KING RICHARD THE THIRD

Act 3 Scene 1

(The Trumpets sound. Enter young Prince Edward, the Dukes of Gloucester and Buckingham, Lord Cardinal, with others, including Lord Stanley Earl of Derby and Sir William Catesby)
l1l	Buckingham	 Welcome, sweet Prince, to London, to your chamber.
l2l	Richard Gloucester	(to Prince Edward)
		 Welcome, dear cousin, my thoughts’ sovereign.
l3l		The weary way hath made you melancholy.
l4l	Prince Edward	No, uncle, but our crosses on the way
l5l		Have made it tedious, wearisome, and heavy.
l6l		I want more uncles here to welcome me.
l7l	Richard Gloucester	Sweet Prince, the untainted virtue of your years
l8l		Hath not yet dived into the world’s deceit,
l9l		Nor more can you distinguish of a man
l10l		Than of his outward show, which God he knows
l11l		Seldom or never jumpeth with the heart.
l12l		Those uncles which you want were dangerous.
l13l		Your grace attended to their sugared words,
l14l		But looked not on the poison of their hearts.
l15l		God keep you from them, and from such false friends.
l16l	Prince Edward	God keep me from false friends# but they were none.
		(Enter Lord Mayor and his train)
l17l	Richard Gloucester	 My lord, the Mayor of London comes to greet you.
l18l	Mayor	(kneeling to Prince Edward)
		 God bless your grace with health and happy days.
l19l	Prince Edward	I thank you, good my lord, and thank you all.—
l20l		I thought my mother and my brother York
l21l		Would long ere this have met us on the way.
l22l		Fie, what a slug is Hastings, that he hastes not
l23l		To tell us whether they will come or no.
		(Enter Lord Hastings)
l24l	Buckingham	 In happy time here comes the sweating lord.
l25l	Prince Edward	(to Hastings)
		 Welcome, my lord. What, will our mother come?
l26l	Lord Hastings	On what occasion God he knows, not I,
l27l		The Queen your mother, and your brother York,
l28l		Have taken sanctuary. The tender Prince
l29l		Would fain have come with me to meet your grace,
l30l		But by his mother was perforce withheld.
l31l	Buckingham	Fie, what an indirect and peevish course
l32l		Is this of hers!—Lord Cardinal, will your grace
l33l		Persuade the Queen to send the Duke of York
l34l		Unto his princely brother presently?—
l35l		If she deny, Lord Hastings, go with him,
l36l		And from her jealous arms pluck him perforce.
l37l	Cardinal	My lord of Buckingham, if my weak oratory
l38l		Can from his mother win the Duke of York,
l39l		Anon expect him. But if she be obdurate
l40l		To mild entreaties, God in heaven forbid
l41l		We should infringe the sacred privilege
l42l		Of blessèd sanctuary. Not for all this land
l43l		Would I be guilty of so deep a sin.
l44l	Buckingham	You are too senseless-obstinate, my lord,
l45l		Too ceremonious and traditional.
l46l		Weigh it not with the grossness of this age.
l47l		You break not sanctuary in seizing him.
l48l		The benefit thereof is always granted
l49l		To those whose dealings have deserved the place,
l50l		And those who have the wit to claim the place.
l51l		This prince hath neither claimed it nor deserved it,
l52l		And therefore, in my mind, he cannot have it.
l53l		Then taking him from thence that ’longs not there,
l54l		You break thereby no privilege nor charter.
l55l		Oft have I heard of “sanctuary men”,
l56l		But “sanctuary children” ne’er till now.
l57l	Cardinal	My lord, you shall o’errule my mind for once.—
l58l		Come on, Lord Hastings, will you go with me?
l59l	Lord Hastings	I come, my lord.
l60l	Prince Edward	Good lords, make all the speedy haste you may.—
		( 60 Exeunt Cardinal and Hastings)
l61l		Say, uncle Gloucester, if our brother come,
l62l		Where shall we sojourn till our coronation?
l63l	Richard Gloucester	Where it seems best unto your royal self.
