Glow. Go, tread the path that thou fhalt ne'er
Simple, plain Clarence! I do love thee fo, [return:
That I will thortly fend thy foul to heav'n,
If Heav'n will take the prefent at our hands,

-But who comes here? the new-deliverd Haf
tings?

**Enter Lord Haftings.

Haft. Good time of day unto my gracious Lord.
Glou. As much unto my good Lord Chamberlain :
Well are you welcome to the open air.
How hath your Lordfhip brook'd imprisonment?
Haft. With patience, noble Lord, as pris'ners muft:
But
live, my Lord, to give them thanks
That were the caule of my imprisonment.

Glou. No doubt, no doubt; and fo fhall Clarence
For they that were your enemies, are his, [too;
And have prevail'd as much on him as you.

Haft. More pity, that the Eagle fhould be mew'd, While kites and buzzards prey at liberty..

Glou.

news abroad?

い

Haft. No news fo bad abroad, as this at home
The King is fickly, weak and melancholy,
And his phyficians fear him mightily.

Glou, Now, by St Paul, that news is bad indeed.

O, he hath kept an evil diet long,

And over-much confum'd his royal perfon:
Tis very grievous to be thought upon.
Where is he, in his bed?

Haft. He is.

Glou. Go you before, and I will follow you.

[Exit Haftings.

He cannot live, I hope; and muft not die,

"Till George be pack'd with post-herse up to heav'n.
I'll in, to urge his hatred more to Clarence,
With lies well feel'd with weighty arguments:
And if I fail not in my deep intent,

inercy

Clarence hath
ath not another day to live:
Which done, God take King Edward to his
And leave the world for me to buftle in!
For then I'll marry Warwick's youngest daughter.
What though I kill'd her husband, and her father?

图

The readiest way to make the wench amends,
Is to become her husband and her father:
The which will I, not all fo much for love,
As for another fecret clofe intent,

By marrying her, which I must reach unto.
-But yet I run before my horse to market:
Clarence ftill breathes, Edward still lives and reigns;
When they are gone, then muft I count my gains.

[Exit.

Enter the corfe of Henry the Sixth, with hal
berds to guard it, Lady Anne being the mourner.
Anne. Set down, fet down your honourable load,
If honour may be shrouded in a herse;
Whilft I awhile obfequioufly lament
Th' untimely fall of virtuous Lancaster.
-Poor key-cold figure of a holy King!
Pale afhes of the 'houfe of Lancaster!
Thou bloodlefs remnant of that royal blood!
Be't lawful that I invocate thy ghost,
To'hear the lamentations of poor Anne,
Wife to thy Edward, to thy flaughter'd fon,
Stabb'd by the felf-fame hand that made thefe
wounds.

Lo, in these windows, that let forth thy life,
I pour the helpless balm of my poor eyes.
Curs'd be the hand that made these fatal holes!
Curs'd be the heart that had the heart to do it!
More direful hap betide that hated wretch,
That makes us wretched by the death of thee,
Than I can wish to adders, fpiders, toads,
Or any creeping venom'd thing that lives!
If ever he have child, abortive be it,
Prodigious, and untimely brought to light,
Whole ugly and unnatural afpect

May fright the hopeful mother at the view,
And That be heir to his unhappinels!
If ever he have wife, let her be made

More miferable by the death of him

Than I am made by my young Lord and thee!
-Come now tow'rds Chertley with your holy load,
Taken from Paul's to be interred there.

And ftill as you are weary of this weight,
Rest you, while I lament King Henry's corfe.
Enter Richard Duke of Gloucefter.

Glou. Stay you that bear the corfe, and fet it down. Anne. What black magician conjures up this fiend, To stop devoted charitable deeds?

Glou. Villains, fet down the corfe; or, by St Paul, I'll make a corfe of him that disobeys.

