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SCENE changes to Pomfret-Cafile.

Enter Sir Richard Ratcliff, with halberds, carrying Lord Rivers, Lord Richard Gray, and Sir Thomas Vaughan to Death.

Rat.

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Ome, bring forth the prifoners.

Riv. Sir Richard Ratcliff, let me tell thee this, To-day fhalt thou behold a subject die For truth, for duty, and for loyalty.

Gray. God keep the Prince from all the pack of you, A knot you are of damned blood-fuckers.

Vaugh. You live, that shall cry woe for this hereafter. Ret. Difpatch; the limit of your lives is out. Riv. O Pomfret, Pomfret! O thou bloody prifon, Fatal and ominous to noble Peers!

Within the guilty clofure of thy walls

Richard the Second, here, was hack'd to death:
And, for more flander to thy dismal feat,
We give to thee our guiltless blood to drink.

Gray. Now, Margret's curfe is fall'n upon our heads,
When the exclaim'd'on Haftings, you, and I,
For ftanding by when Richard abb'd her fon.

Riv. Then curs'd fhe Richard, curs'd fhe Buckingham,
Then curs'd fhe Haftings. O remember, God!
To hear her prayer for them, as now for us:
As for my fifter and her princely fons,

Be fatisfy'd, dear God, with our true blood;
Which, as thou know'ft, unjustly must be fpilt.

Rat. Make hafte, the hour of death is now expir'd. Riv. Come, Gray; come, Vaughan; let us all embrace; Farewel, until we meet again in heav'n. . [Exeunt.

SCENE

SCENE, The Tower.

Buckingham, Stanley, Haftings, Bishop of Ely, Catefby,
Lovel, with others, at a table,

Haft. Is to determine of the coronation:
WOW noble Peers, the cause why we are met
In God's name fpeak, when is the royal day?
Buck. Are all things ready for that royal time?
Stanl. They are, and want but nomination.
Ely. To-morrow then I judge a happy day.
Buck. Who knows the Lord Protector's mind herein ?
Who is moft inward with the noble Duke?

El.YourGrace, we think, fhould fooneft know his mind.
Buck. We know each other's faces; for our hearts,
He knows no more of mine, than I of yours;
Nor I of his, my Lord, than you of mine:
Lord Haftings, you and he are near in love.

Haft. I thank his Grace, I know, he loves me well: But for his purpofe in the coronation,

I have not founded him; nor he deliver'd
His gracious pleafure any way therein:
But you, my noble Lord, may name the time,
And in the Duke's behalf I'll give my voice,
Which, I prefume, he'll take in gentle part.

Enter Gloucefter.

Ely. In happy time here comes the Duke himself.
Glo. My noble Lords and Coufins all, good-morrow;
I have been long a fleeper; but, I truft,
My abfence doth neglect no great defign,

Which by my prefence might have been concluded.
Buck. Had you not come upon your cue, my Lord,
William Lord Haftings had pronounc'd your part;
I mean, your voice for crowning of the King.

Glo. Than my Lord Haftings no man might be bolder,
His Lordship knows me well, and loves me well.
My Lord of Ely, when I was laft in Holbourn,
I faw good ftrawberries in your garden there;

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I do beseech you, fend for fome of them.

Ely. Marry, and will, my Lord, with all my heart.

[Exit Ely.

Gle. Coufin of Buckingham, a word with your
Catefty hath founded Haftings in our bufinefs,
And finds the tefty gentleman fo hot,
That he will lofe his head, ere give confent,
His mafter's fon, as worshipfully he terms it,
Shall lofe the royalty of England's throne.

Buck. Withdraw yourfelf a while, I'll go with you. [Exeunt Glo. and Buck. Stanl. We have not yet fet down this day of triumph : To-morrow, in my judgment, is too fudden;

For I myfelf am not fo well provided,

As elfe I would be, were the day prolong'd.
Re-enter Bishop of Ely.

Ely. Where is my Lord the Duke of Gloucester ?
I have fent for thefe ftrawberries.

Haft. His Grace looks chearfully and smooth this morning;

There's fome conceit, or other, likes him well,
When that he bids good-morrow with fuch fpirit.
I think, there's ne'er a man in chriftendom
Can leffer hide his love, or hate, than he;
For by his face ftrait shall you know his heart.

