Richard III

Richard III

ACT I SCENE I	London. A street.
	Enter GLOUCESTER, solus
GLOUCESTER	Now is the winter of our discontent
	Made glorious summer by this sun of York;
	And all the clouds that lour'd upon our house
	In the deep bosom of the ocean buried.	5
	Now are our brows bound with victorious wreaths;
	Our bruised arms hung up for monuments;
	Our stern alarums changed to merry meetings,
	Our dreadful marches to delightful measures.
	Grim-visaged war hath smooth'd his wrinkled front;	10
	And now, instead of mounting barded steeds
	To fright the souls of fearful adversaries,
	He capers nimbly in a lady's chamber
	To the lascivious pleasing of a lute.
	But I, that am not shaped for sportive tricks,	15
	Nor made to court an amorous looking-glass;
	I, that am rudely stamp'd, and want love's majesty
	To strut before a wanton ambling nymph;
	I, that am curtail'd of this fair proportion,
	Cheated of feature by dissembling nature,	20
	Deformed, unfinish'd, sent before my time
	Into this breathing world, scarce half made up,
	And that so lamely and unfashionable
	That dogs bark at me as I halt by them;
	Why, I, in this weak piping time of peace,	25
	Have no delight to pass away the time,
	Unless to spy my shadow in the sun
	And descant on mine own deformity:
	And therefore, since I cannot prove a lover,
	To entertain these fair well-spoken days,	30
	I am determined to prove a villain
	And hate the idle pleasures of these days.
	Plots have I laid, inductions dangerous,
	By drunken prophecies, libels and dreams,
	To set my brother Clarence and the king	35
	In deadly hate the one against the other:
	And if King Edward be as true and just
	As I am subtle, false and treacherous,
	This day should Clarence closely be mew'd up,
	About a prophecy, which says that 'G'	40
	Of Edward's heirs the murderer shall be.
	Dive, thoughts, down to my soul: here
	Clarence comes.
	Enter CLARENCE, guarded, and BRAKENBURY
	Brother, good day; what means this armed guard
	That waits upon your grace?	45
CLARENCE	His majesty
	Tendering my person's safety, hath appointed
	This conduct to convey me to the Tower.
GLOUCESTER	Upon what cause?
CLARENCE	Because my name is George.	50
GLOUCESTER	Alack, my lord, that fault is none of yours;
	He should, for that, commit your godfathers:
	O, belike his majesty hath some intent
	That you shall be new-christen'd in the Tower.
	But what's the matter, Clarence? may I know?	55
CLARENCE	Yea, Richard, when I know; for I protest
	As yet I do not: but, as I can learn,
	He hearkens after prophecies and dreams;
	And from the cross-row plucks the letter G.
	And says a wizard told him that by G	60
	His issue disinherited should be;
	And, for my name of George begins with G,
	It follows in his thought that I am he.
	These, as I learn, and such like toys as these
	Have moved his highness to commit me now.	65
GLOUCESTER	Why, this it is, when men are ruled by women:
	'Tis not the king that sends you to the Tower:
	My Lady Grey his wife, Clarence, 'tis she
	That tempers him to this extremity.
	Was it not she and that good man of worship,	70
	Anthony Woodville, her brother there,
	That made him send Lord Hastings to the Tower,
	From whence this present day he is deliver'd?
	We are not safe, Clarence; we are not safe.
CLARENCE	By heaven, I think there's no man is secure	75
	But the queen's kindred and night-walking heralds
	That trudge betwixt the king and Mistress Shore.
	Heard ye not what an humble suppliant
	Lord hastings was to her for his delivery?
GLOUCESTER	Humbly complaining to her deity	80
	Got my lord chamberlain his liberty.
	I'll tell you what; I think it is our way,
	If we will keep in favour with the king,
	To be her men and wear her livery:
	The jealous o'erworn widow and herself,	85
	Since that our brother dubb'd them gentlewomen.
	Are mighty gossips in this monarchy.
