Enter King Richard, and his Train. K. Rich. Who intercepts me in my expedition ? From all the flaughters, wretch, that thou haft done. Queen. Where is kind Haftings, Rivers, Vaughan, Gray? K. Rich. A flourish, trumpets! ftrike alarum, drums! Let not the heavens hear thefe tell-tale women Rail on the Lord's anointed. Strike, I say. Either be patient, and intreat me fair, [Flourish. Alarums. K. Rich. Ay, I thank God, my father, and yourself. Dutch. Then patiently hear my impatience. K. Rich. Madam, I have a touch of your condition, That cannot brook the accent of reproof. Dutch. I will be mild, and gentle in my words.. K. Rich. And brief, good mother, for I am in haste.. Dutch. Art thou fo hafty? I have staid for thee, God knows, in apguifh, pain and agony. K. Rich. And came I not at laft to comfort you ? Dutch. No, by the holy rood, thou know'ft it well, Thou cam'ft on earth to make the earth my hell. A grievous burden was thy birth to me, Tetchy and wayward was thy infancy; Thy fchool-days frightful, defperate, wild and furious 3: Thy prime of manhood, daring, bold and venturous: Thy age confirm'd, proud, fubtle, fly and bloody. What comfortable hour can't thou name, That ever grac'd me in thy company? K. Rich, K. Rich. Faith, none but Humphry Houre, that call'd your Grace To breakfast once, forth of my company. Dutch. I pr'ythee, hear me fpeak. For I fhall never speak to thee again. K. Rich. So, Grace. Dutch. Either thou'lt die by God's juft ordinance, Or I with grief and extreme age fhall perish, Therefore take with thee my most heavy curfe; And promise them fuccefs and victory! Shame ferves thy life, and doth thy death attend. [Exit. Going. K. Rich. Stay, Madam, I must speak a word with you. Queen. I have no more fons of the royal blood For thee to flaughter; for my daughters, Richard, They fhall be praying nuns, not weeping Queens; And therefore level not to hit their lives. K. Rich. You have a daughter call'd Elizabeth, Queen. And must she die for this? O let her live, So fhe may live unfcarr'd from bleeding flaughter, K. Rich. Wrong not her birth,, fhe is of royal blood, Queen. Queen. To fave her life, I'll fay, fhe is not fo. K. Rich. Her life is fafeft only in her birth. Queen. And only in that fafety dy'd her brothers. K. Rich. No, at their births good ftars were oppofite. Queen. No, to their lives bad friends were contrary. K. Rich. All unavoided is the doom of destiny. Queen. True; when avoided grace makes destiny. My babes were deftin'd to a fairer death, If grace had bleft thee with a fairer life. K. Rich. You fpeak, as if that I had flain my coufins? No doubt, the murd'rous knife was dull and blunt, But that ftill use of grief makes wild grief tame, K. Rich. Madam, fo thrive I in my enterprize Queen. What good is cover'd with the face of heav'n, To be difcover'd, that can do me good? K.Rich.Th' advancement of your children, gentle Lady. Queen. Up to fome fcaffold, there to lofe their heads. K. Rich. No, to the dignity and height of fortune, The high imperial type of this earth's glory. Queen. Flatter my forrows with report of it; Tell me, what state, what dignity, what honour, Canft thou demife to any child of mine? K. Rich. Ev'n all I have; ay, and myself and all, Will I withal endow a child of thine: So in the Lethe of thy angry foul Thou drown the fad remembrance of those wrongs, Which, thou fuppofeft, I have done to thee. Queen. That thou doft love my daughter, from thy foul. So, from thy foul's love, didft thou love her brothers; And from my heart's love I do thank thee for it. K. Rich. Be not fo hafty to confound my meaning; Queen. Say then, who doft thou mean fhall be her King? K. Rich. Even fo; how think you of it? Queen. How canft thou woo her? K. Rich. I would learn of you, [fhould be? As one being beft acquainted with her humour. K. Rich. With all my heart. Queen. Send to her, by the man that flew her brothers, A pair of bleeding hearts; thereon engrave Edward and York; then, haply, will the weep: Tell her, thou mad'ft away her uncle Clarence, Mad'ft quick conveyance with her good aunt Anne. K. Rich. You mock me, Madam; this is not the way To win your daughter. Queen. There's no other way, Unlefs thou coud'ft put on fome other shape, K. Rich. Say, that I did all this for love of her. Queen. Nay then, indeed, the cannot chufe but hate thee; Having bought love with fuch a bloody spoil. K. Rich. Look, what is done, cannot be now amended; Men fhall deal unadvisedly sometimes, Which after-hours give leifure to repent of. To quicken your increase I will beget The liquid drops of tears, that you have fhed, (22)` (22) The liquid drops of tears, that you have shed, Shall come again, transform'd to orient pearl, Advantaging their love with intereft, Shall Oftentimes double gain of happiness.] The great improvement to the fenfe, which my eafy emendation makes here, will, I flatter myself convince every judicious reader, of its being the genuine reading. Love and lone (which was the obfolete manner of fpelling loan;) are made. |