175Anne. Set downe, set downe your honourable load,

176If Honor may be shrowded in a Herse;

177Whil'st I a-while obsequiously lament

178Th' vntimely fall of Vertuous Lancaster.

179Poore key-cold Figure of a holy King,

180Pale Ashes of the House of Lancaster;

181Thou bloodlesse Remnant of that Royall Blood,

182Be it lawfull that I inuocate thy Ghost,

183To heare the Lamentations of poore Anne,

184Wife to thy Edward, to thy slaughtred Sonne,

185Stab'd by the selfesame hand that made these wounds.

186Loe, in these windowes that let forth thy life,

187I powre the helplesse Balme of my poore eyes.

188O cursed be the hand that made these holes:

189Cursed the Heart, that had the heart to do it:

190Cnrsed the Blood, that let this blood from hence:

191More direfull hap betide that hated Wretch

192That makes vs wretched by the death of thee,

193Then I can wish to Wolues, to Spiders, Toades,

194Or any creeping venom'd thing that liues.

195If euer he haue Childe, Abortiue be it,

196Prodigeous, and vntimely brought to light,

197Whose vgly and vnnaturall Aspect

198May fright the hopefull Mother at the view,

199And that be Heyre to his vnhappinesse.

200If euer he haue Wife, let her be made

201More miserable by the death of him,

202Then I am made by my young Lord, and thee.

203Come now towards Chertsey with your holy Lode,

204Taken from Paules, to be interred there.

205And still as you are weary of this waight,

206Rest you, whiles I lament King Henries Coarse.

208Rich. Stay you that beare the Coarse, & set it down.

209An. What blacke Magitian coniures vp this Fiend,

210To stop deuoted charitable deeds?

211Rich. Villaines set downe the Coarse, or by S. Paul,

212Ile make a Coarse of him that disobeyes.

213Gen. My Lord stand backe, and let the Coffin passe.

214Rich. Vnmanner'd Dogge,

215Stand'st thou when I commaund:

216Aduance thy Halbert higher then my brest,

217Or by S. Paul Ile strike thee to my Foote,

218And spurne vpon thee Begger for thy boldnesse.

219Anne. What do you tremble? are you all affraid?

220Alas, I blame you not, for you are Mortall,

221And Mortall eyes cannot endure the Diuell.

222Auant thou dreadfull minister of Hell;

223Thou had'st but power ouer his Mortall body,

224His Soule thou canst not haue: Therefore be gone.

225Rich. Sweet Saint, for Charity, be not so curst.

226An. Foule Diuell,

227For Gods sake hence, and trouble vs not,

228For thou hast made the happy earth thy Hell:

229Fill'd it with cursing cries, and deepe exclaimes:

230If thou delight to view thy heynous deeds,

231Behold this patterne of thy Butcheries.

232Oh Gentlemen, see, see dead Henries wounds,

233Open their congeal'd mouthes, and bleed afresh.

234Blush, blush, thou lumpe of fowle Deformitie:

235For 'tis thy presence that exhales this blood

236From cold and empty Veines where no blood dwels.

237Thy Deeds inhumane and vnnaturall,

238Prouokes this Deluge most vnnaturall.

239O God! which this Blood mad'st, reuenge his death:

240O Earth! which this Blood drink'st, reuenge his death.

241Either Heau'n with Lightning strike the murth'rer dead:

242Or Earth gape open wide, and eate him quicke,

243As thou dost swallow vp this good Kings blood,

244Which his Hell-gouern'd arme hath butchered.

245Rich. Lady, you know no Rules of Charity,

246Which renders good for bad, Blessings for Curses.

247An. Villaine, thou know'st nor law of God nor Man,

248No Beast so fierce, but knowes some touch of pitty.

249Rich. But I know none, and therefore am no Beast.

250An. O wonderfull, when diuels tell the truth!

251Rich. More wonderfull, when Angels are so angry:

252Vouchsafe (diuine perfection of a Woman)

253Of these supposed Crimes, to giue me leaue

254By circumstance, but to acquit my selfe.

255An. Vouchsafe (defus'd infection of man)

256Of these knowne euils, but to giue me leaue

257By circumstance, to curse thy cursed Selfe.

258Rich. Fairer then tongue can name thee, let me haue

259Some patient leysure to excuse my selfe.

260An. Fouler then heart can thinke thee,

261Thou can'st make no excuse currant,

262But to hang thy selfe.

