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
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,
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!
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,
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?
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 deserved the place,
And those who have the wit to claim the place:
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;
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.
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 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;
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,
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?
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,
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
York
A greater gift! O, that’s the sword to it.
Gloucester
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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.
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.
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,
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.
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?
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.
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.
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
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;
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,
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,
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:
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.
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.
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.
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
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
We may digest our complots in some form.
Exeunt
SCENE II. BEFORE LORD HASTINGS’ HOUSE.
Enter a Messenger
Messenger
What, ho! my lord!
Hastings
[Within] Who knocks at the door?
Messenger
A messenger from the Lord Stanley.
Enter Hastings
Hastings
What is’t o’clock?
Messenger
Upon the stroke of four.
Hastings
Cannot thy master sleep these tedious nights?
Messenger
So it should seem by that I have to say.
First, he commends him to your noble lordship.
Hastings
And then?
Messenger
And then he sends you word
He dreamt to-night the boar had razed his helm:
Besides, he says there are two councils held;
And that may be determined at the one
Which may make you and him to rue at the other.
Therefore he sends to know your lordship’s pleasure,
If presently you will take horse with him,
And with all speed post with him toward the north,
To shun the danger that his soul divines.
Hastings
Go, fellow, go, return unto thy lord;
Bid him not fear the separated councils
His honour and myself are at the one,
And at the other is my servant Catesby
Where nothing can proceed that toucheth us
Whereof I shall not have intelligence.
Tell him his fears are shallow, wanting instance:
And for his dreams, I wonder he is so fond
To trust the mockery of unquiet slumbers
To fly the boar before the boar pursues,
Were to incense the boar to follow us
And make pursuit where he did mean no chase.
Go, bid thy master rise and come to me
And we will both together to the Tower,
Where, he shall see, the boar will use us kindly.
Messenger
My gracious lord, I’ll tell him what you say.
Exit
Enter Catesby
Catesby
Many good morrows to my noble lord!
Hastings
Good morrow, Catesby; you are early stirring
What news, what news, in this our tottering state?
Catesby
It is a reeling world, indeed, my lord;
And I believe twill never stand upright
Tim Richard wear the garland of the realm.
Hastings
How! wear the garland! dost thou mean the crown?
Catesby
Ay, my good lord.
Hastings
I’ll have this crown of mine cut from my shoulders
Ere I will see the crown so foul misplaced.
But canst thou guess that he doth aim at it?
Catesby
Ay, on my life; and hopes to find forward
Upon his party for the gain thereof:
And thereupon he sends you this good news,
That this same very day your enemies,
The kindred of the queen, must die at Pomfret.
Hastings
Indeed, I am no mourner for that news,
Because they have been still mine enemies:
But, that I’ll give my voice on Richard’s side,
To bar my master’s heirs in true descent,
God knows I will not do it, to the death.
Catesby
God keep your lordship in that gracious mind!
Hastings
But I shall laugh at this a twelve-month hence,
That they who brought me in my master’s hate
I live to look upon their tragedy.
I tell thee, Catesby —
Catesby
What, my lord?
Hastings
Ere a fortnight make me elder,
I’ll send some packing that yet think not on it.
Catesby
’Tis a vile thing to die, my gracious lord,
When men are unprepared and look not for it.
Hastings
O monstrous, monstrous! and so falls it out
With Rivers, Vaughan, Grey: and so ’twill do
With some men else, who think themselves as safe
As thou and I; who, as thou know’st, are dear
To princely Richard and to Buckingham.
Catesby
The princes both make high account of you;
Aside
For they account his head upon the bridge.
Hastings
I know they do; and I have well deserved it.
Enter Stanley
Come on, come on; where is your boar-spear, man?
Fear you the boar, and go so unprovided?
Stanley
My lord, good morrow; good morrow, Catesby:
You may jest on, but, by the holy rood,
I do not like these several councils, I.
Hastings
My lord,
I hold my life as dear as you do yours;
And never in my life, I do protest,
Was it more precious to me than ’tis now:
Think you, but that I know our state secure,
I would be so triumphant as I am?
Stanley
The lords at Pomfret, when they rode from London,
Were jocund, and supposed their state was sure,
And they indeed had no cause to mistrust;
But yet, you see how soon the day o’ercast.
This sudden stag of rancour I misdoubt:
Complete Plays, The Page 242