Imatges de pàgina
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Buck. Ay, madam. He desires to make atonement
Between the Duke of Gloucester and your brothers,
And between them and my Lord Chamberlain ;
And sent to warn them to his royal presence.
Q. Eliz. Would all were well! but that will never
be.

I fear our happiness is at the height.

Enter Gloucester [Hastings, and Dorset].

Glou. They do me wrong, and I will not endure it.
Who is it that complains unto the King

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That I, forsooth, am stern and love them not?
By holy Paul, they love his Grace but lightly 45
That fill his ears with such dissentious rumours.
Because I cannot flatter and look fair,
Smile in men's faces, smooth, deceive, and cog,
Duck with French nods and apish courtesy,
I must be held a rancorous enemy.

Cannot a plain man live and think no harm
But thus his simple truth must be abus'd
With silken, sly, insinuating Jacks?

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Grey. To who in all this presence speaks your Grace? Glou. To thee, that hast nor honesty nor grace.

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When have I injur'd thee? When done thee
wrong?

Or thee? or thee? or any of your faction?
A plague upon you all! His royal Grace,

Whom God preserve better than you would wish!-
Cannot be quiet scarce a breathing-while,

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But you must trouble him with lewd complaints. Q. Eliz. Brother of Gloucester, you mistake the matter. The King, on his own royal disposition, And not provok'd by any suitor else, Aiming, belike, at your interior hatred, That in your outward action shows itself Against my children, brothers, and myself,

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Makes him to send that he may learn the ground.

Glou. I cannot tell. The world is grown so bad

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That wrens make prey where eagles dare not perch.

Since every Jack became a gentleman,

There's many a gentle person made a Jack.

Q. Eliz. Come, come, we know your meaning, brother
Gloucester;

You envy my advancement and my friends'. 75
God grant we never may have need of you!

Glou. Meantime, God grants that I have need of you.
Our brother is imprison'd by your means,
Myself disgrac'd, and the nobility

Held in contempt; while great promotions
Are daily given to ennoble those

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That scarce, some two days since, were worth a

noble.

Q. Eliz. By Him that rais'd me to this careful height

From that contented hap which I enjoy'd,

I never did incense his Majesty

Against the Duke of Clarence, but have been
An earnest advocate to plead for him.

My lord, you do me shameful injury,

Falsely to draw me in these vile suspects.

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Glou. You may deny that you were not the mean 90 Of my Lord Hastings' late imprisonment.

Riv. She may, my lord, for

Glou. She may, Lord Rivers! Why, who knows not so?

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She may do more, sir, than denying that.
She may help you to many fair preferments,
And then deny her aiding hand therein,
And lay those honours on your high desert.
What may she not? She may, ay, marry, may

she,

Riv. What, marry, may she?

Glou. What, marry, may she!

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Marry with a king, A bachelor, and a handsome stripling too. I wis your grandam had a worser match. Q. Eliz. My Lord of Gloucester, I have too long borne Your blunt upbraidings and your bitter scoffs. By heaven, I will acquaint his Majesty Of those gross taunts that oft I have endur'd. I had rather be a country servant-maid Than a great queen, with this condition, To be thus baited, scorn'd, and stormed at. Small joy have I in being England's Queen. 110

Enter old Queen Margaret.

Q. Mar. And less'ned be that small, God I beseech Him!

Thy honour, state, and seat is due to me.

Glou. What! threat you me with telling of the King? [Tell him, and spare not. Look, what I have said]

I will avouch't in presence of the King.

I dare adventure to be sent to the Tower.

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"Tis time to speak; my pains are quite forgot. Q. Mar. Out, devil! I do remember them too well:

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Thou kill'dst my husband Henry in the Tower, And Edward, my poor son, at Tewksbury. Glou. Ere you were queen, ay, or your husband king,. I was a pack-horse in his great affairs; A weeder-out of his proud adversaries, A liberal rewarder of his friends.

To royalize his blood I spent mine own.

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Q. Mar. Ay, and much better blood than his or thine.
Glou. In all which time you and your husband Grey

Were factious for the house of Lancaster;
And, Rivers, so were you. Was not your husband
In Margaret's battle at Saint Alban's slain?

Let me put in your minds, if you forget,

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What you have been ere this, and what you are;
Withal, what I have been, and what I am.

Q. Mar. A murderous villain, and so still thou art. 134

Glou. Poor Clarence did forsake his father, Warwick;

Ay, and forswore himself,

Q. Mar. Which God revenge!

which Jesu pardon !

Glou. To fight on Edward's party for the crown ;
And for his meed, poor lord, he's mew'd up.

I would to God my heart were flint, like Edward's ;
Or Edward's soft and pitiful, like mine.

I am too childish-foolish for this world.

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Q. Mar. Hie thee to hell for shame, and leave this

world,

Thou cacodemon! there thy kingdom is.
Riv. My Lord of Gloucester, in those busy days
Which here you urge to prove us enemies,
We follow'd then our lord, our sovereign king.
So should we you, if you should be our king.
Glou. If I should be! I had rather be a pedlar.

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Far be it from my heart, the thought thereof! 150 Q. Eliz. As little joy, my lord, as you suppose

You should enjoy, were you this country's king,
As little joy you may suppose

in me,

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[Advancing.]

That I enjoy, being the queen thereof. Q. Mar. A little joy enjoys the queen thereof; For I am she, and altogether joyless. I can no longer hold me patient. Hear me, you wrangling pirates, that fall out In sharing that which you have pill'd from me! Which of you trembles not that looks on me? If not that I am queen, you bow like subjects,

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