The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, William Shakespeare [book recommendations based on other books txt] 📗

I hope the King made peace with all of us; And the compact is firm and true in me.

RIVERS. And so in me; and so, I think, in an.

Yet, since it is but green, it should be put To no apparent likelihood of breach,

Which haply by much company might be urg’d; Therefore I say with noble Buckingham That it is meet so few should fetch the Prince.

HASTINGS. And so say I.

GLOUCESTER. Then be it so; and go we to determine Who they shall be that straight shall post to Ludlow.

Madam, and you, my sister, will you go To give your censures in this business?

Exeunt all but BUCKINGHAM and GLOUCESTER

BUCKINGHAM. My lord, whoever journeys to the Prince, For God sake, let not us two stay at home; For by the way I’ll sort occasion,

As index to the story we late talk’d of, To part the Queen’s proud kindred from the Prince.

GLOUCESTER. My other self, my counsel’s consistory, My oracle, my prophet, my dear cousin, I, as a child, will go by thy direction.

Toward Ludlow then, for we’ll not stay behind. Exeunt

SCENE 3.

 

London. A street

 

Enter one CITIZEN at one door, and another at the other FIRST CITIZEN. Good morrow, neighbour. Whither away so fast?

SECOND CITIZEN. I promise you, I scarcely know myself.

Hear you the news abroad?

FIRST CITIZEN. Yes, that the King is dead.

SECOND CITIZEN. Ill news, by’r lady; seldom comes the better.

I fear, I fear ‘twill prove a giddy world.

 

Enter another CITIZEN

 

THIRD CITIZEN. Neighbours, God speed!

FIRST CITIZEN. Give you good morrow, sir.

THIRD CITIZEN. Doth the news hold of good King Edward’s death?

SECOND CITIZEN. Ay, sir, it is too true; God help the while!

THIRD CITIZEN. Then, masters, look to see a troublous world.

FIRST CITIZEN. No, no; by God’s good grace, his son shall reign.

THIRD CITIZEN. Woe to that land that’s govern’d by a child.

SECOND CITIZEN. In him there is a hope of government, Which, in his nonage, council under him, And, in his full and ripened years, himself, No doubt, shall then, and till then, govern well.

FIRST CITIZEN. So stood the state when Henry the Sixth Was crown’d in Paris but at nine months old.

THIRD CITIZEN. Stood the state so? No, no, good friends, God wot;

For then this land was famously enrich’d With politic grave counsel; then the King Had virtuous uncles to protect his Grace.

FIRST CITIZEN. Why, so hath this, both by his father and mother.

THIRD CITIZEN. Better it were they all came by his father, Or by his father there were none at all; For emulation who shall now be nearest Will touch us all too near, if God prevent not.

O, full of danger is the Duke of Gloucester!

And the Queen’s sons and brothers haught and proud; And were they to be rul’d, and not to rule, This sickly land might solace as before.

FIRST CITIZEN. Come, come, we fear the worst; all will be well.

THIRD CITIZEN. When clouds are seen, wise men put on their cloaks;

When great leaves fall, then winter is at hand; When the sun sets, who doth not look for night?

Untimely storms make men expect a dearth.

All may be well; but, if God sort it so, ‘Tis more than we deserve or I expect.

SECOND CITIZEN. Truly, the hearts of men are fun of fear.

You cannot reason almost with a man

That looks not heavily and fun of dread.

THIRD CITIZEN. Before the days of change, still is it so; By a divine instinct men’s minds mistrust Ensuing danger; as by proof we see

The water swell before a boist’rous storm.

But leave it all to God. Whither away?

SECOND CITIZEN. Marry, we were sent for to the justices.

THIRD CITIZEN. And so was I; I’ll bear you company.

Exeunt

SCENE 4.

 

London. The palace

 

Enter the ARCHBISHOP OF YORK, the young DUKE OF YORK, QUEEN ELIZABETH, and the DUCHESS OF YORK

 

ARCHBISHOP. Last night, I hear, they lay at Stony Stratford, And at Northampton they do rest tonight; Tomorrow or next day they will be here.

DUCHESS. I long with all my heart to see the Prince.

I hope he is much grown since last I saw him.

QUEEN ELIZABETH. But I hear no; they say my son of York Has almost overta’en him in his growth.

YORK. Ay, mother; but I would not have it so.

DUCHESS. Why, my good cousin, it is good to grow.

YORK. Grandam, one night as we did sit at supper, My uncle Rivers talk’d how I did grow More than my brother. ‘Ay,’ quoth my uncle Gloucester ‘Small herbs have grace: great weeds do grow apace.’

And since, methinks, I would not grow so fast, Because sweet flow’rs are slow and weeds make haste.

DUCHESS. Good faith, good faith, the saying did not hold In him that did object the same to thee.

