Tyr. The chaplain of the Tower hath buried them; But where, to say the truth, I do not know. K. Rich. Come to me, Tyrrel, soon, and after supper, Farewell, till then. K. Rich. The son of Clarence have I pent up close; Cate. My lord! — Enter CATEsby. [Exit. K. Rich. Good or bad news, that thou com'st in so bluntly? Cate. Bad news, my lord: Morton is fled to Richmond; And Buckingham, back'd with the hardy Welshmen, Is in the field, and still his power encreaseth. K. Rich. Ely with Richmond troubles me more near, Delay leads impotent and snail-pac'd beggary: We must be brief, when traitors brave the field. [Exeunt. SCENE IV. The Same. Before the Palace. Enter Queen Margaret. Q. Mar. So, now prosperity begins to mellow, And will to France; hoping, the consequence Withdraw thee, wretched Margaret: who comes here? [Retiring. Enter Queen Elizabeth and the Duchess of YORK. Q. Eliz. Ah, my poor princes! ah, my tender babes! And be not fix'd in doom perpetual, Q. Mar. Hover about her; say, that right for right Duch. So many miseries have craz'd my voice, woe-wearied tongue is still and mute. Edward Plantagenet, why art thou dead? That my Q. Mar. Plantagenet doth quit Plantagenet; Edward for Edward pays a dying debt. Q. Eliz. Wilt thou, O God! fly from such gentle lambs, And throw them in the entrails of the wolf? When didst thou sleep, when such a deed was done? Q. Mar. When holy Harry died, and my sweet son. [Sitting down. Q. Eliz. Ah! that thou would'st as soon afford a grave, As thou canst yield a melancholy seat; Then would I hide my bones, not rest them here! Ah! who hath any cause to mourn, but we? [Sitting down by her. Q. Mar. If ancient sorrow be most reverent, Give mine the benefit of seniory, And let my griefs frown on the upper hand. [Coming forward. [Sitting down with them. Tell o'er your woes again by viewing mine: — Duch. I had a Richard too, and thou didst kill him: I had a Rutland too; thou holp'st to kill him. Q. Mar. Thou hadst a Clarence too, and Richard kill'd him. From forth the kennel of thy womb hath crept A hell-hound, that doth hunt us all to death: That dog, that had his teeth before his eyes, To worry lambs, and lap their gentle blood: That foul defacer of God's handy-work, That reigns in galled eyes of weeping souls, That excellent grand tyrant of the earth, Thy womb let loose, to chase us to our graves. O! upright, just, and true-disposing God, How do I thank thee, that this carnal cur Preys on the issue of his mother's body, And makes her pew-fellow with other's moan! Duch. O, Harry's wife! triumph not in my woes: God witness with me, I have wept for thine. Q. Mar. Bear with me: I am hungry for revenge, Thy Edward he is dead, that kill'd my Edward; Match not the high perfection of my loss. Thy Clarence he is dead, that stabb'd my Edward; Th' adulterate Hastings, Rivers, Vaughan, Grey, Q. Eliz. O! thou didst prophesy, the time would come, That I should wish for thee to help me curse That bottled spider, that foul bunch-back'd toad. Q. Mar. I call'd thee then, vain flourish of my fortune; I call'd thee then, poor shadow, painted queen; The presentation of but what I was, The flattering index of a direful pageant, Where is thy husband now? where be thy brothers? Who sues, and kneels, and says - God save the queen? Where be the thronging troops that follow'd thee? For one that scorn'd at me, now scorn'd of me; For one being fear'd of all, now fearing one; Having no more but thought of what thou wast Now, thy proud neck bears half my burden'd yoke; Farewell, York's wife, and queen of sad mischance. Q. Eliz. O thou! well skill'd in curses, stay a while, Q. Mar. Forbear to sleep the night, and fast the day; Think that thy babes were fairer than they were, Bettering thy loss makes the bad-causer worse: Q. Eliz. My words are dull; O! quicken them with thine. Q. Eliz. Windy attorneys to their client woes, Airy succeeders of intestate joys, Let them have scope: though what they do impart Duch. If so, then be not tongue-ty'd: go with me, And in the breath of bitter words let's smother My damned son, that thy two sweet sons smother'd. The trumpet sounds: be copious in exclaims. [A Trumpet heard. |