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Richard the Third (Folio 1, 1623)
172Scena Secunda.
173Enter the Coarse of Henrie the sixt with Halberds to guard it,
174Lady Anne being the Mourner.
178Th' vntimely fall of Vertuous Lancaster.
179Poore key-cold Figure of a holy King,
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,
186Loe, in these windowes that let forth thy life,
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,
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,
207Enter Richard Duke of Gloster.
209An. What blacke Magitian coniures vp this Fiend,
210To stop deuoted charitable deeds?
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,
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.
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.
233Open their congeal'd mouthes, and bleed afresh.
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,
244Which his Hell-gouern'd arme hath butchered.
245Rich. Lady, you know no Rules of Charity,
250An. O wonderfull, when diuels tell the truth!
256Of these knowne euils, but to giue me leaue
258Rich. Fairer then tongue can name thee, let me haue
260An. Fouler then heart can thinke thee,
262But to hang thy selfe.
265For doing worthy Vengeance on thy selfe,
270Rich. I did not kill your Husband.
274Queene Margaret saw
275Thy murd'rous Faulchion smoaking in his blood:
277But that thy Brothers beate aside the point.
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.
285Then God graunt me too
286Thou may'st be damned for that wicked deede,
287O he was gentle, milde, and vertuous.
291 ther:
292For he was fitter for that place then earth.
295An. Some dungeon.
296Rich. Your Bed-chamber.
298Rich. So will it Madam, till I lye with you.
301To leaue this keene encounter of our wittes,
304Of these Plantagenets, Henrie and Edward,
305As blamefull as the Executioner.
308Your beauty, that did haunt me in my sleepe,
309To vndertake the death of all the world,
311An. If I thought that, I tell thee Homicide,
315As all the world is cheared by the Sunne,
316So I by that: It is my day, my life.
319Thou art both.
320An. I would I were, to be reueng'd on thee.
322To be reueng'd on him that loueth . thee.
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.
329An. Name him.
330Rich. Plantagenet.
331An. Why that was he.
333An. Where is he?
342Rich. I would they were, that I might dye at once:
343For now they kill me with a liuing death.
347No, when my Father Yorke, and Edward wept,
348To heare the pittious moane that Rutland made
350Nor when thy warlike Father like a Childe,
353That all the standers by had wet their cheekes
355My manly eyes did scorne an humble teare:
357Thy Beauty hath, and made them blinde with weeping.
358I neuer sued to Friend, nor Enemy:
360But now thy Beauty is propos'd my Fee,
362She lookes scornfully at him.
363Teach not thy lip such Scorne; for it was made
365If thy reuengefull heart cannot forgiue,
366Loe heere I lend thee this sharpe-pointed Sword,
368And let the Soule forth that adoreth thee,
369I lay it naked to the deadly stroke,
370And humbly begge the death vpon my knee,
371He layes his brest open, she offers at with his sword.
372Nay do not pause: For I did kill King Henrie,
373But 'twas thy Beauty that prouoked me.
375But 'twas thy Heauenly face that set me on.
376She fals the Sword.
377Take vp the Sword againe, or take vp me.
379I will not be thy Executioner.
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,
390Rich. Then neuer Man was true.
396Vouchsafe to weare this Ring.
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,
403An. What is it?
407Where (after I haue solemnly interr'd
409And wet his Graue with my Repentant Teares)
410I will with all expedient duty see you,
412Grant me this Boon.
413An. With all my heart, and much it ioyes me too,
416Rich. Bid me farwell.
419Imagine I haue saide farewell already.
420Exit two with Anne.
422Rich. No: to White Friars, there attend my comming
423Exit Coarse
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,
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,
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,
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!
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,
455Since I am crept in fauour with my selfe,
458And then returne lamenting to my Loue.
459Shine out faire Sunne, till I haue bought a glasse,