The Tragedy of Richard the Third: ACT III , SCENE I. London. A street.

The Tragedy of Richard the Third: ACT III


	Introduction

	ACT I

	ACT II

	ACT III

		SCENE I. London. A street.

		SCENE II. Before Lord Hastings' house.

		SCENE III. Pomfret Castle.

		SCENE IV. The Tower of London.

		SCENE V. The Tower-walls.

		SCENE VI. The same.

		SCENE VII. Baynard's Castle.

	ACT IV

	ACT V

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SCENE I. London. A street.

The trumpets sound. Enter the young PRINCE EDWARD, GLOUCESTER, BUCKINGHAM, CARDINAL, CATESBY, and others

BUCKINGHAM

Welcome, sweet prince, to London, to your chamber.

GLOUCESTER

Welcome, dear cousin, my thoughts' sovereign
The weary way hath made you melancholy.

PRINCE EDWARD

      No, uncle; but our crosses on the way
5     Have made it tedious, wearisome, and heavy
      I want more uncles here to welcome me.

GLOUCESTER

      Sweet prince, the untainted virtue of your years
      Hath not yet dived into the world's deceit
      Nor more can you distinguish of a man
10    Than of his outward show; which, God he knows,
      Seldom or never jumpeth with the heart.
      Those uncles which you want were dangerous;
      Your grace attended to their sugar'd words,
      But look'd not on the poison of their hearts :
15    God keep you from them, and from such false friends!

PRINCE EDWARD

God keep me from false friends! but they were none.

GLOUCESTER

My lord, the mayor of London comes to greet you.

Enter the Lord Mayor and his train

Lord Mayor

God bless your grace with health and happy days!

PRINCE EDWARD

      I thank you, good my lord; and thank you all.
20    I thought my mother, and my brother York,
      Would long ere this have met us on the way
      Fie, what a slug is Hastings, that he comes not
      To tell us whether they will come or no!

Enter HASTINGS

BUCKINGHAM

And, in good time, here comes the sweating lord.

PRINCE EDWARD

25 Welcome, my lord: what, will our mother come?

HASTINGS

      On what occasion, God he knows, not I,
      The queen your mother, and your brother York,
      Have taken sanctuary: the tender prince
      Would fain have come with me to meet your grace,
30    But by his mother was perforce withheld.

BUCKINGHAM

      Fie, what an indirect and peevish course
      Is this of hers! Lord cardinal, will your grace
      Persuade the queen to send the Duke of York
      Unto his princely brother presently?
35    If she deny, Lord Hastings, go with him,
      And from her jealous arms pluck him perforce.

CARDINAL

      My Lord of Buckingham, if my weak oratory
      Can from his mother win the Duke of York,
      Anon expect him here; but if she be obdurate
40    To mild entreaties, God in heaven forbid
      We should infringe the holy privilege
      Of blessed sanctuary! not for all this land
      Would I be guilty of so deep a sin.

BUCKINGHAM

      You are too senseless--obstinate, my lord,
45    Too ceremonious and traditional
      Weigh it but with the grossness of this age,
      You break not sanctuary in seizing him.
      The benefit thereof is always granted
      To those whose dealings have deserved the place,
50    And those who have the wit to claim the place:
      This prince hath neither claim'd it nor deserved it;
      And therefore, in mine opinion, cannot have it:
      Then, taking him from thence that is not there,
      You break no privilege nor charter there.
55    Oft have I heard of sanctuary men;
      But sanctuary children ne'er till now.

CARDINAL

My lord, you shall o'er-rule my mind for once.
Come on, Lord Hastings, will you go with me?

HASTINGS

I go, my lord.

PRINCE EDWARD

60 Good lords, make all the speedy haste you may.

Exeunt CARDINAL and HASTINGS

Say, uncle Gloucester, if our brother come,
Where shall we sojourn till our coronation?

GLOUCESTER

      Where it seems best unto your royal self.
      If I may counsel you, some day or two
65    Your highness shall repose you at the Tower:
      Then where you please, and shall be thought most fit
      For your best health and recreation.

PRINCE EDWARD

I do not like the Tower, of any place.
Did Julius Caesar build that place, my lord?

BUCKINGHAM

70 He did, my gracious lord, begin that place;
Which, since, succeeding ages have re-edified.

PRINCE EDWARD

Is it upon record, or else reported
Successively from age to age, he built it?

BUCKINGHAM

Upon record, my gracious lord.

PRINCE EDWARD

75    But say, my lord, it were not register'd,
      Methinks the truth should live from age to age,
      As 'twere retail'd to all posterity,
      Even to the general all-ending day.

GLOUCESTER

(Aside) So wise so young, they say, do never
80 live long.

PRINCE EDWARD

What say you, uncle?

GLOUCESTER

I say, without characters, fame lives long.

Aside

Thus, like the formal vice, Iniquity,
I moralize two meanings in one word.

PRINCE EDWARD

85    That Julius Caesar was a famous man;
      With what his valour did enrich his wit,
      His wit set down to make his valour live
      Death makes no conquest of this conqueror;
      For now he lives in fame, though not in life.
90    I'll tell you what, my cousin Buckingham,--

BUCKINGHAM

What, my gracious lord?

PRINCE EDWARD

      An if I live until I be a man,
      I'll win our ancient right in France again,
      Or die a soldier, as I lived a king.

GLOUCESTER

95 (Aside) Short summers lightly have a forward spring.

Enter young YORK, HASTINGS, and the CARDINAL

BUCKINGHAM

Now, in good time, here comes the Duke of York.

