To gaze upon these fecrets of the deep?

CLAR. Methought, I had; and often did I ftrive To yield the ghoft: but ftill the envious flood Kept in my foul, and would not let it forth To feek the empty, vaft, and wand'ring air ; But fmother'd it within my panting bulk, Which almoft burft to belch it in the fea.

BRAK. Awak'd you not with this fore agony? CLAR. O, no, my dream was lengthen'd after life; O, then began the tempeft to my foul!

I pafs'd, methought, the melancholy flood,
With that grim ferryman which poets write of,
Unto the kingdom of perpetual night.

The first that there did greet my stranger foul,
Was my great father-in-law, renowned Warwick;
Who cry'd aloud,-What fcourge for perjury
Can this dark monarchy afford false Clarence?
And fo he vanifh'd: Then came wand'ring by
A fhadow like an angel, with bright hair
Dabbled in blood; and he fhriek'd out aloud,-
Clarence is come, false, fleeting, perjur'd Clarence,-
That ftabb'd me in the field by Tewksbury ;—
Seize on him, furies, take him to your torments!-
With that, methought, a legion of foul fiends
Environ'd me, and howled in mine ears
Such hideous cries, that, with the very noise,
I trembling wak'd, and, for a season after,
Could not believe but that I was in hell;
Such terrible impreffion made my dream.
BRAK. No marvel, lord, though it affrighted you;
I am afraid, methinks, to hear you tell it.

CLAR. O, Brakenbury, I have done these things,That now give evidence against my foul,

For Edward's fake; and, fee, how he requites me!
O God! if my deep prayers cannot appease thee,
But thou wilt be aveng'd on my mifdeeds,

Yet execute thy wrath on me alone :

O, spare my guiltlefs wife, and my poor children!—
I pray thee, gentle keeper, stay by me;

My foul is heavy, and I fain would fleep.

BRAK. I will, my lord; God give your grace good reft! [CLARENCE reposes himself on a chair.

Sorrow breaks feafons, and repofing hours,

Makes the night morning, and the noon-tide night.
Princes have but their titles for their glories,

An outward honour for an inward toil;
And, for unfelt imaginations,

They often feel a world of restless cares :
So that, between their titles, and low name,
There's nothing differs but the outward fame.
Enter the two MURDERERS.

I MURD. HO! who's here?

[thou hither?

BRAK. What would'ft thou, fellow? and how cam'ft

I MURD. I would speak with Clarence, and I came hither on my legs.

BRAK. What, fo brief?

2 MURD. O, fir, 'tis better to be brief, than tedious:Let him fee our commiffion; talk no more.

[A paper is delivered to BRAKENBURY, who reads it. BRAK. I am, in this, commanded to deliver The noble duke of Clarence to your hands :I will not reafon what is meant hereby, Because I will be guiltless of the meaning. Here are the keys;-there fits the duke asleep: I'll to the king; and fignify to him, That thus I have refign'd to you my charge.

I MURD. You may, fir; 'tis a point of wisdom : Fare you well.

[Exit BRAKENBURY,

2 MURD. What, fhall we ftab him as he fleeps? I MURD. NO; he'll fay, 'twas done cowardly, when he wakes.

2 MURD. When he wakes! why, fool, he fhall never wake until the great judgement day.

I MURD. Why, then he'll fay, we ftabb'd him sleeping. 2 MURD. The urging of that word, judgement, hath bred a kind of remorfe in me.

I MURD. What? art thou afraid?

2 MURD. Not to kill him, having a warrant for it; but to be damn'd for killing him, from the which no warrant can defend me.

1 MURD. I thought, thou had'st been resolute.

2 MURD. So I am, to let him live.

I MURD. I'll back to the duke of Glofter, and tell him fo.

2 MURD. Nay, I pr'ythee, ftay a little: I hope, this holy humour of mine will change; it was wont to hold me but while one would tell twenty.

1 MURD. How doft thou feel thy felf now?

2 MURD. 'Faith, fome certain dregs of confcience are yet within me.

I MURD. Remember our reward, when the deed's done. 2 MURD. Come, he dies; I had forgot the reward.

1 MURD. Where's thy confcience now?

2 MURD. In the duke of Glofter's purfe.

1 MURD. So, when he opens his purfe to give us our reward, thy confcience flies out.

2 MURD. 'Tis no matter; let it go; there's few, or none, will entertain it.

1 MURD. What, if it come to thee again?

2 MURD. I'll not meddle with it, it is a dangerous thing, it makes a man a coward; a man cannot steal, but it accufeth him; a man cannot fwear, but it checks him; a man cannot lie with his neighbour's wife, but it detects him: 'Tis a blufhing fhame-faced fpirit, that mutinies in a man's bofom; it fills one full of obftacles: it made me once restore a purse of gold, that by chance I found; it beggars any man that keeps it: it is turn'd out of all towns and cities for a dangerous thing; and every man, that means to live well, endeavours to truft to himself, and live without it.

1 MURD. 'Zounds, it is even now at my elbow, perfuading me not to kill the duke.

2 MURD. Take the devil in thy mind, and believe him not he would infinuate with thee, but to make thee figh.

me.

1 MURD. I am strong-fram'd, he cannot prevail with

2 MURD. Spoke like a tall fellow, that refpects his reputation. Come, fhall we fall to work?

I MURD. Take him over the coftard with the hilts of thy fword, and then throw him into the malmfey-butt, in the next room.

2 MURD. O excellent device! and make a fop of him. I MURD. Soft! he wakes.

2 MURD. Strike.

1 MURD. No, we'll reafon with him.'

CLAR. Where art thou, keeper? give me a cup of wine. I MURD. You fhall have wine enough, my lord, anon. CLAR. In God's name, what art thou?

I MURD. A man, as you are.

CLAR. But not, as I am, royal.
1 MURD. Nor you, as we are, loyal.

CLAR. Thy voice is thunder, but thy looks are humble. 1 MURD. My voice is now the king's, my looks mine

own.

CLAR. How darkly, and how deadly doft thou speak! Your eyes do menace me: Why look you pale? Who fent you hither? Wherefore do you come ? BOTH MURD. To, to, to,CLAR. To murder me? BOTH MURD. Ay, ay.

CLAR. You fcarcely have the hearts to tell me fo, And therefore cannot have the hearts to do it. Wherein, my friends, have I offended you?

I MURD. Offended us you have not, but the king.
CLAR. I shall be reconcil'd to him again.

2 MURD. Never, my lord;
lord; therefore

prepare to die. CLAR. Are you call'd forth from out a world of men, To flay the innocent? What is my offence?

Where is the evidence that doth accuse me?

What lawful queft have given their verdict up
Unto the frowning judge? or who pronounc'd
The bitter fentence of poor Clarence' death?
Before I be convict by course of law,
To threaten me with death, is most unlawful.
I charge you, as you hope for any goodness,
By Christ's dear blood shed for our grievous fins,
That you depart, and lay no hands on me;

The deed you undertake is damnable.

1 MURD. What we will do, we do upon command. 2 MURD. And he, that hath commanded, is our king. CLAR. Erroneous vaffal! the great King of kings Hath in the table of his law commanded,

That thou shalt do no murder; Wilt thou then
Spurn at his edict, and fulfil a man's?