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Th' untimely fall of virtuous Lancaster.—
Poor key-cold figure of a holy king!
Pale ashes of the house of Lancaster!
Thou bloodless remnant of that royal blood!
Be it lawful that I invocate thy ghost,
To hear the lamentations of poor Anne,
Wife to thy Edward, to thy slaughter'd son,
Stabb'd by the self-same hand that made these wounds1!
Lo, in these windows, that let forth thy life,
I pour the helpless balm of my poor eyes:-
O, cursed be the hand that made these holes!
Cursed the heart, that had the heart to do it?!
Cursed the blood, that let this blood from hence!
More direful hap betide that hated wretch,
That makes us wretched by the death of thee,
Than I can wish to adders, spiders, toads3,
Or any creeping venom'd thing that lives!

If ever he have child, abortive be it,

Prodigious, and untimely brought to light,
Whose ugly and unnatural aspect

May fright the hopeful mother at the view;
And that be heir to his unhappiness*!

If ever he have wife, let her be made.
More miserable by the death of him,

Than I am made by my young lord, and thee!—

1

that made these WOUNDS!] The folio alone has "wounds," and all the quartos holes, a word to be avoided, if on no other ground, because it occurs just below.

2 that had the heart to do it!] All the quartos give the two last lines thus:

"Curst be the hand that made these fatal holes,

Curst be the heart, that had the heart to do it."

The next line is omitted in every quarto edition.

3 Than I can wish to ADDERS, spiders, toads,] The folio has wolres for “adders," but the next line shows that the reading of every quarto is right, for wolres cannot be said to be "creeping venom'd things.”

4 And that be heir to his unhappiness!] This line is wanting in every quarto.

5 MORE miserable-] The quartos have As for " More," in this line, and for "Than" at the commencement of the next. The reading of the folio is certainly preferable.

VOL. V.

A a

Come, now toward Chertsey with your holy load,
Taken from Paul's to be interred there;

And still, as you are weary of this weight,
Rest you, whiles I lament king Henry's corse.

[The Bearers take up the Corpse and advance.

Enter GLOSTER.

Glo. Stay you, that bear the corse, and set it down. Anne. What black magician conjures up this fiend, To stop devoted charitable deeds?

Glo. Villains! set down the corse; or, by Saint Paul, I'll make a corse of him that disobeys.

1 Gent. My lord, stand back, and let the coffin pass. Glo. Unmanner'd dog! stand thou when I command":

Advance thy halberd higher than my breast,
Or, by Saint Paul, I'll strike thee to my foot,
And
spurn upon thee, beggar, for thy boldness.

[The Bearers set down the Coffin.
Anne. What do you tremble? are you all afraid?
Alas! I blame you not; for you are mortal,
And mortal eyes cannot endure the devil.—
Avaunt, thou dreadful minister of hell!
Thou hadst but power over his mortal body,
His soul thou canst not have: therefore, be gone.
Glo. Sweet saint, for charity, be not so curst.
Anne. Foul devil, for God's sake, hence, and trouble
us not;

For thou hast made the happy earth thy hell,
Fill'd it with cursing cries, and deep exclaims.
If thou delight to view thy heinous deeds,
Behold this pattern of thy butcheries.-

O, gentlemen! see, see! dead Henry's wounds.

6

STAND thou when I command:] So the quarto editions, with the exception of that of 1634, which has stand'st, with the folio, 1623; although the quarto, 1634, was evidently not printed from the folio, 1623: the folio, 1632, corrects the obvious error.

Open their congeal'd mouths, and bleed afresh"!-
Blush, blush, thou lump of foul deformity,

For 'tis thy presence that exhales this blood

From cold and empty veins, where no blood dwells:
Thy deed, inhuman and unnatural,

Provokes this deluge most unnatural.—

O God, which this blood mad'st, revenge his death!
O earth, which this blood drink'st, revenge his death!
Either, heaven, with lightning strike the murderer dead,
Or, earth, gape open wide, and eat him quick,
As thou dost swallow up this good king's blood,
Which his hell-govern'd arm hath butchered!
Glo. Lady, you know no rules of charity,

Which renders good for bad, blessings for curses.
Anne. Villain, thou know'st nor law of God nor man:
No beast so fierce, but knows some touch of pity.
Glo. But I know none, and therefore am no beast.
Anne. O wonderful, when devils tell the truth!
Glo. More wonderful, when angels are so angry.-
Vouchsafe, divine perfection of a woman,

Of these supposed evils to give me leave

By circumstance but to acquit myself.