PRINCE EDWARD

Richard of York! how fares our loving brother?

YORK

Well, my dread lord; so must I call you now.

PRINCE EDWARD

      Ay, brother, to our grief, as it is yours:
100   Too late he died that might have kept that title,
      Which by his death hath lost much majesty.

GLOUCESTER

How fares our cousin, noble Lord of York?

YORK

      I thank you, gentle uncle. O, my lord,
      You said that idle weeds are fast in growth
105   The prince my brother hath outgrown me far.

GLOUCESTER

He hath, my lord.

YORK

And therefore is he idle?

GLOUCESTER

O, my fair cousin, I must not say so.

YORK

Then is he more beholding to you than I.

GLOUCESTER

110 He may command me as my sovereign;
But you have power in me as in a kinsman.

YORK

I pray you, uncle, give me this dagger.

GLOUCESTER

My dagger, little cousin? with all my heart.

PRINCE EDWARD

A beggar, brother?

YORK

115 Of my kind uncle, that I know will give;
And being but a toy, which is no grief to give.

GLOUCESTER

A greater gift than that I'll give my cousin.

YORK

A greater gift! O, that's the sword to it.

GLOUCESTER

A gentle cousin, were it light enough.

YORK

120 O, then, I see, you will part but with light gifts;
In weightier things you'll say a beggar nay.

GLOUCESTER

It is too heavy for your grace to wear.

YORK

I weigh it lightly, were it heavier.

GLOUCESTER

What, would you have my weapon, little lord?

YORK

125 I would, that I might thank you as you call me.

GLOUCESTER

How?

YORK

Little.

PRINCE EDWARD

My Lord of York will still be cross in talk:
Uncle, your grace knows how to bear with him.

YORK

130   You mean, to bear me, not to bear with me:
      Uncle, my brother mocks both you and me;
      Because that I am little, like an ape,
      He thinks that you should bear me on your shoulders.

BUCKINGHAM

      With what a sharp-provided wit he reasons!
135   To mitigate the scorn he gives his uncle,
      He prettily and aptly taunts himself:
      So cunning and so young is wonderful.

GLOUCESTER

      My lord, will't please you pass along?
      Myself and my good cousin Buckingham
140   Will to your mother, to entreat of her
      To meet you at the Tower and welcome you.

YORK

What, will you go unto the Tower, my lord?

PRINCE EDWARD

My lord protector needs will have it so.

YORK

I shall not sleep in quiet at the Tower.

GLOUCESTER

145 Why, what should you fear?

YORK

Marry, my uncle Clarence' angry ghost:
My grandam told me he was murdered there.

PRINCE EDWARD

I fear no uncles dead.

GLOUCESTER

Nor none that live, I hope.

PRINCE EDWARD

150   An if they live, I hope I need not fear.
      But come, my lord; and with a heavy heart,
      Thinking on them, go I unto the Tower.

A Sennet. Exeunt all but GLOUCESTER, BUCKINGHAM and CATESBY

BUCKINGHAM

      Think you, my lord, this little prating York
      Was not incensed by his subtle mother
155   To taunt and scorn you thus opprobriously?

GLOUCESTER

      No doubt, no doubt; O, 'tis a parlous boy;
      Bold, quick, ingenious, forward, capable
      He is all the mother's, from the top to toe.

BUCKINGHAM

      Well, let them rest. Come hither, Catesby.
160   Thou art sworn as deeply to effect what we intend
      As closely to conceal what we impart:
      Thou know'st our reasons urged upon the way;
      What think'st thou? is it not an easy matter
      To make William Lord Hastings of our mind,
165   For the instalment of this noble duke
      In the seat royal of this famous isle?

CATESBY

He for his father's sake so loves the prince,
That he will not be won to aught against him.

BUCKINGHAM

What think'st thou, then, of Stanley? what will he?

CATESBY

170 He will do all in all as Hastings doth.

BUCKINGHAM

      Well, then, no more but this: go, gentle Catesby,
      And, as it were far off sound thou Lord Hastings,
      How doth he stand affected to our purpose;
      And summon him to-morrow to the Tower,
175   To sit about the coronation.
      If thou dost find him tractable to us,
      Encourage him, and show him all our reasons:
      If he be leaden, icy-cold, unwilling,
      Be thou so too; and so break off your talk,
180   And give us notice of his inclination:
      For we to-morrow hold divided councils,
      Wherein thyself shalt highly be employ'd.

GLOUCESTER

      Commend me to Lord William: tell him, Catesby,
      His ancient knot of dangerous adversaries
185   To-morrow are let blood at Pomfret-castle;
      And bid my friend, for joy of this good news,
      Give mistress Shore one gentle kiss the more.

BUCKINGHAM

Good Catesby, go, effect this business soundly.

CATESBY

My good lords both, with all the heed I may.

GLOUCESTER

190 Shall we hear from you, Catesby, ere we sleep?

CATESBY

You shall, my lord.

GLOUCESTER

At Crosby Place, there shall you find us both.

Exit CATESBY

BUCKINGHAM

Now, my lord, what shall we do, if we perceive
Lord Hastings will not yield to our complots?

GLOUCESTER

195   Chop off his head, man; somewhat we will do:
      And, look, when I am king, claim thou of me
      The earldom of Hereford, and the moveables
      Whereof the king my brother stood possess'd.

BUCKINGHAM

I'll claim that promise at your grace's hands.

GLOUCESTER

200   And look to have it yielded with all willingness.
      Come, let us sup betimes, that afterwards
      We may digest our complots in some form.

Exeunt

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