Enter a MESSENGER.

Mess. Prepare you, lords, for Edward is at band,

Ready to fight; therefore be resolute.

Orf. I thought no less: it is his policy, To haste thus fast, to find us unprovided.

Som. But he's deceiv'd, we are in readiness. Q. Mar. This cheers my heart, to see your forwardness.

Oxf. Here pitch our battle, hence we will not budge.

March. Enter at a distance, King EDWARD, CLARENCE, GLOSTER, and Forces.

K. Edw. Brave followers, yonder stauds the thorny wood,

Which, by the heavens' assistance, and your

strength,

Oxf. For my part, I will not trouble thee with words.

Som. Nor I, but stoop with patience to my fortune.

[Exeunt OXFORD and SOMERSET, guarded. Q. Mar. So part we sadly in this troublous world,

To meet with joy in sweet Jerusalem.

And ne'er have stol'n the breech from Lan

caster.

Prince. Let Esop⚫ fable in a winter's night; His currish riddles sort not with this place. Glo. By heaven, brat, I'll plague you for that word.

Q. Mar. Ay, thou wast born to be a plague

to men.

Glo. For God's sake, take away this captive scold.

Prince. Nay, take away this scolding crook. back rather.

K. Edw. Peace, wilful boy, or I will charm ↑ your tongue.

Clar. Untutor'd lad, thou art too malapert.
Prince. I know my duty, you are all undu.
Lascivious Edward, and thou perjur'd George,-
tiful:
And thou misshapen Dick, I tell you all,

I am your better, traitors as ye are ;-
And thou usurp'st my father's right and mine.
K. Edw. Take that, the likeness of this railer

here.

Glo. Sprawl'st thou ? agony.

Clar. And there's for

jury.

[Stabs him. take that, to end thy

[GLO. stabs him. twitting me with per

Q. Mar. O kill me too! Glo. Marry, and shall.

CLAR. stabs him.

[Offers to kill her.

K. Edw. Hold, Richard, hold, for we have

done too much.

They that stabb'd Cæsar shed no blood at all,
Did not offend, nor were not worthy blame,
If this foul deed were by, to equal it.
He was a man; this, in respect, a child;
And men ne'er spend their fury on a child. [it ?
What's worse than murderer, that I may name
No, no, my heart will burst, an if I speak :--
And I will speak, that so my heart may burst.
Butchers and villains, bloody cannibals !
How sweet a plant have you untimely cropp'd!
You have no children, butchers! if you had,
The thought of them would have stirr'd up re-

morse :

finds Edward,

Shall have a high reward, and he is life?
Glo. It is; and, lo, where youthful Edward

comes.

Enter Soldiers with Prince EDWARD.

K. Edw. Bring forth the gallant, let us hear bim speak:

What! can so young a thorn begin to prick?
Edward, what satisfaction canst thou nake,
For bearing arms, for stirring up my subjects,
And all the trouble thou hast turn'd me to?
Prince. Speak like a subject, proud ambi-
tious York!

Suppose, that I am now my father's mouth; Resign thy chair, and, where I stand, kneel thou,

Whilst I propose the self-same words to thee, Which, traitor, thou wouldst have me answer

Look in his youth to have him so cut off, As, deathsmen! you have rid this sweet young prince!

K. Edw. Away with her; go, bear her hence perforce.

Q. Mar. Nay, never bear me hence, despatch me here; [death: Here sheath thy sword, I'll pardon thee my death: What wilt thou not?-then, Clarence, do it thou.

Clar. By heaven, I will not do thee so much

ease.

Q. Mar. Good Clarence, do; sweet Clarence, do thou do it.

Clar. Didst thou not hear me swear I would not do it.

K. Mar. Ay, but thou usest to forswear thy'Twas sin before, but now 'tis charity. [self; What! wilt thou not? where is that devil's

butcher,

• The Prince calls Richard, for his crookedness, Harp, 1. e. I will compel you to be as silent as if you weřa deprived of speech by euchantment.

1 Dispute; contention.
She alludes to the desertion of Clarenco.

Hard favour'd Richard? Richard, where thou?

Thou art not here: Murder is thy alms-deed;
Petitioners for blood thou ne'er put'st back.
K. Edw. Away, I say: I charge ye, bear her
hence.