Anne. Vouchsafe, diffus'd infection of a man, For these known evils but to give me leave

By circumstance to curse thy cursed self.

Glo. Fairer than tongue can name thee, let me have Some patient leisure to excuse myself.

Anne. Fouler than heart can think thee, thou canst make

No excuse current, but to hang thyself.

Glo. By such despair, I should accuse myself.

Anne. And, by despairing, shalt thou stand excus'd; For doing worthy vengeance on thyself,

7 and bleed afresh !] Innumerable proofs might be quoted from our old writers to show the prevalence of the superstition, that the wounds of a person murdered bled afresh at the appearance of the murderer.

Of these supposed EVILS-] So the quartos: the folio, crimes; but Lady Anne, reiterating Gloster's words, repeats "evils."

That didst unworthy slaughter upon others.
Glo. Say, that I slew them not?

Anne.

Then say they were not slain":

But dead they are, and, devilish slave, by thee.

Glo. I did not kill your husband.

Anne.

Why, then he is alive.

Glo. Nay, he is dead; and slain by Edward's hand. Anne. In thy foul throat thou liest: queen Margaret

saw

Thy murderous falchion' smoking in his blood;
The which thou once didst bend against her breast,
But that thy brothers beat aside the point.

Glo. I was provoked by her sland'rous tongue,
That laid their guilt upon my guiltless shoulders.
Anne. Thou wast provoked by thy bloody mind,
That never dreamt on aught but butcheries.
Didst thou not kill this king?

Glo. I grant ye.

Anne. Dost grant me, hedge-hog? then, God grant me too,

Thou may'st be damned for that wicked deed!

O! he was gentle, mild, and virtuous.

Glo. The fitter' for the King of heaven that hath him. Anne. He is in heaven, where thou shalt never come. Glo. Let him thank me, that holp to send him thither;

For he was fitter for that place than earth.

Anne. And thou unfit for any place but hell.

Glo. Yes, one place else, if you will hear me name it. Anne. Some dungeon.

Glo. Your bed-chamber.

Then say they were not slain.] We give the reading of the folio, which better preserves the antithesis than "Why, then, they are not dead" of the quarto impressions.

Thy MURDEROUS falchion-] Thus the folio: every quarto has "bloody falchion." Steevens read the preceding line, "In thy soul's throat," against every authority.

2 The FITTER-] The folio reads, "the better;" but Gloster, just afterwards, uses "fitter" exactly in the same manner.

Anne. Il rest betide the chamber where thou liest.
Glo. So will it, madam, till I lie with you.
Anne. I hope so.

Glo.

I know so. But, gentle lady Anne,

To leave this keen encounter of our wits,

And fall something into a slower method;-
Is not the causer of the timeless deaths
Of these Plantagenets, Henry, and Edward,
As blameful as the executioner?

Anne. Thou wast the cause', and most accurs'd effect.
Glo. Your beauty was the cause of that effect;
Your beauty, that did haunt me in my sleep,
To undertake the death of all the world,

So I might live one hour in your sweet bosom.
Anne. If I thought that, I tell thee, homicide,
These nails should rend that beauty from my cheeks.
Glo. These eyes could not endure that beauty's
wreck;

You should not blemish it, if I stood by:

As all the world is cheered by the sun,

So I by that; it is my day, my life.

Anne. Black night o'ershade thy day, and death thy life!

Glo. Curse not thyself, fair creature; thou art both.
Anne. I would I were, to be reveng'd on thee.
Glo. It is a quarrel most unnatural,

To be reveng'd on him that loveth thee.

Anne. It is a quarrel just and reasonable,

To be reveng'd on him that kill'd my husband'.
Glo. He that bereft thee, lady, of thy husband,
Did it to help thee to a better husband.

2 And fall SOMETHING- -] The quarto editions read somewhat.

3 Thou WAST the cause,] The question of Gloster is in the present tense, and the quartos make Lady Anne answer in the present tense also, "Thou art the cause." Gloster's reply shows that of the folio to be the right reading.

So I might LIVE-] The quartos have rest for "live." In Gloster's next speech the quartos have, "These eyes could never endure sweet beauty's wreck," for the line in our text, which is from the folio.

5 That KILL'D my husband.] The quartos read, slew.

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