The unity, the king thy brother made,
Had not been broken, nor my brother flain."
If thou had'ft fear'd to break an oath by him,
The imperial metal, circling now thy head,
Had grac'd the tender temples of my child;
And both the princes had been breathing here,
Which now, two tender bed-fellows for duft,"
Thy broken faith hath made a prey for worms.8
What canft thou fwear by now?

K. RICH.

By the time to come.9 Q. ELIZ. That thou haft wronged in the time o'er-paft;

For I myself have many tears to wash

Hereafter time, for time paft, wrong'd by thee. The children live, whofe parents thou haft flaughter'd,

"Rich. Why then, by heaven.

Qu. Heaven's wrong is moft of all.

"If thou didst fear to break an oath with him,

"The unity," &c.

"If thou hadft fear'd to break an oath by him,
"The imperial metal," &c.

By their alteration in the first line of the Queen's speech, they made all that follows ungrammatical. The change in the preceding speech, not having that confequence, I have adopted it. MALONE.

the king thy brother made,

Had not been broken, nor my brother flain.] The quarto, by an error of the prefs, has-my brother, which the editor of the folio corrected thus:

The unity the king, my husband, made,

Thou hadst not broken, nor my brothers died, MALONE. 7 Which now, two tender bed-fellows &c.] Mr. Roderick obferves, that the word two is without any force, and would read: Which now too tender &c. STEEVENS.

Thus the folio. The quarto-two tender play-fellows.

MALONE.

8 a prey for worms.] So the quarto. Folio-the prey. MALONE.

By the time to come.] So the quarto. By is not in the folio.

MALONE.

Ungovern'd youth, to wail it in their age:1

The parents live, whofe children thou haft butch

er'd,

Old barren plants, to wail it with their age.
Swear not by time to come; for that thou haft
Mifus'd ere used, by times ill-us'd o'er past.

K. RICH. As I intend to profper, and repent!
So thrive I in my dangerous attempt

Of hoftile arms! myself myself confound!
Heaven, and fortune, bar me happy hours !3
Day, yield me not thy light; nor, night, thy rest !
Be oppofite all planets of good luck

To my proceeding, if, with pure heart's love,
Immaculate devotion, holy thoughts,

I tender not thy beauteous princely daughter!
In her confifts my happiness, and thine;
Without her, follows to myfelf, and thee,
Herself, the land, and many a christian soul,
Death, defolation, ruin, and decay:
It cannot be avoided, but by this;
It will not be avoided, but by this.
Therefore, dear mother, (I must call
Be the attorney of my love to her.
Plead what I will be, not what I have been;
Not my deferts, but what I will deferve:
Urge the neceffity and ftate of times,

you fo,)

And be not peevish 4 found in great designs.

I

to wail it in their age:] So the quarto, 1598. The quarto, 1602, &c. and the folio, read-with their age. MALONE.

2

in my dangerous attempt-] So the quarto Foliodangerous affairs. MALONE.

3 Heaven, and fortune, bar me happy hours!] This line is found only in the folio. MALONE.

4 And be not peevith found-] Thus the folio-Peevish in our

Q. ELIZ. Shall I be tempted of the devil thus?
K. RICH. Ay, if the devil tempt thee to do good.
Q. ELIZ. Shall I forget myself, to be myself?
K. RICH. Ay, if felf's remembrance wrong
yourself.

your

Q. ELIZ. But thou didst kill my children.

K. RICH. But in your daughter's womb I bury them :

Where, in that neft of spicery, they shall breed 5 Selves of themselves, to your recomforture.

Q. ELIZ. Shall I go win my daughter to thy will? K. RICH. And be a happy mother by the deed. Q. ELIZ. I go.-Write to me very shortly," And you fhall understand from me her mind.

K. RICH. Bear her my true love's kifs, and fo farewell.

[Kifsing her. Exit Q. ELIZABETH.

author's time fignified foolish. So, in the second scene of this A&:

"When Richmond was a little peevish boy,—.”

See alfo Minfheu's DICT. in v. The quarto reads-peevish fond, and I am not sure that it is not right. A compound epithet might have been intended, peevish-fond. So childish-foolish, fenfeless-obftinate, foolish-witty, &c. MALONE.

I believe the present reading is the true one. So, in King Henry VIII:

5

66

have great care

"I be not found a talker." STEEVENS.

in that neft of Spicery, they fhall breed -] Alluding to the phoenix. STEEVENS.

So the quarto. The folio reads-they will breed.

MALONE.

6 Shortly,] This adverb, in the present inftance, is employed as a trifyllable. See Mr. Tyrwhitt's note, Vol. IV. p. 202.

STEEVENS.

Relenting fool, and fhallow, changing-woman !7 How now? what news?

Enter RATCLIFF; CATESBY following.

RAT. Moft mighty fovereign, on the western coaft Rideth a puiffant navy; to the fhore

Throng many doubtful hollow-hearted friends,
Unarm'd, and unrefolv'd to beat them back:
'Tis thought, that Richmond is their admiral;
And there they hull, expecting but the aid
Of Buckingham, to welcome them afhore.
K. RICH. Some light-foot friend poft to the
duke of Norfolk :-

Ratcliff, thyfelf,-or Catefby; where is he?
CATE. Here, my good lord.

K. RICH.

Catefby, fly to the duke.

CATE. I will, my lord, with all convenient haste. K. RICH. Ratcliff, come hither:9 Poft to Salif

bury;

lain,

When thou com'ft thither,-Dull unmindful vil[To CATESBY. Why stay'ft thou here, and go'ft not to the duke?

Relenting fool, and fhallow, changing-woman!] Such was the real character of this Queen dowager, who would have married her daughter to King Richard, and did all in her power to alienate the Marquis of Dorset, her fon, from the Earl of Richmond. STEEVENS.

8 Some light-foot friend poft to the duke-] Richard's precipitation and confufion is in this scene very happily represented by inconfiftent orders, and sudden variations of opinion.

JOHNSON.

9 Ratcliff, come hither :] The folio has-Catesby, come hither. The words are not in the quarto. It is obvious that they are addreffed to Ratcliff. The correction was made by Mr. Rowe.

MALONE.

CATE. First, mighty liege, tell me your highness' pleasure,

What from your grace I fhall deliver to him.

K. RICH. O, true, good Catesby ;-Bid him levy

ftraight

The greatest ftrength and power he can make,
And meet me fuddenly at Salisbury.

CATE. I

go.

[Exit.

RAT. What, may it please you, shall I do at Sa

lisbury?

K. RICH. Why, what would'ft thou do there, be

fore I go

RAT. Your highness told me, I should poft before.

Enter STANLEY.

K. RICH. My mind is chang'd.-Stanley, what news with you?

STAN. None good, my liege, to please you with the hearing;

Nor none fo bad, but well may be reported.

K. RICH. Heyday, a riddle! neither good nor bad!

What need'ft thou run fo many miles about,
When thou may'ft tell thy tale the nearest way
Once more, what news?

STAN.

Richmond is on the feas.

K. RICH. There let him fink, and be the feas on

him!

White-liver'd runagate,' what doth he there?

1 White-liver'd runagate,] This epithet, defcriptive of cowardice, is not peculiar to Shakspeare. Stephen Goffon in his School of Abufe, 1579, fpeaking of the Helots, fays:

"Leave thofe precepts to the white-livered Hylotes."

STEEVENS,