The Works of William Shakespeare [Cambridge Edition] [Vol. 5 of 9] · William Shakespeare
SCENE XXII.
_Hen._ Hadst thou bin kild when first thou didst presume, Thou hadst not liude to kill a sonne of mine, And thus _I_ prophesie of thee. That manie a Widdow for her husbands death, And many an infants water standing eie, ·eav030· Widowes for their husbandes, children for their fathers, Shall curse the time that euer thou wert borne. The owle shrikt at thy birth, an euill signe, The night Crow cride, aboding lucklesse tune, [eav034] Dogs howld and hideous tempests shooke down trees, [eav035] The Rauen rookt her on the Chimnies top, And chattering Pies in dismall discord sung, Thy mother felt more then a mothers paine, And yet brought forth lesse then a mothers hope, To wit: an vndigest created lumpe, ·eav040· Not like the fruit of such a goodly tree, Teeth hadst thou in thy head when thou wast borne, To signifie thou camst to bite the world, And if the rest be true that I haue heard, Thou camst into the world He stabs him. [eav045] _Glo._ Die prophet in thy speech, _I_le heare [eav046] No more, for this amongst the rest, was I ordainde. _Hen._ _I_ and for much more slaughter after this. O God forgiue my sinnes, and pardon thee. He dies.
_Glo._ What? will the aspiring bloud of _Lancaster_ ·eav050· Sinke into the ground, _I_ had thought it would haue mounted, [eav051] See how my sword weepes for the poore kings death. Now maie such purple teares be alwaies shed, [eav053] For such as seeke the downefall of our house. If anie sparke of life remaine in thee, Stab him againe. [eav055] Downe, downe to hell, and saie I sent thee thither. I that haue neither pittie, loue nor feare. Indeed twas true that _Henry_ told me of, For _I_ haue often heard my mother saie, That I came into the world with my legs forward, [eav060] And had I not reason thinke you to make hast, And seeke their ruines that vsurpt our rights? The women wept and the midwife cride, [eav063] O Iesus blesse vs, he is borne with teeth. And so I was indeed, which plainelie signifide, ·eav065· That _I_ should snarle and bite, and plaie the dogge. Then since Heauen hath made by bodie so, Let hell make crookt my mind to answere it. I had no father, _I_ am like no father, I haue no brothers, _I_ am like no brothers, [eav070] And this word _Loue_ which graybeards tearme diuine, Be resident in men like one another, And not in me, I am my selfe alone. _Clarence_ beware, thou keptst me from the light, But I will sort a pitchie daie for thee. ·eav075· For I will buz abroad such prophesies, [eav076] As _Edward_ shall be fearefull of his life, And then to purge his feare, Ile be thy death. Henry and his sonne are gone, thou Clarence next, [eav079] And by one and one I will dispatch the rest, ·eav080· Counting my selfe but bad, till I be best. Ile drag thy bodie in another roome, And triumph _Henry_ in thy daie of doome. _Exit._
Text from Project Gutenberg, public domain in the United States.