Richard III

Please see the bottom of this page for full explanatory notes.

ACT III SCENE I	London. A street.
	The trumpets sound. Enter the young PRINCE EDWARD, GLOUCESTER, BUCKINGHAM, CARDINAL, CATESBY, 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 EDWARD	No, uncle; but our crosses on the way
	Have made it tedious, wearisome, and heavy		5
	I want more uncles here to welcome me.
GLOUCESTER	Sweet prince, the untainted virtue of your years
	Hath not yet dived into the world's deceit
	Nor more can you distinguish of a man
	Than of his outward show; which, God he knows,		10
	Seldom or never jumpeth with the heart.
	Those uncles which you want were dangerous;
	Your grace attended to their sugar'd words,
	But look'd not on the poison of their hearts :
	God keep you from them, and from such false friends!		15
PRINCE EDWARD	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.
Lord Mayor	God bless your grace with health and happy days!
PRINCE EDWARD	I thank you, good my lord; and thank you all.
	I thought my mother, and my brother York,		20
	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 HASTINGS.
BUCKINGHAM	And, in good time, here comes the sweating lord.
PRINCE EDWARD	Welcome, my lord: what, will our mother come?		25
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.		30
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,		35
	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		40
	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		45
	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 deserved the place,
	And those who have the wit to claim the place:		50
	This prince hath neither claim'd it nor deserved 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;		55
	But sanctuary children ne'er till now.
CARDINAL	My lord, you shall o'er-rule my mind for once.
	Come on, Lord Hastings, will you go with me?
HASTINGS	I go, my lord.
PRINCE EDWARD	Good lords, make all the speedy haste you may.		60
	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:		65
	Then where you please, and shall be thought most fit
	For your best health and recreation.
PRINCE EDWARD	I do not like the Tower, of any place.
	Did Julius Caesar build that place, my lord?
BUCKINGHAM	He did, my gracious lord, begin that place;		70
	Which, since, succeeding ages have re-edified.
PRINCE EDWARD	Is it upon record, or else reported
	Successively from age to age, he built it?
BUCKINGHAM	Upon record, my gracious lord.
PRINCE EDWARD	But say, my lord, it were not register'd,		75
	Methinks the truth should live from age to age,
	As 'twere retail'd to all posterity,
	Even to the general all-ending day.
GLOUCESTER	[Aside] So wise so young, they say,
	do never live long.
PRINCE EDWARD	What say you, uncle?		80
GLOUCESTER	I say, without characters, fame lives long.
	[Aside] Thus, like the formal vice, Iniquity,
	I moralize two meanings in one word.
PRINCE EDWARD	That Julius Caesar was a famous man;
	With what his valour did enrich his wit,		85
	His wit set down to make his valour live
	Death makes no conquest of this conqueror;
	For now he lives in fame, though not in life.
	I'll tell you what, my cousin Buckingham,--
BUCKINGHAM	What, my gracious lord?		90
PRINCE EDWARD	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.
GLOUCESTER	[Aside] Short summers lightly have a forward spring.
	Enter young YORK, HASTINGS, and the CARDINAL.
BUCKINGHAM	Now, in good time, here comes the Duke of York.		95
PRINCE EDWARD	Richard of York! how fares our loving brother?
YORK	Well, my dread lord; so must I call you now.
PRINCE EDWARD	Ay, brother, to our grief, as it is yours:
	Too late he died that might have kept that title,
	Which by his death hath lost much majesty.		100
GLOUCESTER	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
	The prince my brother hath outgrown me far.
GLOUCESTER	He hath, my lord.		105
YORK	And therefore is he idle?
GLOUCESTER	O, my fair cousin, I must not say so.
YORK	Then is he more beholding to you than I.
GLOUCESTER	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.		110
GLOUCESTER	My dagger, little cousin? with all my heart.
PRINCE EDWARD	A beggar, brother?
YORK	Of my kind uncle, that I know will give;
	And being but a toy, which is no grief to give.
GLOUCESTER	A greater gift than that I'll give my cousin.		115
YORK	A greater gift! O, that's the sword to it.
GLOUCESTER	A gentle cousin, were it light enough.
YORK	O, then, I see, you will part but with light gifts;
	In weightier things you'll say a beggar nay.
GLOUCESTER	It is too heavy for your grace to wear.		120
YORK	I weigh it lightly, were it heavier.
GLOUCESTER	What, would you have my weapon, little lord?
YORK	I would, that I might thank you as you call me.
GLOUCESTER	How?
YORK	Little.		125
PRINCE EDWARD	My Lord of York will still be cross in talk:
	Uncle, your grace knows how to bear with him.
YORK	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,		130
	He thinks that you should bear me on your shoulders.
BUCKINGHAM	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.		135
GLOUCESTER	My lord, will't please you pass along?
	Myself and my good cousin Buckingham
	Will to your mother, to entreat of her
	To meet you at the Tower and welcome you.
YORK	What, will you go unto the Tower, my lord?		140
PRINCE EDWARD	My lord protector needs will have it so.
YORK	I shall not sleep in quiet at the Tower.
GLOUCESTER	Why, what should you fear?
YORK	Marry, my uncle Clarence' angry ghost:
	My grandam told me he was murdered there.		145
PRINCE EDWARD	I fear no uncles dead.
GLOUCESTER	Nor none that live, I hope.
PRINCE EDWARD	An if they live, I hope I need not fear.
	But come, my lord; and with a heavy heart,
	Thinking on them, go I unto the Tower.		150
	A Sennet. Exeunt all but GLOUCESTER, BUCKINGHAM and CATESBY.
BUCKINGHAM	Think you, my lord, this little prating York
	Was not incensed by his subtle mother
	To taunt and scorn you thus opprobriously?
GLOUCESTER	No doubt, no doubt; O, 'tis a parlous boy;
	Bold, quick, ingenious, forward, capable		155
	He is all the mother's, from the top to toe.
BUCKINGHAM	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 know'st our reasons urged upon the way;		160
	What think'st thou? is it not an easy matter
	To make William Lord Hastings of our mind,
	For the instalment of this noble duke
	In the seat royal of this famous isle?
CATESBY	He for his father's sake so loves the prince,		165
	That he will not be won to aught against him.
BUCKINGHAM	What think'st thou, then, of Stanley? what will 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,		170
	How doth he stand affected to our purpose;
	And summon him to-morrow to the Tower,
	To sit about the coronation.
	If thou dost find him tractable to us,
	Encourage him, and show him all our reasons:		175
	If he be leaden, icy-cold, unwilling,
	Be thou so too; and so break off your talk,
	And give us notice of his inclination:
	For we to-morrow hold divided councils,
	Wherein thyself shalt highly be employ'd.		180
GLOUCESTER	Commend me to Lord William: tell him, Catesby,
	His ancient knot of dangerous adversaries
	To-morrow are let blood at Pomfret Castle;
	And bid my friend, for joy of this good news,
	Give mistress Shore one gentle kiss the more.		185
BUCKINGHAM	Good Catesby, go, effect this business soundly.
CATESBY	My good lords both, with all the heed I may.
GLOUCESTER	Shall we hear from you, Catesby, ere we sleep?
CATESBY	You shall, my lord.
GLOUCESTER	At Crosby Place, there shall you find us both.		190
	Exit CATESBY.
BUCKINGHAM	Now, my lord, what shall we do, if we perceive
	Lord Hastings will not yield to our complots?
GLOUCESTER	Chop off his head, man; somewhat we will do:
	And, look, when I am king, claim thou of me		195
	The earldom of Hereford, and the moveables
	Whereof the king my brother stood possess'd.
BUCKINGHAM	I'll claim that promise at your grace's hands.
GLOUCESTER	And look to have it yielded with all willingness.
	Come, let us sup betimes, that afterwards		200
	We may digest our complots in some form.
	Exeunt