Q. Mar. So come to you and your's, as to
this prince! [Exit, led out forcibly.
K. Edw. Where's Richard gone?
Clar. To London, all in post; and, as I guess,
To make a bloody supper in the Tower.

K. Edw. He's sudden, if a thing comes in his head.

Now march we hence: discharge the common

sort

With pay and thanks, and let's away to London, And see our gentle queen how well she fares; By this, I hope, she hath a sou for me.

[Exeunt. SCENE VI.-London.-A Room in the Tower.

King HENRY is discovered sitting with a Book in his Hand, the Lieutenant attending. Enter GLOSTER.

Glo. Good day, my lord! What, at your book so hard?

K. Hen. Ay, my good lord: My lord, I should say rather

'Tis sin to flatter, good was little better: Good Gloster and good devil were alike, And both preposterous; therefore, not good lord.

Glo. Sirrah, leave us to ourselves: we must confer. [Exit Lieutenant. K. Hen. So flies the reckless shepherd from the wolf:

So first the harmless sheep doth yield his fleece, And next his throat unto the butcher's knife.What scene of death hath Roscius now to act? Glo. Suspicion always haunts the guilty mind;

The thief doth fear each bush an officer.

K. Hen. The bird that hath been limed in a
bush,

With trembling wings misdoubteth f every bush :
And I, the hapless male to one sweet 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 son the office of a fowl?
And yet, for all his wings, the fool
drown'd.

was

thou didst presume,

[Dies.

Glo. What, will the aspiring blood of Lan

caster

Sink in the ground? I thought it would have mounted. See,

how my sword weeps for the poor king's death!

O may such purple tears be always shed
From those that wish the downfal of our
house!-

If any spark of life be yet remaining,
Down, down to hell; and say I sent thee thi-
ther,
[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 say,
I came into the world with my legs forward:
Had I not reason, think ye, to make haste,
And seek their ruin that usurp'd our right?
The midwife wonder'd; and the women cried
O Jesus bless us, he is born with teeth!
And so I was; which plainly signified
That I should snarl, and bite, and play the
dog.

Then since the heavens have shap'd my body 80,

Let hell make crook'd my mind to answer it.
I have no brother, I am like no brother:
And this word-love, which greybeards cail
divine,

Be resident in men like one another,
And not in me: I am myself alone.--
Clarence beware; thou keep'st me from the

light;

But I will sort + a pitchy day for thee:
For I will buz abroad such prophecies,
That Edward shall be fearful of his life;
And then, to purge his fear, I'll be thy death.
King Henry, and the prince his son, are gone:
Clarence, thy turn is next, and then the rest;
Counting myself but bad, till I be best.-
I'll throw thy body in another room,
And triumph Heury, in thy day of doom.

[Exit.

For hardy and undoubted champions :
Two Cliffords, as the father and the son,
And two Northumberlands; two braver men
Ne'er spurr'd their coursers at the trumpet's
sound:

With them the two brave bears, Warwick and
Montague,

That in their chains fetter'd the kingly lion,
Aud made the forest tremble when they roar'd.
Thus have we swept suspicion from our seat,
And made our footstool of security.-
Come hither, Bess, and let me kiss my boy:
Young Ned, for thee, thine uncles, and myself,
Have in our armours watch'd the winter's night;
Went all afoot in summer's scalding heat,
That thou might'st repossess the crown in peace;
And of our labours thou shalt reap the gain.
Glo. I'll blast his harvest, if your head were
laid;

For yet I am not look'd on in the world.
This shoulder was ordain'd so thick, to heave;
And heave it shall some weight or break my
back:-

Work thou the way,-and thou shalt execute.

[Aside. K. Edw. Clarence and Gloster, love my lovely queen, And kiss your princely nephew, brothers both. Clar. The duty that I owe unto your majesty, seal upon the lips of this sweet babe.

K. Edw. Now am I seated as my soul depeace, and brothers'

lights, Having my country's

loves. Clar. What will your grace have done with Margaret?

Reignier, her father, to the king of France
Hath pawn'd the Sicils and Jerusalem,
And hither have they sent it for her ransom.
K. Edw. Away with her, and waft her hence
to France.

And now what rests, but that we spend the time

With stately triumphs, mirthful comic shows, Such as bent the pleasures of the court?Sound, drums and trumpets I-farewell, sour annoy !

For here, I hope, begins our lasting joy.

• Public shows.

[Exeunt.

4 A