Clar. Relent, and fave your fouls.

Which of you, if you were a Prince's fon,
Being pent from liberty, as I am now,

If two fuch murtherers, as yourselves, came to you,
Would not intreat for life? ah! you would beg,
Were you in my distress..

1 Vil. Relent? 'tis cowardly and womanish.
Clar. Not to relent, is beaftly, favage, devilish.
My friend, I fpy fome pity in thy looks:
O, if thine eye be not a flatterer,

Come thou on my fide, and intreat for me.
A begging Prince what Beggar pities not ?
2 Vil. Look behind you, my lord.

1 Vil. Take that, and that; if all this will not do,

[Stabs him. [Exit. 2 Vil. A bloody deed, and defp'rately dispatch'd: How fain, like Pilate, would I wash my hands Of this moft grievous guilty murther done!

I'll drown you in the malmfie butt within.

Re-enter firft Villain.

Vil. How now? what mean'st thou, that thou help'ft

me not?

By heav'n, the Duke shall know how flack you've been. 2 Vil. I would he knew, that I had fav'd his brother! Take thou the fee, and tell him what I fay;

For I repent me, that the Duke is flain.

1 Vil. So do not I; go, Coward, as thou art. Well, I'll go hide the body in fome hole, 'Till that the Duke give order for his burial: And, when I have my Meed, I muft away; For this will out, and then I must not Яay.

[Exit.

[Exit.

ACT

ACT II,

SCENE, The Court.

Enter King Edward fick, the Queen, Dorset, Rivers, Haftings, Catesby, Buckingham, and Woodvile.

W

K. ED WAR D.

HY, fo; now have I done a good day's work.
You Peers, continue this united league:
I every day expect an embassage

From my Redeemer to redeem me hence.
And now in peace my foul fhall part to heav'n,
Since I have made my friends at peace on earth;
Haftings and Rivers, take each other's hand;
Diffemble not your hatred; fwear your love.

Riv. By heav'n, my foul is purg'd from grudging hate;

And with my hand I feal my true heart's love.
Haft. So thrive I, as I truly fwear the like!
K. Edw. Take heed, you dally not before your King;
Left he, that is the fupream King of Kings,
Confound your hidden falfhood, and award
Either of you to be the other's end.

Haft. So profper I, as I fwear perfect love!
Riv. And I, as I love Hastings with my heart!
K. Edw. Madam, yourself is not exempt from this;
Nor your fon Dorfet ; Buckingham, nor you;
You have been factious one against the other.
Wife, love lord Haftings, let him kiss your hand;
And what you do, do it unfeignedly.

Queen. There, Haftings;-I will never more remember

Our former hatred; fo thrive I and mine !

K. Edw. Dorfet, embrace him: Haftings, love lord

Marquifs.

Dor. This interchange of love, I here proteft, Upon my part, fhall be inviolable,

K 4

Haft.

Haft. And fo fwear I.

K. Edw. Now, Princely Buckingham, feal thou this league

With thy embracements to my wife's allies,
And make me happy in your unity.

Buck. When ever Buckingham doth turn his hate
Upon your Grace, and not with duteous love

[To the Queen.

Doth cherish you and yours, God punish me
With Hate in those where I expect moft love!
When I have most need to employ a friend,
And most affured that he is a friend,
Deep, hollow, treacherous, and full of guile,
Be he to me! This do I beg of heaven,
When I am cold in zeal to you or yours.

[Embracing Rivers, &c K. Edw. A pleafing cordial, Princely Buckingham, Is this thy vow unto my fickly heart.

There wanteth now our brother Glofler here,
To make the bleffed period of this peace.

Buck. And, in good time, here comes the noble Duke,
Enter Gloucefler, with Ratcliff.

Glo. Good morrow to my Sovereign King and Queen; And, Princely Peers, a happy time of day.

K. Edw. Happy, indeed, as we have spent the day : Brother, we have done deeds of charity;

Made peace of enmity, fair love of hate,
Between thefe fwelling wrong-incenfed

Peers.

