Anne. No! why?—When he, that is my hus. band now,

Came to me, as I follow'd Henry's corse,

When scarce the blood was well wash'd from his Which iffu'd from my other angel hufband, [hands And that dear faint which then I weeping follow'd; O when, I fay, I look'd on Richard's face,

This was my wifh; Be thou, quoth I, accurs'd, "For making me, fo young, fo old a widow! "And when thou wed'ft, let forrow haunt thy bed; "And be thy wife, if any be fo mad, "More miferable by the life of thee,

[death!"

"Than thou haft made me by my dear Lord's
Lo, ere I can repeat this curse again,
Within fo fmall a time, my woman's heart
Grofsly grew captive to his honey words,
And prov'd the subject of mine own foul's curfe,
Which ever fince hath held mine eyes from reft.
For never yet one hour in his bed

Did I enjoy the golden dew of sleep,.

But with his timrous dreams was ftill awak'd,
Befide, he hates me for my father Warwick,
And will, no doubt, fhortly be rid of me.

Queen. Poor heart, adieu, I pity thy complaining. Anne. No more than with my foul I mourn for yours.

Dor. Farewell, thou woful welcomer of glory!
Anne. Adieu, poor foul, that takit thy leave of it!
Duch. Go thou to Richmond, and good fortune
guide thee!
[To Dorfet.

Go thou to Richard, and good angels tend thee!
[To Anne.
Go thou to fanctuary, good thoughts poffefs thee!'
[To the Queen.
I to my grave, where peace and reft ly with me!
Eighty odd years of forrow have I feen,
And each hour's joy wreck'd with a week of teen.
Queen. Stay; yet look back, with me, unto the

Tower.

Pity, you ancient ftones, thofe tender babes,
Whom enty hath immur'd within your walls!
Rough cradle for fuch little pretty ones!
Rude ragged nurfe! old fullen play-fellow-

For tender princes; use my babies well!
So foolish forrow bids your ftones farewell.

SCENE

II.

Changes to the Court.

[Exeunt*.

Flourish of trumpets. Enter Gloucester as King,
Buckingham, Catesby.

K.Rich. Stand all apart-Coufin of Buckingham-
Buck. My gracious Sovereign!
K. Rich. Give me thy hand

Thus high by thy

advice,
And thy affistance, is King Richard seated.
But fhall we wear thefe glories for a day?
Or fhall they laft, and we rejoice in them?

Buck. Still live they, and for ever let them last! K. Rich. Ah, Buckingham, now do I play the To try if thou be current gold indeed. [touch Young Edward lives-Think now what I would fpeak.

Bück. Say on, my loving Lord.

K.. Rich., Why, Buckingham, I fay, I would be King.

Buck. Why, fo you are, my thrice-renowned Liege,

KRich. Ha! am I King? 'tis fo-but Edward lives

Buck. True, noble Prince

K. Rich. O bitter confequence!!

That Edward ftill fhould live-true, noble Prince!-
Coufin, thou wert not wont to be fo dull.

Shall I be plain? I wish the bastards dead;'
And I would have it fuddenly perform'd.
What fay'ft thou now? peak fuddenly, be brief.

Hither the third act should be extended, and here it very properly ends with a pause of action. Johnson. ↑ The poet wrote,

new do I ply the touch.

i.e apply the touchstone: for that is meant by what he s calls touch. Warburton..

Buck. Your Grace may do your pleasure...

K. Rich. Tut, tut, thou art all ice, thy kindness freezes:

Say, have I thy confent that they shall die?

Buck. Give me fome breath, fome little paufe, Before I pofitively fpeak in this; [dear Lord,. I will refolve your Grace immediately. [Exit Buck. Catef. The King is angry; fee, he gnaws his lip. K. Rich. I will converfe with iron-witted fools, And unrefpective boys; none are for me,. That look into me with confid'rate eyes... High-reaching Buckingham grows circumfpe&t. Bov,

Page. My Lord.

K. Rich. Know'ft thou not any whom corrupting Would tempt unto a clofe exploit of death? [gold Page. I know a difcontented gentleman,

Whole humble means match not his baughty spirit;
Gold were as good as twenty orators,

And will, no doubt, tempt him to any thing.
K. Rich. What is his name?

