The Works of William Shakespeare [Cambridge Edition] [Vol. 5 of 9] · William Shakespeare
SCENE III. _The palace_.
_Riv._ To whom in all this presence speaks your grace? [fac054] _Glou._ To thee, that hast nor honesty nor grace. [fac055] When have I injured thee? when done thee wrong? Or thee? or thee? or any of your faction? [fac057] A plague upon you all! His royal person-- [fac058] Whom God preserve better than you would wish!-- [fac059] Cannot be quiet scarce a breathing-while, ·fac060· But you must trouble him with lewd complaints. _Q. Eliz._ Brother of Gloucester, you mistake the matter. The king, of his own royal disposition, [fac063] And not provoked by any suitor else; [fac064] Aiming, belike, at your interior hatred, ·fac065· Which in your outward actions shows itself [fac066] Against my kindred, brothers, and myself, [fac067] Makes him to send; that thereby he may gather [fac068] The ground of your ill-will, and so remove it. _Glou._ I cannot tell: the world is grown so bad, ·fac070· That wrens make prey where eagles dare not perch: [fac071] Since every Jack became a gentleman, There’s many a gentle person made a Jack. _Q. Eliz._ Come, come, we know your meaning, brother Gloucester; You envy my advancement and my friends’: [fac075] God grant we never may have need of you! _Glou._ Meantime, God grants that we have need of you: [fac077] Our brother is imprison’d by your means, Myself disgraced, and the nobility Held in contempt; whilst many fair promotions [fac080] Are daily given to ennoble those That scarce, some two days since, were worth a noble.
_Enter_ QUEEN MARGARET, _behind_. Small joy have I in being England’s queen. ·fac110· _Q. Mar._ And lessen’d be that small, God, I beseech thee! [fac111] Thy honour, state and seat is due to me. _Glou._ What! threat you me with telling of the king? [fac113] Tell him, and spare not: look, what I have said [fac114] I will avouch in presence of the king: [fac115] I dare adventure to be sent to the Tower. [fac116] ’Tis time to speak; my pains are quite forgot. [fac117] _Q. Mar._ Out, devil! I remember them too well: [fac118] Thou slewest my husband Henry in the Tower, [fac119] And Edward, my poor son, at Tewksbury. ·fac120· _Glou._ Ere you were queen, yea, or your husband king, [fac121] I was a pack-horse in his great affairs; A weeder out of his proud adversaries, A liberal rewarder of his friends: To royalise his blood I spilt mine own. [fac125] _Q. Mar._ Yea, and much better blood than his or thine. [fac126] _Glou._ In all which time you and your husband Grey Were factious for the house of Lancaster; And, Rivers, so were you. Was not your husband [fac129] In Margaret’s battle at Saint Alban’s slain? ·fac130· Let me put in your minds, if you forget, [fac131] What you have been ere now, and what you are; [fac132] Withal, what I have been, and what I am.
_Glou._ Foul wrinkled witch, what makest thou in my sight? _Q. Mar._ But repetition of what thou hast marr’d; ·fac165· That will I make before I let thee go. _Glou._ Wert thou not banished on pain of death? [fac167] _Q. Mar._ I was; but I do find more pain in banishment Than death can yield me here by my abode. [fac169] A husband and a son thou owest to me; [fac170] And thou a kingdom; all of you allegiance: The sorrow that I have, by right is yours, [fac172] And all the pleasures you usurp are mine. [fac173] _Glou._ The curse my noble father laid on thee, When thou didst crown his warlike brows with paper ·fac175· And with thy scorns drew’st rivers from his eyes, [fac176] And then, to dry them, gavest the duke a clout Steep’d in the faultless blood of pretty Rutland,-- [fac178] His curses, then from bitterness of soul Denounced against thee, are all fall’n upon thee; [fac180] And God, not we, hath plagued thy bloody deed. [fac181] _Q. Eliz._ So just is God, to right the innocent. [fac182] _Hast._ O, ’twas the foulest deed to slay that babe, And the most merciless that e’er was heard of! [fac184] _Riv._ Tyrants themselves wept when it was reported. ·fac185· _Dor._ No man but prophesied revenge for it.