BRAKENBURY	I beseech your graces both to pardon me;
	His majesty hath straitly given in charge
	That no man shall have private conference,	90
	Of what degree soever, with his brother.
GLOUCESTER	Even so; an't please your worship, Brakenbury,
	You may partake of any thing we say:
	We speak no treason, man: we say the king
	Is wise and virtuous, and his noble queen	95
	Well struck in years, fair, and not jealous;
	We say that Shore's wife hath a pretty foot,
	A cherry lip, a bonny eye, a passing pleasing tongue;
	And that the queen's kindred are made gentle-folks:
	How say you sir? Can you deny all this?	100
BRAKENBURY	With this, my lord, myself have nought to do.
GLOUCESTER	Naught to do with mistress Shore! I tell thee, fellow,
	He that doth naught with her, excepting one,
	Were best he do it secretly, alone.
BRAKENBURY	What one, my lord?	105
GLOUCESTER	Her husband, knave: wouldst thou betray me?
BRAKENBURY	I beseech your grace to pardon me, and withal
	Forbear your conference with the noble duke.
CLARENCE	We know thy charge, Brakenbury, and will obey.
GLOUCESTER	We are the queen's abjects, and must obey.	110
	Brother, farewell: I will unto the king;
	And whatsoever you will employ me in,
	Were it to call King Edward's widow sister,
	I will perform it to enfranchise you.
	Meantime, this deep disgrace in brotherhood	115
	Touches me deeper than you can imagine.
CLARENCE	I know it pleaseth neither of us well.
GLOUCESTER	Well, your imprisonment shall not be long;
	Meantime, have patience.
CLARENCE	I must perforce. Farewell.	120
	Exeunt CLARENCE, BRAKENBURY, and Guard
GLOUCESTER	Go, tread the path that thou shalt ne'er return.
	Simple, plain Clarence! I do love thee so,
	That I will shortly send thy soul to heaven,
	If heaven will take the present at our hands.
	But who comes here? the new-deliver'd Hastings?	125
	Enter HASTINGS
HASTINGS	Good time of day unto my gracious lord!
GLOUCESTER	As much unto my good lord chamberlain!
	Well are you welcome to the open air.
	How hath your lordship brook'd imprisonment?
HASTINGS	With patience, noble lord, as prisoners must:	130
	But I shall live, my lord, to give them thanks
	That were the cause of my imprisonment.
GLOUCESTER	No doubt, no doubt; and so shall Clarence too;
	For they that were your enemies are his,
	And have prevail'd as much on him as you.	135
HASTINGS	More pity that the eagle should be mew'd,
	While kites and buzzards prey at liberty.
GLOUCESTER	What news abroad?
HASTINGS	No news so bad abroad as this at home;
	The King is sickly, weak and melancholy,	140
	And his physicians fear him mightily.
GLOUCESTER	Now, by Saint Paul, this news is bad indeed.
	O, he hath kept an evil diet long,
	And overmuch consumed his royal person:
	'Tis very grievous to be thought upon.	145
	What, is he in his bed?
HASTINGS	He is.
GLOUCESTER	Go you before, and I will follow you.
	Exit HASTINGS
	He cannot live, I hope; and must not die
	Till George be pack'd with post-horse up to heaven.	150
	I'll in, to urge his hatred more to Clarence,
	With lies well steel'd with weighty arguments;
	And, if I fall not in my deep intent,
	Clarence hath not another day to live:
	Which done, God take King Edward to his mercy,	155
	And leave the world for me to bustle in!
	For then I'll marry Warwick's youngest daughter.
	What though I kill'd her husband and her father?
	The readiest way to make the wench amends
	Is to become her husband and her father:	160
	The which will I; not all so much for love
	As for another secret close intent,
	By marrying her which I must reach unto.
	But yet I run before my horse to market:
	Clarence still breathes; Edward still lives and reigns:	165
	When they are gone, then must I count my gains.
	Exit