SCENE II. The same. Another street. Enter the corpse of King HENRY the Sixth, borne in an open coffin, Gentlemen with halberds to guard it, among them TRESSEL and BERKELEY; Lady ANNE being the mourner. Anne. Set down, set down your honourable If honour may be shrouded in a hearse,- [The bearers set down the coffin. Poor key-cold figure of a holy king! To hear the lamentations of poor Anne, Lo, in these windows that let forth thy life, I pour the helpless balm of my poor eyes. O, curséd be the hand that made these holes! May fright the hopeful mother at the view; If ever he have wife, let her be made As I am made by my poor lord and thee! And still, as you are weary of the weight, Enter GLOSTER. Glo. Stay, you that bear the corse, and set it down. Anne. What black magician conjures up this fiend, To stop devoted charitable deeds? Glo. Villains, set down the corse; or, by Saint Paul, I'll make a corse of him that disobeys. Gent. My lord, stand back, and let the coffin pass. Glo. Unmannered dog! stand thou, when I command: Advance thy halberd higher than my breast, [The bearers set down the coffin. Anne. What, do you tremble? are you all afraid? Alas, I blame you not; for you are mortal, His soul thou canst not have; therefore, be gone, Glo. Sweet saint, for charity, be not so curst. Anne. Foul devil, for God's sake, hence, and trouble us not; For thou hast made the happy earth thy hell, O, gentlemen, see, see! dead Henry's wounds Provokes this deluge most unnatural.— O God, which this blood mad'st, revenge his death! O earth, which this blood drink'st, revenge his death! Either heaven with lightning strike the murderer dead, Or earth, gape open wide, and eat him quick, Glo. Lady, you know no rules of charity, man: No beast so fierce but knows some touch of pity. Glo. But I know none, and therefore am no beast. Anne. O wonderful, when devils tell the truth! Glo. More wonderful, when angels are so angry. Vouchsafe, divine perfection of a woman, Of these supposéd evils to give me leave By circumstance but to acquit myself. Anne. Vouchsafe, defused infection of a man, For these known evils, but to give me leave, By circumstance, to curse thy cursed self. Glo. Fairer than tongue can name thee, let me have Some patient leisure to excuse myself. Anne. Fouler than heart can think thee, thou canst make No excuse current, but to hang thyself. Glo. By such despair, I should accuse myself. Anne. And, by despairing, shouldst thou stand excused For doing worthy vengeance on thyself, Which didst unworthy slaughter upon others. Anne. But dead they are, and, devilish slave, by thee. Why, then they are not dead : husband. Why, then he is alive. Glo. I did not kill your Glo. Nay, he is dead; and slain by Edward's hand. Anne. In thy foul throat thou liest: Queen Thy murderous falchion smoking in his blood; Glo. I was provoked by her slanderous tongue, Which laid their guilt upon my guiltless shoulders. Anne. Thou wast provokéd by thy bloody mind, Which never dreamt on aught but butcheries : Didst thou not kill this king? Glo. I grant ye. Anne. Dost grant me, hedgehog? then, God grant me too Thou mayst be damnéd for that wicked deed!- Glo. The fitter for the King of heaven, that hath him. Anne. He is in heaven, where thou shalt never come. Glo. Let him thank me, that holp to send him thither; For he was fitter for that place than earth. Anne. And thou unfit for any place but hell. Glo. Yes, one place else, if you will hear me name it. Anne. Some dungeon. Glo. Your bed-chamber. Anne. Ill rest betide the chamber where thou liest ! Glo. So will it, madam, till I lie with you. Glo. As blameful as the executioner? Anne. Thou art the cause, and most accursed effect. Glo. Your beauty was the cause of that effect; Your beauty, which did haunt me in my sleep To undertake the death of all the world, So I might live one hour in your sweet bosom. Anne. If I thought that, I tell thee, homicide, These nails should rend that beauty from my cheeks. Glo. These eyes could not endure that beauty's wreck; |