l64l		If I may counsel you, some day or two
l65l		Your highness shall repose you at the Tower,
l66l		Then where you please and shall be thought most fit
l67l		For your best health and recreation.
l68l	Prince Edward	I do not like the Tower of any place.—
l69l		Did Julius Caesar build that place, my lord?
l70l	Buckingham	He did, my gracious lord, begin that place,
l71l		Which since succeeding ages have re-edified.
l72l	Prince Edward	Is it upon record, or else reported
l73l		Successively from age to age, he built it?
l74l	Buckingham	Upon record, my gracious liege.
l75l	Prince Edward	But say, my lord, it were not registered,
l76l		Methinks the truth should live from age to age,
l77l		As ’twere retailed to all posterity
l78l		Even to the general all-ending day.
l79l	Richard Gloucester	(aside)
		 So wise so young, they say, do never live long.
l80l	Prince Edward	What say you, uncle?
l81l	Richard Gloucester	I say, “Without characters fame lives long”.
l82l		(Aside)
		 Thus like the formal Vice, Iniquity,
l83l		I moralize two meanings in one word.
l84l	Prince Edward	That Julius Caesar was a famous man:
l85l		With what his valour did t’ enrich his wit,
l86l		His wit set down to make his valour live.
l87l		Death made no conquest of this conqueror,
l88l		For yet he lives in fame though not in life.
l89l		I’ll tell you what, my cousin Buckingham.
l90l	Buckingham	What, my good lord?
l91l	Prince Edward	An if I live until I be a man,
l92l		I’ll win our ancient right in France again,
l93l		Or die a soldier, as I lived a king.
l94l	Richard Gloucester	(aside)
		 Short summers lightly have a forward spring.
		(Enter young Duke of York, Lord Hastings, and Lord Cardinal)
l95l	Buckingham	 Now in good time, here comes the Duke of York.
l96l	Prince Edward	Richard of York, how fares our loving brother?
l97l	York	Well, my dread lord—so must I call you now.
l98l	Prince Edward	Ay, brother, to our grief, as it is yours.
l99l		Too late he died that might have kept that title,
l100l		Which by his death hath lost much majesty.
l101l	Richard Gloucester	How fares our noble cousin, Lord of York?
l102l	York	I thank you, gentle uncle, well. O, my lord,
l103l		You said that idle weeds are fast in growth#
l104l		The Prince, my brother, hath outgrown me far.
l105l	Richard Gloucester	He hath, my lord.
	York	And therefore is he idle?
l106l	Richard Gloucester	O my fair cousin, I must not say so.
l107l	York	He is more beholden to you then than I.
l108l	Richard Gloucester	He may command me as my sovereign,
l109l		But you have power in me as a kinsman.
l110l	York	I pray you, uncle, render me this dagger.
l111l	Richard Gloucester	My dagger, little cousin? With all my heart.
l112l	Prince Edward	A beggar, brother?
l113l	York	Of my kind uncle that I know will give,
l114l		It being but a toy which is no grief to give.
l115l	Richard Gloucester	A greater gift than that I’ll give my cousin.
l116l	York	A greater gift? O, that’s the sword to it.
l117l	Richard Gloucester	Ay, gentle cousin, were it light enough.
l118l	York	O, then I see you will part but with light gifts.
l119l		In weightier things you’ll say a beggar nay.
l120l	Richard Gloucester	It is too heavy for your grace to wear.
l121l	York	I’d weigh it lightly, were it heavier.
l122l	Richard Gloucester	What, would you have my weapon, little lord?
l123l	York	I would, that I might thank you as you call me.
l124l	Richard Gloucester	How?
l125l	York	Little.
l126l	Prince Edward	My lord of York will still be cross in talk.—
l127l		Uncle, your grace knows how to bear with him.
l128l	York	You mean to bear me, not to bear with me.—
l129l		Uncle, my brother mocks both you and me.
l130l		Because that I am little like an ape,
l131l		He thinks that you should bear me on your shoulders.
l132l	Buckingham	With what a sharp, prodigal wit he reasons.
