By heaven, the duke shall know how slack you have been. 1 Mur. So do not I; go, coward as thou art.- - [Exit. [Exit. ACT II. SCENE I.-The same. A Room in the Palace. Enter King EDWARD, (led in sick,) Queen ELIZABETH, Dorset, RIVERS, HASTINGS, BUCKINGHAM, GREY, and others. K. Edward. WHY, so ;-now have I done a good day's work ;— I every day expect an embassage From my Redeemer to redeem me hence; And more in peace my soul shall part to heaven, Riv. By heaven, my soul is purg'd from grudging hate; Hast. So prosper I, as I swear perfect love! Q.Eliz. There, Hastings ;-I will never more remember Our former hatred, so thrive I, and mine! K.Edw. Dorset, embrace him,-Hastings, love lord. marquis. Dors. This interchange of love, I here protest, Upon my part shall be inviolable. Hast. And so swear I. [Embraces DORSET. K.Edw. Now, princely Buckingham, seal thou this league With thy embracements to my wife's allies, Buck. Whenever Buckingham doth turn his hate Upon your grace, [To the Queen.]but with all duteous love Doth cherish you, and yours, God punish me With hate in those where I expect most love! [Embracing RIVERS, &c. K.Edw. A pleasing cordial, princely Buckingham, Is this thy vow unto my sickly heart. There wanteth now our brother Gloster here, To make the blessed period of this peace. Buck. And, in good time, here comes the noble duke. Enter GLOSTER. Glo. Good-morrow to my sovereign king, and queen; -And, princely peers, a happy time of day ! K.Edw. Happy, indeed, as we have spent the day :-Brother, we have done deeds of charity; Made peace of enmity, fair love of hate, Between these swelling wrong-incensed peers. Glo. A blessed labour, my most sovereign liege.Among this princely heap, if any here, By false intelligence, or wrong surmise, Hold me a foe; If I unwittingly, or in my rage, Have aught committed that is hardly borne By any in this presence, I desire To reconcile me to his friendly peace : 'Tis death to me, to be at enmity; I hate it, and desire all good men's love.- If ever any grudge were lodg'd between us ;- of all. Dukes, earls, lords, gentlemen; indeed, Q.Eliz. A holy-day shall this be kept hereafter : Glo. Why, madam, have I offer'd love for this, You do him injury, to scorn his corse. [They all start. K.Edw. Who knows not, he is dead! who knows he is? Q.Eliz. All-seeing heaven, what a world is this! Buck. Look I so pale, lord Dorset, as the rest? Dors. Ay, my good lord; and no man in the presence, But his red colour hath forsook his cheeks. K.Edw. Is Clarence dead? the order was revers'd. Glo. But he, poor man, by your first order died, And that a winged Mercury did bear; Some tardy cripple bore the countermand, God grant, that some, less noble, and less loyal, Enter STANLEY. Stan. A boon, my sovereign, for my service done! K.Edw. I pr'ythee, peace; my soul is full of sorrow. Stan. I will not rise, unless your highness hear me. K.Edw. Then say at once, what is it thou request❜st. Stan. The forfeit, sovereign, of my servant's life ;3 Who slew to-day a riotous gentleman, Lately attendant on the duke of Norfolk. K.Edw. Have I a tongue to doom my brother's death, And shall that tongue give pardon to a slave ?4 My brother kill'd no man, his fault was thought, Who su'd to me for him? who, in my wrath, [3] He means the remission of the forfeit. JOHNS. [4] This lamentation is very tender and pathetic. The recollection of the good qualities of the dead is very natural, and no less naturally does the King endeavour to communicate the crime to others. JOHNS. Kneel'd at my feet, and bade me be advis'd? You straight are on your knees for pardon, pardon; But for my brother, not a man would speak,- For him, poor soul. The proudest of you all [Exe. King, Queen, HASTINGS, RIVERS, DORSET, and GREY. Glo. This is the fruit of rashness !-Mark'd you not, How that the guilty kindred of the queen Look'd pale, when they did hear of Clarence' death ? O they did urge it still unto the king: God will revenge it. Come, lords; will you go, To comfort Edward with our company ? SCENE II. [Exeunt. The same. Enter the Duchess of YORK, with a Son and Son. Good grandam, tell us, is our father dead? [4] Mr. Walpole, some years ago, suggested from the Chronicle of Croyland, that the true cause of Gloster's hatred to Clarence was, that Clarence was unwilling to share with his brother that moiety of the estate of the great Daugh. Why do you weep so oft? and beat your breast; And cry,-O Clarence, my unhappy son ! Son. Why do you look on us, and shake your head, And call us,-orphans, wretches, cast-aways, If that our noble father be alive? Duch. My pretty cousins, you mistake me both; I do lament the sickness of the king, As loath to lose him, not your father's death; Son. Then, grandam, you conclude that he is dead. The king my uncle is to blame for this; God will revenge it, whom I will impórtune With earnest prayers all to that effect. Duch. Peace, children, peace! the king doth love you well: Incapable and shallow innocents, You cannot guess who caus'd your father's death. Duch. Ah, that deceit should steal such gentle shapes, Son. Think you, my uncle did dissemble, grandam ? Duch. Ay, boy. Son. I cannot think it. Hark! what noise is this? Enter Queen ELIZABETH distractedly; RIVERS and DORSET following her. Q. Eliz. Ah! who shall hinder me to wail and weep? To chide my fortune, and torment myself? I'll join with black despair against my soul, And to myself become an enemy. Duch. What means this scene of rude impatience? Earl of Warwick, to which Gloster became entitled on his marriage with the younger sister of the Duchess of Clarence, Lady Anne Neville, who had been betrothed to Edward Prince of Wales. MÁL. [5] The Duchess is here addressing her grand-children, but cousin was the term used in Shakspeare's time, by uncles to nephews and nieces. grandfa thers to grandchildren, &c. It seems to have been used instead of our kinsman, and kinswoman, and to have supplied the place of both. MAL. |