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The king hath straitly charged the contrary.
Q. Eliz. The king! who's that?

Brak. I mean the lord protector.

Q. Eliz. The Lord protect him from that kingly title!

Hath he set bounds between their love and me?
I am their mother; who shall bar me from them?
Duch. I am their father's mother; I will see

them.

Anne. Their aunt I am in law, in love their mother:

Then bring me to their sights; I'll bear thy blame And take thy office from thee, on my peril.

Brak. No, madam, no,-I may not leave it so : I'm bound by oath, and therefore pardon me.

Enter STANLEY.

[Exit.

Stan. Let me but meet you, ladies, one hour hence,

And I'll salute your grace of York as mother,
And reverend looker on, of two fair queens.
[To Anne] Come, madam, you must straight to
Westminster,

There to be crowned Richard's royal queen
Q. Eliz. Ah, cut my lace in sunder,

That my pent heart may have some scope to beat,
Or else I swoon with this dead-killing news!

Anne. Despiteful tidings! O unpleasing news! Dor. Be of good cheer-mother, how fares your grace?

Q. Eliz. O Dorset, speak not to me, get thee hence!

Death and destruction dog thee at the heels;

Thy mother's name is ominous to children.
If thou wilt outstrip death, go cross the seas,
And live with Richmond, from the reach of hell :
Go, hie thee, hie thee from this slaughter-house,
Lest thou increase the number of the dead,

And make me die the thrall of Margaret's curse,-
Nor mother, wife, nor England's counted queen.
Stan. Full of wise care is this your counsel,
madam.-

Take all the swift advantage of the hours;
You shall have letters from me to my son
In your behalf, to meet you on the way:
Be not ta'en tardy by unwise delay.

Duch. O ill-dispersing wind of misery!-
O my accursed womb, the bed of death!
A cockatrice hast thou hatched to the world,
Whose unavoided eye is murderous.

Stan. Come, madam,come; I in all haste was sent.
Anne. And I in all unwillingness will go.—
I would to God that the inclusive verge
Of golden metal that must round my brow
Were red-hot steel, to sear me to the brain !
Anointed let me be with deadly venom,
And die, ere men can say, God save the queen!
Q. Eliz. Go, go, poor soul, I envy not thy glory;
To feed my humour, wish thyself no harm.

Anne. No! why?-When he that is my husband

now

Came to me, as I followed Henry's corse,

When scarce the blood was well washed from his hands

Which issued from my other angel husband

And that dead saint which then I weeping fol lowed;

O, when, I say, I looked on Richard's face,
This was my wish,

cursed,

'Be thou,' quoth I, 'ac

For making me, so young, so old a widow !

And, when thou wed'st, let sorrow haunt thy bed And be thy wife-if any be so mad—

As miserable by the life of thee

As thou hast made me by my dear lord's death!'
Lo, ere I can repeat this curse again,

Even in so short a space, my woman's heart
Grossly grew captive to his honey words.

And proved the subject of mine own soul's curse,
Which ever since hath kept mine eyes from rest;
For never yet one hour in his bed

Have I enjoyed the golden dew of sleep,
But have been wakéd by his timorous dreams.
Besides, he hates me for my father Warwick;
And will, no doubt, shortly be rid of me.

;

Q. Eliz. Poor heart, adieu! I pity thy complaining.

Anne. No more than from my soul I mourn for

yours.

Q. Eliz. Farewell, thou woful welcomer of

glory!

Anne. Adieu, poor soul, that tak'st thy leave

of it!

Duch. [To Dorset] Go thou to Richmond, and good fortune guide thee!

[To Anne] Go thou to Richard, and good angels guard thee!

[To Queen Eliz.] Go thou to sanctuary, and good thoughts possess thee!

I to my grave, where peace and rest lie with me! Eighty odd years of sorrow have I seen,

And each hour's joy wrecked with a week of teen.
Q. Eliz. Stay, yet look back with me unto the
Tower.-

Pity, you ancient stones, those tender babes
Whom envy hath immured within your walls,
Rough cradle for such little pretty ones!
Rude ragged nurse, old sullen playfellow
For tender princes, use my babies well!
So foolish sorrow bids your stones farewell.

[Exeunt.

SCENE II.-London. A Room of State in the

Palace.

Sennet. Enter RICHARD, crowned; BUCKINGHAM, CATESBY, a Page, and others.

K. Rich. Stand all apart.-Cousin of Bucking

ham,

Buck. My gracious sovereign?

K. Rich. Give me thy hand.

[Ascendeth the

throne. Thus high, by thy advice And thy assistance, is King Richard seated: But shall we wear these honours for a day? Or shall they last, and we rejoice in them? Buck. Still live they and for ever let them last! K. Rich. O Buckingham, now do I play the touch, To try if thou be current gold indeed :—

Young Edward lives :--think now what I would speak.

Buck. Say on, my loving lord.

K. Rich. Why, Buckingham, I say, I would be

Buck. Why, so you are, my thrice renowned liege. K. Rich. Ha! am I king? 't is so :-but Edward lives.

Buck. True, noble prince.

K. Rich.

O bitter consequence,

That Edward still should live! 'True, noble prince ! '—

Cousin, thou wert not wont to be so dull:
Shall I be plain?—I wish the bastards dead;
And I would have it suddenly performed.
What say'st thou now? speak suddenly; be brief.
Buck. Your grace may do your pleasure.

K. Rich. Tut, tut, thou art all ice, thy kindness freezes :

Say, have I thy consent that they shall die? Buck. Give me some breath, some little pause, my lord,

Before I positively speak herein :

I will resolve your grace immediately.

[Exit.

Cate. [Aside to a stander-by] The king is angry : see, he bites the lip.

K. Rich. I will converse with iron-witted fools
[Descends from his throne.

And unrespective boys: none are for me
That look into me with considerate eyes :
High-reaching Buckingham grows circumspect.
Boy!-

Page. My lord?

K. Rich. Know'st thou not any whom corrupting gold

Would tempt unto a close exploit of death?

Page. My lord, I know a discontented gentleman, Whose humble means match not his haughty mind: Gold were as good as twenty orators,

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