He was the wretched’st thing when he was young, So long a-growing and so leisurely

That, if his rule were true, he should be gracious.

ARCHBISHOP. And so no doubt he is, my gracious madam.

DUCHESS. I hope he is; but yet let mothers doubt.

YORK. Now, by my troth, if I had been rememb’red, I could have given my uncle’s Grace a flout To touch his growth nearer than he touch’d mine.

DUCHESS. How, my young York? I prithee let me hear it.

YORK. Marry, they say my uncle grew so fast That he could gnaw a crust at two hours old.

‘Twas full two years ere I could get a tooth.

Grandam, this would have been a biting jest.

DUCHESS. I prithee, pretty York, who told thee this?

YORK. Grandam, his nurse.

DUCHESS. His nurse! Why she was dead ere thou wast born.

YORK. If ‘twere not she, I cannot tell who told me.

QUEEN ELIZABETH. A parlous boy! Go to, you are too shrewd.

ARCHBISHOP. Good madam, be not angry with the child.

QUEEN ELIZABETH. Pitchers have ears.

 

Enter a MESSENGER

 

ARCHBISHOP. Here comes a messenger. What news?

MESSENGER. Such news, my lord, as grieves me to report.

QUEEN ELIZABETH. How doth the Prince?

MESSENGER. Well, madam, and in health.

DUCHESS. What is thy news?

MESSENGER. Lord Rivers and Lord Grey

Are sent to Pomfret, and with them

Sir Thomas Vaughan, prisoners.

DUCHESS. Who hath committed them?

MESSENGER. The mighty Dukes, Gloucester and Buckingham.

ARCHBISHOP. For what offence?

MESSENGER. The sum of all I can, I have disclos’d.

Why or for what the nobles were committed Is all unknown to me, my gracious lord.

QUEEN ELIZABETH. Ay me, I see the ruin of my house!

The tiger now hath seiz’d the gentle hind; Insulting tyranny begins to jet

Upon the innocent and aweless throne.

Welcome, destruction, blood, and massacre!

I see, as in a map, the end of all.

DUCHESS. Accursed and unquiet wrangling days, How many of you have mine eyes beheld!

My husband lost his life to get the crown; And often up and down my sons were toss’d For me to joy and weep their gain and loss; And being seated, and domestic broils Clean overblown, themselves the conquerors Make war upon themselves-brother to brother, Blood to blood, self against self. O, preposterous And frantic outrage, end thy damned spleen, Or let me die, to look on death no more!

QUEEN ELIZABETH. Come, come, my boy; we will to sanctuary.

Madam, farewell.

DUCHESS. Stay, I will go with you.

QUEEN ELIZABETH. You have no cause.

ARCHBISHOP. [To the QUEEN] My gracious lady, go.

And thither bear your treasure and your goods.

For my part, I’ll resign unto your Grace The seal I keep; and so betide to me

As well I tender you and all of yours!

Go, I’ll conduct you to the sanctuary. Exeunt

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ACT III. SCENE 1.

 

London. A street

 

The trumpets sound. Enter the PRINCE OF WALES, GLOUCESTER, BUCKINGHAM, CATESBY, CARDINAL BOURCHIER, and others

 

BUCKINGHAM. Welcome, sweet Prince, to London, to your chamber.

GLOUCESTER. Welcome, dear cousin, my thoughts’ sovereign.

The weary way hath made you melancholy.

PRINCE. No, uncle; but our crosses on the way Have made it tedious, wearisome, and heavy.

I want more uncles here to welcome me.

GLOUCESTER. Sweet Prince, the untainted virtue of your years

Hath not yet div’d into the world’s deceit; Nor more can you distinguish of a man 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 sug’red words But look’d not on the poison of their hearts.

God keep you from them and from such false friends!

PRINCE. God keep me from false friends! but they were none.

GLOUCESTER. My lord, the Mayor of London comes to greet you.

 

Enter the LORD MAYOR and his train MAYOR. God bless your Grace with health and happy days!

PRINCE. 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. 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 Prince 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 York 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 Can from his mother win the Duke of York, Anon expect him here; but if she be obdurate To mild entreaties, God in heaven forbid We should infringe the holy privilege Of blessed sanctuary! Not for all this land Would I be guilty of so deep a sin.

BUCKINGHAM. 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 granted To those whose dealings have deserv’d the place And those who have the wit to claim the place.

This Prince hath neither claim’d it nor deserv’d it, And therefore, in mine opinion, cannot have it.

Then, taking him from thence that is not there, 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. I go, my lord.

PRINCE. Good lords, make all the speedy haste you may.

Exeunt CARDINAL and HASTINGS

Say, uncle Gloucester, if our brother come, Where shall we sojourn till our coronation?

GLOUCESTER. Where it seems best unto your royal self.

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.

PRINCE. I do not like the Tower,