_Glou._ Have done thy charm, thou hateful wither’d hag! ·fac215· _Q. Mar._ And leave out thee? stay, dog, for thou shalt hear me. [fac216] If heaven have any grievous plague in store [fac217] Exceeding those that I can wish upon thee, O, let them keep it till thy sins be ripe, And then hurl down their indignation ·fac220· On thee, the troubler of the poor world’s peace! [fac221] The worm of conscience still begnaw thy soul! Thy friends suspect for traitors while thou livest, And take deep traitors for thy dearest friends! [fac224] No sleep close up that deadly eye of thine, [fac225] Unless it be whilst some tormenting dream [fac226] Affrights thee with a hell of ugly devils! [fac227] Thou elvish-mark’d, abortive, rooting hog! [fac228] Thou that wast seal’d in thy nativity The slave of nature and the son of hell! [fac230] Thou slander of thy mother’s heavy womb! [fac231] Thou loathed issue of thy father’s loins! Thou rag of honour! thou detested-- [fac233] _Glou._ Margaret. _Q. Mar._ Richard! _Glou._ Ha! _Q. Mar._ I call thee not. [fac234] _Glou._ I cry thee mercy then, for I had thought [fac235] That thou hadst call’d me all these bitter names. [fac236] _Q. Mar._ Why, so I did; but look’d for no reply. [fac237] O, let me make the period to my curse!
_Glou._ ’Tis done by me, and ends in ‘Margaret.’ [fac239] _Q. Eliz._ Thus have you breathed your curse against yourself. [fac240] _Q. Mar._ Poor painted queen, vain flourish of my fortune! Why strew’st thou sugar on that bottled spider, [fac242] Whose deadly web ensnareth thee about? Fool, fool! thou whet’st a knife to kill thyself. The time will come that thou shalt wish for me [fac245] To help thee curse that poisonous bunch-back’d toad. [fac246] _Hast._ False-boding woman, end thy frantic curse, [fac247] Lest to thy harm thou move our patience. _Q. Mar._ Foul shame upon you! you have all moved mine. [fac249] _Riv._ Were you well served, you would be taught your duty. ·fac250· _Q. Mar._ To serve me well, you all should do me duty, [fac251] Teach me to be your queen, and you my subjects: [fac252] O, serve me well, and teach yourselves that duty! [fac253] _Dor._ Dispute not with her; she is lunatic. _Q. Mar._ Peace, master marquess, you are malapert: ·fac255· Your fire-new stamp of honour is scarce current. O, that your young nobility could judge [fac257] What ’twere to lose it, and be miserable! They that stand high have many blasts to shake them; [fac259] And if they fall, they dash themselves to pieces. [fac260] _Glou._ Good counsel, marry: learn it, learn it, marquess.
_Enter two_ Murderers. But, soft! here come my executioners. [fac339] How now, my hardy stout resolved mates! [fac340] Are you now going to dispatch this deed? [fac341] _First Murd._ We are, my lord; and come to have the warrant, [fac342] That we may be admitted where he is. _Glou._ Well thought upon; I have it here about me. [fac344] [_Gives the warrant._ When you have done, repair to Crosby Place. ·fac345· But, sirs, be sudden in the execution, Withal obdurate, do not hear him plead; For Clarence is well-spoken, and perhaps May move your hearts to pity, if you mark him. _First Murd._ Tush! [fac350] Fear not, my lord, we will not stand to prate; Talkers are no good doers: be assured [fac352] We come to use our hands and not our tongues. [fac353] _Glou._ Your eyes drop millstones, when fools’ eyes drop tears. [fac354] I like you, lads: about your business straight. [fac355] Go, go, dispatch. [fac356] _First Murd._ We will, my noble lord. [_Exeunt._
Text from Project Gutenberg, public domain in the United States.