1    Stand all apart Cousin of Buckingham!

2    My gracious sovereign?

3    Give me thy hand.
Here he ascendeth his throne
4    Thus high, by thy advice
5    And thy assistance, is King Richard seated;
6    But shall we wear these honours for a day?
7    Or shall they last, and we rejoice in them?

8    Still live they and for ever may they last!

9    O Buckingham, now do I play the touch,
10   To try if thou be current gold indeed
11   Young Edward lives: think now what I would say.

12   Say on, my loving lord.

13   Why, Buckingham, I say, I would be king,

14   Why, so you are, my thrice renowned liege.

15   Ha! am I king? 'tis so: but Edward lives.

16   True, noble prince.

17   O bitter consequence,
18   That Edward still should live! 'True, noble prince!'
19   Cousin, thou wert not wont to be so dull:
20   Shall I be plain? I wish the bastards dead;
21   And I would have it suddenly perform'd.
22   What sayest thou? speak suddenly; be brief.

23   Your grace may do your pleasure.

24   Tut, tut, thou art all ice, thy kindness freezeth:
25   Say, have I thy consent that they shall die?

26   Give me some breath, some little pause, my lord
27   Before I positively herein:
28   I will resolve your grace immediately.

Aside to a stander by
29   The king is angry: see, he bites the lip.

30   I will converse with iron-witted fools
31   And unrespective boys: none are for me
32   That look into me with considerate eyes:
33   High-reaching Buckingham grows circumspect.
34   Boy!

35   My lord?

36   Know'st thou not any whom corrupting gold
37   Would tempt unto a close exploit of death?

38   My lord, I know a discontented gentleman,
39   Whose humble means match not his haughty mind:
40   Gold were as good as twenty orators,
41   And will, no doubt, tempt him to any thing.

42   What is his name?

43   His name, my lord, is Tyrrel.

44   I partly know the man: go, call him hither.
Exit Page
45   The deep-revolving witty Buckingham
46   No more shall be the neighbour to my counsel:
47   Hath he so long held out with me untired,
48   And stops he now for breath?
Enter STANLEY
49   How now! what news with you?

50   My lord, I hear the Marquis Dorset's fled
51   To Richmond, in those parts beyond the sea
52   Where he abides.

53   Catesby!

54   My lord?

55   Rumour it abroad
56   That Anne, my wife, is sick and like to die:
57   I will take order for her keeping close.
58   Inquire me out some mean-born gentleman,
59   Whom I will marry straight to Clarence' daughter:
60   The boy is foolish, and I fear not him.
61   Look, how thou dream'st! I say again, give out
62   That Anne my wife is sick and like to die:
63   About it; for it stands me much upon,
64   To stop all hopes whose growth may damage me.
Exit CATESBY
65   I must be married to my brother's daughter,
66   Or else my kingdom stands on brittle glass.
67   Murder her brothers, and then marry her!
68   Uncertain way of gain! But I am in
69   So far in blood that sin will pluck on sin:
70   Tear-falling pity dwells not in this eye.
Re-enter Page, with TYRREL
71   Is thy name Tyrrel?

72   James Tyrrel, and your most obedient subject.

73   Art thou, indeed?

74   Prove me, my gracious sovereign.

75   Darest thou resolve to kill a friend of mine?

76   Ay, my lord;
77   But I had rather kill two enemies.

78   Why, there thou hast it: two deep enemies,
79   Foes to my rest and my sweet sleep's disturbers
80   Are they that I would have thee deal upon:
81   Tyrrel, I mean those bastards in the Tower.

82   Let me have open means to come to them,
83   And soon I'll rid you from the fear of them.

84   Thou sing'st sweet music. Hark, come hither, Tyrrel
85   Go, by this token: rise, and lend thine ear:
Whispers
86   There is no more but so: say it is done,
87   And I will love thee, and prefer thee too.

88   'Tis done, my gracious lord.

89   Shall we hear from thee, Tyrrel, ere we sleep?

90   Ye shall, my Lord.

91   My Lord, I have consider'd in my mind
92   The late demand that you did sound me in.

93   Well, let that pass. Dorset is fled to Richmond.

94   I hear that news, my lord.

95   Stanley, he is your wife's son well, look to it.

96   My lord, I claim your gift, my due by promise,
97   For which your honour and your faith is pawn'd;
98   The earldom of Hereford and the moveables
99   The which you promised I should possess.

100  Stanley, look to your wife; if she convey
101  Letters to Richmond, you shall answer it.

102  What says your highness to my just demand?

103  As I remember, Henry the Sixth
104  Did prophesy that Richmond should be king,
105  When Richmond was a little peevish boy.
106  A king, perhaps, perhaps,--

107  My lord!

108  How chance the prophet could not at that time
109  Have told me, I being by, that I should kill him?

110  My lord, your promise for the earldom,--

111  Richmond! When last I was at Exeter,
112  The mayor in courtesy show'd me the castle,
113  And call'd it Rougemont: at which name I started,
114  Because a bard of Ireland told me once
115  I should not live long after I saw Richmond.

116  My Lord!

117  Ay, what's o'clock?

118  I am thus bold to put your grace in mind
119  Of what you promised me.

120  Well, but what's o'clock?

121  Upon the stroke of ten.

122  Well, let it strike.

123  Why let it strike?

124  Because that, like a Jack, thou keep'st the stroke
125  Betwixt thy begging and my meditation.
126  I am not in the giving vein to-day.

127  Why, then resolve me whether you will or no.

128  Tut, tut,
129  Thou troublest me; am not in the vein.

130  Is it even so? rewards he my true service
131  With such deep contempt made I him king for this?
132  O, let me think on Hastings, and be gone
133  To Brecknock, while my fearful head is on!