich. Why, our battalia trebles that ac count : Besides, the king's name is a tower of strength, The earl of Pembroke keeps his regiment ;- And by the second hour in the morning much, (Which well I'am assur'd I have not done,) And give him from me this most needful note. And so, God give you quiet rest to-night! Come, gentlemen, captain Blunt. Let us consult upon to-morrow's business; In to my tent, the air is raw and cold. [They withdraw into the Tent. Enter, to his Tent, King RICHARD, NOR- K. Rich. What is't o'clock f K. Rich. I will not sup to-night. What, is my beaver easier than it was? Cate. It is, my liege; and all things are in K. Rich. Good Norfolk, hie thee to thy Use careful watch, choose trusty sentinels. Το power [Eait. K. Rich. Send out a pursuivant at arms Saddle white Surrey for the Ratcliff, Rat. My lord ? K. Rich. Saw'st thou the melancholy lord Rat. Thomas the earl of Surrey, and himself, troop, Went through the army, cheering up the soldiers. + Remains with. • Appoint. | Twilight, |