Hast. I tell thee, man, 'tis better with me now, Purs. God hold it, to your honour's good content! Purs. I thank your honour. Enter a PRIEST. [Throwing him his purse. [Exit PURSUIVANT. Pr. Well met, my lord; I am glad to see your honour. Enter BUCKINGHAM. Buck. What, talking with a priest, lord chamberlain ? Hast. 'Good faith, and when I met this holy man. What, go you toward the Tower ? Buck. I do, my lord; but long I cannot stay there: I shall return before your lordship thence. Hast. Nay, like enough, for I stay dinner there. Buck. And supper too, although thou know'st it not. [Aside. Come, will you go? Hast. I'll wait upon your lordship. SCENE III-Pomfret. Before the Castle. [Exeunt. Enter RATCLIFF, with a guard, conducting RIVERS, GREY, and VAUGHAN, to Execution. Rat. Come, bring forth the prisoners. Riv. Sir Richard Ratcliff, let me tell thee this, To-day shalt thou behold a subject die, For truth, for duty, and for loyalty. Grey. God keep the prince from all the pack of you! A knot you are of damned blood-suckers. Vaugh. You live, that shall cry woe for this hereafter. Rat. Despatch; the limit of your lives is out. Riv. O Pomfret, Pomfret! O thou bloody prison. Fatal and ominous to noble peers! Within the guilty closure of thy walls, Richard the second here was hack'd to death: Confession. And, for more slander to thy dismal seat, We give thee up our guiltless blood to drink. Grey. Now Margaret's curse is fallen upon our heads, When she exclaim'd on Hastings, you and I, For standing by when Richard stabb'd her son. Riv. Then cursed she Hastings, then cursed she Buckingham, Then cursed she Richard :-O, remember, God, To hear her prayers for them, as now for us! * Riv. Come, Grey,-come, Vaughan,-let us here embrace: Farewell, until we meet again in heaven. SCENE IV-London. A Room in the Tower. [Exeunt. BUCKINGHAM, STANLEY, HASTINGS, the Bishop of ELY, CATESBY, LOVEL, and others, sitting at a table: Officers of the Council attending. Hast. Now, noble peers, the cause why we are met Is-to determine of the coronation : In God's name, speak, when is the royal day? Buck. Are all things ready for that royal time? Buck. Who knows the lord protector's mind herein ? Who is most inward with the noble duke ? Ely. Your grace, we think, should soonest know his mind. He knows no more of mine, than I of yours; Nor I, of his, my lord, than you of mine: Lord Hastings, you and he are near in love. Hast. I thank his grace, I know he loves me well, Enter GLOSTER. Ely. In happy time here comes the duke himself. Glo. My noble lords and cousins, all, good morrow: I have been long a sleeper; but, I trust, My absence doth neglect no great design, Which by my presence might have been concluded. * Completed. Intimate. + Naming the day. In the nick of time William lord Hastings had pronounced your part, I mean your voice,-for crowning of the king. Glo. Than my lord Hastings no man might be bolder; His lordship knows me well, and loves me well.— My lord of Ely, when I was last in Holborn, I saw good strawberries in your garden there; I do beseech you send for some of them. Ely. Marry, and will, my lord, with all my heart. [Exit ELY. Glo. Cousin of Buckingham, a word with you. [Takes him aside. Catesby hath sounded Hastings in our business; Buck. Withdraw yourself awhile, I'll go with you. [Exeunt GLOSTER and BUCKINGHAM. Stan. We have not yet set down this day of triumph. To-morrow, in my judgment, is too sudden; For I myself am not so well provided, As else I would be, were the day prolong'd. Re-enter Bishop of ELY. Ely. Where is my lord protector? I have sent for these straw. berries. Hast. His grace looks cheerfully and smooth this morning; There's some conceit* or other likes him well, When he doth bid good morrow with such spirit. Can lesser hide his love, or hate, than he; For by his face straight shall ye know his heart. Hast. Marry, that with no man here he is offended; Re-enter GLOSTER and BUCKINGHAM. Glo. I pray you all, tell me what they deserve, Hast. The tender love I bear your grace, my lord, I say, my lord, they have deserved death. Glo. Then be your eyes the witness of their evil, And this is Edward's wife, that monstrous witch, Consorted with that harlot strumpet Shore, Hast. If they have done this deed, my noble lord,- Off with his head :-now, by Saint Paul I swear, Lovel, and Catesby, look that it be done; The rest that love me, rise, and follow me. [Exeunt Council, with GLOSTER and BUCKINGHAM. Hast. Woe, woe, for England! not a whit for me; For I, too fond, might have prevented this: Stanley did dream, the boar did rase his helm; Three times to-day my foot-cloth horse did stumble, Cate. Despatch, my lord, the duke would be at dinner; Hast. O momentary grace of mortal men, Which we more hunt for than the grace of God! Ready, with every nod, to tumble down Lov. Come, come, despatch; tis bootless to exclaim. I prophesy the fearful'st time to thee, Come, lead me to the block, bear him my head; SCENE V-The same. The Tower-walls. [Exeunt. Enter GLOSTER and BUCKINGHAM, in rusty armour, marvellous ill-favoured. Glo. Come, cousin, canst thou quake, and change thy colour? Murder thy breath in middle of a word, And then again begin, and stop again, As if thou wert distraught, and mad with terror? Buck. Tut, I can counterfeit the deep tragedian; Speak, and look back, and pry on every side, Intending deep suspicion: ghastly looks At any time, to grace my stratagems. Glo. He is; and, see, he brings the mayor along. Enter the LORD MAYOR and CATESBY. Buck. Let me alone to entertain him.-Lord mayor,Glo. Look to the draw-bridge there. Buck. Hark, hark! a drum. Glo. Catesby, o'erlook the walls. Buck. Lord mayor, the reason we have sent for you,Glo. Look back, defend thee, here are enemies. Buck. God and our innocence defend and guard us! Enter LOVEL and RATCLIFF, with HASTINGS' head. Glo. So dear I loved the man, that I must weep. So smooth he daub'd his vice with show of virtue, I mean, his conversation with Shore's wife, He lived from all attainder of suspect. Buck. Well, well, he was the covert'st shelter'd traitor That ever lived.-Look you, my lord mayor, Would you imagine, or almost believe To murder me, and my good lord of Gloster? Glo. What! think you we are Turks, or infidels ? Or that we would, against the form of law, Proceed thus rashly in the villain's death; But that the extreme peril of the case, The peace of England, and our persons' safety, Enforced us to this execution ? May. Now, fair befall you! he deserved his death. And your good graces both have well proceeded, To warn false traitors from the like attempts. I never look'd for better at his hands, After he once fell in with mistress Shore. Buck. Yet had we not determined he should die, Until your lordship came to see his end; |