1273Edw. Good Grandam tell vs, is our Father dead?

1274Dutch. No Boy.

1275Daugh. Why do weepe so oft? And beate your Brest?

1276And cry, O Clarence, my vnhappy Sonne.

1277Boy. Why do you looke on vs, and shake your head,

1278And call vs Orphans, Wretches, Castawayes,

1279If that our Noble Father were aliue?

1280Dut. My pretty Cosins, you mistake me both,

1281I do lament the sicknesse of the King,

1282As loath to lose him, not your Fathers death:

1283It were lost sorrow to waile one that's lost.

1284Boy. Then you conclude, (my Grandam) he is dead:

1285The King mine Vnckle is too blame for it.

1286God will reuenge it, whom I will importune

1287With earnest prayers, all to that effect.

1288Daugh. And so will I.

1289Dut. Peace children peace, the King doth loue you wel.

1290Incapeable, and shallow Innocents,

1291You cannot guesse who caus'd your Fathers death.

1292Boy. Grandam we can: for my good Vnkle Gloster

1293Told me, the King prouok'd to it by the Queene,

1294Deuis'd impeachments to imprison him;

1295And when my Vnckle told me so, he wept,

1296And pittied me, and kindly kist my cheeke:

1297Bad me rely on him, as on my Father,

1298And he would loue me deerely as a childe.

1299Dut. Ah! that Deceit should steale such gentle shape,

1300And with a vertuous Vizor hide deepe vice.

1301He is my sonne, I, and therein my shame,

1302Yet from my dugges, he drew not this deceit.

1303Boy. Thinke you my Vnkle did dissemble Grandam?

1304Dut. I Boy.

1305Boy. I cannot thinke it. Hearke, what noise is this?

1308Qu. Ah! who shall hinder me to waile and weepe?

1309To chide my Fortune, and torment my Selfe.

1310Ile ioyne with blacke dispaire against my Soule,

1311And to my selfe, become an enemie.

1312Dut. What meanes this Scene of rude impatience?

1313Qu. To make an act of Tragicke violence.

1314Edward my Lord, thy Sonne, our King is dead.

1315Why grow the Branches, when the Roote is gone?

1316Why wither not the leaues that want their sap?

1317If you will liue, Lament: if dye, be breefe,

1318That our swift-winged Soules may catch the Kings,

1319Or like obedient Subiects follow him,

1320To his new Kingdome of nere-changing night.

1321Dut. Ah so much interest haue in thy sorrow,

1322As I had Title in thy Noble Husband:

1323I haue bewept a worthy Husbands death,

1324And liu'd with looking on his Images:

1325But now two Mirrors of his Princely semblance,

1326Are crack'd in pieces, by malignant death,

1327And I for comfort, haue but one false Glasse,

1328That greeues me, when I see my shame in him.

1329Thou art a Widdow: yet thou art a Mother,

1330And hast the comfort of thy Children left,

1331But death hath snatch'd my Husband from mine Armes,

1332And pluckt two Crutches from my feeble hands,

1333Clarence, and Edward. O, what cause haue I,

1334(Thine being but a moity of my moane)

1335To ouer-go thy woes, and drowne thy cries.

1336Boy. Ah Aunt! you wept not for our Fathers death:

1337How can we ayde you with our Kindred teares?

1338Daugh. Our fatherlesse distresse was left vnmoan'd,

1339Your widdow-dolour, likewise be vnwept.

1340Qu. Giue me no helpe in Lamentation,

1341I am not barren to bring forth complaints:

1342All Springs reduce their currents to mine eyes,

1343That I being gouern'd by the waterie Moone,

1344May send forth plenteous teares to drowne the World.

1345Ah, for my Husband, for my deere Lord Edward.

1346Chil. Ah for our Father, for our deere Lord Clarence.

1347Dut. Alas for both, both mine Edward and Clarence.

1348Qu. What stay had I but Edward, and hee's gone?

1349Chil. What stay had we but Clarence? and he's gone.

