SCENE III.

The Palace. Enter the Queen, Lord RIVERS her Brother, and Lord GREY her Son.

Riv. Have patience, madam; there's no doubt, his

majesty

Will soon recover his accustom'd health.

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Grey. In that you brook it ill, it makes him worse : Therefore, for God's sake, entertain good comfort, And cheer his grace with quick and merry words. Queen. If he were dead; what would betide of me?

Grey. No other harm, but loss of such a lord. Queen. 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.

Queen. Ah, he is young; and his minority

Is put into the trust of Richard Gloster,
A man that loves not me, nor none of you.
Riv. Is it concluded, he shall be protector?
Queen. It is determin'd, not concluded yet :
But so it must be, if the king miscarry.

Enter BUCKINGHAM, and STANLEY.

450

Grey. Here come the lords of Buckingham and Stanley.

Buck. Good time of day unto your royal grace !

Stan.

Stan. God make your majesty joyful as you have

been l

Queen. The countess Richmond, good my lord of
Stanley,

To your good prayer will scarcely say―amen.
Yet, Stanley, notwithstanding she's your wife,
And loves not me, be you, good lord, assur'd,
I hate not you for her proud arrogance.

Stan. I do beseech you, either not believe
The envious slanders of her false accusers;
Or, if she be accus'd on true report,

460

Bear with her weakness, which, I think, proceeds From wayward sickness, and no grounded malice. Queen. Saw you the king to-day, my lord of Stanley ?

Stan. But now the duke of Buckingham, and I, Are come from visiting his majesty.

471

Queen, What likelihood of his amendment, lords? Buck. Madam, good hope; his grace speaks cheerfully.

Queen. 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.

Queen. 'Would all were well!-But that will never

be;

I fear, our happiness is at the height.

Ciij

480

Enter

Enter GLOSTER, HASTINGS, and DORSET.

Glo. They do me wrong, and I will not endure it :

Who are they, that complain unto the king,
That I, forsooth, am stern, and love them not?
By holy Paul, they love his grace but lightly,
That fill his ears with such dissentious rumours.
Because I cannot flatter, and speak fair,
Smile in men's faces, smooth, deceive, and cog,
Duck with French nods and apish courtesy,
I must be held a rancorous enemy.

Cannot a plain man live, and think no harm,
But thus his simple truth must be abus'd
By silken, sly, insinuating Jacks?

490

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. 500
Queen. Brother of Gloster, you mistake the matter :
The king of his own royal disposition,
And not provok'd by any suitor else;
Aiming, belike, at your interior hatred,
That in your outward action shews itself,
Against my children, brothers, and myself;

Makes

Makes him to send; that thereby he may gather
The ground of your ill-will, and so remove it.

Glo. I cannot tell;-The world is grown so bad, That wrens may prey where eagles dare not perch: Since every Jack became a gentleman,

There's many a gentle person made a Jack.

511

Queen. 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

Are daily given, to ennoble those

520

That scarce, some two days since, were worth a noble. Queen. By Him, that rais'd me to this careful height From that contented hap which I enjoy'd,

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 cause

Of my lord Hastings' late imprisonment.

Riv. She may, my lord; for

530

Glo. She may, lord Rivers ?-why, who knows not

so?

She may do more, sir, than denying that :

She

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
· Riv. What, marry, may she?

Glo. What, marry, may she? marry with a king, A bachelor, a handsome stripling too :

I wis, your grandam had a worser match.

540

Queen. My lord of Gloster, I have too long borne Your blunt upbraidings, and your bitter scoffs: By heaven, I will acquaint his majesty, Of those gross taunts I often have endur'd. I had rather be a country servant-maid, Than a great queen, with this conditionTo be so baited, scorn'd, and stormed at: Small joy have I in being England's queen.

Enter Queen MARGARET, behind.

Q. Mar. And lessen'd be that small, God, I beseech

thee!

Thy honour, state, and seat, is due to me.

550

Glo. What! threat you me with telling of the king?

Tell him, and spare not; look, what I have said
I will avouch in presence of the king:

I dare adventure to be sent to the Tower.
'Tis time to speak, my pains are quite forgot.

Q. Mar. Out, devil! I remember them too well : Thou kill'dst my husband Henry in the Tower, And Edward, my poor son, at Tewksbury.

Glo.