Glo. A bleffed labour, my moft Sovereign Liege:
Among this Princely heap, if any here
By falfe intelligence, or wrong furmife,
Hold me a foe; if I unwittingly

Have aught committed that is hardly borne
By any in this prefence, I defire
To reconcile me to his friendly peace :
'Tis death to me to be at enmity;

I hate it, and defire all good men's love.
First, Madam, I intreat true peace of you,
Which I will purchase with my duteous fervice:

Of

Of you, my noble cousin Buckingham,
If ever any grudge were lodg'd between us:
Of you, and you, lord Rivers, and of Dorset,
That all without defert have frown'd on me:
Of you, lord Woodvile, and lord Scales, of you;
Dukes, Earls, Lords, Gentlemen; indeed of all.
I do not know that Englishman alive,

With whom my foul is any jot at odds,
More than the infant that is born to-night;
I thank my God for my humility.

Queen. A holy-day fhall this be kept hereafter:
I would to God, all ftrifes were well compounded!
My Sovereign lord, I do befeech your Highness
To take our brother Clarence to your grace.

Glo. Why, Madam, have I offer'd love for this,
To be fo flouted in this royal presence?
Who knows not, that the gentle Duke is dead!

You do him injury to scorn his coarse.

[They all start.

K. Edw. Who knows not, he is dead! who knows,

he is?

Queen. All-feeing Heaven, what a world is this! Buck. Look I fo pale, lord Dorfet, as the reft? Dor. Ay, my good lord; and no man in the prefence, But his red colour hath forfook his cheeks.

K. Edw. Is Clarence dead? the order was revers'd. Glo. But he, poor man, by your first order died, And That a winged Mercury did bear:

Some tardy cripple had the countermand,
That came too lag to fee him buried.

God grant, that fome less noble, and less loyal,
Nearer in bloody thoughts, and not in blood,
Deserve no worse than wretched Clarence did,
And yet go current from suspicion !

Enter Lord Stanley:

Stanl. A boon, my Sov'reign, for my Service done. K. Edw. I pr'ythee, peace; my foul is full of forrow. Stanl. I will not rife, unless your Highness hear me. K. Edw. Then fay at once, what is it thou request'ft,

K 5

Stanl

Stanl. The forfeit, Sov'reign, of my fervant's life? Who flew to-day a riotous gentleman,

Lately attendant on the Duke of Norfolk.

K. Ed. Have I a tongue to doom my brother's death?

And fhall that tongue give pardon to a slave?
My brother kill'd no man; his fault was thought;
And yet his Punishment was bitter death.
Who fued to me for him? who, in my wrath,
Kneel'd at my feet, and bid me be advis'd?
Who spoke of brotherhood? who spoke of love?
Who told me, how the poor foul did forfake
The mighty Warwick, and did fight for me?
Who told me, in the field at Tewksbury,
When Oxford had me down, he rescued me!
And faid, Dear brother, live, and be a King?
Who told me, when we both lay in the field,
Frozen almoft to death, how he did lap me
Ev'n in his garments, and did give himself
All thin, and naked, to the numb cold night?
All this from my remembrance brutish wrath
Sinfully pluck'd, and not a man of you
Had fo much grace to put it in my mind.
But when your carters, or your waiting vaffals
Hove done a drunken flaughter, and defac'd
The precious image of our dear Redeemer ;
You trait are on your knees for pardon, pardon,-
And I, unjustly too, muft grant it you.
But for my brother not a man would speak,
Nor I, ungracious, fpake unto myfelf
For him, poor foul. The proudest of you all
Have been beholden to him in his life:
Yet none of you would once plead for his life.
O God! I fear, thy juftice will take hold
On me, and you, and mine, and yours, for this.
Come, Haflings, help me to my closet. Ah!

Poor Clarence! [Exeunt fome with the King and Queen.
Glo. Thefe are the fruits of rafhnefs: mark'd you not,

How that the guilty kindred of the Queen
Lock'd pale, when they did hear of Clarence' death ?