1350Dut. What stayes had I, but they? and they are gone.

1351Qu. Was neuer widdow had so deere a losse.

1352Chil. Were neuer Orphans had so deere a losse.

1353Dut. Was neuer Mother had so deere a losse.

1354Alas! I am the Mother of these Greefes,

1355Their woes are parcell'd, mine is generall.

1356She for an Edward weepes, and so do I:

1357I for a Clarence weepes, so doth not shee:

1358These Babes for Clarence weepe, so do not they.

1359Alas! you three, on me threefold distrest:

1360Power all your teares, I am your sorrowes Nurse,

1361And I will pamper it with Lamentation.

1362Dor. Comfort deere Mother, God is much displeas'd,

1363That you take with vnthankfulnesse his doing.

1364In common worldly things, 'tis call'd vngratefull,

1365With dull vnwillingnesse to repay a debt,

1366Which with a bounteous hand was kindly lent:

1367Much more to be thus opposite with heauen,

1368For it requires the Royall debt it lent you.

1369Riuers. Madam, bethinke you like a carefull Mother

1370Of the young Prince your sonne: send straight for him,

1371Let him be Crown'd, in him your comfort liues.

1372Drowne desperate sorrow in dead Edwards graue,

1373And plant your ioyes in liuing Edwards Throne.

1376Rich. Sister haue comfort, all of vs haue cause

1377To waile the dimming of our shining Starre:

1378But none can helpe our harmes by wayling them.

1379Madam, my Mother, I do cry you mercie,

1380I did not see your Grace. Humbly on my knee,

1381I craue your Blessing.

1382Dut. God blesse thee, and put meeknes in thy breast,

1383Loue Charity, Obedience, and true Dutie.

1384Rich. Amen, and make me die a good old man,

1385That is the butt-end of a Mothers blessing;

1386I maruell that her Grace did leaue it out.

1387Buc. You clowdy-Princes, & hart-sorowing-Peeres,

1388That beare this heauie mutuall loade of Moane,

1389Now cheere each other, in each others Loue:

1390Though we haue spent our Haruest of this King,

1391We are to reape the Haruest of his Sonne.

1392The broken rancour of your high-swolne hates,

1393But lately splinter'd, knit, and ioyn'd together,

1394Must gently be preseru'd, cherisht, and kept:

1395Me seemeth good, that with some little Traine,

1396Forthwith from Ludlow, the young Prince be fet

1397Hither to London, to be crown'd our King.

1398Riuers. Why with some little Traine,

1399My Lord of Buckingham?

1400Buc. Marrie my Lord, least by a multitude,

1401The new-heal'd wound of Malice should breake out,

1402Which would be so much the more dangerous,

1403By how much the estate is greene, and yet vngouern'd.

1404Where euery Horse beares his commanding Reine,

1405And may direct his course as please himselfe,

1406As well the feare of harme, as harme apparant,

1407In my opinion, ought to be preuented.

1408Rich. I hope the King made peace with all of vs,

1409And the compact is firme, and true in me.

1410Riu. And so in me, and so (I thinke) in all.

1411Yet since it is but greene, it should be put

1412To no apparant likely-hood of breach,

1413Which haply by much company might be vrg'd:

1414Therefore I say with Noble Buckingham,

1415That it is meete so few should fetch the Prince.

1416Hast. And so say I.

1417Rieh. Then be it so, and go we to determine

1418Who they shall be that strait shall poste to London .

1419Madam, and you my Sister, will you go

1420To giue your censures in this businesse. Exeunt.

1422Buc. My Lord, who euer iournies to the Prince,

1423For God sake let not vs two stay at home:

1424For by the way, Ile sort occasion,

1425As Index to the story we late talk'd of,

1426To part the Queenes proud Kindred from the Prince.

1427Rich. My other selfe, my Counsailes Consistory,

1428My Oracle, My Prophet, my deere Cosin,

1429I, as a childe, will go by thy direction,

1430Toward London then, for wee'l not stay behinde. Exeunt