You have no children, butchers; if
you had,
The thought of them would have stirr'd up remorfe;
But if you ever chance to have a child,

Look in his youth to have him fo cut off,

As, deathfmen! you have rid this sweet young Prince, K. Edw. Away with her, go bear her hence by force, Q. Mar. Nay, never bear me hence, difpatch me here: Here fheath thy fword, I'll pardon thee my death: What? wilt thou not? then, Clarence, do it thou.

Cla. By heav'n I will not do thee fo much eafe. [do it,
Q. Mar. Good Clarence, do; fweet Clarence, do thou
Cla. Didft thou not hear me fwear I would not do it?
Q. Mar. Ay, but thou useft to forfwear thy felf:
'Twas fin before, but now 'tis charity.

What, wilt thou not? where is that 'Devil-butcher,
Richard? hard-favour'd Richard, where art thou?
Thou art not here: Murther is thy Almfdeed.
Petitioner for blood thou ne'er put'ft back.

K. Edw. Away, I fay; I charge ye bear her hence.'
Q. Mar. So come to you and yours, as to this Prince!
[Exit 2. Margaret.
K. Edw. Where's Richard gone?.

Cla. To London all in poft, and as I guess,
To make a bloody fupper in the Tower.

K. Edw. He's fudden if a thing comes in his head,
Now march we hence, discharge the common fort
With pay
and thanks, and let's away to London;
And fee our gentle Queen how well the fares;
By this, I hope, fhe hath a fon for me.

[Exeunt.

The Tower of LONDON.

Enter King Henry, and Gloucefter, with the Lieutenant on the Tower Walls.

Glo.G K. Henry, Ay, my good Lord; my Lord, I

OOD day, my Lord; what, at your book fo hard?

fhould fay rather,

'Tis fin to flatter, good was little better:
Good Glofter, and good devil, were alike,
And both prepoft'rous; therefore not good Lord.
Glo. Sir, leave us to our felves, we must confer.

[Exit Lieutenant.
K. Henry. So flies the reckless fhepherd from the wolf,
So first the harmless flock doth yield his fleece,
And next his throat, unto the butcher's knife.
What scene of death hath 'Richard now to act?
Glo. Sufpicion always haunts the guilty mind,
The thief doth fear each bufh an officer.

K. Henry. The bird that hath been limed in a bufh,
With trembling wings mif-doubteth ev'ry bush;
And I, the haplefs male to one fweet bird,
Have now the fatal object in my eye,

Where my poor young was lim'd, was caught, and kill'd.
Glo. Why, what a peevish fool was that of Crete,
That taught his fon the office of a fowl?

And yet, for all his wings, the fool was drown'd.
K. Henry. I, Dadalus; my poor boy, Icarus;
Thy father, Minos that deny'd our course;
The fun that fear'd the wings of my sweet boy,
Thy brother Edward; and thy felf, the fea,
Whose envious gulph did fwallow up his life.
Ah, kill me with thy weapon, not with words;
My breast can better brook thy dagger's point,
S 4

Than

Than can my ears that tragick hiftory.

But wherefore doft thou come? Is't for my life?
Glo. Think'ft thou I am an executioner?

K. Henry. A perfecutor I am fure thou art;
If murth'ring innocents be executing,
Why then thou art an executioner.

Glo. Thy fon I kill'd for his prefumption.

[prefume,

K. Henry. Hadft thou been kill'd when first thou didst Thou hadft not liv'd to kill a fon of mine. And thus I prophefie, that many a thousand Which now miftruft no parcel of my fear, And many an old man's figh, and many a widow's, And many an orphan's water-ftanding eye, Men for their fons, wives for their husbands fate, And orphans for their parents timeless death, Shall rue the hour that ever thou waft born. The owl fhriek'd at thy birth, an evil fign; The night-crow cry'd, a boding lucklefs tune; Dogs howl'd, an hideous tempeft fhook down trees } The raven rook'd her on the chimney's top, And chattering pyes in difmal difcords fung: Thy mother felt more than a mother's pain, And yet brought forth lefs than a mother's hope, To wit, an indigefted deform'd lump, Not like the fruit of fuch a goodly tree. Teeth hadit thou in thy head when thou waft born, To fignifie thou cam'ft to bite the world: And if the reft be true which I have heard,

5 'Thou cam'ft into the world with thy legs forward.`
Glo. I'll hear no more: die, prophet, in thy fpeech;
[Stabs bim.

For this, amongst the reft, was I ordain'd.
K. Henry, Ay, and for much more flaughter after this—
O! God forgive my fins, and pardon thee!

[Dies.

Glo. What! will th' afpiring blood of Lancaster Sink in the ground? I thought it would have mounted. See how my fword weeps for the poor King's death! O, may

5 Thou cam'ft into the world... old edit. Theob. emend.

O, may fuch purple tears be alway shed
From those who wish the downfal of our house!
If any fpark of life be yet remaining,
Down, down to hell, and fay I fent thee thither,
[Stabs him again.

I, that have neither pity, love, nor fear.
Indeed 'tis true that Henry told me of:
For I have often heard my mother fay
I came into the world with my legs forward.
Had I not reafon, think ye, to make haste,
And feek their ruin that ufurp'd our right?
The midwife wonder'd, and the women cry'd
O Jefus bless us, he is born with teeth!
And fo I was, which plainly fignify'd

That I fhould fnarle, and bite, and play the dog:
Then fince the heav'ns have fhap'd my body fo,
Let hell make crook'd my mind to answer it.
I have no brother, I am like no brother,
And this word love which grey-beards call divine,
Be refident in men like one another,

And not in me! I am my felf alone.
Clarence, beware; thou keep'ft me from the light,
But I will fort a pitchy day for thee:
For I will buz abroad fuch prophecies,
That Edward fhall be fearful of his life,
And then to purge his fear I'll be thy death.
King Henry, and the Prince his fon, are gone;
Clarence, thy turn is next, and then the reft;
Counting my felf but bad, 'till I be beft.
I'll throw thy body in another room;.
And triumph, Henry! in the day of doom.

[Exit.

SCENE

SCENE VIII.

The Palace in LONDON.

Enter King Edward, Queen, Clarence, Gloucester,
Haftings, Nurfe, and Attendants.

K. Edw. ONCE more we fit on England's royal throne,
Re-purchas'd with the blood of enemies:

What valiant foe-men, like to autumn's corn,
Have we mow'd down in top of all their pride?
Three Dukes of Somerfet, three-fold renown'd
For hardy and undoubted champions:

Two Cliffords, as the father and the fon;
And two Northumberlands; two braver men

Ne'er fpurr'd their courfers at the trumpet's found.

With them the two brave bears, Warwick and Montague,
That in their chains fetter'd the Kingly Lion,

And made the foreft tremble when they roar'd.
Thus have we swept fufpicion from our feat,
And made our footstool of fecurity.

Come hither, Befs, and let me kifs my boy:
Young Ned, for thee, thine uncles and my self
Have in our armours watch'd the winter-night,
Went all a-foot in fummer's fcalding heat,
That thou might'ft re-poffefs the crown in peace;
And of our labours thou fhalt reap the gain.

Glo. I'll blaft his harveft, if your head were laid, [Afide. For yet I am not look'd on in the world.

This fhoulder was ordain'd fo thick, to heave,

And heave it fhall fome weight or break my back;

Work thou the way, and that shall execute.

[Pointing to his Head. K. Edw. Clarence and Glofter, love my lovely Queen,

And kifs your princely nephew, brothers both.
Cla. The duty that I owe your Majesty

I feal upon the lips of this fweet babe.

Queen.