Gen. My Lord, ftand back, and let the coffin pafs.
Glou. Unmanner'd dog! ftand theu when I com-
Advance thy halbert higher than my breast, [mand;
Or by St Paul, I'll ftrike thee to my foot,
And fpurn upon thee, beggar, for thy boldnefs.
Anne. What, do you tremble? are you all afraid?
Alas, I blame you not, for you are mortal;
And mortal eyes cannot endure the devil.
-Avaunt, thou dreadful minifter of hell!
Thou hadst but power over his mortal be
His foul thou canst not have; therefore be gone.
Glou. Sweet faint, for charity, be not fo curft.
Anne. Foul dev'!! for God's fake hence, trouble
us not; des

For thou haft made the happy earth thy hell,
Fill'd it with curfing cries, and deep exclaims.
If thou delight to view thy heinous deeds,
Behold this pattern of thy butcheries.
Oh, gentlemen, fee! fee dead Henry's wounds
Open their congeal'd mouths, and bleed afresh.
Blush, blush, thou lump of foul deformity;
For 'tis thy presence that exhales this blood
From cold and empty veins, where no blood dwells.
Thy deeds, inhuman and unnatural,

Provoke this deluge moft unnatural.

O God! which this blood mad'fl, revenge his death;

+ Pattern is inftance, or example. Johnson.

VOL. VI.

A a

O earth! which this blood drink'ft, revenge his death,

Or Heav'n with lightning strike the murd❜rer dead,
Or earth gape open wide, and eat him quick;
As thou doft fwallow up this good King's blood,
Which his hell-govern'd arm hath butchered!

Glou. Lady, you know no rules of charity,. Which renders good for bad, bleflings for curses. Anne. Villain, thou know'st nor law of God nor

man;

No beaft fo fierce, but knows fome touch of pity. Glou. But I know none, and therefore am no beast.

Anne. O wonderful, when devils tell the truth! Glou. More wonderful, when angels are fo angry. Vouchsafe, divine perfection of a woman, Of thefe fuppofed crimes to give me leave, By circumstance, but to acquit myself.

Anne Vouchfafe, diffus'd infection of a man, For thefe known evils but to give me leave, By circumstance, to curfe thy curfed felf.

Glou. Fairer than tongue can name thee, let me Some patient leifure to excufe myself.

[have Anne. Fouler than heart can think thee, thou can't make

No excufe current, but to hang thyself.

Glou. By fuch defpair I fhould accufe myself. Anne. And by deípairing fhalt thou ftand excus'd, For doing worthy vengeance on thyself,

That didst unworthy flaughter upon others.
Glou. Say that I flew them not?

Anne. Then fay, they were not flain :

But dead they are; and, devilish flave, by thee. Glou. I did not kill your husband.

Anne. Why, then he is alive.

Glou. Nay, he is dead, and flain by Edward's hands. Anne In thy foul throat thou ly'ft. Queen Marg'ret faw

Thy murd'rous faulchion fmoaking in his blood: The which thou once didft bend against her breast, But that thy brothers beat afide the point.

Glou. I was provoked by her fland'rous tongue, That laid their guilt upon my guiltlefs fhoulders.

Anne. Thou waft provoked by thy bloody mind, That never dream'd on aught but butcheries: Didst thou not kill this King?

Glou. I grant ye.

Anne. Doft grant me, hedge-hog? then God grant me too,

Thou may'st be damned for that wicked deed!
O, he was gentle, mild and virtuous.-

Glou. The fitter for the King of Heav'n, that hath him.

Anne. He is in heav'n, where thou shalt never

come.

Glou. Let him thank me, that help'd to fend him thither;

For he was fitter for that place than earth.

Anne. And thou unfit for any place but hell. Glou. Yes, one place elfe, if you will hear me

name it.

Anne. Some dungeon.

Glou. Your bed-chamber.

Anne. Ill reft betide the chamber where thou lyeft!
Glou. So will it, Madam, till I ly with you.
Anne. I hope fo.

Glou. I know fo.-But, gentle Lady Anne,
To leave this keen encounter of our wits,
And fall fomething into a flower method;
Is not the caufer of the timeless deaths
Of these Plantagenets, Henry and Edward,
As blameful as the executioner?

Anne. Thou waft the caufe, and most accurft
effect t.

Glou. Your beauty was the cause of that effect; Your beauty, that did haunt me in my fleep To undertake the death of all the world, So I might live one hour in your fweet bofom.

Anne. If I thought that, I tell thee, homicide, Thefe nails fhould rend that beauty from my cheeks. Clou. These eyes could not endure fweet beauty's wreck:

The Revifal approves Hanmer's emendation, viz. Thou waft the caufe: and most accurs'd th' effect.