Richard III, Act 3, Scene 2

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Explanatory Notes for Act 3, Scene 1

From King Richard III. Ed. Brainerd Kellogg. New York: Clark & Maynard.

Abbreviations. — A.-S. = Anglo-Saxon: M.E. = Middle English (from the 13th to the 15th century) ; Fr. = French ; Ger. = German ; Gr. = Greek ; Cf. = compare (Lat. confer) ; Abbott refers to the excellent Shakespearean Grammar of Dr. Abbott; Schmidt, to Dr. Schmidt's invaluable Shakespeare Lexicon.

____

1. Chamber. London was anciently called Camera regis, the King's Chamber.

2. Cousin means (1) the son or daughter of an uncle or aunt; (2) any kinsman or kinswoman, as nephew, uncle, niece, grandchild (II. ii. 8; II. iv. 9); (3) a title applied by princes to other princes and distinguished noblemen.

9. Of = as regards, concerning.

11. Jumpeth, agrees.

31. Peevish, silly, childish.

32. Cardinal. The unaccented i in the middle of this word is dropped in reading. Thomas Bourchier was created Archbishop of Canterbury in 1454, and cardinal in 1464.

46-47. Weigh this action against the violent practices of these times, and it cannot be considered as a breach of sanctuary; or, Weigh it by the same standard with which actions are weighed in this gross age, and it cannot be looked upon as a breach of sanctuary.

66. Supply where it before shall be thought.

68. Of any place, of all places I dislike the Tower most. This is due to a confusion of two constructions : I dislike the Tower more than any place, and most of all places. This is a Greek idiom, but occurs pretty frequently in Shakespeare.

69. It was supposed that Julius Caesar built the Tower, as well as the castles of Dover, Rochester, and Salisbury.

71. Re-edified, rebuilt, the word in its primary meaning.

79. The saying is ascribed to Cato the Censor : For (saith hee) youth resembling age is an undoubted signe of untimely death, or short life.

82. Formal vice, the conventional vice of the old dramas. In the old moralities, there was always one character bearing the name of some vice, sometimes of Iniquity itself. He was grotesquely dressed in a cap with asses' ears, a long coat, and a dagger of lath; and he was always accompanied by the devil, whom he belabored with his dagger, but was ultimately carried off by him to hell. His principal business was to make the audience laugh, and his chief device to this end was to play upon the double meaning of words.

94. Lightly = usually.

155. Capable, able.

179. Divided councils, besides the public council held in the Tower, there was a private one at Crosby-place.

185. Mistress Shore. According to Hall, Hastings took her for his mistress after the king's death.

192. Complots, conspiracies.

195. Earldom of Hereford. Buckingham claimed this as his inheritance, but could never obtain it in King Edward's time.

How to cite the explanatory notes:

Shakespeare, William. Richard III. Ed. Brainerd Kellogg. New York: Clark & Maynard, 1886. Shakespeare Online. 20 Feb. 2010. (date when you accessed the information) < http://www.shakespeare-online.com/plays/richardiii_3_1.html >.

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