Bless'd his three sons with his victorious arm, And charged us from his soul to love each other, He little thought of this divided friendship: Bid Gloucester think of this, and he will weep. First Murd. Aye, millstones; as he lesson'd us to

weep.

Clar. O, do not slander him, for he is kind.
First Murd. Right,

250

As snow in harvest. Thou deceivest thyself: "Tis he that sent us hither now to slaughter thee. Clar. It cannot be; for when I parted with him,

He hugg'd me in his arms, and swore, with sobs,
That he would labor my delivery.

Sec. Murd. Why, so he doth, now he delivers thee From this world's thraldom to the joys of heaven.

First. Murd. Make peace with God, for you must die, my lord.

Clar. Hast thou that holy feeling in thy soul,

To counsel me to make my peace with God, 260
And art thou yet to thy own soul so blind,
That thou wilt war with God by murdering me?
Ah, sirs, consider, he that set you on

To do this deed will hate you for the deed
Sec. Murd. What shall we do?

Clar.

Relent, and save your souls. First Murd. Relent! 'tis cowardly and womanish. Clar. Not to relent is beastly, savage, devilish.

246. Omitted in Ff.-I. G.

257. "this world's"; so Qq.; Ff., "this earth's.”—I. G.

265. "Relent! 'tis," etc.; Ff., "Relent? no: 'Tis," etc.; the text is due to a blending of the readings of Qq. and Ff., first suggested by Tyrwhitt (vide Note vii., Camb. ed.).-I. G.

Which of you, if you were a prince's son,
Being pent from liberty, as I am now,
If two such murderers as yourselves came to

you,

Would not entreat for life?

My friend, I spy some pity in thy looks;
O, if thine eye be not a flatterer,

Come thou on my side, and entreat for me, As you would beg, were you in my distress: A begging prince what beggar pities not? Sec. Murd. Look behind you, my lord.

270

First Murd. Take that, and that: if all this will not do,

[Stabs him. I'll drown you in the malmsey-butt within.

[Exit with the body.

Sec. Murd. A bloody deed, and desperately dispatch'd!

280

How fain, like Pilate, would I wash my hands
Of this most grievous guilty murder done!

Re-enter First Murderer.

First Murd. How now! what mean'st thou, that thou help'st me not?

By heavens, the duke shall know how slack thou art!

Sec. Murd. I would he knew that I had saved his

brother!

Take thou the fee, and tell him what I say;

For I repent me that the duke is slain. [Exit.

281. "like Pilate"; cp. Matthew xxvii. 24.-I. G.

282, "grievous guilty murder done"; so Q.; Ff., “grievous murther."-I. G.

290

First. Murd. So do not I: go, coward as thou art.
Now must I hide his body in some hole,
Until the duke take order for his burial:
And when I have my meed, I must away;
For this will out, and here I must not stay.

[Exit.

290. "Until the duke take"; so Qq.; Ff., "Till that the Duke give." -I. G.

292. The duke of Clarence was arraigned for treason before the parliament, convicted, and sentence of death passed upon him. This was in February, 1478, and a few days later it was announced that he had died in the Tower. So that this first act of the play embraces a period of nearly seven years, the death of King Henry having occurred in May, 1471. The manner of Clarence' death has never been ascertained. It was generally attributed to the machinations of Richard. Holinshed says,-"About this season, the sparke of privie malice was newlie kindled betwixt the king and his brother the duke of Clarence, insomuch that finallie the duke was cast into the Tower, and therewith adjudged for a traitor, and privilie drowned in a butt of malmsie." And Sir Thomas More has the following touching Richard: "Some wise men weene that his drift, covertlie conveied, lacked not in helping foorth his brother Clarence to his death. And they thinke that he long time in king Edwards life forethought to be king; in case that the king his brother, whose life he looked that evill diet should shorten, should happen to deceasse while his children were yoong. And they deeme that for this intent he was glad of Clarence' death, whose life must needs have hindered him so intending, whether the duke had kept him true to his nephue the yoong king, or enterprised to be king himselfe. But of all this point there is no certaintie, and whoso divineth upon conjectures, maie as well shoot too farre as too short." There was a fierce grudge between the dukes, growing out of their rapacity towards the Warwick estates.-H. N. H.

ACT SECOND

SCENE I

London. The palace.

Flourish. Enter King Edward sick, Queen Elizabeth, Dorset, Rivers, Hastings, Buckingham, Grey, and others.

K. Edw. Why, so: 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 soul shall part to heaven, Since I have set my friends at peace on earth. Rivers and Hastings, take each other's hand; Dissemble not your hatred, swear your love. Riv. By heaven, my soul is purged from grudging hate:

11

And with my hand I seal my true heart's love. Hast. So thrive I, as I truly swear the like! K. Edw. Take heed you dally not before your king;

5. "now in peace"; so Qq.; Ff. read, “more to peace.”—I. G. 7. "Rivers and Hastings"; so Qq.; Ff. read, "Dorset and Rivers." -I. G.

8. "Dissemble," that is, do not merely cloak and conceal your illwill, but eradicate it altogether, and swear to love each other.”— H. N. H.

Lest he that is the supreme King of kings
Confound your hidden falsehood, and award
Either of you to be the other's end.

Hast. So prosper I, as I swear perfect love!
Riv. And I, as I love Hastings with my heart!
K. Edw. Madam, yourself are not exempt in this,
Nor your son Dorset; Buckingham, nor you;

You have been factious one against the other. 20
Wife, love Lord Hastings, let him kiss your
hand;

And what you do, do it unfeignedly.

Q. Eliz. Here, Hastings; I will never more remember

Our former hatred, so thrive I and mine! K. Edw. Dorset, embrace him; Hastings, love lord marquess.

Dor. This interchange of love, I here protest,
Upon my part shall be unviolable.

Hast. And so swear I, my lord. [They embrace. K. Edw. Now, princely Buckingham, seal thou this league

With thy embracements to my wife's allies, 30
And make me happy in your unity.

Buck. [To the Queen] Whenever Buckingham doth turn his hate

On you or yours, but with all duteous love
Doth cherish you and yours, God punish me
With hate in those where I expect most love!
When I have most need to employ a friend,
And most assured that he is a friend,

33. "On you or yours"; the reading of Qq.; Ff. read, "Vpon your Grace."-I. G.