Page. His name, my Lord, is Tirrel.

K. Rich. I partly know the man; go call him

hither.

[Exit Boy.

-The deep-revolving witty Buckingham
No more fhall be the neighbour to my counfels.
Hath he fo long held out with me untir'd,

And ftops he now for breath? Well, be it fo:
Enter Stanley.

How now, Lord Stanley, what's the news?
Stan. My Lord,

The Marquis Dorset, as I hear, is fed

To Richmond, in the parts where he abides.

K. Rich. Come hither, Catefby: rumour it abroad That Anne my wife is fick, and like to die.

I will take order for her keeping clofe.
Inquire me out fome mean-born gentleman,
Whom I will marry ftrait to Clarence' daughter.-
The boy is foolith, and'I fear not him.-

Look how thou dream'ftI fay again, give out
That Anne my queen is fick, and like to die.
About it; for it lands me much upon

To stop all hopes whofe growth may damage me.
[Exit Catciby.
I must be married to my brother's daughter,
Or elle my kingdom ftands on brittle glais.
Murder her brothers, and then marry her!.
Uncertain way of gain! but I am in
So far in blood, that fin will pluck on fin.
Enter Tirrel.

Tear-falling pity dwells not in this eye..
Is thy name Tirrel?

Tir James Tirrel, and your most obedient fubject.
K. Rich. Art thou, indeed? [He takes him afica
Tir. Prove me, my gracious Lord. [He kneels.
K. Rich. Dar'ft thou refolve to kill a friend of
mine?

Tir. Pleafe you, I'd rather kill two enemies. K. Rich. Why, then thou hast it; two deep enemies,

Foes to my reft, and my fweet fleep's disturbers, Are they that I would have thee deal-upon : Tirrel, I mean those bastards in the Tower.

Tir. Let me have open means to come to them, And foon I'll rid you from the fear of them. K. Rich. Thou fing'ft fweet mufic. Hark, coine hither, Tirrel

Go, by this token-rife, and lend thine ear—

[Whispers There is no more but fo,fay it is done, And I will love thee, and prefer thee for it. Tir. I will dispatch it strait.

Re-enter Buckingham.

[Exit

Buck My Lord, I have confider'd in my mind That late demand that you did found me in.

K. Rich. Well, let that reft. Dorfet is fled to Richmond.

Buck. I hear the news, my Lord.

t

K. Rich. Stanley, he is your wife's fon. Well, look to it.

Buck. My Lord, I claim the gift, my due by promife,

For which your honour and your faith is pawn'd;

Th' Earldom of Hereford, and the moveables
Which you have promised I fhall poffefs.

K. Rich. Stanley, look to your wife; if the convey Letters to Richmond, you fhall answer it.

Buck. What lays your Highness to my just request?K Rich. I do remember me— Henry the Sixth Did prophefy that Richmond fhould be King, When Richmond was a little peevish boy. A King perhaps

Buck. My Lord,

K. Rich. How chance the prophet could not at:

that time

Have told me, I being by, that I fhould kill him?
Buck My Lord, your promife for the Earldom-
K Rich. Richmond! when I was last at Exeter,
The Mayor in curtefy fhewed me the castle,
And call'd it Rouge-mont, at which name I started,.
Because a bard of Ireland told me once,

I fhould not live long after I faw Richmond..
Buck. My Lord,-

K. Rich Ay, what's o'clock?

Buck. I am thus bold to put your Grace in mind: Of what you promis'd me,

K. Rich. But what's o'clock?

Buck. Upon the stroke of ten...
K. Rich. Well, let it ftrike.
Buck. Why let it ftrike?

K. Rich. Because that, like a jack*, thou keep'ft the ftroke

Betwixt thy begging and my meditation.

I am not in the giving vein to-day.

Buck. Why, then refolve me whether you will

or no.

K. Rich. Thou troubleft me, I am not in the vein.. [Exit. Buck. Is it ev'n fo? repays he my deep fervice With fuch contempt? made I him King for this?

An image like thofe at St Dunstan's church in Fleet-freet, was ufually called a jack of the clock-house.-Richard refembles Buckingham to one of thofe automatons, and bids him not fufpend the ftroke on the clock-hell, but ftrike, that the hour may be past, and himself be at diberty to purine his meditations. Hawkins,