Stand by, and see his children robb'd of right?
Glo. Dare not, ev'n for thy soul, to thwart me
further!

None of your arts, your feigning and your foolery;
Your dainty squeamish coying it to me;
Go-to your lord, your paramour; begone!
Lisp in his ear, hang wanton on his neck,
And play your monkey gambols o'er to him.
You know my purpose, look that you pursue it,
And make him yield obedience to my will.
Do it or woe upon thy harlot's head.

J. Shore. Oh, that my tongue had ev'ry grace of speech,

Great and commanding as the breath of kings,
That I had art and eloquence divine,

To pay my duty to my master's ashes,

And plead, till death, the cause of injur'd innocence. Glo. Ha! Dost thou brave me, minion! Dost thou know

How vile, how very a wretch, my pow'r can make thee?

That I can place thee in such abject state,

As help shall never find thee; where, repining,
Thou shalt sit down, and gnaw the earth for anguish;
Groan to the pitiless winds without return;
Howl, like the midnight wolf amidst the desert,
And curse thy life, in bitterness and misery?

J. Shore. Let me be branded for the public scorn,
Turn'd forth and driven to wander like a vagabond,
Be friendless and forsaken, seek my bread
Upon the barren wild, and desolate waste,
Feed on my sighs, and drink my falling tears,
Ere I consent to teach my lips injustice,

Or wrong the orphan, who has none to save him.

Glo. 'Tis well-we'll try the temper of your heart. What hoa! Who waits without?

Enter RATCLIFF and CATESBY.

Rat. Your highness' pleasure

Glo. Go, some of you, and turn this strumpet forth!

Spurn her into the street; there let her perish,
And rot upon a dunghill. Thro' the city
See it proclaim'd, that none, on pain of death,
Presume to give her comfort, food, or harbour;
Who ministers the smallest comfort, dies.
Her house, her costly furniture and wealth,
The purchase of her loose luxurious life,
We seize on, for the profit of the state.
Away! Be gone!

J. Shore. Oh, thou most righteous Judge-
Humbly behold, I bow myself to thee,
And own thy justice in this hard decree:
No longer, then, my ripe offences spare,
But what I merit, let me learn to bear.
Yet since 'tis all my wretchedness can give,
For my past crimes my forfeit life receive;
No pity for my sufferings here I crave,
And only hope forgiveness in the grave.

[Exit JANE SHORE, guarded by CATESBY and Others. Glo. So much for this. Your project's at an end.

[TO RATCLIFF. This idle toy, this hilding, scorns my power,

And sets us all at naught.
Be ready at my call.-

Rat. The council waits

Upon your highness' leisure.-
Glo. Bid them enter.

See, that a guard

Enter the DUKE of BUCKINGHAM, EARL of DERBY, BISHOP of ELY, LORD HASTINGS, and Others, as to the Council. The DUKE of GLOSTER takes his Place at the upper End, then the rest sit.

Derb. In happy times we are assembled here,

To point the day, and fix the solemn pomp,
For placing England's crown, with all due rites,
Upon our sov'reign Edward's youthful brow.

Hast. Some busy meddling knaves, 'tis said, there

are,

As such will still be prating, who presume
To carp and cavil at his royal right;
Therefore, I hold it fitting, with the soonest,
T'appoint the order of the coronation;
So to approve our duty to the King,

sure.

And stay the babbling of such vain gainsayers.
Derb. We all attend to know your highness' plea-
[To GLOSTER.
Glo. My lords, a set of worthy men you are,
Prudent and just, and careful for the state;
Therefore, to your most grave determination
I yield myself in all things; and demand
What punishment your wisdom shall think meet
T'inflict upon those damnable contrivers,

Who shall with potions, charms, and witching drugs,
Practise against our person and our life?

Hast. So much I hold the King your highness' debtor,

So precious are you to the commonweal,
That I presume, not only for myself,
But in behalf of these my noble brothers,
Το say, whoe'er they be, they merit death.

Glo. Then judge yourselves, convince your eyes of

truth:

Behold my arm, thus blasted, dry, and wither'd,

[Pulling up his Sleeves.
Shrunk, like a foul abortion, and decay'd,
Like some untimely product of the seasons,
Robb'd of its properties of strength and office.
This is the sorcery of Edward's wife,

Who, in conjunction with that harlot Shore,
And other like confed'rate midnight hags,
By force of potent spells, of bloody characters,

And conjurations horrible to hear,

Call fiends and spectres from the yawning deep,
And set the ministers of hell at work,

To torture and despoil me of

my life. Hast. If they have done this deedGlo. If they have done it!

Talk'st thou to me of If's, audacious traitor!
Thou art that strumpet witch's chief abettor,
The patron and complotter of her mischiefs,
And join'd in this contrivance for my death.
Nay, start not, lords-What ho! a guard there, sirs!
Enter GUARDS.

Lord Hastings, I arrest thee of high treason.
Seize him, and bear him instantly away.
He shall not live an hour. By holy Paul,
I will not dine before his head be brought me.
Ratcliff, stay you, and see that it be done :
The rest that love me, rise and follow me.

[Exeunt GLOSTER, and LORDS following. Hast. What! and no more but this-How! to the scaffold:

Oh, gentle Ratcliff! tell me, do I hold thee?

Or if I dream, what shall I do to wake,

To break, to struggle thro' this dreadful confusion? For surely death itself is not so painful

As is this sudden horror and surprise.

Rat. You heard, the Duke's commands to me were absolute.

Therefore, my lord, address you to your shrift,
With all good speed you may. Summon your cou-

rage,

And be yourself; for you must die this instant.

Hast. Yes, Ratcliff, I will take thy friendly counsel,

And die as a man should; 'tis somewhat hard,
To call my scatter'd spirits home at once:
But since what must be, must be-let necessity

Supply the place of time and preparation,
And arm me for the blow. "Tis but to die,
"Tis but to venture on that common hazard,
Which many a time in battle I have run;
"Tis but to do, what at that very moment,
In many nations of the peopled earth,

A thousand and a thousand shall do with me;
"Tis but to close my eyes and shut out day-light,
To view no more the wicked ways of men,
No longer to behold the tyrant Gloster,
And be a weeping witness of the woes,
The desolation, slaughter, and calamities,
Which he shall bring on this unhappy land.

Enter ALICIA.

Alicia. Stand off, and let me pass-I will, I must,
Catch him once more in these despairing arms,
And hold him to my heart-O Hastings, Hastings!
Hast. Alas! why com'st thou at this dreadful mo-
ment,

To fill me with new terrors, new distractions;
To turn me wild with thy distemper'd rage,
And shock the peace of my departing soul?
Away, I pry'thee leave me!

Alicia. Stop a minute

Till my full griefs find passage-Oh, the tyrant!
Perdition fall on Gloster's head and mine!
Hast. What means thy frantic grief?

Alicia. I cannot speak

But I have murder'd thee-Oh, I could tell thee! Hast. Speak, and give ease to thy conflicting passion!

Be quick, nor keep me longer in suspense,

Time presses, and a thousand crowding thoughts
Break in at once! this way and that they snatch,
They tear my hurry'd soul: All claim attention,
And yet not one is heard. Oh! speak, and leave me,
For I have business would employ an age,