For God doth know, and you may partly fee,
How far I am from the defire of this.

Mayor. God bless your grace, we see it, and will fay it.

Glo. In faying fo, you fhall but fay the truth. Buck. Then I falute you with this royal title, Long live King Richard, England's worthy King.

All. Amen.

Buck. To-morrow may it please you to be

crown'd?

Glo. Ev'n when you pleafe, for you will have

it fo.

Buck. To-morrow then we will attend your Grace,

And fo moft joyfully we take our leave.

Glo. Come, let us to our holy work again. Farewel my coufin, farewel gentle friends.

[Exeunt.

ACT

ACT IV. SCENE I.

The TOWE R.

Enter the Queen, Anne Dutchess of Gloucefter, the Dutchess of York, and Marquess of Dorfet.

W

HO

DUTCHESS.

meets us here? my neice Planta-
genet,

Led in the hand of her kind aunt of
Glo'fter?

Now, for my life, fhe's wandring to
the Tower,

On pure heart's love, to greet the tender Prince,
Daughter, well met.

Anne. God give your Graces both
A happy and a joyful time of day.

Queen. Sifter, well met ;

whither away fo fast?

Anne. No farther than the Tower, and as I guess,

Upon the like devotion as your felves,

To gratulate the gentle Princes there.

Queen. Kind fifter thanks, we'll enter all together.

Enter the Lieutenant. ·

And in good time here the Lieutenant comes.
Master Lieutenant, pray you, by your leave,
How doth the Prince, and my young fon of York?
Lieu. Right well, dear madam; by your patience,
I may not fuffer you to vifit them;

The King hath strictly charg'd the contrary.

Queen.

1

Queen. The King? who's that?

Lieu. I mean the Lord Protector.

Queen. The Lord protect him from that kingly

title.

Hath he fet bounds between their love and me?
I am their mother, who fhall bar me from them?
Dutch. I am their father's mother, I will fee them.
Anne. Their aunt I am in law, in love their mother :
Then bring me to their fights, I'll bear thy blame,
And take thy office from thee on my peril.

Lieu. No, madam, no, I may not leave it fo:
I'm bound by oath, and therefore pardon me.

Enter Stanley.

[Exit Lieu

Stan. Let me but meet you ladies one hour hence,
And I'll falute your grace of York as mother
And rev'rend looker on of two fair Queens.
Come madam, you must strait to Westminster,
There to be crowned Richard's royal Queen.
Queen. Ah, cut my lace afander,

That my pent heart may have fome fcope to beat,
Or elfe I fwoon with this dead-killing news.

Anne. Defpightful tidings, O unpleafing news!
Dor. Be of good chear: mother how fares yout
grace!

Queen. O Dorfet, fpeak not to me, get thee hence,

Death and deftruction dog thee at thy heels,
Thy mother's name is ominous to children.
If thou wilt outstrip death, go cross the seas,
And live with Richmond from the reach of hell.
Go hye thee, hye thee from this flaughter-house,
Left thou increase the number of the dead,
And make me die the thrall of Margret's curfe,
Nor mother, wife, nor England's counted Queen.
Stan. Full of wife care is this your counfel, madam;
Take all the swift advantage of the time;
You shall have letters from me to my fon

In your behalf, to meet you on the way:
Be not ta'en tardy by unwife delay.

Dutch. O ill difperfing wind of mifery,
O my accurfed womb, the bed of death :
A cockatrice hast thou hatch'd to the world,
Whofe unavoided eye is murtherous.

Stan. Come, madam, come, I in all hafte was fent.

Anne. And I with all unwillingness will go.
O would to God, that the inclufive verge
Of golden metal that must round brow,
Were red-hot fteel, to fear me to the brain.
Anointed let me be with deadly venom,
And die, e'er men can fay, God fave the Queen:
Queen. Go, go, poor foul, I envy not thy glory;
To feed my humour wish thy felf no harm.

Anne. No! why? when he that is my husband

now,

Came to me, as I follow'd Henry's coarse ;

When fcarce the blood was well wafh'd from his hands,

Which iffu'd from my other angel husband,

And that dear Saint, which then I weeping follow'd: O when, I fay, I look'd on Richard's face,

This was my wifh; be thou, quoth I, accurs'd,
< For making me, fo young, fo old a widow :
And when thou wed'ft, let forrow haunt thy bed;
And be thy wife, if any be fo mad,

• More miferable by the life of thee,

⚫ Than thou haft made me, by my dear lord's death.
I.oe, e'er I can repeat this curse again,

Within fo fmall a time, my woman's heart
Grofly grew captive to his honey words,

from reft.

And prov'd the fubject of mine own foul's curfe:
Which ever fince hath held mine eyes
For never yet one hour in his bed
Did I enjoy the golden dew of fleep,
But with his tim'rous dreams was ftill awak'd.
Befides, he hates me for my father Warwick,
And will, no doubt, fhortly be rid of me.

Queen:

Queen. Poor heart, adieu, I pity thy complaining. Anne. No more than with my foul I mourn for yours.

Dor. Farewel, thou woful welcomer of glory.

Anne. Adieu, poor soul, that tak'ft thy leave of it. Dutch. Go thou to Richmond, and good fortune guide

thee!

[To Dorfet.

Go thou to Richard, and good angels tend thee!

[To Anne.

Go thou to Sanctuary, good thoughts poffefs thee!

<

[To the Queen. I to my Grave, where peace and reft lye with me! Eighty odd years of forrow have I feen,

And each hour's joy wrack'd with a week of anguish. Queen. Stay; yet look back, with me, unto the

Tower.

walls!

Pity, you ancient ftones, those tender babes
Whom envy hath immur'd within your
Rough cradle for fuch little pretty ones!
Rude ragged nurfe! old fullen play-fellow,
For tender Princes; use my babies well!
So foolish forrow bids your ftones farewel.

[Exeunt.

SCENE II.

The Court.

Flourish of trumpets. Enter Gloucester as King, Buckingham, Catesby.

K. Rich.TAND all apart coufin of Bucking

.ST

ham

Buck. My gracious Soveraign!

K. Rich. Give me thy hand. Thus high, by thy
advice,

And thy affiftance, is King Richard feated:
But fhall we wear thefe glories for a day?
Or fhall they laft, and we rejoice in them?

Q4

Buck