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- KING RICHARD THE THIRD
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- Act 2 Scene 3
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- (Enter one Citizen at one door and another at the other)
- l1l First Citizen Good morrow, neighbour. Whither away so fast?
- l2l Second Citizen I promise you, I scarcely know myself.
- l3l Hear you the news abroad?
- First Citizen Yes, that the King is dead.
- l4l Second Citizen Ill news, by Ær Lady; seldom comes the better.
- l5l I fear, I fear, Ætwill prove a giddy world.
- (Enter another Citizen)
- l6l Third Citizen Neighbours, God speed.
- First Citizen Give you good morrow, sir.
- l7l Third Citizen Doth the news hold of good King EdwardÆs death?
- l8l Second Citizen Ay, sir, it is too true. God help the while.
- l9l Third Citizen Then, masters, look to see a troublous world.
- l10l First Citizen No, no, by GodÆs good grace his son shall reign.
- l11l Third Citizen Woe to that land thatÆs governed by a child.
- l12l Second Citizen In him there is a hope of government,
- l13l Which in his nonage council under him,
- l14l And in his full and ripened years himself,
- l15l No doubt shall then, and till then, govern well.
- l16l First Citizen So stood the state when Henry the Sixth
- l17l Was crowned in Paris but at nine months old.
- l18l Third Citizen Stood the state so? No, no, good friends, God wot.
- l19l For then this land was famously enriched
- l20l With politic, grave counsel; then the King
- l21l Had virtuous uncles to protect his grace.
- l22l First Citizen Why, so hath this, both by his father and mother.
- l23l Third Citizen Better it were they all came by his father,
- l24l Or by his father there were none at all.
- l25l For emulation who shall now be nearÆst
- l26l Will touch us all too near, if God prevent not.
- l27l O full of danger is the Duke of Gloucester,
- l28l And the QueenÆs sons and brothers haught and proud.
- l29l And were they to be ruled, and not to rule,
- l30l This sickly land might solace as before.
- l31l First Citizen Come, come, we fear the worst. All will be well.
- l32l Third Citizen When clouds are seen, wise men put on their cloaks;
- l33l When great leaves fall, then winter is at hand;
- l34l When the sun sets, who doth not look for night?
- l35l Untimely storms make men expect a dearth.
- l36l All may be well, but if God sort it so
- l37l ÆTis more than we deserve, or I expect.
- l38l Second Citizen Truly the hearts of men are full of fear.
- l39l You cannot reason almost with a man
- l40l That looks not heavily and full of dread.
- l41l Third Citizen Before the days of change still is it so.
- l42l By a divine instinct menÆs minds mistrust
- l43l Ensuing danger, as by proof we see
- l44l The water swell before a boistÆrous storm.
- l45l But leave it all to God. Whither away?
- l46l Second Citizen Marry, we were sent for to the justices.
- l47l Third Citizen And so was I. IÆll bear you company.
- (Exeunt)
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