Being pent from liberty, as I am now,

If two fuch murderers, as yourselves, came to you,
Would not intreat for life? ah! you would beg,
Were you in my distress

1 Vil. Relent? 'tis cowardly and womanish.
Clar. Not to relent, is beaftly, favage, devilish.
My friend, I fpy fome pity in thy looks;
O, if thine eye be not a flatterer,

Come thou on my fide, and intreat for me,
A begging Prince what Beggar pities not ? *
2 Vil. Look behind you, my Lord.

1 Vil, Take that, and that; if all this will not do, [Stabs him, I'll drown you in the malmfie-butt within. [Exit. 2 Vil. A bloody deed, and defp'rately dispatch'd. -How fain, like Pilate, would I wash my hands Of this moft grievous guilty murder done!

Re-enter firft Villain.

1. Vil. How now? what mean'ft thou, that thou help'ft me not?

By heav'n, the Duke fhall know how flack you've

been.

2 Vil. I would he knew, that I had fav'd his brother! Take thou the fee, and tell him what I fay; For I repent me, that the Duke is flain.

1 Vil. So do not I; go, Coward, as thou art, -Well, I'll go hide the body in fome hole, Till that the Duke give order for his burial; And, when I have my Meed, I must away; For this will out, and then I must not stay.

What beggar pities not.] I cannot but fufpect that the lines, which Mr. Pope obferved not to be in the old Edition, are now mifplaced, and should be inferted here, fomewhat after this

manner.

Clar. A begging Prince what

Beggar pities not?

[Exit.

[Exit

Vil. A begging Prince! Clar. Which of you if you were a Prince's fon, &c. Upon this provocation the Villain naturally strikes him.

ACT

ACT II. SCENE I.

The COURT.

Enter King Edward fick, the Queen, Dorfet, Rivers, Haftings, Catefby, Buckingham, and Woodville.

W

K. EDWARD.

HY, fo!-Now have I done a good day's work, You Peers, continue this united league. I every day expect an embassage

From my Redeemer to redeem me hence.

And now in peace my soul shall part to heaven,
Since I have made my friends at peace on earth.
Haftings and Rivers, take each other's hand;
Diffemble not your hatred; fwear your love.

Riv. By heaven, my foul is purg'd from grudging hate;

And with my hand I feal my true heart's love.

Haft. So thrive I, as I truly fwear the like! K. Edw. Take heed, you dally not before your King; Left he, that is the fupream King of kings, Confound your hidden falfhood, and award Either of you to be the other's end.

Haft. So profper I, as I fwear perfect love! Riv. And I, as I love Haftings with my heart! K. Edw. Madam, yourself is not exempt from this; Nor your fon Dorfet; Buckingham, nor you; You have been factious one against the other. Wife, love Lord Haftings, let him kiss your hand; And what you do, do it unfeignedly,

Queen. There, Haftings.-I will never more remember

Our former hatred; fo thrive I and mine;

K. Edw. Dorfet, embrace him.- Haftings, love Lord

Marquis.

Dor.

Dor. This interchange of love, I here protest, Upon my part, fhall be inviolable.

Haft. And fo fwear I.

K. Edw. Now, princely Buckingham, feal thou this league

With thy embracements to my wife's allies,
And make me happy in your unity.

Buck. When ever Buckingham doth turn his hate
Upon your Grace, and not with duteous love
[To the Queen
Doth cherish you and yours, God punish me
With Hate in those where I expect most love!
When I have most need to employ a friend,
And most affured that he is a friend,
Deep, hollow, treacherous, and full of guile,
Be he to me! This do I beg of heaven,
When I am cold in zeal to you or yours.

[Embracing Rivers, &c. K. Edw. A pleafing cordial, Princely Buckingham,

Is this thy vow unto my fickly heart.

There wanteth now our brother Glofter here,

To make the bleffed period of this peace.

Buck. And, in good time, here comes the noble Duke.

Enter Gloucefter, with Ratcliff.

Glo. Good morrow to my Sovereign.-King and Queen;

And, Princely Peers, a happy time of day.

K. Edw. Happy, indeed, as we have spent the day. Brother, we have done deeds of charity;

Made peace of enmity, fair love of hate,

Between these swelling wrong-incensed Peers.

Glo. A bleffed labour, my moft Sovereign Liege. Among this Princely heap, if any here

By falfe intelligence, or wrong furmife,

Hold me a foe; if I unwittingly

Have aught committed that is hardly borne
By any in this presence, I defire
To reconcile me to his friendly peace,
'Tis death to me to be at enmity,

I hate it, and defire all good men's love.
First, Madam, I intreat true peace of you,
Which I will purchase with my duteous fervice;
Of you, my noble coufin Buckingham.

If ever any grudge were lodg'd between us;
Of you, and you, Lord Rivers, and of Dorfet,
That all without defert have frown'd on me;
Of you, Lord Woodville, and Lord Scales; of you,
Dukes, Earls, Lords, Gentlemen; indeed, of all.
I do not know that Englishman alive,

With whom my foul is any jot at odds,

More than the infant that is born to night;
I thank my God for my humility.

Queen. A holy-day fhall this be kept hereafter;
I would to God, all ftrifes were well compounded!
-My Sovereign Lord, I do befeech your Highness
To take our Brother Clarence to your grace,

Glo. Why, Madam, have I offer'd love for this,
To be fo flouted in this royal prefence?
Who knows not, that the gentle Duke is dead?
[They all start,

You do him injury to fcorn his coarse. K. Edw. Who knows not, he is dead! who knows, he is?

Queen. All-feeing Heaven, what a world is this! Buck. Look I fo pale, Lord Dorfet, as the reft? Dor. Ay, my good Lord; and no man in the prefence,

But his red colour hath forfook his cheeks.

K. Edw. Is Clarence dead?-the order was revers'd. Glo. But he, poor man, by your first order died, And that, a winged Mercury did bear.

Some tardy cripple had the countermand,

That came too lag to fee him buried.

God

God grant, that fome lefs noble, and lefs loyal,
Nearer in bloody thoughts, and not in blood,
Deserve no worfe than wretched Clarence did,
And yet go current from fufpicion!

Enter Lord Stanley.

Stanl. A boon, my Sov'reign, for my fervice done. K. Edw. I pr'ythee, peace; my foul is full of forrow. Stanl. I will not rife, unless your Highness hear me, K. Edw. Then fay at once, what is it thou requestest.

Stanl. The forfeit, Sov'reign, of my fervant's lifes Who flew to day a riotous gentleman,

Lately attendant on the Duke of Norfolk.

6

K. Edw. Have I a tongue to doom my brother's death?

And fhall that tongue give pardon to a slave?
My brother kill'd no man; his fault was thought;
And yet his Punishment was bitter death.
Who fued to me for him? who, in my wrath,
Kneel'd at my feet, and bid me be advis'd?
Who spoke of brotherhood? who spoke of love?
Who told me, how the poor foul did forfake
The mighty Warwick, and did fight for me?
Who told me, in the field at Tewksbury,
When Oxford had me down, he refcu'd me?
And faid, Dear brother, live, and be a King?
Who told me, when we both lay in the field,
Frozen almoft to death, how he did lap me
Ev'n in his garments, and did give himself
All thin, and naked, to the numb cold night?
All this from my remembrance brutish wrath
Sinfully pluck'd, and not a man of you

s The forfeit.] He means the Temiffion of the forfeit.

• Have I a tongue to doom my brother's death?] This lamentation is very tender and pa

thetick. The recollection of the good qualities of the dead is very natural, and no lefs naturally does the king endeavour to communicate the crime to others.

Had