263Rich. By such dispaire, I should accuse my selfe.

264An. And by dispairing shalt thou stand excused,

265For doing worthy Vengeance on thy selfe,

266That did'st vnworthy slaughter vpon others.

267Rich. Say that I slew them not.

268An. Then say they were not slaine:

269But dead they are, and diuellish slaue by thee.

270Rich. I did not kill your Husband.

271An. Why then he is aliue.

272Rich. Nay, he is dead, and slaine by Edwards hands.

273An. In thy foule throat thou Ly'st,

274Queene Margaret saw

275Thy murd'rous Faulchion smoaking in his blood:

276The which, thou once didd'st bend against her brest,

277But that thy Brothers beate aside the point.

278Rich. I was prouoked by her sland'rous tongue,

279That laid their guilt, vpon my guiltlesse Shoulders.

280An. Thou was't prouoked by thy bloody minde,

281That neuer dream'st on ought but Butcheries:

282Did'st thou not kill this King?

283Rich. I graunt ye.

284An. Do'st grant me Hedge-hogge,

285Then God graunt me too

286Thou may'st be damned for that wicked deede,

287O he was gentle, milde, and vertuous.

288Rich. The better for the King of heauen that hath him.

289An. He is in heauen, where thou shalt neuer come.

290Rich. Let him thanke me, that holpe to send him thi-

291 ther:

292For he was fitter for that place then earth.

293An. And thou vnfit for any place, but hell.

294Rich. Yes one place else, if you will heare me name it.

295An. Some dungeon.

296Rich. Your Bed-chamber.

297An. Ill rest betide the chamber where thou lyest.

298Rich. So will it Madam, till I lye with you.

299An. I hope so.

300Rich. I know so. But gentle Lady Anne,

301To leaue this keene encounter of our wittes,

302And fall something into a slower method.

303Is not the causer of the timelesse deaths

304Of these Plantagenets, Henrie and Edward,

305As blamefull as the Executioner.

306An. Thou was't the cause, and most accurst effect.

307Rich. Your beauty was the cause of that effect:

308Your beauty, that did haunt me in my sleepe,

309To vndertake the death of all the world,

310So I might liue one houre in your sweet bosome.

311An. If I thought that, I tell thee Homicide,

312These Nailes should rent that beauty from my Cheekes.

313Rich. These eyes could not endure y^t beauties wrack,

314You should not blemish it, if I stood by;

315As all the world is cheared by the Sunne,

316So I by that: It is my day, my life.

317An. Blacke night ore-shade thy day, & death thy life.

318Rich. Curse not thy selfe faire Creature,

319Thou art both.

320An. I would I were, to be reueng'd on thee.

321Rich. It is a quarrell most vnnaturall,

322To be reueng'd on him that loueth . thee.

323An. It is a quarrell iust and reasonable,

324To be reueng'd on him that kill'd my Husband.

325Rich. He that bereft the Lady of thy Husband,

326Did it to helpe thee to a better Husband.

327An. His better doth not breath vpon the earth.

328Rich. He liues, that loues thee better then he could.

329An. Name him.

330Rich. Plantagenet.

331An. Why that was he.

332Rieh. The selfesame name, but one of better Nature.

333An. Where is he?

334Rich. Heere: Spits at him.

335Why dost thou spit at me.

336An. Would it were mortall poyson, for thy sake.

337Rich. Neuer came poyson from so sweet a place.

338An. Neuer hung poyson on a fowler Toade.

339Out of my sight, thou dost infect mine eyes.

340Rich. Thine eyes (sweet Lady) haue infected mine.

341An. Would they were Basiliskes, to strike thee dead.

342Rich. I would they were, that I might dye at once:

343For now they kill me with a liuing death.

344Those eyes of thine, from mine haue drawne salt Teares;

345Sham'd their Aspects with store of childish drops:

346These eyes, which neuer shed remorsefull teare,

347No, when my Father Yorke, and Edward wept,

348To heare the pittious moane that Rutland made

349When black-fac'd Clifford shooke his sword at him.

350Nor when thy warlike Father like a Childe,

351Told the sad storie of my Fathers death,

352And twenty times, made pause to sob and weepe:

353That all the standers by had wet their cheekes

354Like Trees bedash'd with raine. In that sad time,

355My manly eyes did scorne an humble teare:

356And what these sorrowes could not thence exhale,

357Thy Beauty hath, and made them blinde with weeping.

