Y. Mor. At our command.-Once more, away with him!
Kent. Let me but stay and speak; I will not go :
Either my brother or his son is king,

And none of both them thirst for Edmund's blood:
And therefore, soldiers, whither will you hale me?

105

[Soldiers hale KENT away, and carry him to be beheaded. K. Edw. Third. What safety may I look for at his hands, If that my uncle shall be murder'd thus?

Q. Isab. Fear not, sweet boy; I'll guard thee from thy
foes;

Had Edmund liv'd, he would have sought thy death. 110
Come, son, we'll ride a-hunting in the park.

K. Edw. Third. And shall my uncle Edmund ride
with us?

Q. Isab. He is a traitor; think not on him; come.

SCENE V. A Room in Berkeley Castle.

Enter MATREVIS and GURNEY.

Mat. Gurney, I wonder the king dies not,
Being in a vault up to the knees in water,
To which the channels of the castle run,
From whence a damp continually ariseth,
That were enough to poison any man,
Much more a king, brought up so tenderly.
Gur. And so do I, Matrevis: yesternight
I open'd but the door to throw him meat,
And I was almost stifled with the savour.

Mat. He hath a body able to endure
More than we can inflict: and therefore now
Let us assail his mind another while.

[Exeunt.

Gur. Send for him out thence, and I will anger him.
Mat. But stay; who's this?

Light.

Enter LIGHTBORN.

My Lord Protector greets you.
[Gives letter.

UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN LIBRARIK!

Gur. What's here? I know not how to construe it. 15 Mat. Gurney, it was left unpointed for the nonce; Edwardum occidere nolite timere,

That's his meaning.

Light. Know you this token? I must have the king.

[Gives token.

Mat. Ay, stay a while; thou shalt have answer straight.— This villain's sent to make away the king.

21

Gur. I thought as much.
Mat.
See how he must be handled for his labour,-
Pereat iste! Let him have the king;

And, when the murder's done,

What else? Here is the keys, this is the lake;

25

Do as you are commanded by my lord.

Light. I know what I must do. Get you away:

Yet be not far off; I shall need your help;
See that in the next room I have a fire,
And get me a spit, and let it be red-hot.

30

Mat. Very well.

Gur.

Need you anything besides? Light. What else? a table and a feather-bed.

Gur. That's all?

Light. Ay, ay; so, when I call you, bring it in.

Mat. Fear not thou that.

Gur. Here is a light to go into the dungeon.

35

[Gives light to LIGHTBORN, and then exit with MA

TREVIS.

Light. So, now

Must I about this gear; ne'er was there any

So finely handled as this king shall be.

Foh, here's a place indeed, with all my heart!

40

K. Edw. Who's there? what light is that? wherefore com'st thou ?

Light. To comfort you, and bring you joyful news.

K. Edw. Small comfort finds poor Edward in thy looks: Villain, I know thou com'st to murder me.

1

Light. To murder you, my most gracious lord! Far is it from my heart to do you harm.

The queen sent me to see how you were us'd,
For she relents at this your misery:

45

And what eyes can refrain from shedding tears,

To see a king in this most piteous state?

K. Edw. Weep'st thou already? list a while to me, And then thy heart, were it as Gurney's is, Or as Matrevis', hewn from the Caucasus, Yet will it melt, ere I have done my tale. This dungeon where they keep me is the sink Wherein the filth of all the castle falls.

50

Light. O villains!

55

K. Edw. And there, in mire and puddle, have I stood

This ten days' space; and, lest that I should sleep,
One plays continually upon a drum;

They give me bread and water, being a king;
So that, for want of sleep and sustenance,
My mind's distemper'd, and my body's numb'd,
And whether I have limbs or no I know not.

60

O, would my blood dropp'd out from every vein,
As doth this water from my tatter'd robes!
Tell Isabel, the queen, I look'd not thus,
When for her sake I ran at tilt in France,
And there unhors'd the Duke of Cleremont.

65

Light. O, speak no more, my lord! this breaks my heart.

Lie on this bed, and rest yourself a while.

K. Edw. These looks of thine can harbour nought but

death;

I see my tragedy written in thy brows.

70

Yet stay a while; forbear thy bloody hand,
And let me see the stroke before it comes,
That even then when I shall lose my life,
My mind may be more steadfast on my God.

75

Light. What means your highness to mistrust me thus ? K. Edw. What mean'st thou to dissemble with me thus?

G

Light. These hands were never stain'd with innocent blood, Nor shall they now be tainted with a king's.

K. Edw. Forgive my thought for having such a thought. One jewel have I left; receive thou this:

[Giving jewel.

Still fear I, and I know not what's the cause,

But every joint shakes as I give it thee.

O, if thou harbour'st murder in thy heart,

Let this gift change thy mind, and save thy soul! 85 Know, that I am a king: O, at that name

I feel a hell of grief! where is my crown?

Gone, gone! and do I remain alive?

Light. You're overwatch'd, my lord; lie down and rest. K. Edw. But that grief keeps me waking, I should sleep ; For not these ten days have these eye-lids clos’d. Now, as I speak, they fall; and yet with fear

Open again. O wherefore sitt'st thou here?

Light. If you mistrust me, I'll be gone, my lord.

K. Edw. No, no; for if thou mean'st to murder me, Thou wilt return again; and therefore stay.

Light. He sleeps.

K. Edw. [waking.] O!

Let me not die; yet stay, O, stay a while!
Light. How now, my lord?

K. Edw. Something still buzzeth in mine ears,
And tells me, if I sleep I never wake;
This fear is that which makes me tremble thus ;
And therefore tell me, wherefore art thou come?
Light. To rid thee of thy life.-Matrevis, come.

Enter MATREVIS and GURNEY.

K. Edw. I am too weak and feeble to resist.-
Assist me, sweet God, and receive my soul !
Light. Run for the table.

91

[Sleeps.

100

105

K. Edw. O, spare me, or despatch me in a trice. [MATREVIS brings in a table. KING EDWARD is murdered by holding him down on the bed with the table, and stamping on it.

Light. So, lay the table down, and stamp on it, But not too hard, lest that you bruise his body.

Mat. I fear me that this cry will raise the town, And therefore let us take horse and away.

Light. Tell me, sirs, was it not bravely done?
Gur. Excellent well; take this for thy reward.
[Stabs LIGHTBORN, who dies.

Come, let us cast the body in the moat,
And bear the king's to Mortimer our lord:

Away!

115

[Exeunt with the bodies.

SCENE VI. Westminster, a room in the palace.

Enter the younger MORTIMER and MATREVIS. Y. Mor. Is 't done, Matrevis, and the murderer dead? Mat. Ay, my good lord; I would it were undone ! Y. Mor. Matrevis, if thou now grow'st penitent I'll be thy ghostly father; therefore choose, Whether thou wilt be secret in this,

Or else die by the hand of Mortimer.

Mat. Gurney, my lord, is fled, and will, I fear, Betray us both; therefore let me fly.

Y. Mor. Fly to the savages!

Mat.

5

I humbly thank your honour.

[Exit.

Y. Mor. As for myself, I stand as Jove's huge tree, And others are but shrubs compar'd to me.

All tremble at my name, and I fear none;
Let's see who dare impeach me for his death!

Enter QUEEN ISABELLA.

Q. Isab. Ah, Mortimer, the king my son hath news, His father's dead, and we have murder'd him.

II

15

Y. Mor. What if he have? the king is yet a child.
Q. Isab. Ay, but he tears his hair, and wrings his hands,