l133l		To mitigate the scorn he gives his uncle,
l134l		He prettily and aptly taunts himself.
l135l		So cunning and so young is wonderful.
l136l	Richard Gloucester	(to Prince Edward)
		 My lord, will ’t please you pass along?
l137l		Myself and my good cousin Buckingham
l138l		Will to your mother to entreat of her
l139l		To meet you at the Tower and welcome you.
l140l	York	(to Prince Edward)
		 What, will you go unto the Tower, my lord?
l141l	Prince Edward	My Lord Protector needs will have it so.
l142l	York	I shall not sleep in quiet at the Tower.
l143l	Richard Gloucester	Why, what should you fear there?
l144l	York	Marry, my uncle Clarence’ angry ghost.
l145l		My grannam told me he was murdered there.
l146l	Prince Edward	I fear no uncles dead.
	Richard Gloucester	Nor none that live, I hope.
l147l	Prince Edward	An if they live, I hope I need not fear.
l148l		(To York)
		 But come, my lord, and with a heavy heart,
l149l		Thinking on them, go we unto the Tower.
		(A Sennet. Exeunt all but Richard, Buckingham, and Catesby)
l150l	Buckingham	(to Richard)
		 Think you, my lord, this little prating York
l151l		Was not incensèd by his subtle mother
l152l		To taunt and scorn you thus opprobriously?
l153l	Richard Gloucester	No doubt, no doubt. O, ’tis a parlous boy,
l154l		Bold, quick, ingenious, forward, capable.
l155l		He is all the mother’s, from the top to toe.
l156l	Buckingham	Well, let them rest.—Come hither, Catesby. Thou art sworn
l157l		As deeply to effect what we intend
l158l		As closely to conceal what we impart.
l159l		Thou know’st our reasons, urged upon the way.
l160l		What think’st thou? Is it not an easy matter
l161l		To make Lord William Hastings of our mind,
l162l		For the instalment of this noble duke
l163l		In the seat royal of this famous isle?
l164l	Catesby	He for his father’s sake so loves the Prince
l165l		That he will not be won to aught against him.
l166l	Buckingham	What think’st thou then of Stanley? Will not he?
l167l	Catesby	He will do all-in-all as Hastings doth.
l168l	Buckingham	Well then, no more but this. Go, gentle Catesby,
l169l		And, as it were far off, sound thou Lord Hastings
l170l		How he doth stand affected to our purpose.
l171l		If thou dost find him tractable to us,
l172l		Encourage him, and tell him all our reasons.
l173l		If he be leaden, icy, cold, unwilling,
l174l		Be thou so too, and so break off your talk,
l175l		And give us notice of his inclination,
l176l		For we tomorrow hold divided counsels,
l177l		Wherein thyself shalt highly be employed.
l178l	Richard Gloucester	Commend me to Lord William. Tell him, Catesby,
l179l		His ancient knot of dangerous adversaries
l180l		Tomorrow are let blood at Pomfret Castle,
l181l		And bid my lord, for joy of this good news,
l182l		Give Mrs Shore one gentle kiss the more.
l183l	Buckingham	Good Catesby, go effect this business soundly.
l184l	Catesby	My good lords both, with all the heed I can.
l185l	Richard Gloucester	Shall we hear from you, Catesby, ere we sleep?
l186l	Catesby	You shall, my lord.
l187l	Richard Gloucester	At Crosby House, there shall you find us both.
		(Exit Catesby)
l188l	Buckingham	 My lord, what shall we do if we perceive
l189l		Lord Hastings will not yield to our complots?
l190l	Richard Gloucester	Chop off his head. Something we will determine.
l191l		And look when I am king, claim thou of me
l192l		The earldom of Hereford, and all the movables
l193l		Whereof the King my brother was possessed.
l194l	Buckingham	I’ll claim that promise at your grace’s hand.
l195l	Richard Gloucester	And look to have it yielded with all kindness.
l196l		Come, let us sup betimes, that afterwards
l197l		We may digest our complots in some form.
		(Exeunt)