You fay, that Edward is your brother's fon;
So fay we too, but not by Edward's wife,
For firft was he contract to lady Lucy,
Your mother lives a witnefs to that Vow;
And afterward by Subftitute betroth'd
To Bona, filter to the King of France.
These both put off, a poor Petitioner,
A care-craz'd mother of a many children,
A beauty waining, and diftreffed Widow,
Ev'n in the afternoon of her best days,
Made prize and purchase of his wanton eye;
Seduc'd the pitch and height of all his thoughts
To bafe declenfion and loath'd bigamy.
By her, in his unlawful bed, he got

This Edward, whom our manners call the Prince.
More bitterly could I expoftulate,

Save that, for reverence of fome alive,

I give a fparing limit to my tongue.

Then, good my Lord, take to your royal felf
This proffer'd benefit of Dignity,

If not to blefs Us and the Land withal,
Yet to draw forth your noble Ancestry.
From the corruption of abuling time,
Unto a lineal, true-derived courfe.

Mayor. Do, good my Lord, your Citizens intreat

you.

Buck. Refufe not, mighty Lord, this proffer'd love, Catef. O make them joyful, grant their lawful fuit. Glo. Alas, why would you heap thefe cares on me? I am unfit for State and Majefty.

I do befeech you, take it not amiss;

I cannot, nor I will not yield to you,

Buck. If you refufe it, as, in love and zeal, Loth to depofe the Child, your brother's fon, (As well we know your tenderness of heart, And gentle, kind, effeminate remorie, Which we have noted in you to your kindred,

And

And equally, indeed, to all eftates)
Yet know, whether you accept our fuit or no,
Your brother's fon fhall never reign our King;
But we will plant fome other in the Throne,
To the difgrace and downfal of your Houfe;
And in this refolution here we leave you.

-Come, Citizens, we will intreat no more. [Exeunt. Catef. Call them again, fweet Prince, accept their fuit;

If you deny them, all the Land will rue it.

Glo. Will you inforce me to a world of cares?
-Call them again; I am not made of stone,
But penetrable to your kind entreaties ;
Albeit against my confcience and my foul.

Exit Catelby. Re-enter Buckingham, and the reft. -Coufin of Buckingham, and fage, grave men, Since you will buckle fortune on my back To bear her burden, whether I will or no, I must have patience to endure the load. But if black Scandal, or foul-fac'd Reproach, Attend the fequel of your impofition, Your meer enforcement fhall acquittance me From all the impure blots and ftains thereof. For God doth know, and you may partly fee, How far I am from the defire of this.

Mayor. God bless your Grace; we fee it, and will fay it,

Glo. In faying fo, you shall but say 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.

X 4

Glo.

Glo. [To the Clergymen.] Come let us to our holy Work again.

-Farewel, my Coufin; farewel, gentle friends. +

ACT IV.

[Exeunt,

SCENE I.

Before the Tower.

Enter the Queen, Dutchess of York, and Marquis of Dorfet, at one Door; Anne, Dutchess of Gloucefter, leading Lady Margaret Plantagenet, Clarence's young Daughter, at the other,

W

DUTCHESS.

HO meets us here?-my niece Plantagenet, Led in the hand of her kind Aunt of Glofter? Now, for my life fhe's wandring to the Tower, On pure heart's love, to greet the tender Princes. Daughter, well met.

Anne. God give your Graces both

A happy and a joyful time of day.

Queen. Sifter, well met; whither away fo faft?
Anne. No further than the Tower; and, as I guess,

To this act fhould, perhaps, be added the next fcene, fo will the coronation pafs between the acts; and there will not only be a proper interval of action, but the Conclufion will be more forçible.

• Who meets us here? my Niece

Dutchess of Glofter leads in fomebody in her hand; but there is no direction mark'd in any of the Copies, from which we can learn who it is. I have ventur'd to guess, it must be Clarence's young Daughter. The old Dutchefs of York calls her Niece, i. e. Grand daughter; as Grand children are frequently called Nephews.

THEOBALD.

Uppa

Upon the like devotion as yourselves,

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.
-Mafter 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 visit them;

The King hath strictly charg'd the contrary.
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.

Stanl. 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,

[To the Dutchess of Gloucester,

There to be crowned Richard's royal Queen.
Queen. Ah, cut my lace afunder,

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!

* I must not leave it fo.] That which you offer to take on you is, I may not fo refign my office, at your peril.

Dor.

Dor. Be of good chear. Mother how fares your 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 feas;
And live with Richmond, from the reach of hell.
Go, hye thee, hye thee from this flaughter-houfe,
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.
Stanl. Full of wife care is this your counfel, Ma-
dam.

-Take all the fwift advantage of the time;
You fhall 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 haft thou hatch'd to the world,
Whose unavoided eye is murderous.

Stanl. Come, Madam, come, I in all hafte was fent.
Anne. And I with all unwillinglefs will go.

O, 'would to God, that the inclufive verge
Of golden metal, that muft round my brow,
Were red-hot fteel, to fear me to the brain!
Anointed let me be with deadly venom,
And die, ere men can fay, God fave the Queen!
Queen. Go, go, poor foul, I envy not thy glory;
To feed my humour, with thyfelf no harm.

Anne. No! why?-When he, that is my huf band now,

Came to me, as I follow'd Henry's coarfe,

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 wish; "Be thou, quoth I, accurs'd,

"For