SIR ROBERT BRAKENBURY: LIEUTENANT OF THE TOWER. CHRISTOPHER URSWICK: A PRIEST.

ANOTHER PRIEST.

TRESSEL AND BERKELEY: GENTLEMEN ATTENDING ON THE

LADY ANNE.

LORD MAYOR OF LONDON,

SHERIFF OF WILTSHIRE.

ELIZABETH: QUEEN TO KING EDWARD IV.

MARGARET: WIDOW OF KING HENRY VI.

DUCHESS OF YORK: MOTHER TO KING EDWARD IV.
LADY ANNE: WIDOW OF EDWARD PRINCE OF WALES, Son
TO KING HENRY VI.; AFTERWARDS MARRIED TO RICHARD.
A YOUNG DAUGHTER OF CLARENCE (MARGARET PLANTA-
GENET).

GHOSTS OF THOSE MURDERED BY RICHARD III.; LORDS AND OTHER ATTENDANTS; A PURSUIVANT, SCRIVENER, CITIZENS,

MURDERERS, MESSENGERS, SOLDIERS, etc.

SCENE-England.

THE TRAGEDY OF KING RICHARD THE THIRD

ACT I

SCENE I. London. A Street.

Enter RICHARD, Duke of Gloucester, solus.

GLOU. Now is the Winter of our discontent
Made glorious Summer by this Sun of York;1
And all the clouds that lour'd upon our House

In the deep bosom of the Ocean buried.
Now are our brows bound with victorious wreaths;
Our bruised arms hung up for monuments;
Our stern alarums chang'd to merry meetings,
Our dreadful marches to delightful measures.2

Grim-visag'd War hath smooth'd his wrinkled front;
And now, instead of mounting barbed3 steeds
To fright the souls of fearful adversaries,
He capers nimbly in a lady's chamber

To the lascivious pleasing of a lute.

But I, that am not shap'd for sportive* tricks,
Nor made to court an amorous looking-glass;
I, that am rudely stamp'd, and want Love's majesty
To strut before a wanton ambling nymph;

I, that am curtail'd of this fair proportion,
Cheated of feature by dissembling' Nature,
Deform'd, unfinish'd, sent before my time
Into this breathing World, scarce half made up,
And that so lamely and unfashionable

That dogs bark at me as I halt by them;

Why, I, in this weak piping time of Peace,

Have no delight to pass away the time,
Unless to spy my shadow in the Sun,

1 see vol. v., p. 290: 3 Henry VI., 11. i. 25.
i.e. armoured and caparisoned for battle.
go delicately and invitingly.

ΤΟ

20

2 dances of state.

3 = barded;

5 amble=to

7 fraudulent.

4 amatorious, lecherous.

6 shape.

5

ACT I

Sc. I

And descant1 on mine own deformity:

And therefore, since I cannot prove a lover
To entertain these fair well-spoken days,
I am determined to prove a villain,
And hate the idle pleasures of these days.
Plots have I laid, inductions2 dangerous
By drunken prophecies, libels, and dreams,
To set my brother Clarence and the King
In deadly hate the one against the other:
And, if King Edward be as true and just

As I am subtle, false, and treacherous,

This day should Clarence closely be mew'd up,

About a prophecy, which says that G

Of Edward's heirs the murderer shall be.

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40

Dive, Thoughts, down to my soul: here Clarence

comes.

Enter CLARENCE, guarded, and BRAKENBURY.
Brother, good day: what means this armed guard
That waits upon your Grace?

CLAR.

His Majesty,

Tendering3 my person's safety, hath appointed
This conduct to convey me to the Tower.
GLOU. Upon what cause?

CLAR.

Because my name is George.

GLOU. Alack, my Lord, that fault is none of your's;
He should, for that, commit your godfathers:
O, belike his Majesty hath some intent
That you shall be new-christen'd in the Tower.
But what's the matter, Clarence? may I know?
CLAR. Yea, Richard, when I know; for I protest
As yet I do not: but, as I can learn,
He hearkens after prophecies and dreams;
And from the cross-row plucks the letter G,
And says a Wizard told him that by G
His issue disinherited should be;
And, for my name of George begins with G,
It follows in his thought that I am he.
These, as I learn, and such-like toys' as these,
Have mov'd his Highness to commit me now.

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60

1 (musicians') extemporize variations on a given theme. 2 preparations. 3 =caring for. 5 alphabet. 6 inasmuch as. 7 trifles.

6

4 guard.

GLOU. Why, this it is, when men are rul'd by women!
"Tis not the King that sends you to the Tower;
My Lady Grey his wife, Clarence, 'tis she

That tempers him to this extremity.

Was it not she, and that good man of worship,

Anthony Woodëville, her brother there,

That made him send Lord Hastings to the Tower,
From whence this present day he is deliver❜d?
We are not safe, Clarence; we are not safe.
CLAR. By Heaven, I think there's no man is secure
But the Queen's kindred, and night-walking heralds
That trudge betwixt the King and Mistress Shore.
Heard ye not what an humble suppliant
Lord Hastings was to her for his delivery?
GLOU. Humbly complaining to her Deity
Got my Lord Chamberlain his liberty.
I'll tell you what; I think it is our way,
If we will keep in favour with the King,
To be her men, and wear her livery:
The jealous o'erworn widow1 and herself,

Since that our brother dubb'd them gentlewomen,
Are mighty gossips in this Monarchy.

BRAK. 'Beseech your Graces both to pardon me:

His Majesty hath straitly given in charge

That no man shall have private conference,

Of what degree soever, with his brother.

GLOU. Even so; an 't please your Worship, Brakenbury,
You may partake of any thing we say:

We speak no treason, Man: we say the King

Is wise and virtuous; and his noble Queen

Well struck in years, fair, and not jealous :

We say that Shore's wife hath a pretty foot,

A cherry lip, a bonny eye, a passing pleasing tongue;
And that the Queen's kindred are made gentlefolks:
How
say you, Sir? can you deny all this?
BRAK. With this, my Lord, myself have nought to do.
GLOU. To do with Mistress Shore! I tell thee, Fellow,
He that doth naught with her, excepting one,
"Twere best he do it secretly, alone.

BRAK. What one, my Lord?

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80

90

ACT I

Sc. I