We speak no treason, man.-We say, the king A bonny eye, a passing pleasing tongue; Brak. With this, my lord, myself have nought to do. Glo. Naught to do with mistress Shore? I tell thee, fellow, He that doth naught with her, excepting one, Glo. Her husband, knave.-Wouldst thou betray me? Brak. I beseech your grace to pardon me; and withal, Forbear your conference with the noble duke. Clar. We know thy charge, Brakenbury, and will obey. Glo. We are the queen's abjects,' and must obey. Mean time, this deep disgrace in brotherhood, Clar. I know it pleaseth neither of us well. Mean time, have patience. Clar. I must perforce; farewell. [Exeunt CLARENCE, BRAKENBURY, and Guard. Glo. Go, tread the path that thou shalt ne'er return, Simple, plain Clarence!-I do love thee so, That I will shortly send thy soul to heaven, 1 i. e. the lowest of her subjects. This substantive is found in Psalnı Xxxv. 15. 2 He means," or else be imprisoned in your stead." To lie signified anciently to reside, or remain in a place. If heaven will take the present at our hands. Enter HASTINGS. Hast. Good time of day unto my gracious lord! Glo. As much unto my good lord chamberlain ! Well are you welcome to this open air. How hath your lordship brooked imprisonment? Glo. No doubt, no doubt; and so shall Clarence too; Hast. More pity that the eagle should be mewed, While kites and buzzards prey at liberty. Glo. What news abroad? Hast. No news so bad abroad as this at home ;The king is sickly, weak, and melancholy, And his physicians fear him mightily. Glo. Now, by saint Paul, this news is bad indeed. O, he hath kept an evil diet long, And over-much consumed his royal person; 'Tis very grievous to be thought upon. What, is he in his bed? Glo. Go you before, and I will follow you. [Exit HASTINGS. He cannot live, I hope; and must not die Till George be packed with post-horse up to heaven. Which done, God take king Edward to his mercy, For then I'll marry Warwick's youngest daughter.1 1 Lady Anne, the betrothed widow of Edward prince of Wales. See King Henry VI. Part III. What though I killed her husband and her father? By marrying her, which I must reach unto. Clarence still breathes; Edward still lives and reigns; SCENE II. The same. Another Street. [Exit. Enter the corpse of KING HENRY THE SIXTH, borne in an open coffin, Gentlemen bearing halberds, to guard it; and LADY ANNE as mourner. Anne. Set down, set down your honorable load,— If honor may be shrouded in a hearse,— Whilst I awhile obsequiously lament The untimely fall of virtuous LancasterPoor key-cold' figure of a holy king! Pale ashes of the house of Lancaster! Thou bloodless remnant of that royal blood! Be it lawful that I invocate thy ghost, To hear the lamentations of poor Anne, Wife to thy Edward, to thy slaughtered son, Stabbed by the self-same. hand that made these wounds! Lo, in these windows, that let forth thy life, I pour the helpless balm of my poor eyes.— O, cursed be the hand that made these holes! Cursed the heart, that had the heart to do it! Cursed the blood, that let this blood from hence ! 1 A key, on account of the coldness of the metal of which it is composed, was often employed to stop any slight bleeding. The epithet is common to many old writers. Or any creeping venomed thing that lives! May fright the hopeful mother at the view; Than I am made by my young lord and thee !- [The bearers take up the corpse, and advance. Enter GLOSTER. Glo. Stay you, that bear the corse, and set it down. Anne. What black magician conjures up this fiend, To stop devoted, charitable deeds? Glo. Villains, set down the corse; or, by saint Paul, I'll make a corse of him that disobeys. 1 Gent. My lord, stand back, and let the coffin pass. Glo. Unmannered dog! stand thou when I command: Advance thy halberd higher than my breast, [The bearers set down the coffin. Anne. What, do you tremble? are you all afraid? For thou hast made the happy earth thy hell, Behold this pattern of thy butcheries; O, gentlemen, see, see! dead Henry's wounds Provokes this deluge most unnatural.—— O, God, which this blood mad'st, revenge his death! Anne. Vouchsafe, diffused infection of a man, By circumstance, to curse thy cursed self. Glo. Fairer than tongue can name thee, let me have Some patient leisure to excuse myself. Anne. Fouler than heart can think thee, thou canst make No excuse current, but to hang thyself. Glo. By such despair, I should accuse myself. For doing worthy vengeance on thyself, That didst unworthy slaughter upon others. 1 Example. d; 2 This is from Holinshed. It was a tradition, very generally received, that the murdered body bleeds on the touch of the murderer. 3 Diffused anciently signified dark, obscure, strange, uncouth, or confused. |