Devis'd impeachments to imprifon him;
And when my uncle told me fo, he wept,
And pitied me; and kindly kift my cheek;
Bad me rely on him, as on my father,
And he would love me dearly as his child.

Dutch. Ah! that deceit fhould fteal fuch gentle shape, And with a virtuous vizard hide deep vice! He is my fon, ay, and therein my fhame; Yet from my dugs he drew not this deceit.

Son. Think you my uncle did diffemble, grandam? Dutch. Ay, boy.

Son. I cannot think it. Hark, what noife is this?

Enter the Queen with her hair about her ears, Rivers and Dorfet after her.

Queen. Ah! who fhall hinder me to wail and weep?
To chide my fortune, and torment my felf?
I'll join with black defpair against my foul,
And to my felf become an enemy -

Dutch. What means this fcene of rude impatience?
Queen. To make an act of tragick violence.
Edward, my Lord, thy fon, our King, is dead.
Why grow the branches, when the root is gone?
Why wither not the leaves, that want their fap?
you will live, lament; if die, be brief;

If

That our fwift-winged fouls may catch the King's,
Or like obedient fubjects follow him,
To his new kingdom of perpetual rest.

Dutch. Ah! fo much int'reft have I in thy forrow,
As I had title to thy noble husband;
I have bewept a worthy husband's death,
And liv'd by looking on his images.
But now two mirrors of his Princely femblance
Are crack'd in pieces by malignant death;
And I for comfort have but one false glass,
That grieves me when I fee my fhame in him.
Thou art a widow, yet thou art a mother,
And haft the comfort of thy children left:
X 2

But

But death hath fnatch'd my husband from mine arms,
And pluckt two crutches from my feeble hands,
Clarence and Edward. O, what caufe have I,
(Thine being but a moiety of my grief)

To over-go thy plaints, and drown thy cries!
Son. Ah, aunt! you wept not for our father's death;
How can we aid you with our kindred tears?
Daugh. Our fatherless distress was left unmoan'd,
Your widow dolours likewise be unwept!

Queen. Give me no help in lamentation,

I am not barren to bring forth complaints: a
Ah, for my husband, for my dear Lord Edward!

Chil. Ah, for our father, for our dear Lord Clarence!
Dutch. Alas, for both, both mine, Edward and Cla-

rence!

Queen. What stay had I, but Edward? and he's gone.
Chil. What stay had we, but Clarence? and he's gone.
Dutch. What ftays had I but they? and they are gone.
Queen. Was never widow had fo dear a lofs.

Chil. Were never orphans had fo dear a loss.
Dutch. Was never mother had fo dear a lofs.
Alas! I am the mother of these griefs,
Their woes are parcell'd, mine are general.
She for an Edward weeps, and fo do I;
I for a Clarence weep, fo doth not fhe;
These babes for Clarence weep, and fo do I.
Alas! you three, on me threefold distrest
Pour all your tears! I am your forrow's nurse,
And I will pamper it with lamentations.

Dorf. Comfort, dear mother; God is much difpleas'd, That with unthankfulness you take his doing.

In common worldly things 'tis call'd ungrateful
With dull unwillingness to pay a debt,

Which with a bounteous hand was kindly lent:

(a)

forth complaints:

All fprings reduce their currents to mine eyes,
That I being govern'd by the watry moon,

May fend forth plenteous tears to drown the world.
Ah, for my husband

Much

Much, more to be thus oppofite with heav'n,
For it requires the royal debt it lent you.

Riv. Madam, bethink you like a careful mother
Of the young Prince your fon; fend ftrait for him,
Let him be crown'd, in him your comfort lives.
Drown defp'rate forrow in dead Edward's grave,
And plant your joys in living Edward's throne.

Enter Gloucester, Buckingham, Stanley, Haftings
and Ratcliff.

Glo. Sifter, have comfort: all of us have cause
To wail the dimming of our fhining ftar:
But none can help our harms by wailing them.
Madam, my mother, I do cry you mercy,
I did not fee you. Humbly on my knee

I crave your bleffing.

Dutch. God bless thee, and put meekness in thy breast, Love, charity, obedience, and true duty!

Glo. Amen, and make me die a good old man!

That is the butt end of a mother's bleffing;

I marvel that her Grace did leave it out.

That bear this mutual heavy load of moan,

[Afide.

Buck. You cloudy Princes, and heart-forrowing Peers,

Now chear each other in each other's love;

Though we have spent our harvest of this King,
We are to reap the harveft of his fon.
The broken rancor of your high-fwol'n hearts,
But lately fplinter'd, knit and join'd together,
Muft gently be preferv'd, cherish'd and kept:
Me feemeth good, that with fome little train,
Forthwith from Ludlow the young Prince be fetcht
Hither to London, to be crown'd our King.

[bam?
Riv. Why with fome little train, my Lord of Bucking-
Buck. Marry, my Lord, left by a multitude
The new-heal'd wound of malice fhould break out;

Which would be fo much the more dangerous,
By how much the eftate is yet ungovern'd,
Where every horse bears his commanding rein,
And may direct his courfe as please himself:
As well the fear of harm, as harm apparent,
In my opinion ought to be prevented.

Glo. I hope the King made peace with all of us;
And the compact is firm and true in me.

9 'Stan. And fo in me, and fo I think in all.
Yet fince it is but green, it should be put
To no apparent likelihood of breach,

Which haply by much company might be urg'd;
Therefore I fay, with noble Buckingham,

That it is meet 'but few fhould fetch the Prince,
Haft. And fo fay I.

Glo. Then be it fo, and go we to determine
Who they shall be that strait fhall post to Ludlow.
Madam, and you my fifter, will you go,

To give your cenfures in this weighty bufinefs? [Exeunt,
Manent Buckingham and Gloucefter.

Buck. My Lord, whoever journies to the Prince,
For God's fake let not us two ftay at home;
For by the way, I'll fort occafion,

As index to the story we late talk'd of,

To part the Queen's proud kindred from the Prince,
Glo. My other felf, my counsel's confiftory,

My oracle, my prophet! my dear coufin,

I, as a child, will go by thy direction.

Tow'rd Ludlow then, for we'll not ftay behind. [Exeunt,

Enter one Citizen at one door, and another at the other.

1 Cit. GOOD morrow, neighbour, whither away so

faft?

2 Cit. I promise you I hardly know Hear you the news abroad?

1 Cit. Yes, the King is dead.

my felf:

2 Cit. Ill news, by'r Lady, feldom comes a better: I fear, I fear, 'twill prove a giddy world.

Enter another Citizen.

3 Cit. Neighbours, God fpeed!

1 Cit. Give you good morrow, Sir.

3

[death?

Cit. Doth the news hold of good King Edward's 2 Cit. Ay, Sir, it is too true, God help the while!

3

Cit. Then, masters, look to see a troublous world. I Cit. No, no, by God's good grace his fon fhall reign. 3 Cit: Wo to that land that's govern'd by a child! 2 Cit. In him there is a hope of government : Which in his non-age, counsel under him, And, in his full and ripen'd years, himself No doubt fhall then, and 'till then govern well.

1 Cit. So ftood the state when Henry the Sixth Was crown'd in Paris, but at nine months old.

[wot; 3 Cit. Stood the ftate fo? no, no, good friends, God For then this land was famously enrich'd

With politick grave counfel; then the King

Had virtuous uncles to protect his Grace.

1 Cit. Why, fo hath this, both by his father and mother. 3 Cit. Better it were they all came by his father;

Or by his father there were none at all:

For emulation, who fhall now be nearest,

Will touch us all too near, if God prevent not.

O, full