Shall for thy love kill a far truer love; To both their deaths shalt thou be accessary. ANNE. I would I knew thy heart. GLO. "T is figur'd in my tongue. ANNE. I fear me, both are false. GLO. Then never man was true. [She puts on the ring. GLO. Look, how my ring encompasseth thy finger, And if thy poor devoted servant may But beg one favour at thy gracious hand, Thou dost confirm his happiness for ever. ANNE. What is it? GLO. That it may please you leave these sad designs ANNE. With all my heart; and much it joys me too Tressel, and Berkley, go along with me. GLO. Bid me farewell. ANNE. But, since you teach me how to flatter you, Imagine I have said farewell already. 'T is more than you deserve: [Exeunt LADY ANNE, TRESSEL, and BERKLEY. Towards Chertsey, noble lord? GLO. Take up the corse, sirs. GENT. GLO. No, to White-Friars; there attend my coming. Was ever woman in this humour woo'd? I'll have her, but I will not keep her long. What! I, that kill'd her husband and his father, To take her in her heart's extremest hate; With curses in her mouth, tears in her eyes, The bleeding witness of her hatred by; Having God, her conscience, and these bars against me, But the plain devil, and dissembling looks, And yet to win her,—all the world to nothing! Ha! Hath she forgot already that brave prince, Edward, her lord, whom I, some three months since, Stabb'd in my angry mood at Tewksbury? A sweeter and a lovelier gentleman, Fram'd in the prodigality of nature, Young, valiant, wise, and, no doubt, right royal, The spacious world cannot again afford: And will she yet abase her eyes on me, That cropp'd the golden prime of this sweet prince, On me, whose all not equals Edward's moiety? I do mistake my person all this while: [Exit. The power of flattery on the female (perhaps the human reset, is illustrated in this scene better than anywhere else & of in in literature. Richard himself may well prised at his own success. SCENE III.-The sume. A Room in the Palace. Enter QUEEN ELIZABETH, LORD RIVERS, and LORD GREY. RIV. Have patience, madam; there's no doubt his majesty Will soon recover his accustom'd health. GREY. In that you brook it ill it makes him worse: Q. ELIZ. If he were dead, what would betide on me? Q. ELIZ. The loss of such a lord includes all harms. GREY. The Heavens have bless'd you with a goodly son, To be your comforter when he is gone. Q. ELIZ. Ah, he is young; and his minority Is put unto the trust of Richard Gloster, Enter BUCKINGHAM and STANLEY. GREY. Here come the lords of Buckingham and Stanley. STAN. God make your majesty joyful as you have been! To your good prayer will scarcely say amen. I hate not you for her proud arrogance. Bear with her weakness, which, I think, proceeds Q. ELIZ. Saw you the king to-day, my lord of Stanley? Are come from visiting his majesty. Q. ELIZ. What likelihood of his amendment, lords? Q. ELIZ. God grant him health! did you confer with him? BUCK. Ay, madam: he desires to make atonement Between the duke of Gloster and your brothers, And between them and my lord chamberlain; And sent to warn them to his royal presence. Q. ELIZ. 'Would all were well!--but that will never be. I fear our happiness is at the height. Enter GLOSTER, HASTINGS, and DORSET. GLO. They do me wrong, and I will not endure it: I must be held a rancorous enemy. Cannot a plain man live, and think no harm, By silken, sly, insinuating Jacks? GREY. To whom in all this presence speaks your grace? GLO. To thee, that hast nor honesty nor grace. When have I injur'd thee? when done thee wrong?Or thee?-or thee?-or any of your faction? A plague upon you all! His royal grace,— Whom God preserve better than you would wish!— Cannot be quiet scarce a breathing-while, But you must trouble him with lewd complaints. Q. ELIZ. Brother of Gloster, you mistake the matter: And not provok'd by any suitor else; Against my children, brothers, and myself, Makes him to send; that thereby he may gather GLO. I cannot tell;--The world is grown so bad There's many a gentle person made a Jack. Q. ELIZ. Come, come, we know your meaning, brother Gloster; You envy my advancement, and my friends'; God grant we never may have need of you! GLO. Meantime, God grants that we have need of you; Our brother is imprison'd by your means, Myself disgrac'd, and the nobility Held in contempt; while great promotions That scarce, some two days since, were worth a noble. I never did incense his majesty Against the duke of Clarence, but have been An earnest advocate to plead for him. My lord, you do me shameful injury Falsely to draw me in these vile suspects. GLO. You may deny that you were not the mean Of my lord Hastings' late imprisonment. RIV. She may, my lord; for GLO. She may, lord Rivers?-why, who knows not so? She may do more, sir, than denying that: She may help you to many fair preferments; And then deny her aiding hand therein, And lay those honours on your high desert. What may she not? She may,—ay, marry, may she,— GLO. What, marry, may she? marry with a king, I wis your grandam had a worser match. Q. ELIZ. My lord of Gloster, I have too long borne Your blunt upbraidings and your bitter scoffs: |