The trumpets sound. Enter young Prince ⌜Edward,⌝
⌜Richard Duke of⌝ Gloucester, Buckingham,
⌜the⌝ Cardinal, ⌜Catesby,⌝ and others.BUCKINGHAM Welcome, sweet prince, to London, to your chamber.RICHARD, ⌜to Prince⌝ Welcome, dear cousin, my thoughts’ sovereign. The weary way hath made you melancholy.PRINCE No, uncle, but our crosses on the way5 Have made it tedious, wearisome, and heavy. I want more uncles here to welcome me.RICHARD Sweet prince, the untainted virtue of your years Hath not yet dived into the world’s deceit; Nor more can you distinguish of a man10 Than of his outward show, which, God He knows, Seldom or never jumpeth with the heart. Those uncles which you want were dangerous. Your Grace attended to their sugared words But looked not on the poison of their hearts.15 God keep you from them, and from such false friends.
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PRINCE God keep me from false friends, but they were none.RICHARD My lord, the Mayor of London comes to greet you.Enter Lord Mayor ⌜with others.⌝MAYOR God bless your Grace with health and happy days.PRINCE 20 I thank you, good my lord, and thank you all.— I thought my mother and my brother York Would long ere this have met us on the way. Fie, what a slug is Hastings that he comes not To tell us whether they will come or no!Enter Lord Hastings.BUCKINGHAM 25 And in good time here comes the sweating lord.PRINCE Welcome, my lord. What, will our mother come?HASTINGS On what occasion God He knows, not I, The Queen your mother and your brother York Have taken sanctuary. The tender prince30 Would fain have come with me to meet your Grace, But by his mother was perforce withheld.BUCKINGHAM Fie, what an indirect and peevish course Is this of hers!—Lord Cardinal, will your Grace Persuade the Queen to send the Duke of York35 Unto his princely brother presently?— If she deny, Lord Hastings, go with him, And from her jealous arms pluck him perforce.CARDINAL My lord of Buckingham, if my weak oratory
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Can from his mother win the Duke of York,40 Anon expect him here; but if she be obdurate To mild entreaties, God in heaven forbid We should infringe the holy privilege Of blessèd sanctuary! Not for all this land Would I be guilty of so deep a sin.BUCKINGHAM 45 You are too senseless obstinate, my lord, Too ceremonious and traditional. Weigh it but with the grossness of this age, You break not sanctuary in seizing him. The benefit thereof is always granted50 To those whose dealings have deserved the place And those who have the wit to claim the place. This prince hath neither claimed it nor deserved it And therefore, in mine opinion, cannot have it. Then taking him from thence that is not there,55 You break no privilege nor charter there. Oft have I heard of sanctuary men, But sanctuary children, never till now.CARDINAL My lord, you shall o’errule my mind for once.— Come on, Lord Hastings, will you go with me?HASTINGS 60I go, my lord.PRINCE Good lords, make all the speedy haste you may.[The Cardinal and Hastings exit.] Say, uncle Gloucester, if our brother come, Where shall we sojourn till our coronation?RICHARD Where it seems best unto your royal self.65 If I may counsel you, some day or two Your Highness shall repose you at the Tower; Then where you please and shall be thought most fit For your best health and recreation.
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PRINCE I do not like the Tower, of any place.—70 Did Julius Caesar build that place, my lord?BUCKINGHAM He did, my gracious lord, begin that place, Which, since, succeeding ages have re-edified.PRINCE Is it upon record, or else reported Successively from age to age, he built it?BUCKINGHAM 75Upon record, my gracious lord.PRINCE But say, my lord, it were not registered, Methinks the truth should live from age to age, As ’twere retailed to all posterity, Even to the general all-ending day.RICHARD, ⌜aside⌝ 80 So wise so young, they say, do never live long.PRINCE What say you, uncle?RICHARD I say, without characters fame lives long. ⌜Aside.⌝ Thus, like the formal Vice, Iniquity, I moralize two meanings in one word.PRINCE 85 That Julius Caesar was a famous man. With what his valor did enrich his wit, His wit set down to make his [valor] live. Death makes no conquest of this conqueror, For now he lives in fame, though not in life.90 I’ll tell you what, my cousin Buckingham—BUCKINGHAM What, my gracious lord?PRINCE An if I live until I be a man, I’ll win our ancient right in France again Or die a soldier, as I lived a king.RICHARD, ⌜aside⌝ 95 Short summers lightly have a forward spring.