Stanl. What of his heart perceive you in his face,
By any likelihood he fhew'd to-day?

Haft. Marry, that with no man here he is offended For were he, he had fhewn it in his looks.

Re-enter Gloucester and Buckingham.

Gle. I pray you all, tell me what they deferve,
That do confpire my death with devilish plots
Of damned witchcraft; and that have prevail'd
Upon my body with their hellifh charms..

:

Haft. The tender love I bear your Gráce, my Lord, Makes me moft forward in this princely prefence, To doom th' offenders, whofoe'er they be; I fay, my Lord, they have deferved death.

Gle

Glo. Then be your eyes the witness of their evil;
Look, how I am bewitch'd; behold, mine arm
Is, like a blafted fapling, wither'd up:

And this is Edward's wife, that monstrous witch,
Conforted with that harlot, ftrumpet Shore,
That by their witchcraft thus have marked me.
Haft. If they have done this deed, my noble Lord-
Glo. If thou Protector of this damned ftrumpet,
Talk'ft thou to me of Ifs thou art a traitor-
Off with his head now, by St. Paul I swear,
I will not dine until I fee the fame.
Lovel, and Catefbylook, that it be done: (8)
The reft, that love me, rife and follow me.

[Exeunt.
Manent Lovel and Catesby, with the Lord Haftings.
Haft. Woe, woe, for England, not a whit for me!
For I, too fond, might have prevented this:
Stanley did dream, the boar did rafe our helms ;
But I did fcorn it, and difdain to fly:

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Three times to-day my foot-cloth horfe did ftumble,
And started when he look'd upon the Tower;
As loth to bear me to the flaughter-houfe.
O, now I need the priest that spake to me:
I now repent, I told the purfuivant,
As too triumphing, how mine enemies
To-day at Pomfret bloodily were butcher'd,
And I myself fecure in grace and favour.
Oh, Margret, Margret, now thy heavy curfe
Is lighted on poor Haftings' wretched head.

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(8) Lovel and Ratcliff, look that it be done.] There are two things to be obferved, which will warrant the Variation I have made upon this Paffage. The Scene is here in the Tower: and Lord Haflings was cut off on that very day, when Rivers, Gray and Vaughan furfered at Pomfret. How then could Ratcliff at the fame inftant be both in Yorkshire and the Tower? In the very Scene preceding this, we find him conducting thofe Gentlemen to the Block The Players in their Edition first made the Blunder, as to Ratcliff attending Lord Haflings to Death: for, in the old Quarto, we find it rightly; Exeunt Manet Catesby with Haftings. And in the next Scene, before the Tower Walls, we find Lovel and Cateby come back from the Execution, bringing the head of Haftings,

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Catef. Come, come, difpatch; the Duke would be at dinner,

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Make a fhort fhrift, he longs to fee your head.

Haft. O momentary grace of mortal men,
Which we more hunt for than the Grace of God!
Who builds his hope in air of your fair looks,
Lives like a drunken failor on a maft,

Ready with every nod to tumble down
Into the fatal bowels of the deep.

Lov. Come, come, difpatch; 'tis baotlefs to exclaim.
Haft. Oh, bloody Richard! miferable England!

I prophefy the fearful'ft time to thee,

That ever wretched hath look'd upon.

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Come, lead me to the block, bear him my head: They fmile at me, who fhortly shall be dead. [Exeunt.

SCENE changes to the Tower-walls.

Enter Gloucester and Buckingham in rufty armour, vellous ill-favour'd.

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Murder thy breath in middle of a word,
And then again begin, and ftop again,

fide:

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As if thou wert diftraught; and mad with terror
Buck. Tut, I can counterfeit the deep Tragedian,
Speak, and look back, and pry on every
Tremble and ftart at wagging of a ftraw,
Intending deep fufpicion: ghaftly looks
Are at my fervice, like enforced fmiles
And both are ready in their Offices,
At any time to grace my ftratagems.
Glo. Here comes the Mayor.

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Buck. Let me alone to entertain him. Lord Mayor,— Enter the Lord Mayor attended.

Glo. Look to the draw-bridge there.

Buck. Hark, a drum!

Gla: Catefly, o'erlook the walls.

Buck. Lord Mayor, the reason we have fent

Glo..

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