358I neuer sued to Friend, nor Enemy:

359My Tongue could neuer learne sweet smoothing word.

360But now thy Beauty is propos'd my Fee,

361My proud heart sues, and prompts my tongue to speake.

363Teach not thy lip such Scorne; for it was made

364For kissing Lady, not for such contempt.

365If thy reuengefull heart cannot forgiue,

366Loe heere I lend thee this sharpe-pointed Sword,

367Which if thou please to hide in this true brest,

368And let the Soule forth that adoreth thee,

369I lay it naked to the deadly stroke,

370And humbly begge the death vpon my knee,

372Nay do not pause: For I did kill King Henrie,

373But 'twas thy Beauty that prouoked me.

374Nay now dispatch: 'Twas I that stabb'd yong Edward,

375But 'twas thy Heauenly face that set me on.

377Take vp the Sword againe, or take vp me.

378An. Arise Dissembler, though I wish thy death,

379I will not be thy Executioner.

380Rich. Then bid me kill my selfe, and I will do it.

381An. I haue already.

382Rich. That was in thy rage:

383Speake it againe, and euen with the word,

384This hand, which for thy loue, did kill thy Loue,

385Shall for thy loue, kill a farre truer Loue,

386To both their deaths shalt thou be accessary.

387An. I would I knew thy heart.

388Rich. 'Tis figur'd in my tongue.

389An. I feare me, both are false.

390Rich. Then neuer Man was true.

391An. Well, well, put vp your Sword.

392Rich. Say then my Peace is made.

393An. That shalt thou know heereafter.

394Rich. But shall I liue in hope.

395An. All men I hope liue so.

396Vouchsafe to weare this Ring.

397Rich. Looke how my Ring incompasseth thy Finger,

398Euen so thy Brest incloseth my poore heart:

399Weare both of them, for both of them are thine.

400And if thy poore deuoted Seruant may

401But beg one fauour at thy gracious hand,

402Thou dost confirme his happinesse for euer.

403An. What is it?

404Rich. That it may please you leaue these sad designes,

405To him that hath most cause to be a Mourner,

406And presently repayre to Crosbie House:

407Where (after I haue solemnly interr'd

408At Chertsey Monast'ry this Noble King,

409And wet his Graue with my Repentant Teares)

410I will with all expedient duty see you,

411For diuers vnknowne Reasons, I beseech you,

412Grant me this Boon.

413An. With all my heart, and much it ioyes me too,

414To see you are become so penitent.

415Tressel and Barkley, go along with me.

416Rich. Bid me farwell.

417An. 'Tis more then you deserue:

418But since you teach me how to flatter you,

419Imagine I haue saide farewell already.

421Gent. Towards Chertsey, Noble Lord?

422Rich. No: to White Friars, there attend my comming

424Was euer woman in this humour woo'd?

425Was euer woman in this humour wonne?

426Ile haue her, but I will not keepe her long.

427What? I that kill'd her Husband, and his Father,

428To take her in her hearts extreamest hate,

429With curses in her mouth, Teares in her eyes,

430The bleeding witnesse of my hatred by,

431Hauing God, her Conscience, and these bars against me,

432And I, no Friends to backe my suite withall,

433But the plaine Diuell, and dissembling lookes?

434And yet to winne her? All the world to nothing.

435Hah!

436Hath she forgot alreadie that braue Prince,

437Edward, her Lord, whom I (some three monthes since)

438Stab'd in my angry mood, at Tewkesbury?

439A sweeter, and a louelier Gentleman,

440Fram'd in the prodigallity of Nature:

441Yong, Valiant, Wise, and (no doubt) right Royal,

442The spacious World cannot againe affoord:

443And will she yet abase her eyes on me,

444That cropt the Golden prime of this sweet Prince,

445And made her Widdow to a wofull Bed?

446On me, whose All not equals Edwards Moytie?

447On me, that halts, and am mishapen thus?

448My Dukedome, to a Beggerly denier!

449I do mistake my person all this while:

450Vpon my life she findes (although I cannot)

451My selfe to be a maru'llous proper man.

452Ile be at Charges for a Looking-glasse,

453And entertaine a score or two of Taylors,

454To study fashions to adorne my body:

455Since I am crept in fauour with my selfe,

456I will maintaine it with some little cost.

457But first Ile turne yon Fellow in his Graue,

458And then returne lamenting to my Loue.

459Shine out faire Sunne, till I haue bought a glasse,

460That I may see my Shadow as I passe. exit.