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Enter young ⌜Duke of⌝ York, Hastings, ⌜and the⌝
Cardinal.BUCKINGHAM Now in good time here comes the Duke of York.PRINCE Richard of York, how fares our loving brother?YORK Well, my dread lord—so must I call you now.PRINCE Ay, brother, to our grief, as it is yours.100 Too late he died that might have kept that title, Which by his death hath lost much majesty.RICHARD How fares our cousin, noble lord of York?YORK I thank you, gentle uncle. O my lord, You said that idle weeds are fast in growth.105 The Prince my brother hath outgrown me far.RICHARD He hath, my lord.YORK And therefore is he idle?RICHARD O my fair cousin, I must not say so.YORK Then he is more beholding to you than I.RICHARD 110 He may command me as my sovereign, But you have power in me as in a kinsman.YORK I pray you, uncle, give me this dagger.RICHARD My dagger, little cousin? With all my heart.PRINCE A beggar, brother?YORK 115 Of my kind uncle, that I know will give, And being but a toy, which is no grief to give.
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RICHARD A greater gift than that I’ll give my cousin.YORK A greater gift? O, that’s the sword to it.RICHARD Ay, gentle cousin, were it light enough.YORK 120 O, then I see you will part but with light gifts. In weightier things you’ll say a beggar nay.RICHARD It is too heavy for your Grace to wear.YORK I weigh it lightly, were it heavier.RICHARD What, would you have my weapon, little lord?YORK 125 I would, that I might thank you as you call me.RICHARD How?YORK Little.PRINCE My lord of York will still be cross in talk. Uncle, your Grace knows how to bear with him.YORK 130 You mean, to bear me, not to bear with me.— Uncle, my brother mocks both you and me. Because that I am little, like an ape, He thinks that you should bear me on your shoulders.BUCKINGHAM, ⌜aside⌝ 135 With what a sharp-provided wit he reasons! To mitigate the scorn he gives his uncle, He prettily and aptly taunts himself. So cunning and so young is wonderful.RICHARD, ⌜to Prince⌝ My lord, will ’t please you pass along?
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140 Myself and my good cousin Buckingham Will to your mother, to entreat of her To meet you at the Tower and welcome you.YORK, ⌜to Prince⌝ What, will you go unto the Tower, my lord?PRINCE My Lord Protector needs will have it so.YORK 145 I shall not sleep in quiet at the Tower.RICHARD Why, what should you fear?YORK Marry, my uncle Clarence’ angry ghost. My grandam told me he was murdered there.PRINCE I fear no uncles dead.RICHARD 150Nor none that live, I hope.PRINCE An if they live, I hope I need not fear. ⌜To York.⌝ But come, my lord. With a heavy heart, Thinking on them, go I unto the Tower.[A sennet. Prince ⌜Edward, the Duke of⌝ York,
⌜and⌝ Hastings exit. Richard, Buckingham,
and Catesby remain.]BUCKINGHAM, ⌜to Richard⌝ Think you, my lord, this little prating York155 Was not incensèd by his subtle mother To taunt and scorn you thus opprobriously?RICHARD No doubt, no doubt. O, ’tis a parlous boy, Bold, quick, ingenious, forward, capable. He is all the mother’s, from the top to toe.BUCKINGHAM 160 Well, let them rest.—Come hither, Catesby. Thou art sworn as deeply to effect what we intend As closely to conceal what we impart. Thou knowest our reasons, urged upon the way.
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What thinkest thou? Is it not an easy matter165 To make William Lord Hastings of our mind For the installment of this noble duke In the seat royal of this famous isle?CATESBY He, for his father’s sake, so loves the Prince That he will not be won to aught against him.BUCKINGHAM 170 What think’st thou then of Stanley? Will not he?CATESBY He will do all in all as Hastings doth.BUCKINGHAM Well then, no more but this: go, gentle Catesby, And, as it were far off, sound thou Lord Hastings How he doth stand affected to our purpose175 And summon him tomorrow to the Tower To sit about the coronation. If thou dost find him tractable to us, Encourage him and tell him all our reasons. If he be leaden, icy, cold, unwilling,180 Be thou so too, and so break off the talk, And give us notice of his inclination; For we tomorrow hold divided councils, Wherein thyself shalt highly be employed.RICHARD Commend me to Lord William. Tell him, Catesby,185 His ancient knot of dangerous adversaries Tomorrow are let blood at Pomfret Castle, And bid my lord, for joy of this good news, Give Mistress Shore one gentle kiss the more.BUCKINGHAM Good Catesby, go effect this business soundly.CATESBY 190 My good lords both, with all the heed I can.RICHARD Shall we hear from you, Catesby, ere we sleep?
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CATESBY You shall, my lord.RICHARD At Crosby House, there shall you find us both.Catesby exits.BUCKINGHAM Now, my lord, what shall we do if we perceive195 Lord Hastings will not yield to our complots?RICHARD Chop off his head. Something we will determine. And look when I am king, claim thou of me The earldom of Hereford, and all the movables Whereof the King my brother was possessed.BUCKINGHAM 200 I’ll claim that promise at your Grace’s hand.RICHARD And look to have it yielded with all kindness. Come, let us sup betimes, that afterwards We may digest our complots in some form.They exit.
Richard III
