| ACT IV. | |
| SCENE I. London. Before the Tower | |
| [Enter, on one side, QUEEN ELIZABETH, DUCHESS of YORK, and |
| MARQUIS of DORSET; on the other, ANNE DUCHESS of GLOSTER, | |
| leading LADY MARGARET PLANTAGENET, CLARENCE's young daughter.] |
| DUCHESS. | |
| Who meets us here?--my niece Plantagenet, |
| Led in the hand of her kind aunt of Gloster? |
| Now, for my life, she's wandering 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 ELIZABETH. | |
| As much to you, good sister! Whither away? |
| ANNE. | |
| No farther than the Tower; and, as I guess, |
| Upon the like devotion as yourselves, |
| To gratulate the gentle princes there. |
| QUEEN ELIZABETH. | |
| Kind sister, thanks; we'll enter all together:-- |
| And in good time, here the lieutenant comes. |
| [Enter BRAKENBURY.] |
| Master Lieutenant, pray you, by your leave, |
| How doth the prince, and my young son of York? |
| BRAKENBURY. | |
| Right well, dear madam. By your patience, |
| I may not suffer you to visit them. |
| The king hath strictly charg'd the contrary. |
| QUEEN ELIZABETH. | |
| The king! who's that? |
| BRAKENBURY. | |
| I mean the lord protector. |
| QUEEN ELIZABETH. | |
| The Lord protect him from that kingly title! |
| Hath he set bounds between their love and me? |
| I am their mother; who shall bar me from them? |
| DUCHESS. | |
| I am their father's mother; I will see them. |
| ANNE. | |
| Their aunt I am in law, in love their mother: |
| Then bring me to their sights; I'll bear thy blame, |
| And take thy office from thee on my peril. |
| BRAKENBURY. | |
| No, madam, no,--I may not leave it so: |
| I am bound by oath, and therefore pardon me. |
| [Exit.] |
| [Enter STANLEY.] |
| STANLEY. | |
| Let me but meet you, ladies, one hour hence, |
| And I'll salute your grace of York as mother |
| And reverend looker-on of two fair queens.-- |
| [To the DUCHESS OF GLOSTER.] |
| Come, madam, you must straight to Westminster, |
| There to be crowned Richard's royal queen. |
| QUEEN ELIZABETH. | |
| Ah, cut my lace asunder, |
| That my pent heart may have some scope to beat, |
| Or else I swoon with this dead-killing news! |
| ANNE. | |
| Despiteful tidings! O unpleasing news! |
| DORSET. | |
| Be of good cheer: mother, how fares your grace? |
| QUEEN ELIZABETH. | |
| O Dorset, speak not to me, get thee gone! |
| Death and destruction dogs thee at thy heels; |
| Thy mother's name is ominous to children. |
| If thou wilt outstrip death, go cross the seas, |
| And live with Richmond, from the reach of hell: |
| Go, hie thee, hie thee from this slaughter-house, |
| Lest thou increase the number of the dead; |
| And make me die the thrall of Margaret's curse, |
| Nor mother, wife, nor England's counted queen. |
| STANLEY. | |
| Full of wise care is this your counsel, madam.-- |
| Take all the swift advantage of the hours; |
| You shall have letters from me to my son |
| In your behalf, to meet you on the way: |
| Be not ta'en tardy by unwise delay. |
| DUCHESS. | |
| O ill-dispersing wind of misery!-- |
| O my accursed womb, the bed of death! |
| A cockatrice hast thou hatch'd to the world, |
| Whose unavoided eye is murderous. |
| STANLEY. | |
| Come, madam, come; I in all haste was sent. |
| ANNE. | |
| And I with all unwillingness will go.-- |
| O, would to God that the inclusive verge |
| Of golden metal that must round my brow |
| Were red-hot steel, to sear me to the brain ! |
| Anointed let me be with deadly venom, |
| And die ere men can say God save the queen! |
| QUEEN ELIZABETH. | |
| Go, go, poor soul; I envy not thy glory; |
| To feed my humour, wish thyself no harm. |
| ANNE. | |
| No, why?--When he that is my husband now |
| Came to me, as I follow'd Henry's corse; |
| When scarce the blood was well wash'd from his hands |
| Which issued from my other angel husband, |
| And that dear saint which then I weeping follow'd; |
| O, when, I say, I look'd on Richard's face, |
| This was my wish,--"Be thou," quoth I, "accurs'd |
| For making me, so young, so old a widow! |
| And when thou wedd'st, let sorrow haunt thy bed; |
| And be thy wife,--if any be so mad,-- |
| More miserable by the life of thee |
| Than thou hast made me by my dear lord's death!" |
| Lo, ere I can repeat this curse again, |
| Within so small a time, my woman's heart |
| Grossly grew captive to his honey words, |
| And prov'd the subject of mine own soul's curse,-- |
| Which hitherto hath held my eyes from rest; |
| For never yet one hour in his bed |
| Did I enjoy the golden dew of sleep, |
| But with his timorous dreams was still awak'd. |
| Besides, he hates me for my father Warwick; |
| And will, no doubt, shortly be rid of me. |
| QUEEN ELIZABETH. | |
| Poor heart, adieu! I pity thy complaining. |
| ANNE. | |
| No more than with my soul I mourn for yours. |
| DORSET. | |
| Farewell, thou woeful welcomer of glory! |
| ANNE. | |
| Adieu, poor soul, that tak'st thy leave of it! |
| DUCHESS. | |
| [To DORSET.] |
| Go thou to Richmond, and good fortune guide thee!-- |
| [To ANNE.] |
| Go thou to Richard, and good angels tend thee!-- |
| [To QUEEN ELIZABETH.] |
| Go thou to sanctuary, and good thoughts possess thee! |
| I to my grave, where peace and rest lie with me! |
| Eighty odd years of sorrow have I seen, |
| And each hour's joy wreck'd with a week of teen. |
| QUEEN ELIZABETH. | |
| Stay yet, look back with me unto the Tower.-- |
| Pity, you ancient stones, those tender babes |
| Whom envy hath immur'd within your walls! |
| Rough cradle for such little pretty ones! |
| Rude ragged nurse, old sullen playfellow |
| For tender princes, use my babies well! |
| So foolish sorrows bids your stones farewell. |
| [Exeunt.] |