470 If I be so disgracious in your sight, Let me march on, and not offend you, madam. Strike up the drum. Dutch. I pry'thee, hear me speak. K. Rich. You speak too bitterly. For I shall never speak to thee again. K. Rich. So. Dutch. Either thou wilt die, by God's just ordinance, Ere from this war thou turn a conqueror; Or I with grief and extreme age shall perish, And there the little souls of Edward's children And promise them success and victory! Bloody thou art, bloody will be thy end; 480 Shame serves thy life, and doth thy death attend. 490 [Exit. Queen. Though far more cause, yet much less spi rit to curse Abides in me; I say amen to her. [Going. K. Rich. Stay, madam, I must speak a word with you. Queen. I have no more sons of the royal blood For thee to murder: for my daughters, Richard— They shall be praying nuns, not weeping queens; And And therefore level not to hit their lives. K. Rich. You have a daughter call'd-Elizabeth, Virtuous and fair, royal and gracious. 499 Queen. And must she die for this? O, let her live, So she may live unscarr'd of bleeding slaughter, K. Rich. Wrong not her birth, she is of royal blood. Queen. To save her life, I'll say-she is not so. posite. 510 Queen. No, to their lives bad friends were contrary. K. Rich. All unavoided is the doom of destiny. Queen. True, when avoided grace makes destiny: My babes were destin'd to a fairer death, If grace had bless'd thee with a fairer life. K. Rich. You speak, as if that I had slain my cousins. Queen. Cousins, indeed; and by their uncle cozen'd No doubt the murderous knife was dull and blunt, 520 But But that still use of grief makes wild grief tame, K. Rich. Madam, so thrive I in my enterprize, 530 And dangerous success of bloody wars, As I intend more good to you and your's, Than ever you or your's by me were harm'd! ven, To be discover'd, that can do me good ? K. Rich. The advancement of your children, gentle lady. Queen. Up to some scaffold, there to lose their heads. K. Rich. No, to the dignity and height of fortune, The high imperial type of this earth's glory. Queen. Flatter my sorrows with report of it; 540 Tell me, what state, what dignity, what honour, Canst thou demise to any child of mine? K. Rich. Even all I have; ay, and myself and all, Will I withal endow a child of thine; So in the Lethe of thy angry soul Thou drown the sad remembrance of those wrongs, Which, thou supposest, I have done to thee. Queen. Be brief, lest that the process of thy kind ness Last longer telling than thy kindness' date. K. Rich. K. Rich. Then know, that, from my soul, I love thy daughter. 550 Queen. My daughter's mother thinks it with her soul. K. Rich. What do you think? Queen. That thou dost love my daughter, from thy soul: So, from thy soul's love, didst thou love her brothers; K, Rich. Even he, that makes her queen; Who else should be? Queen. What, thou? 560 K. Rich. I, even I: What think you of it, madam? Queen. How canst thou woo her? K. Rich. That I would learn of you, As one being best acquainted with her humour. K. Rich. Madam, with all my heart. Queen. Send to her, by the man that slew her bro A pair of bleeding hearts; thereon engrave, 569 And And bid her wipe her weeping eyes withal. 579 Tell her, thou mad'st away her uncle Clarence, Queen. There is no other way; Unless thou could'st put on some other shape, K. Rich. Say, that I did all this for love of her? Queen. Nay, then indeed, she cannot choose but hate thee, Having bought love with such a bloody spoil. K. Rich. Look, what is done, cannot be now amended: Men shall deal unadvisedly sometimes, To quicken your increase, I will beget 590 Even of your mettle, of your very blood; 600 Your |